The campfire and their appetites quickly snuffed out, they traversed the forests of Hypinioia to the mountain that Rita had tracked the signal of the warp blastia to. The warships nearby were no surprise. Neither were the hoplon cannons fixed around the ancient building there. What did surprise Yuri was the presence of a large creature flying around the shrine, dodging cannon fire before ducking into an opening in the mountain behind the shrine.

"Astal..." Judith muttered sadly, but quickly turned her attention to the shrine as they approached.

As soon as Astal disappeared, the cannons came to rest and Yuri was once more surprised to find that they were unmanned. In fact, there was only Alexei, standing at the door covered in a glowing green energy. Beside him, was a large bubble of red aer, and within, two familiar figures; Estelle and Ioder.

The energy across the door started to fizzle and fade as Estelle neared it, and the aer around her darkened. She was screaming like she was in pain, but Alexei only seemed to urge her further.

"Estelle!" He called out, and Alexei turned, but Yuri was ready with his sword.

A broad smirk crossed Alexei's face and he spoke in a voice that was chilling. "Well, if this little group of ragtag troublemakers hasn't grown."

"Commandant, stop this foolishness! Have you lost all reason?!" Flynn stepped up, sword in hand, but lowered. It was laughable that after everything he was still trying to reason with Alexei. He had trusted him for so long, he must have had some small shred of hope that there was a chance of stopping him without violence. "Let Their Highnesses go and stop this madness!"

"Pitiful worms," Alexei sneered. "How about you show them a bit of what you're capable of, Estellise?"

"No, Alexei... please..."

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he raised one arm, an apathetia floating in the palm of his hand. It began to glow, then the orb around Estelle, and her pained screams began again.

A violent wind picked up, nearly sweeping Yuri off his feet. It crashed them into the ground. With a groan, the others each collapsed, the force of the aer robbing them of their willpower, but Yuri fought the crushing force. He had to save Estelle, Ioder, and Raven. The fate of the world was dependent on them. They were dependent on them.

The force grew greater, causing his bones to creak, and the pressure in his head caused his vision to blur. He fought still, even as the pressure made it feel as though his head was a watermelon, preparing to be smashed.

"E-Estelle!" He had to hold out.

Yuri's vision blurred and darkened and his head hit the ground with a sickening thud. She was still screaming, calling out to them to wake up, to run, to save themselves, but they couldn't move. Finally, that sound, too, disappeared.


He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard footsteps approach. A deep voice hummed in displeasure and kept moving, followed by a second set of feet, four of them, heavy, clawed, and beastly.

The darkness rolled back a little, and Yuri could, for a moment, make out shapes and shadows and patches of color. He fought to blink, to clear his eyes, his head pounding with the pressure lingering on every inch of his skin. After a few seconds, he could see a little better, although his body was still too heavy to move.

He could see Duke, his strange sword in hand, walking to the door of the shrine. Beside him was the dragon from the Weasand of Cados. They appeared to be talking, but he couldn't hear them. The dragon nodded to Duke and took flight, disappearing into the skies as Duke raised his sword.

The red and silver blade began to glow, and an arte field spread out around Duke, shimmering gold as it spun. He raised the sword higher into the air and the seal across the door dissipated, and he was allowed entrance to the shrine.

The weight of the aer around them lifted, and after a moment of lying face down in the dirt and the sparse grass, Yuri was able to struggle to his feet. The others all woke, too, groaning and aching from the force of the aer that was held against them.

"They made it into the shrine," Rita said, approaching the door.

"Duke was kind enough to leave it open for us," Yuri replied. "Let's go. Estelle needs us. I'm sure Raven's in there, too, just waiting for us to rescue his sorry ass."


The pressure still lingering in his head and limbs didn't make the hour of traversing the interior of the shrine any easier. All the rooms had looked the same, save the few they had passed through with holes in the ancient floor, or those that had statues of the creature Judith called Astal in them. They entered another of these rooms. According to the map that Karol was keeping, they had already been through once, and Rita wasn't the only one getting frustrated. They were getting nowhere fast.

They paused to get their bearings and Flynn found Judith staring sadly up at the statue in the center of the room.

"Are you all right?"

She smiled, but it seemed forced. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" She could be just as cryptic as Yuri.

"It's nothing." He changed the subject. "This is an ancient Krityan shrine, correct?"

"Yes. It was built during the Geraios civilization to honor Astal, the sacred guardian of this land."

"You mean that creature we saw outside?" Karol poked his head over the map.

"Yes. Astal is an Entelexia, although he is not as old as Phaeroh."

"So this was built to worship him..." Rita said, circling the statue curiously.

"It was not even a few hundred years ago when some of the Entelexeia were worshiped as gods. But that has long since changed."

Yuri didn't seem to care much for the history lesson. He was spending his time pacing the room, no doubt going over the map in his head and worrying over the state of things further on in and the people there.

"We should keep moving," Yuri called from the northern most of the room's entrances. "There's got to be something we're missing." He and Repede left the room and the others all followed.

North of the statue room was one with only the single entrance they had come in and nothing more. Why he picked this room to enter once more was beyond Flynn.

"Hey, Judy. Can you use that power of yours in here?"

"You mean the nageeg? I don't see why not." She moved to the furthest wall, placing both hands on it and leaning her forehead against it. "Shrine of Holy Astal, open the way."

The wall began to glow just as the tablet had and the inky blackness appeared once more, a larger splotch of it. It formed a dark archway in the enter of the wall. As the light and the darkness dispersed, the pattern formed left a very real and corporeal archway that led to a flight of stairs leading downward.

"Wow, Judith. Why don't you use your power more often?" Karol asked.

"Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean that I don't use it."

The doorway took them down a near endless flight of stairs, and when they finally touched down in the basement, they passed through a long series of statue rooms. The broken visages of Astal stared down at them as they moved through the corridors, and finally to a large door. A red seal covered this one just as it had the entrance to the shrine and they were at an impasse once more.

A gruff growl from Repede alerted them to another person in the room, and the dog turned first, knife clenched between his teeth. Yuri turned and didn't appear surprised.

"I was wondering when we'd run into you."

From the path they had followed, emerged Duke, his sword in hand, approaching them slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to save our friends. What about you?"

"That is no concern of yours."

"If it has anything to do with Alexei and what he's doing here, then it is."

"I wonder what Phaeroh saw in you."

"I don't know, but for right now, this is our problem and we'll fix it," Yuri replied, his body showing signs of being ready for a fight if necessary.

"How do you plan to proceed? His power has nearly crushed you once before."

"How about lending me that sword of yours? It opened the lock outside. I'm sure it'll open this one, too." Yuri was bold. "I'm guessing Alexei's already back there."

"Yes," Duke replied.

"He used Estelle's power to force this lock open, too," Judith said.

"If he keeps using up her power like this then... Grr! We have to stop him now!" Rita turned away, the truth almost too awful for her to bear.

"And what if you cannot stop him?" Duke asked, looking at the sword in his hand. "An unstable Child of the Full Moon is a problem that cannot be ignored."

"We won't know what we can do until we try. That's the path we've chosen."

"You say this knowing how great a threat her existence poses?"

"Don't peg all the world's problems on one girl. She might be bumbling and naïve, but Estelle is one of our own."

"I see." He stared a little longer at the sword before handing it to Yuri. "I will lend you Dein Nomos for the time being. But if you are unable to fulfill your task, then I will be forced to take action."

Flynn didn't like the sound of that at all, but they had no choice here. They could be only feet away from Alexei. Yuri accepted before anyone, including Flynn, could voice their apprehensions and probably for the best. Yuri received the sword, watching the light play off its blade. The red color it had in Duke's hand drained away to a dark purple.

"Calm your mind and focus on the seal. Dein Nomos will do the rest." Duke turned to leave.

Yuri had already generated the same glowing field that they had seen before. His focus narrowed as the glyph spun around him. The mystic lock on the door moved with the flow of aer, and diminished in a shower of sparks and the power surrounding Yuri dissipated.

"That's amazing! It works similarly to the Rizomata Formula. This blade can-"
"Later, Rita." Yuri lowered the sword. "We've got work to do." He dropped his hand onto the handle of the ancient door, now unsealed and forced it open.

The inner chamber was massive. The lower foyer where they stood was dotted with lights, eternally burning candles and a short set of steps led up to an upper platform, where Alexei stood. Behind him was the ball of aer with Estellise and Ioder within, and before him, struggling with the last traces of his life, was the Entelexeia Astal. Aer was quickly leaving his injured form instead of blood and Estellise was begging Alexei to stop.

"Dear Princess, won't you end this filthy beast's suffering?"

Her eyes grew wide as her hands started to glow. "N-No! Alexei! Please don't make me do this !"

"At least offer the dying a little comfort," he snickered as Estellise's light grew slowly brighter.

"No! Astal, I'm sorry!"

The traitorous Commandant dropped his foot onto the Entelexeia's horned head, rolling it to the side to look him in the eye. "I expected you to be more a challenge, Astal. I am incredibly disappointed. I thought that you Enetelexeia were supposed to be the masters of this world."

Wretched human...

"To think that you would die here, in the place mean to worship you. You were once seen as a god!"

Estellise's glow grew brighter and brighter, surrounding the Entelexia even as she fought to hold herself back, to stop.

"Alexei, stop!" Judith started to dash forward, but with a blinding white light, all that was left of Astal was an apathetia in Alexei's hand.

"It's much smaller than I expected, but it will do." He turned his attention to them finally, cold and unconcerned as if they were certainly no match for him. "I see that you managed to survive. What a pity. But this decrepit shrine will be your grave, too!"

Estellise called out to them, "Everyone! Please, run!"

The aer around Estellise and Ioder darkened again, and as soon as the aer in the room started to grow heavy, Yuri was ready, letting the sword Dein Nomos cancel out the effect.

"I see. It's amusing that the sword I've been scouring Terca Lumireis for for ten years finally reappears. But I no longer need it. With the Child of the Full Moon, the apathetia, and my knowledge, Dein Nomos is simply a useless relic of a crumbling Empire."

"Let them go!"

"Ah, Mordio. Surely you understand that tools are happiest when they're being used for the purpose they were born for. Just like blastia. Even a poison like the Child of the Full Moon can be a blessing in my hands."

"Estelle and Ioder are not blastia! They're people!"

"Oh yes. Speaking of the young prince Ioder..." Effortlessly, Alexei reached into the aer field and grabbed Ioder by the collar of his coat. He pulled him out, and no longer supported by the aer, Ioder collapsed. "He's served his usefulness. His power was much weaker than I had anticipated. But now he can meet his end here with the rest of you."

Alexei threw Ioder's crumpled body down the stairs, and Flynn dropped his sword without a second thought to catch the prince. He stumbled a step underneath the sudden addition of weight to his arms, but caught his footing and set Ioder down on the marble floor behind them.

Flynn desperately checked his vitals for the slightest hope, the smallest sign that he was still alive. Ioder's heartbeat was weak, but it was there. His breathing was labored, but calming and he appeared to only be unconscious. He was alive.

"I'm done playing games. Time for you to die."

Flynn turned just in time to see Alexei raise his arm and to catch sight of an Imperial uniform and hear the march of metal boots on the time worn stone.

He had seen before the man who stood before them now, sword raised and at the ready to defend Alexei and the Empire. The cut of his orange and white uniform betrayed his rank as a captain of the Knights. His lank brown hair hung over one of his ice blue eyes and his face was cold and apathetic.

"First Captain of the Imperial Knights, Schwann Oltorain. Ready to do battle."

Yuri stopped dead in his tracks, Dein Nomos trembling in his grip. Repede growled beside him, an action to which Schwann smirked.

"I guess I can't fool the nose of this dog." That voice was familiar, although the way it spoke was different. Each word was pronounced perfectly, as opposed to the easy slang and slur it usually spoke in.

It took a few seconds for the others to catch on, but Yuri and Repede knew instantly. Flynn had never seen him so frozen in fear and hesitation. It scared him.

"R-Raven..." was the only word that came out of Yuri's stunned mouth.

"Raven, is that really you?" Karol pushed past Rita to get a better look and was met only with a stoic look. Karol's face displayed more readily everything that Yuri had to be feeling.

"I'm afraid that I don't know anyone by that name."

"What the hell are you doing, Old Man?!"

"I'm doing my job as a Captain of the Imperial Knights. And that means I must eliminate you. Now prepare to fight." He didn't wait before charging them, immediately forcing Yuri to parry his attack.

Yuri didn't stay frozen much longer, instead forcing Schwann back. His fighting was suddenly much different, as if something inside of him had snapped. His movements were wild and erratic, his focus all over the place. This was a side of Yuri's fighting that Flynn had never seen. Normally, his focus was as sharp as his blade, each movement placed with purpose. This was sloppy. Karol, though, had lost the will to fight. Even as Flynn and the others moved to Yuri's aid, Flynn could see the boy out of the corner of his eye, his face a mix of pain and sadness at the sight of the two people he cherished the most fighting. Flynn could almost see the bonds of brotherhood that held them together slipping away.

"Karol, we need your help!" Rita called, panting for breath after firing off a series of spells.

"I... I can't! I can't fight Raven!"

Yuri didn't try to reason with either Karol or Raven. Perhaps his reason was completely lost and he was just lashing out wildly at the traitor.

Before Flynn knew it, Alexei and Estellise were gone, and the five of them were struggling against the renowned war veteran. He didn't hold back, still showing no indication of knowing or caring about Yuri, Karol, or anyone else.

Flynn felt so stupid. How had he not seen this before? There were hints everywhere. Mt. Temza, the Weasand of Cados, the Egothor Forest. No one could have guessed that the lovable oaf of an old man, second in command to Don Whitehorse of the Union, the caring adopted sibling of Karol and Yuri was truly an Imperial spy, much less the First Captain. Karol couldn't believe it, and Yuri didn't want to believe it. But even that didn't keep him from fighting with every ounce of his strength, a feat that Flynn had only seen a few times before, and was awestruck by every time.

Schwann was fast, and his attacks were brutal. He did his best to keep the others from firing off artes or spells. He moved with the strength and fluidity that he had as Raven, but there was a deep enmity that was far different from Raven's playfulness. Every time he moved, Yuri was there, any restraint he had left gone, and all of his strength and fury out on full display.

Yuri took hit after devastating hit, as long as it gave him the tiniest opportunity to get an opening on Schwann, but his defenses were impeccable. Without Estellise or Karol to support with healing artes, Flynn found himself constantly pausing to cast, and then becoming the target of the attack. After the first few interruptions, Repede began to run interception for him, drawing Schwann's attention long enough for him to get off a First Aid to the particularly struggling members of their party.

Even when Schwann's focus was elsewhere, Yuri's was not. Flynn couldn't tell if he was really out to destroy Schwann or just knock some sense into him. Schwann had the definite advantage. He saw all of Yuri's openings, knowing when Yuri would use what strike or arte, when he would feint and when he would pause to recover after a flurry. He aimed for weak spots and even Yuri's experience was no match for his.

The five of them started to wear him down, a little at a time, one arte after another. Combined against them, Schwann couldn't stand alone for long. His movements slowed as he struggled to keep up, his breathing getting heavier with each swing. Yuri could see the fighting starting to bear down on him and moved in for another full frontal strike.

Schwann blocked, but his muscles went lax and he dropped the sword. The still wild Yuri saw the opening given to him. He pulled back just enough to turn his sword, and struck upward across Schwann's chest.

A pulsing red light blinded them. Like the beat of a heart it receded and grew again, softer this time, and finally Flynn could see the horror before him.

"Heh. I thought for sure a hit like that woulda taken this cursed body out." Schwann ripped away the torn bit of his uniform and crumpled to his knees. In his chest, the glow continued where his heart should have been.

"Is that... a blastia? In his chest?" Rita asked, stopping mid spell.

"It's... his heart," Judith replied. "Or at least a blastia to replace it."

"The original was lost in the war ten years ago," Schwann shrunk into himself, letting his sword come to rest across his lap. He hung his head, as if ashamed.

Yuri had paused, sword still in hand and ready to continue even though the fight seemed to have completely left Schwann. He was cautious, and Flynn couldn't blame him.

"You mean, during the Great War?" Karol asked, taking a few cautious steps into the battle field. He was much more concerned for Schwann's condition than Yuri was.

"I died back then. But Alexei saw fit to give me my life back."

"So that is a Hermes blastia also," Judith said.

"But if that's the case, why didn't Ba'ul recognize it?" Rita asked.

"I imagine that's because it's not powered by aer, but by my own life force."

"A blastia powered not by aer, but vitality? That's impossible..."

A loud rumble and a crash caused Flynn to turn toward the door. It was now blocked off with a cascade of debris from the floor above. "What was that?"

"That would be Alexei. He intends to bury you all."

"Wait. Even with you in here?" Flynn asked.

"He couldn't pass up the chance to get rid of that sword now that it's not any use to him anymore. Looks like it's finally the end for me." Everything Schwann did and said portrayed that he had just given up completely. Yuri wasn't going to stand for that.

Yuri grabbed Schwann by the front of his torn uniform, shaking him roughly. "Are you just going to lay down and die?! Was everything to this point just some joke to you?! Just an act?! What about Gramps?!"

Schwann wrapped his hand around Yuri's wrist and squeezed hard enough to make him let go. "Stupid kid. What do you know?"

Flynn had to pull Yuri back before he dove at Schwann to finish the job himself. "Yuri, just let it go. We have to find a way out of here."

Yuri ripped away from him just as abruptly and turned his back on all of them. He stormed to the door, throwing aside debris, but there were pieces that even the strength of his rage couldn't budge. Flynn helped but their strengths combined weren't enough to move the largest slab of ceiling that was jammed firmly in front of the door.

"Outta the way, brats." Schwann pulled him back, but Yuri moved away from the touch meant for his shoulder.

He put his hands on the slab, planting his feet firmly against the floor.

"Raven, what are you going to do?" Karol asked from the back of the group.

The pulsating glow in his chest grew brighter, stark red light against the stone. "Blast Heart!" The light burst forth from the orb embedded in his chest, and pierced the slab of stone. It shattered, falling into rubble at their feet.

Above them, the rest of the building let out a creak as it settled, rumbling from the furthest reaches of the shrines telling them that they didn't have long to get out of there. Another loud crunch above them caused Flynn to turn his eyes up to the ceiling. It was crumbling, large portions of it falling down toward them quickly.

Unable to move in time, unsure of what to do, he flinched, curling into himself and bracing for an impact that never came.

"Get out of here." Schwann's strained voice reached their ears and when Flynn opened his eyes, he found the captain holding up with amazing strength the section of ceiling that had only a moment before been poised to crush them. His heart was straining, glowing brightly still, and the stress of it was causing a wound on his head to bleed down his face.

"Raven!"

"If you use your blastia like that-" Rita'd concern was quickly cut off.

"Get out of here!" He repeated. "I can't keep this up forever."

"Raven..." Karol's voice was nearly pleading.

"Alexei's headed to the capital, where he plans to implement that final stages of his scheme. I'll leave it to you kids from here."

Yuri kicked the door in, sending it shattering against a far wall, seemingly untouched by Raven's act, and pulled Karol through without another word. He reached back quickly to grab Rita, and was followed by Flynn, who had scooped up Ioder, then Repede, and Judith bringing up the end. He paused, looking at Raven with icy wrath in his charcoal eyes.

Schwann stumbled a little, the weight of the ceiling bearing on him as the glow in his chest began to dim. Karol turned back to the door, preparing to plead with Schwann once more.

"Let's go," Yuri commanded.

"Yuri, what about Raven?"

"I said move!"

Another rumble, the building shuddering in the weight of its own destruction, sent them running from the interior temple up the stairs revealed to them by Judith's nageeg. The stairs were crumbling beneath their feet as they ran, and Repede led them through the maze of rooms on the floor above. The decrepit floor was worse now, but they scrambled through the building that was falling apart around them. Just as they cleared the front door, stumbling breathless and aching onto the grass surrounding the building, it collapsed completely.

"So that idiot was one of us after all..." Rita muttered, fingers gripping the grass tightly in an attempt to hide her anger.

"R-Raven..." Karol was sobbing, unable to hold back the tears. "Why?"

Yuri stood and shook the laborious run off. His face was stony cold like it had been in Dahngrest during the Don's death, but his eyes wavered, almost to the point of welling, but any tears that might have fallen were forced back. He had every reason to be angry and sad, but he bottled it all up again.

"Ba'ul says that the Heracles has left the area." Judith bore a look of sadness, but was otherwise calm as she communicated with her partner.

"It's like he said. Alexei's headed for the capital. The Heracles would be the fastest way to get there," Flynn replied, trying to get Ioder into a position where he could carry him with ease.

"We don't have any time to waste. We've still got to save Estelle." Yuri's grip on Dein Nomos tightened. It seemed to be all he could do to keep himself together.

"Oh, hafe I missed za festivties? Vhat a shame." Yeager 's voice alerted them to his sudden presence, walking up the path through the trees as calmly as if nothing happened.

"What the hell do you want?" Rita asked, standing suddenly and stiffly.

"I merely came to see vhat was going on here, but it appears as doe I am too late. Tis a pity."

"We don't have time to mess around right now." Yuri turned his stormy glare on Yeager, making it very quickly known that he wasn't in the mood for playing. "I'll deal with you another day."

"Oh my, how frightening. I suppose zat I don't vant to end up like Ragou."

"What are you talking about?" Karol managed to pull himself up off the ground, wiping his reddened eyes.

Yuri was tight-lipped, his eyes widened in horror. His dark secret was suddenly coming back to haunt him.

"I believe zat zey found his body somevhere near Heliord. A terrible murder, it appears." Yeager's eyes never left Yuri's glare, smirking at his stunned expression.

"Yuri, what is he talking about?"

"I suppose he never told you, leibechen." His smirk widened, nearly ear to ear. "Zank you so much for getting him out of the vay, Yuri. I don't know how I can repay zat excellent job you did cutting him down in cold blood. It vas magnificent."

Karol turned to Yuri, looking for a denial, looking for something, anything, other than the anger and shock that Yuri was wearing. His secret was out, laid bare for the one person he never wanted to know, the one person he had been trying so hard to protect, to keep in the dark about the blood on his own hands and the blood that stained this world. All of his hard work slipped away, and Karol just started shaking. He didn't want to believe, but Yuri couldn't deny the truth.

"Yuri..."

"You're next, Yeager." The tone of his voice was cold and sharp and restrained. He was fighting so hard to keep everything bearing down on him inside. He couldn't keep this up. Yuri was only human. Flynn had seen that.

"Are you going to stop us or not?" Judith asked, holding her spear against one shoulder. She wasn't the only one ready to fight.

"Oh not at all. By all means." Yeager swept aside in a flourish of a bow and held his arm out parallel the path in a motion of allowing them to pass.

"We need to get to the Heracles and fast," Flynn said, trying to use the urgency of the situation to break up the tension that was hanging in the air. They didn't have the time to waste, even though he knew that Yuri and Karol would need to talk after this. The air between them wasn't going to be cleared easily. "Can Ba'ul take us?"

"He said yes. We'll just have to be careful. If we get too close, it could fire on us, but he has an idea. He's on his way."

A warble above seconds later got everyone's attention, and with Yeager still unwilling to attempt to stop them, they boarded Ba'ul and the Fiertia to pursue the Heracles.