Part Eight

They had left to strike it out on their own. But despite leaving Bearyl Lutis to his fate, there was no denying the fact that the Liberation Army had no headquarters and no leader.

Daunte knew he wasn't in a position to do much about the latter, but he hoped he could help greatly with the former.

The remnants of the Liberation Army split up to avoid drawing attention, and Daunte was given several maps to pinpoint the location of where they were going. Admittedly Daunte didn't know the exact coordinates of the place, but he vaguely remembered seeing the location on maps previously, and he marked them accordingly. However, he felt uneasy as they began to make the trek west. He had no idea if the place was even still standing. It wouldn't have made sense for it to remain standing.

But we don't have many other options, do we?

Horses were scarce, so most everyone traveled on foot. Daunte was surprised when one of the volunteers from Uaminifu offered him his own horse. Daunte declined because he didn't see why he should get special treatment when so many others were not on horseback. He did ask the volunteer however if the man wouldn't mind giving Arin a ride if the boy got tired, and the man agreed. Arin however did not seem to tired, and walked with his head held high. It was very reassuring to Daunte.

As they left Bearyl Lutis behind, Daunte looked for Gunther. "I was thinking we should send out scouts to find Caesar and have them meet with us."

"Good idea," Gunther said. "Our strategist may rush out into battle with us but he has no combat training."

"I'll ask Oboro and Shou to see if they can find him."

Gunther grinned at him. "Good initiative, Daunte."

Daunte didn't really know what he meant by that, but he immediately sought the two detectives out for their assistance. Oboro was on the case and sent Shou out to find Caesar, much to the younger man's annoyance.

"I know nothing about this country. Where do I even start looking?"

"You'll figure it out," Oboro replied.

Shou scoffed. "What a pain." But he did what he was told and set out to find Caesar.

Two hours into travel, Allise caught up with the main group with Varnaz. Varnaz was very apologetic for running out on them, and Daunte assumed that the Lieutenant General would assume position as leader of the Liberation Army. So he was surprised when Varnaz announced, "Once we establish a new base of operations, we will have a formal vote to appoint our new leader."

"Sounds fair," Allise said.

Other than fighting some monsters on the plains and in forests, they ran into no difficulties. Two days later, Daunte saw the outline of a long stone wall on the horizon and his heart skipped a beat. There it is.

"Let's approach with caution," Varnaz warned. "We do not know if this place is currently inhabited. Either by foe or ally."

"The intelligence we gathered from the Holy Army did not list this place as part of their formal operations," Gunther said. "But I agree we should approach with caution."

Their group, which comprised of about thirty people, was the first to arrive. Daunte didn't see any of the other groups and he was briefly concerned. But he quickly shook it off. They'll make it. I know they will!

They moved closer towards the wall. Six meters away from the wall Daunte spotted three people standing in front of a giant set of heavy-looking double doors. The doors however looked broken, and one was laying lopsided against the wall. Further down the wall Daunte saw that part of it had caved in, and slate gray stone littered the ground. Various parts of the wall were covered in overgrown vines, but Daunte's attention drew back to the trio when Felicity shouted, "Caesar!"

His head snapped towards the trio. Yes, Caesar was surprisingly standing in between the other two people, and he looked over his shoulder to give them all a lazy smile. "Ho! Long time no see!"

"I found him," Shou said blandly, standing to Caesar's right. "How much will I get paid for this?"

The third person however was completely unknown to Daunte. It was a woman who looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six years old with sandy blonde hair tied back in a bun. She was not wearing any sort of veil, which indicated to Daunte she was not a native Nagarean. She looked at the group over glasses slipping down her nose, her blue eyes narrow and intense. She was wearing a long green trench coat over a dull brown tunic and green pants, and Daunte saw what appeared to be a Bo strapped to her back.

"We're very glad to see you alive Caesar," Daunte said, hurrying over to the strategist. "Thank you for finding him, Shou." He nodded to the detective before turning to the woman. "And you—"

"I'm not here to make friends," the woman said sharply, her voice impatient. "I'm here to explore this ruin."

"Ruin?" Gunther wondered, looking at the wall.

"I'm not surprised that all of you had come here," Caesar said. He patted the unbroken door. "This after all was the very first Chapel of the Nagarean faith. Not to mention it was also—"

"This place has all the earmarking's of a Sindar ruin," the woman interrupted. She glared at her surroundings. "The Nagarists took what didn't belong to them and converted it for their own selfish purposes, tarnishing a lost piece of a grand civilization!"

"…Right," Caesar said at length. "As I was saying, this place was also the original headquarters of the first Liberation Army. When the Holy Army invaded three years ago, it was abandoned. I tried to have Lord Bearyl re-establish this place as our headquarters but he thought it was a jinx to use a place that had been invaded already. And speaking of Lord Bearyl…" Caesar craned his neck to look around at the group before him. "I don't see him anywhere. Will he be joining us shortly?"

"No," Varnaz said, stepping forward. "Lord Bearyl was deposed, and we subsequently left him when he refused to accept our decisions."

Caesar looked incredibly surprised by this before smiling once more. "I'm sorry that it came to that, but I'm pleased we're finally stepping into the right direction."

"We weren't going to win if we stayed on the path we were on. Bearyl did not agree with our decision and threw us out, so here we are."

"Here you are," Caesar echoed. He looked at the assembly before him and nodded before looking at Daunte. "You were the one who led everyone here?"

Daunte nodded. "I'm not surprised," Caesar said. "This was your home before, after all."

"Your home?!" Roen exclaimed, looking at Daunte.

"How did you know that?" Daunte asked Caesar, gripping Arin's hand in his own.

"I'll explain everything later," Caesar said, turning back around to face the doors. "Right now, we have a bit a situation."

"What situation?" Gunther asked.

"The place is infested with monsters," Shou said. "I'm not joking; it's a nest of all kinds of nasty stuff. I think that this is why nobody tried to move in here after three years."

"I tried to get inside to look around and study," the unknown woman quipped. "But even with my own combat skills I was overwhelmed." She glared at Daunte. "If you're going inside, then you're taking me with you."

"Who are you again?" Daunte asked her.

The woman sighed, and shoved her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "My name is Reis. Now can we get going?"

"I'll join the welcoming party as well," Caesar announced. He looked to Daunte. "Will you be leading the way in?"

Daunte was surprised, and looked at the others. Indeed, even with Varnaz assuming something close to a leadership position they were all looking at Daunte to make the first move. He was admittedly overwhelmed being back in this place, and wanted to assist clearing it out to make a decent home for the Army. He turned back to look at Caesar and nodded. "Sure I will."

"Since I'm not a fighter, I will serve as a supporting party member," Caesar said. "Who else would you like to take with you?"

Daunte looked out over his party before coming to a decision. "Roen, Felicity, Allise, and Jantu."

"Excellent." Caesar looked up. "Is everyone all right with these arrangements?"

The assembly before him answered affirmatively, and Daunte's party members moved forward to join him. Daunte then turned to Varnaz. "If I remember correctly, there's a tall building in the center of the structure that serves as the main building. We're going to make our way towards that building first, and then branch out to the other buildings. Once we enter the main building, would you mind sending a second group in to specifically deal with the monsters on the grounds?"

Varnaz nodded. "Sounds good."

"How many buildings are there here?" Allise asked.

"Seven," Arin suddenly spoke up. "Six form a hexagon radius around the main building in the center."

Daunte was honestly surprised that Arin remembered so much about the layout of the place. "I'll be right back," he told him. "Wait here for me."

Arin nodded eagerly. "I will."

"If you require assistance, send up a signal and we'll march in after you," Varnaz promised.

"Stay safe," Gunther told Allise.

Allise huffed and shook her head. "With my Rune, I'll be plenty safe."

"Then let's not waste any more time," Felicity said.

Cairoh had not traveled with their group so Daunte was apprehensive about the supplies they had, but he knew it just meant they would have to be more careful. Once the seven of them were ready, they ventured into the compound. Shou hadn't been kidding when he said the place was a nest of monsters. They barely took three steps onto the ground when they were attacked by a large group of DoReMi elves. Varnaz and the others almost moved to assist them, but Daunte waved them off and his group took care of them easily.

It was overwhelming being back. Daunte felt nostalgia settle over his being as they followed the gray stone path towards the main building in the center of the compound. The building was porcelain white and was six stories tall, rounded off with a sky blue dome on top. Daunte swallowed thickly as they approached the main building. He remembered that this was his family main residence—he'd spent almost all his time in this building.

"From what I heard, this was the first Chapel of the Nagarist faith," Caesar mused aloud as they approach the black double doors. These doors were also broken on their hinges.

Reis scoffed. "This looks like a Sindarian palace that was converted into some religious compound. I swear, people have no respect for the past!"

Daunte was starting to get mildly annoyed by her self-righteous attitude, but he kept it to himself as they ventured inside. For despite her dour demeanor, Reis was proving to be a capable fighter. She swung her Bo with incredible skill in combat, and she performed near effortlessly. Since they kept getting bombarded with monster after monster, he was glad for the extra help. Inside, the main entrance hall was massive. The walls were pale blue, and Daunte saw two sets of doors on opposite sides of the hall. He saw a large stairwell directly across from the entrance leading up to the second floor. He looked up the stairwell and saw another set of stairs that led up to the third floor, but the rest of the floors were obstructed by the ceiling.

"No!"

Daunte jumped and turned around. Reis was rubbing her hands on the walls in disbelief. She dug her fingernails into the paint, and it flake off. "T-The walls were painted over! No, no, no! Sindarian structures have writings on their wall—and they painted over them!" she looked around frantically. "How…How am I supposed to know now if this is truly Sindar in origin?!"

"I like the color," Allise offered.

Reis cursed and knelt down to fiddle through her pack. "I'll scrape all this blasted paint off!"

"Do that later, right now we have company!" Jantu shouted, pointing as half a dozen gray wolves burst out from one of the rooms and charged towards them. Luckily they were able to take care of the foes easily, but it was still a reminder that they needed to be vigilant.

"Let's clear out this building first and foremost," Caesar said. "We'll leave the other buildings to Varnaz and the others."

Daunte nodded. "Let's go."

Slowly, they made their climb up six floors, looking in every room. Most of the rooms were dusty and empty, or they had broken furniture. Some of them did have random chests in them that they broke open that had healing items. One even had a unique scroll in it that showed combat stances.

"I'll take that," Jantu said, holding his hand out. Daunte gave it to him without protest.

On the fourth floor, however, Daunte could feel his stomach churning, and his footsteps became heavier as he ascended the steps. The group rounded the corner of the fourth floor, and saw a narrow hallway with three doors facing each other.

"Hey, Daunte," Roen said, grabbing him by the arm. "Are you all right?"

Daunte realized that his breathing had been audibly ragged and he coughed to clear his throat. "I-I'm fine, thank you," he said. He nodded towards the doors. "Let's check these rooms out."

The first room to their left was stripped bare except for two treasure chests. To Daunte's shock they found 20,000 bits in the first trunk. In the second trunk, he found another small box with the words 'Sound Set 05' stamped onto the surface.

"Liron will be thrilled when she sees this," Felicity said as Daunte shoved the box into his satchel.

"I like this room," Caesar announced suddenly. He walked around the perimeter of the room and stopped in front of the two sets of windows across from the door. Then he looked at Daunte. "Would anyone mind if I claimed this room for myself?"

"You're our Army strategist," Allise pointed out. "So by default you get first dibs anyway."

Daunte shrugged. "It's all yours."

"Good!" Caesar cheered. "Then let's keep moving."

Daunte crossed the hall to check the other rooms. He was deliberately avoiding the other two doors next to Caesar's room. Two of the room were empty, and one had a treasure chest with an escape scroll in it. This room also had three DoReMi Elves in it, and Daunte's ears were still ringing when they left this room.

"Now this room," Felicity said, gesturing to the middle door beside Caesar's room. Daunte felt his heart leap into his throat, and he tried to shake off the feeling of unease as he stepped forward. "A…Allow me."

"O-Okay," Felicity said, stepping aside. Daunte did several breathing exercises as he approached the door. This door…he remembered. This wasn't just some random room.

It had been his parent's room. And the room he'd shared with Arin was right next door.

Daunte's right hand touched the surface of the door, and the Rune of Restoration suddenly began to glow. "No!" Daunte cried out with dismay, and squeezed his eyes shut. He knew the Rune was restoring a lost memory of this place, and Daunte had a terrible feeling about what memory it would invoke.

"My Lady!"

The frantic shout startled Daunte, and he opened his eyes. A soldier in a blue uniform raced past him and into the room. "My Lady, they're here!"

Daunte looked into the room, and his heart leapt into his throat. There she was—his mother. He was looking upon her as clearly as he had when he was a child, before his memories became murky. Daunte recognized her outfit as the outfit of a High Cleric—the pristine shapeless white robe, the white hood with large pointed horns—because Nagar Himself had horns on his head, so the Clerics wore horns on their hoods as a way of bringing themselves closer to Nagar—though she did not wear a veil over her face. The hood covered every strand of her black hair. He remembered—she had been a High Cleric, right? Phoebe had made Nagarean history as the youngest person anointed to position in the Cabinet of High Clerics at the age of seventeen.

But in this memory—in this memory it was seventeen years after she was anointed as a High Cleric, but she still wore the white robes of a Cleric. She was supposed to be a symbol of hope for people, and to show that the High Clerics in power were not true High Clerics.

"My Lady, we're been betrayed!" the soldier went into a full kneel before Phoebe. Daunte then only noticed that Phoebe had a book open in her lap, and he saw the two children sitting on either side of her. Arin, and…himself. "The Holy Army is here!"

Daunte then realized he that he could hear screaming throughout the compound, and the sounds of fighting. Six-year-old Arin began to cry, and fourteen-year-old Daunte quickly looked to Phoebe, clearly looking for what to do.

Phoebe, however, remained calm and looked at the soldier as she slowly closed the book. "Betrayal…it would appear that way, wouldn't it? When half of the Army is currently marching to Kõrkus, and…" she quickly shook her head. "Where is my husband?"

"He's fighting at the gate, but he swore he would catch up to us!" the soldier rose to his feet and held out his hand to her. "Please, come with me! I will escort your sons and you to safety!"

"And leave the Liberation Army to its fate?" Phoebe asked. "What sort of leader would I be if I did not guide the men and women who serve under me?"

"Then your children. I—"

Phoebe forced a smile at him. "I hope you'll forgive me, but given the current circumstances I'm not going to trust anyone with my children other than my husband."

"R-Right!" the soldier quickly nodded. "Then I will try and get him for you! Please stay here! We'll keep you safe, I promise!" the soldier fled the room and closed the door behind him. Daunte was already in the room, however, so he witnessed what unfolded next.

"Mom, what do we do?!" the younger Daunte exclaimed. Phoebe calmly picked up the still crying Arin into her arms and held him comfortingly. "Who would do this to us?!"

"I'm afraid there's only one person who could've done this to us, Daunte," Phoebe said softly. She slowly paced the room while holding Arin. "And it's the same person who convinced me not to lead the Army marching upon Kõrkus."

Daunte watched as his younger self's face filled with abject horror and his mouth hung open. "You don't mean—no! It was him?!"

Phoebe stopped pacing to face Daunte. "I don't want to think it either, but everything—the campaign, my staying behind, everything—was after all his idea. And right now he's the ones leading my soldiers…into a trap." Her voice had become very upset, and it trailed off into a soft whisper.

"Oh no…" the younger Daunte wrung both hands through his hair in anguish. Daunte wanted to give his younger self a hug.

The door to the room suddenly burst open, and Phoebe quickly turned. "N—" but she froze and her eyes went wide. Daunte watched his younger self race over to stand in front his mother and younger brother protectively, and Daunte turned to see who had come in.

Then a hand suddenly grabbed his right wrist. "Daunte."

Daunte blinked. After a moment he realized he wasn't in the room any longer. He was still standing in the hallway, his hand on the door. Caesar moved in closer, having been the one who grabbed his wrist. "Daunte, are you all right?"

Daunte didn't know how long he'd been standing there reliving the memory, but he turned to look at the others. All of them except for Reis looked concerned. He swallowed thickly before he spoke. "T…They were betrayed."

"What?" Felicity asked softly.

"T-The former Liberation Army," Daunte stammered. "We were betrayed by someone loyal. H-He…" Daunte shook his head and didn't finish the sentence.

"So it's true," Caesar said, letting go of Daunte's wrist. "But I'm not surprised. In my most recent studies about wars, almost all of them involved betrayals by trusted companions. The Gate Rune War, the Dunan Unification War, even the Falenan Civil War—they all involved betrayal. It's what tends to win some wars."

"S-So your family served in the original Liberation Army?" Roen asked.

Daunte shrugged stiffly. He wondered if he should tell them about his mother, but he also wondered if he should keep it secret. He thought about it for a few moments before speaking. "My mother…her name was Phoebe Amirmoez."

"EH?!" almost everyone shouted, taking a few steps back.

"The Phoebe Amirmoez?!" Felicity exclaimed, pressing a hand to her throat. "The founder of the Liberation Army?!"

"She was also a former High Cleric, but she was defrocked!" Roen said.

"All of this is true," Caesar said, folding his arms over his chest. "Lady Phoebe was also the only High Cleric who survived the massacre by former Nether Gate assassins when they took over the government. Of course by surviving, they instead blamed her for all the murders. She was a brilliant politician—her notoriety somehow reached Harmonia, and they even tried to send headhunters here to recruit her!"

"And she was your mother?" Allise asked Daunte. He could almost hear the reverence in her voice, but Daunte instead turned to Caesar. "How do you know so much? And did you always know about my connection to her?"

Caesar shrugged. "What kind of strategist would I be if I wasn't well-informed? Besides I've seen photographs of Lady Phoebe, and while you don't look like her Daunte, Arin does look a lot like her. And it also explained why Arin wasn't pardoned for Original Sin by default, despite the fact that he was technically too young to have been sentenced to the Dark Chasm."

Daunte was still a bit overwhelmed by everything, especially seeing his mother clearly for the first time since before…no, he didn't want to think about it.

"This Rune is incredible," Reis said suddenly, grabbing Daunte's hand. "This is a True Rune, right? Where did you find it?"

"All in good time," Caesar interrupted. He looked at Daunte. "Do you feel comfortable entering these rooms?"

Daunte nodded. "Yes." He hesitated no further and entered the room. For a brief moment he panicked as he inhaled the stale air in the room. He almost smelled…blood in the air.

But the room was thankfully empty. There was no blood on the walls or on the floor; and no bodies. It was just dusty and empty. Daunte approached the window seat in front of the rows of windows across from the doors. It was surprisingly untouched, although the white cushions looked faded. He slowly sank down onto the window seat, and the cushions groaned audibly from having been untouched for so long. He could see the courtyard from the windows, and he saw the large groups of monsters roaming. He also saw various Liberation Army groups quickly dispatch of the monsters. He even saw Gunther leading a group against some wasps.

"I used to sit here for hours, watching people train and talk outside," he found himself saying. "I remember we…" he almost touched the window pane, but withdrew his hand. The last thing he needed was to invoke another memory. He quickly stood up. "Let's go."

"Here's another door," Roen said pointedly, gesturing to a door on the left side of the room. He was obviously trying to distract Daunte. "This is probably the last room on this floor."

"T-That was Arin and mine's room," Daunte said. He hurried to the door but used his left hand to open it. There was a bed near the door that had become a pile of dusty splinters, but the room was otherwise empty.

"I can't believe you lived here before being sent to the Dark Chasm," Felicity said, looking around the room.

"Are you all right?" Roen asked him.

Daunte nodded and forced a smile. "We've cleared this floor. Let's continue onwards."

They left the room and climbed up the set of stairs at the end of the hallway. On this floor there was only one door to the left, and to the right there was no wall, but paned-glass windows that stretched from ceiling to floor. Daunte could see that there was a balcony beyond the glass, and he remembered how it wrapped around the entire building.

"Well, this is interesting," Caesar said, opening the door into the room. It was a giant room, the width easily five meters and the length six meters, with two statues of Nagar on opposite sides of the room. There was no wall opposite the door, instead there was painted glass leading onto the other side of the balcony.

"Hmm," Allise said, observing her surroundings. "If I recall, this may have been where the first Clerics converged to plan missionary work."

Reis scoffed as she looked around the room. "The structure of this room doesn't fit Sindarian architecture! It's no wonder they had no interest in this place." She shrugged. "After all, the tablet didn't give coordinates to this place."

Daunte quickly turned to look at her. "…What did you say?"

"Hmm?" Reis looked at him. "The tablet. The Sindarian Tablet. It gave the coordinates for the location of a True Rune in Nagarea, but it—"

"YOU!" Felicity shouted, jabbing a finger at Reis. "It was you!"

"What?" Reis asked her.

"The Cabinet of High Clerics found out about the existence of Daunte's True Rune because of someone's translation," Roen said hotly, glaring at her. "You were who translated it for them weren't you?! Weren't you?!"

"Why are you getting upset with me?" Reis demanded. "We're talking about a job I did eight years ago! Yes, they hired me to translate the Tablet! All I had were my father's notes, but I did the job I was paid to do!"

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Daunte shouted, startling Reis slightly. "How many children have died because of what was found on that tablet?! How could you just accept the job of a tyrannical government?!"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about," Reis snapped back. "I was just hired to translate an archeological find! There is no crime in that!"

"Ms. Reis, you are not responsible for what happened to Daunte and his friends," Caesar said calmly. "But I do hope you understand that as a result of your findings, the location of the True Rune was turned into a labor camp for children to find the True Rune. Which is still in operation as we speak, despite the fact that Daunte found the True Rune inside the location."

Reis did look stunned by this news, but she shook her head and fixed her glasses. "I had nothing to do with that, so don't blame me for it."

Daunte was about to snap at her again when she continued. "However, I do recognize that my pursuit of knowledge about the Sindar race has caused you all some difficulties. For that, I apologize. If you would have me, I would like to join your cause to make what little amends I must make."

"You seem more interested in this place than our cause," Jantu pointed out.

Reis shrugged unapologetically. "There's that, too." But she saw the look Daunte was giving her and quickly continued. "But since I'm here anyway, and since I inadvertently made your lives harder, I will lend you my strength. If you will have me."

Caesar approached Daunte and spoke to him softly. "I know you're upset, but from what I understand her father is one of the preeminent Sindar experts. The Sindar race held a lot of secrets, and her findings may prove useful to us."

He was advising Daunte to accept Reis as an ally, and though Daunte didn't trust her (especially since she'd worked for the High Clerics previously), he wasn't about to ignore Caesar's advice. He nodded to Reis and held out his hand. "Welcome abroad." He saw by the looks on Roen and Felicity's face that they weren't happy about this decision, but they voiced no protests.

Reis smiled thinly at Daunte and accepted his handshake. "Thank you."

"All right, we have one more floor to go," Allise announced. She grinned at the group. "With any luck, we won't run into anything nasty up there."

Daunte shook his head as they left the room. "The sixth floor is empty."

"How do you know?" Roen asked.

"Because we would've known by now if something was up there."

They reached the sixth floor, and once again Daunte was overwhelmed. It had been his favorite room in the entire building; the rotunda with the four pipes facing a circle. And despite the fact that the pipes were covered, the room was as empty as he'd thought.

"By Nagar, I've heard of this room!" Allise exclaimed. She ran over to the pipes where she stood in between them. "I've read about this! Because of how large the compound was, the High Clerics would stand here and give the Morning Prayer from this room! These pipes run through every building, and are funneled into some of the posts outside, so their message could be heard clear everywhere!"

"Now this is a Sindarian invention," Reis said with awe. She pulled out a pad and began quickly writing notes on it.

"Well then, let's see how well this works," Caesar said. He looked to Daunte. "Why don't we say hello to our allies fighting outside?"

Daunte himself had never spoken into the pipes before, but he remembered watching Phoebe speaking into them. He nodded. "I'll do it."

They carefully removed the lids on the pipes, and Daunte moved to stand in the center. He remembered how sensitive the pipes were, and he knew he did not have to shout into them. "H-Hello, Liberation Army."

The sounds vibrated all the way down the pipes, echoing slightly. He looked at Caesar, who nodded. "The main building is secure," he continued. "If you can hear this message, please meet in the front courtyard."

A loud, shrilling roar startled everyone. The group raced over to various windows lining the room, looking outside. "I don't see anything," Felicity said.

"Neither do I," Jantu said grimly. "But something must be coming."

"Then let's go!" Daunte announced.

The group raced down the six stories and back towards the entrance. They ran into no further monsters inside the building, indicating to them that they had taken care of the next in there.

Just outside, Daunte saw that the Varnaz, Gunther, and a third group were waiting for them. To his relief, nobody looked seriously injured. "Where did that sound come from?" Caesar asked. "Did anyone see what caused it?!"

"It came from the cliff," Gunther said, pointing. "There's a walkway and some stairs leading down the cliffside, and it looked like it led into a cave. Then I saw giant tentacles, and…" he shuddered slightly. "I figured it would be best to come back and report it before jumping down there."

"My announcement must have woken it up," Daunte said grimly.

"Well if it's a sea monster, then the compound should be safe," Caesar said. "It's probably not going to come to land."

"I wouldn't count on that," Shou perked up. "My mom told me about this time when a giant snake jumped out of Ceras Lake and attacked Prince Freyjadour on a bridge—"

"Shou, you're not helping," Oboro teased.

"I'll go down and deal with it," Daunte said. "It wasn't there when I lived here, and if we ignore it then it really might come up here."

"Do you want change your party before going down there?" Caesar asked.

"Does anyone not want to go down there?" Daunte asked. Thankfully, nobody answered in the negative. "Then let's go!"

"If you get into trouble, we're up here to provide reinforcements," Varnaz told him. "Don't hesitate to shout for help, we will come for you."

Daunte nodded. "Thank you. Okay, let's get this over with quickly."

Gunther led them to where the walkway was. There was a lift next to the walkway, but Daunte saw how rusted the controls were and didn't want to risk getting on it. The staircase leading down looked rotted by getting repeatedly pummeled by the ocean surf, so the group made their way down in single file. However, other than the left rail being dangerously loose, the steps held out as they climbed down to the landing below. It almost looked like a dock.

"Oh, there it is," Caesar said nonchalantly, pointing. Daunte saw the blue tentacles first, and when he reached the landing he felt Jantu grab the back of his shirt and yank him back. "LOOK OUT!"

A long stream of black ink shot out from the cave and narrowly miss Daunte, hitting the water instead. "Okay, it's hostile," Daunte breathed. "Let's go!"

They raced into the tunnel. After almost getting hit with black ink, Daunte wasn't surprised to see a blue octopus waiting for them. What he was surprised about what that the octopus was as big at the cave itself, and its tentacles were stretched out around it's body, reaching for them. "Best Friends!" Daunte shouted, getting into formation with Roen and Felicity. To his horror, with his attack each of the eight tentacles were individually struck, in addition to the main body.

It was as though they had nine opponents to fight!

"Everyone, get behind me!" Allise shouted, spreading her arms. "Open Gate!"

She casted the spell from her Pale Gate Rune, and the beast shrieked. All eight of its tentacles began bleeding, but all of them began attacking. Some with simple strikes with others tried to grab for them. "Keep moving!" Jantu shouted. He swung his Tabarzin at one of the tentacles, slicing a chunk of it off. "Don't let it grab you!"

"Let me try something," Felicity said, pulling out her knives. "Maybe my Kite Rune can strike them all!" she triggered the Rune and threw her knives. Her attack did strike most of the tentacles, though it left her scrambling to get her weapons back.

"My turn," Daunte said, raising his right hand. "Berate!"

The Rune of Restoration attack spell pummeled the whole body of the octopus. With this attack, three battered and bleeding tentacles crashed to the ground unmoving, allowing Felicity to get some of her knives back.

"I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve," Allise said. "Royal Passage!"

This was undoubtedly level 2 of her Pale Gate Rune, and from the power of the rune Daunte was stunned to see a giant of a beast, as big as the octopus, with two lightning horns sticking from its back. Lightning burst from the horns and rained down upon the main body of the octopus. But there was so much power from the blast that lightning shockwaves were flying everywhere.

"Augh!" Reis shrieked, jumping out of the way. "If we're hit by that we'll be electrocuted!"

Despite everything they threw at the beast, it was still a very long battle. They threw every spell and attack at it that they had, and Daunt made liberal use of the Howl spell so it wouldn't be wasted. Finally, after a very long battle, the octopus collapsed into the water, dead.

"Well, that was fun," Caesar said, emerging from the entrance. He looked up and down at their surroundings as best as they could, with the octopus's carcass blocking it. "This…looks a bit like an underground dock, doesn't it? And while you all were fighting, I realized that the water from the ocean was flowing into the cavern, not out of it." he looked at Daunte. "It looks like we have an underground river. We'll have to find out where it goes."

Daunte nodded in agreement. "Let's go back to Varnaz and tell him we killed the monster. After we secure the upper compound, we can worry about cleaning this out."

"Well, we could use it for food in any case," Allise said, folding her arms over her chest. "That should help clear it out."

Within a week, the compound was cleared of monsters and the rest of the Liberation Army had joined them. They followed Allise's advice and use the octopus's body to feed the Army. Daunte had never eaten octopus before, and while he'd eaten worse the way Tidur had prepared it was…less than appetizing.

"I'm sorry," Tidur had said. "I've never cooked octopus before."

Daunte made a mental note to find a professional chef for the Army. Not that he disliked Tidur's cooking, but she was already working hard enough as it was arranging room and board for everyone. He didn't want to overwork her.

Once everyone was out of danger, and once everyone was settled, a very important topic came up; electing a new leader of the Liberation Army.

"We'll need to come to a consensus," Varnaz announced. "We need someone we can all definitively vote for."

Daunte had no idea why he was there with Gunther, Allise, Farzin, Eamon and Caesar in the fifth floor of the main building. Caesar, however, gave his answer quickly.

"If I might speak," he said, standing up. "I want to nominate someone."

"Absolutely, Lord Caesar," Varnaz said. "Who do you have in mind?"

Caesar turned and turned to Daunte. "I want Daunte to be the leader."

Daunte gaped at him in shock, and pointed to his own chest. "M…Me?"

"You were chosen by a True Rune, so you're destined for something great," Caesar. "You also found this place for us. In addition, you have demonstrated that you have impeccable leadership capabilities and you have consistently put the good of the Army before yourself. You have sacrificed much for the sake of this Army, and you have proven time and time again that we can trust you. You're an inspiration to our soldiers, and if anyone can inspire them to victory, it's you." He paused before adding, "And you're the son of the original Liberation Army leader. It's fitting."

Daunte clicked his mouth shut. He honestly didn't know what to say. He looked sideways at the others, people with more political and military experience than him. Not one of them, not even Varnaz, looked upon him with disapproval.

"Any objection?" Caesar asked cheerfully. None were voiced.

"We will now have a formal vote," Varnaz announced. "Daunte, if you'll excuse us we will summon you when we've made a decision.

Daunte sat on the grassy hilltop several feet from the steep cliff side overlooking the ocean. It was dusk; the sun was starting to set on the horizon.

But his stomach was churning and he felt apprehensive.

They don't really want me to be the leader of the Liberation Army, do they? Me? I'm seventeen years old! I'm not a general! I'm barely a soldier! I have no rank! And yet they want ME to lead?

"Daunte?"

Daunte looked over his shoulder as Arin took a seat beside him. "I heard the news. So they want to make you leader?"

Daunte nodded. "I don't know why though. There are men and women here far more qualified for the job than I am."

"It's because everyone trusts you," Arin said. "You've done so much for the people in this Army and you continued to work hard even when Bearyl Lutis didn't give you any credit." He paused before adding, "Plus, you have a True Rune. That makes you even more special than other people."

Daunte looked at the Rune of Restoration on his right hand. Arin continued. "And it fits. I mean, Mom was a leader wasn't she?"

Daunte's head snapped up and he looked at Arin in shock. "Y…You remember her?"

"A little bit," Arin said. "I-I don't really remember her face. Or Papa's face. But I remember that everybody looked up to Mom, and she always seemed to know what she was doing. And I remember Papa. He…" he frowned deeply, and pulled out the wooden figurine Daunte had given him. "Papa always seemed to be angry. Did he ever smile, Daunte?"

Daunte shook his head. "I don't remember. But even I don't remember his face."

"He probably smiled a lot at Mom," Arin said, smiling slightly. "Everybody smiled at Mom!" then his smile disappeared and he dipped his head low. "I miss them, Brother."

Daunte reached out and patted his knee. "I do, too."

"S-So I'm not surprised they want you to be leader," Arin said, quickly changing the subject. "After all it's almost like fate, right?"

Daunte flinched slightly, and looked back down at his hand. After a moment he said, "The Tenkai Star…"

"What?" Arin asked.

"The woman—Leknaat," Daunte recalled. "She appeared to me and told me I was the Tenkai Star. I was chosen as the leader of the 108 Stars of Destiny."

"That's so cool, Big Brother!" Arin gushed. "So you're not just a natural leader! You're destined to be a natural leader! And you're a Star, too?!" he looked up towards the sky. "I wonder if I'm a Star?"

Daunte laughed. "I'm sure you are."

"But I'll stand by you no matter what you choose," Arin finished. "Whether you want to be leader or not, I'll stay by your side."

Daunte laughed, and pulled him in for a half-hug. "Thanks."

"Oi!"

The brothers looked up as Gunther approached them, waving his hand. The older man was grinning. "The vote is finished, guys."

"And?" Daunte asked.

"It was unanimous, of course. We want you to be our leader, Daunte."

Daunte wasn't really surprised, but he felt a squirm of uncertainty in his being. This was short-lived however, as Arin jumped to his feet and cheered. "YAY! Daunte is the leader!"

"Is this okay with you?" Gunther asked Daunte, helping him to his feet. "I mean; you don't have to accept the position if you don't want to. You're not the only candidate, but you are the only candidate everybody agreed on. So…what do you say? Will you lead us, Daunte?"

Daunte stared at him. This was his moment to accept or decline. While he doubted his capabilities to lead an entire Army without having a shred of military experience, he was in awe of the way people looked at him. He didn't quite understand why he inspired so many, when he felt that he wasn't doing much at all.

But they trust me. And I do want to make things better for this country so that we no longer suffer. I guess the only way I will make things better is if I do it myself.

Daunte nodded. "If you all will have me; I would be honored to be leader."

Gunther took a step back, and promptly unsheathed his sword. Arin yelped in shock and Daunte jumped slightly when Gunther stabbed the ground in front of him and knelt down before him. "My Lord. As of this moment I swear my sword and my life to you. You have my trust and my strength, and I will stand by you to the very end."

Daunte was stunned by this pledge of loyalty and he swallowed thickly before answering. "T-Thank you, Gunther."

Gunther smiled at him and sheathed his sword. "Follow me please, Lord Daunte."

Daunte still wasn't used to the title and he signaled for Arin to walk beside him as he followed Gunther towards the main building. "S…Should I call you lord as well?" Arin asked him.

Daunte shook his head. "It's not necessary. I'm not a lord."

"You are our leader now, and we will address you with the respect you deserve," Gunther said over his shoulder.

Daunte's eyes widened when he saw the large assembly of people crammed into the main hall of the main building. He saw Caesar, Varnaz, Allise, Farzin, and Eamon standing on the first landing of the stairwell. "I've brought him," Gunther announced, presenting Daunte.

"Have you decided?" Caesar asked Daunte.

Daunte nodded. "Thank you for your nomination. I will accept it."

The entire assembly exploded in cheers, startling Daunte and Arin. Caesar gestured for Daunte to come forward. Arin almost followed, but Gunther gestured to the boy to stay still. As Daunte ascended the steps, the group on the landing headed down the stairs, leaving Caesar standing there alone. All of them were smiling at Daunte. When Daunte reached Caesar's side, the strategist swept into a full bow.

"My Lord," he greeted. "I hereby pledge myself to your name. Henceforth, I am your servant."

"Thank you," Daunte said, but movement to his right caught his attention. The entire assembly fell into a full kneel before the staircase, bowing their heads. Gunther joined them, and Arin did also after a moment. The only one left standing was Varnaz. Daunte was stunned to see the man—the man who had looked upon him with suspicion and derision for so long—now looked upon him with respect and pride.

"Lord Daunte," Varnaz announced, before mimicking the crowd and kneeling before him. "We hereby pledge ourselves to you."

Daunte was so moved by the display that he felt tears sting his eyes. He cleared his throat to steady his voice before speaking. "Thank you all. I hereby pledge myself then to all of you. I will fight with all of my strength to not fail you, and to ensure that we see victory at the end of this war." Unable to help himself, he pumped a fist to the air. "For Nagarea!"

"FOR NAGAREA!" the crowd chanted, followed by whoops and cheers.

"Party time!" Gunther suddenly shouted, earning him more cheers.

"Wait one moment!" Caesar suddenly shouted, raising his hands for silence. He received shouts of protest, but he shook his head at them. "Before we celebrate our new headquarters, and the election of a new leader, we need to get everything in order." He turned to Daunte. "My Lord, please give your first orders."

Daunte gaped at him for a moment, stunned. He quickly realized that everyone was looking at him expectantly and he quickly shook his head. Get it together! You're the leader now, so you must lead!

"Ah…" he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Do you have any suggestions, Caesar?"

Caesar positively smiled at him. "Of course. I think it's in our best interests to find the survivors of Agameru."

Daunte was delighted by the suggestion and nodded eagerly. "Then we'll send out scouts to find the whereabouts of where Lord Lorik took his people. Oboro?"

"I'll be right on it," Oboro said, stepping forward.

"Is there anything else, my Lord?" Caesar asked.

Daunte had recovered from suddenly being put on the spot and turned to face the assembly. "I know that we've suffered many trials, but I would like to plan our next military campaign."

"Excellent," Caesar said. "What did you have in mind?"

Daunte found Roen and Felicity in the crowd, and then his eyes went to Arin. Finally, he said, "We're going to liberate the Dark Chasm."

Seven dead bodies of Liberation Army soldiers were laid out before them. From her horse alongside the entire Cabinet of High Clerics, the Matron looked at them impassively.

"Your Worships." A Holy Army lieutenant knelt down before them. "We confirmed Bearyl Lutis was here, but he escaped. Our scout saw him flee with four other soldiers."

"Execute the scout," Kayanu ordered. The soldier flinched. "He let the rebels get away and did not stop them."

"Your Worship," the lieutenant sputtered. "I spoke vaguely. The scout saw them at a distance. H-He couldn't have—"

"He saw them leave and did not stop them," Kayanu snapped back. "He let them get away, so he will be punished with death."

"But—"

"Are you questioning the order of a High Cleric?!" Yuuto snapped at him.

"No, of course not!" the lieutenant scrambled to his feet. "Apprehend the scout! I will see to his execution myself!"

"Wise choice," Kayanu said as the soldier retreated. The Matron saw some of the Holy Army soldiers give them dirty looks, but pretended not to notice.

"So Bearyl Lutis was only protected by eleven soldiers?" Takefute mused aloud. "It appears he was abandoned by the Liberation Army."

"Unsurprisingly," Hayato quipped. "He was completely incompetent at leading anything."

"But the Liberation Army is still united," the Matron said. "And they have fallen under the command of that boy with the True Rune."

"Only fools would follow a child," Takefute huffed. He looked to the Matron. "What will you do now, my Lady?"

Two meters away, they heard the scout scream for mercy before the lieutenant cut him down. The Matron didn't even flinch. "I will wait. Since that boy has now assumed power, I know exactly where they're going to go next."

End of Chapter Three