Cuore multi-tasked on her way from her room to the infirmary, intent on returning the potion she'd obtained for her brother's fleeting illness. She certainly had no need to keep what was left and so before she went to the hanger bay, she would swing by the medical quarters and drop it off.

But on the way she was busy reading up on past airship designs and how they might relate to the current ship. The very basic designs from the early days of ship building honestly had more promise than some of the outlandish designs Cid had in reserve.

Cuore shook her head as she double-stepped down a staircase, flipping through the booklet she had and wondering if she should overstep her bounds and stretch her own rule to build them a few components.

After all, she did possess all the knowledge that Zeromus once had, including Lurarian designs for ships and technology.

But it still felt wrong somehow to so drastically alter the natural progression of their planet and its people.

"Besides," she thought, closing the book with a snap, "what's to say they'll follow the same models? Perhaps they'll come up with their own ways to create stable energy…"

The best option for the moment seemed to be to merely help them with their current design and then return to her corner of the world. That, at least, would repay the debt she felt she owed for trashing their last advanced ship.

Cuore stepped through the doors of the infirmary and glanced around, hoping to speak with Viola and not someone she hadn't already met. It was always easier to deal with people she'd already talked with rather than strangers who might or might not have a grudge against her.

The brightly lit room was mostly devoid of activity this early in the morning, but she did finally spot Viola sitting at one of the tables and going over stacks of papers.

Cuore slipped inside and made her way over, her movement, although silent, still drew the older woman's eye.

"Oh, Cuore," Viola greeted, smiling. "What brings you in this morning? Nothing bad, I hope."

Cuore chuckled, "I bet people only come in here for bad reasons, don't they?"

"Well, we do only see them when they need us, that's for sure." Viola agreed, setting a pair of glasses aside.

The teal haired teen stopped in front of her and held out the bottle of purplish liquid, "I actually wanted to return what was left of this."

Viola blinked and then nodded, taking the item from her, "Ah yes, and it worked alright?"

"Yes, thank you."

The woman smiled lightly and commented almost to herself, "You're so polite…"

Cuore wasn't sure what to say in reply to that and merely brushed a strand of hair away from her face. The woman glanced up with an unidentified look on her face and spoke again. "Have you seen Kieran lately?"

Cuore nodded, "Yes. I saw him yesterday, actually. Why do you ask?"

"Oh…no reason. Just wondering." Viola muttered, looking around her desk. "Where is that answer sheet…no doubt also missing…"

Cuore awkwardly picked at her fluffy sleeve, wondering if it would be prudent to just walk away since Viola seemed busy. Still, she would have liked to ask the woman a question.

A question she wasn't sure how to phrase.

Viola sighed, "Sorry, I just seem to be missing something every day when I come into work…and today it's the answer sheet. I swear, if someone was cheating again…"

Cuore pause and then perked up, "Was the answer sheet a lined piece of paper, double sided?"

"Yes," the woman replied, seemingly confused.

"It isn't missing. I believe you had it on that desk last time I was here," Cuore said, pointing at the table in the back of the room.

Viola frowned, looking dubious, but got up and wandered over, shuffling through some of the papers and then held one up with a noise of triumph.

"How did you…?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

Cuore smiled slightly and tapped her head, "Eidetic memory."

"How convenient for you!" Viola said, walking back over with a chuckle. "I wish my memory was that good…"

Cuore nervously rubbed her upper left arm, "Sometimes it's convenient, other times it's…troublesome." She bit her lip and gathered her courage to speak up, "May I ask you something?"

Viola nodded, once again shuffling papers and Cuore looked around the nearly vacant room before adding; "It's…kind of a personal question,"

The woman looked up, amused, "That's alright. I'm a white mage, Cuore, I deal with all sorts of personal things."

She supposed that was true and finally shrugged, mentioning, "Well, it's just…you seemed to know Kieran fairly well but he's never mentioned you. I guess that's not surprising, though. He doesn't really talk to me…until recently…" Cuore trailed off, frowning.

Viola's already amused expression deepened, "You never asked me anything,"

"Sorry," Cuore said, wincing, "I was just curious, is all. How you and Kieran know each other."

The question was an awkward one, since Cuore usually thought it was rude to ask a third party about another person, but she also knew there was no easy way to ask Kieran about it. He was never conversational.

Luckily, Viola didn't even bat an eyelash at the query and leaned back in her chair, one hand still resting on a few papers littering the table in front of her. She sighed and then glanced at Cuore with a half-smile.

"Well, I wish I could say I had a happy story to tell you in reply, but…" she trailed off and Cuore frowned, tipping her head to one side in curiosity.

Viola studied her expression and then let her gaze drop, "I've known Kieran since he came to the castle, actually."

Cuore nodded, thinking that made logical sense considering they both worked in the castle.

Viola paused and glanced at her, and then away, "I'm not sure…what to really tell you. I'm a white mage, I've known Kieran since the attack happened but we didn't actually meet until later…"

The teal haired teen made a face, brows furrowing, "I don't quite understand, but that's alright. I was just curious as to why he seems so fond of you."

Viola stared at her, dumbfounded, "Fond?" The woman laughed, hiding her chuckles behind her hand, and Cuore just blinked, puzzled by her reaction.

"Kieran isn't very friendly with anyone," Cuore explained, still confused. "Even Ceodore and Ursula. I know they are friends, but I noticed he seems…more trusting of you somehow. I was wondering if perhaps you had known his family."

She knew she was clarifying more of her thought process then she really needed too, but she was still trying to avoid her guilt about effectively talking behind his back.

It was his fault for being so supercilious.

Viola smiled sadly, "I didn't know his family, though…sometimes I wish I had. The way he talks about them…"

Cuore had never known the young man to talk about his family, save for once and that wasn't a very pleasant memory for her.

The white mage sighed, "The truth is, I only know Kieran so well because of how we met. I'm not sure if he's fond of me at all, but you are right. He does trust me."

She closed her eyes, "I just wish, sometimes, that we hadn't of met at all, that all those bad things hadn't of happened. No twelve year old should have to go through that…"

Cuore flinched and Viola glanced up, looking ashamed and alarmed, "Oh! I didn't mean-"

She held up a hand and offered a weak smile, "No, no, don't apologize. I know you didn't mean anything by that."

The woman still smiled guiltily, sadness filtering through her green eyes. Cuore chewed her bottom lip and hazarded another question, feeling like she was overstepping even more.

"Then…if you met because of the attack, he must have been injured?" she questioned carefully.

Viola nodded ever so slightly, "Yes, along with dozens of others…that was the week from hell."

Cuore nervously fiddled with the tails of her sash, not sure if this answered her questions at all. She didn't dare ask anything more though. Maybe someday she'd get the chance to actually talk to Kieran about it.

Maybe.

If she could gather that much courage.

Viola glanced at the clock on the wall near the door and stood, "Oh, I'm sorry to be rude and run off, but I have class in a few minutes."

Cuore was glad for the change in subject and smiled, "You teach magic?"

"Yes, for a few hours in the morning," she replied, looking amused. "I do a shift of normal work afterwards."

"My brother is apparently on a field trip today with one of the classes…" she remarked, wondering if he was having fun.

Viola smiled as she gathered her papers, "That must be the one going to the Serpent's Road. I bet he'll have fun."

"I hope so." Cuore said quietly.

Viola scurried to the door but stopped as she reached for the handle and looked back, flashing Cuore a brilliant smile.

"Cuore, for what it's worth, I'm glad to have met you."

She smiled, "Likewise Viola,"

The woman's expression turned a little devious, "I'm also pleased to see you and Kieran getting to know each other. He needs someone to keep him sharp."

She was gone from sight and Cuore made a face, completely confused.

"I'll never understand humans…" she muttered with a shake of her head.


Kieran stared at the ceiling, wondering why all the walls in the castle were such an ugly shade of bland.

Some of the grander hallways tried to be more exciting with colored drapes and tapestries, but even they were quite boring when you really took the time to look.

He wished he didn't have the time to look.

This morning had been the morning from hell. His three roommates had not let him forget he was suspended, nor had they let him sleep in peace, and honestly, it was a miracle there hadn't been a physical altercation.

"Ha, that's all I would have needed. Another demerit…" he thought rolling his eyes.

There was a knock at the door and he groaned lightly before looking over at the door, barely rolling on his bed so he could halfway seeing it.

"Yeah?" he called wearily. He was pretty sure he wouldn't want to talk to whoever was on the other side.

"Hey," Ceodore greeted, overly cheerful.

Kieran stared at him, suddenly wary. The feeling only increased when Ursula smiled and waved almost stupidly from beside the prince.

"Can I help the two of you?" Kieran asked sharply, hoping to scare them off with a dose of bad attitude.

For once, it didn't work.

"Well," Ceodore began, "I was thinking it's been awhile since we all went out and did something fun,"

Kieran scowled at where this was headed, and glanced Ursula as she bobbed her head in agreement, "We should go do something fun!"

He sighed and averted his gaze, "Thanks, but I'm not really in the mood for 'fun'."

Ursula rolled her eyes at him, all pretenses gone. "You're never in the mood for fun. You're always too busy moping."

Ceodore shot her a surprised and somewhat reprimanding look. She just shrugged.

Kieran narrowed his eyes at them, "Did Kain send you here?"

They glanced at each other and he made a face, "If he wants to check on me, then he can come himself,"

"He thinks you're still mad at him," Ceodore mentioned in a hushed voice.

Ursula crossed her arms, "I'm going to tell him he's right."

Kieran rolled his eyes, "I'm not…mad anymore, but I'm not…completely fine, either. Alright?"

"Look, we're going to go curling for a while," the prince commented invitingly. "You could come with us. It'll be fun."

"So I can watch Ursula beat you seven to one again?" he countered, smirking. The blonde princess grinned and socked Ceodore in the shoulder. He just deflated and looked disappointed his past losing streak had been brought up.

Kieran frowned, "I'm not going to come and be a third wheel,"

"You won't be!" Ursula objected, "You're our friend!"

"Yeah!" Ceodore agreed.

He leaned back and groaned, annoyed with their forced happiness on the subject. They were trying way too hard.

"I have things to do," he replied.

Ceodore raised an eyebrow and took in the room before holding up his hands, "Like what? Counting the dots on the ceiling?"

Kieran glared at him and Ursula sighed, "Kieran, come on."

"I'm not going to be the Kain to your Cecil and Rosa," he complained, pointing at each of them in turn. "I'm fine. I will find something to do. You two go and have fun. Let me mope, as Ursula so nicely put it, in peace."

They exchanged a glance, probably deciding what argument to use to convince him to come next but he just sighed and shook his head.

"Well…" Ceodore said, hesitating, "You know where we'll be…if you change your mind,"

Ursula nodded her agreement, "Yes, you're always welcome to come with us. I hope you know that."

He nodded, "I do."

She left the room first, giving a helpless shrug at the situation, and Ceodore just frowned, looking disappointed before he turned to leave.

"Hey, Ceodore," Kieran called, stopping him before he could leave. "Thanks."

The prince smiled slightly and nodded, closing the door behind him quietly.

It was nice of them to invite him, but honestly it was also terribly awkward to be around them. They may be trying to fool everyone that they weren't dating, but he had no desire to be a third wheel. He wasn't that desperate yet.

Though he still didn't have any idea what to do with his time off.

Kieran frowned and went back to staring at the ceiling, trying to remember what he did last time he had a couple days leave time.

He'd slept. It had been right after the whole Zeromus returning thing. He was tried, and injured.

That really didn't fit into his current condition.

He sighed, trying to keep his thoughts from turning to further into the past, before he lived in the castle, before he'd met everyone here, before he'd lost everything.

Even though it was still his life, it somehow felt distant and separate, as if that person and the person he was now were different. And maybe, in a way, they were.

He sighed again, thinking about something O'aka had said.

Kieran rolled onto his side and let the upper half of his body flop over the side of the bed. He fished under the bed for a few seconds, sorting through his eclectic stash of medical supplies, books, maps, candy and other items until he found the one he was looking for.

It wasn't hard to tell the book apart by mere feel; the size was smaller than most of his other books and the cover was burned and rough.

It was a notebook he'd had since he was little, and he'd always carried it with him, writing down ideas and sketches that popped into his head. Kieran still wasn't sure how the thing had survived the fire that consumed his family's house, but somehow, it had.

He may have stolen it back from the debris of his life before the land was officially annexed.

He hesitated, staring at the worn cover but not actually opening it. He hadn't since he'd found it in the burned ruins. He wasn't even sure how much of the information or designs were still inside. But he'd kept it because it was the only thing that survived of his past life.

Cuore had asked him why he didn't work on airships, and Kieran had avoided answering her because he didn't know what to tell her.

He had no idea why the loss of his family, his home, his life had severed that line of creativity. No matter many times he 'happened' to sneak a look at blueprints, or 'noticed' Cid's notes and read up on the latest, he couldn't actually bring himself to do more than minor calculations on the topic.

It was nothing like before; when he would stay up all night sketching something because a bird caught his eye earlier in the day and that in turn sparked an idea about flight. It wasn't the same as when he'd babbled for hours to his brother about engines only for Kaiden to admit he'd stopped listening after he'd heard the word 'engine' more than twice.

Something was different, and it bothered him.

Kieran took a deep breath and shook his head, wondering why now of all times he was thinking about all this. Maybe it was because had the time to actually think, or maybe it was because Cuore had asked an innocent question and he didn't have answer. Or maybe it was even boredom.

He wasn't sure.

But whatever the reason, he gently peeled back the cover of the book, worried it might turn to ash in his hands. Surprisingly, however, it was in good shape, considering. The page edges were torn and scorched, and the first pages were crinkled, but overall, the notebook was readable.

Kieran grinned at the first full on design he found. He'd been only seven when he'd finished it, and his age showed. The airship looked ludicrous, and most of the specs on it were completely inaccurate. But still, it was a start.

And as he flipped through the rest of the notebook, he found that the concepts grew steadily more believable, more constant, more achievable.

But it was the last that one that made him stop, nestled a little past the halfway mark in the book, leaving blank pages beyond. It was actually…impressive.

"I came up with this?" he muttered out loud, squinting at the writing and trying to make out his bad notes through the soot on the page. The ship pictured was sleek and wily, clearly built for speed, not hauling or even looks. The notes beside it about the actual design were detailed, save for a notation made on the opposite page.

It begged the question of a power source that could sustain the flight of such a craft.

But Cuore and he had just talked about that, hadn't they?

Kieran hesitated only a moment before leaning over to take a pen from one of his roommate's desks and scribble a few notes in.


"No, no," Cuore argued, dragging the large piece of parchment away from Cid as she leveled an annoyed look at him. "If you run the power through the secondary couplers you'll lose output!"

He frowned at her, "Then what do you suggest?"

There was haughtiness in his voice that Cuore narrowed her eyes at.

He'd apparently been cleared by the white mages to return to work now that he was mostly over his sickness, but Cuore almost wished he hadn't.

They were no longer arguing, but they were far from best friends. After all, Cid took his airships very seriously, and he was extremely stubborn. But so was Cuore.

"You're spreading your power too thin!" she explained tersely. "It's like…deluding water. If you keep the power output narrow and confined, like a beam of light, then the overall performance will be better."

Cid didn't look entirely convinced, "But if we thin the power it can go to more systems at once."

She groaned, "Energy doesn't work that way!"

She was getting fed up explaining things to him that by all rights he should know. She was cringing inwardly to think that the Voyager had ever flown with its bi-powered systems.

Cuore took a deep breath, "You've copied designs from the Lunar Whale without fully understanding what they do. This is bound to end in disaster, or need I remind you of the Excelsior?"

He glared at her.

She just continued, "When you spilt light and refract it multiple times its intensity weakens. The same is true of 'power'. The more you dilute it, the less effective it will be. It needs to be narrowed, defined."

"That doesn't make any sense," Cid complained, gesturing to the designs, "More is better."

"Not always," she insisted, annoyed.

"Yes, always!" Cid said, slamming a fist on the table, "More propellers to make it go faster, more gears to run the propellers. Obviously we need more power in more places."

"What an antiquated view," she remarked dryly, unimpressed.

Cid bristled, "Hey!"

Cuore rolled her eyes and thrust an arm backwards, gesturing to the ship behind them, "Perhaps you should attach a sail to it instead, and truly make the namesake of 'ship' come alive." There was no shortage of snarky distain in her voice.

"I know airships!" he snapped.

"And I know everything!" she countered.

If this was a battle of arrogance, then Cuore had no doubt she would win.

Suddenly he started chuckling, which rapidly grew into uproarious laughter. Cuore scowled at him, watching this display with no feeling of amusement whatsoever.

"Are you done?" she asked darkly after a moment, crossing her arms.

He continued on for a few more minutes, practically laying on the table and flailing in amusement.

Cuore was insulted, but tried to tell herself he wasn't laughing at her. Though she suspected he might be.

"Sorry, sorry," Cid said, voice shaky with chuckles. "You've got teeth and claws, don't you?"

She made a face, "Excuse me?"

"Well, it's just, Luca always throws a tantrum when we fight. She'd have overturned this table by now if she were in your place!" He grinned, "My team just let my projects blow up in my face. They don't even bother to tell me they think it's a bad idea."

He glanced off to the side, "Kain just walks away from me whenever I disagree with him. He's no fun. Cecil just sighs a lot but never says much."

Cid snorted another laugh, "But you, young lady, you fight like a behemoth."

Cuore stared at him, aggravated, "That's because I know I'm right!"

He laughed again, pounding his fist on the table. She heaved a loud sigh in the hopes it would dislodge his amusement.

Cid pointed at her, "I like you. You're exciting."

"I'm glad we've established that." Cuore muttered, glaring at him. "Can we get back to the discussion at hand?"

"Sure!" Cid exclaimed, all cheerful grins, "But I dunno what you think we're going to solve. We don't have anything to power this if you think what we've got isn't good enough."

It took Cuore a moment to sort through his poor grammar before she replied, "You need a more sustained form of energy."

"Luca says steam."

"Not enough output for what you're suggesting." Cuore said, tapping her fingers against the table.

"Why do I get the sense you're not telling me everything?" he asked, leaning over the table.

Cuore averted her gaze, "I don't wish to interfere in the natural progression of this planet."

"That's a load of chocobo shit." Cid complained.

Cuore blinked and then rolled her eyes, "I see why Luca leaves every winter."

He chuckled again and sorted through some of the papers on the desk, "You refusing to help is just like Kieran always making comments but not actually coming down to help us. He's obnoxious."

Cuore sighed and glanced back at the ship. She had learned from Cid that he'd finally settled on a name for the vessel; the Equinox.

Cuore didn't really understand why humans felt the need to name their machines, but she supposed it wasn't any different than the Lunarians.

"I've been pestering Kain for years but he just ignores me. Bastard." Cid was still ranting.

Cuore glanced back at him, "Not that I'm a stranger to making fun of Kain, but none of this helps us with our airship problems."

"Eh, true." Cid muttered, finally looking back down at his notes.

Cuore wasn't sure if she was glad for the distraction of someone entering the hanger at that moment or not.

There was clanking as a guard hurried down the metallic steps, and it took her a moment to recognize him as the guard that was supposed to be watching Leo.

She still couldn't remember his name, but she smiled slightly and nodded to him, concerned when he flinched at her greeting.

Cid frowned at him, "Geez, you wanna make more noise?"

The man flinched again and glanced between the two of them while Cuore made a face, worried over his expression. He seemed nervous and quite unable to speak.

"Are you alright?" she asked, leaning forward to peer at him.

The guard looked at her, dismayed and stuttered out, "I-I lost your brother."

She stiffened, "What do you mean you lost him?"

The guard flinched a third time, expression flashing with fear, apparently worried that she would lash out. "I-I just…I mean, I was waiting outside, but he never came out. I asked the teachers, but they said they hadn't seen him."

Cuore just stared at him, not quite comprehending what he was telling her.

The man swallowed and took a deep breath, "I am so sorry princess, I swear I was keeping my eye on him, but he must have slipped off and I-"

She shook her head, "Impossible. He promised he would stay with you."

Cid looked disbelieving, "Yeah, 'cause I'm sure he never lies."

Cuore shot him a look, "Leo doesn't lie to me."

"I-I…" the guard continued to almost half speak and she frowned at him, "Come with me. We'll find him."

He nodded and she began to walk away, calling over her shoulder to Cid, "I'll be back,"

Despite Cid's words, and the guards worry, Cuore had a strange feeling about this moment in time. She knew Leo wouldn't have disobeyed her a second time after their discussion the previous night, but she also felt that worrying prematurely wouldn't help matters at all.

It wasn't until the lead teacher claimed to not even know who she was talking and the aide said she hadn't seen him for hours that Cuore felt a spike in her emotions.

The teacher's aide, a petite woman named Jasmine, seemed very flustered, "I'm the one who noticed they were gone first," she explained.

Cuore blinked, "They?"

"Felix Paget is also missing. He's an exchange student from Mysidia," she explained.

Cuore nodded, "Leo talks about him. He's the one that invited Leo here today."

The head teacher, a short man with an attitude, grunted, "Felix is always late. He's probably off doing whatever it is he does that always makes him tardy." He glanced up at Cuore and gave her a once over, "As for your…brother, I don't know. I don't even remember seeing him."

Jasmine winced, "Actually, you met him."

"I said I don't remember." The man insisted, glaring at her.

Cuore felt her irritation prickle and she spoke up heatedly, "My brother is hardly invisible. He has sage colored hair." She glanced at the guard, "I assume you've already scanned the area for signs of Leo and Felix?"

The man nodded, "I did, I-I didn't-"

She spoke over him. It actuality, she wasn't angry with him, but she was agitated and uneasy, and it in turn made her tone flat and too many, probably cold.

"Search again," she demanded.

He looked glad to be doing something and left, leaving Cuore to return her attention to the teachers in front of her. Off a few feet away, the rest of the class played in the snow, giggling and apparently unaware that their classmates were missing.

"Is there any chance they may have accidently activated the Serpent's Road?" Cuore asked, trying to be rational and quell the tendril of fear that was threatening to overpower her.

The teacher snorted, and Jasmine shook her head, "No. It was deactivated for our trip to avoid something like that from happening. Children get into trouble quite easily…"

Cuore glanced off to side, mind working through a cycle to explain away the situation when she was distracted by Jasmine wincing and rubbing her upper arm in a nervous fashion.

She looked a little closer and noticed the slight shake in her fingertips. Even if it was cold out, the woman's black mage robs should have kept her warm enough to prevent such violent twitching.

"Are you alright?" Cuore asked, tipping her head to one side.

Jasmine seemed startled and offered a weak smile, "Y-yes, I'm merely concerned. Felix is often late, yes, but…he hasn't ever run off during class before."

"I'm telling you, he's fine," the teacher said, exasperated. "He'll show up any minute."

He glanced at Cuore, "As for you're….brother, well, I have no idea."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Why do you continue to use that inflexion whenever you refer to Leo?"

He gave her a condescending smile, "Well, you aren't actually related, so I'm having a difficult time knowing how to refer to him at all."

Cuore set her jaw, annoyed, but he continued with a heavy sigh and eye roll.

"If I'd known who he was, I wouldn't have even let him come with us. We don't need the other students getting any ideas from him."

She glanced at Jasmine and then returned her attention to the shorter man, "I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you're implying."

He glared at her, "I'm implying that…your type of magic isn't welcome here. There's a reason we don't teach such reckless and unholy spells. Your brother had no place here, and I have no idea where he's gone now."

Cuore felt her annoyance at these people and the situation shift instantaneously to anger. Insults to her she could brush off without a second thought, but to insult her brother, her family, her home. That wasn't something she could abide with.

There was no shortage of wrath in her voice as she verbally lashed out, though part of her wanted to claw the man's face off.

"The reason you do not teach it is because you barely understand it. The type of magic you so distain was at least true magic and not something stolen from a dead race that poisoned your world with their beliefs. Ironic that you prefer the innate magic of someone who nearly destroyed this planet, twice, to other forms. As for not belonging here, you're right. I wouldn't be caught dead here for longer than I have too."

Cuore took a deep breath and pointed at him, "If you can't help me, then at least get out of my way."

There was a tense, awkward pause and the man glared at her before turning on his heel and stomping off, snapping at a couple of older children throwing snowballs at each other.

Jasmine bit her lip as she watched him walk away and then glanced at Cuore, "I'm sorry about him. He's a little rough around the edges. I am sure Felix and Leo will turn up soon."

Cuore was barely listening to her and she stared at the building they were standing in front of.

"May I look inside?"

Jasmine shrugged, "Of course, but I already did and saw nothing."

She ignored her and moved towards the structure, trying to stifle the storm of varying emotions she was currently feeling. As she stepped under the doorway, she felt a light touch to her mind and she gladly accepted the contact.

"Cuore, I can sense you're troubled from all the way down here," Phoenix said, sounding worried. "What is wrong?"

She explained quickly as she looked around the small building and then sighed, sagging against the wall. "Phoenix, do you ever…feel like something is wrong but there's no logical reason to feel that way?"

"Yes, indeed."

"I…something is wrong here, I just don't know what." She said, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I'm so…I'm not sure. My emotions are all over the place."

"You are worried." her Eidolon told her, "It's normal. Leo is your brother, you love him. Focus your thoughts, Cuore. Leo has a very distinct aura about him. If he's nearby, I'm sure you would know."

Cuore hesitated, "I've never had very good success with aura seeking,"

"But the Maenads were capable of it." Phoenix reminded her gently. "It hurts nothing to try."

Cuore bit her lip, thinking over Phoenix's words. Aura seeking was a magical ability theorized about in Mysidia. Some mages claimed to be able to 'sense' magic around them, whether it be another person or an item. Officially, there was no spell credited with this seemingly random ability, and thus, Mysidia's opinion was that it was random flukes.

Still, the Maenads had been able to sense the Crystals during their time on the planet, and Cuore had their memories from the events. Still, she'd never been able to reproduce their success.

But in this moment, she was willing to try once again.

She wished to believe her brother was merely off getting himself into mischief but something about this moment in time made her uneasy.

Cuore closed her eyes and breathed deeply a few times, blocking out the rest of the world around her. She reached out with her other senses, the ones her heritage granted her, but as usual, she didn't feel anything different. She was beginning to agree with the Mysidian elders that aura seeking was fake.

"Allow me to help."

Cuore was startled by the voice and her eyes snapped open.

"Zodiark," she greeted, surprised. It was rare the keeper of the precepts contacted her; his voice was deep, wroth with power. It echoed strangely, as if he were part machine, or perhaps he was speaking into a vast, empty room.

"I can enhance this part of magic, destined one. With my guidance we can search for your brother." he explained.

Cuore didn't even hesitate and she nodded, closing her eyes once more, "I am grateful for the help."

Aloud she spoke the lengthy incantation to summon the powerful Eidolon. Some things had been simpler when the lost Eidolons were still trapped within their crystalline prisons. Summoning them, for one. Now she spoke lines of ancient words; first to make the connection to their magical realm, then to open the passage between then, then to draw the desired Eidolon out, then to form them in this plane of existence.

Cuore was tired just thinking about it, but she never complained. This was how it was supposed to be. A bond of mutual respect, of trust, of love.

The last lines of the spell were unique to each Eidolon; their personal signature to describe who they were.

"Keeper of the precepts, lend me your strength of eclipsing dark. Zodiark, I summon thee!"

As she spoke the words of the spell, a crest, the symbol of whatever Eidolon was being summoned, wove around her feet. Zodiark's was hued in violets, coiling into circles and lines until the glyph looked complete. It flashed with the final words and she heard a clear chime, like crystal striking crystal.

Zodiark phased into the room, his impressive sets of wings unfurling and brushing against the walls of the dome. He hovered for a moment, armored fish-like body suspended eerily between his massive feathers.

"I will compress this reality and seek your brother's light. His aura is distinct; like liquid silver and gold."

Cuore nodded, awed by his description of Leo. Zodiark could put into words what she only knew and felt.

"Thank you, Zodiark. I'm worried."

"Silence, child. You will never find him, anxious as you are. Allow me."

Cuore fell silent, knowing he was right though she still had trouble quelling the distressing emotions. Eyes closed, she could feel the world around them shift, twist, then revert back again. There were pinpoints of light against a darkened background, but none of them were what she was looking for.

Zodiark hastily caught off the vision, chiding her, "Destined one, it is easy to lose yourself into the reality of time and space. Do not tread where you do not belong."

She flinched, feeling like a child being scolded.

Zodiark merely spoke again, though his words were not what she wanted to hear. "Your brother is not within the walls of this city any longer. I cannot cast my gaze further, but what you seek is not here."

It was those words that made all her apprehensive feelings come true and made the blood in her veins turn to ice.


Without knowing exactly what to do since her brother's disappearance, Cuore returned to the castle and sought out assistance.

It took a great amount of willpower not to say something nasty to Rosa when the woman asked if she was sure Leo hadn't just wandered off. This was third time she'd been asked that.

"No!" Cuore snapped, hugging herself, "He's not in the castle, or the town. He wouldn't merely run off and he wouldn't break his promise to me. Zodiark confirmed this fact when he couldn't sense his aura nearby."

Cuore closed her eyes, "I'm sorry if I sound…short-tempered."

Rosa stood and walked over, setting her hand on the teen's shoulder and stroking her hair in a motherly fashion. "Of course you're upset, you're worried. Come and sit."

She didn't actually want to sit but she felt obligated to considering she was intruding on their lives and demanding their time.

Rosa was still playing with her hair and Cuore found it annoying. Honestly she hated people touching her hair.

Truly the queen should have had more children. A daughter, perhaps.

"Tell us what happened," Cecil asked.

Cuore sighed but recounted her story again, only pausing and glancing up when Kain entered the room, though he didn't interrupt. She trailed off in her story and Rosa finally stopped stroking her arm, shifting her attention to Kain.

"Well?" the queen asked, sounding worried. "Anything?"

He shook his head, "No, Leo and this other boy, Felix, haven't turned up back at class. In fact, class just let out for the day and the other students haven't seen them since the fieldtrip. The teacher and the aide told me almost exactly what they told Cuore."

Kain frowned, "The guard that was supposed to watch Leo is incredibly fearful that it's entirely his fault."

Cuore had closed her eyes and she muttered, "That, I doubt. I feel…I'm not sure, something about this feels wrong, somehow."

No one spoke, and so she finally raised her eyes and glanced at each of them in turn. Rosa looked as concerned and uneasy as she felt, Kain was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed staring across the room at Cecil. And Cecil, well, he was ignoring Kain and looked troubled.

Cuore blinked, "Why…do you all look like you know something? I need your help,"

Rosa reached out and took her hands, "Of course, Cuore. We'll help you find Leo, don't worry."

"But do you know something?" she asked, glancing between the two men.

They engaged in a halfway private conversation that grated on Cuore's nerves, though she merely watched it.

"It could be nothing," Cecil said.

Kain didn't look convinced, "Or, it could be like the others."

"But here?"

"It really was only a matter of time, I think I told you that."

The king sighed, "Yes, but…why right this second? What's changed in the last few months?"

Cuore glared at them and stood, irritated at being ignored.

They stared at her even without her speaking and she out a hand on her hip, commenting, "I was under the impression it was considered rude on your planet to talk about someone in front of them as if they weren't present."

Rosa tugged her arm, trying to get her to sit, "Cuore,"

Cecil looked contrite and offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Cuore, this has caught all of us off guard. Rosa's right, though, you should sit down."

She took a deep breath and collapsed back onto the couch, next to the queen.

"If you know something," she said, hands clasping each other in her lap, "Then please tell me so I can find Leo."

Rosa looked at Cecil, who seemed to hesitate before he shifted his gaze to Kain.

Kain made a face, "Don't look at me,"

He obviously didn't want to be the one to explain any of this to Cuore, and so Cecil sighed, closed his eyes and rested his hands on top of the desk in front of him.

"This will be a long explanation, but you do need to know. There's a group of radical magic users based in Mysidia known as the Magicite. They've never really been a problem in the rest of the world, though apparently Mysidia finds them to be a nuisance. Palom says there are rumors that this…cult, if you will, has been around since even before the Lunarians came here and supposedly the Magicite has influenced decisions based in Mysidia since that time."

Cuore couldn't say she was really surprised, but she said nothing, trying to absorb as much information as she could in the hopes it would prove useful later.

"I'm not sure if there's any truth to that fact currently, or at all, for that matter. However, over the last year there had been mysterious on-goings in Mysidia, including the disappearance of two children, several months apart."

Cuore stiffened, and Rosa took her hand again, "There was another child reported missing from Troia only a week ago, but we didn't think that was related. Though now…"

"This might not be solely Mysidia's problem anymore." Kain finished for her, shaking his head.

Cecil nodded, "The children who went missing had incredible magical talents, and this Felix and your brother certainly fit with that assumption."

"We don't know this is the Magicite," Kain countered, though Rosa pursed her lips. "Who else? The trouble is always in Mysidia."

"Not anymore," he said. "And what if this child missing from Troia is the same circumstance? The Epopts said it was a strange situation."

"The Epopts weren't forthcoming with much," Cecil muttered, sounding lightly annoyed.

Kain shrugged, "That's their prerogative." He frowned and uncrossed his arms, "The only tie to the Magicite is the fact these children have magic. That's a slim lead. Kieran seems to think-"

Rosa cut him off with a loud scoff that made Cuore glance at her, surprised.

"Kieran thinks he knows a great deal, but we really don't have time to discuss his ridiculous claims."

Kain frowned at her, "That's not really fair,"

Cuore was glad when Cecil steered the conversation back on track as she was uncomfortable with the apparent feud going on between the people present in this room.

"Whoever is behind it is really beside the point," the king said with another sigh. "The problem we face, and the same problem Mysidia faces, is that there is very little information as to where these children are now. No witnesses, no solid leads, and the Magicite has always been a shadowy sort of group. They don't exactly advertise where they are at any given time."

Cuore swallowed, "Then…what do we do?"

Rosa sighed sadly and her reaction suddenly made Cuore wary. She was beginning to think this conversation would not please her.

"That's the difficulty we've been facing," Cecil explained tensely. "Anything we do we have to work in complete coalition with Mysidia, since the Magicite is a group that is based within their borders. The fact that it's spread into our kingdom and perhaps even all the way to Troia is unsettling."

Rosa nodded, "We have to go about this very carefully. We've been sharing information with Mysidia on this and other things and we'll continue to do so."

Cuore was growing more and more apprehensive, and she finally spoke up, aware of how strained her voice sounded. "That's all well and good, but what can I do? Where do we go from here? To Mysidia?"

Rosa exchanged a glance with Cecil, and Cuore bit her lip, "What?"

"It's not so simple." Kain cut in, addressing Cuore. "The Magicite is dangerous and unpredictable, and truthfully the leaders in Mysidia have mixed feelings about us helping them deal with this group."

Cuore was having trouble understand what he was trying to tell her, and as if noticing this, Kain sighed and spoke again. "In short, Cuore, there's nothing you can do."

That comment made her bristle, and Rosa continued where he'd left off. "Kain's right. Mysidia doesn't want us helping I can't imagine they will allow you to investigate this."

"They don't have a choice in the matter!" Cuore snapped, "Leo is my brother!"

Rosa gave her a pained smile, "It's not that simple. We will do everything we can to find Leo, but it will be better if you don't get involved. There is nothing you can do. It might be best if you went home and let us do what we can."

Her already sparked temper boiled and she stood up, glaring down at Rosa, "There is something I can do; I can find my brother. I don't care if Mysidia doesn't like it!"

"This could cause a diplomatic incident." Cecil told her. His tone wasn't sharp, but it held a hint of warning to it.

Cuore shifted her glare to him, tired of sitting idle. Nothing would be gained if she continued to sit here or worse, if she went home. The fact that they dared to suggest something so ludicrous made her want to lash out at them.

She spoke succinctly, sharply, "Do not patronize me or dare to imply that I don't understand the possible ramifications."

Before they could speak again, she continued, voice growing slightly in volume with each word as she fought the urge to scream at them.

"The kidnapping of my brother could cause a political debacle as well. It would be dangerous to deny my request, just as it was foolish of you to keep this information to yourself. Did you not think anyone needed to know that children had gone missing?!"

"It wasn't our choice to kept things hidden," Cecil retorted, not sounding pleased she was accusing them. "This is an issue solely based within Mysidia."

"Not anymore!" Cuore snapped, "It has bled into your kingdom, and you've dragged my brother into it as well and now you have the audacity to tell me that I can do nothing? That I should go home?"

Somewhere deep inside Cuore wanted to just run home because she was terrified to face the horror that her darling little brother had been kidnapped.

But she wasn't a coward, and she couldn't just sit complacent and hope that her brother would be fine. No, she would do everything within her power to make certain he was safe.

"Cuore, we're not telling you not to do anything. You just have to go about it the right way," Rosa insisted, still looking worried.

She shuddered, angry, "The right way is to do whatever it takes to get Leo back safe and sound. He's my brother, and maybe that doesn't mean anything to anyone else in this room, but it means everything to me."

Cuore turned in one swift motion, voice icy as she stomped for the door before anyone could stop her, declaring one last comment before she was gone.

"If you won't help me, that's fine, then stay out of my way."


Cuore wasn't even sure where she was going. All she knew was that she was angry, and terrified, and somewhere, deep down, guilty.

But her fear hid and her anger took the forefront, guiding her to stomp through the lavish hallways wanting nothing more than to do something to act out her rage.

What kind of act that would be, she had no idea.

Smash the glass vases scattered around? Summon one of her Eidolons and have them take out a wall? Unleash some hellish spell upon the first person she saw?

If it had been the latter, then truly Kieran was the most unlucky person in the world as she rounded a corner and collided with him.

"Hey, watch it," he snapped, shooting her a quick glare.

Cuore just shoved him backwards, annoyed. She was not in the mood to deal with his gloomy and harsh attitude at the moment.

Kieran looked surprised, "Sorry for snapping at you, I didn't know it was you."

"Move," she demanded.

He blinked and she slid past him, too clouded with fury and panic to begin to speak anymore.

Cuore didn't get very far as he reached out to lightly grasp her forearm, sounding startled. "Are you okay? Did something-"

She yanked her arm out of his hand and glared at him, still confused by her own emotions but nevertheless angry that he was delaying her further.

"I don't have time for this!" she shouted, not even aware that she had said it aloud. "I have to find Leo!" And then, like a gate breaking, everything came gushing out.

"Leo is gone, and I can't…I can't leave him behind, I have to find him. Cecil and Rosa said…they know something, but…I need to find Leo."

Kieran shook his head and held up his hands, a notebook clutched in one, "Alright, slow down. I only caught half of that. What did Cecil and Rosa say? And Leo's missing?"

Cuore expected another burst of anger at his comments, but instead she was baffled when she felt a few tears spill from her eyes. The slow start did nothing to stop a sob from escaping her throat.

What was wrong with her?

It wasn't like her, even in the most trying of moments, to lose her logic so completely. She tried to reach out to the Eidolons, to ask them to help her, but her mind was such a jumbled mess of roiling feelings that she couldn't focus enough to do so.

If Kieran was startled by her a moment ago, he looked doubly so now but he was still quick to reach out and gently catch her elbows, "You need to calm down."

She was surprised by the practical, flat tone he used, despite looking worried. She didn't resist when he pulled her a few steps down the hall and carefully pushed her into sitting on a chair.

Cuore was only half aware of the present reality around her; she was tangled in her mind and her heart, lost in waves upon waves of emotions she couldn't sort through fast enough.

"Oh, it's all my fault," she whispered. The words caught her off guard and she blinked, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

Was it her fault? Maybe, maybe not, but it felt like it was.

Kieran was staring at her like she's lost her mind, and maybe she had. He still knelt on the ground so they were eye to eye and spoke carefully, obviously knowing to tread lightly.

"Tell me from the beginning. Leo is missing?" he asked.

She nodded, "Y-yes, Zodiark confirmed he isn't in Baron."

"And Cecil and Rosa…said what exactly?" he continued.

Cuore swallowed, feeling sick; her mind was racing with a hundred different scenarios of what could have happened and where Leo could be.

She clenched her fists, "W-when I insisted that he was missing, they…implied something about other children going missing, about Mysidia and…"

Kieran winced and she didn't miss the reaction, though more words were already passing through her lips. "They told me to go home, that they would deal with it."

Again, she wanted to see something break, so all consuming was her rage.

The young man in front of her was studying the floor and she took a shuddering breath, whispering, "You know something, don't you?"

Kieran hesitated, and she shivered, biting her lip and tasting salt. "Please," she pleaded, "If you know something, I have to know. I need to find Leo. What if…what if the same person who did that to my room did this? What is he's in danger? What if he's hurt? What if-"

"Cuore, this has nothing to do with you." he assured her, setting a hand on her forearm. "This is…Cecil and Rosa didn't want to worry you, is all, but they shouldn't have tried to send you away. There's…something going on lately, something Leo apparently got caught up in."

Cuore blinked at him, the flow of tears finally slowing and making it easier to breathe, "I-I don't understand. They told me something like that but…what am I supposed to do if not go find him?"

Kieran hesitated again, "Yeah, I know it's confusing, I just…"

Cuore stiffened when he gave her arm a squeeze and guaranteed her quietly, "We will find Leo."

For some reason, his hand on her arm was making it more difficult to focus, and at the moment she couldn't deal with another unknown sensation. She slipped away from his touch, shaking her head, "I can't simply go home."

"I know," he said, nodding, "Cecil and Rosa shouldn't have tried to push you out of this, no matter how much of a mess you've gotten yourself into.

Cuore glared at him, not amused that he was implying this was in any way her fault. She already felt guilty for letting Leo get into such danger. She didn't need Kieran's remarks on the topic.

"I need to find my brother," she snapped, "If no one will help me, that's fine, then they can just stay out of my way. Nothing is going to stop me from finding him."

Before Kieran could reply, footsteps echoed on the staircase a few feet away, signaling that someone was headed their way.

It was that hard to believe that they would try to find her after she'd insulted them and ran off. Cuore supposed it was only natural.

"Kastra," she swore under her breath in Lunarian. She could not deal with a second meeting in one day. Not with how volatile her emotions were at the moment.

Kieran saw where her gaze had gone and he glanced over his shoulder, muttering, "Go, I'll cover for you."

Cuore blinked, surprised, but he just pulled her to her feet and gestured towards the nearest turn in the hallway, hissing, "Go."

She nodded, turning away but he caught her wrist and pulled her to stop, leaning to whisper into her ear, "Don't leave town right away. Meet me by the waterfalls outside the castle on the eastern side. You need information before you do this."

For a spilt second, Cuore had every intension of denying his order, but then her more logical side won out and she decided he was right.

She would need to know what she was getting herself into, and if he would give her that information, then she would agree.

Cuore nodded and as soon as he let go, she dashed into the shadows without looking back, knowing that she was short on time.

"Leo, I swear I will find you."


Kieran wasn't sure how Ceodore had figured out anything that was going on, since he hadn't been present for any of it, but he currently found his presence annoying.

"Where are you going?" the prince asked suspiciously.

He didn't bother looking up and, despite Viola telling him they were expired, he tossed a couple of vials into his bag. "Out."

"Out?" Ceodore repeated, crossing his arms, "Where?"

"Crystals Ceodore," Kieran said, finally frowning up at him. "Stop acting like my mother."

Ceodore shot him an annoyed look, "I'm just wondering where your headed, is all."

"I'm suspended, I can go whenever I want."

"Less than an hour after Cuore storms out of the castle?"

Kieran paused, and the prince sighed, uncrossing his arms, "I'm not telling you not to go, I just think…well, I think this is a really bad idea. Cuore going off in a rage is a bad idea, too."

"She's mad." Kieran said, shrugging.

Ceodore rolled his eyes, "No duh,"

Kieran tightened the straps on his pack, muttering, "Look, not to sound rude, but it's really none of your business where I'm going."

He stood and brushed past his friend, but Ceodore grabbed his arm with another sigh. "Yeah, I know that too, but that doesn't mean you can't tell me,"

Kieran made a face and glanced at him, not liking the whiney lit to his voice. He was acting like this was a personal attack against him, when really, Kieran just didn't feel like talking at the moment.

"If I tell you where I'm going, you'll try to stop me." he mentioned.

Ceodore grinned, "Aren't I doing that anyway?"

"I'm doing what I think is right." Kieran admitted. "I'm not telling you anything more than that."

The prince hesitated, "You know this will be another demerit, right?"

"What's one more?" Kieran commented with a grin.

Ceodore released his arm but made an impassive face, "Your record is dripping in red marks, you know."

"It has character," he countered. "Unlike your boring, perfect one."

"Hey!"

Kieran lightly smacked his shoulder as he walked by, "Lighten up, and forget this conversation. I don't want anyone pestering you for where I've gone."

He opened the door, almost getting away without any more words exchanged, but then Ceodore commented, "At least be careful, alright?"

Kieran tossed over his shoulder, "You just enjoy the peace and quiet while I'm gone."

He left before his friend could fret anymore or possibly convince him to stay behind. Because honestly, Kieran wasn't so sure this was a great idea himself.


Author's Note: Hey everyone, chapter 4! The adventure is starting up. Now, the fun begins.

Sorry about missing page breaks last chapter...the site munched on them for a snack...and I'm trying to be better about editing chapters before posting them to catch spell/grammar errors.

This chapter...kind of kicked my butt. It was so hard to write...I'm not sure if it's perfect, but, well, it's up now.

Speaking of the chapter...there's a lot revealed in this one, but there's a lot more to come. I've dropped some more hints in here because what might appear to be going on isn't really the truth. It's a mystery, after all!

Coming up with summonings for each Eidolon is slightly annoying, but for some reason I feel like doing it. And the bit about a Lunarian swear word? I...may have gone a bit crazy and I might be...making up a bunch of Lunarian words...be afraid, it's really quite scary how much I've put into this. It may all appear in future stories.

The curling is a personal joke between my brother and I. (Curling is a sport played on ice, in case you didn't know. A popular sport in Canada, actually.)

I must take a moment to brag about my story's cover image:

Yes, I drew that on the computer. And, I was so lazy I didn't go into another folder on my laptop to pull open any sort of reference pictures on dragoon armor, so I did that all free-hand by memory. Thus, I must brag, because it looks pretty darn good. And armor is hard to draw. Plus, Cuore just looks really cool in that pic, so I love it...

Until next time, I'm done babbling...