None of them missed the vanishing of Maotelus' domain. Rose needed an explanation for why the air felt subtly different soon after a shock went through the world, but she came to the same conclusion Sorey and Mikleo reached: the Great Lord was gone. A dead silence hung above them all, even the sailors being affected by their horrified brooding.

"What exactly does this mean for us?" Dezel finally asked. He did not look up from where he was feeding a few seagulls. Neither Sorey nor Mikleo had an answer. Zaveid, however, did.

"That," the older wind seraph explained without any of his usual bluster, "means Velvet's plan failed." He immediately had Sorey's undivided attention, who failed to notice the look Edna threw Zaveid; she did not stop him from elaborating, however: "Maotelus was on the brink of total corruption for a while now. The plan was to save him, but if he's gone then he must have been beyond salvation." He was staring out at sea by this point, arms folded behind his back.

Sorey listened intently and wondered how he missed Maotelus being under threat. Perhaps he had never been, he reasoned. A Lord of Calamity would obviously lie as easily as they breathed, this one in particular. He well remembered the friendly woman they all met at the Crowe's Nest; her gentle smile had felt so real that he never questioned her. "Did you actually check?" he inquired, only to receive a shrug from Zaveid's back. "Because I doubt she was truthful. This might have been a plot to kill Maotelus and take his place." Or something of the like, but his mind jumped on the idea the moment it appeared.

Oddly, Zaveid barked out a laugh instead of considering the matter. Turning around to face Sorey, the taller man's mocking grin conveyed his thoughts clearly. "Sure, if that makes you happy. Make sure you say that to her face so she kills you quickly when you go to confront her, yeah?"

The open disregard for their chances left Sorey stunned, which gave Edna time to chime in: "You think he will?"

"Well, yeah. Obviously? I mean, look at the faces they're all making."

The earth seraph cast pointed looks around, though they went ignored as Sorey sought his brother's and squire's eyes. Mikleo was as lost as he if even more worried, but Rose made no motion to hide her irritation. "And what are we supposed to do?" she snarled at Zaveid. "You say we shouldn't at least try taking down this Lord of Calamity that was right under our noses this whole time?"

Needless to say, Zaveid was unimpressed by her temper. "Heh, cute." Rose scowled, which was once again ignored. "Velvet ain't Lord of Calamity anymore. Hasn't been in ages. She's a Great Lord by now, the seventh. You try fighting that when she's got Innominat on her side."

"But we need to do something! If we don't, then the world is theirs!"

"It already is," Edna corrected Sorey's outburst. "Maotelus is gone and from what Laphi told me, the elemental Empyreans are on their side. You can't win this, Sorey." Her flippant response drew an outright glare from him, to which she merely arched an eyebrow. "They already did the impossible before, and in their hands are several long forgotten artes. Laphicet is a genius of his age with the powerful mind of an Empyrean added to it, he developed new artes and single-handedly rediscovered the process of crafting armatisation catalysts. Velvet is just as powerful, having learned the blade under Artorius himself and ascended herself from a hellion to a goddess."

She paused there to gauge his reaction, but Sorey knew, just knew there had to be something to be done about them. Edna might have seen it in his eyes, for she sighed. "Life is not a story, even if it sometimes feels like one. Innominat was defeated when Velvet abused the nature of her connection to him to create an infinite loop to base a seal on. You do not have such a little detail to exploit, you are just a man with a sword. You have a woman with two daggers along. Fight, and you die."

"What do you even care?"

Edna flinched back from his flat tone and Sorey regretted the words immediately. Before he could apologise however, his companion turned around to stand next to Zaveid. Her umbrella turned evenly, hiding the girl from sight. "I care," she assured him quietly. "I do not care enough to abandon them, but I care." She fell silent for long moments, the next part so quiet he barely heard: "If nothing else, I don't want you to die."

But even if he died, he had to try. Sorey did not know how to convey his feelings to her, however; they refused to be put into words. It was his duty as Shepherd to confront the Lord of Calamity, present or former. Heldalf had to wait while he dealt with this greater evil.

"Might as well save your breath," Zaveid drawled, "kid's too stubborn to change his mind." He ignored Sorey's glare as he had Rose's. "I'm out once we're off the ship. I hung around 'cause Velvet asked nicely and 'cause I wanted to make an effort for Maotelus." No one responded, he merely received nods from the humans and Mikleo; they all expected him to leave sooner or later, so it was no great surprise. Zaveid next tapped Edna's shoulder. "What about you?"

The cries of seagulls filled the silence that followed. Edna stared out at sea for a long time, never turning around to meet their eyes. The longer she kept quiet, the more worried Sorey got; he expected Zaveid to leave, but not her. Yet she was involved with Velvet and Laphicet, so her loyalties lay elsewhere. "Don't know yet," she ultimately muttered. "But I guess I'll stay around a bit longer. Keep the idiots from getting killed, at least."

"Waste of effort, but alright. I'll let them know when I get back to Lastonbell."

And now they did not even hide the fact they were reporting to them. Sorey almost tore at his hair in anger, but stopped himself. Mikleo pinched the bridge of his nose before shepherding both him and Rose away to plan. The squire's brows were furrowed. "We must make the attempt," she quietly decided, "even if it is futile. She got that title for a reason."

"But we need a plan and it has to be good. Maybe gramps knows something."

While the three of them began to bounce ideas off each other, a seraph boy woke on the continent. Maotelus yawned before snuggling into his soft pillow. He was warm and content for the first time in a long while. As the haze of sleep receded somewhat, his eyes blinked open and he rolled out of bed, gracefully landing on all fours. It took him several steps to remember he was bipedal again, at which point Laphicet quickly rose; his cheeks burned, though the absence of anyone who might have seen quickly asserted itself.

Thanks to the wonder that was opposable thumbs, he quickly managed to open the door and took in his surroundings. Not a soul was to be found, though he could feel the presence of many malakhim in the area. In addition, he could hear quiet voices from a room adjacent to the corridor he stood in. Sneaking along, Laphicet soon poked his head into a cozy living room, which was indeed occupied. He noticed a seraph girl he faintly recalled meeting, as well as someone he really did not want to see. Innominat's, Laphi's gaze snapped to him within moments and they silently exchanged glares; the fact Symonne was perched on his once-nemesis' lap took some of the force out of it however. She cheerfully waved him inside.

Well, he reasoned with himself while entering, at least he now knew it was not a fever dream. Though those two being so snug irritated him for some reason, he did not let it show. "Are you sure I'm not interrupting?" Phi asked instead. Going by Laphi's grimace, he was; the other boy did not speak his mind, though.

"It's fine, come on in." Symonne gave no indication that she was aware of the tension as she kept motioning him closer; then again, she also nestled further against Laphi... who shoved her off his lap, resulting in a surprised squeak. "Hey, I was comfy!"

"Not the time anymore," her boyfriend (?) returned matter-of-factly, attention solely on Phi who crept into the room while watching for surprise attacks. "And stop doing that, I wouldn't have waited until you wake up to finish you off." He had a point and even through his bout of paranoia, Phi felt silly. He stopped glancing around to focus on a mirthless Laphi instead. Symonne made to lie square on the couch after being pushed there, resting her feet on Laphi's lap instead. The incarnation of Innominat frowned, closing his eyes. "I believe a conversation is in order," he offered calmly. An olive branch of sorts, Phi understood.

Settling opposite to the two malakhim, he despondently crossed his arms. "About what?"

"About where we stand." Laphi's tone adopted an edge of annoyance at that point. "I don't like you and you don't like me, that much is obvious." Symonne made to speak, but thought better and closed her mouth to let Laphi continue: "But you are Empyrean no longer, and thus I have retaken my place. I figured we would have this talk as equals, but this makes it easier." He immediately noticed Phi's frown, but pre-empted the accusation already forming in his throat. "No need to negotiate about who goes where in the hierarchy. Or how to divide the planet as our vessel. I'm not planning to suppress mankind or go back to sleep anytime soon."

Phi closed his mouth. He expected some kind of insult about himself being beneath Laphi, not an actually practical concern.

"So for Velvet?" Symonne chirped from where she was lounging, to receive a nod from Laphi. Phi figured much the same, though confirmation was always good.

Still, he could not help but taunt his old enemy a little more: "Since when do you care about her again?" After everything he did, Phi left unsaid. Laphi understood him just fine, going by the renewed glare. The other boy opened his mouth to retort, but Symonne pushed his jaw shut with her foot, tutting at him. She appeared just as indifferent to his annoyance as Phi was.

After being reprimanded, Laphi took a few deep breaths to center himself before responding. "Yes, I do. She is my sister. We put the past aside and started fresh when we woke up a few years ago. I'm being nice with you for her sake, because she wanted you saved so badly. You don't need to like me, but I hope you can at least keep things cordial for her, too."

It was oh so tempting to keep poking the hornet's nest, knowing that Velvet would keep her brother from doing anything. But despite everything else, Phi knew he was better than that, not to mention how disappointed Velvet would be if he kept at it. So he inclined his head. "Alright." The matter settled, he glanced between the other two and decided to broach this subject neutrally. "You two seem close."

Almost as if by a miracle, Laphi's expression softened; he glanced to Symonne as well with a fond little smile. She giggled in response before throwing Phi a wink. "Made him my boyfriend a while ago."

"Despite being pushed around?" he could not help but ask after that earlier display. Symonne just shrugged, though Laphi huffed.

"Symonne is like an invasive species. She comes into your personal space and refuses to leave on her own accord. Subtle hints or words don't work unless they align with what she wants." The girl stuck out her tongue, though she did not refute the commentary.

"It's not my fault you and Edna are both stuckups."

That name rang familiar, but he could not place it. Still, the way they spoke about her confused Phi a little. "And who is Edna?"

"My girlfriend," Symonne chirped victoriously before pointing her thumb at Laphi. "And his other girlfriend. I'm an insatiable glutton, you see. I'd rather gobble up two cuties than one." She giggled over Laphi's exasperation while Phi felt his cheeks warming from the innuendo. He could not even get himself to be annoyed at Laphi, seeing how this was clearly not something he pushed for.

"Anyway," Laphi ultimately put an end to the mirth, "you should have a few words with Margaret. She wanted to talk to you first thing, but held back after seeing you on the verge of collapsing." Symonne immediately sobered up while Phi nodded.

"Margaret was... that human girl, right? The blonde?" Both nodded and he pondered momentarily. Here was to hoping she was not some kind of fangirl. "Do you know what she wants from me?

Going by how they exchanged glances, they knew. Symonne ultimately shrugged and raised one foot to idly motion with instead of her hand. "Her reasons are her own to share, but she wants to bond with you and become Shepherd."

That was better than what Phi feared, although he assumed there was more to the matter. Going by how Laphi appeared in favour of the matter however, he wondered just who she was. "And you think she's up to it?"

"I'd say yes. Symonne?"

The girl huffed as if amused. "I've been with her for about a year now, and I can assure you: there is not a human alive more suited to being your vessel. The original plan was to become your pactkeeper, which she has the resonance for." Phi's eyes widened a fraction at the news and he nodded along as Symonne continued thoughtfully: "Well, Alisha would be just as suitable, if she had resonance and weren't a therion. But you know what I mean."

He took slow breaths, considering the matter with a glance to Laphi, whose expression became unreadable. "I'll hear her out and decide then," Phi allowed softly. "You were right that I'm no longer an Empyrean, so I will need a vessel sooner or later."

"Unless you'd become sub-" "No."

Symonne's teasing comment was shut down before she even finished, and by both boys at once. They scowled at each other momentarily before relaxing. Phi felt that now was as good a time as any and rose. "Where is she, then?" He would rather get this out of the way.

The clearing of a throat brought their attention to the door, where Margaret stood with a blank face. "Pardon me, I could not help but overhear," she admitted while stepping into the room, her very appearance striking Phi as familiar; he could not tell why the way she held herself felt so uncanny, though. "I wished to speak to you about several matters."

"Should we leave?" Laphi interrupted before they got any further. Margaret offered a minute shrug before glancing to Phi, who shrugged back. He did not care either way, for now.

"However you wish. I don't want to hide from the two of you, but if you rather give us privacy?" Neither moved and so Margaret inclined her head before turning back to Phi. Her hand moved up to her throat, caressing a pendant the malak faintly remembered as well; but where had he seen it before?

Before he found an answer to that question, Margaret undid the clasp on her neck and offered the pendant to him. "I believe this belongs to you."

Phi stared at her, as did the other two. He reached out hesitantly to receive the gift, then studied it from up close. A wooden carving, clearly made by an adept yet not a master. Two bright feathers crossed over a dark circle. "I know this," he muttered more to himself, "but I just can't remember where I've seen it before." Looking up, he found a crestfallen smile being forced from Margaret's face.

"It once belonged to your mother," she coaxed gently, and Phi remembered. Staring down at the keepsake, he kept listening in shock. "I once carved it for her, then kept it to remember her by when she passed. It should have always been yours, and I'm sorry it took so long for you to receive it." His wide eyes sought Margaret's, whose stance he could now place. Ever alert, ever ready. She had steeled herself. "Upon me rest the soul and the sins of Artorius Collbrande," she revealed, her voice as fragile as glass. "And I desire to atone for all of them."

He had no words. Staring between the impossible girl in front of him and the pendant in his shaking hands, Phi did not know what to do. What to say. What could he say to the one who, apparently, bore the soul of his father? The man who started it all, and whom he himself helped kill.

A glance to Laphi and Symonne earned him solemn nods, though the girl was frowning about something. Phi returned his gaze to the pendant with racing thoughts, then eyed Margaret again. She waited for his response, but he noticed the way her fingers twitched. The barely aborted fidgeting proved more than he could handle, and so Phi was once more stared at the keepsake he held; after a thousand years, nothing else of his mother was left. And Margaret gave it to him, regardless of how much Artorius had loved his wife.

"T-Thank you," Phi ultimately murmured as his fingers closed around the pendant. He never had anything of her. "I will treasure it always."

His feelings were still a giant whirl, but he knew this much; his mother loved him from the bottom of her heart, even after she was reincarnated as Seres. Phi carefully fitted the pendant around his neck under three pairs of eyes, until the faintly warm wood rested on his skin. Margaret wore a melancholic sort of look now, inclining her head. She said nothing else however, so Phi prodded gently: "You want to bond with me?"

"...yes. I want that."

"To make up for the past?"

"Yes."

He nodded softly, eyes going to Laphi. Phi knew not which answer to give, but after everything, he wanted to give her a chance. He could always sever their bond later and after he already managed to work something out with Innominat of all people... he wondered why not?

"Alright. I'll accept you as my vessel, and with my flame, grant you the title of Shepherd." Margaret started by his acceptance, clearly having expected a different answer. Phi slowly reached out one hand to the girl, who caught herself and produced the arte of bonding. Somehow, he doubted he would regret his choice.