Morning dawned, as it always did, and Edna woke Eizen when their other allies came by the Sanctuary. Without waiting around or visiting with anyone, they passed through the town gates as a group, the seraphim resting within Eizen, Sadie following her Shepherd. Edna could feel Eizen's uneasiness around Sadie now that they'd been home, and she rolled her unmanifested eyes.
Just talk to her, she told him.
"So, uh, Sadie," Eizen spoke up as they walked across the bridge and approached the barrier. "Um…how was it…seeing your family again?"
"Oh, I, uh…I didn't," Sadie answered, and Edna smiled to herself. "I chose to stay with the refugees instead."
Eizen's steps slowed as they crossed the threshold into Lakehaven Heights, then stopped, and he settled into this thinking stance. Sadie walked past him, then halted and turned back. Within him, Edna could feel him debating with himself, though she wasn't privy to his thoughts.
"Eizen?" Sadie asked.
Taking a deep breath, Eizen opened his eyes and lifted his head. "Guys," he said, "come on out. Everyone, please, come outside."
Edna did as he said, emerging to manifest fully; Zaveid came out next, closely followed by Sahra and Lucine.
"What's up?" Sahra asked.
"Listen," Eizen sighed, "I know we need to take the Water Trial, and we will, today, I promise…but before we do that, there's somewhere else we need to go first. Sadie…" He turned to his Squire. "Please, come with me. There's something I'd like to show you."
"If I refuse, will you go there anyway?" Sadie asked, folding her arms.
"Yes," Eizen answered.
"Fine, then," she huffed. "I'll come."
"Thank you," Eizen breathed. Then he turned to his seraphim and added, "If you guys could walk with us, instead of resting inside me, I'd really appreciate it."
"Sure thing," Sahra shrugged.
With that, Eizen turned south and started following the shore around the lake. It didn't take much guesswork to figure out where he was going, but of course, Sadie, Sahra, and Lucine all had to follow him closely.
Stepping into the shade of the eastern forest felt oddly surreal to Edna; the treehouse was gone, it wasn't their home anymore, yet they were following the familiar old path as though nothing had happened. Her steps slowed, and she soon fell behind the procession. Next thing she knew, she was almost alone…except for Zaveid.
"You alright there, sweetie?" he asked her.
"I'm fine," she stated. "It's just…weird, to take this path again, after everything that's happened."
"I'm sure Eizen has his reasons," Zaveid shrugged.
"Yeah."
They walked together, their allies still clearly visible up ahead, and Edna eyed the procession. "Hey, Zaveid? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Zaveid responded.
"What's Lucine's true name?"
"Ooh," Zaveid winced, tipping his hat. "Sorry, babe, I can't tell ya that. When I made the Sub Lord pact, she made all three of us promise we'd never tell you or Sahra what it was, and, well, I keep my promises. Besides, it's not polite to reveal a lady's secrets."
Edna rolled her eyes. "Is it really that bad of a true name?" she asked.
"Honestly…no," Zaveid answered, sounding slightly perplexed. "I mean, it's a little odd, maybe, but I don't see anything wrong with it."
"Hmm." So it's not the same true name Theodora had, Edna concluded, or one that suggests some sort of curse. Her eyes fell on the water seraph again - her spear, her posture, what little of herself she'd shared since joining them. And her hair…It wasn't common among seraphim for the lighter tone to come at the ends of their hair…
Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place, and Edna chuckled.
"What?" Zaveid asked.
"I think I know who she is," Edna smirked.
"…Yeah?" Zaveid pressed when she didn't elaborate. "Well then, by all means, do tell."
"It's not polite to reveal a lady's secrets," Edna snipped at him. When he laughed, she added, "But don't worry; if I'm right, she'll come around and tell us once she realizes she's not nearly as useless as she thinks she is."
"So she's not useless?" Zaveid questioned.
"No," Edna shrugged, "she just has an inferiority complex. She'll get over it. Probably."
"Huh." Edna glanced over and saw the wind seraph rub his chin. "I mean…it's kinda hard to believe you'd know someone I don't know…" he said slowly.
"Did you really think that would work on me?" she snickered.
"Hey, you can't blame me for trying," he grinned.
"I know you too well."
"And yet not nearly as well as I wish you did," he remarked nastily.
"Keep dreaming, perv," Edna grumbled. "I have a boyfriend now."
"Oh, so now Rohan is your boyfriend?" Zaveid teased.
"Yup. Officially."
"Yeah?" he snickered nastily. "And how exactly did you two make it official?"
Already in the rhythm of sparring with Zaveid, Edna didn't even think twice about her answer: "We exchanged true names."
Zaveid didn't reply. Instead, his bootsteps slowed in the undergrowth of the eastern forest, then stopped, and Edna looked back to see all traces of mirth drain from his face.
"You…what?" he whispered.
"We exchanged true names," Edna repeated.
His eyes widened, his expression crumbling with what almost could have been called devastation. Edna blinked. Maybe she'd been a little forthcoming about this announcement - given the circumstances, it was basically the human equivalent of saying she and Rohan had gotten married - but she hadn't expected him to be this upset.
"What's wrong?" she asked him, trying to keep a hint of a bite in her tone. "Did you really think you ever had a chance with me?"
"I…" Zaveid shook his head, closing his eyes, and she could almost see him piece his composure, his facade, back together bit by bit, until he was able to crack a smile that he clearly didn't feel. "Of course not," he dismissed. "Congratulations, Edna. I'm…happy for ya."
He started walking again, lengthening his strides, and Edna frowned and conjured a spire of earth to block his path. "Zaveid," she said in a low voice, "what's going on?"
The wind seraph flinched back from the sudden barrier, then gave a heavy, resigned sigh. "It's nothing," he said. "It's just that…I always told your older brother I was gonna marry you someday."
"Huh?" Edna gasped, one hand reflexively going to the plushie dangling from her umbrella.
"First time I said it, it was just a jab at him, at the only person in the world he loved," Zaveid said distantly. "After all, he'd just…y'know…" …killed Theodora. Edna heard the words loud and clear. "After that, when we became fast friends, I'd sometimes say it again - like, if I struck out one night and we had a few drinks together, I'd say, 'Eizen, could you hurry up and turn into a dragon so I can kill you and marry your sister?' You know, stuff like that; it kind of became a running joke between us." He chuckled. "He used to punch the living daylights out of me, at least at first."
"I thought…" Edna swallowed hard. "You told me that once, but I thought you were lying about that, to get out of answering my question."
"Sweetheart, there is a world of difference between evading and actually lying," Zaveid told her, turning to face her at last with a wicked smile, "and I'm a master of it." The smile dropped. "But after a while…he stopped punching me for saying it. Sometimes he'd even…kinda nod, I thought. I didn't ask for his approval, I didn't give a damn, but then…then, right before he turned…"
Edna felt her blood run cold, and could see that Zaveid felt the same as he relived the memory.
"I remember the last thing he ever said to me," Zaveid said, his voice barely above a whisper. "He looked me straight in the eye, and he told me, 'Zaveid, old friend, it's time for you to fulfill your promise. When I become a dragon, kill me. I don't want Edna to suffer for it…and it's up to you to protect her now. If it would make you happy to marry her, go ahead; I don't mind, as long as you always make sure she's safe and happy, too. Please, Zaveid, take care of of my little sister.'" He shook his head. "I told him he could count on me - that I wasn't about to let him live, and that I wouldn't let you suffer for his crimes, either. And then he was gone."
My brother's last words were about me. Though she'd always wondered about his last moments as a seraph, she had never known for sure what he was thinking, what had happened. She still didn't know what had happened, but now she knew…his last rational thoughts had been of her.
A tear leaked from her eye.
"But," Zaveid sighed, "I'm sure he'd approve of your choice, too. More so, even. Rohan's a good guy, he'll treat you right…and I'm happy for you, Edna, really I am."
"I…" Edna swiped at her cheeks, forcing back her emotion. "For what it's worth," she managed, "you've done what he asked you to do. You've been a good friend to me, Zaveid, and you've always looked out for me…even if your grossness crossed the line at times."
"I appreciate that," Zaveid told her.
"Hey!"
The two older seraphim turned around to see Sahra waving at them.
"You guys coming or what?" the fire seraph called.
"Yeah, we're coming!" Zaveid replied, and he strode after their allies.
Edna followed at a trot, reeling. My older brother gave Zaveid permission to marry me, she thought. Why on earth would he do that? He knew Zaveid was a perv, he must have…Maybe he felt guilty? She shook her head. It doesn't matter now, she told herself. I have Rohan, and I was never going to agree to be with Zaveid anyway. Besides, Lucine would probably make him happier than I would…whether I'm right about her or not.
~X~
Eizen hadn't dared to even imagine what could be left of the house he'd grown up in, and when he finally entered the clearing that marked the borders of his family home, he stopped short, the breath choking from his lungs.
Grass and undergrowth grew just fine in the space, there weren't any barren patches, but of course, it had been a couple of months since the fire; all the furnishings that had stood the night of Cellie's party were gone, though, presumably all burned to cinders and washed away by the weather. The treehouse itself was a scorched husk, most of the massive tree supporting it nothing but a blackened skeleton, though a few of the highest branches still bore some leaves. It was incredible that some of the upper rooms of the treehouse actually looked almost intact, apart from being charred and covered in the crumbled remains of the roof - of course, skibus wood burned very slowly, and that had probably helped mitigate the damage that had occurred before, Eizen presumed, Mikleo's power had doused the flames. Some of the furniture inside might prove to be salvageable, but the house itself was very clearly beyond restoring.
Home, Eizen thought. The house my father built for us…is gone.
He wondered faintly if Edna's room, being further away, was untouched.
"What is this place?" Lucine asked from behind him.
Taking a breath, Eizen turned to his comrades, just in time to see Zaveid and Edna run up and join them. "This," he told them, "is where I grew up. That treehouse was my home, mine and my parents' and my sisters'. And it's…also where Niko became the Lord of Calamity."
Sahra blinked, Lucine looked down sadly, and Sadie's eyes widened as she looked over Eizen's shoulder at the wreckage. Eizen turned back around and approached the nearly-dead tree, quickly finding the fire pit around which his family had always had dinner, though the logs they'd used as seats were also gone.
"Why…are we here?" Lucine questioned.
In response, Eizen took a long, deep breath, then turned to his allies again. His eyes passed over his seraphim, then went to his Squire. "Sadie," said, "there's something I need you to understand. I know we've only been traveling together for a couple of weeks, but…I want you to hear me out, if you can. Can you do that?"
Sadie blinked. "I, uh…" she stammered.
Edna tapped one boot against the ground, and two roughly-chair-shaped rock formations erupted from the earth nearby, facing each other. "Sit down," the earth seraph said. "Both of you."
Nodding his thanks, Eizen took a seat, and he gestured for Sadie to do the same. Slowly, hesitantly, the Squire walked over to Edna's creation and sat.
"Everyone," Eizen said, looking at his seraphim, "I need some time alone with Sadie. Could you all please…go somewhere else, for a little bit?"
"Come with me," Edna told them; "I'll show you where I've been living." Without waiting for a response, the smallest member of their group strode forward, around the old dining spot, and into the forest beyond; after a moment, Zaveid, Sahra, and Lucine followed her. Then, the two humans were alone.
"What's this about?" Sadie asked, folding her arms uncomfortably, her eyes darting around as she looked at everything other than her Shepherd.
"This place was my home," Eizen began, "and my mother always used to say that home is a place where we can always feel safe. Many times, she told me and my sisters, and my dad, and Edna and Zaveid, that as long as we were here, we didn't have to put on the masks and armor we developed to cope with living out in the world, that we could be open and honest with each other here and know that we were in no danger. I brought you here because this is a place of honesty, Sadie, and I need you to know…I need you to know the truth about the family you saved yesterday."
She winced, but still didn't look at him.
"Edna told you this story when you first joined us," Eizen pressed on, "but she gave you a very brief summary, and I don't think you were really in a place where you could listen to what she did say back then. But yesterday, you…you saved my father, Sadie. You saved my family, you're the reason we're together again - apart from Niko, but I don't think Niko wants to be counted as part of our family. You didn't have to do what you did, so I want you to understand what it means to us. I want you to understand who my family really is."
He waited a moment, but Sadie said nothing, her eyes now fixed on a spot in front of her boots. Still, he got the sense that she was in fact listening, and he took a breath, then plunged into the story.
"My mother grew up in a small village far to the east, not far from where we are now, a village called Aball…"
~X~
Edna was relieved to find that the fire hadn't spread to the building she'd been living in for the last eighteen years. Mikleo must have acted fast to keep the fire from moving into the forest itself, she thought. I wonder if that was the last good thing he ever did…
"This is yours, Edna?" Sahra asked.
"Yup," she replied. "Rokurou built it for me himself, and everything in it, according to my specifications." She chuckled, remembering. "I had a little fun being picky about it, but he took everything in stride, determined to make my home as perfect as possible. For a swordsman, he wasn't half bad as an architect."
"Can I see?" Sahra asked.
"Nope," Edna replied; "no one's allowed in my room."
"You let Eizen in there a couple times," Zaveid pointed out.
"Yeah," Edna conceded, leaning against one wall, "but that was only ever when we had sleepovers. A lady's chambers are her own, to not be defiled by any she deems unworthy."
Zaveid snickered, and Edna frowned at him.
"So…"
Everyone turned to Lucine, who was grasping her forearm timidly.
"This is…the place where the Lord of Calamity came to be?" she asked them.
"Sure is," Zaveid replied, and the other three seraphim took more relaxed spots around the space, though only Lucine sat down on a nearby rock. "If I had to guess, I'd say this is where Sorey died, too."
"He died here?" Sahra asked.
"Sorey, Lailah, and Mikleo came here as soon as Eizen managed to get to the Sanctuary and tell them there was a new Lord of Calamity," Edna said tonelessly. "The fact that the fire that burned down the treehouse didn't spread means Mikleo probably used his power to douse the flames, so, yeah, Sorey probably died in that clearing."
"I still can't believe that happened," Sahra sighed, fiddling with her braid. "And then Lailah and Mikleo turned into dragons…do you think they turned first, or did Sorey die and then Lailah and Mikleo turned? Probably the latter, right, since he was their vessel? Was he still their vessel?"
"Yeah," Zaveid shrugged, "he was still technically the Shepherd, even if he was retired, more or less. The way I see it, whatever went down, Sorey probably died first, then Mikboy turned at the sight of his dead lover, and then Lailah was overwhelmed by all the malevolence and turned after him."
"His lover?" Lucine piped up, lifting her head. "Shepherd Sorey…had a lover?"
"Sure," Zaveid smirked. "A water seraph named Mikleo. The two of 'em grew up together."
"And Mikleo…was a girl?" Lucine asked.
"Nope," Zaveid replied, "they were both boys."
"But…!" Lucine's violet eyes widened in alarm, and Edna smirked, certain she was right about the seraph's identity.
"Hey, it ain't that weird," Zaveid told her lightly.
"Says the last person in the world to be clued in on their relationship," Edna remarked drily. She glanced at Lucine and said, "Don't worry, Zaveid took a while to catch on, too. He kept trying to help Sorey get with girls, not realizing Sorey had no interest in women. It was funny to watch."
"Yeah, Sadie told me about Sorey and Mikleo," Sahra nodded thoughtfully. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out when I traveled with them myself…"
"We had more important things to worry about at the time," Edna pointed out. "They were much more open about their relationship after Sorey came back with Maotelus."
"I don't really get it, personally," Zaveid admitted, "but hey, it's not my place to judge. They were happy together, and that's what matters. 'Course, I could never imagine seeing a pretty lady and not even being a little interested."
"And all three of your Sub Lords are the stuff of your dreams, right?" Edna grumbled.
"Yep," Zaveid chuckled. "I'm a lucky, lucky-ass Prime Lord."
"Ugh," Sahra groaned. "I almost feel bad about agreeing to the pact when you put it like that."
"You should be," Edna told her, mostly teasingly. "When we heard about the Fire Angel, everyone who knew about you kept talking about how pretty you were. What was it Alken called her, Zaveid? A 'vision of loveliness'?"
"A vision of loveliness, huh?" Sahra laughed, and she turned her catlike smile on Zaveid. "Do I live up to the hype?"
For a brief moment, Edna could swear Sahra's leaf-green eyes flashed in the sunlight, and Zaveid shrugged. "Well, I mean, I've seen prettier-"
Suddenly, Zaveid slapped his hand over his mouth, his orange eyes wide.
"What the hell?!" he mumbled through his palm. "Why did I say that?"
Sahra was laughing, but Edna straightened up and walked over to stand beside the fire seraph, her eyes narrowing. "Hey Sahra," she said, "can you do something for me?"
"Huh?" Sahra blinked and turned to Edna. "What's up?"
"I'm going to ask Zaveid a question," Edna said; "while I do, make sure you're facing away from him. Then, after he answers, turn back around and cross-examine him, okay? I want to test something."
"Uh…sure," Sahra shrugged, and she turned around.
Edna glared at Zaveid. "Zaveid, why do you think Forsea was mad enough at you to want you dead even after she turned into a dragon?" she asked him.
Clearly unsure where this was going, Zaveid gave a bewildered shake of his head. "Beats me," he replied. "I mean, sure, I broke her in, but she knew I wasn't gonna stick around - I asked her if that was okay, and she said yes. It's her own fault."
This added factor to the situation that Edna hadn't been aware of before made her feel sick, but she looked at Sahra's back. "Okay," she told the fire seraph, "your turn."
The former human turned and met Zaveid's eyes. "You don't think you wronged her at all?" she demanded, clearly as grossed out by Zaveid's casual dismissal of what he'd taken from Forsea as Edna was. "You don't think you're to blame, not even a little?"
Once again, those green eyes seemed to glow for a moment. "I mean," Zaveid replied, "I made sure she was already too into it to say no by the time I asked, but-" He cut off, clapping a hand over his mouth again. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed. "Why am I saying this stuff?!"
"Fascinating," Edna said dully, her focus still on Sahra. "Whenever your eyes get all glow-y, the people you're talking to feel compelled to tell the whole truth."
"Wait, my eyes glow?!" Sahra yelped, turning to Edna.
"Yup," Edna replied. "I noticed it when you were asking about my date with Rohan, too." She frowned, unconsciously gripping the little nor doll dangling from her umbrella. "Although, he was able to bold-facedly lie to you last night, so maybe it's not that you make people tell the truth…then again, he went in intending to lie…"
"But I didn't do anything!" Sahra protested. "I swear, I didn't make my eyes glow or - or cast any sort of arte!"
"Well, then maybe it's your blessing," Edna shrugged. "You have one now, since you're a seraph."
"Wouldn't my blessing be for victory in battle?" Sahra asked, toying with her braid. "I mean, that was kind of the blessing I gave the Windriders as a human…"
"But your true name is Wilkis Wilk," Edna pointed out. "Maybe that has something to do with it…Maybe you force people to be honest, not necessarily with you, but with themselves. You are who you are."
"What a terrifying blessing."
Everyone turned to see Lucine gazing up at Sahra with wide eyes.
"Such a blessing mustn't be used lightly," the water seraph breathed. "No one in this world could possibly survive without being able to lie to themselves sometimes. Please, Sahra, be careful with that power."
"We could be careful with it," Edna mused, and she smirked and looked at Zaveid. "Or we could have a little fun with our Prime Lord while we're waiting for Eizen and Sadie to finish talking."
"Well now hold on-" Zaveid began, taking a step back, his hands raised.
But it was too late; Sahra was already turning on him. "So I'm not the prettiest girl you've ever seen, huh?" she taunted him. "Who is, then? Is it Lucine?"
Her green eyes flashed, and Zaveid groaned. "Oh come on, babe, that ain't fair!" he exclaimed.
"What a boring question," Edna remarked, and she took a step forward. "Hey Zaveid, did you really care about Dezel, or was he just a means for you to score girls?"
"Of course I cared about him!" Zaveid exclaimed as Sahra's blessing dug up the truth. "He was my boy, and I lo-gah!" His hands went to his head, clutching his temples.
"Score girls?" Sahra repeated; Edna glanced over and saw her eyes flash again.
"I mean, a man uses what he's got," Zaveid said defensively, "and plenty of stoic ladies melted at the sight of a child, I wasn't gonna not take advantage of it! But I raised Dezel as best I could, and I don't regret a moment I spent with-AAAAGH!" The wind seraph stumbled back a step, still clutching his head, as though in pain.
"What about this big, awful sin you committed?" Edna asked, chuckling at his distress. "Is it really so bad that it excuses everything else you've ever done?"
"I don't wanna play this game anymore!" Zaveid snapped, still gripping his temples. "I'm not gonna answer any more questions!"
"Big sin?" Sahra sneered. "Come on, Zaveid, like you've ever done anything else?"
"Stop it!"
The shout came, not from Zaveid, but from their other ally, and Sahra and Edna were suddenly faced with a wall of blue as Lucine threw herself between Zaveid and the two girls who were interrogating him, her spear drawn and aimed at them both.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves, abusing your Heaven-granted powers like this!" Lucine shouted, her eyes glistening. "Can't you see you're torturing him?! If you really can't amuse yourselves without abusing your gifts to torment someone, then use them to torment me; just leave him alone!"
Sahra stared.
Edna stared.
Over Lucine's shoulder, Zaveid stared, with what looked like twice as much shock as Edna was feeling.
Silence stretched between them all for a long minute. Lucine glanced back to look at Zaveid, and she gasped as their eyes met, wincing. Then her grip on her spear tightened, and she turned back to Sahra and Edna, determination sparking in her violet irises. Still, no one spoke.
Finally, Zaveid cleared his throat, shattering the quiet.
"Sahra," he sighed, "can I talk to you, please? Alone?"
"Me?" Sahra asked, blinking. "Why me?"
"I'll tell ya once we're somewhere more private," Zaveid said, though his typical flirty tone sounded oddly forced. He strode for the trees without waiting for a response. "Come on."
The girls stared at his retreating back for a long minute.
"You should go," Lucine told Sahra at last. "This is really important to him."
"How do you know?" Sahra asked her.
"I just…do," she replied. "Don't you?" She holstered her spear across her back, the blade poking over her left shoulder.
"You are a fire seraph, strong against wind," Edna pointed out to Sahra; "if he tries anything, Prime Lord or no, you could always fight him off."
"I don't think it will come to that," Lucine insisted. "Please, Sahra, go see what he has to say."
"Uh…" Sahra shook her head, then looked at where Zaveid stood waiting, his back still turned. "Alright then," she shrugged. "Fine."
She followed Zaveid, and soon, Lucine and Edna were alone.
Edna frowned after them. She desperately wanted to go, to see whatever it was Zaveid was up to, but since he could read the wind, if she followed him, he would know. If only there was some way to…
Suddenly, she gave a small gasp. Of course.
"Edna?" Lucine asked as Edna ducked under the trees, at an angle from the direction Zaveid and Sahra had gone. "Where are you going?"
"To check on something," Edna replied. "Stay here, okay?"
Without waiting for the water seraph to agree, she trotted out of sight.
~X~
"…and they've been here ever since, raising me and my sisters, trying to heal from what they went through and make sure nothing like that ever happened to us," Eizen finished. Even though he'd given Sadie the shortest version he could, the rundown had taken the rest of the morning.
Sadie sat silently, her face blank as she looked anywhere but at him.
"Sadie," Eizen said gently, "do you understand? My parents…they're not bad people. They just…went through a lot, and they've done their best to come back from it all."
In response, Sadie stood up and turned her back to Eizen. She still didn't speak.
"Sadie?" Eizen got to his feet and took a step closer to her.
"It doesn't matter," she said, her voice toneless. "Your parents caused the calamity."
"They only did it because they loved each other," Eizen pointed out, "and even then, it was an accident."
"But everyone would have been happier if they hadn't!" Sadie snapped. Was she crying?
Eizen blinked. "Sadie…Why does your family hate hellions so much?" he asked. "It…has something to do with your sister, right? Selana?"
The Squire gasped and turned around to face him, and yes, there was a tear rolling down her left cheek.
"Tell me about Selana," Eizen prompted. "I told you my family's story, because I wanted you to understand; now tell me yours, so I can understand. I want to know…where you're coming from, Sadie. Please…tell me."
Hastily swiping at her eyes, Sadie tried to glower at him, though she didn't really succeed. "Fine," she spat. "Fine, I'll tell you. When I was a year old, I had an older sister named Selana; she was twelve, and I might not remember her, but my parents say that she was…I mean, she drove them a little nuts sometimes, but she was still their daughter. Then, when the calamity struck, she turned out to be a gremlin hellion.
"We were a wealthy family back then, we lived in the upper-class district - my father was a high-ranking knight, and my mother ran an apothecary where she grew and sold herbs - so we were among some of the first to be reached by the Shepherd Sorey and his seraphim as they tried to fix the damage. They quelled my sister and moved on, and my parents thought everything was fine. But not even two days later, Selana turned back into a hellion, and by then, the Shepherd and his allies had left Ladylake and were trying to tend to the rest of Glenwood."
That's why you thought purification wasn't permanent when we started, Eizen remembered, but he kept his mouth shut, letting her talk.
"My parents tried to keep Selana isolated until someone with the power of purification came back to purify her again," Sadie went on, "but my sister just couldn't stand being ugly, so instead of waiting…she killed herself."
Eizen gasped. "Oh my gods!" he exclaimed. "Sadie, I'm so sorry!"
"You're sorry?!" Sadie sneered, another tear leaking from her dark brown eyes. "My parents were destroyed! They lost their daughter, and then they lost everything else - no one would trust a knight or an herbalist with a hellion daughter who'd rather kill herself than be quelled! My father was demoted to the lowest ranks, my mother's shop went out of business, and I can't once remember seeing either of them smile!" Her face hardened. "With nothing else to do, my mother started spending all her time in the Sanctuary, worshipping the seraphim and praying to them - we've all tried to be as devout in our worship as possible ever since, in an attempt to regain our social standing as a good, honest family. So…she was there, when your parents went to the Great Lord Maotelus to be purified."
"And that's how your family knew it was my parents' fault that this happened," Eizen finished.
Sadie nodded. "You did this to us. Your family did this to us! We lost everything because of your parents!"
"Sadie…" Eizen shook his head, desperately scrambling for the words that would both validate her losses and explain why she was wrong. "Your sister…she…she made her own choices in life," he managed. "If she turned back after she was quelled, that means she chose to go back to whatever ways made her turn in the first place. She was always a hellion, Sadie, the calamity just opened people's eyes to what was already there. And…she chose to kill herself rather than be better. My parents didn't make that choice for her, the only thing they did was-"
"Don't tell me my sister died because your parents loved each other," Sadie snarled. "Your mother was the Lord of Calamity! You expect me to believe people like that know anything about love?!"
"Do you know anything about love?" Eizen couldn't help asking. It was a cruel question, but he was fed up - he'd shared the most personal story he knew, a story he hadn't even told David in full, and she was still blaming his family for her sister's decisions.
Sadie drew her battleax. "I won't believe that the people who ruined my parents' lives know anything about family," she snapped. "I refuse, Eizen!"
"I…" Eizen shook his head, then gestured to the burned remains of the treehouse. "The proof is right here. My father built this place with his own two swords for my mother, and added to it every time one of us was going to be born. Both he and my mother were always here for us - my whole life, I've never seen them do anything that wasn't for us or each other."
"And what about when they weren't in front of you?" Sadie demanded. "What then?"
"I mean, I don't really know what they did in private, but-"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Sadie was dashing for the charred husk of the Rangetsu-Crowe household. Alarmed, Eizen ran after her.
~X~
Edna's bare feet padded against the undergrowth of the forest floor. She felt naked and exposed without her keepsakes of her older brother, but an oath like the one she'd taken required a relatively sizable sacrifice - seraphic oaths were equal parts give and take, after all.
The earth below her told her where the wind seraph and fire seraph she was pursuing were, and she ran as fast as she could while still being quiet - she was invisible to the eye and the wind, but not to the ear, that had been too much to ask in exchange. Still, it seemed Zaveid was taking Sahra a fair distance away, maybe just to make sure they wouldn't be overheard, and the further they went, the more Edna was convinced she was doing the right thing.
When her quarry finally came to a stop, the earth beneath her feet told her of their slowing footsteps, and though she knew she couldn't be seen, Edna started hiding behind trees and bushes as she darted close to where they were. After a minute, the voices of her Prime Lord and his Sub Lord reached her ears.
"-hear me out before you say no," Zaveid was saying.
"I'm listening," Sahra responded, and Edna didn't have to look to see her fold her arms.
As Edna poked out from behind a small tree and caught sight of Zaveid and Sahra facing each other in a clearing, Zaveid stepped closer to the fire seraph. "I need you to let me kiss you-"
"No!" Sahra shouted.
"-while Lucine's watching," Zaveid finished firmly.
"Huh?" Sahra blinked, bewildered, and Edna frowned.
"Just lemme give you a kiss," Zaveid smirked, "that's all I ask. You can slap me or stab me or burn me or whatever you want afterwards, just let me put on a show first."
Sahra shook her head slowly, "There is so much wrong with what you just said, I don't even know where to start," she informed him. "Why are you even trying to pull this crap with Lucine? You don't have to make her jealous, she's already crazy about you."
"Yeah," he sighed, "I know. And that's the problem."
"What?"
"Look, I see the way Lucine looks at me," Zaveid shrugged. "Like I'm…you know…like I'm something more than I am. Something better. And I can't have her thinking that about me, she needs to know who I really am. But I know her type; girls like her just want to believe the best in everyone, like they're the whole world's mother. You gotta be clear with chicks like that, and that's where you come in. She won't believe my words, but maybe she'll believe my actions, so if you help me, I can put on a show that'll make her understand that I'm nothing but scum and she'll stop…looking at me like that. As long as she thinks I'm someone I'm not, she's just setting herself up for heartbreak, and believe it or not, I don't actually enjoy breaking hearts."
"But you do it," Sahra pointed out. "You did to Forsea, and probably a lot of other girls."
"Yeah," Zaveid conceded, "but Forsea had it within her power to not fall for me, I never lied to her and she could have used better judgment. Lucine…ain't that kinda girl. She already thinks I'm…" He shook his head. "Well, you saw just now. She thinks I'm the kind of person who deserves to be defended. I ain't, but she won't see that without a lot of convincing. So, I need to convince her, and to do that, I need your help."
Tugging at her braid, Sahra frowned. "What's weird is that I actually agree with most of what you're saying," she told him. "But no way am I letting you kiss me. There is something I will do, though."
"Oh yeah?" Zaveid smirked. "And what's that?"
"I'll talk to her," Sahra stated.
"You'll talk to her?" Zaveid repeated incredulously. "Like, with words? I don't think that'll work…"
"Maybe it wouldn't work for you," Sahra said, "but if she and I talk woman-to-woman, she'll listen to me. Like I said last night, you don't understand girl talk, but she does; I promise, I can get her to see you as a jerk."
"Maybe," Zaveid mused, "but I still think my idea was more fun."
"You're not kissing me, Zaveid," Sahra chuckled; "you're not my type. Just wait here - I'll talk to her right now."
"For the record, I can be whatever you want me to be, baby," Zaveid told her as she turned to go.
"I doubt that," Sahra snickered. She took a few steps away, then stopped and looked back thoughtfully. "You know, Zaveid," she remarked, "I'm impressed. I didn't know you had this kind of self-awareness."
"There's a lot you don't know about me, sweetheart," Zaveid told her.
She laughed. "And I'm sure I'm much happier for it," she commented, walking away at last.
Edna waited until Sahra had a good head start before following her, so she heard Zaveid's heavy sigh once the fire seraph was out of earshot.
"Damn right you are," he muttered to no one.
~X~
Thank the gods for skibus wood, Eizen thought as he chased Sadie through the charred remains of his childhood home - though the walls were brittle, and the entirety of the lower levels were full of ash, all the floors and stairs were still solid enough to support a person's weight, though Eizen wouldn't have trusted them with much more than himself and Sadie. When nothing of any interest managed to jump out at Sadie for the first few husks of rooms, she'd kept going, and Eizen wondered what exactly she might be looking for amid all the destruction.
At last, they reached the top floor. "This was the living room, and the room over there was my parents' bedroom," he told Sadie, gesturing to the empty doorway. The smell of ash tickled his throat, but he ignored it, focusing on the golden-haired girl who was invading his house.
"Their bedroom," Sadie growled, and she dashed through the charred doorframe.
Eizen followed, and was surprised to see that a lot of the room was all but untouched, blackened but sturdy - the far wall had burned to cinders, and the bed itself was covered in charred scraps, but apart from that and the roof, it was all intact; the rest of the furniture was recognizable, and to one side, the wardrobe stood tall. Sadie started tearing through the place, through the charred cabinets and bedside tables, before turning on the wardrobe itself.
"Sadie," Eizen began, stepping forward to try and block her. "I think that's private-"
She shoved him aside and lunged for the doors, throwing the dresser open. Inside, there were drawers and shelves, and some clothes hung on the more open half, including several of Rokurou's kimonos. Under the hanging clothes was a very old-looking chest, and as Sadie started ripping the drawers open, Eizen found himself drawn to the incongruous box. It looked remarkably clear of dust for a wooden chest that seemed halfway rotted, and he was reaching for it before Sadie even noticed.
"What's that?" the Squire demanded suddenly.
"I…I don't know," Eizen answered, carefully pulling it out and onto the blackened floor.
"Well, let's see, then," she huffed, and she reached over to take it from him.
He pushed her hand away. "I'll open it," he told her. "Just…stand back a moment, okay? You can look, but don't touch, I don't want this to break."
His Squire growled, but when he glanced over his shoulder at her, she had folded her arms. Taking a breath, he turned back to the chest and opened it.
Inside, all folded and rolled up neatly, were red and black scraps of clothing and belts on the left side, a blue tunic and rough-spun brown pants on the right side, and a mound of white bandages between the two. Eizen's eyes widened as he gently touched a few fingers to the bandages, then ran his hand over the tough materials of the tattered clothes on the left. He recognized all of it.
"This…is what my parents used to wear," Eizen breathed. "These belts and scraps of cloth were my mother's outfit when she fought Shepherd Artorius, and…these must be the bandages that covered her therion claw. The other clothes must be what my father wore after he faked his death." He touched the blue tunic, noticing a stain on the front that didn't look like blood. Dumbfounded, he shook his head. "Why would my parents keep these?"
"It's a memory box."
Surprised, Eizen turned to Sadie, whose eyes were wide as she dropped to her knees, staring at the chest's contents.
"My parents have one too," she said softly. "A box full of all the things that remind them of Selana. I know my mother opens it and looks inside every day. My father keeps paintings of Selana as they last saw her before the calamity in every room, but…but when they really want to remember her, they open the memory box. It's what they do…to remember, what happened to our family."
"To remember," Eizen repeated thoughtfully, looking at the relics of his parents' past again. "If my parents kept these things in order to remember…it must be so that they don't forget their mistakes, and so don't repeat them."
"In other words…to learn from the past, and move on," Sadie said, and Eizen looked at her in surprise. "Whereas my parents remember in order to cling to their past, and not let it go."
"Your parents went through hell, Sadie," Eizen told her gently. "I won't deny that. But I don't think they handled it well."
"Your parents went through hell too," she said distantly. "And they handled it even worse than my parents did…at first. But…now they've found a way to move forward."
They sat there for a long minute as this revelation sank in. Eizen turned and ran his fingers over the mound of bandages again. He had seen, through his uncle's illusory artes, the way those bandages had covered his mother's left arm from shoulder to fingertip, but to actually see them here, for them to be real and tangible and right in front of him, drove the point home, in ways even seeing the story recreated never had. His mother had been the Lord of Calamity once, yet she had fought her way back from the depths of despair to rebuild her life, to build a family, to find happiness again. The power to do that…was what he was fighting for. My answer was sitting in my own house all along…
"Eizen."
Eizen turned to Sadie, and saw that her eyes were glistening with fresh tears.
"I'm sorry," she told him, and he blinked. "I always judged you for your family, but…it looks like our families had a lot more in common than I thought. And…yours is the better one."
"No," he told her, turning around to face her, "not better. My parents just…handled things differently than yours did. I mean, like you said, at first, they handled it a lot worse, but they also…well, they've had more time to figure things out than yours have. That's all."
Sadie closed her eyes and shook her head. "You've always been so kind to me," she said softly. "No matter how horrible I am to you, you've always defended me, always tried to look out for me and…and believe in me." Her brown eyes opened again to meet his gaze. "Why do you always believe in me?" she asked in a pained whisper.
A sudden urge to tell her the whole truth - that he loved her passionately and would never have eyes for any other girl - seized Eizen for a moment, and he took a breath and fought it down. Telling her wouldn't do anyone any good, he reminded himself. "Because…" he answered hesitantly. "Because…I know you can be more than the girl who's always mean to me. You're…You're a good person, Sadie, you're strong and smart and brave and kind. You've just…been raised to think certain ways. I could never blame you for that."
"Eizen…" Her lip trembled, and it suddenly occurred to Eizen that they were kneeling very close together - had had to, to both look at the contents of the old chest.
Despite everything he knew, everything he'd told his family, when Sadie leaned closer to him, he moved closer to her, too. His eyes fluttered closed, and he could feel her breath on his lips…
"No."
Suddenly, Sadie's hand shoved at his chest, and she stood up, turning away from him.
"I can't, Eizen," she said, her voice pained. "I'm engaged to Sir Leybon, and I have to marry him."
In the couple of weeks since leaving Ladylake, Eizen had all but forgotten about her arranged marriage. He stood up. "You don't have to marry him if you don't want to, Sadie," he reminded her; "arranged marriages are against Hyland law."
"I have to marry him," she insisted, her hands clenching into fists. "Marrying him is the only way I can restore my family's honor. My parents are scraping by on almost nothing now, Eizen; if I don't marry Sir Leybon, they'll spend the rest of their lives as little more than beggars!"
"But do you love him?" Eizen asked. "Does he love you? Would marrying him make you happy?"
"That doesn't matter," she stated. "My parents gave me life, and it's my responsibility as their daughter to salvage their reputation."
"They gave you life, so it's their responsibility to make sure you'd be happy," Eizen countered. "It's like uncle Zaveid said-"
"He doesn't understand!" Sadie sobbed. "I love my parents, Eizen, and they love me, and that's what matters! If I call off the wedding, I'd never be able to face them again. This is their only chance to ever be happy."
"If they really loved you, they'd rather see you happy than regain their social standing," Eizen said.
"But how could I be happy, while they're miserable?"
If there was an argument to this, Eizen couldn't think of it.
For a minute, they stood there, in the scorched ruins of a house a man had built himself for his wife and children, the mementos of a former Lord of Calamity bared to the afternoon sky in an open chest. Sighing, Eizen bent down, closed the memory box, and put it back - he couldn't put the whole wardrobe back together, but this one thing, at least, felt sacred enough to treat with respect.
"If you're really determined to go through with the wedding, I won't try to stop you, Sadie," he said at last. "It's your choice. And whatever you do, I'll be here for you…not just as the Shepherd, but as your friend. If you'll let me."
When he turned back around, Sadie was facing him, and as their eyes met once more, she nodded. Then she gave a humorless chuckle. "My parents would be furious if they knew you were my friend," she remarked.
"Well, good thing I don't need their permission to be a friend to you," Eizen teased.
And they laughed. It was the first time he'd ever made Sadie laugh, and the fact that she did so without fear was more than enough for Eizen.
"Let's…get to the Lefay Shrine now," Sadie said at last. "We need to take the Water Trial and stop the Lord of Calamity. Once that's done, we…we can figure out where we go from there."
"Right," Eizen nodded, and they made their way back out of the burned treehouse together.
~X~
When Edna made it back to the spot by the stream where she'd left Lucine, she found their water seraph sitting on the riverbank, her sandals at her side, her skirt lifted to her knees, dipping her feet in the brook while she coaxed little strands of water to come off the surface and weave into braids. She seemed content, for the first time since they'd met her, and Edna wondered at it.
"Hey, Lucine!"
Sahra's call caused the water seraph to release the bits of water she'd been playing with, which splashed back down into the flowing stream, and turn her head. "Sahra," she greeted as the fire seraph walked over to her and perched on a nearby rock. "What did Zaveid want?"
"The same thing he always does," Sahra shrugged. "It's no biggie. Listen…I was hoping we could talk. You know, one girl to another."
"O-Of course," Lucine nodded, albeit nervously, all her calm contentedness gone.
"So, listen…" Sahra sighed and sat back. "I notice you've been kinda…y'know…interested in Zaveid, since we met you."
A blush crept into Lucine's porcelain cheeks, but she nodded evenly. "He's a…very interesting person," she said.
"That's one word for it," Sahra chuckled. "Come on, Lucine, you know what I mean. You've barely been able to take your eyes off him, and you leapt to his defense a little while ago without him even asking."
"You were tormenting him," Lucine said, her soft voice taking on an uncharacteristically cold edge. "We were given powers when we came into being, powers we derive from the Heavenly Realm, and you abused yours to cause someone pain."
"But would you have been that mad if it had been anyone else?" Sahra asked pointedly. She shook her head, her white-tipped braid flying. "Look, never mind, that's not the point here. Maybe Edna and I got a little carried away, and I'm sorry it upset you, but Zaveid…well…he's not really someone you should defend like that."
"I beg your pardon?" Lucine responded.
With a heavy sigh, Sahra stopped beating around the bush. "I know you're into him," she said resignedly. "Like, you think you're falling in love with him, maybe. And I…well, let me put it this way: Zaveid isn't the kind of guy you should get attached to like that."
Lucine tilted her head, then winced. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "Are you two…?"
"Who, me and Zaveid? No!" Sahra laughed. "Gods, no! That's not what I mean. I just mean that Zaveid isn't type to get involved on an emotional level. He doesn't care about people like that, Lucine, he's the…you know, love-'em-and-leave-'em type? Once he gets what he wants from you, he'll break your heart and walk away laughing. If he's ever given a girl more than a one-night stand, I'll eat my hair."
I wonder if your hair tastes good, Edna thought, smiling to herself.
But Lucine seemed to be pondering this statement very seriously. "He would…hurt me?" she asked. "Hurt…anyone?"
"Sure," Sahra shrugged. "Weren't you paying attention to the stuff he said?"
"Um…" Lucine frowned. "I can't remember what he said. I only remember the pain saying it caused him."
"He was talking about a woman he hurt, and it took my blessing to make him admit that it really was his doing," Sahra said pointedly. "That's what he does, Lucine, that's just who he is. He can be flattering, but he doesn't care about…anything, really. Don't get me wrong, he's a good comrade and even an okay friend at times, but as anything more than that, he just…doesn't have the kind of heart to be the sort of guy you deserve."
"Hmm." Lucine's violet eyes turned back to the water, kicking her feet just under the clear surface. "That's not the impression I get of him."
"Well, it's who he is," Sahra insisted. "Trust me, I've known him for centuries, and he hasn't changed. That woman we were talking about, the one he hurt? He seduced and then abandoned her, and she turned into a dragon we had to fight off in the southern corner of the Rolance Empire a few days ago; after the fight, he actually had the nerve to say that it was incredible that he even remembered her at all! You know a guy who can say that has seduced more girls than you or I would ever care to count, all of whom mean nothing to him, and I don't want you to be just another passing fancy on his hit list, okay?"
The water seraph hmmed again, frowning, her eyes soft and distant. "I don't think you know everything about him," she said softly. "When I look at him, I can't shake the sense that he's in terrible pain, constantly, as though he's been carrying a horrible burden for hundreds upon hundreds of years and can't ever let it go. I'm not oblivious to his behavior, but in everything he does, it seems to me that he's only searching for something to ease his pain for a moment, however temporary the relief might be; that's what I sense he's really after when he…says things, to women, and whenever he cracks a joke, I get the feeling he only laughs so as not to cry. It breaks my heart to think he's constantly suffering, when he has only ever done his best for this team and for his family…and I want to ease his burden. No one should have to struggle through life alone."
As Sahra blinked in utter bewilderment, Edna picked her jaw up off the ground. Edna had known Zaveid for centuries without ever suspecting that there was more to him than the jerk he pretended to be, to the point where she'd been reluctant to believe it even when she'd actually learned his story; but here Lucine was, having only known him for a couple of days, and only in passing at that, yet she already had him all figured out. Zaveid had told Edna years ago that he couldn't resist a woman who could see straight into his heart, but Lucine really and truly did, she saw him for exactly who he was, even if she didn't know why he was that way.
Lucine really was the answer to Edna's prayers. She wasn't just perfect for Zaveid because she happened to look like his dead girlfriend; she was perfect for him because she herself was exactly what he needed.
"Uh…" Sahra toyed with her braid. "I…don't know where you're getting that impression from," she said at last. "I can tell you you're wrong, though."
"Maybe," Lucine said. "But you don't know everything about him, do you?"
"I know more than you!" Sahra pointed out. "Seriously, where is this sob story coming from? Zaveid's a dirtbag!"
"I suppose I've never been a good judge of character," Lucine sighed, and Edna smirked at this statement, reassured yet again that she was right about the water seraph's identity. "But…" The water seraph turned on Sahra again. "You mentioned, when Shepherd Eizen fought his father, that you used to be a human," she said slowly, "but somehow, I knew even before you said it. It explained the divide I always somehow sense in you - as if you're torn between two lives, two points of view that contradict each other, and that split leaves you tormented with questions you can't find answers to no matter how hard you think about them."
It crossed Edna's mind to cynically wonder if the sound of her jaw hitting the ground would alert the two young women to her presence. Who the heck is this girl? Even if she is who I think she is, how is she doing this?!
"I mean…you're not wrong about me," Sahra admitted. "But I think you're wrong about Zaveid, I really do. Look, you want to talk about abusing our Heaven-granted powers? When I was a human, I was a Squire to the Shepherd Sorey, and Zaveid was one of our Sub Lords. One day, Edna, Lailah, and I decided to relax in the Lastonbell sauna, and Zaveid tried to read the wind to spy on us while we were naked."
"Oh!" Lucine jerked, her feet splashing to the surface as she turned around and met Sahra's eyes in shock. "Zaveid…really did that?" she gasped. "He would do something like that?"
"That's the kind of guy he is," Sahra repeated. "He only wants one thing from any woman, and he'll get it however he can. We're lucky Lailah was there to burn his winds away before he got to take a good look at us."
"I…I…" Lucine swallowed and bowed her head, closing her eyes as though to fight off tears. "I…see," she managed. "That's terrible. I'm sorry you had to endure that, Sahra."
"Like I said, he didn't get a chance to do much," Sahra shrugged. "But I don't want him to take advantage of you. We're comrades, and…I'd like us to be friends. So, I just want to make sure you know, you can trust him with your life in a fight, but you can't trust him with your heart. Falling in love with a guy like him is the worst mistake you could ever make."
"I am prone to making mistakes," Lucine sighed. "Thank you for looking out for me, Sahra, I appreciate it. And…I would be happy to be your friend, if you would really have me."
No, no, no! This was getting out of hand way too quickly. Edna was about to use her earth powers to disrupt the conversation when a shout interrupted all of them.
"Sahra! Lucine!"
Eizen came trotting through the forest towards the Sub Lords of water and fire.
"Hey, Eizen," Sahra greeted, standing up. "Time to go?"
"Yeah," the Shepherd replied, "it's time we get to the Lefay Shrine. Where are Edna and Zaveid?"
"Zaveid's off in the forest somewhere; I think he's talking a walk," Sahra replied. "As for Edna…I don't know. Do you know where she is, Lucine?"
"No," the water seraph answered, "she left shortly after you did and hasn't returned."
"Dang," Eizen said. "Well, if you know where Zaveid is-"
"I'll go get him for you," Sahra said readily, already headed for the woods. "And if I see Edna on the way, I'll let her know we're leaving."
"I'll help you look for Edna," Lucine declared, picking up her sandals and coming to rest inside Eizen, emerging fully-shod a moment later, as seraphim with vessels could do.
Technically, Edna could do the same if she went to where she'd left her things and picked them up, but she wanted to show Eizen, at least, what she'd done; it felt wrong to keep a secret from her baby brother. So instead, she followed him and his water seraph as they wandered into the woods and called out for her, waiting until they split up and Eizen was alone before conjuring a single stone to rise up from the ground and hover in front of him before launching in the direction she needed him to go.
"Edna?" Eizen asked, wide-eyed as he stared in the direction the rock had flown. Cautiously, he walked after the stone.
Edna repeated her trick several times, and he followed the direction of the flying rocks. It didn't take long for him to come upon the things she'd left behind, and he ran for the little mound in alarm.
"Edna?!" he called.
Invisible, Edna walked over, reached down, and picked up her necklace.
"Edna!" Eizen exclaimed, jumping about a foot in the air. "Where'd you come from?"
"I was right here," Edna replied, putting her necklace and headband back on and stepping back into her boots, lacing up the ribbons before grabbing her glove and umbrella. "Did your talk with Sadie go well?"
"Uh…" Eizen blinked, shook his head, then nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I think she's…well, I think we've done all we can for her."
Re-dressed in all her things at last, Edna placed her umbrella over her shoulder and twirled it, facing her Shepherd. "So she's realized that you're not hellion-spawn and her parents are a couple of idiots?" she asked.
"She understands now," Eizen sighed, "but she still loves her family, Edna, and I didn't want her not to. And…they have their reasons for thinking what they think. Sadie knows better now, but…well, she's still going to go through with her marriage to Sir Leybon. But besides that, she's…okay. She called me her friend, so…"
"Wow," Edna said drily, "you really got through to her. I'm impressed."
"Yeah, so, uh…what were you doing?" he asked her. "Why'd you leave all your stuff here?"
"I've been doing some damage control," Edna shrugged.
"Damage control?"
"News flash, baby brother," Edna said dully: "Zaveid's falling in love, and he's running scared from it."
"Falling in love?" Eizen repeated. "You mean…with Lucine? I noticed things have been weird between them, but…"
"Yeah, he's crazy about her, and he's trying to sabotage their relationship before it can even start because he's an idiot," Edna stated. "I'm trying to sabotage his sabotage attempts, so I did some recon while he scrambled to find a way to make her hate him."
"Uh…" Eizen frowned at her, and she could see the questions burning behind his golden eyes. "What does that have to do with you taking off your things?" was the question he finally decided on.
"Zaveid isn't the only one who can take seraphic oaths," Edna smirked. "I took an oath myself; now, as long as I'm not wearing or touching anything my older brother gave me, I'm invisible to the eyes regardless of resonance, and also invisible to the wind, so he couldn't detect me."
"So you can spy on him now?" Eizen asked.
"Yup," Edna shrugged. "Good thing, too. He's really going overboard with this garbage."
"How so?" Eizen inquired.
"Don't worry about it, baby brother," Edna told him; "I have it under control."
"I…see," Eizen replied. "Well, uh…it's time for us to head to the Lefay Shrine, so…"
"About time," Edna grumbled, walking past him. "Let's get this show on the road already. How many times have we had to delay the Water Trial?"
"Um…three, I think," Eizen answered after a moment's consideration, laughing slightly.
"Please tell me there won't be any more detours."
"I don't think so," Eizen answered. "I'm not planning any, at least."
Let's hope Niko isn't, either, Edna thought but didn't say as they left to regroup with their other allies. Still, in a way, she was glad they'd visited the remains of their home - the trip had cleared up some important things, and now Sadie wasn't going to be a pain to deal with anymore. If ever there was a time when they were ready to face the last trial and prepare to take down Niko, it would be now.