Author's Notes: This is the last chapter for this batch. I expect to have another 3-4 posted in the next day or two, and then the final few just after that. Thank you again!

Another day came and went. Orders were issued, plans were made, and before Flynn knew it, Judith and Ba'ul were there to pick them up. They had apparently already transported Natz and Rita to Zaude, and Yuri, Raven, Karol, Repede along with Harry also. The Empire was going to be arriving last, and Flynn could only hope that the talks would go peacefully. He had his plan prepared and he prayed that the leaders of the three world super powers would listen to him, and be receptive. Terca Lumireis was looking at having to make big changes, or to die in stagnation. Those were the only two choices right now. And neither of them would please everyone.

He always knew that there would be people who opposed the prospect of living without blastia. All of life's little conveniences would disappear and things would be tough. But he also knew that people were capable of adapting. He had done it and he had faith that other could do it, too. It was his job to make those changes just a little easier, so that no one person would have to bear a burden too heavy.

Zaude neared below them, and dread filled up his stomach, a nervous, annoying fluttering that made him more nauseous than flying and sailing combined. He had to hold strong. He couldn't be weak here. This meeting, the fate of the whole world, was riding on their shoulders.

Ba'ul set them down just in front of the shimmering, crumbling shrine, and they disembarked. Karol and Rita were at the door to guard it and let them pass. Judith fell behind the stride at some point as they walked through the hallow and hollow halls of the building. Yuri and Repede were waiting at the final door, the door to the room where they had faced Yeager. Just beyond, there was a table barely big enough for four, where Harry and Natz already sat in silence, and Raven close by.

Flynn took a deep breath and paused his step as Ioder continued onward without him.

"Are you all right, Flynn?" Estellise asked. She had also slowed and placed her hand on his forearm, gentle and reassuring.

"I'm fine, Lady Estellise." It's not like his hands were quaking so badly that they were threatening to drop the metal portfolio that contained the details of their plan. Everything was riding on this meeting and he had to remain as calm as possible.

"You'll be fine." Yuri gave him a halfhearted smirk.

"Thanks."

"We'll be waiting outside."

"Good luck."

He took a tentative step into the room, and then another that came easier, and before he knew it, he had made his way to the table. Raven left them and the door that Yuri had been guarding shut behind him. Another deep breath and Flynn set down the portfolio. He could do this. He was going to be fine. Everything was going to work out. It had to.

"We think we have found a way to defeat the Adephagos."

Yuri couldn't say that he wasn't nervous also, but he had already decided that he was going to go with their plan whether or not the leaders of the world agreed. It would only make it easier if they agreed.

The waiting was the hardest part. He was ready to head to Tarquaron, but Rita's device wasn't ready yet. They needed a few more days. He only hoped that they had a few more days. Time was running out, and quickly. The Adephagos wasn't going to wait for them forever, and Duke was going to wait even less.

It was nearly two hours before Flynn came walking out of the meeting room with no sign of a verdict on his face. A tense moment stretched out before he spoke.

"The Empire, the Union, and Palestralle agree." He smiled a little, and in a strange way, that made Yuri feel a little lighter. "They are going to return to their respective cities and do what they can to quell the trouble of the coming world. There's no way that they'll be able to keep everything under control, but we have their confidence. And now we have a hope."

At least that was out of the way.

"That's great!" Karol shouted.

"It's good that they were able to come together finally, but I think that this change is going to be harder to deal with then they think it will," Judith added.

"People are strong. No one wants a future of destruction. They'll understand," Estelle said. "They believe in us so the least that we can do is believe in them.

"Our main problem now, is how are we going to convert all the cores. We don't have the time to go to them one by one. That would take forever," Yuri said.

"Actually, I found something that might help us with that problem." Rita pulled a book from her pack, pages yellowed with age and numerous little bookmarks sticking out of its edges. "Hermes had a plan that should theoretically work in our favor."

"So what is it?" Raven asked, a hint of impatience to his voice.

"His notes mention the possibility of creating a network of blastia, and connecting them all through a common source formula. If we can do that, then there's a possibility that we can convert the cores en mass."

"How long until something like this would be workable?" Flynn asked.

Rita rubbed her eyes. They were bloodshot at is was, and Yuri had noticed her up at all hours of the night, tinkering away on this project that no one else had the knowledge to help her with. He had seen Judith assist her occasionally, but even Judith wasn't a expert on blastia and all the know-how it was going to take to get this done. She had to sleep soon. "I should have a system in place the day after tomorrow. The false Dein Nomos should be ready about that time also."

"Thank you. Please get some rest soon."

She waved him off, annoyed and turned her attention back to the device in her hand. Considering that only two days before it had been a box of parts, its current state was impressive. She really was working as fast as she could. The essence of time in this case was not lost on her, but work like this was hard to do on one's own, and Rita was generally bad at working with others so any help offered was summarily denied. She was working hard on a device and a system that would destroy that which she loved, her life's work.

"Let's get on it then. We've still got a lot to do," Flynn said, and then turned to Judith. "I'm sorry, but would you and Ba'ul mind taking Natz, Harry, and His Highness back?"

"Certainly. We'll all go. There's plenty of room for everyone." She called for Ba'ul, who had remained close by. He flew in low enough so that the Fiertia was nearly sailing and Tokunaga dropped the gangplank.

Flynn and Raven returned to the meeting room and escort the three leaders onto the boat. After they were safely aboard, the party followed suite, gathering on the deck for a brief meeting.

"So what's our plan from here?" Karol asked.

"We should take the opportunity that we have to rest and restock. After we drop off our guests, we should find a town to stop in. I'm sure that Rita needs more supplies as well."

"What about Halure?" Estelle asked. She seemed to love it there. And it seemed like it would be as restful a place as any at this time. It also wasn't far from their target. Resting there would serve as a grim reminder of what was to come, but it was better than nothing.

"If everyone's agree, Halure seems like a good place," Flynn said.

A collective nod came and they flew back to the corners of the world.

The talks had gone well. Amazingly well. He had been concerned about how well the leaders of the world would take the news that they were going to destroy all the blastia in order to defeat the Adephagos. But they had all received the word calmly. That didn't mean they liked it, but the lengthy discussion that followed proved to ease their concern and work out many of the kinks that would arise after the blastia was gone. It wasn't going to solve everything, but early preventative measures would bring causalities and damages to a minimum. That was the important part.

The meeting had also proven to be more than just that. Peace talks had begun. Ioder and Harry seemed to get along well, and were talking of drawing up a treaty, and mention of the Empire helping with the rebuilding of Nordopolica as well as issuing a formal apology for what Alexei and Garista had done was brought up. In spite of the Adephagos and Tarqaron, things were looking up for Terca Lumireis.

Talking the plan through with Natz, Harry, and Ioder had given Flynn new confidence in it, and in people as a whole. The goal that seemed so far out of sight, far from reach, was within their grasp, but so too was the final battle to save the world and they were going to need all their strength and resources to take on both Duke and the Adephagos.

But some part of Flynn still hoped that a man he grew up respecting, a hero of the Great War, the man who had complemented his father, resulting in his promotion, wasn't too far gone yet. He wanted a chance to try and talk Duke out of it. There was a better way. People could change, and learn to live in a world without blastia. There was no need to cause such sacrifice and bring such sorrow when enough of both of those things had already come. There was no use in living in the past, no matter how painful. Moving forward as the only way that they were going to save this world and all its people.

Duke's intentions were good. He wanted to save the world, but the price that he was willing to pay was too steep. Flynn had put aside his bitterness, and maybe Duke could too for the sake of a better tomorrow. There was that little bit of hope. Maybe he could still be reasoned with. Maybe it wasn't too late for him either.

Zaphias was their last stop, and he escorted Ioder back to the palace himself. There wasn't a single person who passed them by who's life wasn't going to be turned upside down in a few days time. But Flynn had faith in the strength of people, in the adaptability of humanity. The world that Flynn wanted to build, to nurture so that it would grow strong, was so close. It was within reach. All he had to do now was remove the threat standing in the way. That was a difficult task, but he wasn't alone.

Ioder thanked him and Flynn was dismissed to return to the Fiertia that lingered above the city. He had to trust that his orders were being issued and that everything there was well handled until he came back. It was difficult leaving such a big task in the hands of others, but he couldn't juggle this and that.

He stepped aboard the ship and felt like his hope was renewed even more. The strongest people he knew were with him. He could do this because he wasn't alone.