Hey guys it has been a while, I'm entering the exam period so I've had a lot to do in a little amount of time so haven't had the chance to write. That, plus I have to think carefully about how I write the next few chapters for a reason you'll eventually find out. This one especially was difficult to write. But I'm back from my break so here is another chapter! Here are the responses.

Review Responses:

Tales of Brothers: I do hope you'll stick around to the end too. As for Rita's obvious secret crush, I am hoping it's not to OOC. Since I wasn't 100% sure how she'd act, I guessed. Hope ya enjoy!

Pathogen015: Dude, only review if your gunna say something worthwhile! I saw that I had gotten another review and got so happy. (Sniff) How could someone be so cruel…? Nah, I'm joking (kinda). This is a good opportunity to say that the LP is updated weekly so remember to check it out, people!

archsage328: I admit to playing a little safe with Patty's character but if it wasn't too bad then great! The reason for it was that I read that she becomes a little more mature after a certain point (Sorry for spoiling!). Also since she was new, I wanted to slowly introduce her into the story so I can gradually get used to her. Not sure if it make sense but in my mad little head it does. And sea metaphors, huh? Interesting.

CrescentMoonAngel56: Thanks for another full and detailed review of the chapter, lol! It seems that everything the junior member do is just thought up on the spot by me. I'm glad it's actually good! Thanks for supporting the LP!

ElizabethBathog: You're back! Yay, happy face. Glad you caught up!

Calvin-Xover-No.96: Ah, I do love reviews like that. I'm glad you're writing a story and I hope it goes well.

Just two last little notes; I'll update my profile periodically to give news on when future chapters are going to be released. If I ever take another break like this, I'll say it there. Also, just another quick shout out for the Let's Play. There's a new episode every week so remember to check it out if you want. Link to episode 1 is on my profile. Now, the very late chapter…

(Warning: There are swear words in this chapter. I dunno why I feel the need to put a warning but here you go.)

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Chapter 24: Dark night to a bright morning

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"How did you get that!?"

The group eyed Dayren with confusion. The boy in question's eyes never left the box in Patty's hands. Tillya and the junior members ran onto the deck when they heard Dayren's raised voice.

"What is it, guppy?" Patty asked.

"Your face is really pale…" Kara said worriedly. But she was ignored.

"Where did you find it?" Dayren demanded.

"Huh? I told you! That deserty town!" Patty replied.

"Do you mean Yormgen, Patty?" Estelle offered.

"That's the place! Excellent, Estelle! I'm promoting you to Lieutenant!" Patty cheered.

"So what is it already?" Rita demanded. Patty just shrugged.

"Why not ask Dayren? He seems to know." Yuri said and the group turned back to the boy. But, they were surprised when they saw Dayren's face. The corner of his mouth was twitching into a crazed and creepy smile.

"Dayren!?" Rita cried in surprise. He looked at her, face back to normal without a trace of before.

"It's a key of sorts. That's all you need to know." Dayren said with a cold undertone. Rita was taken aback but Dayren ignored it at approached Patty. As he approached, his eyes seemed to glisten as he stared at the 'key'.

*CLUNK!*

Patty suddenly shut the box and made Kara jump.

"Nuh uh, you can't have it. It's my treasure, not yours, guppy." Patty said and started to walk away. Dayren did not look happy and took a step forward. However, he was cut off by a blue blur.

"Grrr!" Repede growled, baring his fangs and taking a defensive stance in front of Patty. There was a shocked silence as the dog and the boy stared each other down. Eventually, the boy walked in the other direction and the situation defused. Yuri observed Repede's strange reaction silently. He knew full well that Repede's reaction must have been because of something serious. If Repede was weary of what Dayren was going to do, then the rest of group may need to be very weary of the boy's future actions too. Rita grabbed Dayren's arm as he stormed by her, stopping him.

"Hey! What's the deal with you all of a sudden, Idiot!?" she snapped. Dayren violently pulled his arm from her grip and turned to her with a cold glare.

"Get off of me." He growled.

"Excuse me?" Rita demanded.

"You heard. I'm sick of you." Dayren replied cruelly and headed to the cabins without looking back. Rita's face was of pure shock and hurt.

"Rita… Are you ok?" Estelle asked cautiously.

"HMPH! L-like I care what that… I-Idiot does!" She shouted, her shaking voice and the tears forming in her eyes betraying her. Estelle slowly embraced her in a hug as the rest silently pondered. Yuri and Flynn shared a knowing glance before turning to Raven. The old man looked back before silently heading towards the cabins. Tillya went to her sister's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. The setting sun painted the sky blood-red.

X-X-X-XX-X-X-X

Raven reemerged onto the deck about 10 minutes later. He seemed to be in deep thought as he approached the group. Yuri spoke to him when he was close enough.

"Any luck, old man?" He asked. Raven shock his head.

"Sorry Yuri, tha' kid's flat-out ignorin' me." Raven said and everyone except Rita sighed.

"Why is he suddenly acting so… Cold?" Kara asked nobody in particular.

"He was fine during the battle earlier, right?" Karol asked.

"Yes he was, he was encouraging everyone from the front lines." Estelle said.

"It was as soon as he caught sight of that…" Flynn said, looking to the treasure box.

"Whatever it is, this 'key', he wants it." Yuri said.

"Well too bad! I stole it so it's mine." Patty said defensively.

"And he's sure as hell not happy about that. From now on Patty-" Yuri started.

"Yuri! Don't say it, that's-"Estelle interrupted but was also interrupted.

"Estelle, you saw him earlier. He was going for the key whichever way you look at it." Yuri said.

"Apologies, Your Highness, but I'm afraid Yuri is right." Flynn said.

"You two can't be serious? Dayren is our friend!" Estelle said desperately.

"Y-yeah, I don't think he'd do anything to hurt any of us." Kara said.

"Exactly! After all we've done together, how can you stop trusting him now?" Estelle reasoned. Yuri and Flynn glanced at each other quickly.

"Or… Did you not trust him to begin with?" Kara asked, sounding a little hurt. A thick silence fell. The two swordsmen stared at Kara but both were hesitant to answer. Estelle started to shake her head disbelieving, tears forming at her eyes.

"Of course we do. But Yuri is simply saying that we should be more cautious from here on out. Especially you, Patty, I suggest that you are never alone with him." Flynn explained calmly. Estelle tried to speak but failed.

"Look, my biggest concern is the safety of our group. I do trust Dayren but I just think we need to be mindful of him until we know why he's acting like this. It could be nothing and he's just tired but I'll be keeping an eye on him is all." Yuri explained honestly. Everyone seemed to agree and nodded slowly.

"Man… That was too intense for me… I didn't know what to say or think." Karol sighed.

"Ah, don't worry kiddo. It was a tough situation." Raven said.

"Why didn't you speak up at all, Schwann?" Kara asked, also catching Yuri's attention for some reason.

"Well… I was too nervous to speak up. Sorry Kara. Oh, and tha' name's Raven now." Raven said.

"Huh? Since when did you change it?" Kara asked, surprised.

"Oh… A while back now." Raven said.

"And why ever did you change it to something so… shifty sounding?" Tillya asked. Kara giggled a little and the remaining tension around the group eased up.

"It's not shifty! It makes him sound as mysterious as uncharted waters at the edge of the world!" Patty said.

"Exactly! Ol'Raven is as mysterious as he is handsome!" Raven boasted.

"Of course."

"Sure." The two sisters said simultaneously causing Raven's ego to deflate. The group was then approached by Tokunaga.

"Hey, I believe we'll reach land tomorrow morning. So I suggest suiting up for the desert." He said.

"Finally… We can get off this stupid boat." Rita spoke for the first time in a while.

"Yes, it will be much nicer having solid ground beneath out feet again." Estelle replied.

"But we'll need to be mindful of our supplies and water. Remember to ration them sensibly." Flynn warned.

"Speaking of sensible, are you going to wear that big suit of armour in the desert, Sir Flynn?" Kara asked. In response, her sister bonked her on the head with her Sword-Staff.

"Ah, I can't wait to see Judith again!" Raven swooned.

"She's at the top of Mount Temza, right?" Karol asked.

"That's right" Yuri said, turning to them after finishing his quick chat with Tokunaga.

"We'll be making land on a beach just South-East of it." He continued.

"In that case, it's probably time we get a good night's sleep." Flynn said and everyone made their way to the cabins.

"Well hello again."

"Not you again…"

I was once again in that pure white space. Once again it was just me and him.

"I told you before; I'm still here because of your guilt."

"Whatever. Why the hell did you do that earlier!?"

"Me? I didn't do anything."

"Cut the crap! I know it was you."

"Listen here, you little shit, you know as well as I do that it was all you. You're finally losing it."

"I'm not losing it!"

"Ahaha! Look at yourself. You can't face the truth."

"Shut up!"

"Are you going to kill them like you killed me?"

"Never! I didn't kill-"

"YES YOU DID! You didn't even give it a second thought. Instead, you thought up that bullshit story that you've been spouting."

I could no longer reply. I could only beg to wake up soon and escape this nightmare

"How can you face Kara and Tillya? Or Estellise? You lied right to their faces. Now Estellise thinks you're some Saint who was there to support me through my last moments. What would she say if she knew what you did to me, to her precious childhood friend? Ha! Now none of them trust you. Not one of your so-called 'friends' will ever trust you! Why should they if you can never tell the truth? Especially Rita… Poor heartbroken Rita…"

I finally managed to speak again, but my voice was shaky.

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Oh you can't be serious! Even I've noticed! My, you truly are a waste of life."

"Shut it. Tell me-"

"Hmph, it won't matter soon. The game is ending. And you will lose everything. But don't worry, I'll always be with you, Murderer."

"I-I'm not…"

"Murderer. Fraud. Murderer. Fraud! MURDERER!"

"Dayren!?"

"!"

Dayren awoke with a start, panting as tears ran down his face. To his right was Yuri Lowell, looking a little concerned. Beside him were Estelle and surprisingly, Rita.

"Morning Dayren. You okay?" Yuri asked. Dayren looked up at him and realised that he was on the floor.

"Yuri… I…" Dayren started but instead lunged forward and cried into Yuri shoulder. The older was surprised at first but patted the teen on the back. After a minute or so, Dayren stopped.

"Sorry… Not just for that but…" Dayren trailed off.

"I get it. But there is someone here who needs to hear it more than me." Yuri said and got up.

"I know. Rita…" Dayren said, too scared to look up.

"What?" Was her reply. Behind her, Yuri was dragging a concerned Estelle out the room. Dayren then glanced up at her.

"Your eyes are swollen." He said.

"So are yours." She replied.

"I was crying."

"So was I." At that reply, Dayren paused.

"I'm really sorry about what I said. It was uncalled for." He said sincerely. She walked over and knelt next to him.

"You're not good at apologising." She said.

"At least I do."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"…Did you have that nightmare again?"

"Yeah, but it was worse."

"I see…" The two went silent for a minute.

"You know I owe you a punch for before."

"Somehow I figured." Dayren said and braced himself for the inevitable pain. But what touched his cheek was not a fist, but something warm and soft. His eyes shot open and turned to Rita as she was getting up, her face bright red. She turned to leave but stopped at the door.

"If anyone asks, I punched you twice. Got it?" She asked and left before he could reply. Instinctively, he rubbed his cheek and a light blush crept up onto his face.

X-X-X-XX-X-X-X

As Rita stepped onto the deck, she was blinded momentarily by the brightness of the Sun. She walked over to the group where Yuri and Flynn were handing out water canisters. She collected hers and went over to Estelle and the sisters.

"Good Morning, Rita! Are you feeling better today?" Kara asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Rita said with a faint smile.

"Excellent to hear. You do have an adorable smile, Rita." Tillya said and made Rita blush slightly.

"So you and Dayren made up then?" Estelle asked.

"I-I guess. I gave him a good punch and called it even." Rita said, now quite red. The other girls sweat-dropped and giggled. It was then that Dayren appeared on board and after a few seconds, made his way to Yuri and Flynn.

"Good Morning…" He said awkwardly as everyone turned to him. After letting him fidget on the spot for a few seconds, Flynn put him out of his misery.

"Good Morning Dayren, I assume you and Yuri will squeeze in your training session before we hit land, right?" Flynn said, handing Dayren a blue canister.

"Huh?" Dayren said, surprised.

"Sure, let's go. We can't let your skills get rusty now." Yuri said, picking up his Katana. Dayren thought for a few seconds and grinned.

"Yeah right, you just wanna kick my ass." Dayren said, back to his former self.

"Call it what you like, just get ready." Yuri said and made his way to the middle of the deck. Dayren put his Greaves on and stood a little way away from Yuri facing him. They had caught the attention of everyone, especially the junior members who had waited for this.

"Just so you know, I won't go down easy." Dayren said, drawing his swords.

"I'd expect that much at least." Yuri said drawing his sword in typical Yuri fashion. Dayren bounced on his toes a few times before suddenly charging at Yuri. The older swordsman ran to meet him.

X-X-X-XX-X-X-X

Karol watched the training intently and cheered with everyone else. Part-way through, he noticed Nan approach and stand beside him.

"Good Morning Nan!" He chirped.

"Hmph, you're in a good mood." She replied.

"Of course! Dayren is back to normal and the junior members finally get to see him and Yuri train. Look at how much they're enjoying it!" Karol said. Nan looked over and saw what Karol meant and smiled slightly.

"You're right, even Nancy is cheering." Nan said and Karol flashed a grin at her. Nan quickly turned away with a scowl and a pink glow on her cheeks.

"What?" She demanded

"Nothing really, just that you're a good big sister." Karol said.

"Whether I like it or not, she is still my sister. She is the only family I have left." Nan said.

"I know… But remember that you have The Hunting Blade, Brave Vesperia and… Me too." Karol said shyly.

"W-What? Do you think you can replace my family?" Nan asked sharply.

"N-No, of course not! I meant that we'll always be with you so you don't ever need to feel alone." Karol explained quickly.

"I-Idiot! Who said I feel like that!?" Nan shouted.

"Sorry…" Karol said timidly. Nan glanced at Karol and sighed. 'I already know I'm not alone anymore, thanks to you.' She thought

X-X-X-XX-X-X-X

The training went as expected; Dayren was still no match for Yuri. The junior members were all cheering as they ran to the two swordsmen. From his spot on the floor, Dayren couldn't help but smile. 'Looks like you were wrong. They still trust me and I trust them. I haven't lost them… My friends.' He noticed Yuri standing above him, offering his hand.

"You alright, Dayren?" He asked with a smirk. Dayren grinned and grabbed Yuri hand. 'And I'm not letting you or anyone change that.'

"LAND HO!" Tokunaga shouted and everyone turned to see the vast desert that lay before them. The continent of Desier.

Well there you have it, my loyal readers. Man… You can tell I'm out of practise… It is no means my best and isn't as good as it should be to make up for my absence but I hope you like it anyway. I hope the next chapter will not take as long as this one did. Till then, cya!