Nothing new.

I already know everything she told me. About the mutation of the six fonons in the core, of the special people capable of wielding that mutated fonons, everything. When I said I didn't ask about the fonon itself, but the fonists, she just tilted her head and said that beside their ability to manipulate special kind of fonon they're basically normal human being.

Normal human being doesn't hallucinate.

They just don't. Period. I asked her specifically about it only to be answered with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't seem satisfied."

She said it with a gentle smile, because apparently I can't hide my disappointment from my face well enough.

"It's not very helpful for your problem then I take it?"

"… I didn't expect much in the first place."

Most likely fomicry is the cause after all.

Or Lorelei's whim. He's been known to have sick sense of humour.

That's if the dreck really is here. Which I'm still not sure of despite the thing that happened with Anise earlier today.

Right now, I still think most likely cause is mental disorder from stress. Because if hallucinating is common for seventh fonists, then I'd have heard about it by now. It'd be general knowledge. Something only the idiot dreck wouldn't know.

"My apologies then."

I let out a sigh and slid down a bit. For some reason I feel so drained and tired.

"I'm glad though."

"…"

"If you are this relaxed then Anise's fear is unfounded."

Without Tear telling me, I know what the brat's so afraid of. She had told me after all earlier, just an hour or so before.

"I have no way of knowing whether that lunatic and his cronies are really dead or not. I wasn't the one who killed them all and Lorelei has gone silent on me."

"Yes. I know that. Arietta was killed by Anise. Largo was shot from the back by Natalia's arrow. Major Legretta died because of my Judgment. Sync… I admit I was being fed Life Bottle when he received his killing blow, and thus I'm a bit delirious at the time, but I'm fairly certain it's Anise's Negative Gate which killed him. That or Jade's Mystic Cage. It happened at the same time. Van died from your replica's Lost Fon Drive."

She listed off all of their deaths without as much as a change in her expression.

Truthfully, I'm impressed.

"If any of them turn up alive, then you have all the right to blame us. For everything."

I don't know what she meant by everything, her hands already on the tome again and so is her focus, so I just stay quiet at that.

She didn't say anything next too, and it made me think of her.

Tear Grants.

Born Mystearica Fende. If she has middle name, then it's unknown to me.

Sister of the monster.

Many thought that that fact alone is enough to make me hate her with passion, enough to want to kill her despite her innocence in just about everything. Even so, I've known from the start that she's the sanest, most agreeable, level-headed and the least problematic out of the replica's gang of misfits. Really, I could almost understand why he's attracted to her.

Almost.

She's too by the book that it's a bit freakish for me. But I suppose since the replica has been let loose without any guidance all his short life, someone like her who could explain the rules and rein him would seem like a Lorelei-sent even if she probably frustrates him at first. Then again, if what I saw and heard during the short time after Akzeriuth is any indication, the idiot was frustrated with everyone, and the feeling was mutual.

In the end though, he'd become their extra limb.

I've seen soldiers who lost their limb in battle. Even after years, they could still feel the phantom pain from it.

I eyed the woman in front of me as she read with that thought in mind and wondered.

It's hazy.

I remembered… white. And blood. And pain.

'I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…'

Someone apologized, over and over, but my mind wasn't clear enough for me to register who said it, and even though I vaguely remember hearing that voice explaining why he apologize to me, I couldn't remember what exactly it is.

I just… I walked through the valley filled with selenia flowers, a song beckoning me.

I felt like I had to come to the one who sang that song.

I promised I'd always come.

I promised I would always help, as long as the song is sung I would... without fail…

But, I realized that I never made such promise.

I don't even like the hymns.

I tried to stop myself. It's weird. It's not me. I had to stop, even though I thought that, I kept on walking. Until I saw them.

Natalia, she caught my eyes first, of course, but my vision wasn't focused on her. For some reason I couldn't tore my eyes from the songstress figure. I smiled at her. I felt joy when I saw her approached me.

"Why… are you here?"

I don't know, I wanted to answer her, and yet what came out from my lips was something else.

"This place has a nice view of Hod. And I promised someone."

And then, I realized what's happening, and I'm sure everyone else too.

Tear started crying, and she walked closer to me. Everyone else too, uncertainly, with surprised expression on their faces, started walking. All except Jade.

And then…

'WHY?!'

What filled my mind after that were how white the flowers are.

How warm the blood that flowed from my body.

And how painful it is to be alive.

The sound of her flipping the pages again broke my line of thought.

"… Are you tired?"

She asked me, and I massaged my throbbing temple and nodded to answer her.

"I better get back to the inn."

"I see. You do seem rather pale. Do you want me to sing a song for you? Perhaps Revitalize will make you feel better."

"No need. I'm fine."

I insisted.

Because I know that the pain I felt in my temple is more psychological than pathological. There's the thing with the replica, but… Tear. The girl in front of me is one cause of it. I'm sure of it.

The thing in the past still affected me, and despite her smiles and kindness, I know that deep down she's still affected too. That time on my twentieth birthday, that night in Tataroo Valley… it's not something that's easy to forget. For all of us.

Remembering that time still gives me headache.

And, for her too. Looking at me and remembering that night must still hurt her.

"Is that so? Then, I suggest you go through the HQ. Don't go through the front door," she warned me with a smile. It's out of nowhere, and thus confuses me.

Headquarters…

If I could I don't ever want to go there again, not since Akzeriuth.

No. That's the wrong way to put it.

Since the beginning I don't like that hellish place.

"… Why?"

"Natalia's here. Anise told me earlier. Guy and Noelle's with her too."

It's honestly the first time ever I found the idea of going through HQ to be more favorable than not.

When I got back, the replica was still asleep.

He's now lying properly on the bed though. When I closed the door, the creaking sound made him wince and his eyes fluttered open.

"… Welcome back," he said.

Well, since I'm clearly from outside, even if he didn't realize me slipping out, those words are not strange at all.

"Did you find anything in the cathedral?"

This question isn't weird too. He's been assuming from the start that I'm here to look up ways to make him go away, and the first place that'd come to mind would be the library in cathedral.

"No."

He laughed a bit as he said 'that's too bad.'

"Natalia's here. Guy and Noelle too."

It was as if those words were like cold water being dumped at him, all trace of his sleepiness disappear in a flash.

"… I… I see."

He's still smiling, but his hands gripped into the bed cover, the creaking made it noticeable.

"Did you… did you see them, then?"

"No. I'm not seeing them until you're gone."

"You can't do that, Luke."

He chided like usual. Even though he almost heaved a sigh of relief, he's still saying that.

"Perhaps if you go to them before they could find you, Natalia would be less mad than… she's most likely is now."

"She's here with Guy. It's probably just a coincidence. She's not here for me."

"You'd know if it's because of some problem need to be solved with Malkuth, she'd told you."

"She's with Guy."

"Well, Guy's your friend too, right? What's wrong with him going with her? Ginji said Guy asked Aston to make things, and that Noelle's gone to ask him something right? Maybe he thought it'd be best if he just handle it in person in Sheridan. Maybe he and Natalia met in Sheridan this way, and maybe he decided to go with her?"

I had to admit, it does make sense.

Even so, I scoffed.

It's not likely.

"You're missing one point, dreck. He hates me."

With that, the replica shuts up and not say another word until morning.