Thank you for the reviews and feedback, guys. I'm so happy, I could tearbend ;_;.

...And apologies for the long delay. I had to write a huge paper, and then I needed a break after that. So I took some time off writing (not entirely, because school but for this, I did.) and now I'm ready to continue.

To the anonymous reviewer, a fan, since I can't respond to you personally, I will do so here. First of all, congrats on finishing the game! I appreciate you taking your time out to review my story. I also want to thank you so much for your questions and clarifications. As far as Edea realizing her attractions towards Alternis, I believe she is slowly starting to come to that realization. Edea is a very stubborn girl as we all know, so it might take some time. However, once we reach Florem and get integrated into its culture, this process will be quickened as opposed to Ancheim. You'll also see her realization a lot more in this chapter. Don't want to spoil anything, but you'll see it within the first part of this chapter.

Secondly, as far as Edea confronting Alternis about how Eternia wasn't the cleanest nation either in the way it dealt with things... I really want to thank you for that because I know I thought about it while I was first writing Edea and Alternis's interactions, but - and this is embarrassing - I totally forgot to put it in. Alternis's extremist views on Crystalism however is something that is central to his character. As you're well aware, he also has major flaws and that happens to be one of them. He's stubborn in a sense that, even though he knows he might be wrong in his opinions, he still likes to be right and in control. Even though this is written from Edea's point of view and it is about her, I really wanted Alternis to have his own plot and characterization, rather than him just serving as a love interest. Unfortunately, because I'm writing from first person, there's only so much of him I can show, but hopefully Florem will show him a little more!

Again, thank you so much for the reviews guys! Can't believe we're past 40 reviews and over 4 K views! (Also sorry for this long A/N. Shutting up now!)

Dear Tiz,

It's been a really long time since we last exchanged letters. I know you're probably busy with rebuilding with Norende. Let me know if you need any help with that - I'll try getting Father to send a few people to help you out. How are the preparations going anyway? What about Egil? You know, I used to find his presence a little annoying but now I miss that guy. He was quite a trooper and, when all is said and done, he really came through for us. Tell him I said hello.

As for me, I don't know if you're getting any reports on what I've been doing so far. Essentially, I'm in charge of rebuilding Eternia's relationships with the rest of Luxendarc. It's a daunting task, but I'm trying my best. My first stop was Ancheim, and I got to see Agnès. She's busy but lonely. I suppose that is the price she has to pay. Her only close friends were the acolytes who are now dead. Now all she has is you and me, since Ringabel no longer exists in our world. I think she's cheered up a bit since I've met up with her, but we all know who she really needs is you.

Tiz, I know that you haven't been writing to Agnès. She's worried about you. I don't know the reason for your silence, but I do know it's unlike you to keep quiet. You have always acted with Agnès's best interests at heart and I know you are never too busy to write to her. She's a little hurt that you haven't been writing to her and she won't admit it, but I know she misses you deeply. And I'm sure you miss her deeply as well. You don't have to tell me the reason why you're not communicating with her. But I don't want our friendship to end. You and Agnès are two of the few people left in Luxendarc that I really care for and would do anything for.

If you feel up to writing me back, then please direct your mail towards Florem. I know this was sent from Ancheim, but I'll be leaving this place soon. My work here is done and if you are paying attention to the news going around, you'll see what I've been trying to do. I just hope that you approve. I really could use your advice and support. You always know the right thing to say.

With love,

Edea Lee

I had finished packing everything. All I needed was to say my goodbyes to Dominus before I boarded the ship with Agnès.

I also had to send a farewell towards Durrah, Farooq and Aziza. I didn't particularly mind saying goodbye to Aziza or even Farooq, but being in the same vicinity as Durrah was absolutely exhausting.

But Dominus had insisted upon it. "You and Agnès started this so you have to see it through. Not sending them off will make it look as if you do not endorse the representatives. People want to see you backing up your claims towards a more peaceful empire."

I sighed. I knew he was right, but every time I saw Durrah the image of her just being with Alternis rankled me. Agnès may have been onto something thinking this was just jealousy, but I had my suspicions that Durrah was doing it on purpose to rile me. Only three days had passed since I'd formally met her and in those three days, every time I crossed paths with her she was usually with Alternis practically pressed up against him each time.

It was completely different from the way I felt whenever Ringabel chased women or women chased Ringabel. I'd been annoyed at his flirtatious ways, but I'd accepted that that was who Ringabel was. My annoyance towards him was more of a rote action because his actions towards women were often rote in itself.

But as far as I knew, Alternis had only really paid attention to me as a woman, and nobody else. The tables had turned now though. Ever since that day he'd stiffly apologized to me and left with no answers, we were avoiding each other. Something had shifted within me when he apologized. Well, shifted was the wrong word; snapped was more appropriate.

I'd made the decision shortly afterward that I had to let go. I couldn't handle having my hands tied with both him and the world; I needed to choose one. I wasn't even halfway through with my journey, and I needed to hasten the pace.

Besides, he had Durrah anyway. Durrah who had the perfect body, the perfect quips, the perfect face... Durrah, who I wanted to tackle to the floor and punch repeatedly in the face until I broke her nose-

"You'll tear your lovely dress if you keep pulling at it like that," Aziza said, startling me from my dark thoughts.

I do not wish to kill her. She can be with Alternis all she wants, I reminded myself, taking deep breaths before facing Aziza with a bright smile. "If my lady pleases, what can I do for you?"

Aziza's smiled. She was really tiny and ancient. With a hunched back, she was even shorter than Agnès who was already petite. It felt strange having to crane my neck down that much to address her. "You do not have to be so polite to one such as old as I, dear. You must be busy. People often are when it comes to the elderly."

Though her words were sad, her tone and demeanor was still warm and kind. I could see why people liked Aziza a lot and looked up to her. She had a way of speaking that commanded people to listen to her. She may be frail and soft-spoken but I knew she used these to her strength. "I will make sure that doesn't happen when you're on Grandship," I promised.

The old lady smiled, and patted my hand. "You are a kind woman, Edea but you seem troubled."

I felt the smile on my face freeze. "Not at all."

At that point, Durrah walked in with Farooq, Alternis and Agnès. Durrah shot me a smug look, which I yearned to fix by throwing something at her face.

"Edea dear, you just tensed," Aziza whispered to me. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I dropped my hand from hers. "Fine," I growled, carefully averting my gaze from Alternis who was also looking everywhere but at me. "Thought a fly was bothering me. Turns out, it's even worse."

"Shall we head to Grandship to see then?" Agnès asked, once they all approached us. I nodded and we set off at once. Agnès was up in the front with Dominus and Farooq, while Alternis was with Durrah. I brought up the rear, allowing Aziza to use me as a partial crutch. Grandship as well as the Eschalot II was parked right outside the kingdom which meant that the streets were lined up with curious onlookers and people who were celebrating their going.

I almost felt sorry for leaving Ancheim as I walked through its dusty streets; its people had grown on me and I'd gotten used to the tick-tocking of the city. I may never get used to the unbearable heat, but this place would always hold a place in my heart. "I can see why you love this place so much. It took me awhile, but I think I get it," I told Aziza.

"My people may not be the most beautiful like Florem's, or the most courageous like Eisenberg's, or the most intelligent like Eternia's, but we are honest, hardworking people," Aziza said as she navigated through the crowds. "We put our hearts and souls into the things that we create and we take pride in that. It is why I have called this place my home for so long."

I nodded. I wished that Alternis could see that these people went beyond their religion; they were not Crystalists who were corrupted by their faith. They believed in Crystalism fervently, and used that faith to further themselves in life. I couldn't understand how Alternis didn't get that, that there were bad people in any kind of group. The Crystalists in Eternia were horrible, sure, but so were we towards the rest of the nations.

I felt a swell of pride looking at them cheering us on. I smiled and waved. It'd been a long time since I felt so happy. If I could feel like this sometimes as a ruler, perhaps being one is not such a bad thing after all. I'd worked hard for this moment; we all had. Our mission was far from over, but this was the first time I felt like things were finally being set in motion.

By the time we reached the outside of Ancheim, people had clambered on the walls to see us off, as nobody but us were allowed outside the kingdom for security purposes. They waved and cheered from afar, calling out the Agnès, Dominus Harena and the three representatives. A few times I'd even heard my name, which was strange, though not unpleasant by all means.

"Well, I suppose this is farewell," Agnès spoke. "May the blessings of the Crystal be upon you three, and may they guide you to making the right decisions on Luxendarc."

Farooq bowed to her, looking uncharacteristically modest. "And may the blessings of the Crystal protect you, Wind Vestal. You are our last remaining link to the Crystals." It was really something when even Farooq, out of all people, was not wary of Agnès and spoke to her with kindness. I suppose Agnès had that sort of effect everywhere she went. Heck, I'd even fallen for it the moment I talked to her. She had so much charisma and charm, and she wasn't even aware of it. She was a born leader. I, on the other hand, had to work hard to be liked.

Aziza didn't bow, but she took Agnès's hand and kissed it. "You are a strong woman, my child. Never forget that. Do not forget to take care of yourself sometimes too." She turned to me and said, "You too. You both might be leaders but that does not mean you must sacrifice who you are. Rest and don't forget to keep those you trust close."

Farooq scowled at me. "You're not as bad as I thought, Lee girl but I suggest you work harder."

At this point, I knew it was as good a compliment as I'd ever get from Farooq. "Your sentiments are appreciated. I'd only expect the same from you."

He stared at me for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Alright."

I turned to Durrah, who was whispering something into Alternis's ear. "Bye, Durrah. It was fun," I said, though I made sure she didn't think I thought so at all from my tone.

She ignored me, and instead pulled Alternis into an embrace, burying her face into his neck. My eyebrows shot up at this, but I prepared to look away. I was so not going to ogle at them anymore.

But then she raised her head and kissed him. On the lips. And I'm not talking about a simple peck. Her lips were locked onto his firmly and then I saw her mouth open.

She was Frenching him.

In front of me.

My jaw dropped. Alternis seemed shocked for a moment, then put his arms around her, and dipped her, so that he was the only person holding her from falling. I watched them kiss for a second longer until he finally tapered the kiss off. He kissed her once on the cheek gently, and then stood her upright. She was blushing furiously, but had a very pleased look on her face.

I couldn't believe what I'd just seen.

He had just kissed her.

The image had now burned itself into my memory. A new slew of white, angry unanswered questions sprung up in my mind. Was that his first kiss? Where had he learned to be so romantic?

Why did he kiss her?!

I noticed I was glaring at them, so I hastily rearranged my expression so that Agnès wouldn't catch me and call me out on it.

And most importantly, the question that went through my mind: So... was it really over between us then?

Alternis...! Alternis is perfectly capable of doing whatever he wants, I argued with myself. It's not like he ever really saw me in that way anyway. And anyway, I rejected his proposal sort of when we fought. Still, how is he able to kiss somebody so soon after proposing to me?

Still, I imagined him doing the same thing to me, bending over me to kiss me and I felt a curl of desire stretch out within me. Where had that come from? I felt my face flush at the idea. Hastily, I turned to Dominus Harena and Agnès who were discussing the food on the ship and how it had excellent quality.

Vaguely, I smiled, thinking about the Drunken Pig, and trying to forget about what I'd just fantasized. I'd spent a lot of great times inside that tavern with Tiz, Agnès and Ringabel. Things seemed almost easy back then compared to now. I was well equipped to take down beasts and following Agnès's decisions, but being an actual leader was far more difficult. Not to mention, Alternis was so much more complicated than Ringabel was ever to me.

"You miss it, don't you?" Dominus said, nodding towards the ship. "The thrill of adventure, being on the front lines."

"Yeah," I confessed, uneasily. "Is that bad? The only reason I ever felt useful was because I was a warrior. But now..."

"Wars are easy to start. It's the clean up that's the hard part," he said, toeing the sand with his slippered foot. "It is meant to be hard so do not think you're not fit for this role."

I wiped my forehead, a little startled at his compliment. Though Dominus was gracious and helpful towards me, he hadn't really said that I should continue on this path. This was probably the first time he'd ever given me a compliment on what I was doing. In a way, he was kind of like Master Kamiizumi; helpful and kind, yet reserving compliments until I really needed to hear it. "Thank you," I said. "For making it a little easier on me."

He turned to me, tugging his beard and frowning a little, as if lost in thought. "I do not say this out of arrogance, but you are correct. The people really respect the Wind Vestal and I, which is why I think your plan worked. You are headed to Florem next where the Matriarch does not hold as much sway over her people and if my reports are correct, especially not after the Blood Rose Legion left their mark there. It will be far more difficult to get Florem's women on your side unless you appeal to them directly, rather than with endorsements on mine and Agnès's part."

I realized he was right. Simply going to the Matriarch wouldn't be enough. I needed to make them notice me as a capable leader. But how could I do that when the place was filled with women who only cared about outward beauty? I never thought of myself as ugly, but I thought I looked okay. And I was decent at putting on make up, but I knew I didn't hold a candle to a lot of the girls in Florem.

Agnès might be able to do it, I thought. She was naturally pretty and had feminine curves that I clearly lacked. The only problem was that she absolutely refused to be made up, believing that dyeing her hair, or putting on make up or wearing anything fashionable would compromise her beliefs as the Wind Vestal. My eyes drifted over to Durrah who was still whispering to Alternis. My eyes lingered on her made up hair, her winged eyeliner and lastly to her shiny, plum lips.

No, I thought firmly. I would see Durrah off, no matter what. She was not coming with us to Florem. Avoiding Alternis was enough on my plate.

Briefly, I thought about the Bravo Bikini that Mother had stored into my clothes and blushed. Agnès had mentioned stopping by Yulyana's place on the way to Florem. If I could get him to hem it to my measurements (as it was meant for Agnès, the bra was far too big, and the bikini was a tad bit too small) then maybe I could...

"Theo," I barked. Theo, who had just come off the boarding ramp of the Eschalot ran towards me, curtsying clumsily. "Is the ship prepared?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright then, it's time to board. Set a course for the Yulyana Woods."

"The Yulyana Woods?" Alternis asked, evidently overhearing us and breaking our silence between us for the first time. "Why?"

Oh, now you want to talk? After you just locked lips with that... woman! I felt my anger flare up. I didn't think I'd ever reach a point where I wouldn't be angry at Alternis. Coldly, I asked, "Are you questioning your leader?"

I felt his confusion switch to anger as well on my words. "No, Angel," he spat, using the term of endearment like it was a curse. It was an unconvincing act. Ringabel would never have displayed that much anger and disrespect towards my face. "Not at all." I felt a little guilty at being that harsh towards him, but not enough to do anything about it.

I shook Dominus's Hand one last time, waved a farewell, and then began to climb the ramp, not looking at Alternis as I passed him by.

It had been an hour since we took off, and I'd retired to my quarters since, drawing on what I remembered in Florem. I personally had enjoyed Florem as a city more than any of the other places I had visited. Unfortunately, a large bulk of my worst memories existed here. Florem reminded me strongly of the Blood Rose Legion, and with it came the the fact that I'd had a hand in killing the Venus sisters. I'd never been particularly close to Artemia or Mephelia, but killing them had truly marked the fact that I was betraying Eternia. I hadn't felt as horrible killing Heinkel or Ominas because I hadn't known them that well. But Artemia and Mephilia were not only sisters to Einheria, she'd also deeply cared for them and I'd murdered them...

And then I'd killed Einheria too. My closest female friend, and best matched rival when it came to Kamiizumi's students. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to rid myself of the memories. The guilt would never go away. Agnès, Tiz and Ringabel would never understand how I felt about this; they had never had to make the conscious decision to kill those they'd loved. It was true, that Agnès had been forced to kill Airy, but the cryst-fairy was somebody that she hadn't known for as long as I did the people I killed. I'd gone so far as to prepare myself to kill my own father and if he hadn't buckled down, I probably would have done it too.

A strange thought crept in my head: Was I really any different from Ouroborous when it came to my ideals? I'd followed them so strongly, I'd killed many people in the process, people that I loved who had tried to stop me.

I took a deep breath, and turned to the information spread out on my bed, trying hard to push the troubling thought away. I would not accomplish anything if I kept thinking about it. Those thoughts were for the night when I had nightmares.

I couldn't rely solely on the reports I'd gotten. Florem might have changed slightly, but I'd gotten reports that the Spring Festival was fast approaching and that each year, the Spring Festival held another pageant that held a lot of sway over public opinion. I bit my lip for a moment, poring over the Spring Festival's history.

It was an ancient tradition, like the Beauty Contest, that was born alongside Florem. But while the Beauty Contest was to celebrate the most beautiful woman, inside and outside, the Spring Festival was a sacred festival that honored beauty in all forms. It also celebrated rebirth, and mating. My elbow nearly slipped off the table at that, but I quickly regained my senses. Men from all over Luxendarc, married and unmarried, visited Florem during this time because there was a lot of coupling going on, and the festival lasted a week. Disgusted, I pinched my nose for a moment. In Florem, marriage was considered almost a scandal. You simply did not latch onto a man for the rest of your years. But mating with a man unmarried was a different story; how else would they keep Florem's population intact when the town consisted only of women? I found the concept so strange and foreign. I made a mental note to get used to the idea before we docked in Florem. It wouldn't do if I made a disparaging comment towards this practice.

I sighed, lost in thought. The Spring Festival also crowned a Spring Queen. Usually it was the matriarch, but because the matriarch no longer held much sway over the town anymore it would most likely go to the most popular girl in town. I pursed my lips. With the Spring Festival starting in two weeks, there wasn't a lot of time to make mine or Agnès's mark.

A hesitant knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. "Who is it?" I called out briskly.

"Theo, ma'am," he said, and sounded almost apologetic, as if he knew he'd just interrupted me. "Er, we're fifteen minutes away from landing at Sage Yulyana's house."

I paused, processing the news. "Who sent you?"

A slight hesitation. "Nobody," he said quickly, which confirmed everything for me.

In Ancheim, Alternis would have come himself. Now, he'd sent Theo. I fisted my hands into the dress I was wearing, trying not to feel the weight of his absence crush my insides. Well, so be it then. If he wanted to give me the cold shoulder too then I would give it right back to him.

I quickly filled a bag with various items, preparing to get outside. I rummaged through my bag of asterisks, and found the Knight one and let its magic engulf me. Then, I went to find Agnès. I didn't plan to spend too much time here, so I figured it would be best if only she and I went to his house and left everybody else back at the ship.

I found her in the docking bay, speaking to one of the guards. She was wearing her Spirit Master garment, and looked quite intelligent with her glasses on. Agnès had always been quite an expert when it came to White Magic. It made me envious because I had no aptitude for magic at all compared to everybody else. I'd had to stick with the sword or axe, which was apparently the only thing I was good at. My spells never came out as powerful as Agnès's did and Ringabel had always teased me about that, saying White Magic could only be wielded by those with feminine hands. I'd promptly kneed him in the groin for saying that.

"Ready to go?" I asked Agnès who nodded.

I started for the ramp, when she said, "Wait, um, isn't Alternis supposed to follow you?"

I pressed my lips tightly together, wishing that I was wearing Dark Knight armor so that my face wouldn't betray the strange mixture of anger and sadness that I felt. The truth was, I was actually a little used to Alternis being at my side. But I'd be damned if I asked him to guard me. "I think we'll be fine on our own. You can heal and I can hack and slash. We'll be unstoppable! Besides, that old coot's house isn't too far away."

Agnès bit her lip. "If you're certain."

I turned to the guard Agnès had been talking to. "If Alternis asks if we've left already, tell him we have and that he is to remain on board and assume full command until Agnès and I return. If we are not back within the next day, you may send a search party. But I don't think it's necessary."

He saluted. "Very good, ma'am."

My armer clinked as I made my way down the ship. Next to me, Agnès's lab coat whipped about her as she hurried to catch up with me. "Edea, are you and Alternis arguing again?"

I rubbed my forehead. "What was your first clue?" I grumbled.

We started towards the Yulyana woods. It was hot and slightly humid, but thankfully not as bad as Ancheim's heat. Anything was better than that.

"Well, I thought perhaps it was because he, well, he was... intimate with Durrah," Agnès said, blushing furiously as she said it. I had to grin; she was too adorable. I don't think Agnès ever had time for boys, or really cared much for them at all until she met Tiz. She could tell me I was jealous and had feelings for Alternis all she wanted, but at the end of the day, she was a lot more innocent and nervous when it came to this kind of stuff. I doubt she'd even kissed a boy.

In this sense, I had the upper hand. I was still a virgin, but because Master Kamiizumi's dojo was mostly comprised of boys, I'd had my fair share of trysts in the physical affection department. I'd kissed boys before, so I didn't mind talking about it. But I never really loved anyone of them the same way I had Ringabel or even Alternis.

...Not that I was in love with him or anything.

"I'm not mad he kissed her," I said. "He can do whatever he wants." Lies, Edea. All lies! But it wasn't all lies, I tried to convince myself. After all, we were already on icy terms before that.

"Then what is it?" Agnès asked. "What are you mad at him for this time?"

I faced her, biting my lip. I hadn't told her about what I'd overheard him say in his sleep. And suddenly I had to wonder. I couldn't believe that this whole time I didn't think about it before.

Perhaps the reason why Alternis refused to tell me what that dream was about and who he was trying to kill...

It couldn't have been me because Alternis wouldn't kill me. I was the Grand Marshal's daughter. He respected my father too much to do that.

So he wouldn't kill me. But on the other hand he had tried to kill another girl before multiple times. My heart was racing as my mind strung it together.

He'd tried to kill...

"Agnès," I breathed.

"What? You fought over me?" she asked, completely oblivious to the conclusion I just came to.

I couldn't tell her yet. Not when I wasn't certain. "I don't want you hanging out with Alternis alone," I said, injecting as much solemnity in my voice as I possibly could. Agnès gave me an amused yet exasperated look. "I'm serious Agnès. Don't go near him."

Agnès's brow creased between her eyebrows when she frowned. "What is this about?"

"I..."

I was jumping to conclusions right? A chill ran down my back. Alternis knew that Eternia was offering Agnès protection and that Father was fully supporting me in aiding Agnès in finding new vestals. He wouldn't be so reckless.

...Except that he was so blinded by his hatred for Crystalism. I wanted to know why Alternis seemed more prejudiced against Crystalism than even my father. I wanted to ask him, but I realized I wasn't speaking to him. I gritted my teeth.

But if my suspicion was correct, then I would have to confront him regardless. The question was when, or even if he would respond to my questioning.

Agnès suddenly smiled slyly, playfully. "Edea Lee, you're not jealous are you? Of even me? I do not think Alternis cares very much for me, after all."

No! I wanted to shout, but I realized that if I didn't want to tell her the real reason, this would probably be the only excuse Agnès would accept. "Um," I responded weakly. This was embarrassing, but it was necessary, I reminded myself. "Please, just don't."

"I think you are blowing this far too out of proportion, Edea," Agnès said, and this time she truly did sound exasperated. "Your jealousy is getting a little out of control. It's making you look quite batty."

I hope so, I thought desperately. Instead I shrugged my shoulders.

Despite changing into my Knight asterisk, it was absolutely unnecessary because we didn't encounter any monsters on the way to Sage Yulyana which felt strange. Now that the balance of the dimensions were righted, the monsters seemed a lot more at peace especially in Yulyana's woods. "I didn't think I'd miss Yulyana," I said as we approached his cottage.

I wasn't a huge fan of Yulyana, but I had to respect the things that he did for us. He may have been a perverted old codger who insulted my cooking (which was totally unwarranted; my cooking was great) but if it weren't for his great wisdom, foresight, and powers, we would have been dead and Ouroborous would rule everything.

"You often don't know who you'll miss until they're gone," Agnès said, a mournful note on her sweet voice. At first I thought she was talking about Tiz, but then I realized that she always knew she'd miss Tiz even before they actually parted ways. This sounded like whoever she was talking about, she would never see again. I knew because I felt that way whenever I thought about Ringabel.

Who I admittedly hadn't thought about much lately. I just didn't have enough time. Guiltily, I tried to remember the last time I thought about him and failed. It wasn't that I didn't truly forget about him, just that he was no longer the most freshest thing on my mind. Was this what people meant when they said time healed all wounds? Perhaps the wound that his memory left in my mind was slowly turning into a scar.

"Edea is it horrible that I-" Agnès began, but before she had a chance to finish the Sage's door opened and the tiny man himself came out.

"Well, I must have died and gone up to heaven for this pleasant sight," Yulyana said, grinning widely through his beard. Ugh, I'd forgotten how lecherous he'd sounded. "To what do I owe this delight to?"

"We just wanted to visit you," Agnès said, smiling serenely. I was surprised at how quickly her face transformed. Just moments before, her face had looked troubled, almost shameful. Now it looked calm. I wondered when Agnès had acquired such mastery over her facial expressions, but then I realized it was something she was forced to learn these past few months. Now that she was a public beacon and unofficial leader of Crystalism, it made sense that this was one thing she had to learn whether she wanted to or not.

"And I was wondering if you could alter this," I said, stuffing my knapsack into his hands.

"Edea, a few polite manners would be nice," Agnès hissed under her breath.

I shrugged. I didn't particularly deign any sort of politeness to a man who unashamedly stared.

The sage opened up the drawstrings, completely unaware of our exchange. I saw the wrinkles in his brow crease deeper as he raised his eyebrows at its contents. "You want me to alter the Bravo Bikini for you? But... why...?"

"Perhaps you'd better let us in," I suggested.

"By all means. I'll make us some tea," he said, ushering us into his house.

I took a seat next to Agnès by a window in the kitchen. Despite the fact that I wasn't overly fond of Yulyana as a person, I absolutely loved his house. It was spacious, but not too spacious, and there were a lot of homey elements. I'd lived in a cold, dank castle for half my life and my living quarters as Master Kamiizumi's dojo were sparsely furnished. But Yulyana's house showed the kind of person who lived here. At the back was his workspace for sewing clothes. There were racks of beautiful and strange garments and strips of cloth everywhere. This house, set in the woods with a stream right in front of it was the very home I'd love to live in, if I could.

But obviously that wouldn't happen for a long time. If I were Eternia's next leader, I'd live in Central Command. I frowned.

"Don't frown too deeply; you're far too young to have any sort of wrinkles on your face, dear," he said, handing me a cup of tea. That only made me frown deeper. When I drank the tea, I nearly spat it out.

It wasn't unpleasant, but because I was used to having mine with milk and sugar this was strange. Noting my expression, he smiled knowingly. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

"How did you...?"

"I can only imagine that all Heroes of Light have not been," he said. "Regardless, this tea should help you sleep a little better. It's a stress reliever that bars the drinker from dreaming but I caution you; it can only do so much."

"Yes, but how did you know?"

He stroked his beard and took a seat opposite to us, taking a long sip of his. "You four have been through so much for the past few months. You've traveled long distances, across different dimensions and relived some of your worst horrors multiple times. You have been through so much in so little time that it's understandable that the stress of it is finally catching up. Soldiers often have this once they've seen battle. What you're going through is a sort of post-traumatic stress disorder. I'm not sure why it only manifests when you're asleep because usually it only manifests when something triggers it. Perhaps you are simply blessed. Who knows? But there's no easy way to overcome it, that I'm sure of. You must find the way through it within yourself."

I hated answers like that, because I'd suspected it all along. There was no easy way out of this. With all the magical, medical developments that existed in Luxendarc there wasn't a lot of leeway when it came to curing the mind. I sighed. "Thanks for your help anyway."

We chatted for awhile. Sage Yulyana already appeared to know what we were up to. "As far as finding the vestals, Agnès, I believe it will not be that difficult. The Matriarch of Florem has already found a suitable match for the new Water Vestal. I have seen the child as well, and it seems that she would be adequate so you have a head start there."

Agnès looked startled. "Is that so?"

"I assume you may have come across the child in other dimensions. The Matriarch keeps this child very close to her."

Now that I thought about it, I remembered who Yulyana was talking about. There had been a child in the Matriarch's quarters. She'd been plain, ordinary, compared to the rest of Florem's women but the Matriarch had been utterly convinced she'd be the next Water Vestal. I didn't know how the Matriarch would even be that certain of it, but we'd know for certain once Agnès had a chance to examine the child properly.

Sage Yulyana turned to me. "I can already guess at why you've given me this garment to alter. You've got a long road ahead of you. It won't be easy to pull the women of Florem out of their superficial stupor. I suggest you use those around you as best you can." He studied me, and I felt weirded out. Not because he was checking me out - because Yulyana did that often - but because he was regarding me seriously. He'd mostly paid attention to Agnès and sometimes Tiz, but didn't really care much for me. Now he was imparting some of his advice on me.

He finished the last of his tea and got up, tottering towards the kitchen sink. His small frame looked deceptively fragile, but I knew that taking his asterisk had been our hardest fight after Ouroborous and Airy. "You're taking that boy with you, aren't you?" he asked.

"Which boy?" I asked. I tentatively took another sip and found it wasn't too horrible if a person could get past the watery aspect of it and the lack of sweetness.

"Your right-hand man. What's his name? The one who is on the Council of Six. The Dark Knight. I can never remember his name."

I grimaced. "Unfortunately," I grumbled. I wish I'd left him on Ancheim. His lack of presence while onboard was suffocating.

"I am not one to tell you how to live your life, but keep a close eye on him," he said.

I felt the hair on my arms raise unexpectedly at that. Did Yulyana know something I didn't? "What do you mean?" I demanded.

Yulyana turned around, a smile on his face. "Probably nothing. The Grand Marshal trusted him after all. Then again, the Grand Marshal put his faith in some scoundrels that only exacerbated the conflicts in Luxendarc. Still, keep a close eye on him while you are in Florem."

It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I reminded myself that I had to confront him over Agnès anyway. What a bother! Alternis was supposed to protect me and now I had to keep an eye on him? I refrained from rolling my eyes.

I didn't know if I could extort any answers from him. After all, he'd already rebuffed my questions once. My heart beat slowly and painfully at the memory. I couldn't believe he couldn't trust me.

That was what this boiled down to. He wasn't comfortable with giving me answers. It meant that he thought I couldn't handle the truth or that I'd try to stop him. But he needed to see that I wasn't some spoiled princess who backed away when things got ugly. I wasn't the Edea he'd first met all those years ago.

I realized that there was no way Alternis could be the same person that I'd met all those years ago either. This only served to harden my resolve; if Alternis was making a decision that I didn't agree with, then of course I'd stop him. It didn't matter how I felt about him - if I was starting to fall in love with him, or if I cared for him, or if he drove me so crazy I really didn't know how to feel about him. But in the end, I knew that if this choice of his was the wrong decision then I needed to be there for him. After all, hadn't he tried to stop us so many times before from resurrecting the Crystals?

I bit my lip. Alternis had never given up on me, so I wouldn't give up on him even if he was the very thing that was stopping me from doing whatever it was that I needed to do to protect him.

I looked at Yulyana. "I will."

And that concludes this extremely long chapter in which not much happened and is not edited at all because I really wanted to get this out before I forgot about it. It's been awhile huh? Hope this long one covered the absence though. Sorry guys, I know I said Florem was this chapter, but I think I needed this necessary detour to Yulyana's house. Anyway, for sure, next chapter will have Florem. That I promise!

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