By the time Eremes returned to the city's north entrance, everyone else was already there. Seyren waved at him as he approached. "I didn't expect that you'll get here after us," said Seyren as Eremes stopped in front of him. "You were already gone from camp when we woke up. Where did you go?"

"Just went around to reminisce and stuff," replied Eremes with a shrug. Seyren sighed before saying, "Sooner or later someone's going to steal all your stuff while your head is in the clouds." Eremes waved off the comment before checking behind Seyren. Behind him, Cecil and Kathryne were talking to each other. They nodded at Eremes as he looked at them. Not too far behind them was Howard, struggling as he carried all of their camp equipment. "So we're all here except Margaretha, huh?" asked Eremes.

"Oh yeah she's probably up late last night, dreaming about you Eremes," said Cecil with a snicker. ""Oh Eremes… not there…"" she said, mimicking Margaretha's voice. Kathryne giggled as Eremes looked at Cecil exasperatedly. They were interrupted however, when Howard started berating Eremes.

"Hey, man it aint cool how you just went and left all your stuff back at camp," said Howard as he struggled to remain upright. "The girls here are slave-drivers! They made me carry everyone's stuff! Making poor me their packmule…"

"Oh shut up Howard," said Cecil as she smacked on his luggage, causing him to nearly tip over. "You should be thankful that two beautiful women allowed you to carry their belongings."

"I would be if two actually 'beautiful' women did give me—Ah!" Howard nearly toppled over as Cecil smacked him on the side. He barely managed to keep his load from falling. "Well, you're not bad at all," said Cecil, commenting on Howard's balancing skills. "You should change your job profile from 'merchant' to 'professional packmule'." Howard grunted his disapproval. Eremes shook his head before saying, "Howard, shouldn't you get a cart or something?" Howard stopped short before quickly digging through his right pocket with his free hand. He pulled out a crumbled cart coupon which he excitedly waved around for the others to see before wandering off to look for the nearest Kafra.

"You know… he could have left the equipment here…" said Eremes when Howard had disappeared past a corner. Cecil shook her head before saying, "You know that coupon he showed us? He had that even before he became a merchant. Took him long enough to remember it."

"Why didn't you remind him?"

"Well, it was more fun waiting for him to remember."

"Well, that's enough of that, guys," said Seyren. "We need to figure out our next plan of action." The other three nodded in agreement. Kathryne made the first suggestion. "I suggest we get an assignment and earn some money. The trip here has cost me nearly all of my savings."

"We could also hunt monsters and have Howard sell the spoils…" suggested Cecil. "But then again… he hates sitting around for hours waiting for someone to buy…"

"Actually I was hoping if we could go to Juno," said Eremes. The others looked at him surprised. "Juno?" repeated Seyren. "Why do you want to go there?"

"…I figured some things out about myself," said Eremes before staring at his hands once more. "I've felt really strange since I became a thief, and I believe I can find out why when I go there."

"Well… Juno does have an extensive selection of tomes…" said Kathryne thoughtfully. Eremes looked at her, hoping to garner her support but she added, "But we can't afford to get there. I think a trip is 1k a head... I think on peak seasons it becomes almost 5k a head."

"She's right Eremes," said Seyren. "…I don't know how important this is to you, but it'll have to wait. Are you alright with that?" This left Eremes lost for words. He needed answers, but he could not jeopardize his friends to pursue a vision he himself was not sure of. He nodded and answered, "Yeah, your right. Let's find some work first."

"Oh, we could go hunting back in Payon Forest!" said Cecil excitedly. "Hunting around the forest is what we do best there..." She looked dazed for a moment, causing the others to look at her curiously. When she saw the others looking at her, she started and quickly waved them off, asking, "W-What are you guys looking at?"

"I just realized," said Seyren thoughtfully. "Nobody was with you when you went to Payon to become an archer right?"

"Huh? Yeah, so?"

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all…" she replied unconvincingly. Seyren decided not to press her further and simply asked, "So we hunt at Payon. Who will be paying us?"

Cecil, seemingly relieved at the change of subject, eagerly replied, "The master pays adventuring parties who hunt around the area. This is especially useful for those just starting out."

"Alright, we'll go there as soon as Margaretha gets here." As soon as he finished speaking, the acolyte was already running towards them from around the corner. "Oh look, there she is."

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" shouted Margaretha as she was nearing them. She stopped short next to Eremes and smiled at him. Eremes looked away, nonplussed. Margaretha then turned her attention to Kathryne before bowing her head. "Sorry about last night Kathryne! I forgot about you…"

"Haha don't worry about it Margaretha," replied Kathryne with a smile. "The circumstances last night were understandable. Besides, it's more fun camping out with everyone else."

"I would've gone with you if I hadn't already paid for my stay…"

"Well, you'll just have to give your best today as compensation."

"Yes, I'll do my best," she replied gladly. "I haven't any experience supporting a party of six before, so please be patient with me."

"I'm pretty sure you'll do a good job Margaretha," said Seyren. "I can't imagine anyone else being our support. Anyway, Eremes aren't you going to say something?" Eremes started before saying, "Um yeah, good morning Margaretha."

"Well aren't you the initiative one," said Margaretha in a sweet voice, but Eremes knew better. "I hope we'll be able to work well together," said Eremes, carefully making sure that his words did not sound strange. Margaretha smiled at him once more before turning to Seyren and asking, "So what's the plan?"

"Well as soon as Howard gets back, we'll be headed to Payon to get an assignment," answered Seyren. Margaretha nodded and said, "I'm a bit nervous though, we haven't done this before." Seyren said reassuringly, "We should be fine, I mean how hard can it be?" The five of them conversed for a while longer until Howard returned, cart in tow. After they had made sure of their bearings, they immediately departed Morroc, taking a caravan's trail towards Payon.

The trip was largely uneventful. Nearly a quarter of the way there, a travelling merchant allowed the group to hitch a ride on his wagon for a modest fee. Eremes was seated near the entrance of the covered wagon, quietly observing the distant city behind them slowly fade from view. He will come back to see his grandfather when he has resolved his own issues. The thoughts running through his mind left a strange expression on his face, causing Kathryne, who was seated next to him, to stare. It took Eremes quite a while to notice her gaze.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked. Kathryne shook her head before pulling herself up next to him. "You always look like that Eremes," she said. "Always looking like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. You need to really lighten up."

"Haha, sorry," said Eremes. For some reason, he felt quite comfortable speaking with Kathryne. "I was just wondering when I'll be able to get to Juno."

"Well you could've gone ahead if you wanted," said Kathryne. Eremes looked at her and said, "And leave you guys? Not a chance." Kathryne laughed softly before speaking. "You know… all six of us… It feels like we've known each other forever huh?"

"Yeah, you're right," said Eremes as he looked outside once more. Indeed, from the moment he met them, he felt quite close and familiar with them. He did not find it peculiar, at least not nearly as peculiar as his missing memory. How strange it may seem, his friendship with them was something he was sure of and need not contemplate on.

"So are you going to tell me why you want to go to Juno?" asked Kathryne. Eremes wondered for a moment if he could word his reason in a way that did not sound too strange. "Can I ask you something before I answer that?" asked Eremes. He waited for Kathryne to nod before he continued. "Have you ever felt like part of your memory is missing?"

"Really? No, not at all," answered Kathryne. Eremes scratched his head before continuing. "Well you see, I've been wondering since the day I returned to Morroc if I really hailed from there."

"Well where else would you come from? Looking at your complexion, I could already tell from the start that you are from Morroc," said Kathryne. Eremes sighed as he noted her observation skills and cultural knowledge. "The point is," he said. "I wasn't really sure if I really lived in Morroc before I met all of you. I couldn't remember who my parents were or where my actual house was."

"I had a look around Morroc this morning, before meeting up with you guys. I met my grandfather right where I used to live." Eremes looked up at the clouds as though picturing the meeting with his grandfather. "He helped me remember a lot of things."

"Your grandpa huh…" Kathryne looked thoughtful for a moment. "So your parents…"

"Huh, I haven't told you yet?" Eremes felt as though she should have already known this. "I lost my dad when I was really young. As for my mother… No I'd rather not think about that." Eremes looked away from her. "Oh… sorry for bringing that up," said Kathryne apologetically. Eremes waved her off saying, "It's no trouble. I'm just glad you listen."

Kathryne started as something bumped her thigh. Margaretha was dozing next to her and had turned abruptly. "She looks really cute when she's asleep doesn't she?" she asked to Eremes with a meaningful smile. Eremes glanced at Margaretha's sleeping face and merely commented, "I wonder how much sleep she got back at the inn."

"Oh, come on. Don't change the subject."

The two of them continued to bicker while Cecil looked on from the other end of the covered wagon. She smiled to herself before glancing at Howard who was also asleep, his back turned against her. Silly moments like this, she thought, are rare and precious. She then quietly laughed at herself for thinking that, believing it was something an old woman would say. "Payon… It's been a while," she said to herself. A part of her was reluctant to return, and this reluctance was increased by the fact that her friends were accompanying her. She felt like she should speak about this with someone, with Howard perhaps but he was asleep, to get rid of her reluctance.

"Hey Cecil, what are you thinking about?" asked Kathryne suddenly from the other end of the room. This sudden question startled Cecil and caused her to accidentally kick Howard's back, knocking him over. To her relief, Howard did not wake up. He merely grunted before turning his back on Cecil once more. She quietly laughed to herself again as she thought, "Howard must be really used to that by now…" She carefully got up as to not fall over anything else in the wagon and slowly made her way towards Kathryne and Eremes. She sat down just opposite Margaretha's sleeping figure.

"You really have to stick your face in other people's business huh?" asked Cecil with a grin. Kathryne smiled at her and answered, "Well you would never tell us unless I take the initiative."

"Well it isn't anything big but I just feel really strange going back there," said Cecil uncertainly. "Payon I mean. It's… been a long while."

"But didn't you go there to become an archer just a little over a week ago?" asked Kathryne.

"Well… yeah." Cecil rested her head between her knees and recalled what happened during her last visit to Payon.

"Who… are you?" asked the man behind the counter. Cecil looked at him curiously. It was not a question she expected to hear from the person in charge of assigning new archers. She looked on nervously as the man looked at her more closely. "You can't be… Miss Cecil is that you?" he asked in a very surprised voice. Cecil started and nearly fell backward from the sudden outburst. "Y-Yeah, that's my name," she began to say. "But how do you know that?"

"But… you can't be her…"

Cecil pulled herself together to try and address the man's peculiar behaviour. "Excuse me," she said, interrupting the man's train of thought. "First you ask me if I'm Cecil, then you blabber on how I'm not. What is going on here?" The man looked at her once more before quickly grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the building. "Ow, hey you're hurting me!" protested Cecil. Just outside the building was an archery range. The man dragged Cecil by the hand until they were about a few minutes in front of a training target. As soon as they stopped, Cecil wrenched her hand away from the man's grip and massaged it, asking, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The man ignored her and took a bow leaning on a fence near them and offered it to Cecil. Cecil, though a bit angry at the man, thought this might be part of the archery test. She quickly grabbed the bow and stared at it. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she did so. She felt her hands over the limbs of the bow, really feeling every curve. She then touched the bowstring and noted its tough elasticity. She was mesmerized on how amazing the bow felt like and forgot her anger. But strangely, the feeling of holding the bow was very familiar to her. Because of her focus on the bow, it took more than a few seconds for her to realize that the man in front of her was trying to get her attention.

"I need to confirm something, miss," said the man as he pulled an arrow from the quiver behind his back. He handed it to Cecil, who accepted quickly. "Please try to get the bulls-eye on that training target over there." He gestured at one of the circular training target to their side.

Cecil nodded and turned to face the target. As she readied her bow and arrow, she felt strangely happy. As she aimed at the target, her vision narrowed, focusing solely on the target's bulls-eye. Sure enough, when she released her arrow, her aim was true. The arrow hit the mark and she slowly returned to reality. The man looked from her to the target and asked her, "Are you truly just a novice starting out?"

"I…" Cecil's words trailed off. The man continued speaking. "It is nearly impossible for a novice who has not even held a bow and arrow before to hit the bulls-eye on her first attempt." He glanced at her trembling hand gripping the bow. "You hold the bow with efficiency and grace. I don't know anyone else who holds the bow in such a way other than Miss Cecil."

Cecil looked down. When she met with everyone back in Prontera, she remembered that she proudly declared herself a native of Payon and a novice aspiring to be an archer. She also remembered saying that she had just arrived from Payon. But strangely, when she set foot in Payon, she did not recognize the place. Sure, the memories of the mountains the forest and bamboo were there but the houses and everything else were a blur. Nevertheless, she took it all in stride and proceeded immediately to the Archer's Guild in the far end of the village. Now she is unsure of herself, of her own memory.

"Miss Cecil, you must see the village elder," said the man, causing Cecil to raise her head. The village elder, she thought. The person felt vaguely familiar.

The man guided her to the village elder's house just south of the guild and gestured at her to come inside. As Cecil stepped inside, she realized that everything about the house felt familiar. The ornaments lining the walls, the sound of the creaky wooden floor, even the scent of incense all felt familiar to her. The man lead her to a room far in the back of the house, and when he was about to slide the door open, she suddenly felt scared. The man noticed her expression and assured her that she had nothing to worry about.

The man slid the door open and Cecil saw an old man kneeling before an altar. She felt as though she had seen this many times before. When she gazed around the room, she saw a falcon on a perch in one of the corners of the room. The falcon screeched when Cecil's gaze fell on it and she felt very frightened. The falcon then left the perch and flew, passing over her, through the open door. Before the falcon could pass over her, Cecil was kneeling forward with her hands over her head and her face close to the ground. What was this fear that she felt? Cecil slowly raised her head and looked around. She found that the man was gazing at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm really sorry Miss Cecil. I forgot that you were afraid of falcons," he said.

"Cecil?"

The old man praying in front of them spoke so suddenly that he startled the two of them. He slowly turned to face Cecil. Their eyes met and Cecil realized that she knew this man. But for some reason she could not remember how.

"You… You're Cecil…" the elder closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "You don't look a day older since you first left Payon years ago…"

"I… what?" asked Cecil uncertainly. 'Years ago?' she thought.

The man next to her asked the village elder, "How can this be, elder? This is indeed Miss Cecil. I tested her skill with the bow myself. …But what matter of unnatural force is this? She looks no older than the day she left!"

Cecil merely listened to the exchange with her thoughts racing. She could not understand what they were talking about. The elder scratched his chin curiously as he focused his gaze on Cecil once more.

"Cecil, do you know who I am?" he asked. Cecil quickly answered, "The village elder." Cecil realized too late that her question must have been to direct. She thought that maybe the elder meant something else. Indeed, he asked another question being unsatisfied with her answer. "Who am I to you?"

"Who are you… to me?" repeated Cecil. Of course, every villager who lived in Payon knew and respected the elder. But somehow, Cecil thought this was not the answer he expected. "I don't know…" she answered, being unable to think of a better answer.

"You don't know?" The elder got up and motioned at Cecil to do the same. He surveyed Cecil from head to toe as she got up. "You look shorter than when you left," he commented, confusing Cecil once more.

"What are you two talking about? What do you mean when I left?" asked Cecil angrily, her patience wearing thin. The man behind Cecil began to tell her to keep her voice down but the elder held up a hand to stop him. "I have no doubt now that you are indeed our Cecil."

"Do you truly not remember me? Many years ago, I took you as my own and gave you a home."

"You… did?" Cecil was dumbfounded. But now that he mentioned it, Cecil had faint memories of being raised in a loving home, but no memories of her parents.

"You can't remember that as well? Then let me help you remember. …Where should I begin…?"

The old man got down once more but crossed his legs instead of kneeling. He looked deep in thought. Cecil felt as though she saw this scene many times before as well.

"Over fifteen years ago, a boy brought you here. He was a very ragged-looking and thin young lad. You were unconscious then when he carried you here. He claimed to have found you in the forest, in a clearing near the caravan's trail to Alberta. I was rather impressed that he managed to carry you here, he really looked like he was struggling to stay on his feet." The elder stopped for a moment to let Cecil try to remember. Cecil found that revelation interesting, though thinking back, she found no memory of the event. "Well I'm not actually surprised that you can't remember," said the elder, interrupting her train of thought. "Like I said, you were unconscious back then. He was long gone when you came to. I tried to make him stay but he shook his head, saying that he can never be a real man unless he provided for his own. It was strange hearing that from someone as young as him, but his eyes told me I could not convince him otherwise."

"After you woke up, you told me that you could not remember your name or where you came from. The only clue I had back then was this." He held up a small armlet with the word 'Damon' engraved in it. "I found this on you back then. I do not know what 'Damon' means, but I assume that this armlet is part of your heritage." Cecil took the armlet from him and looked at it more closely. As her fingers passed through the engraving, the sound of voices from a distant memory filled her mind. She shook them off when the elder continued speaking. "I decided that it was inappropriate as a first name for a young lady, so I named you after my late daughter."

"S-So you mean…?"

"Do you remember now?"

Cecil closed her eyes and struggled to remember. Many images came to her mind but they were muddled and obscure. Though she could not be too sure of it, she believed that the elder must have raised her. Why would he lie to her? But if so, and this happened many years ago, why does she appear young to them?

"When exactly did this happen?" she asked.

"I can't remember exactly…" said the elder. At this the man behind Cecil spoke. "It was around nineteen years ago."

"Hm, yes. And then you left four years ago… Like he said earlier, you look as young as the day you left Payon to work in the republic up north."

"I did?..."

"Where are your friends now?" asked the elder. "You were quite attached to them. Did something happen to them?"

"W-Who are they? Who are those friends you're talking about?"

The elder blinked at her. He seemed to be contemplating his answer. "You return to Payon after many years, looking no older than you left. Then you come to me with no memory of who I am or who your friends are…"

"Something must have happened in Lighthalzen!" exclaimed the man behind Cecil. "We must inform the knights of Prontera! Something is amiss."

"Calm down my friend. Though it appears something did happen in the Republic for this to happen, we must avoid any rash actions. Do you want to start a war?" The elder got up and paced back and forth in front of Cecil. Before Cecil could say something, he spoke once more. "We must avoid military action. But an investigation is in order. I may have to bring this matter to the Prontera Knights after all…"

"Wait! Please, wait!" said Cecil. Though unsure of herself because of what she learned from the elder, she believed that it was not something she should handle by herself. "Don't do anything please. I know it sounds strange, but if what you said is true, that I'm the same Cecil Damon that you raised, please let me handle this."

"You were always one to take matters to your own hands, child, but this is not something I can simply ignore," replied the elder firmly. "You told me you can't remember your friends. They aren't with you, so something must have happened to them. It is imperative that we find out what happened to them."

"W-Wait," said Cecil, struggling for words. "Before you say anything else, can you tell me who these people are? The ones you say are my friends?"

The old man answered, "There were six of you: including you, there was a knight, an assassin, a wizard, a priestess and a blacksmith. What were their names again…?"

Cecil blinked. She could not think of any group of people that fit the description given by the elder. The elder looked at her and said, "You are supposed to be a huntress. But you come before me as a novice. I really could not understand why that is."

"I was a huntress?" Cecil sounded surprised at the notion. "But I…" She shook her head to herself. If she was to convince the elder, she must not sound unsure. "I want to remember for myself, elder. Please allow me to find my friends on my own."

The elder gazed at her carefully. Cecil met his gaze, determined to follow through with her decision. The elder then sighed and said, "I could not win over you in arguments like this. Very well, I will allow you some time to find your friends. But you must be back here within two weeks, or else I will follow through with sending a message to the knights."

Cecil gulped. How was she supposed to locate people she could barely remember in the span of two weeks?

"You still look uncertain. Do you change your mind?"

"N-No!" she said firmly, pushing her uncertainty aside. "I'll find them, you'll see!"

"Alright then."

The elder motioned at the man behind Cecil to approach him. When the man reached him, the elder whispered something to him, to which the man nodded. The man then approached Cecil and said, "As the trainer in charge of new archers, I recognize you as an archer of Payon. Now go make us proud."

Cecil looked from the man to the elder, as though trying to affirm what just happened. They both nodded at her. Cecil looked stunned for a moment before saying, "Um, thanks. Feels weird but… well, thanks."

"Somehow seeing you like this… Reminds me of the day my daughter came back with a child," said the elder fondly. He approached the altar where he was praying at a while ago and carefully retrieved a box from underneath it. He then quietly asked the trainer to leave. The man nodded and bowed out of the room. Cecil looked over her shoulder to watch the man leave before the elder coughed to get her attention.

"Despite what I said before about you looking the same as the day you left, you… feel different," he said. "It feels as though you've changed. I believe that even though you can't remember them yet, your friends must have changed you somehow, and that change has brought you here."

"Really?" asked Cecil. Deciding to play along with what he said, she asked, "So what was I like before?"

"Selfish, arrogant and violent."

Cecil's face contorted as she tried unsuccessfully to hide her irritation at the blunt remark. The elder laughed before saying, "Well maybe not as much as you think I meant, but the important thing is, you seem to have matured."

"Take this. This was supposed to be a gift for my daughter."

"R-Really?" Cecil looked inside the box the elder was holding and saw a set of folded archer garb, complete with a chestguard. It was differently-colored from the standard archer gear. "But this was for your daughter right? I really shouldn't…"

"You really have forgotten, haven't you? You're as much my daughter as she was," said the elder in a warm voice. Cecil felt his warmth wash over him. She gladly accepted the gift before bowing and running out of the room. "Your room is to the right in case you forget!" shouted the elder.

She was still unsure of herself, despite her determined front. The warmth she felt from her friends was real, no doubt about it, but what if she was wrong? Will the elder follow through with his decision? "Of course, he would," muttered Cecil to herself. They did not fit the elder's description, but Cecil had a thought. The elder claims that for whatever reason she became younger and lost her memories. So what if her friends experienced the same thing? "But isn't that a bit too convenient…" she thought. She bit her lip as she struggled to find a point of view on her decision that would quiet her.

"Are you alright Cecil? You really look like you're in some sort of trouble?" asked Kathryne once more. "Or did something happen back in Payon that you're not telling us about?"

Cecil was startled by Kathryne's perceptiveness. "Spot on Kathryne!" she thought to herself, quietly congratulating Kathryne. "But I can't tell you yet!"

"No, nothing happened," she said trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Liar," said Eremes, still facing away from the two of them.

"You're bad at lying Cecil. Almost as bad as Howard," said Kathryne, shaking her head. Cecil gulped and quickly retorted, "Listen, it isn't anything you guys ought to worry about! Just let me handle things…" She waited for quite a while for an opportunity to convince everyone to come to Payon with her and she was not about to give that up now.

"If you say so…" said Kathryne. "I guess we should trust you. Right Eremes?" Eremes merely grunted in reply. Kathryne took this as an affirmation.

"Y-Yeah. Just leave it to me."

"Oh, just let Seyren know as soon as we get there," added Kathryne.

After what seemed like years to Cecil, they finally arrived at their destination. Seyren, who was seated with the merchant during the entire trip, thanked the merchant before heading off to meet with the others already at the entrance to the village. "So where do we go Cecil?"

"U-Um, let me talk to the elder first. There's something I need to ask him."

"The elder a friend of yours?"

"You could say he's like a father to me," she replied, almost sounding proud. "Anyway, I'll lead the way." As she took the first step past the village boundary, Cecil took a deep breath. "Hopefully, I've hit the mark," she thought to herself.