Kazu was happy beyond what she thought possible but also concerned when she arrived in the training grounds of the school and saw Asuna. Her happiness was just from seeing Asuna and how strong she had become. Her concern was about how she should interact with Asuna now that they were together inside of Underworld. At least for the time being, they should act as if they didn't know each other.

Kazu stood up from the floor where she sat near the elevation panel and clapped her hands.

"Incredible! I didn't know people could be so strong...I'm actually a little more impressed with the guarding from that onslaught though."

Asuna was blushing, she took the words as such that she should act as if they didn't know each other to follow Kazu's words.

"You humble me, I sense a strength equal if not greater from you than myself. Would you care for a bout?"

Kazu was a little frightened from the suggestion, but she nodded. She was afraid of being hurt or hurting Asuna, but with Kirii there, it was possible for them to be saved if either were hurt.

"Are you certain you should test your ability with someone so strong? You're only capable of using sacred arts, remember?"

Kazu nodded and looked at Koeru.

I have backup stories for that. If anyone says that I couldn't have used such powerful sacred arts, I could explain it away as them being ancient sacred arts meant for fighting the dark landers. Or that there was a rogue dark lander long ago who taught me how to use magic.

Koeru crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't come crawling to me if you regret this."

Koeru settled into her sitting position comfortably and watched as Kazu walked closer.

"No. No I can't approve of this match up. Kazu is only a minor sacred arts user while Asuna is at least a master magic user. It's completely unfair as a match and I couldn't guarantee your safety, Kazu."

Kirii's concern for Kazu was appreciated, but Kazu felt the need to try.

"I didn't want to bring this up sooner, but when Rulid was invaded over three hundred years ago, there was a mage from the dark lands who was sneaking into the light lands. He taught me some magic. Test me on my ability with magic and then make your decision on this. I may accidentally mix sacred arts with magic, so you may not be able to guard against it. I'll direct this test at the walls and floor just in case."

Kirii was more curious at that moment. He had only heard of them being mixed once. When Administrator was desperate to save him and Kirim.

"Whenever you're ready, show us what you have then. If you only passively learned magic from a dark lander over three hundred years ago, I do wonder at your ability."

Kazu took a deep breath, and without even blinking, she created an orb over her hand in an instant. It only took a few seconds before she had the combination ready. A magnifying sacred art to channel the magic through, and lightning magic concentrated enough to form a beam. The attack blasted right through the wall into the ground surrounding the training grounds. She cut it short and blinked in surprise.

"It is a good thing I focused on the wall first...goodness I don't remember it being this strong."

Kirii stared in bewilderment, shifting focus from the magnificent, huge hole in the wall which was slowly repairing on its own, to Kazu and back.

"What sacred art was that? And was that lightning magic? That's a composite magic which takes an excessive amount of knowledge and experience to produce...I can't even produce that refined a bolt of lightning. The destructive level is absolutely terrifying..."

"Ah...sorry then. I have to apologize for the damage. I didn't think the magic and sacred art would be so overwhelming. I sincerely don't remember it being this strong though. It was barely enough to light the candles..."

"Then why were you confident enough to challenge that terrifying power Asuna was wielding?! You don't make sense!"

"Because I felt stronger..."

Kirii nearly snapped when he heard the reasoning.

"Show me more! If you really just feel stronger, show me something you genuinely remember being strong since you explained this as being weak before!"

Kirii was flustered and the state he was put in made him feel weak. He nearly returned to his previous meek and unsociable state. Kazu in return to that exclamation to see something stronger decided to put a little more focus into her magic, and imagined focusing it through an array of sacred arts. It was full force of the same magic, but instead of electricity, she imagined wind. The moment she opened her eyes and pushed the magic through the magnifying sacred arts, she almost regretted it. The wind slashed through the room cutting into and through the floor and walls and ceiling in the directions the magnifiers pointed. The magnifying sacred art was infinitely stronger than she thought, it seemed.

"Please stop my magic now! My magnifying sacred art is too much stronger than I remember!"

Kirii was already on the floor, dodging the magic. He was unable to even react to it.

"Ah-I...I don't even think Kirim can stop that..."

Kazu groaned. She reached out to the energy she unleashed, and pulled back what she could, slowing it along the way. She breathed the energy back into herself. She felt how far the energy went and hoped it hadn't gone through anyone. Those blades of wind went fairly deep into the ground, out of the school, up through the floors of the school to the fourteenth floor. It was fearsome how far and sharply the magic went.

"...I caught it."

Kirii sighed in relief and Kazu looked down to her shackles to see if she had any runes. None lit up, so she knew she hadn't hurt anyone. The relief made her fall backward.

"You shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard!"

"I didn't. I'm just relieved I didn't hurt anyone. The relief was too strong. I really need to figure out the scale of how strong the magnifying sacred art has become, because last I checked it was only strong enough to turn a little light into a source of heat."

Kirii shook his head and looked over where Kazu created damage. The wind damage wasn't repairing as quickly as the lightning damage. That was how much stronger the wind was than the lightning. Even if the damage wasn't as large, it was stronger. The building would still repair, but it was struggling against the strength at which it was damaged, because the structure which was missing was completely removed. Recreating itself rather than putting itself back together would take longer because of the energy needed.

"Is everything alright? I just saw something ridiculous and was wondering where Kirii went since he isn't at the entrance..."

Kirim's words made everyone stiffen up.

"Who's on the floor...? Kazu? What did you do that you're on the floor? And these new students with their shackles..."

Kirii hurried up in front of her to explain to her.

"It's my fault, Kirim. After testing Asuna and Shiro, Kazu and Koeru had been watching and Kazu said something crazy about fighting Asuna even though Asuna is definitely our strongest magic student. Then Kazu showed off some crazy combination of a magnifying sacred art with lightning magic to prove to me she was strong enough to actually stand up against Asuna. I needed to know it wasn't a fluke, so had her go again and the wind blades happened...which as you can see are causing your reparation magic to work slowly...is this Kazu woman stronger than you, by chance?"

Kirim nodded.

"I don't see why that's so strange to you. The people from before the Administrator began her work were hardy and excessively prone to absorbing intelligence and skill. My magnifying sacred art is strong, but back before the sacred arts were restrained by the taboo index, they were much stronger."

Kirii nodded with a dull expression on his face.

"Ah, so you neglected to inform me that our new teacher was a monster above your level...why? Why accept someone stronger than you?"

Kirim shrugged.

"There isn't anything wrong with having people stronger than us here, and it's inevitable. Eventually there will be people stronger than us because we're teaching them everything we know and it's always possible those with focus on less points of interest could become better in those fewer things. It is really impressive to see how strong Kazu's wind blades were though. I had to wrap them in a cushioning wind so people wouldn't get hurt. That was challenging..."

She fixed a glare on Kazu.

"I hope you had fun. Now, I'll have to prohibit you from further testing against others as far as magic goes because you might destroy this school and all its occupants. Could you please come along with everyone to the top of the central tower shortly? Above my study. I'll give you a chance to prove your strength without risk to life and the safety of the school. I would like to see you using your magic."

Kazu was flush red with embarrassment as she realized she was being scolded. By a younger alternate version of herself. It was depressing.

Kazu went along with Kirim and the rest as everyone who was in the training ground rode the elevator panel to the top of the central tower. She thought about how she was being reckless while she didn't need to be. There was no reason for her to be so showy with her potential. She should have only used her strength in an emergency situation, but she let her curiosity get the better of her and the taunting certainly didn't help. Seeing Asuna and Shiro having developed so much made her feel the need to prove herself for all the effort she had been putting in. She hadn't had the chance to show her physical combat prowess, but at least her magic ability showed to have grown. The only reason she was using the magnifying sacred art was because she knew it so well. As far as the strength of her magic without the magnifying sacred art, she wanted to know that as well.

They arrived at the top of the central tower and Rithi was perched there, relaxing.

"To what do I owe this visit with so many?"

Kirim rubbed the scales along his neck and he let out a sound like a purr in response.

"I've brought these people here so we can witness a new teacher's talent with magic, potentially two. I hope we're not bothering you."

Rithi hummed, it was a pleasant sound.

"This isn't a bother at all. Thank you for visiting me. This is the best place for such a show of strength. I wonder if I still have some magical strength...let me go first."

Kirim nodded, and Rithi moved to his hind legs, readying himself with a deep breath. He exhaled a blast of lightning which electrified the very air around them. It erupted as a massive beam which lashed out at the air around the beam. The beam shot through a cluster of cloud and the clouds dispersed completely. The power of it was intense, shaking the tower beneath them as well.

Rithi sighed and smiled.

"Still have it~"

He moved back into his resting position.

"While you're firing your magic off, shoot it in the direction I can see please. I want affirmation that humans still haven't caught up to dragons. Since you're giving them some sort of credit already, they must be rather strong, right Kirim?"

She hummed.

"You will see."

She motioned for Asuna first. She already had an idea that Kazu was excessively strong with the wind blades as example. The strength of her wind blades were stronger than the evolving strength of the building, her own magic. It was a clear sign that if Kazu wasn't already stronger overall, she had the potential to hone her skill and be immensely stronger. She had the feeling Kazu wasn't as practiced with magic.

Asuna stepped forward to answer being motioned forward and she took a deep breath. She let her competitive side get the better of her and she put everything she had into creating a raging whirl of fire and electricity. Unfortunately the electricity wasn't as powerful as the previous examples she'd seen. She was hoping to output something more impressive, but when she stopped the flow, she immediately followed up with water and intensified the electricity within it, forming the electricity into a straight line. It only formed a straight line for a moment before it encompassed the entirety of the water. The rain which fell from the blast of water was refreshing for those below, and the water landed in a pond in the forest, near the tunnel. A few of the village kids from Rulid played under the light shower.

"That was a nice demonstration. Since you're young you might reach the strength I demonstrated in a decade or two. At your age you need a little more refinement and focus. With lightning magic you want to make it large, overpowering. But you don't want it to be crackling and whipping out of control. You want it to focus around your center point as accurately as possible. You did well using water to straighten it, but that's a beginner technique for dragons learning to use their lightning."

Asuna bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your wise words. I've never competed with an elder dragon before. I will treasure your advice."

Rithi puffed a little smoke out his nostrils and had a big grin on his face. He was happy to be respected by someone he understood was good at their chosen lifestyle. Humans were unpredictable creatures, so he hoped that Asuna would surpass his expectations. He only remembered his first rider being so respectable.

Kazu stepped up when the way was clear. Rithi tensed up, noticing that the human who stood next to him was immediately more imposing on several levels. Her beautiful dark brown hair and fit, slender figure made her appear as he imagined the goddesses of the light lands looking. The imposing level of energy made him fear just what she would produce when not holding back. He wanted to see it even though he was afraid of it.

"Please don't hold back. I get the feeling we'll all be incredibly shaken by your show of power. Start at least with what I did."

Kazu gave him a smile and a nod before gathering the full extent of her control on energy with her mind, and she focused it into an array of lightning at the center, fire, water and mineral surrounding the lightning. The aimed point was a high point of the border mountain range. She closed her eyes firmly for a second, and everyone stared in wonder at the array as it was ready before the blast. Just before the unleash, Rithi felt chills running through his blood. The moment he saw the sacred art placed in front of the array of elements, he thought immediately her plan was to create another path through the mountain. He was about to stop her, but then she opened her eyes and the magic unfolded from the array through the sacred art and the force just from passing through the sacred art nearly made them all fly off of the tower. She wrapped the top of the tower in a wind blocking shield, which stabilized everyone's footing At the same time as she unleashed such an overwhelming force, she blocked the force from blowing them all away.

The culmination of the elements blasting in the array toward the mountain was turned around, creating a spiraling tower of metal, which she created through combining the elements forcefully. It was an immense undertaking, but when she finished the drill-like spire over the mountain, she cut the energy she had been pumping into the spell and stopped to take a breath. She felt if she drew on the immense wealth of energy where she was, that she could keep pumping energy into the spell forever.

Kazu turned around and saw everyone staring with horrified expressions at her.

"Are you not one of this land's gods?"

"Please don't joke about this. I'm from another time. I simply learned from a time where survival was just as important as being good at a job. I was a spinster, but I learned how to fight if the need arose. I had a generous teacher from the dark lands and I also learned a decent amount about sacred arts used for combat purposes. Combining them was common among those who learned, but it seems nobody carried on the ability from knowing both."

Rithi blinked a few times.

"Then are you immortal? The last I remember an average light lander being so strong is over three hundred years ago. Back during the life of my previous rider. He was nearly killed by a child mage about your age back then...possibly you?"

"No no no. I was too busy with making clothes for the fighting men and training the boys with what I'd learned to be on the front lines. The only time I made an attack, was when my sister was being abducted. I attacked an invading colony of goblins at the time. That's where my memories of back then end. After that, something must have happened which sent me to this time period. Maybe my sister and I were needed for something now. I hope it's just coincidence."

Rithi sighed.

"You're definitely not normal. Was there a tunnel between the dark and light lands back then? I recall the tunnel opening around three hundred years ago. It was a combination spell like you just used. It only had lightning, fire and water though, removing mineral from the elements used just now. I've not heard of a single instance or experience of it since that time. Perhaps because the only capable was thrown to this point in the future. If so, you're the strongest person in this world by a massive margin. Nobody else has been able to reshape the mountain range separating the dark and light lands. If it was you who did it back then, it's no wonder you so easily just did so again right now. And you also mentioned attacking an invading colony of goblins...an entire clan of goblins was wiped out when the tunnel was formed. This must have been you..."

Rithi's reasoning and piecing it together left Kazu satisfied. She was happy she studied the history of Underworld so she could build a convincing [from the past] character. Since she outed herself as able to use magic, she needed a cover. She put it all together and the eldest person in the current crowd confirmed it for everyone. Her story couldn't be argued anymore.

"There wasn't a tunnel back then. Curious...there might be something seriously strange about me then."

She played into it easily. She didn't need to put any effort in now to explain further. Just remember what she had said.

"Could you show us a spell without the magnifying sacred art? Everything you have again, just without the sacred art. I don't want to push you too much, but you give the impression you still have more than enough energy to spare."

Kazu nodded, just about readied herself to start casting and stopped to face Rithi.

"So that I don't blow everyone off the tower, just in case I end up using a similar volume of energy, would you help me with putting up a barrier around us against pressure?"

Rithi nodded and let out a heavy breath. The breath transformed into a barrier. Feeling more assured, Kazu gathered as much energy as she could handle once again, formed it into the array of elements she used before, and aimed once again at the drill-like structure she built with the previous blast. She skipped the step of adding the sacred art, and unleashed. Giving form to the other end of the spell, she went for about three minutes, creating a castle like structure from near the mouth of the tunnel, connecting all the way to the drill shaped spire. The astonishment of everyone when Kazu just stopped as her goal of the spell completed, the only question in their minds was if she was exhausted from the effort or if she finished what she was making. An absolutely unfathomable answer but somehow currently believable with what they just saw. What would make more sense, would be her showing an illusion. The amount of energy which accumulated and was spent around her generation point was impossible to ignore though.

"I don't believe I want to take up that challenge anymore, miss Kazu. I would like to learn magic from you though."

Asuna's comment made Kazu blush.

"I'd be happy to share whatever I do know with you. I'm not sure it would suffice, but I would be happy to share whatever bounty I have. I feel I have too much for one person to hold."

Kirim grabbed Kazu by the shoulder.

"I understand what you mean, but we should take responsibility for the strength we've been given, and use it for those who could benefit. Teaching and imparting knowledge to those who could receive is important in that aspect. The feeling of having too much for one person to hold might only be shared between the two of us, but even I struggle to fathom the depths of strength in you. I get a strange sense you are not as human as you think. Given your sister's appearance, you might just be slightly different. As a blood elf, you two give me the impression of being something both similar and different to myself. Perhaps you are half something similar to me. Do you know if one of your parents wasn't human?"

Kazu had an idea of how to explain, but Koeru was in tears as she instinctively began rambling something more personal which also fit the answer Kazu was going to give.

"...father was of the church and he was always so serious about work. Yes he wouldn't have done anything to affront the higher powers. It was mom who always didn't make much sense. The only one of us with hair as pure white as freshly fallen snow. I originally had Kazu's hair colour and eye colour. Mother also had different ears, and she never once ate. She made us food, but not once did she so much as taste it. It was always bland and bereft of flavour. It had something soothing to it, besides filling the sense of hunger. But why did it always feel like there was something else wrong..."

Kazu felt a sense of dread through her just from hearing it. She used the bled emotion onto her in order to continue the emotional explanation.

"Our mother was immortal, maybe the last of a non human race which belonged in the light lands. She was kind, caring, but also strict. I spoke of a dark lander teaching me magic, but the more Koeru speaks of her, the more I feel like it was our mother who taught us both magic and she altered my memory. Our father taught Koeru sacred arts...and even though I had already found work, he pressured me to learn along with Koeru, because of the hunt for our mother's kind. There was a hunt going on back during our time...for all non humans. Our mother was always close to nature and so vibrant, as if naturally glowing. Could it be...she was something the dark lands have but slightly different?"

Rithi trembled and took off in flight, Kirim left to explain his thoughts since their minds were linked.

"Rithi has a feeling you are the last of the ancestral line which created the blood elves. Elves. You might not have all the traits due to being half, but there's too much kinship I feel to you, and not because of strength. You are as family to me somehow, even should our link be far separated. The reason he took off, is that he thought he never needed worry about elves again in his lifetime, since elves once nearly wiped out dragon kind for bowing to the partnership of humans, who were long considered weak."

Kazu was a little confused from the explanation.

"So I understand one thing from your explanation – Koeru and I are half elves. I understand that you're a blood elf and that they're a dark lands evolution of elves. What I don't understand is the reasoning for elves being wiped out when it was supposed to be dragons being wiped out by elves."

"Humans and dragons as well as other previous species of the light and dark lands decided to rise against the far too powerful elves. Energy naturally congregates around elves, so they were too powerful to be left alive after they deemed too easily to eradicate dragons on such a meaningless reason."

Kazu frowned. She wasn't fond of this new information on Underworld's backstory. She couldn't understand how the framework for the world wasn't enough to consider it enough in making AI with desire. They were able to work together and make tough decisions. They wanted to live. They were ready to destroy things on a bad whim or learn from past mistakes. They were already human. Unless it's just history and didn't happen and most of underworld's population didn't actively experience everything. A dragon who lived a long life, born early to experience the entirety of Underworld's run time, would be the most alive of all the bottom up AI. Rithi was the prime example of what Ela wanted out of the project. But, Ela specifically mentioned wanting the humans to be that way. Kazu realized that either the project was over, and it was still running for the sake of some emergency situation, or something else was missing.

"I...don't know what to think about this revelation. Just to make it clear, Koeru and I have no intent to follow through with the whims of past elves. Even if nature tells us to do something, we have minds of our own."

Koeru walked over to Kazu and the two of them stood in solidarity.

"Perhaps...we should find a space for ourselves if people find themselves uncomfortable having elves around. It wouldn't be too much an issue, and it would show that people don't need to worry about us. We want to fight for those who are living now, teach and learn."

A few in the audience who heard Kazu's words knew that it was cover, but for those who didn't know, they weren't sold. Rithi was still staying a significant distance away, so he could fly away just in case Koeru or Kazu went back on Kazu's statement.

"I don't see a reason for you to leave. If any dragons living here take issue against your residence here, then maybe we'll have to let you find a new home, but until then we can try to reason with them that you aren't as other elves were. You aren't a threat."

Kirii's words were helpful to hear. Kirii was of the uninformed. Shiro and Asuna knew the situation, Kirim knew the situation, so it was just Rithi and Kirii who struggled with the new information. The act was important to upkeep, so everyone who was in on the act, had to act accordingly.

"If you do choose to leave, I might just go with you, out of curiosity how an elf becomes so strong. It could just be a genetic trait which makes you so strong, but there's also the chance that the strength could be inherited. While I wouldn't dream of using such power for destructive ends, it could potentially give me the chance to live eternally like the original elves."

Asuna's words had a hidden message. That she would go with Kazu and Koeru regardless of the result of the dragons making a decision.

"I do hope we could become friends and smooth out the future for us last elves and dragons. We might not be able to resurrect elves as a species of the world with just the two of us, but dragons managed to flourish. I sense many dragons in the world through the energy shared with me. Fearing us two children as far as elves are concerned is meaningless. Us being open and revealing ourselves puts us at risk of being snuffed out simply because we should have been fully eliminated long ago. I didn't even know of being an elf, just being human. How fair is it that we be killed for something we've barely had time to understand as truth. That we're the last of a species which was destroyed for one dangerous decision. None of the life we knew is alive anymore. I sense that the demon which was once sealed in a sapling is transformed into a part of this building's structure. This world has come a long way since elves were removed. Can this world have moved on and allow two surviving elves who just want to understand and protect the world as it is?"

Rithi stared and flapped his wings, hovering at the same distance while staring at Kazu as she gave her speech, her plea to live in an era where elves shouldn't exist anymore.

"It is terribly weak of me to continue showing fear and contempt of you. You are more than capable with your display of power until now, to be able to slay me where I fly. I see now that you are pleading children, playing with the energy which misses its stewards. You are strong already, but you are innocent. Lacking the atrocity other elves committed and the drive as well as knowledge is what makes you innocent."

Kazu and Koeru sighed in relief.

"But do not mistake this gesture. The moment you show potential to act in the same way as those who are gone, I will not hold back against you."

Rithi perched where had been before he took off.

"Please allow me rest now."

Kirim rubbed his chin and nodded.

"I will be back soon."

Kirim lit up the elevation pad once again and beckoned everyone on. Rithi the only one staying behind, she moved the pad down. She watched for others just in case along the way down, along the travel path and she brought them to a floor with several doors, several rooms.

"This is the northern tower's teacher section. This is where Kazu and Koeru have their room. If you have nothing further you would like to speak of today, please return to your room. Asuna and Shiro, I will have you in the southern tower's teacher section. You were being admitted as teachers, yes? If so, let me take the shackles off. Shackles are only for students. If a student graduates, should they be inclined to become a teacher, they will have their shackles removed from the moment of graduation. If you would like some weighted accessories, place a request with the mineral magic class."

Kirii responded to Kirim's statement about the shackles.

"Oh right! You did mention shackles weren't for students..."

Kirii was blushing. He wasn't wearing shackles, and he had forgotten quickly that Kirim had explained the shackles' purpose earlier in the day.

"I'm here to learn though?"

Koeru's words were received with confusion.

"Just because you are a teacher, doesn't mean you're no longer able to learn. Being a teacher means you've reached the ability to share your strengths with others. It means you're worthy of graduation and the trust of the rest of the teachers. I would still like to test trustworthiness again soon. I will inform all teachers through my familiars when to meet for that."

Kazu and Koeru nodded but stayed on the elevation pad.

"I'd like to speak with Asuna and Shiro. It's so interesting that there are dark landers here and since I got along with a dark lander back in my time, I'd like to catch up on what life has been like since my era in the dark lands."

Asuna nodded.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Since you know where you're going now, let's find where my and Shiro's rooms are. We can speak there."

Kirim gave Asuna and Shiro a confused expression.

"I understand elves not needing to eat. I'm sure Kazu and Koeru were being polite last night, but why would you two humans not need to eat? It's dinner time soon."

Asuna shook her head in response and Kirim began moving the elevation pad.

"We're well sated actually. And I can conjure some ingredients if we absolutely feel the need."

Kirim nodded and brought them to the southern tower's teacher section.

"Here we are. I'm going to check in on the visitor who was here to inform me of the tournament coming to Rulid this year. He should be in the dining hall where I had a familiar take him before, which is why I assumed you all would be coming along. If you need me, just talk to any nearby familiar. For some reason I keep unintentionally making more so they're everywhere."

Everyone but Kirii got off of the elevation pad, and the two of them descended. Kazu and Asuna locked eyes for a moment, looked around and Koeru pointed to a door.

"That room is not taken, let's use this opportunity for some private conversation."

Koeru's words were provoked by the emotional weight of Kazu and Asuna no longer having to worry about holding back their emotions. Koeru could sense their emotions immediately shifting from curiosity to intense comfort.

They entered the room, and the two hugged each other immediately as soon as the door was closed.

"I've needed to hold you in my arms like this and know you're okay for too long..."

Asuna's words made Kazu nearly burst into tears.

"What's going on outside? Is this okay? Are the people who captured me still a threat?"

Asuna brushed Kazu's tears away and kissed her cheek.

"You're fine. Ela imprisoned the people who captured you, so there is no threat. This is okay and I'm here because Ela agreed you need more support. She can't risk communicating directly with your mind right now because of some things those people did to you, but you're fine."

Kazu squeezed Asuna a little tighter in their embrace to confirm she was holding her. A part of her was afraid of not being able to see her again for a long time. She was afraid of possibly dying without a fight just because PoH had been the one to capture her.

"W-was...was PoH one of the people captured?"

Asuna blinked in confusion but the confusion swiftly morphed into terror as she loosened her grip to look at Kazu and see that her appearance was flickering.