After resting a whole day, the group prepared to leave Izlood and cross back through the Ossa Trail. Knowing a day of desert travel was ahead of them they tried to think of ways to speed through it. "It looks like we don't have a choice..." Michael sighed, "We'll just have to make due..." The thought was unsettling, but it made since for them to keep talking to a bare minimum in order to conserve energy. "Are we gonna' make it?" Lita asked in a serious tone on their way back through the Ossa Trail. After all they couldn't take the Mine Shaft shortcut. The fall from the trapdoor entrance/exit was only about 16 feet, not enough to hurt someone, but enough to make climbing out through it impossible.
The trip back through the desert was going fine until they reached the Triet Oasis Town. That's when Michael saw Lloyd and the others talking to Karol. The man who resembled his father pointed in their direction. "Oh shit, we've been noticed..." Michael whispered in an urgent tone. "Michael Irving, where have you been!" his mother's angry voice called. Colette was a very even-tempered woman, getting her angry took a lot, but when she would get mad things got a little dicey. Michael's face took on a pale shade, if his mother was angry than his more tempermental father would be furious. Lloyd's expression was unreadible as he walked up to Michael. "I guess we can't stop you for the time... Maybe it's better this way... We have to go to Malkueth to take care of something on behalf of our friend, be careful on your travels..." he told them. He took a quick look at Michael's Mana Core. "The Spell Crest is half-worn..." he said. "What's the Spell Crest again?" Michael asked. "You don't know!" Victoria asked in a shocked tone. "It's the part of your Mana Core that allows you to understand and learn skills contained in weapons..." Karol explained, "It's a pretty important process and one that really frustrates my wife... But then that's the case with anything she doesn't understand..." "Be careful... If you start to feel sluggish, that means your Mana Core's overloaded... Until it "cools down" you'll have to avoid fighting for a while..." Lloyd explained. "If you wish to avoid overloading your Mana Cores or in one of your group's case Eres Core, rest periodically..." Kratos explained. "How did...?" Elsa started to ask. "By the way who is this?" Lloyd asked. " My name is Elsa Coolidge, sir..." she introduced bowing humbly. "Is your father Senel Coolidge?" he asked. "Yes, yes he is..." she replied. "I know your father, when you see him again tell him I said hi..." With that Lloyd and the others left, clearly Colette was still angry but didn't feel like arguing it with him. Michael stood there confused for the moment. "Hello? Anyone home in there?" Lita said waving her hand in front of his face. She looked into his ear. "Yup, empty just as I always thought..." she laughed. "You're lucky I'm too hot and tired to beat you..." he quipped before starting to the inn.
The remaining trek through the desert was short and soon they were edging alongside the cliffside as they made their way to Altamira by land. "This looks like a fun place to hang out..." Ryuu trialed off as he started to wander off into the tourist city. Mika smacked him upside his head and pulled him back by his ear. "Dumbass..." she quipped. Lita was mildly amused by this and Victoria just sighed. "Are they always like this, Irving?" Elsa asked turning to Michael. "Yeah and... I'm not sure how I feel about you referring to me by my last name..." he replied. "I'm sorry, this is how I was taught... It's respectful to refer to a male party by their surname..." she explained. "I know... It's just... Weird..." he replied. A new voice made it's presence known. "Michael, Victoria... What are you doing here?" the voice asked. The group turned to see a young girl with long pink braids and a blue dress with a hatchet hanging off her belt. Anyone could tell she had a smidget of elven blood in her and she wore a Mana Core just above her developing chest. "Alicia!" Michael yelped in surprise, "You always have a way of sneaking up on me..." "I knew she was there..." Victoria quipped. "You jumped too..." Lita said with a grin. "Who's this?" Elsa asked. "Oh right... Elsa Coolidge, this is Alicia Sage... She's mine and Victoria's cousin..." he explained. "I see... It's a pleasure to mee you..." she said bowing humbly. "The pleasure is mine..." Alicia said returning the gesture. "Wow Ali... Looks like you're gettin' cuter..." Ryuu started. "...Pancake time, Stalagmite!" Alicia half-shouted. Ryuu jumped back and squealed like a little piglet, but nothing came. Alicia and the others walked away laughing at him. "That wasn't funny!" he scolded, not that anyone present particularly cared. "So what're you doin' here, Ali?" Mika asked. "Nothing really... Dad's never home anymore and mom... I don't wanna' talk about it... I guess I'm running away..." she replied. "Why don't you come with us then? We're getting on board the Legacy..." Michael explained. "That was my plan to begin with..." Alicia replied cooly.
As they boarded the ferry to the Legacy each of them had different thoughts. Victoria entered a euphoric happy state because of the Legacy's historic importance. Lita's only thought was that she was finally getting away from her overprotective parents. Ryuu's perverted thought and action to grab Victoria's rear end was quelled by Mika. Elsa was relieved to be going home. Mika just sighed, she knew she would have to continually beat her idiot brother throughout the entire journey. Alicia was concerned with one of the Lazerano employees recognizing her, she had grown up with Regal as an uncle. Michael gazed off into the distance in what he judged to be the direction of Iselia, he had mixed feelings about leaving. "Are you homesick already, you brainless dolt?" Lita asked in a smart-alick tone. "Move along Lita, can't you see he's conflicted? Leave him alone..." Victoria lectured. She turned her attention to Michael. "Are you ok?" she asked. "Just fine... I just get the feeling there's more to this journey than what we see..." he replied. "More to this journey? Maybe... Who knows, I for one look forward to it... The whole world's been laid out in front of us... I think we should explore it... I would love to see everything that's out there... Maybe if we do we can understand ourselves better y'know?" she explained. Thinking about that Michael's thoughts for the future and general outlook became brighter. "Thanks Vicky..." he said. She smiled and patted his shoulder encouragingly. Perhaps in a way she knew just how long the journey would end up being.