Chapter 38: Papa Mia

Upon exiting the Labyrinth, the party makes way for Jenetta's Inn. Here, Cyrus requests access to the Guild's designated storage area, from which he procures all of the crystalline item drops that have been obtained from the various monsters of the Lucent Hollows. As he stores these in a separate bag, Fae's eyes sparkle at the varying colors. Though she wants to ask Cyrus to let her see them up close before they leave, she refrains, instead walking at his side as he calls for the party to return to the Twilight Tavern. Here, the young girl that requested these materials sits at a table, lightly kicking her feet as she reads her usual tome. Upon taking notice of the Seekers, she lowers her book and smiles at their approach.

"Hello again. Did you find any minerals?" Cyrus places the bag on the table. As he does so, Fae hops onto his back to look over his shoulder. As each item is produced, the young girl's expression brightens further. "Ooh, these are so pretty!" Starting with the Warped Voltstone, the girl giggles at how it is shaped like a childish rendition of a lightning bolt. "It's kinda cute." She is then handed the Inert Sugarcore, the scent of which gently wafts beneath her nostrils. "Huh? This one smells sweet…"

Fae says, "Uncle says that item makes its own sugar."

"What, really? Do you know how it works, Mr. Co?" Clarisse snickers at this, though Cyrus does not comment on the matter.

"Paralysis prevents the creature to which this core belongs from regulating its functions. Once paralyzed, the core produces sugar at an irregular rate." He chuckles, pushing the Redglass Shell towards her. "A curious item, to be true."

Taking the Redglass Shell into her hands, the girl turns over the jewel, marveling at the glossy surface. "This red color is pretty! I just wanna look at this forever." Her eyes then glance at the Cloudy Crystal. "Ooh, what's this one? It's so much cloudier than the other ones." She sets the minerals aside to flip through a few pages of her tome, her expression showing genuine surprise as she looks up and says, "This one's not even in my book." She then watches as Cyrus pulls the Azure Core from his pocket; as he hands it to her, he apologizes for piercing through it with his katana. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Co!" Holding it up before her eyes, she takes note of something unique. "It's so clear! I can see Ms. Mirina over there!" She holds up a hand, waving at Mirina, who waves in return.

Amy leans over to stare into the core as well. "Hey, she's right."

"You guys are so nice to me; you always do your best to show me as many new materials as you can." She then hugs Amy, squeezing as tightly as she can. A wide smile forms her countenance now, and though her eyes are closed, the Seekers can only assume that they currently sparkle like stars. "Thank you so much, everyone."

Amy giggles in turn, returning the child's embrace as she spins in place. "Oh, the pleasure was ours, little one!" The young girl is then set down; she thanks the Seekers one more time for their assistance after taking a moment to sketch the materials not yet cataloged in her tome. As she departs, she bids the party a cheerful farewell. Amy proudly rests her hands on her hips, a confident smile forming on her lips. "Now I'd say that was a job well done." She looks over to see Mirina approaching; "Would you not agree, Matron?"

She giggles. "I certainly would; I appreciate the effort you guys put in. That little lady's sure got a lot of energy."

Rolling her shoulder, Clarisse says, "She'll need it while she's running through Yggdrasil."

"Were you all like that when you were young?"

Lissa grins as she glances at Clarisse, who can only frown in response. "Little Reese was quite the troublemaker from what I've been told."

"Quiet, you." Looking to Cyrus and Amy, she asks, "What about you two?" They both tilt their heads in an inquisitive manner, almost as if to imply they are unsure of Clarisse's meaning. "Don't play dumb; I bet Amy was super hyper." She frowns upon gazing at Cyrus. "Co…not so much; you spent most of your time in bed for 6 years, right?" He nods, saying noting further. "Yeah…"

Pointing at Amy, Cyrus says, "Amy wasn't nearly as much of a social butterfly when she was a kid. She was actually quite reserved."

Mirina adopts a surprised expression at this. "I wouldn't have guessed."

"It's because I had no control over my strength back then; I was so afraid of hurting people that I cut myself off from them. Well…I was also bullied a lot; Cyrus was the only kid who didn't treat me as if I was some kind of freak." She takes a moment to hug him, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as she says, "Thanks for that."

"I don't deserve that gratitude, Amy; I was only acting as I ought to."

Crossing her arms, Mirina says, "And to think, you've both made such strong names for yourselves as explorers. It's kind of interesting to learn that your development was so different from the end result I've come to know." She shrugs, letting a chuckle slip as she hands the party a sum of 30000 ental. "That little girl really appreciates what you do for her."

Fae's eyes light up at the sight. "That's a lot of money…"

"Be sure not to spend it all in one place." Mirina suddenly adopts a serious expression as she looks to Cyrus. "Before you go, there's a request that came in not too long ago; it's from Thadius and Mia."

"What's the problem?"

"There's talk that their marriage might be canceled!" The party's eyes go wide at this. "From what I've heard, Mia's father came back from abroad and immediately demanded they call off the wedding." Cyrus brings his palm to his face, eliciting a loud smack that sounds throughout the entire bar. "I didn't think you'd feel that strongly about it. Um, normally we wouldn't involve ourselves in a personal issue like this…but…"

Cyrus holds up his hand to stop her. "Though we don't know them too well, they are still acquaintances whose happiness I would hate to see shattered."

The party's attention is directed to a table near a window, which is where Thadius sits alone. "Thadius, Mia, and her father are all in here now. I only ask that you all do what you can."

Looking to her brother, Amy asks, "Should we go and get Gwenivere?"

He shakes his head. "We can handle this matter. Let's go." He leads his party over to the table, first addressing Thadius. "It's been awhile, ol' chap."

Thadius rises from his seat to shake Cyrus' hand. Though he puts forth a smile, his features make it clear that he is in distress. "I take it you've accepted my request? Thank you." He hesitates for a moment, but eventually says, "The other day, I met the father of my betrothed for the very first time. Rather than give us his blessings, however, he said he would never allow his daughter to marry a…" He falls silent, in part out of no desire to repeat what is surely a slew of racial slurs towards Celestrians, but also out of respect for Fae's presence. "We could elope, of course, but I want to do this right, and Mia wants her family to be there."

Looking up to Thadius, Fae asks, "Why won't he let you get married? Isn't Ms. Mia happy with you?"

"She certainly made that clear to him, young lady, but her father…well, let's just say he doesn't like Celestrians all that much."

"B- But Ms. Matron is a Celestrian, and she's really nice! My teacher is a Celestrian, too."

"Truth be told, I did not wish to burden you all with this, but Mia insisted."

Lissa nods to this as she says, "I guess we're talking to her next." She and her comrades bid a momentary farewell to Thadius before stepping over to address Mia. Curiously, the woman sits alone, occasionally sipping from a tall glass of wine. Taking a seat, Lissa lets out a sigh. "Girl, I know that feeling; wanna talk about it?"

"T- Thanks, Lissa. Thanks for accepting my request." Looking to the others, she blushes as she motions to make an apology. "I don't mean to drag you all into this, but I don't want to give up on my marriage. Thadius is the only man I've ever met who loves me for who I am; I need my father to understand why he's so important to me."

Balto asks, "Are you and your father on speaking terms?" Mia shakes her head to this, causing the Hound to let out a whine. "That is troubling. Not at all ideal."

"Hey, Cyrus? You're married and all; did you ever go through this with your wives?"

His expression becomes conflicted. 'That's a difficult one, to be true.' After taking a moment to think on it, he gives her a reply. "Yes, but nothing like this. Gwenivere and I faced many troubles during the romance leading up to our wedding, but her parents were not among those issues."

"M- May I ask?"

"Well, um…" He rubs the back of his head, not at all certain on how to explain himself. "As you know, Gwenivere is a noble, the niece of the Province of Nature's current Overlord. The thought of her wasting her influence on a commoner instead of a noble house was unconscionable. I, well…many people have hired assassins to get rid of me."

Mia holds a hand up to her mouth, her eyes putting her shock and horror on display. "That's horrible…I suppose it's a good thing you're so strong."

Glancing at her brother, Amy sighs at this. Crossing her arms, she looks to Mia as she says, "It's in part because of those failed assassinations that he's this way, Mia; they've been trying to kill him since he was 10."

"W- What?! Goodness, that sounds awful."

"It certainly was, but my solution was easy compared to yours. I only needed to get rid of the assailant; you very well can't just commit to such an action against your dad. I don't have my family anymore, save for my adoptive mother, but I honestly can't imagine how I'd handle her rejecting someone I wished to marry."

"I thought that perhaps my father would be willing to listen to a third party about this; honestly, I'm surprised he agreed to show up at all. Do you think you'd be willing to talk to him?" The party nods to her, causing a smile to form on her face. "Thank you so much."

As the party steps over to meet Mia's father, they can hear him muttering to himself about being dragged to this location against his will. Upon noticing the Seekers' presence, he turns to face them. His features are rough, with his hardened eyes suggesting he has a history on the battlefield. Scanning the party, his attention falls to Cyrus and Fae. "An Earthlain trying to make a name for himself as a Masurao?" He scoffs, "Your kind are certainly never lacking in creativity." Gesturing towards Fae, he asks, "Should a child be hanging around a bunch of explorers?"

Resting his hand on Fae's head, Cyrus says, "This young lady is a proud member of the Seekers, sir; she has plenty of combat experience, and is the cornerstone of no less than two of our party compositions."

"The Seekers? You lot? And what would the legendary Seekers want with me?" He takes a second to think on the matter before his eyebrow twitches. "Let me guess. My daughter put you up to this. Wants to know why I won't give my blessing."

Fae nods to this, making an effort to hide the fact that this man intimidates her. "That's right, sir. Mr. Thadius says you don't like him, but I don't get why."

"You're a bit young to understand, young lady, but I'll tell you all. I don't trust Celestrians."

She tilts her head at this, placing a finger to her chin as she asks, "What do you mean?"

"Brounis are fine; they work with herbs to make advances in medicinal practices. But Celestrians? How can I trust someone who dabbles in the dark arts? No good can come from that witchcraft." His sights are set on Cyrus again as he asks, "You're the boy who founded the Seekers, right? The one with the Runic Eye?" He nods. "I can't rightfully claim to know what your world is like, or why the Earthlains there would need magic, but that stuff is dangerous. That said, I've heard that you're also a warrior, so I take it you understand the value of training yourself in bravery, zeal, and discipline." Though Cyrus remains silent at the accusation, Mia's father seems set in his viewpoint. "I can tell from the look in your eyes." Looking to Amy, he follows, "The young Pugilist there, too."

Closing his eyes, Cyrus says, "There is more to becoming stronger than mastering martial skill. I was born with access to powerful magic, but lacked control over it. I feared that power, despite it being my own…because I gave in to the fear that others had placed in me." He opens his eyes again, looking to Mia's father with a stern gaze. "I desired power, power great enough to protect those I cared about. I've trained in the ways of the sword, katana, lance, bow, and even martial arts."

"Impressive, especially for one so young." He frowns as he says, "A shame you are missing an arm, though; you can't even wield a bow in that state. A damn shame."

"I lost this because I was lacking in an area that had nothing to do with physical strength. There…was more to protecting that which was precious than just swinging a sword around. I lacked confidence in myself, and my former friend saw that as reason to doubt our kinship." Resting his hand in his pocket, he heaves a sigh as he shakes his head. "I've since then ceased withholding my magic; in combining the arcane with martial skill, I've drawn a step closer to the power I once sought."

"Hmph, perhaps you have, but there's a distinct difference between you and that pipsqueak – he can't lift a sword, and I doubt his fancy books will be enough to protect my Mia. Then again…if he thinks he has what it takes, tell him that he can prove he's a real man by challenging the Tutelary Forest himself. Alone." Most of the party goes wide eyed at this proposal; Cyrus simply heaves a loud sigh of exasperation before slamming his face against a wall. "Hmph, you don't think he can handle it?"

Ignoring his now bleeding forehead, Cyrus turns to the man and says, "It's not that. I'm just frustrated by challenges like this because they're insipid and entirely lacking any semblance of effectiveness."

"Oh? How do you figure?"

"Thadius is no fighter. Challenging the Yggdrasil Labyrinth isn't some bloody game; trained soldiers can barely handle what awaits within. To challenge Yggdrasil solo, even if it's just the First Stratum, is a significant undertaking; all Thadius would be doing by accepting this challenge is proving he has the resolve to meet your outlandish demands. It would legitimately be more practical for him to face you in a duel."

Mia's father can only let out a loud, hearty laugh at the idea. "That twig couldn't take me."

"Perhaps not, but that isn't the point; what matters is that he's not afraid to do so – that he's willing to even stand against you if it means making Mia's happiness a reality. In that sense, I have a great deal of respect for him. Even if he can't beat you, at least he won't be throwing his life away needlessly." He pinches the bridge of his nose as a pained expression overtakes him; the others assume the injury of his forehead is starting to sink in. "By the gods, man, think of your daughter; Mia will be devastated if Thadius dies."

"I expected more from you. You've been through how many Labyrinths now?"

"This is my fourth, and it's the first one since Etria where I've done any significant amount of solo exploration. Tell me. Are you really going to run the risk of denying your daughter the right to be with the one person who gives her confidence just to satisfy your own vision for her future?"

Crossing his arms again, Mia's father gives a resolute stare as he says, "I've given my ultimatum; we are done here." Cyrus remains motionless for a moment, returning the stare in turn. "Do you intend to take on the challenge in his stead? That won't help his case."

"I'd be willing to, but it isn't my place to make that call." He motions for his team to follow. "Let's go, Seekers." They return to Mia and relay the information they've gathered. Cyrus sighs as he takes a seat across from her. "This is difficult; why can't it just be another monster to kill? I'd even take a fetch quest."

"My father has always been protective, but now he's just making excuses. Even if Thadius could fight, my father would just spin the tale differently."

Clarisse sighs at this. "You'd think fears wouldn't run that deep anymore. It's easy to see something as strange or terrifying when you have no experience with it." She glances over to see Mirina chatting with Aria's Guild, shading her eyes as she follows, "I grew up with a bunch of Celestrian kids; they'd practice magic every day, so I eventually got to the point where it stopped being interesting…now it's kinda mundane."

Amy says, "It's the same in Erdboden. Our realm is so saturated in aether that it's incredibly rare for people to be born without a talent for it. For us, magic is so common that we can't imagine living without it. Your father's worldview is just…alien to me."

"I- I don't know what to do, everyone…"

Rising from his seat, Cyrus says, "We'll talk with Thadius and try to plan something." His party returns to Thadius, who now sips a cup of coffee to pass the time. After relaying the words of Mia's father, Cyrus sighs. Thadius takes a cloth and wipes the man's forehead of the thin trail of blood that has reached his nose. "Oh, thanks."

"You didn't have to get so angry on my behalf, but I do appreciate it. So, he said I should challenge the forest myself?"

Cyrus nods. "Yes, and it is legitimately one of the dumbest proposals I have ever heard. It's frustratingly stupid, almost insulting in how it completely misses the point."

"I'm going." Cyrus' expression suggests that he either didn't hear this declaration, or that he's dumbfounded by it. Regardless, Thadius rises from his seat and bolts out of the tavern after placing the fee for his coffee on the table.

Lissa's eyebrow twitches at the sight. "Please tell me that didn't just happen."

Mia steps over, her eyes filled with worry as she asks, "What happened with Thadius?"

Rising from his seat, Cyrus says, "That daft dastard just ran off to Yggdrasil." He snaps his fingers to summon his katana, which he secures to his left arm. "Seekers, we're heading out!" As he and his party rush out of the tavern, Cyrus has to motion into an emergency halt to avoid crashing into Egar. Letting out a sigh of relief, he says, "A thousand pardons, Guildmaster; I was not expecting you."

"Pay it no heed; it is rare to see you all so flustered. Has something happened?" After the party gives a brief explanation, he nods. "Now that you mention it, I passed a flustered Celestrian earlier while returning from the first floor."

Fae looks up to Cyrus as she says, "If it's the first floor, we should be able to reach him before anything bad happens."

"Agreed." He picks up Fae and rests her on his back. "Hold on tight, little angel." Looking to Egar, he gives a quick bow. "I thank you for your help, Guildmaster, but I beg your leave, for we must make haste."

"Of course. Tarry no longer, Seekers."

The party rushes to the Labyrinth, stepping up to the first floor. A quick look around the initial clearing of the first floor reveals no trace of Thadius. Amy brings everyone's attention to the map, where a single FOE sits in the middle of the floor. "That's not supposed to be there, but I bet that's where we'll find him. Let's move!" When the party turns the corner to arrive at the bottom edge of B4, they are immediately met with the sight of an Owl Beast; worse still, Thadius is collapsed at its feet. "Crap."

Lissa preemptively deploys a bunker while Cyrus charges ahead into the fray. "Amy, I'm ending this in two hits; grant me Overexertion." Glancing back, he looks to Clarisse and says, "Don't worry about Balto – Target Arrow is all we need."

"Got it." She is the first to act, firing an arrow coated in a debilitative substance that weakens the creature. "It's your turn, Munchkin!"

Fae tosses a Dark Bomb at the beast, aiming so that her bomb explodes right in its eyes. The effort is successful, allowing both Cyrus and Amy to avoid the incoming bear hug as the former stabs his katana into the creature's flesh to lower its defense even further. With the effects of Overexertion in effect, Cyrus sheathes his blade and orders the others to fall back. The Owl Beast is at least still aware of his presence, which he uses to his advantage as a means of baiting the target. As the Owl Beast draws near, Fae sneaks in a use of Smokeblight, likely wanting to grant Cyrus a bit of insurance. His Runic Eye takes on a yellow glow as a smirk forms on his lips. 'How considerate, Fae.' He steps into a drawing slash, unleashing a bolt of lightning that flies into the sky.

The Owl Beast leaves no remains to note its previous existence; all that remains are a slew of feathers. Cyrus sheathes his blade and rushes over to Thadius' form with Fae at his side. The latter of the two turns Thadius over, letting out a sigh of relief as she realizes that, "He's still breathing. These wounds are really bad, but they won't kill him." She turns around upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. A guard arrives on the scene, soon looking to an unseen group as he calls out to them. "Huh?" When the guardsman asks if the unconscious person is Thadius, she nods. "Yes sir, that's right."

"An older Therian sent us out here to find him, but it looks like you beat us to it."

Amy's attention is caught by this. "Wait, surely you don't mean Mia's father?" She shakes her head. "It doesn't even matter; did you bring a stretcher?"

"Yes ma'am; you can leave the rest of this to us." With Fae's assistance, the guard corps performs first aid to treat Thadius' immediate injuries. He is then carefully placed on a stretcher. "We will transport him back to Iorys from here." Rather than settle for this, the Seekers accompany the guards, providing additional support when the occasional Random Encounter bars the path. Once everyone is out of the Labyrinth, the Seekers leave Thadius in the hands of the guards to report back to Mia.

She rises from her seat and rushes over to them; her hair is suffering from split ends, a sight usually seen only on Jenetta, and her expression is mixed with both optimism and apprehension. "How'd it go? Did you find my Thadius?!"

Fae says, "An Owl Beast ended up on the first floor somehow; it beat Mr. Thadius in a fight."

"N- No…it can't be…" She falls into a nearby empty seat, her face going pale. "Is he…dead?"

"No, we saved him, so please don't cry."

"I'll go to him; he should be at a nearby clinic, right?"

She doesn't actually wait for a proper answer before running off, leaving the Seekers at a loss on how to next proceed. Seeing that Mia's father is present, Cyrus and Amy walk over to him. "You lot again. Good on the lad for trying, but it's bloody pathetic how quickly he got beaten bloody."

Crossing her arms, Amy says, "I'll have you know that he got dealt a hand that was rife with bullshit. Thadius fought an Owl Beast, which isn't supposed to be on the first floor. The fact that he's still alive is a miracle in itself."

"Hmph, so you say, but I can't let Mia settle for that boy…still, at least he's proven he's serious about it." Looking to Cyrus, he follows, "Perhaps I should have listened to you; had I known the little twig would be that crazy about this, I would have trained him myself. If he can survive that, then we'll talk." He scoffs, motioning to walk away as he says, "It would be better to tell them face-to-face. After all, I'm sure one of them is bound to still be bedridden." Looking to the duo again, he says, "I suppose those two are in your debt…not only for this, but also the ring and the dress. Thanks."

Cyrus grins at the man as he says, "Don't forget about us when they send out the invitations."

He scoffs. "A cheeky one; I'll give you that. I left a token of my own gratitude with Mirina. You can collect it from her. We're done here."

Mirina steps over as the man leaves, handing two bottles of Hamao Prime to Amy. "Good work, guys." She steps to the side to as the rest of the party arrives. "I was a bit worried, but I'm glad everything worked out. It's a pain how far back the wedding's been pushed because of this training nonsense, but at least it's no longer canceled." She crosses her arms, letting out a huff as she looks to the exit of her establishment. "What a tedious father, though. I mean, he's not a bad guy; he actually came by to apologize for the trouble he caused."

Fae holds her hands to either side of her head, a confused and troubled expression overtaking her features. "I don't get it. If he was gonna do what Uncle said, why did he waste time and let Mr. Thadius get hurt?"

Mirina crouches down and says, "It's easy to think you can say anything to family, but the truth is that being honest becomes more difficult the closer you are." She looks to Amy and Cyrus as she asks, "That's the case with you two, isn't it?" They shake their heads. "Come now. Be honest."

Amy holds up her left hand to show Mirina the pinky ring that rests on it. "Cyrus has a matching ring on his right hand. Both of these were made by his father when we were kids, and we ended up getting them blessed by Sylphs."

"Wait, really?"

Cyrus nods. "The circumstances behind that are a bit long-winded, so I'll spare you the details. The important thing to take away is that these rings connect the two of us on an emotional level. So long as we wear these, hiding our feelings from each other is impossible."

"To be true, Cyrus is probably the only person I can be truly honest with in every capacity." She locks her arm in his. "He understands me better than anyone else, and I him in turn. I don't think I'd have this any other way."

Mirina chuckles at the thought. "I suppose there's an exception to everything. In any case, I hope you'll stop anyone who tries to do something that dangerous. Speaking of danger, you lot finished up the 19th floor, right?" They nod to her. "That means you'll be fighting a Stratum Boss soon. Please be careful out there."

Fae giggles at this. "You worry too much, Ms. Matron. We'll always come back." A thought suddenly occurs to her, causing her eyes to light up as she turns to face Cyrus. "Uncle, we need to turn in our map."

"Ah, that's right; I had almost forgotten." He motions into a bow directed at Mirina before resting Fae on his shoulder. "If you'll excuse us, Matron." The group bids her a farewell before making way for the Council Hall. Ramus is here, as usual, and looks to be enjoying some light reading. He bookmarks his current place upon noticing the Seekers' presence. Holding up his hand in greeting, Cyrus says, "Good day, your highness."

"Good day to you all as well. What brings you here?" Amy hands him the map of the 19th floor. Taking a moment to overlook its contents, the prince rotates the parchment in his grip a few times. "This…certainly looks complicated." He furls the map, returning his attention to the party as he asks, "Are you familiar with the legend shared by all races?" Seeing the Erdboden duo tilt their heads inquisitively, he chuckles. "I suppose not. It is said that whoever reaches the top of Yggdrasil will be granted their greatest desire." Looking to Clarisse and Lissa, a nostalgic smile forms on his face. "When Clarisse and Lissa shared their dreams with me, I was quite surprised."

Clarisse chuckles at the memory in turn, crossing her arms as she says, "That old wish of mine still stands. The legend says that no wish is out of bounds. The power to rule; knowledge of the world's most intimate secrets; unparalleled gear…you could truly ask for anything."

Looking to the remaining three members of the party, Ramus says, "I can't help but wonder what it is you'd wish for."

Fae hops down from Cyrus' shoulder to say, "I think I'd wish to be six years older."

"Oh? Why six, specifically?"

She pushes her fingers together, a blush forming on her cheeks as she replies, "Because, um…th- that's how old Prince Hayato is." She is promptly scooped into Amy's crushing embrace as the Pugilist gushes over how cute her wish is. "Ack! Aunt Amy! Too tight!"

"It's just so precious." Setting the child down, she takes a moment to ease out Fae's clothes. "I can't say I ever really thought of what kind of wish I'd want." A moment passes before her expression brightens. Tapping the bottom of her fist to an open palm, she transitions to point at Cyrus as she says, "Wait, I just remembered! I want the ability to teleport using Light Magic! You know, to complement your Dark Magic."

"Being able to warp has practical applications, too; you could make house calls all over the world, which would also give you another excuse to travel."

"Nii-chan, you're supposed to set an example, not enable my vices."

He shakes his head to this. "Not quite. Ha-chan is supposed to set an example since she's your older twin; that leaves me free to spoil you."

"You know…that's a good point, actually."

Pointing at the two of them, Lissa shouts, "Don't you give in to his logic so easily!" Ramus chuckles at this, holding a fist to his mouth as he turns away to stifle a laugh. "You should scold them, too, Prince."

"Actually, do you even have a wish, Co?"

"I did, once, but I can't say it's stuck with me."

"What did you want, Uncle?"

"A second chance at happiness." Fae tilts her head at this, not understanding his meaning. She asks if he's unhappy right now, to which he can only chuckle as he rubs her head. "Not quite, little one. Two years ago, the god of time gave me a chance to switch over to an alternate timeline where I never got the Runic Eye, specifically, a timeline in which I wasn't born with the defect that grants me my magic potential."

Clarisse asks, "So how'd that life play out?"

"To be blunt, I had never thought myself capable of smiling so genuinely. The life the other me got to live was something I truly envied in my darkest moments." He sighs, shaking his head as he follows, "He and I would swap places, retaining the knowledge of the world we used to live in. I…couldn't go through with it, Clarisse; I couldn't take that away from him."

"Co, with all due respect, you should have gone for it."

"Then I wouldn't have gotten the chance to meet you or Lissa." Clarisse motions to refute this, only to falter and look away from him; the expression she now wears suggests confliction. "I was taught growing up that everything happens for a reason. Though I can't say I still fully agree with those teachings, I do attribute significance to many events." He glances over to Amy, who meets his sad gaze with her own. He sighs at this, recalling the specifics of the life he turned his back to. "That life would have been beautiful, but I'm happy with what I have now. Things can't be all bad if you lot are in it, right?" He rests his hand in his pocket whilst turning to address Ramus. "I can't say I have a dream that I can't grant by my own power, but if I think of one before the Labyrinth is cleared, I'll let you know."

"I look forward to that day, Cyrus, but try not to stress yourself over it. May I ask what's next for the Seekers?"

"We'll probably rest for the day and tackle the 20th floor during the evening. We fell asleep during our exploration of the 19th floor by mistake, so the time frame is a bit awkward now." The party bids Ramus farewell and departs from the Council Hall. Most of the party sets off for Jenetta's Inn, though Lissa and Fae elect to stay behind and sell their materials to Syrik. "Be safe on your way back."

Upon taking her place atop Lissa's shoulders, Fae pats her comrade on the head as she asks, "So what did you wanna wish for, Aunt Lissa?"

"Hm? Ah, my wish is a bit like yours, Fae."

"It is? So you want to be the same age as Uncle? Aren't you two already married, though?"

She chuckles at this. "Good guess, but nope. What I want is the power to freely warp between our world and Erdboden. That way, I can visit Cyrus whenever I wish, rather than having to wait years at a time."

"Years? That's gotta suck."

"It really does."

"Why don't you tell him that? I bet he'd visit way more often if he knew how you felt."

"Reese said the same thing not too long ago. It's…like Mirina said earlier; the closer you get, the tougher it is to be honest with someone." As a frown forms on her face, she's internally thankful that Fae cannot see her. "He has a lot going on, Fae; it's complicated."

"Hm…it shouldn't be." Lissa falls silent at this. "I mean, if you want to be with him, you could just tell him that. Uncle wants you around, Aunt Lissa…he's just really bad at saying it." She points ahead, "I can see Mr. Syrik's stall from here! Doesn't look like there's a line yet." She pats Lissa on the head twice. "We must hurry, Auntie! Onward!"

Lissa can't help but chuckle at this. "Right, right. Be sure to hold on, little one."