Little of interest happened the next few days; Mikleo spent the vast majority of that time pondering, leaving a notably distraught Sorey to explore the ruins. He patiently entertained whatever concerning theories his brother came up with, noting how both he and Rose continuously grew more wary with every minor vision they saw. He had already put the important pieces together, but did not understand what Velvet was planning now despite everything they learned. He considered to ask Zaveid or Edna more than once, seeing that both of them had obvious ties to the woman herself. His fear of what their response might reveal stopped the young firekeeper, though.

Perhaps, he reasoned, Zenrus' lesson had been meant to cover this case; maybe he never spoke Velvet's name because he knew she yet lived. Having gotten her revenge on Artorius, she may no longer be a malevolent force in the world, simply living quietly with the seraph Laphicet that Edna sometimes spoke about. If she were, there was no problem.

However, how would he even begin selling this idea to his brother? It sounded preposterous without all the knowledge Mikleo had, most of which he could not relay due to his Oath. As it were, he was doomed to stand at the sidelines and watch Sorey charge toward near-certain doom. This fear was what ultimately untied his tongue and the next time he caught the two who must know alone, he asked: "Will she kill him?"

Zaveid was clearly more dumbfounded than Edna, though neither of them needed any explanation. Mikleo's pleading eyes went from him to her, the younger seraph clearly aware of the faint breeze suddenly cutting off.

"No," Edna told him curtly, kicking her feet as she stared onto the ocean. "At least I don't think so. Sorey is stubborn, but Velvet is infinitely his greater; he won't ever be able to kill her, so she probably won't see a threat in him even if he keeps coming."

"You talk about it like swatting a fly," Zaveid returned with a dark chuckle, nudging the girl with his foot from where he sat a few steps higher. His gaze then turned to Mikleo, dead serious. "But I agree with her. And I guess I'll be honest: the thing him, you, and us all were doing recently was to keep the current Lord of Calamity on his toes, distract him from Velvet and Laphicet. They've got stakes in this, too. And they're on our side." He offered a shrug in response to Mikleo's arched eyebrow. "Yeah, hard to believe, I know. 's the truth, though."

"I doubt he will believe it though," Edna added from behind her rolling umbrella, the Normin-mascot bouncing merrily. "Especially if these visions keep going."

"You think he's going to show us Innominat?"

Mikleo knew he was missing some parts here; Edna gave no response to that last question, or at least none he noticed while pondering the name. He heard it before, though remembering where took a moment. Cardinal Forton mentioned it during her sermon. "...a Great Lord was here? On this island?" Something still felt amiss and Mikleo just knew he was but one association away from discovering it, but he could not figure it out; the lack of answers became somewhat annoying however, so he rose and stalked away. "Alright, if you don't want to explain."

Instead of trying to crack the two who knew, he spent some time with the others who at least tried to piece things together; Sorey concluded that the redheaded spearwoman must be Saint Eleanor herself, taking the fact her style was eerily similar to Alisha's as proof. Her general behaviour did not fit with those around her as well, being far more proper and worried about general human decency. What neither him nor Mikleo understood was why a future Saint would follow a Lord of Calamity.

Rokurou and the boy seraph, Laphicet, confused Sorey; Mikleo remembered Zenrus' talking about the former, but even he could hardly guess what the latter represented. He carried the same name as Velvet's alleged brother, yet had a different appearance, voice, and mannerisms. There was no sign of the boy he met in person.

They walked and talked, but upon entering the devastated hall again, another vision overlayed upon their minds. Rose's explosive sigh could be heard by all. "Woo," she deadpanned, "another tiny vision to confuse us."

She could not have been more wrong.

Mikleo stood enraptured by what he saw. Living history, preserved by the Earthen Historia. He beheld the clash between brothers as Stormhowl and Stormquell met, saw and felt the rage of Velvet Crowe against Artorius himself... and then this last connection became clear. Innominat descended, a familiar face belonging to a mind that lacked emotion; a heartless, golden monster so uncanny in how familiar he appeared to the boy Mikleo once met. A god.

Rokurou's orichalcum-blade was found wanting before the might of a Great Lord, broken just like Edna once told them. The six renegades fled the presence of Shepherd and Empyrean, but only after their leader's emotional outburst that had Mikleo feel he ought not to have seen.

Once the vision faded, four of the six were left with their mouths agape. Mikleo's mind whirled with possibilities and thoughts, but also certainty. He knew without a shadow of doubt that Innominat and Laphicet were the same person; what was more, he now understood that the 'newly found' dark goddess Minkkubi was Velvet Crowe. And lastly, even without looking at Sorey, he knew his brother would not let this matter rest; his thick head would make him go to confront them both.

"You knew," Sorey broke the horrified silence at last. His accusing gaze went to Zaveid and Edna, who met it evenly. "You knew the whole time."

The wind seraph shrugged in response. "Hard not to recognise them, y'know? Did you expect me to tell you everything? 'Oh please gentle Shepherd, there is an evil god over there selling food to people, and he can bond with a hellion because he can digest malevolence'? Come on, get real." He had a point, but Mikleo still winced over the way he phrased it.

When Zaveid displayed no signs of caving under Sorey's glare, it focussed on Edna who shrugged just as nonchalantly. "As an earth seraph, I am naturally inclined to find gold wherever I go." She held the irate shepherd's gaze, though Mikleo noticed how tightly she held her umbrella.

His general worry grew worse as he slowly began to realise just what was going on here; Zaveid outright admitted to this, all this, being part of Velvet's and Laphicet's designs. He always knew the wind seraph had his own reasons to join them, but Edna never appeared to have her own plans. Having learned all this, Mikleo understood he might have been wrong with that assumption. Centering himself so as to not join Sorey's agitated attempts to interrogate them, he let his voice cut through the tension with a simple question: "Do you know what they are planning?"

Zaveid threw him a smirk in response, but let Edna do the talking while Sorey and Rose listened attentively; the earth seraph shrugged once more. "Killing kittybeard, for one. Laphi doesn't talk much about their strategies."

"Heh. More sweet nothings for you and Symonne, eh?"

The wind seraph received a flat stare, then Edna turned around to hide her face. "More than you will ever get," she retorted, "not that that's difficult." Zaveid chuckled, clearly unbothered by the quip. Everyone watched the seraph girl take a few steps before she stopped to crouch. "The hardest metal in the world," Edna mused as she picked up a shard of orichalcum. "This might be useful." Disregarding the distress among her companions, she began to gather them. Mikleo glanced from one person to the next, hoping that no one would poke the glaring issue.

"So, what's that mean for you? You gonna dump him?"

His vain hopes squashed by Rose, Mikleo let out an inaudible sigh while Edna fell still. "No," she retorted tonelessly, never turning to meet anyone's gaze. To his increasing worry, Sorey jumped onto the subject right after.

"Wait, you trust him? Even after that?"

Edna turned around slowly, revealing furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. "I will dump you before I dump Laphi," she declared, voice cold. "Don't make me." She then went back to gathering shards, ignoring the dumbfounded humans. Mikleo quickly put a hand on Sorey's shoulder and shook his head; Rose received a similar treatment from Zaveid and both humans thankfully got the message. Though the older wind seraph chuckled again.

"Always hard-headed, that one. You're not going to make her change her mind, shepsy."

"Either way, we're not getting anywhere right now. Let's shelve that matter for later and see what to do once we return."

Mikleo received reluctant agreement to his cautionary approach, though the way Edna nodded at him later made it clear she understood what he intended. They could not let their group splinter now, regardless of the circumstances. "You changed since taking the Oath," Edna had said. "Mikleoath." Her grin was infectious that time, much to his chagrin.

Not all was quiet however, for Rose had her own train of thought to follow; she never spent much time scheming like some others liked to do, much preferring direct approaches where possible. As she pondered the day's events and peoples' reactions, she could not help but gasp upon realising the clear backup plan. "That bitch! She could have said something!"

"Do you mean Edna?"

"No, Velvet!"

Dezel waited for her to continue, which she did after formulating her jumbled thoughts properly; indignation and admiration both surged at having figured it out. "Edna and Zaveid are on Velvet's side and Sorey wouldn't want me or you around at all if he finds out about us. She got herself a shepherd's group exactly as long as she needs it, she can break it up at any time!" She groaned, feeling dumb but also a little annoyed how someone supposedly her partner kept these ideas from her.

"Hm, that is a good point. I didn't think Edna would be more aligned with the Crowes, but she obviously is. After what we saw, we may need to reevaluate them too. The knife..."

He left the statement unfinished, but Rose nodded. Lord of Calamity and Great Lord; regardless of how powerful they were however, there must be a way to defeat them. The knife would be delivered upon the deserving. "It's damning evidence, but right now we don't know her objective. Why can't things be easy for just one year?"

"Life is not fair, Rose."

Individual conflicts and goals aside, the general mood remained subdued for the final three days of their stay. By the time Rose and Sorey boarded the ship however, they were brimming with determination to figure out the truth.

. .

. .

Just where did it all go wrong, Hyaci Maltran wondered. She kept scouring her reports, yet the picture they painted remained grim. The crucibles were empty. Symonne defected. Hyaci herself nearly got killed. Several key figures for the grand plan no longer acted as intended, not to mention Chancellor Bartlow being dead. Deployments to Glayvend Basin kept getting delayed. The Spiritcrest was straight-up gone for reasons unknown, something horrific having flattened almost the entire mountain range into even plains.

And above it all, Heldalf remained out of touch, having left no messages for anyone. Despite knowing that he was too powerful to be killed off unnoticed, Hyaci began to feel concerned about his whereabouts.

Malevolence still spread, though at barely more than a trickle; she had to consider her options, well aware that waiting for the Lord of Calamity's return was untenable. Hyaci must act before the shepherd grew too powerful. She considered turning city after city with a fast campaign of their hellions, but discarded the idea; a lightning strike meant nothing if that boy Sorey could merely march in to cleanse what was left.

For one strange moment, she considered to surrender herself; this was enemy action, though Hyaci had yet to figure out who her elusive opponents were. So if she surrendered now, she might be able to save herself. The thought was gone just as fast as it appeared, just like her idea to lay low and wait for her lord's return.

In the end, Hyaci's mind returned to the one thing she could think of doing to circumvent her opponents' plans: make for Artorius' Throne. If everything had gone out of control, she reasoned, she might as well escalate matters beyond anyone's ability to rectify; breaking the seal that kept Maotelus imprisoned ought to do the trick.

Preparations for this undertaking were finally completed, hellions rallied, and Hyaci was ready. Little more than two days' worth of travel separated her from Glayvend Basin and the only accessible entrance to Camlann. She gave the order to march, knowing that there was no going back from this. Regardless, Hyaci Maltran would fight for her dreams and desires until the very end.

Of much the same sentiment as the Blue Valkyrie were the people gathered at the Crowe's Nest, though their intentions were diametrically opposed.

A seraph of water, fire, and earth respectively sat around the single human present. Opposite to them were seated two hellions, flanking a final seraph of no elemental affinity. Tapping his notes, Laphicet Crowe began their council in an even tone: "Our preparations for the final step are complete. Without old Nica to complete my tutoring, we will have to contend with brute force. Minkkubi and Innominat are both in place to intercept Maotelus if instinct drives him to flee."

"The Bloodwings are observing our enemies' movements," Velvet added into the pause her brother left. Everyone else listened attentively, though her gaze focussed on Enya. "I'm sorry that we have to start you out with a task this important. It will get much easier soon enough, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Honest." The month-old fire seraph fidgeted awkwardly, well aware of her youth. "It's not like you have me do it on my own."

Alisha spoke softly into the silence Enya left, pushing the conversation along: "Following the original plan, I understand we are to intercept Lady Maltran's battlegroup and... neutralise it?" The clear pause she left did not go unnoticed, though Alisha pre-empted all concerned question the moment she saw everyone's expressions: "Not to worry, I made my peace with this." The way Malevolence swirled around her at the words told differently.

With no one appearing to challenge her words, Enya hesitantly reached out to clasp the therion's hand. "Are you sure you will be alright?"

Her question drew a gentle smile from Alisha. "I will be," she reassured her newest friend with a soft squeeze of her hand. "My heart may cry, but needs must. For a brighter future."

"...be careful with statements like that," Margaret cautioned her companion a second later; her fingers absently traced the pendant she still carried. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Her words lowered everyone's gaze to the table without exception; Enya aside, all present knew this young woman spoke from experience.

The silence that followed hung heavily in the room.

"...moving on, which path do we take into Camlann?" Laphicet inquired of his sister a minute later, tapping the map. "Do we drop off Margaret's team and carry on through the ruins, or do you want to go through Elysia?" When Velvet shrugged in response, he quickly continued: "Ah, alright. I'd like to take the path near Elysia. This Zenrus character lives there, right? I wanted to talk to him for a while now."

"Sounds like a plan," the older Crowe acknowledged. "Is that thing ready?"

Her question drew immediate attention and curiousity from everyone else bar Laphicet, who rolled his eyes. "As ready as can be, Velvet. I told you that every day the last week, so unless you want to actually test it out beforehand, we won't get any improvements done."

"Hold on," Symonne interrupted their mysterious discussion immediately; narrowed eyes went from brother to sister. "What do you mean, taking an untested arte into battle? That way lies blowing yourself up. Go test it, now!" What little heat there was in her demand subsided when both siblings shuddered; Laphicet eyed his sister, who shook her head.

"No," he then told his girlfriend. "We won't test it. I made it, it works on proven principles, that is not the problem. But it just feels... wrong. So we won't use it unless we absolutely must. It's our last trump in case Maotelus is too powerful to defeat safely."

"And what is it?" Eizen chimed in curiously, but neither Crowe indulged his question.

"It's something Velvet and I agree should not exist. If we don't need it, I will destroy it. I already put all my notes on it together and will burn them the moment Maotelus is subdued. Please don't ask." His request made, Laphicet leaned back in a short pause; just as he asked, no one inquired further. "Thank you. Now, there is one other matter we should cover now: what do we do if we fail and Maotelus is lost?"

Silence answered him, the distraught expressions clearly telling of how much everyone wanted this to succeed. In the end, it was Eizen who began slowly: "If we lose Maotelus, we lose the balancing element between the four elemental Empyreans. Innominat will have to take his original place again."

"We will have to ascertain that the Firekeeper's Oath remains in effect," Margaret added. "If it persists past Maotelus' death, we at least retain use of the flame of purification. If not," she closed uncertainly, "we will have to scramble to undo the main sources of Malevolence. Discontent, poverty, fear, despair. Though I am afraid doing this quickly will require your direct assistance." The present Empyreans nodded their agreement at that.

Alisha cleared her throat for attention right after Margaret finished. "I wish to be clear about one matter," she warned her friends softly. "I do not seek Hyland's throne, or any other throne for that matter. Unless there is absolutely no other way, please do not conceive plans that require me to do so."

The general surprise over the change in subject quickly turned to understanding; Velvet offered Alisha a nod and everyone else followed her lead without hesitation.

When nothing else was to be discussed, Velvet dismissed everyone. Symonne immediately dragged Laphicet away to cuddle while Alisha and Margaret wandered off to practice some more. Enya excused herself to study, leaving behind merely the two members of their original group.

Velvet huffed at herself as she leaned back. "Odd, isn't it?" she cued Eizen. "The last time we had this kind of atmosphere was in Meirchio. Now we're preparing to fight yet another force bent on ending the world as we know it, but from a position of strength."

The earth seraph chuckled in response as he produced a bottle of whiskey. The good one, Velvet noticed. "And don't forget that we're also working to dethrone yet another god," he added sardonically. Two glasses were filled, one of which he handed Velvet. She took it with a wry grin, clinking it against Eizen's a moment later. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

"I'll say." She took a cautious sip, faintly aware of the warmth burning down her throat. "Here's to hoping we win again."

"Aye."