" Hikaru are you alright? You seem so distracted." Umi rushed to Hikaru' side.

Hikaru thought of the way she saw her friends in her nightmare and blushed a little, there is no way Umi and Fuu would treat her that way she visualized them in their dreams.

Umi saw her blush and fretted, "You must be having a fever!" she immediately placed a hand on Hikaru's forehead.

" I am fine!" assured Hikaru.

"Oh, Hikaru, you are making me more worried by saying you are fine" Umi's eyes misted over.

" You always watch out for others but never for yourself. You are always brave and strong, you fought Lafarga without magic, because you will stick to your belief, because nothing will make you waver. You could have lacerations all over your body, and you wouldn't even moan a bit! I would have already fainted if I got that many wounds on myself!

Then you were there, suffering alone in silence when we went back."

There's nothing less credible when you said you are fine!" Said a concerned Umi."

"Remember, we are always here for you. We are the best of friends. We are all alone here. Hikaru, if you don't turn to us, who could you turn to!"

"Miss Hikaru, Miss Umi is right. The adventures in Cephiro are memories exclusive to us, shared by us and only us, both of you are my best friends." said Fuu offering Hikaru a steaming cup of tea.

Fuu said softly, " It is incredible pain to have to bear it alone, it would only lessen if we share it with each other. We are the ones who could share the burden for each other. You could tell us whenever you are comfortable. I know you hate to worry us but on the other hand, you should not hold it all in!"

Her friends' genuine affection warmed Hikaru's heart to the core, this fortified her belief in her friends.

Umi wrapped her arms tenderly around her friends.

"We still can't find who summoned us, but we are here and so we must strive towards our goal to help Cephiro! Oh, Hikaru and Fuu, I can't hold it back anymore, the desire to save Cephiro is more overwhelming than over, I am aching to tell you something very important."

Hikaru and Fuu looked at the blue haired girl earnestly,

" I was so relieved to get the chance to apologize to Master Mage Clef last night. Then Master Mage Clef told me last night what really happened before the battle when Zagato and Alcyone turned against their own country and ruler.

Umi dabbed away a tear in her eye in front if her concerned friends.

" Master Mage Clef told me everything, even it was extremely tough to him to have to recall these harrowing memories, but still, he gave me a blow by blow account. As we are all here, I must tell you this touching story."

Hikaru and Fuu nodded. Umi then spilled her heart out to her friends, telling them the little meeting between herself and the Master Mage

"Zagato did not really want to destroy Cephiro, What Zagato truly wanted was to let the Pillar System to go by having everyone uphold this country together, destroying Cephiro was the last thing he truly wanted deep down,
He tried to spread the word asking people to believe that their wills could also uphold the country, but his pleas fell on deaf ears .

No one saw the need to share Emeraude's burden, they did not see how much their beloved Princess had to sacrifice for her loved ones. Then when Emeraude thought she failed her duties as the Pillar, she chose to punish herself by ending her life at our hands and Zagato resorted to drastic measures simply because he loved Emeraude more than the world, but if only he could have the option to give his life to save both Cephiro and Emeraude instead of fighting us, he would!"

Then I also got to found out I murdered a nice lady. A lady who gave everything to protect the Princess entrusted to her care, a woman who fought to protect the Princess with her last breath, a woman who fought for the life of her very rival in love! Clef told me, princess Emeraude was to her like you both are to me. "

Umi'a knuckles turned white from her tightly clenched fists as she told the Knights about the depth hidden under the glamorous, infatuated facade of Alcyone.

"Do you remember she mentioned she was the attendent of Princess Emeraude and we assumed she fought us because she turned away from her own duties?

Nothing could be further away from the truth, for, she fought us because she was true to her duties as the attendent of Princess Emeraude. She fought us to protect her from us!

Clef told me she was begging for Princess Emeraude's life in tears, and it was in the full knowledge that Zagato loved only Emeraude.

Then the Zagato, the person who we believed to be "evil, heartless, manipulative, scheming" actually begged Alcyone not to join him, not to fight for a man who could not love her back, when Alcyone insisted, he tried to get Alcyone to change her mind by breaking her heart."

Tears were trickling down the girls' faces as they heard Umi's retelling.

Umi went on, "My heart was filled with lead after i heard the truth and Clef was even sadder than I was, I must be brave though. As soon as Clef finished telling me the truth, I decided, I must atone for what I did not just to protect Cephiro, but also to change things for good so no one needed to go through what Zagato, Emeraude and Alcyone went through!"

The girls nodded in approval to the blue haired girl, and swallowed lumps rising to their throats and blinked furiously to get the tears to go away.

" Hikaru, Umi, If this could help lift your spirits, Ferio reassured me that he forgave us unconditonally, and also he forgave what I did to him when I first met him, when I tricked him into becoming our bodyguard. " said Fuu whose glasses were off and she was also dabbing her reddened eyes. " I saw Ferio last night."

Fuu told her friends about her chat with Ferio

"Ferio made it clear to me again last night he never held it against us regarding what happened to his big sister. We are truly forgiven by the brother of the Princess we killed. "Fuu told her friends gently.

" Last night Ferio told me, on the day Emeraude became the Pillar, he had to leave his sister so Emeraude could concentrate on praying. His heart was broken, this he left the comforts and luxuries of the court and lived the rough life of a commoner, grieving for his sister all the time, for his memories of his sister was those of her being sad and weighted down by the chains that bound her, the chains that not only denied her her love, but also her family.

If someone else became the Pillar, just as Umi said, there will be other people who are forced to face the sadistic choice between a loved one and his country, like Zagato, Alcyone, Clef and Ferio. I did not realise the Ferio we usually know, the Ferio with his bright smile and freindly and bubbly personality had a very very sad life, he was forced to be separated from his only elder sister, I don't want this fate to happen to anyone."

Hikaru stood up, her eyes were glowing again with her usual light of strength and life and fire.

"Bringing a change! Yes! It is what we should do, this is even more important then protecting Cephiro from the invaders! But before this, I have something very important to tell you too!"

"Does it have something to do with what you were up to last night?" asked both girls, having their curiosity piqued.

"Yes, as Ferio forgave us, I need to tell you that Lantis forgave us too! And he told me at least 2 times he really meant it!"

"Lantis? That tall, aloof guy in black? I remember Lafarga being suspicious of him, suspecting he was a spy of Autozam." said Umi.

"We are also forgiven by the High Priest's brother?" asked Fuu, as if she couldn't believe her ears. "For the way we treated Zagato, his younger brother still forgave us?"

A thought came to Umi's mind, "Wait? Did you ask him to beat you up or anything in exchange for that? What did you do again? Did he do anything to you? Oh no! He is as tall as a lampost and twice your size! If he dared to do anything to you…which I hope he didn't! Otherwise I wouild hate to know what I would do!" Umi stood up abruptly to check if Hikaru had any hidden wounds, needless to say, there weren't.

Hikaru couldn't help getting both flustered and amused at her blue haired friend's impulsiveness

" Umi, he did not do anything! You shouldn't let his appearance fool you! Don't make the mistakes we made before! Yes, he was distant and dark and mysterious, sometimes he reminds me of a lone wolf on a winter's night, aloof, cold and intimidating, but if you look closer, his eyes were full of sadness and loneliness and I just found out he really has a soft heart underneath the icy exterior." The vibrant red head lowered her voice.

"How did you know?" asked Fuu.

" Remember the small girl we rescued before in that monster infested village? The tiny one with short strawberry blonde hair and big blue eyes? I saw her last night, her name is Mira."

Hikaru's description rang a bell to both girls.

"She really is a sweet girl. How is she doing?"asked Umi.

"She is safe here, in this castle. Lantis rescued her and her mother and took her here."

Hikaru then went on and told them what she saw the previous night, how she ran into the late high priest's brother and how amazed she was to see Lantis, the guy who Lafarga suspected of being the mole, and the guy who gave everyone the cold shoulder in return for such treatment was actually a kind and compassionate man who would go down on his knees to comfort a small girl, and this man also protected the citizens of Cephiro when the land was on turmoil.

Then Hikaru went on and told them, the same man also comforted her and assured her, that he forgave the very murderers of his own elder brother unconditionally.

" Hikaru, Umi, we must try and forgive ourselves from now on, even I know it is hard, even part of us will still feel very very bad for the deaths of Zagato, Alcyone and Emeraude, their blood were still on our hands, we must forgive outselves and turn our guilt into a determination that we must make something good come out of this tragedy ."said the bespectacled Knight of Wind.

"Talk about changing things, Hikaru, I am so pleased you has been acquainted with a citizen of Cephiro!" exclaimed Umi, "Clef told me, Zagato tried to talk to the people, telling them that they could use their wills together to keep the land safe. Needless to say, they are too used to the way things are. But we must try and change their beliefs, again, no matter how hard it is going to take, I am determined to help them realize that, if this castle could be maintained by Clef and the group of mages, they could also maintain this land with all their willpowers combined!"

Fuu smiled affirmatively to the blue haired water knight.

"Seeing Mira's reaction to things, the citizens of Cephiro must be all distraught right now, with their idyllic lifes now gone, and their only home a castle in the middle of a desolate land which is falling bit by bit into chaos. Hikaru, Umi, do you see? The greatest enemies Cephiro is facing aren't the invaders, the greatest enemy is fear and fear is overtaking the land! If we want to help Cephiro, we must help the people to fight fear! It is the only way we could change things for good! Why didn't we think of this before?"

Mokona chose this moment to remind the girls of its presence.

"Puu! Puu! Puu!"

"Mokona, are you telling us you are with us?" the fluffy critter clambered onto Umi's arms so she could give it a squeeze.

" Mokona, you are so cute.. and so soft to the touch...and I couldn't help wondering, would you be yummy to eat? I feel like I could eat you for a snack!"

Even Fuu, the proper lady of the trio was not so above it all either she adjusted her glasses and brandished, a fork.

"Mokona, what are you made of? Are you made of marshmallows and sweet cakes? I forgot to order cakes to go with the tea so..."

Mokona looked extremely apprehensive at the blue haired girl and the blonde girl and then he knew who to turn to, the red knight who is closest to him.

" Mokona, don't you worry! No one would eat you!" Hikaru laughed and patted Mokona.

" Mokona, no, don't listen to Hikaru, I am really craving for a snack." Umi's supple, willowy figure loomed above the critter menacingly, which made her friends laugh, but of course, Mokona was not amused at all!

" Umi, stop scaring Mokona now! Get something else to eat!"chided Hikaru, " No, I just have to eat Mokona!" Seeing not even Hikaru could protect him, Mokona leapt off the red head's lap, with Umi chasing him throughout the room!

The red head and the blonde laughed.

" Look! Umi and Mokona really love each other!"

The Knight of Wind, gentle as a dove, looked at her red haired friend with solicituous eyes.

" You see, Umi is trying her best to lift your spirits and the brothers of Zagato and Emeraude assured us we have been forgiven, what could we fear? Hikaru, we
are with you and so are our friends in Cephiro. We want to be by your side, we want to be with you. Whenever you need us, you must let us know, OK? "

Fuu squeezed Hikaru's hand.

The trio of magic knights had suffered from bouts of depression and guilt from their past actions, and they somehow teleported back in a crumbling country and had to join in the battle against time to save it. These circumstances are certainly much more than normal teenage girls could bear. But when all the pain and the goal were shared among 3 friends, the trials facing then wouldn't be as hard as it looked.

With all her faith in herself and her friends restored, Hikaru nodded and beamed at Fuu with the light and life her friends so accustomed to.

Mokona jumped onto Hikaru again to take part in the bond best friends share.

Umi finally decided she hadn't got any appetite for the rabbit like creature and also joined her friends.

"Don't miss me out!"

Umi embraced her friends, "We will always be together, lets fight together. I will be always with you, Hikaru, Fuu, Mokona. "

Hikaru smiled again, " Then let us find Mira, I will lead the way."

Three exquisite flowers from Earth left the fertile soil of their own land and took root in the crumbling Cephiro, the flowers would be met with all sorts of hardships in this chaotic land, however, these flowers would soon prove they would bloom in the face of this ultimate adversity, no blossoms in Cephiro would be fairer than they.