Rean was in high spirits as the now enlarged group sedately rode their horses across the hilly terrain of the northern Nord Highlands. Why wouldn't he be when Gaius was back and with him came confirmation that both Alisa and Millium were also fine and he would soon be reunited with them? Even the monsters seemed to be on his side as they were content to give the riders a wide berth as they crossed the terrain.

As Gaius explained it the Nomads – having been warned about the potential dangers from General Vander – had been quick to pack up and relocate their settlement to Lake Lacrima as soon as the hostilities began. Having recently completed the long and dangerous trek from Thors, the three refugees assisted the nomads in their move, eventually settling down near Gwyn's cabin. Which was where the two girls should currently be at.

And it certainly wasn't as if he was the only one ecstatic about the reunion, as both Machias and Elliot were equally overjoyed to see their friend. Even now Elliot was happily chatting away with Gaius as the three horses trotted along side by side.

"Wow..." But that conversation died as the group finally arrived at the lake and beheld it's majesty. Even Rean, who had already been here once before, couldn't help but appreciate the tranquil beauty of Lake Lacrima. All of Nord was amazing, but if he had to pick any one spot as his favorite, it would be this one.

Not even the presence of the hastily erected yurts or the daily activity of Gaius's people detracted from the place. If anything it showed just how versatile the Nord people were at their ability to quickly relocate and still live in unison with the environment.

And speaking of the Nord people... "Brooo!" It seemed that they had been noticed as one very familiar young girl approached the group. "Brooo!"

"I'm back, Lily!" Between her greeting and Gaius's reply the attention of others was drawn to the group of students. Among them Rean recognized his other siblings, Thoma and Sheeda, alongside another girl named Sharl, who normally worked at Zender Gate. And it appeared that they in turn recognized him as he could hear his name being uttered by the kids. All in all, it was a relief to see the kids were all fine, as the thought of them being caught up in a foreign war was too awful to even consider.

After dismounting and introducing the children to Elliot, Machias, Captain Claire, and Celine (who they were definitely the most interested in), Gaius led them to one of the yurts, where his family resided. There, more introductions were made as his father Lacan and mother Fatma greeted Rean and introduced themselves to the former members of Group B and Claire.

With that out of the way Lacan went into detail about the situation in Nord. Despite the pleasant and friendly atmosphere, it was clear that the war was becoming a major concern for the nomads. The temperatures in the north were cold, game was scarce, and jaeger monsters roamed the area freely, causing havoc for anyone trying to travel outside of the settlement. If the situation didn't resolve itself soon they might be forced to evacuate from this entire region of the highlands. Rean couldn't help but notice just how frustrated his normally calm friend looked at their plight.

Despite that, they were told to focus solely on their main reason for coming here, which served to remind the swordsman that neither Millium nor Alisa were present. It was Gaius who deduced that the pair must have been with Alisa's grandfather, which Lacan confirmed. Apparently he had led them to the northeastern part of the highlands in search of the reason for the communications blackout. Although the option to stay and wait was available to them, Rean couldn't help but feel like that would be a waste of time and glancing at the others confirmed that they shared his opinion. Decision made the group bade farewell to the Worzels and left the settlement.

Despite being tired from having traveled most of the day the group once again found themselves riding their horses across the Nord Highlands. However, having their ultimate goal of reuniting with their friends so close at hand nobody bothered to complain about the insane number of selge they had crossed since arriving. And with Gaius at their head the group made good speed as he knew the hills and paths of Nord like the back of his hand.

The path he selected had them passing just in front of the great statue that dominated the northern half of the land. While Elliot, Machias, and to a lesser extent Claire all marveled at the giant, Rean couldn't help but see it in a somewhat different light. In a way the stone guardian reminded him of Valimar and he could only suspect some connection there. But with the only member of their group who might have an answer for him remaining steadfastly silent he could do naught but press on, putting it into the back of his mind until after Class VII was reunited.

Of which note, as they passed by the path that led to the quarry Rean realized that they were heading into an area of the highlands that he had yet to visit. When he questioned Gaius about it the Nord informed him that the area they were headed to was just on the border with Calvard. He also warned the group to be mindful of their footing as this was one of the highest elevations in all of Nord.

Something which became painfully clear as they arrived at a cliff. They could see far into the Calvard Republic and much of the rest of Nord below them. Even the top of the Imperial Watchtower was far below them. But this wasn't the end of the path, as a massive land bridge connected their current spot with another plateau in the distance, which was where Gaius steered his horse to.

As they crossed the bridge Rean couldn't help but notice that Elliot's grip grew a little tighter on him, and he could understand why. Even if the bridge was wide enough for multiple horses to cross together, being that high up without any sort of safety was unsettling to say the least. Although the young noble did not consider himself to be afraid of heights he couldn't help but avert his eyes from the ground to focus on anything but the dizzying height they were at.

That being said, it wasn't as if there was much to look at in the area. To the left was mountains. Straight ahead was just the rest of the bridge (which thankfully wasn't that much further by this point!). And to the left...

Were three very familiar individuals standing their ground against a very dangerous looking monster.

Without any hesitation Rean spurred his horse to a quicker pace, no longer caring about the risk of falling. Beside him, Gaius and Captain Claire also must have noticed it as they maintained pace with him. Although he had no idea what led his classmates and Gwyn to that location he could tell even from this distance that the large monster opposing them was more dangerous than they could safely handle, especially with their backs up against the cliffs like that.

Thanks to the great speed and surefooted nature of Nord's steeds, the group finished crossing the land bridge and looped back around in a matter of seconds. As they dismounted Elliot and Machias fired their weapons at the back of the colossal creature. Although those attacks did no real damage, it was enough to distract it and allow the group to join up with their friends and present a unified front.

"Well if it isn't Gaius! And you're...!"

"Rean!"

"You're totally alive... And Claire's with you, too! Double score!"

Even as the two groups reunited none of them took their eyes off the large monster. "We can talk later!" Claire responded to Millium. "Our first priority is taking down this beast!"

"Just be careful!" Celine warned the group. "This is no ordinary beast – it's a cryptid!" Come to think of it, hadn't they encountered a very similar enemy in the Old Schoolhouse? If Rean recalled correctly, Emma had called it an Unsurtr. Why something from there was here now was yet another mystery, but right now the priority was defeating it.

Rean let out a pained sigh as the cryptid gave a cry and disappeared in a flash of light. "Whew... Down it goes." He had assumed that with more people, including the experienced Captain Claire, would mean that an enemy they had defeated once would be a lot easier. Instead they were shocked to discover that their old foe was stronger, faster, and in possession of some nasty new tricks.

Still, as they were all stronger, faster, and in possession of nasty new tricks themselves victory inevitably belonged to them. But it was one more to add onto the many mysteries taking over Zemuria. "You called it a cryptid, didn't you Celine?" It seems that Machias was thinking along a similar line.

"Right. Ordinarily cryptids shouldn't exist on this plane to begin with. But there's something abnormal taking place here in Erebonia... and it's not the war. I can only assume that abnormality having an effect on the land is what caused it to appear."

"Some abnormality?" That... didn't sound good at all.

The Icy Maiden also seemed to share in his worry as she frowned thoughtfully. "Are you implying that something else might be happening at the same time as the war?"

"Ahaha! Claire, I'm so happy to see you!" But any reflections on the mysterious events taking place behind the scenes were put on hold as Millium was far more interested in seeing her fellow Ironblood again.

"Millium..." Despite the situation it was clear that the feeling was reciprocated. "I'm so glad that you're all right... It's wonderful to see you again."

"Yeah, same to you. That new outfit you've got looks smokin' hot on you, too!"

The swordsman couldn't help but smile as he watched the two reunite. He was happy for them.

And speaking of reuniting... "Rean!" He was blindsided by Alisa running up and catching him in a hug. "It's really you, isn't it? It's really really you? I can't believe I'm finally seeing you again..."

Awkwardly he returned the hug, but that didn't stop him from being happy to reunite with yet another of his friends. "Neither can I.."

"Rean you lucky son of a- Should you really be hugging her so tight when you're already bedding another girl?"

It was as if all activity in the Nord Highlands stopped at that declaration. Even the winds and birds seemed to go silent. Rean couldn't help but gape at Machias, but the bespectacled genius shrugged with a flat stare as if informing the swordsman that he reaped what he sowed. He could feel Alisa stiffen in his embrace. "W-What!?"

The first to recover from the news, unsurprisingly, was Gaius, but even the normally unflappable Nord looked a little awkward. "I see. Well that would explain why Fie didn't come..."

Millium gasped in horror. "Rean! Tell me Gaius's wrong! You better have have made sure that Fie c-"

"Millium Orion you do not finish that sentence!" A part of Rean wanted to tease his friend for sounding just like his rival there, but that was a small part compared to the rest of him which was just grateful he stopped Millium in time.

"Laaaame." Millium, being Millium, didn't seem to let that keep her down for long. "...I'll just have to ask Fie about it later." Still an unpleasant thought, but at least that wasn't something he needed to be present for. And it would be nice for Fie to get saddled with the attention after she threw him under the bus like that.

Alisa said nothing, but instead simply awkwardly pulled away from him and refused to look him in the eyes. The swordsman wasn't sure what he should say to her, but decided on nothing as Gaius subtly shook his head, hinting that whatever was going through her head was something she needed to work out on her own.

"Heehee... Okay, it's Millium time!" Any further worries about Alisa were put on hold as he was captured in a flying tackle hug by the youngest member of Class VII. It was only thanks to all his training that he managed to remain upright. "Oh, I missed you sooo much, Rean! Not at Fie levels, of course, but still a lot! Wasn't expecting you to be hanging out with Claire, though."

Said woman let out a chuckle. "Suffice it to say, a lot's happened."

Now that he wasn't at imminent risk of falling over, and having long since accepted that Millium Orion did not understand appropriate behavior, Rean couldn't help but be glad for this reunion too. A part of him had wondered if Millium would have returned to the Intelligence Division instead, but it seemed that despite her late arrival she considered herself a member of Class VII as much as any of them. There was something about the invisible bonds that they all shared...

He couldn't help but wonder if Crow still felt those bonds despite everything.

"We've finally found everyone who's in Nord." Both Machias and Elliot were equally happy at the success of their mission.

"And hopefully, we can find the rest of us soon, too." Gaius was right. There was just one more location that they needed to go...

He was shaken from his thoughts by an elderly voice. "Allow me to offer my congratulations, too." Rean blinked. While he wouldn't say he had completely forgotten the presence of Gwyn Reinford, there was no denying that he had been overshadowed by his two friends. "I'm sure you must have a lot of catching up to do, but I think we should return to the lake for now. I managed to get a good look at how things are in the watchtower."

"The watchtower?" Now that Gwyn mentioned it, the group noticed that their current spot gave them a very good view of the large structure. Gazing down upon it he noticed that most of the damage from the mortar attack had been repaired, so why would they be interested in it unless... "...Are you suggesting it has something to do with the orbal communication problems in the region?"

"It certainly does." Alisa confirmed, although she still seemed to be struggling to look him in the eyes.

Millium too nodded in affirmation. "It's got this reeeally annoying thingy on it, you see..."

Sadly his curiosity would not be sated at that moment, as Claire coughed lightly and reminded them of Gwyn's suggestion that they return to Lake Lacrima. Given that the sun was already sinking low in the sky it was a sound suggestion. Just the thought of trying to cross that massive bridge in darkness was a terrifying one.

Using their horses and Gwyn's truck the group made it back with time to spare. After that the entire group – Including Lacan – reconvened inside of Gwyn's cabin to hear what they had learned. And what they heard was bad news.

"An orbal wave jammer?" He could only repeat in disbelief what they had spoken of. One of those devices was on top of the watchtower and managing to disable friendly communications.

"Huh... I think the Intelligence Division has something like that, actually."

"The RMP does as well..." Claire confirmed for her fellow Ironblood. "...and we do use them from time to time in our operations... but I can say with confidence that I've never seen one powerful enough to cover an area as vast as the highlands."

And yet the Noble Alliance did. Could that too be attributed to the enigmatic Ouroboros? Or was there someone else providing them with advanced technology? Either way, the Nobles had clear communications while the 3rd Armored had nothing, and all of them had sat through Instructor Neithardt's classes on the importance of orbal communications on the battlefield. Without it the Imperials were doomed. And given how fiercely the Noble Alliance was guarding the watchtower...

"No matter the reason, the situation on the highlands at present is perilous. We've managed to escape harm so far by fleeing here, but there's no guarantee that will always be the case." The elder Worzel let out a sigh. "Personally, I think it's time we started preparing to leave the highlands behind and move elsewhere."

While Rean understood that protecting the people was the greatest importance, the idea didn't sit well with him at all. "Does it really have to come to that?"

"...Very well. I'll help you to prepare." Even though Gaius gave no hint at his inner turmoil, they had been friends long enough that he knew how much the decision pained him. And yet he bore that turmoil stoically. "Would you be willing to wait until after that for me to come with you?"

The others – despite their own reluctance – all appeared resigned to this course of action and discussion began on how to begin the evacuation, but Rean didn't participate. Perhaps it was naive of him, but he could not accept that this was the only course of action available to them. Nord was just too beautiful a land to abandon to war.

But what could they do? Class VII - as skilled as he believed they were - was still just a small team. And even if he could possibly fight off the Noble Alliance with Valimar's help that wasn't what he want to do, and he suspected that opinion was shared by the others. So what could a small but skilled team do to change the situation in Nord for the better?

Eyes widened as the answer presented itself. "Please, hold on a minute." Now to convince the others. "This war was started by the Empire, and the responsibility for dragging Nord's people into it is Erebonia's alone. Why should you have to abandon your homeland because of something you have nothing to do with? That can' be right?"

The others were clearly uncomfortable with his question. "It pains me to leave as well, but I don't see what other choice we have." His Nord friend admitted. "You saw the dangers we face if we stay. Jaegers hiding near our settlement, bloody battles cropping up every day... The most important thing is keeping our families safe. If we have to lose our home to do that, so be it."

"And you're really okay with that? Last time we were here, you told us how you loved everything about this land. I'd never seen someone speak as fondly of their home as you did then. Answer me one more time: are you really okay with just leaving that home behind?"

Gaius had no reply to give, so Alisa was kind enough to speak up in his defense. "Rean, please..."

Not wanting to give the others the wrong idea about his intentions, the swordsman decided to clarify. "We haven't exhausted our options yet. There's still a way to make it so you can stay here and keep everyone safe. So why not give that a shot before we give up completely?"

This time it was Gaius's eyes that widened as he understood his intention. "You couldn't mean stopping the jammer ourselves?"

"Exactly. The Noble Alliance is focusing all its energy into fighting the 3rd Armored Division. So if a third party like us shows up out of nowhere... I don't see why we wouldn't be able to catch them off guard and disable it."

"Hmm..."

"It doesn't sound easy..."

While Machias and Elliot seemed hesitant about the difficulty, it was clear that Claire was thinking about something else entirely. "Are you sure you want to go through with that? Whether you intended it or not, you'll be fighting against the Noble Alliance."

That certainly was a valid concern, and yet... "What the alliance is doing is hurting more than just the military – it's stopping communications with Zender Gate. And they're taking advantage of that by using jaegers to control the highlands. We can't stand back and allow the people of Nord to be threatened like that."

But this wasn't his decision alone and so he - along with everyone else not affiliated with Class VII – turned to hear the answers from his classmates. But he knew they wouldn't disappoint him. "Yeah, I agree." Alisa was the first to voice her assent. "The people here have done so much for us."

"Yeah!" It's only fair that we help 'em out, right?

"Are we ready to give it all we've got?" Despite his own nervousness Elliot too was quick in voicing his agreement.

"I'm with Rean. We should do whatever we can."

Even though she was the one to warn them, Captain Claire did not seem at all disappointed by their decision. "If you've made up your minds, then that's all I have to say."

For the first time since Rean had met him, Gaius appeared to be speechless. "...Thank you. All of you." Eventually he managed to recompose himself with a bright smile. "Count me in. To hear you guys say that you want to protect this land as if it were your own means more than words could ever say."

Celine - who had been mostly silent – let out a scoff. "I'd grumble about how you can't help but poke your noses into trouble every time you find it... but I've just come to accept that's what you do at this point." Perhaps his ears were playing tricks on him, but Celine's complaining almost sounded a little less harsh than usual. Perhaps she was finally starting to warm up to him a bit?

Doubtful, but he could hope.

The elder Reinford let out a hearty laugh. "Ah, to be young again."

"...Indeed." Lacan did not laugh, but the smile on his face was just as genuine. "Seeing all of you fired up reminds me just how important it is to fight to protect the things that matter most to you. Leave contacting the lieutenant general to us. And we'll leave this matter entirely in your capable hands. May the winds and the Goddess guide your path."

"Thank you! We won't let you down."

Although they had approval to go through with Rean's plan, it would need to wait until the next day as it was nearing dusk and they had been traveling the entire day. A good rest was needed if they wanted to have the best chance of success with their infiltration. Plus they needed a plan. And while Rean hoped he wouldn't need to use Valimar on this mission, having an extra night to recharge his mana could only be a good thing.

So instead the group opted to spend the night at the settlement before heading out the next morning. The people of Nord were kind enough to feed them all a very tasty dinner despite their own limited supplies and afterwords they retired to Gwyn's cabin. Rean was fully prepared to go to bed early.

"...Rean?" But it seemed that Alisa had a different plan in mind. "Can I speak to you for a minute... alone?"

"Sure." Given how nervous the archer looked after asking him that question he knew he couldn't refuse. Following the girl the two exited the cabin and made their way to a secluded spot where they sat together on the grass. Seeing that Alisa was struggling to say whatever it was she wanted to say he decided to fill in the silence. "This is familiar." A very similar scene had occurred the last time they were at Nord together.

For some reason that caused a conflicted look to appear on her face. "...Yeah." Silence again descended on the pair while she continued to struggle. "So..." She muttered at last. "You and Fie, huh?" For a brief moment he thought this was just an elaborate ploy so she could lecture him like Machias had been, but the sad look on her face convinced him otherwise. "And I'm sure Laura..."

"Alisa?"

"It's... nothing. I guess you could say that it's finally starting to sink in."

"Alisa..."

She shook her head. "I'm not mad at you. If anything, I'm angry at myself. Wondering if things may have been different if I had a little more courage."

Rean knew he was dense, but he wasn't that dense. He understood what she was getting at, but was at a loss as to what to do. "I'm not sure what to say..."

She let out a short laugh of derision. "That's been the problem, hasn't it? I always talk enough for the two of us. Always making you listen to all my troubles while never helping you with your own... I've been taking you for granted."

"That's not-"

"It is!" She all but yelled. "It's like you said. This is familiar. And not just here, either. At Thors or home. Every time I had a problem, whether it was my family, or with Ferris, or anything else, I always turned to you. And yet when you were struggling with your own problems I was nowhere to be seen..." She screwed her eyes shut, but even in the darkness Rean could see the telltale sign of tears. Eventually she regained her composure with a shuddering breath before continuing. "Maybe this is a good lesson. Maybe I can learn to stop being a burden and relying on you so much-"

This time it was he who cut her off. "You're wrong." She opened her eyes to look at him, confusion writ plain on her face. "Never once did I think of you as a burden. Friends are supposed to be able to rely on others when they are down, right? It always made me happy that you trusted me that much."

"I see..." She let out a small giggle. "That's such a you thing to say. Still, hearing that makes me happy... In that case, I promise to do better next time. I want to be as good a friend to you as you have been to me."

"I know you will." And he believed that, too. The Reinford heiress was far stronger than she gave herself credit for.

Giving him a happy smile she stood up and he followed suit. "Thanks, Rean. But we should probably be getting back before the others grow concerned."

Following her advice the two made their way back to Gwyn's cabin. But just as he was beginning to let his guard down, she stopped. "Just so you know, I still have a lot to say about your inappropriate behavior, but that can wait until we're back at Ymir."

"Urk!"

"And Fie, too! I bet it was her idea in the first place." Alisa paused as she tilted her head thoughtfully. "...Now that I think about it, I'm kinda mad at her and Laura. Them going through with this weird relationship was totally to make sure that none of the rest of us had a shot with you, wasn't it? I mean, seriously... I doubt I could have resisted both of them coming onto me at once like that and I've never thought of another girl that way. Talk about unfair!"

"Um..." Once again he had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.

With a final huff the heiress paused just in front of the cabin's door, before turning back to Rean with a genuine smile on her face. "Anyways. Thanks for listening to me. I feel a lot better now. I think I can finally move on..." She hesitated briefly, before quickly covering the space between them and kissing him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Rean." With that she went inside, leaving the swordsman alone with his thoughts.

The next morning Class VII was all ready to commence their infiltration of the tower. They even had a plan as Alisa had recalled the spot where the mortars had been located during their previous trip there and how it was an ideal spot for sneaking in away from noble eyes. There was nothing left to stop them.

That was until Lacan rode up to them and informed the group how during his morning patrol he spotted the Noble Alliance soldats massing on the southern plains, presumably in preparation for another attack. With those forces out and about it would be nearly impossible for them to sneak through. The older Worzel suggested they delay their assault until the afternoon to give time for the army to move out. Left with no other choice, Rean reluctantly agreed.

With that unfortunate delay they decided to spend the morning assisting the settlement elder with any miscellaneous tasks he had on hand, of which he provided two. Sheeda – who had been placed in charge of taking care of the settlement's horses – reported that one of their foals had gone missing. The other request was to take care of some jaeger cougars that had been loosed in the northern highlands, which were causing all sorts of problems for the people and wildlife there.

As Alisa recalled spotting a foal near where they found her the previous day, that was where they decided to start the search, all the while keeping their eyes out for any of the military monsters en route. After an uneventful journey the group arrived in the area and began searching for it. Fortunately, they found the young horse just where Alisa said it might be, by the cliff overlooking the Imperial Watchtower. Unfortunately, the creature didn't seem to want to be caught and instead darted away from them and across the land bridge.

In hot pursuit they soon caught up to it, but yet again the skittish horse eluded them, this time retreating back the way it first came. They were about to continue the pursuit, but that was when they discovered a path hewn into a mountain. Normally not something of note, but the fact that not even Gaius had ever seen nor heard of that path despite spending his entire life here was suspicious. And very familiar. Rean couldn't help but glance at Elliot and Machias to confirm that they too seemed to share his opinion that they should investigate further.

After rounding a corner the path narrowed as they passed a pair of pools teeming with fish that on a normal day Rean would want to stop and catch. Sadly, fishing was the last thing on his mind at the moment as just beyond that confirmed his suspicions.

It was another ancient shrine, almost identical in appearance to the one they encountered near Garrelia. After explaining their first incursion to the others they too shared in the confusion that he, Machias, and Elliot felt. Celine, as always, was as unhelpful as ever, although she did hint that exploring it would make for good combat practice.

Given that their first exploration amounted to nothing in the end Rean was tempted to just ignore it, but some strange compulsion compelled him to want to check it out regardless. Even so, he knew that they currently had more important things to do, and instead suggested that if they had time after completing their current tasks that they come back and explore further. Getting agreement from all present, the team turned around and began to backtrack in search of the foal.

They didn't find it in the area, but thankfully they weren't lost as Gaius spotted small tracks headed back into the central plains that he was sure hadn't been there when they first arrived. Trusting his tracking abilities the group followed suit.

As they traveled down the hills and cliffs that comprised of the northern highlands they didn't come across the horse, but they did spot multiple packs of military cougars running around. Not only had the elder ask that they deal with it, but their presence would make it nearly impossible to safely escort the foal back even if they did find it, so once again the group detoured to clear them out. Although they were fierce monsters they were no match for the assembled might of Class VII and so each and every group they encountered were dispatched with little fuss.

Even though that task was complete, not once during their exterminations did they spot the horse, so they decided to take a risk and scout out the southern highlands. That would also better appraise them of the situation and see if they could infiltrate the tower now. But to get there they needed to pass through the remains of the old settlement.

Which, as it turned out, was actually where the foal was. Realization dawned on them that the young horse didn't understand that this was no longer his home and that was why it refused to return to Lake Lacrima. Using their own horses and Gaius's affinity for Nord steeds they were able to calm down the foal and prepared to take it back to the settlement.

Although there was no longer any need to risk themselves in the southern highlands, Gaius still offered to quickly scout out the area while they began slowly returning the foal to the settlement. After a few minutes the spearman caught up to them and informed them that their route was still a no-go as the provincial army was engaged in skirmishing with the armored division. It seemed that there would be time to return to the shrine after all.

After returning the young horse to Sheeda and it's mother, the group stopped in to report to the elder that the monsters had been dispatched, even if there was little doubt that more would be released if the problem wasn't immediately resolved. Exiting the elder's yurt the group had a collective sweatdrop as they witnessed the foal running off again, with Sheeda frantically chasing after it. Wishing her luck, the group once again mounted up and set off in their original direction, with the shrine as their destination.