December 30, S.1204 - Depths of the Azure Tree

Juna gasped for breath; a grisly reminder of the amount of climbing she had to do for the past few hours. She dragged her feet, slowly making her way to the altar.

The Azure Tree was a thing of wonder. A beautiful, illusory giant wood that pierced the very heavens from the outside; yet a work of masterful construction and artistry on the inside. It felt reminiscent of the architecture of a palace or cathedral she'd often seen described in novels and literature. Glass panels adorned the floors with magical sigils and circles etched inside. Metallic towers rose from within the chasms beyond the railings. No matter how long she stared, she could scarcely believe she was inside a tree of all things.

Each and every sector had its share of trials, all of which she and the SSS passed with flying colors. The fights against Wald Wales, Bloody Shirley, Sigmund Orlando the Orge Rosso, and the Divine Blade Arios were spectacles to behold. At least, she'd assume so. It was difficult to tell when she was too busy trying to not get herself killed.

She was floored when Lloyd and the others insisted that she come along with the investigation. Dudley was dead set against bringing a newbie like her for such an important mission, and she was initially inclined to agree, but they believed her abilities so much that she had a hard time refusing.

Now they've made it to the pinnacle.

Beyond them lied a path to the tallest point of the Azure Tree. Where KeA lied in waiting.

"We should get going," Juna said. "She's waiting for us."

As she began making her way to the pathway, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, Juna."

She looked back. "Lloyd?" His amber eyes peered into her emerald; his face stern. "What's wrong?"

"Your leg. How long has it been like that?"

Perhaps it was due to the adrenaline, but she hadn't taken notice of the limp she adopted on the climb up. She instinctively put too much burden on her right leg once she lost feeling in her left.

"I didn't even realize…"

"It'd probably be best for you to stay here while the rest of us take care of things," Elie suggested.

"B-But we're so close…! I can't just stop here!"

"Juna," Tio gave Juna a concerned look. "If you push yourself too hard, you'll only get yourself hurt. It'd be best for you to take a rest in the meantime."

"They're right, Junie." Randy clasped his fist with his other hand. "Plus, knowing how bad guys work, the place is gonna blow once we beat the snot outta them. Gotta keep your strength up for the escape plan."

"...You guys sure?"

Dudley shook his head. "Crawford. In your condition, you'll only be a liability. Stay where you are and await further orders." Without another word, the experienced detective went ahead to investigate the surroundings.

"Way to be blunt…"

"That's just his way of showing he cares." Lloyd shrugged with a laugh. "But your rest aside, it might be best if some of us stayed back anyway so we can secure an escape route. I think two more would do."

He looked around at the others, waiting for volunteers.

Rixia raised her hand. "I wouldn't mind staying back. If I'm being completely honest, I don't feel like I have much of a stake in this fight now that we've subdued the Sanguine Ogre." She gives Lloyd, Elie, Randy, and Tio a knowing look. "And besides, since KeA is involved, it would only be fitting if the original members of the SSS were the ones to save her."

"Rixia…" Elie choked out before pulling the assassin-turned-dancer into a hug. "Thank you."

Noel sniffed at the touching display. "Aw, Rixia… You took my line."

Wazy's ears perked. "Oh, what's this?"

"You too, Noel?" Juna asked.

The CGF member awkwardly scratched her cheek and chuckled. "Well, yeah. What Rixia said aside, Wazy is far more capable than I am in the combat department as much as I hate to admit it. Hard to compete with a Dominion's stigma and all."

"Can't argue with you there." Wazy shrugged. "And if worse comes to worst, my thaumaturgy might come in handy."

Noel nodded. "And then there's Detective Dudley who would want some more closure on his former colleague, as loath as he is to admit it himself." She laughed, recalling the hardened man's old relationship with Lloyd's older brother.

Lloyd scratched his chin. "Guess we got our party then. I trust no one has any objections?"

"You won't hear any from me."

"All green here too."

"Nothing outta me either. Let's get this party started!"

"Sounds unanimous to me." Wazy turned to Lloyd with a serious look. "This is for all the marbles, so let's make sure we're fully prepared. I'll go fetch Dudley. And Juna," he turned to the pink-haired girl with an uncharacteristic stern look. "You remember what I told you before, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'll be careful. Thanks for the warning."

The Dominion nonchalantly shrugged and walked off to meet with the veteran detective with the rest of the SSS following suit after giving the girl a few concerned looks. Juna shot them a bright smile to assure them that there was nothing to worry about and to wish them luck on their mission. Using his index and middle fingers for a salute and waving gesture, Lloyd bid the other girls farewell as the three took the time to take a rest.

"So what was that all about?" Noel asked, laying against a pillar to catch her breath. "It's not like Wazy to get so serious."

Juna sat next to her with Rixia volunteering for the first watch. She stretched out her arms before falling down onto her back, laying flat on the cold floor made of whatever material the Azure Tree was made of. She reached into her pocket and carefully pulled out a small box; offering it up to the former second lieutenant.

"This."

Noel opened the box and examined the contents.

"A necklace?" She squinted. "An interesting one, at that. Those colors are clearly a choice." Noel commented sarcastically, only to curse at herself for being rude.

Juna cackled for a bit. "Yeah, well, Rean never had an eye for art. He's… getting better. But not when he gave me that."

The older girl's eyes widened, gently returning the box back to its owner and making sure not to drop it. "I didn't realize your friend gave it to you. Sorry, Juna."

"No, it's all right." Juna laughed again. "You didn't mean to be rude."

"Thank-"

"Though if you were anyone else, I'd probably rip your head off."

"...Has anyone told you that you can be terrifying, Juna?"

"Once or twice." She thought about it for a second. "Maybe three times."

"...Do I want to know?"

"Let's just say Sunday School was a transformative time in my life."

I don't know who you are, Rean, but I wish you the best.

"Aaaaanyway, back to the original topic. Why was Wazy so worried about a piece of jewelry?"

"Oh, that." Juna opened the box again and pulled out the necklace; holding it by its chain. "He didn't tell me the specifics. I was wearing it for a while and he took notice. He had this weird look in his eyes, but kinda shrugged it off and told me I should be careful with it."

"Creepy and vague. Didn't think he had it in him."

"That's what I thought too! So naturally, I hounded him for an answer. And you know what he does? He just laughs it off! The nerve of that guy!" Juna huffed, flailing her arms around akin to a child throwing a tantrum. "I really wanted to deck him in the face after that! I think Abbas almost let me!"

Noel giggled at the mental image.

"Well, if he says it's fine, then it should be okay, right? What are the odds that it's something world-threatening artifact or something?"

"A what?"

"You know, those relics that predate the Great Collapse? What did the church call them? 'Premature gifts from the Goddess'? Those things."

"Oh right, I remember learning about them in Sunday School…" Juna looked at the necklace again. The shine of the septium stared back at her. "Nah, can't be, right? Sounds pretty out there to me."

"Yeah, seems pretty unlikely. You'd think an artifact would look a little fancier, you know?" Noel shrugged. "Well, not fancier but more… outlandish, right? Otherworldly? I dunno."

"Haha, I think I get your point."

"So instead of talking about that…" Noel clapped her hands together. "Why don't you tell me more about how you got it in the first place? Your friend gave it to you, right?"

Juna quizzically stared at the older girl. "Uhhh, yeah? He gave it to me for my birthday."

"A-And this is the same guy you met up with on your trip out of state, right?"

"Yeeeeah?"

She didn't like where this was going.

"Weeeell, I just thought... " Noel's face turned red. Like, really, really red. "Maybe… you could possibly… give me some advice?"

…

Not the direction she anticipated, but one she dreaded nonetheless.

"Wow, she's got it hard. This Lloyd guy must be something."

"You have nooooo idea, Yuri."

December 30, S.1204 - Trista Dormitory

Despite his usually dependable nature and Juna's insistence to the contrary, Rean wasn't that much of a social butterfly. He just so happened to be acquainted with most of the school thanks to his student council work taking him around the town more times than he could count. But when it came down to it, he was just a guy who knew a lot of people and a lot of people knew who he was. The only exception to this being his fellow Class VII members.

So when Celine suggested that he went around Trista and the academy to bask in the festivities after taking it back, he found himself wanting. All of his classmates were chatting with their clubmates. Towa, Angelica, and George were reminiscing about Crow. Alan and Bridget were having a romantic date. It felt rude to interrupt any of them. And despite that speech he gave Patrick earlier, he found it difficult to hang out with him when he was surrounded by his gaggle of yes men.

The most he accomplished was giving Vice Principal Heinrich the collection of Gambler Jack II he had accumulated over the past month for a small piece of Zemurian Ore (the same materials they gathered for Valimar's new weapon) and grabbing some food from one of the serving tables before chatting a bit with his Ashen Knight.

Now, here he was: lazing on the couch in Class VII's old dorm without much else to do. If Celine saw him now, she would be throwing a hissy fit.

He wanted to hang out with the other students; he really did! But his mind kept wandering to what he and the rest of the Courageous' crew learned from Captain Arundel just five hours ago: The Imperial Family, Governor Regnitz, and Elise were all trapped at Karel Imperial Villa… and that the Azure Tree had vanished.

He frankly didn't know how to react. Should he have been relieved? The tree shook him to his core to the point of nearly jumping overboard, for Aidios' sake! Relief should have been the first thing he felt!

But it was the uncertainty that gnawed away at him. Just what was it? Were there any lasting effects? Was… Was Juna okay?

Whatever he felt at the time, he made sure not to make it show. He, alongside the rest of his classmates, accepted the mission to liberate the villa to bring a swift end to the war.

He hated these debilitating thoughts festering in his mind. Again, he kept thinking about things he couldn't change no matter how hard he tried. They pulled him away from his goal as if they were a magnet and he was the last set of nails needed for the final repairs.

Rean sighed.

There were more important issues at stake. He would have to deal with that first before he could check on Crossbell.

"We thought you'd be here."

Rean focused his view towards the front entrance and let a soft chuckle escape his lips. He should've known he couldn't hide forever.

"Hey Jusis. Laura."

The two other nobles in their class, as well as the only other swordsmen. Rean didn't want to admit to feeling like he preferred being with some of his classmates over the others. He didn't feel that way for one thing. Rean just felt as if he shared a hidden connection with the two that he lacked with everyone else. It was strange - seeing as he wasn't a true noble - but after his meetings with Jusis in Bareahard and Laura in Celdic, it solidified their bonds.

Since he had distanced himself from the others since the news update from Lechter, they both must have realized his absence.

"Good evening, Rean." Laura greeted.

Rean let out a chuckle. "I'm surprised you figured I was here."

"Well, you weren't the only one feeling nostalgic." Jusis scanned the lobby area, finding nary a trace of tampering. "Looks like everything is in order and just as run down. Well, aside from the layers of dust. Dear Aidios, I get that they're upper-class students, but would it have killed them to at least send the housekeepers over?"

The three shared a laugh. It was nice to share some merriment the night before a potential turning point of the war. It almost made him regret not having made a better effort to join in with his friends around town.

Laura looked around the lobby; running her hand across mailboxes, taking a peek inside the dining room, and examining the books on the shelves. "It's been a long road to get here and yet here we are. We've made so many memories here in this building that I couldn't even begin to count."

"Well, since we're here." Rean spoke up, "why don't we take a look around? For old times' sake."

"Sure, let's."

"I have no objections either."

The short excursion was done in silence. The stairs still creaked, the wooden floors still felt uneven, and like the floor below, everything was relatively untouched. Out of respect for their classmates, they only took the time to go inside their own rooms.

Just like the rest of the building, nothing was out of place. Laura's room still had the banner of the Arseid Viscounty mounted on the walls along with the multitude of Mishy plushes she had accumulated over the past year. Rean chuckled to himself, remembering the shopping trip he had with her when he first introduced her to the famous Crossbell mascot. At first, she didn't understand the appeal and now she was an avid Mishelamite. Though that was a secret to everyone except Rean and Fie. Laura's desperate attempts to hide them from Jusis's line of sight did little aside from amusing him.

It was a blessing that Jusis didn't indulge in noble desires and gaudy trinkets or else his room would be a disaster even when ignoring the layers of dust that had built up in the past two months. It helped that he wasn't picky with his quarters either. All his room really consisted of was a banner of the Albarea Dukedom and some fancy clothes he wore to parties whenever his father requested him on his off days. At least those days were behind him for a while.

Unlike the other two, Rean didn't have a banner of the Schwarzer Barony. His parents weren't really ones to tout their noble status and they shunned luxury in favor of their modest lifestyles. Flags were nice and all, but the thought of having one made as a room decoration hadn't crossed their minds. Instead, Rean's eastern wall scroll hung in his room just like the one he had back home in Ymir. His room was a tad messier in comparison to Laura and Jusis's, especially with his practice tachis and papers scattered throughout the floors, but it felt like home.

With nowhere else to go without invading any privacy, they all agreed to check one more location. Across from Rean's room, they slowly swung the door wide open as the wood creaked cacophonously every second they took.

And just as they expected…

"Empty," Jusis muttered.

Rean scratched the back of his head. "Can't say that I'm surprised."

Laura nodded. "It was worth a try, at the very least."

Rean crossed his arms as his eyes shifted around the room. It was jarring to see the room of someone like Crow to be so neat and tidy. It contained no remnants suggesting that he had ever stayed with Class VII. None of the orbal gun parts he had on the regular for maintenance. None of the various card and board games he had introduced to the class to pass the time. None of the dirty magazines he usually had lying around. Absolutely nothing but the desk and bed that came with the room. It was as if there was no trace of anyone living there at all.

Rean couldn't help but think about how long Crow had planned his assassination of the chancellor and how much it tormented him the past six years.

It was Jusis who broke Rean from his thoughts. "It's strange, isn't it? Crow is fighting under a banner that doesn't include him. He's the sort of person you'd sooner see inside a casino rather than occupying the capital."

"Agreed. Working under the Noble Alliance doesn't exactly suit him. But now, he stands as an obstacle we must overcome. One of many." Laura turned to face Rean. "And what of you, Rean?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Jusis faced him as well, his expression stern yet soft. "I fear this might sound insensitive, considering… previous events, but you'll be doing most of the heavy lifting. It pains me to admit, but it's ultimately up to you to bring back Crow."

"We are all aware of the struggles you've had to face in the past few days. So we will do all in our power to support you to the very end."

"You guys…"

That's right. His friends had always been by his side supporting him, just as much as he had supported them. Whether it be through hubris or lack of retention, he would forget that lesson time and time again. It was frustrating having to relearn it, especially since it usually came at the cost of the people around him. But sometimes it was also easy to forget that he was just human with worldly problems many other people would face. He didn't need to shoulder the burden all the time nor did he have to crush himself under the weight of the world.

He had a duty here just as she had an obligation in Crossbell.

Crow would probably either just laugh and tell him to not worry about it or yell at him to not be so spoiled.

"Sounds like someone needs a hug!"

A sudden weight rammed onto Rean's back as fast as a train running at full speed. Had Jusis and Laura not been there with him, his face and the floor could've gotten far too intimate for his liking.

"Heya Rean-o-Beano!"

"M-Millium?! When did you-?"

"Ah, you know! My 'Sad Rean' senses were tingling so I came to see what's up!" The young girl surveyed the room, finally taking notice of the other two present. "Though, it looks like I was too late. Boo…"

Laura chuckled. "Apologies, Millium."

"Still as childish as ever, I see." Jusis scoffed. "Has nothing this past month remotely made you any more mature?"

"Mmmm, nope!" Millium chirped. "Sorry, Jusis!"

"Wait, are we not gonna address the whole 'Sad Rean' senses thing, or is that weird only to me?"

"Well, is she wrong?"

A multitude of footsteps could be heard from behind them. They turn around only to be faced with the rest of their classmates. Each with a content grin, figuratively drunk off the high spirits their earlier liberation came to offer. But now much of their focus was on him rather than the party going on inside.

"D-Did you get everyone to come, Millium?"

"Sure did!" Millium paused. "Well, except for Sara. She was busy."

Fie smirked. "Yeah, Thomas got her and Heinrich a bit… occupied. So she's gonna miss out on our little intervention party."

Rean squinted at the newcomers, almost forgetting that there was a small gremlin hanging off his neck. "What do you mean 'intervention party'?"

"Weeeeell," Alisa walked over and leaned down with her hands behind her back to look him in the eyes with a sweet smile on her face. "You're always helping us, so we all thought it would only be fair to support you when you need it."

Machias nodded. "We all talked it out and we all came to a similar consensus."

"It became apparent to us that we've been relying on you far too much," Emma elaborated. "I'm supposed to be the witch to guide you, but I fear I might've pushed too much of the responsibility onto you, Rean."

Gaius turned his sagely gaze to Rean with concerned features in his brow. "You've been our guiding wind for so long, we all tend to forget that the position was unfairly thrusted upon you."

"Yeah, and it took us too long to notice," Elliot approached Rean, trying to straighten out his body. He hadn't even realized that he was slouching over, even with Millium still hanging off of him. He didn't even consider that the whole reason Alisa leaned down was that she was trying to make eye contact. "Everything's been getting to you, hasn't it? Your tempo, your harmony; it's all out of whack."

Fie looked away with a minor pout, having some difficulty looking at him in the eye. Her fingers fidgeted between each other. "Yeah, and it was kinda unfair of us to do… you know."

The five newcomers sans Millium faced him, each with remorse in their expressions. What they did next surprised him even more.

They all bowed.

And said in unison:

"We're sorry, Rean."

…

An awkward silence permeated the air.

Rean didn't know how to react. He understood that they were all sorry, but it felt… wrong for them to be apologizing. It was he who almost endangered the mission. It was he who almost gave up everything. He should be the one apologizing.

He turned around to Jusis and Laura to gauge their reactions. They didn't react.

"Apologies, Rean." Laura finally broke the unwieldy stillness. "We wanted to make it up to you."

"Yes," Jusis crossed his arms, his face unperturbed. Those two definitely set him up… "And regrettably so, we have to rely on you even further. As I said before, it's up to you to face Crow and his Azure Knight. Only you can do that and we will have to support you as best-"

"You guys are really something else, you know that?"

The room became silent once more, with the bowers' heads raised and the nobles and youngest member in the class confused.

Rean had finally spoken up since the whole "intervention party" started.

"Don't interventions usually mean calling someone out? They don't involve this much apologizing except from the guest of honor."

They all exchanged mumbles, most likely unable to come up with a response.

Rean stared at all of them with an unamused expression, even jostling Millium off his back. He rubbed his hand over his forehead, slightly straining it to show some irritation.

"You don't need to treat me like a child and coddle me. That crap I pulled the other day, it was my fault, plain and simple. I wasn't capable of controlling my emotions and it got the better of me."

"Rean…"

He walked past everyone to make his way towards the stairs, not giving anyone so much as a glance.

"I know I didn't ask to be the Ashen Awakener. I know that all this whole leader thing was just… something given to me. I don't understand it myself, so I even question why I'm here in the first place. But still…"

Rean turned around to face each and every one of them. While their faces were bewildered, he was stern and determined.

"I still chose to become a member of the Crimson Wings. I chose to become a better pilot for Valimar. I chose to step up to the plate so we can reclaim our academy. And look at us now."

Rean stretched his arms out, gesturing to the dormitory they were currently inside.

"We're all back where we belong! Back at Thors Military Academy!"

Rean let out a hefty sigh.

"And you guys all talk as if bringing back Crow doesn't involve you too! Valimar and I might be the only ones capable of facing off against his knight, this is still a team effort! How can we call ourselves Class VII otherwise?"

Everyone just looked at each other in stunned silence. Seconds ticked by, each feeling like an eternity, but not once did Rean regret what he said.

He loved his friends. Each and every one of them. But it felt like they didn't know how to approach him. Ever since rescuing him from the Pantagruel and especially after nearly jumping off the Courageous, they all felt the need to walk on eggshells around him.

Part of him appreciated the gesture. Ever since the Noble Alliance began their occupation of Trista, Rean experienced one thing after the next. With no rest for the wicked, the fact that they cared about what they said around him to spare his feelings felt validating in a way. It gave him space to think about the things that mattered and what he really wanted.

But, as a result, he also lost his way. He ended up hesitating when his leadership was needed most. He may not have chosen the position as Valimar's Awakener or Class VII's leader, but he wanted - nay, needed - to prove that he was qualified to stand tall among their number. He wasn't about to let his past dictate his future actions. She wouldn't have allowed that and neither would he.

He was Rean Schwarzer, after all.

"And I don't know about you guys, but I want to 'air my grievances' about him, so to speak. Namely via a fist to the face."

The silence then made way to raucous laughter and snickering. Good thing he knew to break the ice when his speeches got too serious.

"Sounds fun," scoffed Fie. "I got a score or two to settle with him anyway."

"Yeah, I still gotta get him back for that losing streak in Blade he gave me back in Roer." Machias smirked while cracking his knuckles.

Emma clapped her hands together. "Looks like tomorrow's gonna be a busy day. It may be best to turn in for the night soon."

Sounds of agreement echoed through the rickety building.

Gaius turned to Rean. "And maybe, once this is all over, you could go and check on the situation in Crossbell. It must be worrying you, Rean."

That would be an understatement.

Ever since the call for independence two months ago, the events of Crossbell were completely shrouded in mystery. The destruction of Garrelia Fortress, the barrier encompassing the city, and the Azure Tree that came into existence without warning and disappeared just as fast. The information network the bracers established was effectively useless and Lechter was keeping mum on what he knew, so Rean was in the dark as much as everyone else.

He had a second family in Crossbell. Uncle Matthew and Aunt Lina, Ken and Nana, and especially Juna. Their safety being an unknown factor ate away at him, but he knew he had to push those thoughts away.

"Yeah, maybe," Rean replied, scratching the back of his head. "As long as it doesn't cut too much into my attendance, you know? This whole 'civil war' thing must have all of us backed up."

Gaius chuckled. "I suppose you're right."

"But hey, if I do, you all should come along! It'll be just like Ymir!" He then remembered the whole incident involving a certain phantom thief. "Okay, maybe not entirely like Ymir… but hey, I could show you guys around!"

"Sounds like a plan."

December 31, S.1204 - The Infernal Castle

Sometimes, it amazed Rean how much he and his classmates could accomplish in a single day.

Even before the civil war broke out, their field studies took them everywhere around the Empire and charged them with various tasks and requests from the locals. The requests themselves usually ranged from monster extermination to collecting specific materials and items, but the commonality between all of them was usually the fact that they'd have to run back and forth to opposite sides of the regions to get everything done.

Splitting up the teams was normally a no-go. Most of the time, each group consisted of people that were not familiar with the area. Nord had been especially egregious due to the wide-open space to easily get lost in. Letting them go alone would prove far too dangerous to risk (and that wasn't also including the fact that Rean had to be present approximately 100% of the time to play group therapist, courtesy of their wonderful instructor).

And not even including the field studies, Rean often made laps all over Trista to complete his tasks on all his free days. His usual schedule would be:

Complete any tasks given to him by Towa.

Find anyone else in need, whether it be a student, teacher, or local.

Make some time to hang out with his friends and help them out with anything.

Gather everyone to explore the Old Schoolhouse.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 in the afternoon.

Fall into bed like a dying animal.

It didn't feel physically possible to accomplish all he did in a 24-hour timespan, let alone the time that started when he woke up to when he went to sleep. It was a miracle that Rean would even remember to eat during his downtime.

...Huh. Maybe that's where his habit came from.

And now, here he was. After infiltrating the Karel Imperial Villa earlier that morning, saving the Imperial family, Governor Regnitz, and Elise from the Noble Alliance, they discovered that Vita Clotilde summoned forth a crimson castle over Valflame Palace. On the same day, Rean and Class VII broke into the enigmatic structure and climbed through the four strata to make it to the very top, facing daunting enemies every step of the way.

Phantom Thief B and Duvalie the Swift.

Trap Master Xeno and Leonidas the Behemoth.

Even the Almighty Conflagration of Ouroboros: McBurn.

And yet, they still managed to persevere, as if time was no resource in high demand. They made their way to the top to finally confront Duke Cayenne, Vita, and Crow. They learned about why the war took place—that the duke wanted to reclaim his place as Erebonia's ruler thanks to being a descendant of the False Emperor Orthros Reise Arnor and make the Empire into a place where nobles ruled over the commoners. So he used the crown prince as a catalyst to reawaken the Vermillion Apocalypse and take over the capital.

So really, Rean was glad that Crow and Vita were there to fight them because no time in the world would even begin to suffice to process all that nonsense.

"Is that all you got, Rean?"

"Ngh!"

The two mechanical knights fought with intense ferocity as each clash between Valimar's tachi and Ordine's double saber caused violent vibrations in the air. Even with the strength he gathered from his combat links with his classmates, Rean still felt the gap in experience between him and Crow.

No matter how many times he fought with Valimar, the spectacle never ceased to amaze him. Even with a mechanical body of his size, his mobility and speed felt incredible. A Divine Knight had that perfect balance of strength and agility that blended seamlessly with his Eight Leaves swordplay. Had he been a normal Soldat pilot, he couldn't recreate nearly the same results - especially if it was on a Hector or, Aidios forbid, a Goliath.

The Zemurian Ore tachi was the icing on the cake, letting him use the full extent of his training. Up to this point, he had only made use of blades donned by the Noble Alliance's Panzer Soldats. While they served their purpose, an Eastern blade was the heart and soul of the Eight Leaves One Blade style. He just couldn't replicate his skills without one.

And now, here he was, as strong as he could've been within the month he was given… and he still struggled. Despite his slacker status, Crow's combat abilities were honed to a level well beyond any of Class VII's individual strengths. He had three years of experience of piloting his Divine Knight over Rean and that didn't even account for non-mech combat. Before they even began fighting with their respective knights, Crow managed to fight back against all of Class VII, Instructor Sara included, with only Vita as backup.

But despite knowing the odds, despite knowing the disadvantage, Rean knew he had to persevere. It didn't matter that he was a newbie pilot. It didn't even matter that this very fight would determine the result of the war. All he knew was that he and the rest of Class VII had a score to settle with Crow Armbrust.

"If you got nothing left to say," Crow's voice echoed from Ordine's body, the filter from the speaker compiled over it. "Then I'll just have to finish this."

The Azure Knight's tendril-like wings glowed with a luminescent blue light as he gathered power into his double saber. He coiled his left arm around his body, preparing for his final attack.

"It's been a good run, Rean. Sorry it had to be this way." Ordine charged forward, slashing both sides of the double saber to form an X pattern using its dark and chaotic energy. "Deadly-"

"Oh no you don't!" Millium jumped into the air, waving her glowing ARCUS at Valimar. "Rean, hit it!"

"You got it!"

The centerpiece of Valimar's chest glowed with the same hue as Millium's ARCUS in sync. The soft resonance grew brighter and brighter as it erupted into a powerful art.

"Ultimate Barrier!"

A wall of hexagonal-shaped glass materialized around the Ashen Knight's body right before Crow's strongest move could make contact. The dark energy shot from Ordine's blade collided with the wall, generating sparks of electricity - signifying the struggle between an unstoppable force and an immovable wall.

"What the-?!"

Before long, the two forces dissipated and withered out of existence, leaving Rean and Valimar unscathed.

"Ha, not bad! Looks like you still have some fight left in ya!" Crow readied his weapon once more. "But I also got some tricks up my sleeve!"

"I don't think so!" Machias opened up his own ARCUS, causing it to resonate with Valimar in the same way Millium's did. "Rean!"

"Burst Drive!"

An emerald green sphere enveloped Valimar's body in a similar fashion as before. Rings layered on top circled around the sphere, displaying various numerals before shattering. Rean let the tension leave his shoulders, taking a moment to catch his breath. Machias gave him an opportunity and he was going to take it.

"Bring it on!"

Valimar drew the Zemurian Ore tachi back, anticipating the lunge coming from Ordine and quickly sidestepping his attack to catch him off guard.

"Fifth Form: Morning Moon!"

The tachi flew forward, taking advantage of the small opening Valimar's dodge created. Just nearly scraping Ordine's double saber, Valimar's tachi hit Ordine cleanly on the chest, forcing the Azure Knight back a few arge.

"Gah!"

"Take advantage of this opportunity!" It was Laura's turn to connect her ARCUS to Valimar. "We'll finish them in one strike!"

"Yeah!"

Valimar assumed a meditative stance, using both hands and holding the handle of his tachi skyward while the blade streamed downward similar to how Rean would unleash his own power. The blade glowed with an intense blue light that flared even around Valimar's mechanical body.

"Radiant Wings!"

A technique passed down the Arseid school that unleashed one's inner strength and channeled it into a tangible force. Rean nor Laura couldn't even begin to understand why they were able to harness the technique as they could, but speculated it might have been as a result of her status as a secondary contractor.

"And for the penultimate event, allow me!" Jusis channeled his own strength into his ARCUS.

"Chivalry Runes!"

In response, Valimar stretched out his hand to cast the art. Translucent silver blades fell from the sky and formed into a complex magic circle beneath Ordine's feet. White energy erupted from the circle, throwing the Azure Knight off his balance.

"It's time to finish this!"

Valimar dashed forward, readying his sword for his final attack. The movement was quick, despite the Divine Knight's hulking size, and the Ashen Knight vanished and resurfaced behind Ordine in a blink of an eye.

Valimar brought the blade back down to his hip.

"Enlightened Domination!"

Using Valimar's left hand as a makeshift sheath, the tachi was drawn back. The moment it was, multiple waves of slashes finally made way to damage the Azure Knight's armor. The Zemurian Ore tachi produced numerous massive disruptions in the air even though none were able to perceive its movement. Once the attack was resolved, Ordine fell to his knees.

"Haha, guess you got me…"

A sphere of light manifested from Ordine's chest piece and grew in size the farther it traveled. The light converged onto itself, revealing Crow exiting his Divine Knight.

Behind him, Valimar drove the tachi into the ground and fell to his knees. Rean's heavy panting emanated from his voice channels before he too exited from his pilot's seat along with Celine, who had been inside the Ashen Knight as well.

The two Awakeners almost keeled over, barely keeping balance. Their breathing slowly steadied once they took a few seconds to recuperate.

"Come on! You've got to hold it together!" The small familiar cried.

"Haha… It's okay… Celine. This is… nothing…"

Rean felt the fatigue wash over him in a second wave - likely already present but something he was able to ignore until now. He sensed that his classmates were running up to him, but he couldn't get himself to even glance their way.

"Not bad, Rean…" Crow barely choked out. "You improved a lot… these past few weeks…" He laughed. "And here I thought it was gonna be a fair fight, but looks like everyone else wanted to join in on the fun too."

"You know, you should really take a rest." Vita's lips slowly creaked to a smile, Her tone, while still maintaining its signature playfulness, turned somewhat motherly towards the Azure Awakener. "You've lost a lot of mana."

"I'm fine." Crow replied. "Sorry, Vita. After everything you've done for me, I ended up letting you down."

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head over that," the Azure Abyss giggled. "Sure, it's not exactly what I had in mind, but I'm perfectly content with happy endings."

"What is the meaning of this, witch?!"

All eyes turned to the loud voice. Duke Cayenne's hands balled into fists and his brows creased in anger.

"Oh, I forgot he was still here," Fie commented nonchalantly.

"Haha. Yeah, same here. Totally forgot." Millium added.

Rean massaged his temples. "And here I was, trying to forget…"

Vita sighed. "From the beginning, the society's objective was to prepare this stage for its participants. I seem to recall telling you I had no interest in anything other than the battle between 'Azure' and 'Ashen'. Did you forget, perhaps?"

"Bah! If that's how you want to be, then I'll simply have to do things my own way!"

The extravagant aristocrat bolted up the ramp circling the large pillar in the back containing a red Divine Knight within it. Crown Prince Cedric was at the peak of the ramp, blindfolded and tied to a chair. He yanked the young prince out of his seat, waking him from his stupor, and pushed him onto the crimson knight's core.

"Now, Your Highness. Your Arnor blood shall reawaken the vermilion demon god with a thousand weapons! The absolute ruler given form by Emperor Orthros 250 years ago! We shall seize Erebonia by consummate and unadulterated force if we must!"

The prince wailed in pain as he was sucked in by the knight. Ancient runic circles not unlike the ones that appeared whenever Rean entered Valimar threatened to absorb the young boy into its being to fully awaken once more.

"Oh no, he can't be…!" Vita tightened her grip on her staff. "Emma! Celine! We must conjure a defensive barrier now!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Right!"

The younger witch raised her orbal staff while the feline familiar arched her back as if she was about to pounce on her prey. The three along with Vita's familiar Grianos formed a protective field surrounding themselves and the rest of Class VII. However, even with the power of two witches and their familiars, the others could still feel the impact of the crimson winds exuding from the beast's body.

"You fool… This was the one thing I forbade you to do!"

"Shit…" Crow clicked his tongue and dug his fingers into his arm. The pain helped him push through his fatigue as he readied his double saber. "Vita, help me make an opening."

"A-Are you sure?" Vita asked with worried eyes.

"Crow? What are you…" Then it felt like a lightbulb went off in Rean's head. "You don't mean-?!"

"Now you're getting it. Vita and I will open a path for you guys. Sorry to ask too much of you, but you'll have to hold out against it as much as you can. Once that's done, we can finish it off with our Divine Knights."

Rean glanced back at Valimar and Ordine. Just a month ago, it would take Valimar days to restore his mana to respectable levels only after just using the Spirit Path. After an intense battle with Ordine, the likelihood of restoring his energy to anything usable against the Vermillion Apocalypse would amount to a marvel given by the Goddess.

But when has anything ever gone the way he expected?

"Honestly, it sounds as good a plan as any."

Crow chuckled. "Glad to know we're finally seeing eye-to-eye. Let's go get 'em, partner!"

Rean drew his tachi.

"Yeah!"

The vermillion beast roared.

The Vermillion Apocalypse. A corrupted transformation of the Vermillion Knight Testa-Rossa after being contaminated by the cursed blood of an almighty cryptid. Even within their Divine Knights, Rean and Crow had difficulties getting close. As Testa-Rossa served as the calamity's core, it could utilize its Thousand Weapons system and keep them at bay with its demonic spear and bow.

"Let's do it, Rean!"

"Right!"

The two knights charged forward, dashing through the corrupted machine and ending up behind it. Ordine thrusted his double saber into the beast's metallic skin to throw it off balance while Valimar followed up with a downward slash. In unison, Ashen and Azure jumped backwards to reposition themselves. Black lightning enveloped Ordine's weapon just as golden flames ignited onto Valimar's. They both gathered their strength, ready to unleash their strongest attacks.

Crow discharged his signature blast in its cross-shaped pattern as Rean dashed forward once more to strike the vermillion demon in synchronicity.

"Union Slash - Deadly Domination!"

The united attack connected with overwhelming force. The beast - that was initially unbalanced by the improvised move - staggered backward, a large piece of its breastplate armor breaking off its body.

"Is that…?"

Within the chink of its armor, a sphere about the size of the knight's abdomen laid embedded.

"That's its core with the crown prince in it! I'll clear a path. You focus on rescuing him!"

"Got it!"

By some reversal of fortune, the beast regained its footing and turned to face the two Divine Knights. With a simple swing of its arm, multiple warp holes manifested behind it and summoned small but devastating laser blasts forward. Crow activated the boosters inside Ordine's wings and dashed forward once more, twirling his double saber to block and deflect any incoming blasts.

But with a sudden movement, the calamity dug its sharp and pointed tail into the ground. Neither Rean nor Crow could react to any possible attacks and before long, the tail stretched out and pierced Ordine through the chest, skewering the Azure Knight all the way through.

"Gah!"

"Crow?!"

"I-I'm fine!" Crow's voice was raspy but stable. "It barely scratched me. You keep going! It's up to you now, so give it everything you got!"

"R-Right!"

Rean charged forward past Crow's stationary body and delivered an endless barrage of slashes from various directions. Thanks to his smaller stature in comparison to the Vermillion Apocalypse, Valimar was able to outmaneuver the beast's claw swipes and slashes from its own demonic sword. He was too close for it to use its spear and bow too, so Rean had to take advantage of his close-quarter position.

With one final swing of his tachi, the beast fell on its knees. Valimar dug both of his hands into the core, pulling with all his strength to force it out. It didn't take much longer until the core was removed and the beast cried out in pain before dissolving almost completely, only leaving the shell of the Divine Knight it once possessed behind.

Rean gently placed the sphere onto the ground. Once he made sure that it was secure, he exited Valimar and caught his breath as he watched the sphere break apart to reveal Prince Cedric safe and sound.

Everything was going to be alright.

Crow was dead.

Rean should've known that he waved off that attack so that he could focus on saving the prince. He should've known that he wasn't fine.

But no. The beast pierced not only Ordine's chest but straight through Crow's heart. It was a miracle he was even able to eke out his goodbyes to everyone before finally passing. Every time he spoke, it felt like he was able to just barely delay the inevitable; gambling against a devil with his life as the wager just for a few precious minutes of time.

He thanked Emma for helping him win that gamble.

He told Elliot that he enjoyed their time planning the concert for the festival.

Alisa, that she should try getting along better with her mom.

Machias and Jusis should keep pushing each other as rivals if they can't be friends.

Laura, Fie, Gaius, and Millium that he was grateful for getting to know them.

And thanked Sara and Vita for helping him through the years.

Crow's last words rang through Rean's mind.

"...You're all going to be in for some… tough times ahead… I can't go any farther now… but you can… so keep going forward… Relentlessly, without looking back…"

Too much happened afterward. The shock settled in and Rean found himself unable to act. Even when Duke Cayenne threatened to kill Prince Cedric and insulted Crow right after his passing, Rean couldn't find it in him to reprimand the noble. He just kept staring at his friend's fresh corpse as tears ran down his cheeks.

Vita threatened the man with an ominous tone that betrayed her usual demeanor. She was interrupted by Rufus, who had killed Grianos and had threatened arrest on both her and Duke Cayenne. The duke was captured by Altina, the same girl who had kidnapped Elise and Princess Alfin a month ago, and Rufus (with the addition of Lechter and Claire's presences) confirmed that he had infiltrated the Noble Alliance as a spy due to being the Ironbloods' primary member.

Rean witnessed the events unfold - wanted to at least comment on them - but he kept quiet. He couldn't tear himself away from Crow's body.

"Why reveal this now?" Duke Cayenne cried out. "What could you possibly have to gain from professing your allegiance to a dead man?!"

A booming voice flew through the room.

"He would gain nothing. Which is why it's rather fortunate I'm very much alive."

In came a man that commanded obedience in his wake. One that everyone, especially Rean, knew all too well. He could hear his smug voice. He could see his towering figure right in front of him. But he couldn't bring himself to fathom the man's presence.

Chancellor Giliath Osborne.

The man Crow spent his entire life to kill.

"No way…"

"Impossible…"

"G-Gramps?!"

The man chuckled as if returning from the dead was as normal as breathing. "I'm pleased to see you again, Millium. Greetings to you as well, Class VII, and to your esteemed instructor." He looked down to Duke Cayenne, who had been lying on the ground under the bladed arm of Altina's black combat shell. "And to you, Your Grace."

"Y-You… How are you still alive?!"

"How, indeed? Perhaps the years have dimmed your eyesight, or perhaps I had a body double… Whatever the truth may be, I think that's the least of your worries right now." He turned to Rufus. "All you need to know is that our loyal ally Rufus Albarea will be bringing the situation in Erebonia under control and he'll do so with minimal conflict, while ensuring that the Noble Alliance's power is deeply diminished. That was the task I entrusted to him, and in that, he shall not fail me."

The noble in question bowed. "As ever, it's an honor to serve you, Your Excellency."

Rean blanked, not even registering the rest of the conversation. No matter how many times he replayed the scenario in his head, he saw Crow shoot Osborne. Right in his heart. There weren't any light tricks and there was no way a body double could imitate Osborne's overwhelming presence.

Was Crow's life…

His entire purpose...

Was it really…

"I'm taking over that Phantasmal Blaze Plan of yours and my first order of business will be sorting out the mess you left in Crossbell."

!

"I'll allow you to leave this time, witch. Slink back to your master and the rest of that brood of serpents, and tell them: If they even think of trying to stand in my way, I'll crush them beneath my heel."

Rean gritted his teeth.

With a sneer and a mournful look, Vita took the chancellor up on his offer and teleported away without a proper goodbye. Just an apology to Emma and Celine… and a request to take care of Crow.

With nothing else left to say, the Ironbloods reconvened around the chancellor. Though Millium hesitated, even she went to join them.

"You've all done excellent work. Icy Maiden, White Rabbit, Scarecrow, and you, Jade Rook." Osborne praised, sounding off each of their titles as he looked on proudly to their respective designators.

"Thank you, Your Excellency. I'm overjoyed to see that you are alive." Claire replied politely. Almost too politely.

Lechter scratched the back of his head. "Can't say I honestly thought you were dead in the first place."

"Well, if anyone could survive being shot through the chest, it'd be you, so I did wonder…" Millium's voice ran rampant with uncertainty and hesitation.

"I don't imagine you intend to reveal your secret to cheating death, do you?"

Osborne let out a hearty chuckle. "And rob you of such a splendid conundrum to puzzle over?" With his arms crossed, he surveyed the area; the Infernal Castle beginning to lose some of its vermillion luster. "This castle will return to its original form within a few hours, but our work is far from over. I'll be giving all of you new assignments. As always, I expect only the best from each of you."

The non-primary members nodded, accepting their new terms. Claire gave the man a salute, Lechter a shrug of his shoulders, and Millium a despondent look. The young girl didn't meet his eyes.

"Rufus, I want the situation here resolved within the week. As soon as you have things under control, move forward with the occupation of Crossbell."

"...!"

"I'm not trying to tell you the chancellor was evil or anything. Still, there's no denying that he managed to outwit my grandfather. I'd say it's fairly normal for a student to want to avenge his master's defeat, wouldn't you?"

"Man… Same place I… shot Osborne… too… Haha… Karma's a bitch, huh…?"

"With pleasure, Your Excellency."

Rean slowly lowered Crow's body back onto the floor.

He bolted towards the chancellor, each step stomping on the obsidian floors and steps as a release for his unrelenting anger.

He could sense his friends wanting to stop him, Claire and Millium regarding him in shock, Lechter resigning Rean to the consequences of his reckless actions, and Rufus simply watching things unfold.

The young Schwarzer grabbed the man by the collar and ignored his friends' protests.

"Why?! Why are you still alive?!" It didn't make any sense. "Crow shot you! You're supposed to be dead! But in the end, he couldn't avenge his grandfather; he didn't get his revenge on you…!" Rean's yells soon devolved into near sobs; his dam struggling to hold back the demon within his heart.

"Was everything he did…? Was his whole life for nothing?!" His grip tightened even more to the point he had to make sure not to wring Osborne's neck. "And now… Now you want to take over Crossbell?!"

It pained him to even utter those words. It wasn't enough for this man to take the life of one of his best friends. He would take away the very being of the girl he cherished most.

He recalled how he felt before at the night of the evening dance. How he had the gall to ever think that Crossbell would join the Empire. How he ever once thought about the possibility of his second home losing its identity.

If Crossbell were to be occupied, it wouldn't be his Crossbell anymore.

It wouldn't be her Crossbell anymore.

Just another province under the Empire's name. Osborne's Crossbell.

Just like Jurai.

Osborne only scoffed, as if he expected this reaction.

"Ah, yes. If I recall, you have quite the attachment to the City of Sin, don't you? Then you should rejoice for it to join our mighty empire! Then you and your precious other will be together as well! What was her name again?"

"Don't you dare speak her name!" Rean hissed, all but ignoring the fact that Osborne even had the slightest inkling of Juna's existence. His classmates all stepped back, in fear of the young man's sudden outburst. "Was this the whole point of this damn war?! How many people's lives were ruined - destroyed - merely to fulfill your ambitions?! How many Erebonian soldiers had to die to bring everything up to this point?!"

Rean felt a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough." Rufus's voice was stern, yet gentle. It gave off the feeling like he was scolding his younger brother after having done something foolish. "Just as you have your reasons that guide your actions, so, too, does His Excellency." He paused. "And I believe you factor into those reasons more than you might think."

"Wha…?"

Rean loosened his grip and slightly turned his head in Rufus's direction.

Suddenly, it came to him. Memories flooded into his mind like a blurry video that played in his head over and over again finally clearing in his head. Memories he could recall but never decipher.

A man carrying him in a snowstorm as a young boy.

The man placing him onto the snow.

His face, once obscured by dark shadows and ice flurries, displaying gruff yet kind features.

"Rean… I pray you grow up strong and healthy. ….Oh, Aidios… If you're listening, hear me now. Please, allow this child…"

He turned back to Osborne. Most of his anger dissipated, only to be replaced by utter shock. He let the man go, slowly stepping back as more and more of his memories became clearer.

Osborne barked a laugh. An overjoyed, sickening laugh, as if to mock him.

"I see you finally remembered the truth." Now free, Osborne placed both hands on his hips. He gave Rean the most devilish of smirks as the young man had already stepped far enough from him to be on the lower level of the room.

Rean could feel a dangerous pounding in his chest.

"I'm glad to finally see you again, my son. You've grown into a fine young man."

The pounding grew stronger.

"Indeed, the Empire will soon know of the Ashen Chevalier, the hero whose brave deeds allowed us to reclaim the capital."

He could hear chains rattle from within him. The beast violently pulled on its restraints as it bashed the walls of its prison cell.

"And who better to assist me than a national hero?"

"N-No way…"

None of the other members of Class VII could react. Or rather, they didn't know how. Osborne was always something of an enigma to them. To Laura and Jusis, he was a commoner who thrived due to his amazing accomplishments and kept the nobility in check. To Machias, a man who his father was the right-hand to. To Millium, a father figure. And to the rest, the most powerful man in the Empire, second only to the Emperor himself.

It was impossible.

The man behind the pain and despair of the people of the Empire and even beyond its borders. The man who meticulously planned all this suffering for the sake of conquest. The man who stole Crow's life from him and was soon to go after Juna's.

That man was his kin. The one who had eluded him for over twelve years.

A pain sparked in Rean's head. He clutched his skull tightly, attempting to hold it in.

N-No! I-I can't!

The screams inside his mind grew louder and louder.

I made… a promise to them! To my friends!

It pained him to remember. Just the night before, he vowed that he wouldn't let his emotions guide his actions nor his blade.

But this man…!

The chains rattled once more. The prison bars were pried wide open.

He took everything from us!

"Is this some kind of twisted joke?!"

An ominous black aura surrounded Rean. Dark smoke gathered into his body, but it was unlike when he activated his Spirit Unification. Instead of instantly turning into its ashen color, his hair flickered between its original and transformed state. Rean tried resting his face into his palm, but the pain pounding in his skull made him dig his nails into his temple. Tighter and tighter. He blanked, and in a flash, his sword was already drawn with its sheath thrown to the side.

Rean did not hold it with his usual finesse nor did he maintain his skillful eye when he usually readied his stance. Instead, he held the eastern blade in a more aggressive stance with his other hand prepared to strangle whoever stood in his warpath. As for his eyes… They were unrecognizable.

The sclera was covered in pitch-black darkness and his irises were replaced with golden demonic slits.

What stood in the middle of the chambers was not Rean Schwarzer. A monster took his place.

The unleashed demon charged forward.

The beast's strike was intercepted by Albarea's scion, a cold steel tachi clashing with Rufus's gallant knight sword. Both man and beast gritted their teeth when the two blades met, Rufus barely maintaining his footing while the demon pushed its advance to overpower the noble.

Upon meeting the monster's eyes and feeling its dark, gaseous breaths, Rufus took note of Rean's sudden transformation and began formulating a conclusion.

"I see," he said in a strained tone, attempting to focus on holding the beast back. "Then it is beginning to awaken."

"Rean, stop!" Claire shouted.

The RMP captain aimed her orbal gun towards the beast, desperately combating her instinct to open fire but rapidly realizing she was running out of options. She unleashed a few warning shots but with a sudden shove of the Albarea's body, none of them met their mark. The beast charged straight for Osborne, who laid his gaze upon the unfortunate soul with a pensive demeanor. The tachi came down with full force but was unable to make its final judgment.

"Rean!" Millium cried, manifesting Airgetlam to block the attack. But despite the combat shell's excellent defensive capabilities, it still struggled to hold back the rampaging beast. "What's going on?! This isn't like you!"

A guttural grunt escaped Rean's lips. Without any hesitation, he slammed the white puppet with the pommel of his blade and knocked the young girl away from his path of destruction.

"I hate to do this, kid…" Lechter charged with ARCUS in hand. "But it's nothing personal!"

He manifested blasts of ice and shot them forward. The projectiles froze the ground they slid on but did nothing to slow down the monstrosity.

It kicked the intelligence officer straight in the gut full force and knocked him several arge away.

"GRAAAAAAGH!"

Its cries were bestial, ready to pounce onto its next victim. With one more snarl, it charged once more. But it made one fatal misstep.

*BANG BANG BANG*

Several electric bullets fired within its path, causing the beast to step back to glare at its new opposition.

"Stand down, Rean!" Sara commanded, the barrel of her gun trained in his direction and her sword at the ready. The rest of Class VII followed suit, all of them visibly hesitant in drawing their weapons, but stood firm nonetheless.

"Wh-What's going on?" Elliot panicked, gripping onto his orbal staff a bit too tightly. "His eyes are pitch-black!"

"It's almost like what happened during his duel with the viscount…" Gaius mused. "And he almost lost control of his power during our visit to Ymir too. Like a wild beast ready to mow down everything in its path."

"I'm afraid that, even with the absence of the Vermillion Apocalypse, some residual energy still remains," Emma explained. "That energy must have flowed into Rean as a response to him using his power!"

"But how?!" Alisa notched an arrow into her bowstring.

"I… I don't know. But I can at least suppress it to keep it under control. Celine, I need your help!"

"It's just one thing after another today!" The black cat scoffed. "Very well!"

"Then it falls to the rest of us to keep him occupied in the meantime!" Jusis pointed his sword forward towards the out-of-control young man.

Machias cocked his shotgun. "Just you wait, buddy! We're gonna get you back!"

"This isn't gonna be easy…" Fie lamented, but drew her gunswords all the same.

"Indeed, but we're the only ones who can make Rean see reason again." Laura readied her stance.

The monster howled, its cries echoing throughout the chamber. It dipped its blade back, ready to strike once more. It closed the distance with blinding speed.

It swung the tachi in a wide arc, causing the vanguard to back step out of the way. Fie tossed a smoke grenade from inside her pack, attempting to blind the beast. And taking advantage of its robbed visuals, Sara jumped in with a slash of her sword. However, despite losing its optical capabilities, it still maintained Rean's sensing abilities and parried the attack.

The Purple Lightning stared down the beast as their blades stood at a deadlock, welling up all her strength not to waver at the harrowing sight of her demonized student. She faced many monsters in her days climbing up as a bracer. Gigantic snake worms, oversized gorillas, mutated sea creatures, and that wasn't even counting the human monsters she fought in her jaeger days. But watching Rean become this thing was far more disturbing than anything else she ever witnessed. But now was not the time to back down. If she were to hesitate, even for a moment, his ogre power could overpower her in an instant.

"I wAnt HiS heAd…"

His voice was scratchy and two-sided as if there were two personalities within him vying for control. Sara recalled reading the reports of the Legram field study, remembering what everyone but Rean noted about the duel with Viscount Arseid. While it had nothing to do with the actual tasks they were assigned for the field study, they all wrote, supposedly without Rean's knowledge, of how he used some mysterious power against the Radiant Blademaster and completely changed as a result.

After reuniting on the Courageous, Sara finally bore witness to Rean's ogre power. By the time she finally saw it, he was already in control. But this… This felt different. Even when using his powers, he could not overpower the master of the Arseid school. And promoting to intermediate rank of the Eight Leaves doesn't magically make this mysterious power that much stronger.

Rean wasn't just out of control. It was like he was being possessed.

"Come on, Rean! You have to fight this!" Sara exclaimed. "I know this must be a shock to you, especially after losing Crow! But you can't… I refuse to let you become a murderer! Students are supposed to surpass their teachers! Don't make the same mistakes I did!"

"Instructor!"

Heeding the call, Sara immediately jumped backward. Flaming arrows and gunshots flew past her and a powerful water art soon followed to meet their target. However, said target swiftly regained its footing, knocked away the arrows, and dodged the bullets. But the barrage of attacks came in rapidly enough that the water art made its mark.

The beast hissed in pain as Alisa, Machias, and Elliot watched it in anticipation of its next move.

"I-It looks like arts are still effective!" Emma noted under strangled breath. "Focus on using them while the rest keeps Rean occupied!"

"Ugh, this is such a pain! If we didn't need to hold him back, we could help out on that front too! I can't believe I'm saying this, but if only Vita and Grianos were still here…"

"Don't worry Celine!" Elliot reassured the black cat. "Alisa and I should keep that handled!"

"Yeah, leave that to us!" The blonde-haired girl added. "Just make sure he stays still!"

"I'll handle support!" Machias continued. He fired one more shot to put the monster on the defensive. "Now's our chance!"

Finding his opening, Jusis dashed into the fray to clash his blade against Rean's. The young noble knew he couldn't let the unnerving sight of Rean's darkened eyes distract him any further. This was not anything like his practice matches with Rufus during training nor like his duels with Rean outside Bareahard. This was, quite fittingly, a different beast altogether. The way the monster wielded Rean's tachi was inelegant and unrefined, but that didn't make any of its strikes any less powerful. One misstep - one crucial mistake - and he will die.

He could not waver, even in the slightest. Rean was perhaps his closest friend in Class VII, one who took the time to understand him before anyone else. And Jusis would be damned to the lowest depths of Gehenna if he were to let him suffer for any longer.

Jusis gathered energy through his ARCUS, manifesting large icicles on the ground. The ice froze the area in which it surfaced, even encapsulating the beast's legs. Frustrated that it had its movement impeded, it attempted to reach forward at Jusis like a trapped animal desperately trying to escape a hunter's trap. Almost feeling pity for the monster, Jusis gathered an emerald green energy into his blade.

"Arc Blade!"

The young Albarea sliced his energy-filled blade horizontally, shattering the ice and damaging the beast with one of his strongest crafts. As Emma noted before, arts damage was the best way to harm Rean in his ogre form. The same case could be said in this situation. With thorough training, Jusis managed to create a unique technique that combined his natural swordplay with his compatibility with the ARCUS, birthing a sword skill with that very specific combat niche. He was proud of developing it, but it pained him having to use it against his friend.

The beast was pushed back further by the attack. It gritted its teeth and snarled. Despite its animalistic nature, it seemed like the beast was actively getting frustrated.

"nO MerCY… No jUStICE…"

"What in Aidios happened to you?!" Jusis growled. He panted wildly, a result of spending much of the day fighting far too many battles than one should. And with Rean leading every one of those battles, he should have been the most exhausted. However, if the monster inhabiting Rean's body felt any of that fatigue, it showed no signs of it.

Jusis felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Tag out, Jusis." Fie urged. "We'll take it from here."

Behind her, Laura had her blade at the ready and Gaius was steadfast with his Nord spear in hand. The two gave him a reassuring nod before he finally relented.

"Very well. We may have pushed him into a corner, but he still won't go down without a fight. A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal, after all."

"Way ahead of you." Fie cheeked. She shot Laura a knowing glance to which the young Arseid disciple returned. "We might have a plan too."

"Best of luck to you all." Jusis fell back, rushing to meet with the others.

Fie began by firing several rounds from her gunswords. While none of the shots landed, it gave her the perfect opening to close the distance between her and Rean.

She may not have the formal combat training that Rean or any of the other swordsmen in Class VII possessed, but her prior jaeger instincts kicked into overdrive and made for more than a fitting opponent. If there was one thing Fie prided herself in, it was her speed. In some cases, she could even outrun Sara no problem. She matched the beast's attacks blow for blow with ease, occasionally firing her guns at close range when the blades clashed as a means of disrupting the flow to her advantage.

Her natural ability and the physical enhancements implemented from her ARCUS made dodging a breeze for the Sylphid. It flew into a rhythm where she'd time her dodges so that she could lure the monster into a location where an art from Elliot or Alisa would hit him directly. Now it was a matter of breaking Rean out of this trance.

"Come on, Rean! You have to snap out of it!" If he had heard her, there was no indication.

Unfortunately, that also meant that she was running out of cards to play. She couldn't use the smoke grenade again as that would most likely distract her teammates more than their target now that she's already done that. There was no point in tossing any throwing knives at this close of a range and she didn't have time to set up a trap. So that meant she'd have to rely on her last resort.

"Is this how your friend would've wanted it?!" Fie yelled. "For you to take someone's life to save her? Become a murderer for her sake?!"

The beast froze, its eyes widening slightly into a contemplative expression. Its features softened, turning somewhat serene as time went on. However, before long, it began contorting in pain and clutching its head.

"Os… borne… DREI… CHELS… must… pay… MUST… DIE..."

"Now, Laura!"

The blue-haired noble jumped into the fray, her mighty blade crashing against the untrained and rampaging tachi. Even in its moment of weakness, the beast stood its ground and at least managed to parry the attack before the newfound weight could have damaged its vessel.

Any semblance of contemplation left the monster's visage. In its place, a look of utter frustration and anger through gritted teeth and twisted eyes. As the blades clashed between the two intermediate-ranked swordsmen, it became apparent that the hold over Rean's consciousness was loosening.

"Heed her words, Rean," Laura said plainly. "None of us are condoning the chancellor's actions. We know how much Crossbell means to you! We know how much she means to you!" Her voice began to crack as tears formed in her eyes. "But please! Don't lower yourself to make her happy! You promised us you wouldn't make the same mistakes, didn't you?!"

The weight behind Rean's tachi almost vanished in an instant. It clutched its chest with its free hand, attempting to calm the rapid beats inside.

"I… promised… no more… mistakes…"

Taking advantage of the situation, Gaius - who had kept a watchful eye the whole time - used his spear to sweep the monster onto its back by hooking its leg onto the cross of its head and disarmed it once it fell onto the cold floor.

"This is your chance, Emma! Celine!"

"Expiarent anima! (Purify the soul!)" The young Hexen witch lifted her orbal staff skyward, gathering all of the negative energy emanating from Rean's body. The beast snarled one last time before being completely extinguished from the young man's soul, leaving only an unconscious Rean Schwarzer in its wake.

"I-It's… over…"

All the members of Class VII threw down their weapons and all ran to their comatose leader. Having just lost Crow a few minutes prior, their wounds felt too fresh - too open - to risk losing their center as well. After a few seconds of panicking, Emma and Celine were able to determine that Rean still lived, but let Elliot and Alisa handle healing duty due to their depleted mana.

"...Should I have interfered?"

Chancellor Osborne looked at the source of the voice, the young girl known as Altina Orion. While her face still preserved the blank stare she always had, it was clear that the girl had some regrets standing on the sidelines.

"No, Black Rabbit. You shall stand by for now. Your only task is to arrest Duke Cayenne. We shall discuss your future assignments another time."

"...Understood."

The girl left with combat shell and broken man in tow without another word.

Normally, there was a stern, commanding aura to the chancellor's presence. Perhaps even smug when he's against his political opponents in the nobility. But now, if someone were to give him a very keen look, they would know how frustrated he had become.

The chancellor's brows furrowed and he clenched his fists. He watched as his loyal Ironbloods all gathered their bearings and grinded his teeth.

"I'm so sorry, Rean… Kasia… Please forgive me." he muttered under his breath.

"WELL? HOW WAS IT? DID YOU ENJOY THE SHOW?"

The voice boomed in his head. He would never forget that demonic voice that crept in his mind for decades - no, even well beyond that.

"NOW YOU'VE SEEN A TASTE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN SHOULD YOU DEFY ME, DREICHELS. ONE WRONG MOVE AND IT SHALL BE YOUR PRECIOUS SON WHO SUFFERS."

"Curse you, demon…"

At the same time

…!

Juna stopped in her tracks. She looked up at the sky, towards the west. The sun was setting and the oranges in the sky emulated embers ready to burn down the world in its everlasting blaze.

"Did you feel that, Yuri?"

"..."

"Yuri?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, I… I didn't."

"Really? Because I could've sworn…"

Elie was the first to notice something was wrong.

"Juna? Is something the matter?"

"...I don't know. I just… got a bad feeling."

Tio perked up. "Are you sure? I'm not picking up anything on the Aeon System. Maybe it's just your imagination?"

Juna shook her head. "Maybe? It just felt so… real for a second."

The other two girls exchanged a questioning glance but decided not to dwell on it.

"Perhaps you should take it easy for a while. A lot's happened since the Azure Tree. Good thing we're throwing a dinner party tonight, right Tio?"

The younger girl nodded. "Of course. As a celebration for KeA finally donning the Bannings surname. She was so excited when Lloyd proposed it to her. You're more than welcome to join us, Juna."

The pink-haired girl broke out of her stupor. "Oh yeah, Randy and Noel told me about that earlier! I'm so excited!"

Elie beamed, glad to see the energetic girl back in high spirits. "You should wait at home until then though. We want to prepare for the party ourselves."

"Huh? You sure you don't want any help? I'm more than willing to if you need another set of hands."

"No, that's okay, Juna. We can handle things. Plus, you haven't been able to spend time with your family properly since you came back from Erebonia, right? You should do that."

"Ooookay, if you're positive."

With a quick goodbye, the two SSS members went off in the direction of the East Street market while she sat down on a nearby bench.

She found herself staring towards the west again.

Towards Erebonia.

…

This aching feeling wouldn't go away.

Holy CRAP, this one's a doozy. And of course, I had to end it with Rean's angst train, but that's just how it is with CS2's ending. This chapter was a challenge (I feel like I say that every chapter) because I wanted to do more than just regurgitate the Osborne reveal and I struggled to think of what Juna should do during the Azure finale. But I did know that I wanted to tackle the final bonding event with everyone and wanted more of a reaction to Osborne's reveal. The ending may have been backloaded with fight scene after fight scene, but I personally stand by how I handled it.

So a bit of a heads up for future updates: it's most definitely gonna be slower than usual. I recently got a full-time job that almost always requires my full attention so I'll write when I can. Personally, I felt like this part of the story was the first major hurdle since Rean and Juna spend so much time apart until the events of CS3. I don't know if that'll mean I'll be more motivated the write the new content, but I do have a few excerpts for future chapters that I want to make use of.

However, I should also note that the next few chapters will also be heavily Rean-centric. This chapter is basically the start of that. So, until then, thank you for reading! I truly appreciate every comment you guys give me!