You'll notice that I moved the Bath Scenes, Play Templates, and Investigations to the end of Chapter Six. That's because I became aware that when I posted a new chapter the new chapter link would send everyone to the Investigations page and not the new chapter page. I figured that this was because I kept reordering the series to move the Plays and Investigations to the last place, so I moved them back a few chapters. I will still post at the beginning of chapters though when these pages have new info, and the update dates will be list in their titles.

Chapter Eight: Part One

—

Neclord's End, Second Edition

The Cast

Narrator: Nigel

Riou: Yuber

Neclord: Nash

Viktor: Fred

Kahn: Surya

Sierra: Sierra

—

The stage lights shined as a spotlight over Nigel, who stood stone-faced at stage right. "It was a dark time," he began solemnly. "Tinto had fallen to the undead army of the evil vampire, Neclord. But his reign of terror would be brought to an end by a mighty hero. Commander of 100,000 forces in Dunan Army. Adopted son of the famous hero Genkaku. A brave, charismatic young man who personally felled Luca Blight, saved the City-State of Jowston, and brought about the end of the Kingdom of Highland. The hero, Lord Riou!"

The spotlight turned off over Nigel and the back stage lights came up. A mural with the seal that had held Neclord hung in the background. Nash stood at middle stage right, and Yuber stood at middle stage left, Fred and Surya standing at either side behind him.

"So you made it all the way here?!" Nash proclaimed loudly, planting his hands on his hips. "You must be Riou, Commander of the Dunan Army!"

Yuber stepped forward, frowning deeply. "This is stupid," he said coldly. "You're not Neclord."

Nash barked out a laugh but quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. "Yuber!" Nāṭaka hissed in alarm from the front row. "That wasn't your line!"

The stage lights dimmed and the spot light shined over Nigel again. "Lord Riou was not alone of course. One of his greatest allies was thrice-time war hero! Hero of the Gate Rune War, Dunan Unification War, and Higheast Rebellion! Lord Riou's right hand man—Vagabond Viktor! And his other close ally! Vampire hunter extraordinaire and future doctorate of mineralogy! Master of the Resurrection Rune—Kahn Marley!"

The back stage lights came up again as Fred stepped forward, puffing out his chest. "I've got you now, Neclord! Fred Maximillian of the Maximillian Knights will dispense justice upon you for every horrible thing you've done!"

"Fred, you're VIKTOR!" Nāṭaka burst out as the audience began laughing. "We rehearsed this, don't use your own name!"

"This is turning into a disaster," Freyr muttered in the audience.

Surya stepped forward, giving a sideways glance at both Yuber and Fred before looking at Nash. "Give it up, Neclord. I swear on my bloodline that you will not leave here alive."

"Woo-how, Prince!" Mokuren cheered in the audience.

Nash was visibly trying not to smile onstage while he continued to look haughty. "So, you think you have me cornered? A prey cannot best a natural hunter like me!" He thrusted his right hand towards the ceiling. "Blue Moon Rune, I call on you!"

The spotlight returned to Nigel. "Though the might of Lord Riou was great, Neclord possessed a terrible power. One of the 27 True Runes that molded our world! The Rune that turns its wielder into a vampire and summons a zombie army! The horrifying and powerful Blue Moon Rune!

"But all was not yet lost," Nigel continued. "For Lord Riou had one more ally to come to his aid. Founder of the Blue Moon Village, the true and proper wielder of the True Rune! A beauty with a heavenly smile and devilish eyes! The young maiden, Lady Sierra Mikain!"

Sierra herself breezed onto stage from stage left, and many in the audience cheered. "Oh Neclord," she said, shaking her head at her husband. "Haven't you learned your lesson already?"

"Old H—Elder Sierra?!" Nash screamed in genuine fright. "WAUGH! No! No! NO! SOMEONE HELP ME! AAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

"Why is he freaking out?" Felicity wondered out loud. "He's being a little overly dramatic with his own wife, isn't he?"

"Maybe he's recreating Neclord's reaction to her?" Roen wondered.

"Now how should you be properly punished for stealing the True Rune and killing countless innocent people?" Sierra mused aloud. "I could suck you dry, but I don't want to taste your foul blood. Lightning? Nah." She smiled. "I'll just take the Blue Moon Rune back."

There was no dramatic proclamation, just a matter-of-fact statement, but there was a flash of bright white light and Nash staggered backwards as though he'd been hit. "Oooooo...ahhhh..."

"Go ahead and kill him," Sierra said bluntly to Yuber. "I don't care."

Yuber scoffed. "I would not have minded a battle against Neclord. A battle under these circumstances against an inferior opponent is an absolute waste of time."

"You wound me," Nash said sarcastically. He suddenly bared his perfect teeth. "I'm going to drain you dry, boy!"

"On second thought, I will definitely fight you," Yuber said bluntly, and in a flash fell forward and slammed into Nash with all his might. Nash shrieked as he flew backwards and crashed loudly and violently into the backstage area.

"You'll be sorry for that," Sierra said darkly, and quickly left the stage.

"Ah, uh, um, wow!" Surya shouted, his eyes wide. "Good job, Lord Ri—"

Yuber immediately teleported away. Fred struck a pose and shouted, "Another victory for the Maximillian Knights!"

The audience was both cheering, laughing, and booing. It was impossible to decipher if the play was a success or a flop.

"That was…strange," Bax said as he leaned against the back wall.

"That actually went better than expected," Gertrude said, clapping unenthusiastically. She looked to her left. "What do you thin—"

The spot beside her was empty. Gertrude blinked in confusion. "Where did Sanji go?"

—

University of Žiak

The headmaster rubbed a hand across his eyes painfully. "All of them?"

"Yes, Sir," the guard before him said. "Not one student attended class again today. They have locked themselves in their dorm rooms in protest."

"'Protest'?"

"The incident at Peak's Edge," a second guard responded. "The entire student body has allegedly condemned what happened to the Winger—ah, winged demons. So they are refusing to come to class or leave their rooms."

"This is blesphemy!" The headmaster exclaimed. "Protesting against the will of the High Clerics is an act of war against Nagar! These stupid kids—do they not understand the consequences of their actions?! That their families could be punished alongside them?!"

"Should we summon the city guard?" the first asked.

"No," the headmaster quickly said. "That will get the attention of Sheikh Liger, and then she'll come here demanding answers! I'll lose my job, and since most of the students come from prominent families I'll have them to deal with if the situation escalates! We need to figure this out ourselves!"

"So what should we do, Sir?" the second guard asked.

The headmaster waved a hand. "Get every security guard. These kids are going back to class if we to drag them kicking and screaming."

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. Guards went room to room kicking down doors and dragging the students out and down the hall. The students did indeed kick and scream, many of them screaming condemnations and others saying they'll sic their parents on the university.

"Hold on," the first guard said when they got to one door. "Be careful with this one. This student is believed to be the one who arranged this protest."

"Is that so?" The headmaster said. All around them students were still being dragged from their rooms, their screams and curses echoing up and down the halls. "What is this student's name?"

His assistant flipped a couple of pages on a clipboard. "Room 121. Chinmaya, aged 19. She is a triple major in history, political theory, and statistical analytics."

"A triple major?!" the headmaster exclaimed. "Does her father have a government position?!"

The assistant shook his head. "Her parents are both deceased, but were farmers in Barakada. Chinmaya is here on scholarship."

"So, she's very low on the caste," the headmaster sighed, nodding. "Then get her out and we'll interrogate her. Depending on what she says we may be forced to hand her over to the authorities."

"She is also our top student," the assistant added meekly.

"All right," the headmaster said. "Just get her out of her room!"

The first guard tested the doorknob, but it didn't budge. Then he pounded on her door. "Chinmaya. This is University security. You are to open this door immediately!"

Silence greeted them from inside the room. It didn't not faze them as much of the same had happened with other rooms. The guard knocked again. "Chinmaya! Open this door right now!"

Silence.

"If you do not open this door we will kick it down!"

Silence.

"Do it," the headmaster said.

The first guard slammed his foot into the door and it swiftly swung open. The guards and headmaster took two steps into the room and froze in their tracks. The room was empty except for the bed, desk, and dresser. No personal effects could be seen anywhere in the room.

The headmaster vocalized what they all were thinking. "She's gone."

Liberation Army Headquarters

"'The news of Oddessia'—"

"Odessa."

"A-Ah. 'The news of Odessa's death was too much for Flik to bear. He fled Toran Castle, leaving Master Tir and Viktor to chase after him'." Arin smiled brightly as he looked up. "I'm getting better, aren't I Brother?"

"Yes you are," Daunte said. They were sitting in the new library at HQ at one of four tables arranged in the room. Bookshelves lined the walls and Blaise was organizing the books. It was only the three of them there. "Would you like to continue?"

"Sure! But why is Flik being so mean to Master Tir? Master Tir wasn't mean when we met him!"

"Remember, Arin?" Daunte held the page and flipped over fifty pages back. "Odessa died here. Flik wasn't there. And the new leader of the Liberation Army was someone who was with Odessa when she died. Someone Flik didn't trust. He wasn't mean because he was bad. He was mean because he was angry and grieving."

"Ohh," Arin said, nodding solemnly. "If you died Brother, I would be angry too. And I would cry—but not much!" he promised.

"Don't worry about crying, Arin. I cry a lot too."

"You do?"

"Sure I do." Daunte ruffled his hair and flipped the page back. "Are you ready to continue?"

"Yep!"

The door to the library burst open and Jantu came inside. "Please excuse me, Lord Daunte. I know that Lord Caesar gave you the day off but Lorik Varra has just arrived."

Daunte quickly shot to his feet. "What is it? Did something happen?"

"He won't say. He said he'll only speak to you. He's in the war room right now with his bodyguard."

"Okay." Daunte turned to apologize to Arin, but the boy had already bookmarked the page and slammed it shut. "I'm coming with you, Brother!"

"Blaise, can I sign that book out?" Daunte asked.

"Of course," Blaise. "I'll put your name down and bring the book up to your room later."

"Thank you!"

Daunte and Arin followed Jantu out of the southeast building. They headed towards the main building when a commotion to the east caused them to pause. Daunte looked in the direction of the noise and realized that it was coming from the gates. It sounded like a very loud argument. "What the—"

"YOU!"

A girl's shriek rose above the shouts. Daunte saw someone slide underneath one of the guard's legs and when they stood he saw a teenage girl in a maroon shapeless dress with matching thin veil. The girl was pointing frantically at Daunte as she ran at him in full sprint. Three guards were chasing after her. As she got nearer Daunte saw she had three bags of different sizes bobbing around her. He was mildly impressed that she could run so fast with so many bags. And outrun the guards.

"Daunte!" the girl shrieked. Her violet eyes were wide and her hair was tied in multiple bantu knots on her head. "Lord Daunte! Son of Phoebe Amirmoez! I have to talk to you!"

Daunte stiffened and his eyes went wide. What?! Who is that girl?! Daunte pushed Arin behind him and Jantu stepped in front of them both. The girl reached them and skidded to a stop, but as she paused to catch her breath two of the guards who chased her grabbed her arms. "Let me go, you idiots!" The girl snapped.

Daunte tried to move out from behind Jantu, but the Kobold warrior only moved with him. "Who are you?!" Daunte demanded to the girl. "How do you know so much about me?!"

"I'm not stupid!" the girl snapped. "Your wanted posters are plastered all over Žiak! I would recognize your face from anywhere!"

Ah. Someone who actually pays attention to the wanted posters.

"H-How do you know our mom?!" Arin shouted, though he clung to Daunte's shirt as he hid behind his brother.

"Well considering your arrest under Original Sin is a matter of public record, it was easy to find out your parentage! Hey, could you get these jerks off me?!"

"Why are you here?" Daunte demanded sharply. He was finally able to move out from behind Jantu.

"I was—getting to that!" the girl growled in frustration as she continued to struggle. "I'm trying to join your Army!"

Daunte waved the guards off, and they reluctantly let her go. The girl scoffed loudly and brushed out her long sleeves. "Thank you!" she snapped at the guards. She turned to face Daunte. "I'm here. I'm done with this government. If you're trying to stop this insanity then I want to help you. I'm the top student at the University of Žiak, after all."

"…And your name?" Daunte asked.

"Oh, right." The girl gestured to herself. "My name is Chinmaya, and my skills are at your disposal."

"They're losing! They're losing this war to a bunch of foreigners but they're too blind and stupid to see it!"

"Oh!" Daunte shouted. He pointed at Chinmaya. "I remember you! I saw you in Žiak arguing with some of your friends! But you're a loyalist to the Holy Army!"

"I was a loyalist," Chinmaya corrected him sharply. "But no longer! I've studied the Scriptures from front to cover, and politics was one of my majors, and I can tell you that the actions of the Theocracy are an abomination! I will not stand for it any longer!"

"I…see," Daunte said slowly. "And you want to help me now?"

"Well, I don't see you throwing kids into an abandoned mine! Instead is tearing down towns you rebuild them! And! And you stop a genocide from happening! Per the Nagarist faith we are bound to wage war on anyone against Nagar but it is clear that the High Clerics are using our teachings for their devilish purposes! I must stop them!"

"What's all this commotion about?" Caesar raced over to them. "Oh, hello Lord Daunte. Lorik Varra is up—"

"And you shouldn't be relying on some foreigner to win!" Chinmaya snapped, pointing her finger at Caesar. "This war should be won by people who are actually from this country and who have an actual stake in the victory!"

"Excuse me?" Caesar asked calmly, his brow rising. "That's an awfully rude thing to say."

"Don't talk about my Strategist like that!" Daunte snapped at Chinmaya. "Caesar has done amazing things for this Army! We've had many victories because of him!"

Chinmaya scoffed. "Like the time he led your Army into a trap while marching on the capital? How many of your soldiers died then?"

"That was under different leadership," Caesar said defensively. "And that was not my plan!"

"And what kind of good strategist can't talk their leader out of a terrible plan?"

"Enough!" Daunte shouted. "So far you've been demanding and insulting! You have not endeared yourself to us at all! On top of that you're a student correct? That means you don't have any actual experience as an Army strategist, correct?"

Chinmaya shrugged. "I would have the necessary experience had I been allowed to graduate! Did you have the necessary experience to be a Commander, Lord Daunte?"

Daunte bristled, but Chinmaya bowed her head. "That was rude of me, I'm sorry. But I want to help you in any way I can to end this insanity. I'm sick of the corruption and chaos. It must come to an end."

"So you want to be a Strategist, I presume?" Daunte asked. "With how terribly you insulted the current Strategist that I already have?"

"Look, I'm a triple major," Chinmaya said. "I know about politics, history, and statistical analytics. And with the Blood Fest coming up, I think you should be prepared—"

"Blood Fest?" Daunte interrupted her as a cold chill swept down his body. He pressed a hand to his mouth. "Oh no…"

Daunte had largely forgotten about the holidays due to his time in the Dark Chasm, as they obviously never celebrated anything there. But the Blood Fest…the day of remembrance of the battle that had supposedly created the Red Tundra. The biggest day of worship to Nagar, where believers celebrated with gifts, food, and bloodshed.

Bloodshed. Oh no, I forgot about the slaughter on Blood Fest. Traditionally believers would go out and slay as many monsters as they could find, but Mother—didn't she say once that believers had started killing anyone they perceived to be against Nagar. And the Theocracy has painted us as heretics against Nagar…

"The Sheikh," Daunte said, looking at Caesar. "Sloan Faakhir will launch an attack against us on the day of Blood Fest. In fact, all four Sheikhs might attack us that day."

"If the holiday is called Blood Fest, it wouldn't surprise me," Jantu said grimly.

"I don't like Blood Fest!" Arin said tearfully. "I-I remember—people act so bad on Blood Fest!"

"Okay," Caesar said calmly. "I'm sorry Lord Daunte, but would you mind forgoing your day off so we can discuss this with the rest of the Army?"

"Absolutely." Daunte turned to Chinmaya. "You seem eager to help us so I will accept your help."

Chinmaya immediately brightened and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Daunte!"

"But Caesar is the Chief Strategist of this Army," Daunte told her sternly. "You will defer to him as a Secondary Strategist."

Chinmaya straightened and looked crestfallen. Caesar smiled lazily and sarcastically at her. "Try to keep up."

"There was a lot of shouting outside. I wonder what that was all about?"

"Oh, some loudmouth girl has imposed herself on the Army. It should make things even more interesting around here."

"Wait, she just showed up and started making demands? That's awfully rude!"

"Well, such immature behavior would be abhorrent to a mature mind like yours, Bax…"

Caesar was biting his lip to suppress a laugh while Chinmaya was looking at the ceiling. "Where are those voices coming from?"

"You'll get used to them," Daunte said.

Daunte dropped Arin off at his room before heading upstairs with Caesar and Chinmaya. They were greeted to Lorik and Tala standing in the hallway in front of the war room when they exited the elevator. Chinmaya couldn't stop gawking at the structure. "A real elevator! I thought the only elevators in Nagarea were in the Grand Citadel and Sheikh Keha Hale's Garrison!"

"Lorik Varra," Daunt said, quickly approaching him. "Is everything all right? Are your people in trouble?"

"No, nothing of the sort Lord Daunte," Lorik said. He looked a little flustered. "Ah, you see…I'm here to humble myself to you."

"'Humble yourself'?"

Lorik bowed deeply. "Lord Daunte, I owe you everything and have no means to repay you. I ask your permission to rejoin the Liberation Army."

"Wait!" Daunte cried out, raising his hands. "You don't need to join the Army! We just rebuilt your hamlet! Don't worry about us and just focus on your people!"

"I appreciate your concern, but I must do more than simply be a mayor to my people. I have to act to bring about the necessary changes in Nagarea. I want to do something, Lord Daunte. I know that I left this Army on bad terms, but I want to start off on the right foot. Please, allow me to help you as you helped me."

Daunte looked at Caesar, who shrugged. Chinmaya quickly came up behind them. "Is that Lorik Varra? Who's watching your people while you're here?"

"And who are YOU?" Tala said darkly, glaring at her.

"All right, all right," Daunte said sheepishly.

"To answer your question, I have resign as mayor," Lorik said, straightening. "I feel my track record has proven that I'm an incompetent leader. Unfortunately my people wouldn't accept my resignation, but I found a suitable replacement to watch over everyone."

"I'll send a couple more soldiers to your hamlet for protection," Daunte said, nodding. He held out his hand to Lorik. "You don't need to worry about owing me anything. This Army owes you plenty for abandoning you to die. If you want to rejoin us, then I'm honored to have your faith. Welcome back, Lorik."

Lorik sighed shakily and shook his hand firmly. "Thank you, Lord Daunte."

"And you'll be joining us too Tala?" Daunte asked her.

Tala continued to glare at Chinmaya for a moment before relaxing and looking at Daunte. "My place is at Lord Lorik's side. I will keep him safe."

"You've done that plenty already," Lorik said, nodding to her. He smiled at Daunte. "I came out into the hallway because I saw that you had gathered the soldiers for a meeting. I thought it would be prudent for me to ask to rejoin the Army before the meeting and not disrupt it."

"You wouldn't have disrupted it." Daunte waved to him. "Come on, let's go in."

"Y-You want me to participate?"

"Sure. You've participated before."

Lorik nodded. "I—thank you."

Surya, Israfil, Gunther, Allise, Varnaz, Eamon, Keiran, Mihr, Tamara, and Oisin were already in the war room when they entered. The meeting started with the reintroduction of Lorik Varra into the Liberation Army, and Chinmaya's introduction as the Army's new Secondary Strategist (much to Caesar's chagrin). To the man's shock everyone was very welcoming and happy to see him. He looked especially stunned when Varnaz shook his hand and told him he was happy to see him. Since Lorik had not left the Army on good terms (and Varnaz had sided with Bearyl Lutis when it happened) Daunte was glad to see a more positive energy around them.

I have to keep this energy. We have to take this war seriously but I want everyone to feel good about being here.

Of course, the mood turned grim when Chinmaya took the floor and reminded everyone assembled about the country's forthcoming holiday.

"Blood Fest," Varnaz breathed softly. "Bearyl still participated in that but we slew monsters for that."

"I do remember the specifics of Blood Fest," Caesar said. "I wouldn't participate in such an event, though…"

"But that would be an appropriate time for the Holy Army to come after us," Allise said grimly.

"You mean the attack on my village wasn't part of this Blood Fest?" Oisin asked.

"The violence would have been greater had it been," Caesar told him.

Oisin scoffed in anger and disgust. "It was plenty violent as it was."

"I never liked the holiday," Gunther admitted. "Sure, killing monsters is fun but hunting parties tend to have a nasty habit of drinking over the legal limit and then attacking other hunting parties."

"That's part of the reason alcohol consumption is restricted in Nagarea," Eamon pointed out but Gunther shrugged. "Do you think most people care?"

"Father took me hunting for Blood Fest," Tamara said, shuddering. "I can attest that people can get violently drunk during the holiday and they really don't like being arrested for drinking more than the legal limit."

"My forces killed 200 monsters last Blood Fest," Keiran said thoughtfully. He looked at Mihr. "You slew the most monsters though. It was very impressive."

"No, you did," Mihr responded.

"Eh?" Keiran looked confused. "I killed seventy-two monsters. You killed seventy-three monsters."

"No my Lord, you killed seventy-three monsters. I killed seventy-two monsters."

"I would think I would remember how many monsters I killed, and I distinctly remember—"

Mihr unsheathed his sword, which startled the people around him except for Keiran. He held the blade up for everyone to see. "A warrior from the Warrior's Village wouldn't lie about how many monsters fell at his sword. Nariek will not take credit for more kills than you."

Keiran threw up his hands slightly. "All right, then I'll take credit for making more kills than you."

What an odd argument, Daunte thought but he kept it to himself.

"Sounds like a swell holiday," Surya said grimly.

"Oh no, it can be very unpleasant," Chinmaya told him. "I don't know how I survived last year's Blood Fest. A couple of idiot hunters broke into the University post-hunt drunk out of their minds and covered in blood—"

"Monster blood?" Lorik asked warily.

Chinmaya shrugged. "I hope it was monster blood. But their antics were so violent that they actually got in trouble with the High Clerics."

"Blood Fest is three weeks from today's date," Daunte said. "So we should expect the Holy Army to strike before then."

"So we should plan to attack preemptively," Caesar said. "If I recall, the day before Blood Fest is an enforced calm. No fighting, killing, or other acts of violence can occur on the day before out of respect for the holiday. Bearyl Lutis called it "the calm before the storm"."

"That is the unofficial name of the day," Keiran agreed. "Executions can't even be carried out on that day."

"I know that a lot of you are believers in the Nagarist Faith," Caesar said. "But if Sheikh Sloan Faakhir is going to launch an attack against us on Blood Fest as we suspect him to, then we need to take advantage of the mandated "calm" and attack him on that day."

"I agree," Daunte said, nodding. "The High Clerics have already misused the Scriptures and teachings for their own devices. Launching an ambush during the "calm" could never compare to the sins they've committed."

"I don't worship Nagar, so this "calm" is no different than any other day to me," Surya said, shrugging.

"I mean no offense to anyone's faith but this holiday also means nothing to me," Israfil said. "I will fight on that day."

"I'll fight any day of the week if it means overthrowing the government," Gunther said cheerfully.

"I already defied Nagar by getting a divorce on a technicality," Allise said. "Fighting on the day before Blood Fest doesn't matter to me."

"I don't care about defying the faith when the faith took my family away from me," Varnaz said.

"I will fight on any day if it means victory," Keiran said.

"I-I will assist in any way I can," Tamara said. "Even if it's on Blood Fest."

"As will I," Eamon said.

Lorik nodded, his complexion pale. "If this means I can finally see Sloan Faakhir fall, I don't care what day we march. That man must pay for everything he's done."

"Agreed," Oisin spoke up. "You promised me that vile human's blood, Lord Daunte. I intend to keep you to that promise."

"I promised justice for all of you," Daunte confirmed. "And you will get justice."

"You attacked Sheikh Faakhir's Garrison previously, correct?" Chinmaya spoke up. "Then a second attack should be easy. Will you deploy the same strat—"

"I think," Caesar interjected. "We should convene this meeting for now. We'll need to prepare the soldiers to attack the day before Blood Fest, as many of them are believers of Nagar. In the meantime, us Strategists will piece together a plan with our Lord and have another meeting in the near future."

"Wait a min—" Chinmaya protested, but Caesar covered her mouth with his hand and nodded quickly to Daunte. "That's all, everyone. You're dismissed."

"Go and enjoy your day off," Allise told him.

"Yeah, let's go fishing!" Surya said enthusiastically.

"I'll be right down," Daunte said. He wait for everyone to leave until he was alone in the war room with Caesar and Chinmaya. Chinmaya pulled herself away from Caesar. "What was that?! How dare you prevent me from speaking!"

"First of all," Caesar said. "Since you insist on being a strategist with me, we need to run ideas by each other and make sure we're in full agreement about everything. Brainstorming with the lieutenants is perfectly okay, but our voices and ideologies need to coincide." he interlaced his own fingers to make his point. "We can "brainstorm" but we have to be in agreement before we meet in front of the troops. If we don't show even the facade of unity, then we will not inspire our soldiers to have faith in the people who are supposed to plan the every move of this Army."

"I know that we have to pretend to be in agreement!" Chinmaya shot back. "But you should at least listen to what I have to say considering I'm actually a native of Nagarea! Unlike you!"

"Well I've done fantastic without you!"

"Okay, guys?" Daunte interrupted them. "You both need to learn how to get along. Caesar's right, you need to look like you get along. If you don't then it will have a negative impact on morale. Both of you take a breather and not speak to one another for the rest of the day. Starting tomorrow though, outside of this room you will act like you're best friends. Is that understood?"

"Absolutely," Caesar sighed, looking more exhausted than he usually did. "I miss Apple," he grumbled.

"I'm tired," Chinmaya complained softly. "I fled the University after starting the protest and kept running because I don't know how to fight monsters…"

"Go and relax in the onsen we have," Daunte said. "Caesar, is there anything else…?"

"No," Caesar said. "Go and enjoy the rest of your day off, Lord Daunte."

"Thank you." But his stomach was churning. I hope I didn't make a mistake…

"Ah…here." Daunte traced his fingers along the Tablet of Stars. "Number 85, the Chifuku Star."

Chinmaya's name was already etched onto the stone's surface. Daunte nodded stiffly. "Okay. Good. I didn't make a mistake."

But hopefully Chinmaya can…tone it down a bit. She doesn't seem to have any respect for Caesar, and as the Secondary Strategist she HAS to defer to him.

Daunte scoured the Tablet to see if he could see more names. His mood lifted considerably when he saw Lorik and Tala's names also on the Tablet. "Number 19, the Tenku Star. And Number 98, the Chiaku Star."

Daunte took a moment to count the names on the Tablet and he smiled as he took a step back. "Eighty-three."

I've recruited 83 of the 108 Stars of Destiny. I just have 25 more to go. But getting so many in quicker time than I expected definitely feels great.

Daunte heard movement from the side and he looked to see Leknaat sitting by herself. When she had collapsed both Dr. Yulin and Clara had insisted that she stay in bed and rest for a few days. Despite doing so she still looked exhausted, but had allowed Daunte to send furniture down to the basement level so that she wasn't always standing at the Tablet. Feeling guilty for not immediately checking up on her, Daunte walked over to her side. "How are you feeling today, Lady Leknaat?"

"I am doing much better," she responded softly. "I apologize for this. I can't remember the last time I felt so ill. But I know you have questions—"

"No, you need to relax," Daunte said. "I don't want to push you to use your powers when you feel like this." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Is it Nagarea? You started feeling sick when you came here."

"There is…abnormalities here," Leknaat conceded. "I can sense it with my True Rune. And…" her brow furrowed slightly. "Something else. Something that has bothered me for a long time."

"What is it?"

Leknaat let out a shaky sigh and straightened in her chair. "My sister."

"Your sister? Ah—Yuber said her name was Windy?"

"Yes. I can—feel here again. I have not felt her presence in almost thirty years. As we each have both halves of the Gate Rune, I was always, always…aware of her presence. At the end of the Gate Rune War, though…I no longer felt her. I no longer felt the connection to her half of the Gate Rune. I thought she was lost to me, but…but now I can feel her again."

She thought her sister was dead but her sister is actually alive? And her sister is in Nagarea?! Where?! Is she another Star of Destiny?!

Daunte didn't want to push further questions upon her because she still ill. "Why don't you take a vacation?" Daunte asked. "Go and rest properly away from here for a few days. Then you've regained your strength you can return."

Leknaat smiled sadly. "I would not be benefitting the Army away from all of you. Particularly when you are planning a battle."

"I'm worried about you," Daunte said. "Just go home and get your energy back. Take as much as you need and then come back when you're ready."

"I…am sorry. I wish I did not have to do this, but I feel I must take you up on your offer."

Daunte helped her to her feet and she turned towards him. "Lord Daunte?"

"Yes?"

"I know what you are thinking and you are gravely mistaken. My sister Windy is not one of the 108 Stars of Destiny for this war."

"Ah…I see." Daunte's shoulders drooped in disappointment.

"And if you meet my sister before I come back, I advise you to flee immediately," Leknaat said grimly. "Windy is…not someone who would be your ally. If you meet her, it will surely not be as friends."

Daunte was stunned, but suddenly white light enveloped Leknaat and just as quickly the Seer was gone. Daunte let out the breath he was holding and it was shaky. "Damn…"

So Windy is someone bad? That has to be awful for Leknaat to fight against her family. I can't imagine fighting Arin.

Daunte folded his arms over his chest and looked towards the ceiling. "…I guess I can't be surprised that Windy is bad, considering she worked with Yuber and Neclord in the past…"

DING!

The elevator opened and Surya and Mokuren spilled out. "Hey Daunte, there you are! We're supposed to be going fishing!"

Daunte couldn't help but smile as he turned. "I remember."

"Okay!" Bohai shouted as he straightened. "Lord Daunte has 10 fish!"

Above them was a large crowd of people. Arin, Roen, Felicity, Freyr, Mokuren, Soturi, and Yaman were at the front. Everyone cheered when Bohai announced Daunte's count. Then he turned to Surya's basket and quickly counted the fish. Daunte however knew how many fish Surya had and knew what the end result was.

"Prince Surya has 13 fish!" Bohai announced. "The winner is Surya!"

Both cheers and shouts of outrage roared from the crowd at the cliffs. "Pay up!" Yaman announced smugly to the people around him.

"You betted on Lord Daunte too, Yaman! YOU pay up!"

"You did good, Brother!" Arin called.

"A for effort, Daunte!" Felicity called, clapping.

"It's not often I see Daunte lose at something," Roen mused aloud.

Freyr whistled with his fingers and Mouren was cheering. Soturi did not a react at all.

Surya shook Daunte's hand with a smile. "Sorry, Daunte. My parents have taken me on fishing trips to Lake Lunas so fishing is almost second-nature to me behind fighting. And man, when the people of Lordlake get involved then the fishing gets really wild!"

"Are you kidding?" Daunte asked, laughing a little. "I had a lot of fun! That was a great distraction! Next time you do a fishing trip in Falena, I should come with you!"

Surya brightened upon hearing that. "I would like that a lot."

"Hey, Lord Daunte!" James shouted, leaning over the broken panel. "Did you see this?"

Daunte hovered his hand over his eyes as he looked up at James. "Oh hi James! Did you just arrive?"

"Yeah! Can I work on this?" James tapped his hand against the panel. "I think this is an elevator! I could fix it up and everyone can ride it down the cliff safely!"

"That would be easier than the stairs," Felicity said, looking a little wary as Arin and Mokuren navigated down the stairs towards Daunte and Surya.

"Sure!" Daunte called up to him. "Having an elevator there would be appreciated by everyone!"

"Great!" James shouted. "I can't wait to work on it!"

Arin opened Daunte's basket. "Did you catch another divine fish, Brother?"

"Unfortunately, no," Daunte said. "I guess the first time was just a fluke."

"Oh wow, you're all down here?"

The voice floated over to them from the cave and Daunte turned to see Oboro walking towards them. Shou was following at a bit of a distance and was looking away from them. "Oboro, welcome back! How's your family?"

"Splendid," Oboro said. "I know this is sudden Lord Daunte, but could you come with me right now please?"

"Right now?" Daunte looked at Surya in confusion and then his friends up above. "Is…something wrong?"

"Not necessarily, but I need to have a discussion with you in private. Without other people around."

"What about me?" Arin asked.

Oboro smiled sadly. "I apologize, but this is only for Lord Daunte's ears."

"Ah, okay," Daunte said, hoping that he didn't sound uneasy. He forced a smile at Arin. "Go to Mooney's shop and pick out more figurines. I'll buy them when I get back."

"You will?!" Arin's eyes widened and he gave Daunte and quick hug. "Oh, thank you so much!" then he turned and bolted up the unsteady stairs. "Careful!" Daunte shouted after him.

"We'll see you later," Surya said, nodding to Oboro as Mokuren and him headed for the stairs.

"Follow us, please," Oboro said, turning back towards the cavern.

"A-Ah, okay," Daunte said. He still noticed that Shou was deliberately avoiding him. He followed the two detectives along the narrow path by the river towards where the rooms were. He knew Nash and Sierra's room, and the rooms for the Dragon Knights, but Oboro took him to a room that had been nicely decorated to resemble a cozy sitting room. Daunte entered the room behind them and paused in his tracks. In the middle of the room was two couches facing a low table.

And on one of the couches sat Shou's parents, Shigure and Sagiri.

"O-Oh," Daunte said, quickly recovering himself as he entered the room. Oboro closed the door behind him. "Thank you for coming all the way here. Was the journey difficult?"

"It was a pain," Shigure responded gruffly.

"It wasn't so bad," Sagiri said with a smile. Knowing the history of her smile though made Daunte feel uneasy about looking at her expression.

"Lord Daunte, please sit down," Oboro said, directing him to the empty couch. Daunte did, but he noted that neither Oboro nor Shou sat down. Shou leaned against one of the walls and Oboro moved to stand behind the couch. "We apologize for the short notice Lord Daunte, however we feel we needed to clear the air about a few things."

"Is something wrong?" Daunte asked, looking between the four of them. "If something is wrong, I'll do whatever I can to fix it."

"Before we left, you expressed great interest in the warrior Nakula," Oboro said, resting his hands on the back of the couch. "Pardon me for prying, but why is it that a spearman from Armes got your attention?"

Daunte's throat went dry. He felt heat on his face and he rubbed at his nape awkwardly as he looked down at his feet. He debated over his answer. He hadn't told anyone his suspicions, though Arin had previously mentioned a similar thought. But I'm not entirely sure if it's true. Should I tell them the truth, or should I lie?

"It's a simple question, isn't it?" Shou said a little too harshly.

"Shou," Sagiri said softly, and the young man stirred. "Sorry, Lord Daunte."

Daunte came to a decision and lifted his head. "If I tell, then this cannot leave this room. I don't want anyone to know, especially Arin, because I believe that I'm right but I can't confirm it."

Oboro nodded. "Your secret is safe with us."

"Okay. Right." Daunte exhaled sharply and clasped his hands in his lap. "I believe that Nakula was my father."

Oboro quickly nodded, and his expression fell. "I…suspected as much."

"You look a lot like him," Sagiri said, her tone turning sad. "I knew the moment I saw you."

"You said 'was'," Shigure said. "Is Nakula dead?"

Daunte nodded, his throat tightening. "He died when the last Liberation Army fell."

Shou huffed out a huge sigh and Daunte looked at him stunned. Is that…was that a sigh of relief?!

"Please do not misconstrue us," Oboro said gently. "We are not happy that Nakula is dead. We wished that it did not come to it. However…"

"Nakula made a promise," Shigure said. "To Sagiri. He promised that he would come to Nagarea to destroy the last remnants of Nether Gate. Then…he promised to come back and kill her last."

"W—What?!" Daunte breathed, his eyes going wide. He gaped at Sagiri in horror. "H-He said he would kill you?!"

Sagiri nodded slowly. Very slowly, the smile slipped from her face to a sad frown. "I'm very sad that he's dead. I should have died before him."

"Mom, DON'T say that!" Shou exclaimed. He left the wall and knelt down beside his mother. "No one is killing you! I'll kill them first before they try, no matter who they are!"

"So will I," Shigure said bluntly.

Sagiri squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head forward. "Please. Please do not promise such things when this is something I deserve…"

"'Something you deserve'?" Daunte asked quietly.

"Do you remember?" Oboro said, drawing Daunte's attention back to him. "How I told you about how Nakula threw away everything for vengeance? How he left Armes to find the person who killed his father?"

"Yes," Daunte said. "But what does—"

"That was me," Sagiri said. Her smile had returned, but when she opened her eyes he saw nothing but pain. Tears slipped out and slipped down her cheeks. "I killed his father."