A day passed since Yuri and Estelle performed the mana transfusion together, successfully unlocking the ability to conjure the artes, along with the certified emblems etched on their skin—the four-shaped star with a singular pink petal in the center. By taking the risk, they allowed themselves to experience the past memories of the other, forging their contract as well as solidifying their bond as master and champion. With their memories connected and synchronized, they've become intertwined—together as one.

Sitting alone on the couch stationed in the living room, dressed in the spare clothes Rita and Judith lent to her which surprisingly fit her—a floral dress painted with white and pink and in her typical brown leathered boots, Estelle took it upon herself to inspect the alien environment. Looking around, she couldn't help but smile as the peaceful ambiance and warm atmosphere swept over her, a safe haven for her and the others from harm's way. At the same time, the stronghold reserved a sense of buoyancy with the colorful banners depicting various symbols she remembered from reading the many books in the estate library.

The flower-patterned insignia depicting the legendary five master guilds.

A surge of excitement filled her chest as she was instantly reminded of the fresh faces she and her partner became closely acquainted with.

The genius firecracker, Rita Mordio, who happens to be the master of Judith, a champion of the lance, and then Karol Capel, the youngest recruit and the self-proclaimed holder of the garrison. With the addition of Mary Kaufman, the redhead woman associated with Fortune's Market—for the first time in a long while, luck was finally on their side.

Estelle closed her eyes shut for a moment, reflecting back to the time when she was alone with a certain dark-haired man. When the memory of the two of them locked in a tight embrace resurfaced from the back of her mind, she burned red and shook her head furiously. Bringing her hands to each side of her head, she drew a sharp breath in hopes to block out the intimate picture.

"Oh my goodness…" She muttered softly as she internally felt the need to rebuke herself for performing for such indecency—truly unbecoming of her as the princess. "What in the world is wrong with me?"

"Estelle?"

The sound of a familiar sultry voice startled Estelle. Quickly, she motioned her head. Upon recognizing the sudden presence of the female lancer, she beamed.

"J-Judith!" She stammered, blushing bright red.

Judith simply tipped her head to the side and asked, "What's the matter? You seem troubled,"

"No, it's nothing," Estelle quickly assured her with a forceful smile. "…It's good to see you,"

"You too," She greeted back with a carefree smile. She jerks her chin to the empty spot next to her. "May I?"

Estelle smiled, moving a bit over to the right to offer her more space. "Of course,"

"Thanks," The lancer plopped herself next to the pink-haired woman, leaning back and sighing heavily. "So? Were you able to do it with Yuri?" She started, nudging the other on the shoulder.

Estelle blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The marking," Judith pressed on, leaning a bit closer. "I wasn't sure if you guys completed the mana transfusion since Rita and I had duties to attend again,"

"Oh…" The princess shuffled in her spot, feeling embarrassed by the lancer's intense stare on her. Inhaling a deep breath, she wore a brave face as she brought her right hand forward to show off the emblem on her wrist. "You mean this, right?"

Upon the sight, Judith beamed. "So, you have done it!" She cried, clapping her hands together with glee. "Congratulations," Her sharp, magenta eyes examined the details of the emblem and whistled. "Such a beautiful marking," She commented and looked back up to give her a blissful smile. "It suits you,"

Surprised yet relieved by the latter's reaction, Estelle emitted a giggle. "…Thank you,"

"How was it?"

"…Excuse me?"

"Yuri's memories," Judith elaborated, placing her leg over the other as she folded her arms over her chest. "How was it?"

Estelle bit her lower lip. "It…was a lot to take it," She admitted, hanging her head. "And to be honest, I was a bit scared. But at the same time…I'm actually glad that I did it," She turned back to look at the female lancer and continued, "I wasn't close to Yuri until we did the mana transfusion together. And now, I feel as if I've known him for a long time, despite having only met him for almost a week now,"

Judith crinkled her lips to form a smile and nodded in understanding. "I know," She expressed, closing her eyes for a few seconds as she recalled the time when she and Rita performed the mana transfusion together. "It's a weird procedure to do, but most effective to strengthen the bond between master and champion. If you're not compatible when the time of battle comes, how would you expect to know the other's mindset and emotions inside?" Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. "Speaking of which, where's Yuri by the way?"

"He's accompanying Karol to a place called the market," Estelle explained, sounding uncertain herself.

Judith raised an eyebrow. "And you're not with them?"

"Yuri advised me not to go. Since I have pink hair, I'll stick out like a sore thumb which would be too dangerous for me," She went on, lowering her gaze to her feet. She snuck a glance at Judith who gave her a worrisome glance. Quickly, she reinforced another grin on her face and added, "But nothing to worry about. When they left, I'd figured it'll be best if I could familiarize myself with this area,"

Hearing this, Judith chuckled lightly. "What do you think of it so far?" She asked, "Does the garrison suit your taste?"

Thinking it over, the pink-haired woman pressed a hand close to her chest. "…I'm embarrassed to say this but…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip. "It's wonderful—it makes me sort of jealous that you and Rita are living here,"

"I know," Judith agreed with her, "But you and Yuri are temporarily residing here as well, which means you're one of the lucky ones too,"

Suddenly, Judith stood up from her seat. Stretching her arms above her head, she peered over her shoulder and said, "How much of the garrison were you able to see?"

The pink-haired woman dipped her head, pondering with her thoughts. "I've seen…most of the second floor and now the first floor," She explained, taking a good look at her surroundings once again. "I've recently been to the study room but that's pretty much it,"

Judith beamed. "That's quite a good progress," She replied and reached out to extend her hand toward the princess. "Have you been on the third floor?" She couldn't resist lengthening her grin twice its size as she watched Estelle's puzzled look immediately transition into one with overwhelming wonder and innocence.

"There's a third floor?" She suddenly cried, rising to her feet as quickly as she said those words.

"Karol didn't tell you?"

She observed the young woman who shook her head in dismay. "Why don't I take you there?" Judith offered, taking a step forward, "I'll even introduce you to my dear friend, Ba'ul,"

Estelle blinked. "…Ba'ul?"

Judith released a light-hearted chuckle. "Come, come!" Snatching the other's wrist, she gently pulled her toward the direction of the staircase, pausing every now and then to allow the princess to keep up with her pace.

As she followed the older woman, Estelle allowed herself to feel the warm sensation building inside her—the same feeling which reminded her when she used to surround herself with her cousin, Ioder, of her Uncle Alexei, Captain Schwann, Master Drake, and a few of the castle staff members. That feeling of happiness and being utterly carefree, to be oblivious of the dangers beyond the borders…Oh, how she longed those days again.

And yet, for some reason, she didn't want to.

Because this time, the feeling was different. Though she still lacked the knowledge viable to her and the safety of her people, she knew deep down, that in time, it would happen. The growing desire to serve them heightened each day…and till then, could she somehow embrace this brief sanctum?

Once they've reached the third floor, Judith and Estelle made their way to the narrow halls. Descending further into the depths, Judith abruptly paused in her tracks.

Right away, Estelle glanced at her and asked if everything was well.

"No, it's nothing…" Judith assured her with a surprisingly soft whisper. She moved her head to face the pink-haired woman and gave her an apologetic look. "You don't mind if I check up on something?"

Estelle smiled. "Not at all," She assured, giving her an encouraging nod, "Go ahead,"

Grinning, Judith mouthed a soft "thank you" before heading over to the nearby door on her right, and ever so carefully, twisted the doorknob.

Cracking the door halfway, she allowed her gaze to wander around the cluttered laboratory as if searching for something or someone. As she examined through the contraptions, messy blueprints, and heaps of opened books, there—resting in the middle of it was the young teenager, sprawled on the wooden flooring with a textbook on top of her head, snoring away with a trail of drool leaking out from her open mouth.

Releasing her grip from Estelle's wrist, Judith carefully strolled over to her young master, all the while avoiding the risk of tripping over the books and blueprints across the ground. Once more, she eyed the area, smiling as she found a familiar quilt—the same one she remembered Rita offering her the first time she was summoned and was lost on her own.

Taking hold of it, the female lancer walked back to the direction of the sleeping teenager and slightly crouching to her knees, placed the blanket over her small form and ever so gently swept the bangs covering the upper portion of her face.

"Sleep well, my little fire," Judith whispered softly and leaned down to give her a peck on the temple.

Through the tiny cracks of the door, Estelle watched the pair's intimate moment with interest. Once more, she was reminded of her and Yuri sharing an embrace before falling asleep in his arms…and though she was doubting of the next part, but while she was fast asleep, she could've sworn she felt something warm touch the strands of her hair, which at the time, struck a chord inside her—as it happened to be the same gesture her late mother used to do to her when she was still young.

"Thank you for waiting," Judith spoke up, turning around to carefully close the door behind her. "Rita's always been staying awake at night and barely takes care of herself,"

Estelle emitted a sweet smile. Collecting her hands together, she proceeded to call out Judith's name.

"Hmm?"

"…I've been wondering for a while now," Estelle started, peering up to face her. She blushed a little as she tried to choose her words carefully. "About you and Rita,"

Registering her words, Judith widened her grin. "You're interested?"

"You've mentioned before, about you being Rita's lover…" She trailed off, tipping her head to the side. "Is it true?"

To her surprise, Judith gave her a bittersweet smile. "Actually, it's more one-sided," She explained, taking a step forward. "I have feelings for her, though I'm not so sure if she feels the same way," A pause. "Then again, she probably doesn't have a clear understanding of the concept between what's friendly love and romantic love. She's only seventeen, you know,"

Estelle's eyes slightly widened. "You…love her?"

Judith firmly nodded. "When I was summoned for the first time, she was there, along with her colleagues who were there to bear witness. At the time, the researchers in Aspio were curious about the functions of summoning a champion, and so, they bought my doll from the Black Market, traveled back to their facility and once I was summoned, would put experiment on me," She points to the long, beautiful teal colored antennae tails flowing behind her back and pointy ears. "These are one of the results of those experiments,"

The pink-haired woman tightened her grip on her joined hands. "I'm terribly sorry," She expressed, bowing her head.

Watching this, Judith shook her head. "No need to apologize," She assured her, "It's not your fault, you know," Refocusing her attention to the path ahead of them, she continued. "I remained in that facility for two months…and was suffering constantly, severely malnourished and beaten on a regular basis. And then one night, someone came inside and saved me—it was Rita, and she took me in and tended to me, making sure that I regained my strength and healed my wounds, though I still have faint scars from the damage, she mended my heart," Her chest felt heavy as she remembered how Rita would sneak away during the night to purchase provisions and supplies for her, would stay up for long hours and remain by her bedside to watch over her.

"Around that time, the researchers were in a frenzy. They found out it was Rita who took me and demanded her to give me back to them. Thankfully, with my strength restored, I managed to summon Ba'ul, my dear friend and from there, we took to the skies and fled to another continent," She went on, her eyes trained ahead. "The Hunting Blades captured us and took us to Dahngrest where we would soon meet up with the other five master guilds, but it was Karol and Kaufman who took to our defense and pleaded for us to be spared," Judith grinned as the image of the young boy and the redhead woman welcomed them with open arms, and led them to their temporary stronghold, Fortune Market's building at Capua Tori.

"We stayed with Kaufman for a few good weeks at another location, until Karol came in with news of an abandoned warehouse back at Dahngrest," Judith continued, and once more the memory resurfaced—of her and Rita, together with Ba'ul and Karol soaring back to Dahngrest and taking their first steps inside the warehouse that would later become their safe haven, their home. "And from there, the rest was history,"

"What a wonderful story," Estelle commented, smiling earnestly.

Chuckling, Judith agreed. "Rita…she may have a stubborn streak and at times, brash and arrogant, but really, she's just a girl with a big heart. And I'm very grateful to have her in my life," As she delivered those words, her eyes softened. "Without her, Ba'ul and I would never be where we are now nor would we ever stumble across you and Yuri,"

"…I see," Estelle mumbled, nodding as she listened. "How long have you been serving her?"

"About a half a year now," Judith answered without hesitation, all the while advancing ahead of her as they were close to the end of the halls. "And I believe we've been living here at the garrison for almost five months now,"

"And you've been loyal to Rita ever since?"

Judith widened her smile. "We had our ups and downs, more arguments than I could count, but in the end," She paused in her tracks as she folded her arms and looked up to the ceiling. "I really love her, and wouldn't trade her for the world. I'll protect her at all costs," She moved her head to face the princess and declared, "and would gladly sacrifice my life if it comes down to it," She flashed a smile, though the slight crinkle at the corners spoke volumes. Without thinking, she moved forward. "Sorry for telling you so much," She apologized, peering over her shoulder to offer her a frank expression. "But I'm really glad that you've asked such a question. It warms my heart to know that there's someone who's willing to listen,"

All Estelle could do was smile. "No, I should be thanking you," She stressed, "It must take a lot of courage to speak about your demons and for that, I can't help but admire you even more,"

Judith soaked in her words and chuckled. "You know," She began, twisting her heel to face the pink-haired woman. "Something tells me we're going to get along quite well," And reached out to gently seize the other's wrist. In a blink of an eye, her expression instantly changed to one of excitement. "Let's go! I can't wait to show you my friend, Ba'ul!"

For the first time, Estelle found herself dismissing her worries, lowering her defenses as she felt a warm glow radiating within her.

"Lead the way," She replied and allowed the older woman to guide her.

Outside was a different story.

As expected, the public streets were bustling with many aspects of life, with peddlers and vendors actively wandering in multiple directions under the large canopy of made up of umbrellas with a row of vendors urging the passing pedestrians to come over and take a look at what they were currently offering for the day.

In the middle of the chaos was Flynn and Ioder, each equipped with a sword and dressed in casual attire. Shortly after the rain stopped, they took the opportunity to go outside and fetch clothes to hide their identity from the public eye, and though it was difficult at first, they eventually found a store specializing in weaponry and armor—and through Flynn's advice, Ioder managed to purchase himself a simple broadsword, along with a wooden one for their practice drills.

The following day, the pair was blessed with the afternoon full of clear blue skies and the presence of the blazing sun. Taking advantage of this, Ioder suggested that they should postpone their sword practice on a later day and take a moment to breathe and relax. Few minutes of negotiation led to where they were now—strolling in the main public square, observing the sights and quite possibly, in need of ingredients for lunch.

"This is incredible," Ioder exclaimed, his emerald eyes twinkling as he soaked in the many new faces and the markets around them. "I've never seen so many colors merged in one place,"

Flynn emitted a grin. "Truth be told, this is also my first time as well," He commented as he followed after the blonde noble. "And I'm glad that you're having a good time,"

Ioder gave him a side-glance and grinned in return.

"Be sure not to stray too far," Flynn points out, making sure to keep his pace with the latter. "I wouldn't want you to get lost,"

Ioder laughed. "There's really no need for that, is there?" He wondered and without thinking, grabbed a hold of the knight's wrist as he guided him to a nearby stall. "Flynn, check this out!" He cried, gesturing to the many crates packed with fruits and vegetables.

While Ioder gushed about the array of foodstuff presented in front of them, Flynn took this time to inspect the people around them. So far, there seemed to be no Imperial Police officers patrolling the area nor anyone that looked familiar to him. He sighed, crossing his arms over his blue sweater as the breath he'd been holding in was finally released out of his system. Since they arrived at Dahngrest, he'd been on high-alert about every possible thing. Now, as he and Ioder remained in the city on their second day, he was secretly glad to know that he could brush off the negative thoughts and opinions he had of this place.

During his time a knight, he'd heard countless stories of Dahngrest—how it was raided and home to the many brigands, toughest warriors imaginable and how chaos would wreak havoc in almost every turn…and to his embarrassment, he believed every single word.

And everything he learned about the Den of Guilds never happened—no troublemakers, no brigands, no large beefy men the size of ogres nor was there a wave of disorder. Everything was tranquil, everyone seemed friendly and content, and overall, peaceful.

Rethinking over his thoughts, Flynn turned his attention to his master who appeared to be educating the vendor with the various names of each fruit and vegetable he had on display. Watching the latter engage himself with the outside world brought a smile on his face, and as he allowed himself to deplete his guard, his ears suddenly picked up a familiar baritone voice nearby.

"We sure bought a lot,"

"I know, right?" Another voice spoke up, belonging to a young boy. "And it's great too, especially since everyone is coming over later to eat,"

Flynn hardened his expression, his hand automatically sliding to touch the helm of his blade. Slowly, he turned his head. His eyes widened, though was quick to revert back to its natural degree. He steadied his breathing, though was aware how his fingers were quivering.

Not too far away from where he and Ioder stood was the man who stripped everything from him and his loyalty to Alexei Dinoia and the Imperial Force, the man who he once proudly called his brother, his best friend since childhood…his other half.

But now, all of that was gone.

And here he was, as if the spirits blessed him with a second chance to correct everything—starting with his regret in which he failed to end the other's life that would later send him into a spiral of endless humiliation and disorder as his title of a knight was taken away from him, getting kicked out of the Imperial Force program and become a laughingstock in the Capital of Zaphias.

All of it…was because of him.

Becoming blinded by his revenge, Flynn clenched his teeth and strode forward, failing to hear Ioder's concern as he advanced to the direction of the dark-haired man. Quickly, he brandished his White Knight Sword and cried at the top of his lungs, "YURI LOWELL!"

Hearing his name, the swordsman turned frozen in his spot. He whirled his head to where the voice came from and upon recognizing the raging white knight, threw the bag of groceries he held to the young boy at his side. "Karol, get out of here!" He cried, drawing out Second Star which hung from his belt as he got himself into a battle stance.

Karol stood there, puzzled. "Yuri, what's— "

His words got cut off by the sound of clashing blades, causing him to yelp and drop down to his knees. He watched in horror as Yuri held out his sword in front of them, successfully blocking the incoming attack that was meant for him.

Seconds later, a flurry of shrieks and hurried footsteps echoed throughout the market place, with the large crowds diminishing in numbers as the people frantically attempted to escape the area, along with the vendors who left their open stalls to fend for themselves.

"Karol!"

Alarmed, the boy looked up to face the swordsman. "You need to get out of here…now!" He urged him before returning his focus back to his opponent. "Go to the garrison and notify the others!"

Karol blinked, unable to comprehend the situation properly as his fear heightened. "Y-Yuri…" He managed to say, "But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," Yuri assured him, keeping his eyes on the knight who jumped back and eyed him instinctively as well. "Worry about yourself first,"

Karol sniffed. "Yuri…"

"GO!" Yuri demanded, causing the latter to quickly stand up on his feet and run away without looking back. He listened to the scurried footsteps and smiled as he heard them begin to disappear.

Meanwhile, Flynn had the same idea. "Ioder, you need to hide!" He urged the blonde noble who looked back at him with a fearful expression.

"But you told me we need to stick together!" Ioder protested, taking a step forward. "I'm not leaving without you!"

Flynn heaved a deep breath. "I know, but…" He trailed off, tightening his grip on his sword as he snuck a peek at the swordsman waiting for his next attack. "This is something I must do," Again, he faced Ioder and gave him an ambient grin. "Don't worry, we'll be together again,"

Ioder stood for a moment, quickly glanced over to his champion's opponent who he recognized to be the doll his cousin possessed—the famed vigilant with a bounty on his name. He reverts back to the kind, warm eyes of the knight. "…Okay," He said finally, "Please come back safely,"

"I will," Flynn swore, his voice bursting with confidence. "I promise I'll come back after,"

Those words were enough to encourage Ioder who smiled back and after blessing him with good luck, dashed off to get away from the clearing, away from the violence. Flynn watched on, his eyes fixed on his master's retreating form and once he made certain that he was gone from his field of vision, returned his gaze to the swordsman in front of him.

"It's been a while," Yuri began, swinging his blade with an impish smirk. "How'd you been?"

Flynn shot a death glare at him. "Been well," He spat out, narrowing his eyes. "I'm surprised to see you in good spirits,"

"Right back at ya," Yuri replied back, reclaiming his sword as he took a step forward. "That's a good look on you, by the way,"

Flynn rolled his eyes. "Still the same as ever, I see,"

Even so, Yuri laughed. Planting his hand on his hip, he put on his most confident grin and asked, "Say, how's everything with the Imperial Police Force?"

At the mention of the organization, the knight stiffened in place.

"I'm surprised you're here in Dahngrest," Yuri went on, oblivious to the fact how his words were triggering a particular knight. "Still working for Commandant Alexei?"

"Shut up…" He muttered lowly under his breath.

Yuri blinked, unable to hear what he just said. "Can't hear you," He drawled out with a dismissive wave, "You're gonna have to speak a little louder than that— "

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Flynn snapped, his anger rising to the surface. "You know exactly why I'm here!" By now, he realized he was yelling and yet, didn't seem to care one bit. He swung his sword, aiming it straight to his target. "This time, I won't hesitate to end your life…right here, right now!" He yelled, running at him.

Yuri held out his sword in front of him, retaining his smile. He dodged the attack, retreating back a few steps as he managed to retaliate with an offensive move, only to fail as it gets blocked in the process.

Flynn wasted no time as he raised his sword and performed another swing, prepared to take the risk of leaving an opening to bring his opponent down. At the last moment, he felt pain rush through him, gritting his teeth as he observed Yuri going for an offense and executing it with ease.

With a surprised gasp, Flynn nearly tripped over his footing, though was quick to recover. Straightening his posture, he veered at the swordsman who stared back at him with a listless look. The knight panted breathlessly, heavily winded.

"Giving up already?"

A sudden surge of energy swept over him. Looking back up, the knight glared. "Never," And took his sword, wielding it forward. "We'll see who gets the last laugh," And charged forward.

Estelle stood there, breathless.

In front of her was the presence of a giant flying whale resting comfortably on a large empty lot, with a large boat placed on a wooden dock craned next to its head.

"Estelle?"

The princess flinched in her spot, glanced over to the female lancer next to her who gave her a friendly grin. "Don't worry, Ba'ul doesn't bite," She assured her as she ambled to a large crate, almost twice her size, packed with krill. She places a hand on a wheel with bundles of rope suspended above her. She turned her head to face the princess. "Would you like to pull the lever?"

Estelle beamed. "Really?"

"Give it a go," She urged, encouraging her to come forth. Judith took a few steps back to allow the energetic pink-haired woman to come over and take control of the wheel. "When you pull it, be sure to do it clockwise,"

"Okay," Seizing hold of the contraption, Estelle adhered what she was told. Minutes later, the crates were delivered to the large wooden raft made out of burnt twigs and branches and as the countless numbers of krill descended onto the nest and started piling up, the large Entelexeia inclined its head and happily chowed down on its meal.

"Great job, Estelle!" Judith commented, giving her a good pat on the head. "Ba'ul looks very happy to be consuming his meal,"

Reverting her attention to the Entelexeia, she couldn't help but smile. "He's amazing, Judith,"

As if he heard her words, Ba'ul stopped what he was doing and snuck a glance at the princess. Sensing this, Estelle emitted a sheepish smile.

"Go on," Judith encouraged her to the wooden docks, following suit to help her calm her nerves.

Gulping, Estelle moved forward with her hand reaching outward. Once she got close to the edge, she leaned a bit closer. Her fingers lightly touched his feathers, her smile widening as she discovered how surprisingly soft they were. Taking a step back, she beamed before leaping forward with her arms open. To her delight, the large Entelexeia moved closer, his humming piercing through her ears and yet, she didn't seem to care at all.

"Ba'ul would like to thank you," Judith translated for the princess to which the latter broke away and smiled at the gentle giant.

Heading back to join Judith, she beamed. "Thank you so much for this!"

"No problem! I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Judith replied back with a smile of her own. "If we have some time, maybe I could—" Suddenly, her words were cut off when she noticed Ba'ul shifting his eyes to the right. Excusing herself, she raced to the edge of the wooden docks and looked to where her friend was directing her.

"Judith?"

The female lancer said nothing as she lowered her gaze downwards. Her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar young boy staggering toward the entrance of the garrison. Without thinking, she leaped off the wooden docks, startling Estelle who remained still in her spot.

"JUDITH!" Estelle cried, running to the edge of the wooden docks as she watched her new friend plummet down. She watched with bated breath as she prayed for the other's safety to which was received by the passing gales and Ba'ul's guidance, Judith managed to safely land on her feet with effortless strife. She looked downward, tightened her grip on her collected hands as she keenly observed the two small figures of her friends from a far distance. She snuck a glance over to Ba'ul. To her astonishment, he seemed to be staring back at her.

As if he read her mind, the Entelexeia gradually tipped his head to the side, beckoning her to come forth so he could envelop her with his gales.

Though hesitated, Estelle braced herself as she inhaled a sharp breath. Reopening her eyes, she made eye contact with Ba'ul and nodded firmly, wasting no time as she quickened her pace until she reached the edge of the wooden docks and leaped forward—and though she was unable to grab hold of the Entelexia's feathers, he quickly summoned a passing gale to sweep her off her feet, catching her in time as she plummeted downward.

"Estelle!"

The pink-haired woman looked down, surprised yet relieved to discover her new friends, Karol and Judith rushing toward her as she gently reached the ground, and as she took her first few steps on the cobblestone pavements, the rushing winds surrounding her dissipated within seconds. She snuck a glance back to the Entelexia and smiled, "Thank you," She mouthed, bowing her head respectfully.

In response, the Entelexeia blinked twice.

"Estelle!"

She turned to the direction of the two voices and beamed. "Judith, Karol," She addressed them as they approached her.

"Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Judith began, inspecting the younger woman from head to toe, making certain she remained unscathed.

"I'm fine," Estelle assured her with a smile, then focused her attention to the younger boy who suddenly tackled her on the spot. "Karol!" She cried, startled by his action. She looked up and searched the area, taking note of the dark-haired man's absence. Something wasn't right. "Did something happened?" She asked, going straight to the point. "Where's Yuri?"

Karol sniffed, opening his mouth to say something, then closed it as he hiccupped.

"Estelle…" Judith began, stepping forth. "A fight broke out in the main square and somehow, Yuri's involved,"

Estelle frowned, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "Karol, can you tell us how the fight occurred?" She asked, retaining her gentle tone.

Karol nodded, released his arms from around her waist and looked up to face her. "There's this guy…he had a sword and just started attacking Yuri on sight…" He explained, blinking away the tears that were threatening to leak from his eyes. "Yuri told me to run, so I did…even though I really wanted to help him…"

"This person who initiated the attack," Estelle pressed on, "Can you describe him for me?"

"He had golden hair and blue eyes…" He described, mulling the thought over. "And had a White Knight Sword…"

Estelle's eyes slowly widened. All of a sudden, she found herself running to the direction of the commotion, ignoring Judith and Karol's cries as she dove into the fray. As she ran faster, she pressed her hand close to her chest, her heart beating thunderously.

The description Karol gave to her rang a bell…and somehow, it oddly aligned to the doll her cousin currently owned.

And if her assumptions were true, could this mean that Ioder was still alive?

Biting her lower lip, the pink-haired woman quickened her pace, hoping and praying that she wasn't too late.

Hello, everyone! This is Kroissant! It's been a while!

I would like to apologize for my absence with this fanfic as I was swamped with my studies for a few good months, which forced me to focus more on them than with my writing. As you know, I've written some one-shots to practice my writing and while doing so, I'll begin concentrating on continuing this fanfic, along with SoSN.

Though I can't promise it'll be finished by the end of the summer, I'll do my best to deliver the same content as I can! For now, please be patient with me! And thank you so much for sticking with me!

Anyway, this marks the end of chapter 10 and as you might've guessed, strongly hints for more backstories of the other characters as well as their highly anticipated gathering!

And as for the title: Estelle makes a friend (Judith) and Flynn discovers his foe (Yuri)

I would also like to apologize for the very long wait-I've been trying to balance my studies with writing fanfic which means that in the following weekend, I'll have to postpone the next chapters by the second week of April.
I would like to give a shoutout to randomwriter57 and the other guests on Ao3 for their kudos/comments! Thank you very much!
If you'd like, feel free to comment and support/kudos! (it gives me strength!)
Until then, I'll see you guys!