Tales of Xalthia

by xXGhostStalker

*DISCLAIMER: This holds no relation to Tales of VS or any Tales game* A mysterious lineage. An unimaginative power. Oblivious to Tsuki Himura, he defends his kingdom from evil and learns of a sinister plot. Forced to seek help, he travels the globe for much needed allies. Join him as he learns more about the world and about himself as something awakens inside him.

21. Festival of Blossoms -NEW-

Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 20: Festival of Blossoms

The day of the Festival of Blossoms has arrived. Excitement and buzz was high in the air around Eresseas. The citizens were setting up a large number of stalls that offer a variety of services such as snacks, games and other things. Villagers from Crescentia were bringing in their harvest that they had worked hard to achieve. Decorations and lights lined the sides of buildings and along main walkways. Due to the increased traffic around Eresseas, the knights have doubled their patrol to make sure preparations went smoothly.

It wasn't just the citizens that were filled with excitement either. The knights and royal officials were also sharing in on the excitement and buzz. The Festival of Blossoms was something everyone in and around Eresseas all looked forward to every year. This year was expected to have a far better turn-out compared to previous years so that only made the anticipation for the festival even higher. There were even suppose to be a few people visiting Eresseas that came from the Tribal Lands.

Assisting with keeping things in order was Eresseas' Mercenary Guild Branch. Compared to the Basilwell Branch, this was a much bigger facility. The Eresseas Branch was considered to be the hub in Cayhill. Most of the bigger, high-ranking jobs are posted here. Because of that, there were more A and B Rank Mercenaries in this location than there were in Basilwell. At the request of King Taichi, the Guild Branch had decided to help out with the festival preparations as well as providing additional security.

Unfortunately, underneath all of that excitement, there was signs of concern cropping up. Reports of bodies belonging to Eresseas knights were found along the road in the outskirts of the city. Considering that this happened on the eve before Cayhill's biggest festival and taking recent events into account, the knights and Royal Eight have been put on high alert. While patrols around the city have been heightened, the members of the Royal Eight were all called to gather in the audience chamber. Lynette, Ramza, Ruko and Elle were also called to the meeting as a precaution due to their involvement in the more recent events.

Taichi was standing beside his chair, looking out the stained-glass window as he sighed heavily. The fact that bodies suddenly turned up was an omen. He had to inform the Royal Eight of these developments and then take appropriate action. "So, I'm sure you've probably heard by now from other knights. Bodies of several knights have been seen scattered around the road out in the outskirts" he said.

Jula folded her arms with a troubled expression. "So, the rumors were true, after all" she said.

Zero scratched the back of his head as he tried to make sense of the report. Something about this didn't seem right to him. "On the eve of the festival, no less. Something tells me that this isn't just a coincidence" he said.

Ramza didn't want to admit it but he had to agree with Zero. He shook his head as he thought to himself for a moment. "In light of recent events, it most likely isn't especially when you consider the paring words of Caius" he said.

Lynette had thought about what he meant by what he said. "A Reckoning is coming..." she said. It was a simple phrase but it was a phrase that had a bad omen.

Ruko was concerned about what was to come. They had expected something to happen as they knew this was far from over but he didn't expect it to be so soon. "Do you think he's plotting to attack Eresseas?" he asked.

Elle shook her head, her arms folded in front of her. "Impossible. For the sake of things, I'm going to refer to his monsterous strength and resilience his Battle Aura. With the injuries he received from Alba, Tsuki and myself, he shouldn't even be able to fight, let alone operate once his Battle Aura wears off. Not only that, he has no army to back him up here. Even with him at full strength, taking on a whole kingdom by himself is unrealistic" she said. It still felt strange that he wielded unnaturally high levels of strength and resilience. It felt on a whole different level compared to the entities that spawn from the crystals.

Mike scratched his head a bit as he thought about the situation. "Yeah. It would be hard for him to move an army from Honegroth to here without causing some suspicion of increased traffic in Basilwell" he said.

Stahler shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head with a sigh. "And with no other real entry point for him to use, attacking us would be suicide" he said.

Phi glanced over at Stahler and Mike, doing some hand gestures. "But, if you recall the reports from various sources and what Tsuki and his friends have learned and witnessed, leaving bodies in his wake seems to be a calling card of sorts from him" she said.

Aya looked over at Phi, shaking her head. While it was possible that Caius could be involved in this, they had no solid evidence to prove it. "This is all speculation though, isn't it? We have no solid proof that Caius could be involved. For all we know, this could be just an unfortunate event with bandits or possibly remnants of Draxus" she said.

Lydia put one hand on her hip and motioned her hand in front of her as she talked. "Standing around here talking about it will get us nowhere. We should investigate this immediately. If people find out that bodies of our knights have been found nearby, panic and fear will quickly take over" she said. This was a problem that needed immediate attention. The longer they discuss what could or could not be, the more time is wasted.

Tsuki wanted to get to the bottom of this before it got any worse. He didn't want to think that this was a prelude to something but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. "I'll head out to where the bodies were found then and see what I can find around the area" he said.

Emma glanced over at Tsuki and shook her head. "I appreciate the enthusiasm but you've done more than your fair share of work for a while. Besides, our smiths need you here in order to suit you with a new se tof armor" she said. She used his lack of appropriate armor as an excuse. He didn't show it nor admit it but she could still see that he wasn't quite back up to fighting strength just yet. She could tell that the injury on his torso was causing him some difficulty.

Mike walked up to Tsuki and put a hand on his shoulder. "She's right. Besides, you've been hogging the limelight. Let me and Stahler handle this little problem" he said.

Aya looked over at Mike and tilted her head. "Both of you?" she asked.

Mike glanced over at Aya and gave her a nod with a confident grin on his face. "Of course! Ordinary knights were killed by whatever was out there so it would be safer if someone else among us came to help and we know the general area like the back of our hand. It was near our favorite fishing spot, after all" he said. Not only would this let him carry out his duties but it would also let him get a little bit of fishing time in before having to return.

Stahler sighed heavily, dropping his shoulders and shaking his head. "Again? Don't you have anyone else to drag along?" he asked. He wasn't the type to pass up a good chance to get a few bites with his trusty fishing rod but it was becoming a little bothersome that Mike has been asking him to team up to tackle on various things.

Taichi looked at Mike and nodded at him. He did have to agree that it would be safer to go in numbers rather than on their own. "We'll leave it to you two then. If something happens, come back right away" he said.

Mike and Stahler stood at attention, putting their fists up to their hearts. "Yes, Your Majesty!" they both said in unison.

Afterwards, they both turned around and walked out of the audience chamber. With the two of them handling the siutation, they can focus their efforts on the festival preparations. They can only hope that they bring back some good news.

Emma soon sighed and rubbed her forehead a bit. "Hopefully, this is just an unfortunate incident like Aya said" she said.

Taichi nodded at her as he turned to face everyone, stepping in front of his chair. "Worrying about it now won't solve anything. All we can do is focus on the festival while they do their investigation" he said. He then looked down towards Jula and Zero. "In the meantime, we have to do our part. There's a lot of work that still needs to be done by sundown. Jula and Zero, I would like you to help with the food distribution at the various stalls" he said. He then shifted his gaze over to Aya and Phi. "Aya and Phi, I would task you two with making sure the preparations go smoothly around Recreational District. I've heard that some people were having a little difficulty getting things organized" he said. His gaze shifted towards Lydia. "Lydia, I apologize for saddling all of this on you but I would like you to take point in security. With your keen eyes, I'm confident that you will be able to spot anything out of the ordinary" he said.

All of them put their fists to their hearts and spoke in unison just like Mike and Stahler did. "Yes, Your Majesty!" they said.

Tsuki tilted his head a bit and scratched his cheek with his finger. He had practically handed out the more important jobs so he wondered what was left for him. "What would you like me to do?" he asked.

Taichi looked over at Tsuki. "I would like you to meet up with Ms. Katosuki in the main plaza and help her with whatever she may need" he said.

Lynette knew that Reia was coming as she was the one in charge of handling the food and other goods coming from Crescentia but she didn't think she was here already. "Reia's already hard at work, huh?" she asked.

Tsuki nodded and repeated what the other members of the Royal Eight did. It would be nice to see Reia again. This time, under better circumstances. "I'll do what I can to help her out" he said. With their orders given out, he now had the opportunity to ask. Cheria wasn't present for this meeting so he was curious to know what she was up to. "If you don't mind me asking, what's Her Highness up to?" he asked.

Emma gave him a soft smile as if she had been waiting for him to ask. "She and Nagi volunteered to help out the local orphanage" she said.

Elle tilted her head a bit. While she wasn't all that concerned for their safety, she had hoped that they had someone watching over them. With the increased traffic coming nto Eresseas and the discovery of the bodies, it didn't seem like a good idea if they were out on their own. "I trust that you have someone keeping an eye on them. Her Highness tends to be a bit too adventurous for her own good" she said.

Taichi couldn't help but laugh a bit. She wasn't wrong in her statement so he couldn't really argue against her. However, he made sure to make all the necessary preparations. "Don't worry. Georg is with them so they'll be more than fine" he said. He then gave the group one last look before giving them a nod. "Right then. You all have your orders. Let's see them done so we can have a successful festival!" he said.

The members of the Royal Eight brought their hands up and saluted the royal family in complete unison before they all headed out of the audience chamber and dispersed. Tsuki walked up to his friends and was about to head out himself.

Before he could leave, Emma motioned to them. "One last thing. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I ask that you all accompany Tsuki? Ms. Katosuki can be a bit demanding around festival time so any help you could offer would be appreciated" she said. She knew that if Tsuki went by himself, he would most likely take on far more tasks that he could physically handle. Not only would that be a concern for her but for Cheria as well.

Lynette shrugged her shoulders as she looked up at Emma before glancing down at Tsuki. "I don't mind. Besides, I would like to talk to Reia and show her my progress" she said. She hadn't seen or talked to Reia since she left Crescentia so she was pretty eager for her to see the growth she's went through over the last few weeks.

Ramza shook his head. While he didn't feel like it was necessary for him to help out, he was compelled to do so since the Guild Branch was chipping in. It would look bad for him if he didn't offer a helping hand. "Getting a feel for the city would do me some good. Plus, it will let me burn off some calories from that banquet last night" he said.

Ruko looked at Ramza, shaking his head with a sigh. "You say that like you got fat overnight" he said. He then looked up at Emma and Tsuki. "If I just sat around and did nothing, I'm sure that the Commander would throw me off the mountaintops" he said.

Tsuki looked at each of them and nodded. "Thanks guys. I appreciate the help" he said.

Taichi soon looked over at Elle, who had been standing around quietly the whole time. "The disposal of those shards are still a priority. I'll let you continue that task, Elle. Take and use whoever and whatever you need in order to get the job done" he said.

Elle bowed to Taichi. "Thank you, Your Majesty. If you'll excuse me then" she said. She then turned and walked up to Tsuki, stopping to mutter something to him. "Keep a sharp eye out while you're in town. I can't shake the feeling that something is on the verge of happening" she said. She continued on past them and left the audience chamber.

Once she was gone, Tsuki looked at his companions and gave them a nod. "Alright then. Best not to keep Reia waiting. Shall we?" he asked.

Tsuki and the others soon followed suit with everyone else and left the audience chamber, leaving just Taichi and Emma alone. Silence filled the big, empty room when Taichi motioned towards the guards, silently telling them to leave the room.

Once the room had been cleared out, Taichi turned and walked towards the windows behind the throne chairs. He stared out through the glass with an intense look on his face. He brought up his right arm and pulled back his sleeve to reveal an armband. It looked to be quite old but was well-kept and had what appeared to be a light-blue gemstone embedded in it. The gemstone also had a faint glow to it. Emma pulled her sleeve up and revealed a bracelet of similar quality and design with the same light-blue gemstone embedded in it. It was also faintly glowing.

Emma closed her eyes as she dropped her arm and rested it on her lap. Similar with Taichi, she had a concerned look on her face. "Taichi...the Stones..." she said.

Taichi silently nodded to himself as he covered the armband with his hand. "I know. For their Signature to be picked up this strongly, they must be nearby and are aware of the situation" he said.

Emma soon stood up and walked around her throne chair and beside Taichi. The Stones hadn't been used since their last big adventure and were only suppose to be used in emergencies. "They're trying to send us a warning, aren't they?" she asked.

Taichi closed his eyes, still keeping the same serious expression on his face. "No doubt about it. I suppose we'll have to prepare ourselves for what's to come" he said. His gaze shifted down towards the lake waters below. It was hard to see from the other side of the window but there was a significant drop from where they stood to the water's surface. "If it comes down to it, we may have to rely on their help" he said.

Emma grabbed onto her wrist with the bracelet and pulled it up to her chest, staring into the gemstone as if she was trying to peer through it. "I wonder how the others are doing. I wish that they were here..." she said.

Taichi put his arm around her neck and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "They've got their own set of problems, I imagine. For now, we'll have to rely on those two. Even with their combined strength though, I have a feeling that it won't be enough" he said. He was concerned for what's potentially about to come. In fact, he had a feeling about what to expect. He looked at Emma and gave her a confident smile to try to ease her worries. "I'm sure we'll manage. Even if it's just the four of us, I think the enemy will be in for quite a surprise" he said.

Emma rested her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes. This wasn't the first time that they were put in a potentially dangerous and life-threatening position but it had been quite some time since it last occurred to them. She's grown much stronger than how she was in the past, both in personal growth and in combat but that doesn't mean she's still not shaken up about being thrown into danger. She was comforted a little bit by his words though. Plus, having the other two nearby did help relieve a lot of her worries. "I know we will. We have to" she said.

The two of them continued to share their little moment together for another few minutes before returning to their thrones and calling the guards back to their posts. Meanwhile, out in the city, Tsuki and his companions have left the castle and crossed the bridge that ran over the lake which connected the castle to the town. They were greeted by various officials, knights and citizens as they left the bridge and entered into the main portion of the town: the central plaza. The excitement and chatter filled the streets and people of all ages all worked together to get the town ready for the Festival of Blossoms. Decorations were already lining across various buildings, lamp posts and other structures. Lights were being set up to illuminate the area when the sun goes down as the nearby trees had already shown the first signs of blossoming.

Knights and mercenaries were seen patrolling around the area and keeping a vilgilant watch over the area to make sure all goes smoothly. There also even appeared to be a band of citizens that banded together to help keep the streets safe and to keep the flow moving. Everything was like a well-oiled machine in the central plaza. The central plaza is usually at its most busiest of the year during holidays and events such as the Festival of Blossoms. To Tsuki, this was a sight that he's seen so he knew what to expect but for everyone else, they were all surprised and speechless with how busy the place had gotten over the course of just 24 hours.

Being a Mercenary, Ramza has been to many major cities during the course of his work so he's seen his fair share of busy streets. Ruko was also used to a busy crowd but nothing he's ever seen in Basilwell could ever compare to what he is witnessing right now. It was like a sea of people were in front of him and not much free room to move around in. As for Lynette, she was practically buzzed. The sheer amount of people blew even her wildest expectations. She didn't know what to do or how to make sense of things. She felt that if she lost sight of Tsuki and the others, she wouldn't be able to find them. She would be like a lost child in a sea of never-ending people.

Lynette had a dazed look as she tried to cope with the amount of people that were around. She's reminded a little bit of Briswater with how crowded the streets are. "I know I was expecting a big turnout but this far exceeds what I thought it was going to be. This is insane" she said.

Ramza laughed a bit at her reaction to the large crowd of people. To him, this felt almost right at home since he used to frequent large cities. "Yeah, that's a pretty standard reaction for countryfolk who aren't used to city-sized crowds. It can be pretty overwhelming at first but you'll get used to it" he said.

Ruko looked around the area. With the large amount of people present, it was no wonder that the royal family enlisted the aid of the Mercenary Guild Branch. "Even with the added assistance, it's a miracle that they're able to keep things orderly and organized. With a crowd size this large, I wouldn't think twice about the possibility of things like smuggled weapons" he said.

Tsuki scratched the back of his head a bit. He couldn't help but compare the size of the crowd this year compared to the previous year. The attendance gap in-between the two years was pretty large just off of a base observation. Even if the whole issue with Caius wasn't around, it would make sense why security would have been increased. "I'm almost a little surprised myself. This turnout seems a little too good" he said.

Ramza shrugged a bit. "It really depends on how you look at it. From the perspective of economy and tourism, there's no turnout that isn't too good. However, in the eyes of security, it could raise a few red flags" he said. He didn't want to think Cayhill's defenses were too weak considering that the entire continent had a pretty strong naturally-formed wall from sea level.

Lynette tilted her head a bit, putting her finger up to her chin with a contemplating look on her face. "Hmm...I guess that would make sense. It would seem a little odd if we saw a rise in foot traffic for no explicable reason. Wouldn't that also pose a problem as well when events like these happen too? It would allow whoever the perfect cover" she said. If you were going to infiltrate somewhere, doing it under the guise of attending major events like festivals and celebrations would be a perfect opportunity.

Ruko glanced over at Lynette and nodded at her. "Yes. That is why security around ports and checkpoints have increased protocols with higher scrutiny. Thankfully, in our case, Basilwell hasn't seen any of that happening. I had sent out a message to the Commander, telling him that I would be staying here for the duration of the festival at the request of the royal family and asked if he saw any increase in traffic. As of this morning, everything was as calm as can be there" he said. With the natural defenses of Cayhill and having only one entry point in and out of the continent, there shouldn't be too much they had to worry about. Then again, no defense is perfect.

Tsuki scratched the back of his head a bit. All they could really do right now is wait and see what happens. For now, all they should be focused on is making sure the festival goes without a hitch. "Hopefully, the Festival of Blossoms will ease people's minds. No doubt, people are feeling a little anxious about what's been happening recently" he said.

Just then, a familiar female voice came calling out to them from behind as they were talking amongst themselves. "I have no doubt that this festival will do just that. After all, we've put in a lot of hard work this year" the voice said.

Tsuki and the others turned around when they heard the voice and saw that the voice belonged to Reia herself. She was wearing festive clothing that was appropriate for the Festival of Blossoms. She wore a kimono with a cherry blossom pattern with a bandana wrapped around her forehead. Her staff that she carried on her at all times was strapped to her back. She was wearing glasses and carriny a clipboard with what appeared to have several sheets of paper attached to it.

Lynette felt a surge of excitement and happiness when she saw Reia and approached her. "Reia! It's so great to see you again!" she said. She couldn't control herself as she gave her a hug. Reia was practically family to her since she had been taking care of her for so long.

Reia hugged her back and stroked the back of her head, giving her a soft smile. It had been a little over a month since she left Crescentia to join Tsuki and she could easily tell that she's experienced much growth. As someone who managed her training to become a Healer, she couldn't be more proud at how much she has grown in such a short time. It wasn't just growth in her abilities that have changed either. She could see that she's changed quite a bit as a person. "It's great to see you too. You've grown quite a lot in the last few weeks" she said.

Lynette soon released her from the hug and took a few steps back, her face slightly red as she scratched her cheek. "Have I? I don't feel like I've grown all that much" she said. It's hard to see anyone's own personal and skill growth. That kind of thing is really only seen through the eyes of others.

Reia nodded at her. "Oh yes. I can feel how much stronger your abilities have become. Keep up that pace and you'll be an expert Healer in no time. Maybe you'll surpass even me" she said. She had no doubt that she had great potential inside of her. She was confident that, with enough training and proper growth, she would be able to far surpass her in terms of skill one day. It was one thing she hopes to see from true. She then glanced over at Tsuki who also appeared to have seen his own fair share of growth. "You're looking a lot more stronger and capable as well. It's a relief knowing that you two are safe" she said. She could easily tell just by looking into his eyes that they've been through quite a few hardships during the course of their travels. Word of what happened in both Briswater and Basilwell had reached Crescentia but she wasn't aware that the two of them were at the center of those events. She was also able to sense a great power inside of Tsuki that wasn't there before. It was still fairly weak but even in its current state, she could feel the intensity of it. When she tried to compare it to modern day techniques and skills, however, calling it weak was like comparing water and oil. You couldn't even begin to compare them.

Tsuki walked up to Reia and held his hand out to shake her head. He hadn't expected to see Reia again so soon but it was still a pleasure nonetheless. "After all we've been through, if either of us didn't experience some type of growth, I would have questioned how we would have gotten this far" he said.

Reia reached out and grabbed hold of his hand, shaking it with a bit of a tight grip. "For someone that I had entrusted my dear little Lyn to, I would have expected no less" she said. She then shifted her gaze over to Ramza and Ruko. "I see you're little group has grown as well. Now, you're a proper team of adventurers" she said.

Ramza shrugged his shoulders a bit then gave her a casual salute. "The name's Ramza Tokatsu. I wouldn't count myself as an adventurer but I'm pretty close to being one, I suppose. I work with the Mercenary Guild as a B Rank mercenary" he said.

Ruko put his hand to his heart and gave Reia a slight bow. "I'm Ruko Amado. I serve under Commander Alba Sykes of Basilwell as his lieutenant. It's a pleasure to meet you" he said. He had heard about tales of a Healer that used to work for the royal family but had to resign from her work for family reasons. She was apparently quite skilled in the Healing Artes and many had sought her out to train under her during her time in the service.

Reia nodded at Ramza and Ruko as they introduced themselves before tapping her right hand on her chest, offering them a simple smile. "I'm Reia Katosuki. I serve as mayor of Crescentia and am in charge of overseeing and managing the events here at the Festival of Blossoms" she said. Afterwards, she gave both of them a courteous bow. "Speaking as both Crescentia's mayor and as Lyn's guardian, I would like to thank you for providing these two with your help. To be honest, I was a little worried, knowing that they were off on their own" she said. She had confidence that they would be fine and all but there was still that lingering doubt that she couldn't shake off especially hearing about the events that took place in Briswater and Basilwell.

Ramza shook his head. The amount of gratitude he had been receiving over the last two days was starting to make him itch. "I was only fulfilling out a contract. As a mercenary, we're obligated to see it through and ensure the safety of the client, if need be. That being said though, I couldn't just let things play out and not do anything" he said.

Ruko scratched the back of his head a bit. While he didn't have any lofty reasons for helping them out, he did owe them a favor for helping him out when he was in a tight spot. "I'm just...repaying a favor, is all. Yeah, that's it. Probably" he said.

Reia couldn't help but laugh a bit at their responses. She looked over at Tsuki with an amused look on her face. "This is quite the unique group you've formed, to say the least" she said.

Tsuki had nothing to fight back on her on that. Each of them are here for their own reasons with their own set of circumstances and personalities. "If anything, it made things a bit more lively" he said. He took a quick glance at the Caliburn and thought about calling out to Allie but it probably wasn't a good idea to have her come out in the open like this with so many people aorund. "There's one more person that I would like to introduce you to but she's a bit...preoccupied right now" he said. He wanted the two of them to meet because he was really interested on what her opinion is of Allie.

Reia tilted her head a bit. "Oh? Well, you'll have to introduce me to her later then" she said. She followed his quick glance to the sword strapped to his waist and immediately took note of it. Not only was it a completely different sword than what he had before, she could sense an immense power from it. It was obvious to her that the sword he was carrying was no ordinary sword. She decided to wait and let him tell her about it though instead of poking the subject. "So, what can I do for you? Something tells me you're not here to check out the pre-festival sights" she said.

Lynette looked around the area and the place seemed to be operating rather smoothly. They were told to offer assistance but from what she's seeing, that may not even be necessary. "Well, King Taichi told us to meet with you and offer whatever help we can" she said.

Reia tilted her head with a bit of a confused look. She hadn't made any type of formal requests for assistance so it was a little odd that Taichi sent them to help her. "Hmm...I don't really have anything that needs anymore additional help though. As you can see, I'm already getting plenty of that. I feel like if I had any more help, things wouldn't operate as smoothly" she said.

Just then, they heard a commotion start to kick up from the south end of the central plaza. They could see through the crowds of people four fairly large objects moving through the streets. They decided to get a closer look at what was going on and saw that the four large objects resembled that of parade floats. It immediately struck Reia as odd because she hadn't been aware of any type of parade floats being present for the festival yet based on their design, that's what they were clearly for. The parade floats were escorted by a number of people dressed in casual clothing and were led by three people dressed up in more modern clothing.

The people that appeared to be leading the whole group were two men and one woman. One of the men had long, red hair wrapped in a ponytail with an eyepatch over his right eye and appeared to be quite muscular. He had azure blue eyes and had all the looks what you would imagine a brawler would have. The other man had spikey, black hair with grey eyes. Compared to the muscular man, he had a more refined presence. The woman had short, curly brown hair with a small scar on her right cheek with emerald green eyes. She had a rather petite image to her but there was something about her presence that felt powerful.

Not being part of the original planning, Reia approached the three that were leading the group. She needed find out who they were and what their purpose was for being here. "Stop right there. If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions" she said.

The three people came to a stop which, in turn, caused the rest of the group to come to a halt as well. The muscular man standing in the middle of the three stepped forward and approached Reia, giving her a slight bow. "Sure, we don't mind. In return, we would like to know who's in charge of the festival here" he said.

Reia put her hand up to her chest. "You're in luck then. That would be me. My name is Reia Katosuki. I would like to ask who you are and what you're doing here" she said.

The man nodded at her. "We're a nomadic group. We travel around the southern portions of Cayhill and around the Great Plains. We live off the land since we're always constantly moving. We heard that the Festival of Blossoms was coming up and we wanted to do our part and help celebrate. We missed out on the chance to do it last year so we made sure not to miss it again" he said.

Lynette tilted her head a bit. In all her years of living in Crescentia, she has never once heard of a nomadic group of people living out in the Great Plains and in the southern portions of Cayhill. "A nomadic group, huh? It's the first I've ever heard of it and I live in the countryside" she said.

The man glanced over at Lynette with a light laugh. "That's understandable. The Great Plains are fairly large and the sourthern portions of Cayhill a bit cut off from northern society. On account of us always moving, it stands to reason that our little group is a little unknown" he said.

Tsuki folded his arms in front of him in thought. He had raised a rather good point. "Well, with how peaceful Cayhill is and the vast, open fields she provides, I suppose it's not all that crazy for nomadic people to live freely" he said.

The man looked at Tsuki and nodded. He then tapped his chest with his hand. "And I'm the leader of that group. The name is Delvin Sado, leader of the nomadic group, Green Whistle" he said. He then stepped to the side and held his arm out towards the other two that were with him. "These two are my closest associates. The refined gentleman you see is Utaru Yomi and the girl is Lily Shirakami" he said.

Reia looked at all three of them closely in silence. After a few moments, she slowly nodded at them. "Alright. As for your purpose, you said you wanted to do your part and help celebrate which is where these floats come into play" she said.

Delvin nodded at her. "Of course. Each float has a unique design to it that fits the theme of cherry blossoms. We hope that this would make for a good crowd attraction. We even plan on doing a performance later on in the night" he said. He really wanted to sell his pitch to her so that they could get approval to take part in the festival.

Reia couldn't rightfully turn them away because the festival was opened for all who would attend and take part in it. However, much like with all of the other attractions and such, they would need to be thoroughly inspected. "Would you agree to an inspection? You know, for safety concerns and all" she said.

Delvin shook his head at her and motioned her towards the floats. "Not at all! I will personally show you each float and answer any questions you may have" he said.

Reia glanced back at Tsuki and Ramza. "Do you two mind helping me out with this? I feel like I'm going to need a bit of assistance" she said. With the help, not only would the inspection go smoothly but they will be able to make sure that there wasn't anything suspicious going on.

Tsuki and Ramza went over to the floats with Reia and helped her inspect the floats. They looked all over them from the bottom to the top. After a thorough inspection of all the floats, they weren't able to find anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that seemed a little out of place was a fairly large, round jewel that was placed on top of one of the floats. After about 30 minutes, they couldn't find anything that was wrong.

Reia scratched the back of her head and sighed. "Well, everything seems to be in order. You're welcome to join in on the festivities. Your floats are too big though for regular commercial streets so I'm gonna have to ask that you restrict yourselves to the central plaza" she said. Since there wasn't anything that seemed suspicious, she had no right to hold them any longer.

Delvin bowed to her and gave her a sincere smile. "Green Whistle thanks you for allowing us to take part. If you'll excuse us, we'll head out to find a place to set up" he said. He then looked back towards the others around the floats and let out a loud whistle before continuing on through the central plaza.

As the floats and the accompanying people walked past them, Tsuki and the others watched them as they melded into the crowds. Tsuki couldn't help but continue to keep his eye on them. Not only did the three people that they just met looked odd, the jewel on top of the one float was also pretty suspicious.

Reia walked up next to him as she shared his gaze. "You see it too, don't you?" she asked.

Tsuki nodded at her. "How could I not? They masked it pretty well but they're definitely not ordinary people" he said.

Ramza folded his arms as he looked towards the direction they went to, tilting his head. "Why let them go then? It's obvious that they're trouble" he asked. Being as experienced as he was, he didn't even need to get a closer look at them to feel the type of aura they have.

Tsuki shook his head. As much as he wanted to do something, there was nothing that would justify it. "I don't have much of a choice. From anyone else's perspective, they appear to be innocent and if I try and tell them to leave or apprehend them without reason, it wouldn't look good on me or the royal family" he said. He then glanced over at Ramza. "I hate to ask this but could you keep an eye on them? Observe them from a distance, seek out help, whatever it is you need to do" he asked.

Ramza returned the glance towards to Tsuki and gave him a shrug. "Normally, I'd charge for my services. However, I'll make an exception. Besides, there's something about that Delvin guy that bothers me" he said. He then started to make his way off towards the crowd, waving back at them as he walked away. "I'll let you know if I discover something" he said.

As he vanished into the crowd, Lynette had her eyes fixed on the jewel as it moved away. Reia took notice as she looked like she was in some sort of trance. Reia turned around and walked towards her, patting her on the shoulder and gave her a light shake to snap her out of it. "Lyn? Are you okay?" she asked.

Lynette soon snapped back to reality as she looked around, slightly confused. "Huh? Oh...yeah, I'm fine" she said. She wasn't sure what it was but when she first saw the jewel, she had a strong feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Reia knew that she was acting this way for a reason. Whenever she gets super focused on something, she develops a certain look in her eyes. In most cases, it meant something pretty significant. "You could feel it, couldn't you?" she asked. She was surprised at just how much stronger her level of perception has gotten. The feeling that the jewel was giving off was very apparent to her because of her experience but to most other magic users, they shouldn't be able to feel anything. The jewel had a different energy to it compared to the crystals. It was a subtle yet strong feeling that's well known to block a persons' perception. There was also something more to it but she didn't know what it was yet it seemed familiar.

Lynette nodded slowly with a nervous sweat. She was only just barely able to pick up on the feeling and what she felt didn't exactly send off good vibes. "Whatever that is, it's no ordinary jewel. There's something strange about it" she said.

Tsuki knew that the jewel wasn't just used for a decoration piece. It stood out too much and didn't really seem to fit the theme of the festival. "What do you think, Allie? Did you sense anything off?" he thought to himself.

Allie's voice soon spoke out but only through Tsuki's mind. No one else would hear her speak. "I agree with Lyn. There's definitely energy swirling around inside of that jewel. It doesn't feel like what we've felt before though so I can't say what it is. I'm sorry, Master" she said through his mind.

Ruko let out an audible sigh as he reached up to put his arms around the back of his head. "Well, regardless of the circumstances, we can't do anything unless something happens. In the meantime, let's just focus on the festival. We'll deal with any problems later on" he said. There wasn't a point in muling it over now. It's better to spend their time and energy on things that can be done now though.

Reia glanced over at Ruko, folding her arms in front of her and tilting her head. "Well, as I said earlier, there's nothing really that I need your help with. If you insist on wanting to help though, maybe check out the other districts?" she suggested.

Ruko looked over towards Tsuki and Lynette. "I don't see why not. It's not like we have anything better to do anyway. I can check up on things around the Recreational District" he said.

Lynette didn't know her way around the town very well yet so she wasn't all that keen on running off when there's so many people around. "If we're going to split up, then I'll stay here with Reia. It's been a while since we've seen each other so there's a lot of catching up to do" she said.

Tsuki looked at them as they decided what they wanted to do. He may as well follow suit. "Then, I'll go check out the Business District and maybe swing by the orphanage to see how Cheria and Nagi are doing and to make sure they aren't running Georg around ragged" he said. Being as experienced as he was, he didn't have all that much concern for Georg but then he knows how Cheria can be.

Ruko nodded at them. "Alright. We'll meet up here later then when the festival starts. I'll make sure to keep my eye out for anything else suspicious as well" he said.

The three of them split up and went their own separate ways. With the Festival just hours away, the town was in crunch time to finish the preparations. While everyone was working on getting the town ready, Ramza was keeping a close watch on Green Whistle from a safe distance. They had set themselves up along the northwestern edge of the central plaza and he was sitting at a nearby cafe, carefully observing them and making sure not to draw too much attention to himself.

As he sat in the cafe, a female voice called out to him. "Oh? You're Tsuki's companion, correct? Ramza, was it?" the voice asked.

Ramza was taking a sip of tea when he heard the voice speak out to him. He turned his head and saw Lydia approaching him. She had been sent out to oversee security by Taichi so it was to be expected that she would be out on patrol. "That is correct. You are Lydia of the Royal Eight. How are the patrols coming along?" he asked.

Lydia walked up to the table that he was sitting at. "Going good so far. Nothing really out of the ordinary. That is, until I caught sight of those parade floats" she said. They had a design and appearance that didn't look out of place but they were all too suspicious at the same time. "Mind if I sit down?" she asked.

Ramza shook his head and motioned her towards one of the empty chairs with his hand. "Feel free. So, you're keeping an eye on them as well, huh?" he asked

Lydia took a seat in one of the empty chairs, placing her bow and quiver up against the table. "Yes. With all that's happened, one can't be too careful, you know? Besides, I noticed that you were doing the same thing so I figured we could work together" she said.

Ramza chuckled a bit, pushing a plate full of cookies and other snacks towards her. "I'm amazed you were able to pick me out in a crowd like this. You must have a good eye" he said.

Lydia reached out and grabbed one of the cookies that were on the plate, taking a bit out of it. "Well, I wasn't put in charge of our archery unit for nothing. You can say, I've had quite a lot of history with the bow which heightened my sense of sight. There's nothing that can escape my eyes" she said. She ate the rest of her cookie and proceeded to eat a couple more as she sat back in the chair.

Ramza has known his fair share of archers throughout his time as a mercenary but there was something about Lydia that made her feel distinct over them. "I can tell from a glance that you're quite skilled. How long have you used a bow?" he asked.

Lydia wiped the crumbs from her mouth as she finished off her food. "Ever since I was a young girl. My father was an experienced hunter and taught me how to wield the bow. I would always go out with him on his hunts every chance I got" she said.

Moments later, one of the cafe maids came up to the table and brought them a teapot filled with tea with an extra cup for Lydia. "Here's some tea, ma'am. It's on the house" she said.

Lydia looked at the maid as she brought them a whole thing of tea. They didn't need to do that but she wasn't about to turn down goodwill. "Thank you very much" she said. She then reached for the teapot and poured some tea in her cup. She took a sip of it and relished in its taste. "Piping hot tea is the best, wouldn't you agree?" she asked.

Ramza noticed the looks and reactions she was getting from the people around them along with the excited chatter. "I've heard the reputation that the Royal Eight have but to actually see it is something else. It's easy to tell how much admiration the people here have for you" he said.

Lydia scratched the back of her head with a slight nervous laugh. "The Royal Eight was formed to fulfill many purposes. They aren't just some elite, special forces unit. I'd say we're about as well known as the Dragon Riders of Dolothlond" she said.

Ramza tilted his head a bit as he reached out to take a cookie off the plate. "Yeah but unlike the Dragon Riders, you guys still follow your core values" he said. He then took a bite from the cookie and took another sip of his tea.

Lydia tilted her head at him. With the way he put it, he implied that something within the Dragon Riders had changed. "Did something happen?" she asked.

Ramza ate his cookie and swirled his cup around in a circular motion, watching the tea move around. "From what I heard, the Dragon Riders have seen a lot of changes ever since the old commander unexpectedly stepped down a few years ago. Unfortunately, they're not who they used to be these days" he said.

Lydia took a sip of her tea and looked into the cup in thought. "Hmm...I have heard that things between Esseand and Dolothlond have gotten unstable. One of the rumors I've heard is that they're using the Dragon Riders against them" she said. The Dragon Riders used to be a noble group of fighters but the rumors that she's heard is that they've been decimating their land forces whenever skirmishes break out.

Ramza nodded at her, finishing up the tea in his cup and poured some more into his cup. "Esseand's ground forces can't do very much against the Dragon Riders. It's hard to maintain a battlefield when you have air superiority against you" he said.

Lydia set her cup down on the table and sat back in her chair, sighing heavily. "When you think about the state of things in other kingdoms, you start to appreciate the peace we have here" she said. She then leaned her head back and looked up towards the sky and watched the clouds move by slowly. "As a knight, there's nothing more you could ask for here. We're fortunate that we have our current way of life" she said.

Ramza shrugged his shoulders. "It's nice to have a long-lasting time of peace but having too much can also be bad. Knights would start to lose their edge and purpose. Life of a knight isn't all that easy whether it's during wartime or peace" he said.

Lydia looked at him, tilting her head a bit. Ever since their first meeting at the audience hall, there was something about Ramza that caught her eye. "You're a peculiar one, that's for sure" she said.

Ramza set his cup down and stretched as he noticed her gaze on him. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

Lydia shook her head a bit. She wasn't sure what it was but there was something about his character. "Something tells me you're not just an ordinary mercenary. You have a certain air around you that typical mercenaries don't have. When I look at you, I see knight more than anything" she said.

Ramza shrugged once more and placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward in his chair. "A knight, huh? You wouldn't be that far off in your guess..." he said. He closed his eyes and fell into thought for a few moments. He soon shifted his gaze to her. "What about you? How long have you been in the service?" he asked.

Lydia tilted her head, her eyes looking up in thought. "It'll be 8 years in a few weeks. I enlisted into the knights as soon as I hit 18 years old. It's a bit of a family tradition. My father served the previous king and much like his father and his father's father did and so on" she said. Her family has had so much history with the royal families of Eresseas that they're practically honorary royalty.

Ramza didn't expect such a deep and rich family history. He's heard of his fair share of families that were closely tied to the various royalty but none that he has heard of before seemed to run as deep as hers. It was pretty impressive that such a tradition is still maintained all these generations later. "A deep-rooted family history, I see. You don't see many of those these days. Not since the glory days of Sirione" he said.

Lydia fell abruptly silent when he brought up Sirione. The big revelation that took place there 10 years ago had wide-spread effects on their side of the world that are still sorely felt stared down at the table, playing with her cup a bit with a look of contemplation. "I can't believe it's been 10 years have passed since that fateful day and there still has been no change" she said.

Ramza shook his head slowly with a heavy sigh as he folded his arms in front of him, leaning back in his chair. "Supposedly, the resistance fighters are still putting on a strong front but they're heavily outnumbered. It's a miracle that they've been able to keep themselves established for this long" he said. It was extremely hard to get information into and out from the continent of Megrove where the Republic of Sirione is located. Any information that does come out comes from people who managed to smuggle themselves in and out.

Lydia is amazed that a small band of resistance fighters have been able to hold their ground against the current rulers of Sirione for so long. "The resistance must have an exceptionally skilled leader and tactician on their side" she said.

Ramza picked up his cup and drank his tea whole and finished off the snacks that were on their plate. "King Raiku wishes that he could do more for Sirione but with the conflict with Dolothlond, his hands are tied" he said.

Lydia raised her brow when he mentioned someone known as King Raiku. It was a name that was all-too familiar to her with her long history of working with royal families. "Wait, what did you just-?" she asked.

Ramza soon stood up and reached up into the air as he stretched before picking up his greatsword and attaching it onto his back. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Lydia but I must be going. Try not to run yourself too ragged running security, you hear?" he said. He then walked off into the crowd before the conversation could continue as he had realized he had said a little too much.

Lydia tried to stop him from leaving but he was up and gone before she could do anything to stop him. She was left sitting at the table by herself with a half-empty teapot as his final words rang through his head. "A mercenary, huh...?" she mumbled to herself. She decided to stick around to finish up the tea as she resumed her previous duty which was keeping an eye on the people around the parade floats.

As things around the central plaza were kicking into hyperdrive, things around the Recreational District weren't going as smoothly. With so much to do and coordinate in such a small space, people were running around with their heads cut off. Aya and Phi were having a difficult time trying to help the local leaders get things in stable, working order. If they didn't have the added help from the mercenaries that were helping out in the area, they would probably be in a worse state.

Aya and Phi were standing around one of the stalls that appeared to be used as a sort of command center. Papers and boxes were piled on the other side of the stall while people nearby were giving out orders to others nearby. After what felt like forever, they were eventually able to get things into shape somewhat. Phi looked like she was mentally out of it as she laid down against the top of the stall as she sat in her chair while Aya was still hards at work sorting through some papers.

Phi groaned with her face buried between her arms down against the stall top. "I never thought I'd hate paperwork so much as I do now..." she said between her groaning.

Aya looked down at Phi who acted like a student attending a long lecture. She couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her expense. "You and Tsuki were never ones for paperwork. That's one of the things you two have in common with each other" she said.

Phi groaned some more albeit muffled a tad as she was still face down against the stall top with her face between her arms. "Please, don't lump me in with him..." she said. She would never personally admit it to anyone, let alone Tsuki, but she actually looked up to him. Not only was he a good, friendly rival for her but being so close in age with other compared to the other members of the Royal Eight, they were able to bond a little bit better. She always puts on a tough face though so she tends to be a little hard on him.

Moments later, they heard an older male's voice speak out to them as it seemed to approach them from the streets. "If you hate paperwork that much, then you wouldn't last a day working at the reception desk at the Guild Branch" the voice said.

They both looked up towards where the voice came from and saw a man dressed in a mix of cloth and light armor, carrying a pair of chakrams on his waist. The man appeared to be in his late forties with grey, short hair and green eyes. He looked a little bit on the thin side of things and didn't appear to have much muscle to him.

Phi tapped on the stall top as she sat up in her chair. "Of course I wouldn't. I'm built for fighting with a sword, not with a book and quill. Not all of us can handle secretary work like you can, Rush" she said.

The man that approached them was named Rush Mhodeo and he worked as the receptionist and secretary of the Mercenary Guild Branch of Eresseas. He had been working at the branch for as long as he could remember. His father used to be a mercenary while he was still alive and his mother works at the main headquarters of the Mercenary Guild. He was highly respected in the Guild Branch and is often jokingly told that he should replace the current person in charge. Unlike his father, however, he wasn't much of a figher. He knew how to self-defense but outside of the most basic forms of fighting and defense, he's mostly a non-combatant.

Aya took a quick glance at all the crates and boxes behind the stall. The boxes were mostly filled with tons of paperwork and other business-related forms that relate to the festival. There were a lot more logistics behind organizing the festival than she had thought. "Still, it's quite a daunting task. I didn't realize there was so much paperwork and logistics involved when it comes to organzing an event like this. Saying that I'm impressed at your work ethic would be an understatement" she said.

Rush walked up to the stall and placed a small bag on top of it. "Usually, it's not this piled up but everyone wanted to make this year's festival the best. If anything, the mountain pile of boxes is proof at just how much of a turn-out is to be expected" he said. He then pushed the bag over towards Aya and Phi. "Have some of these. They will refill your energy levels and hopefully give you a bit of a boost. My treat for helping me out with this" he said.

Aya tilted her head and reached for the bag. Inside of it were three things of taiyaki and were piping hot. Aya wasn't the type to indulge in sweets but she always made an exception for the taiyaki that comes fresh off the stove. She reached her hand into the bag and pulled one out and gave one big whiff of its' smell. "Thank you very much. You didn't have to do that" she said. She then took a bite out of it and had a look of content as it melted in her mouth.

Rush shook his head, folding his arms and leaned his shoulder up against the stall. "On the contrary, my dear. Sure, we live in different worlds but we also live in the same city. It's only natural to help out and give appreciation when needed" he said.

Phi reached into the bag and pulled out one of the taiyaki. "Honestly, I wish there were more easygoing people like you in the Mercenary Guild. All the mercenaries I've been seeing as of late are a bit on the rough and cold side. I get that we shouldn't interfere in each other's affairs unless said otherwise but that doesn't mean you have to give the cold shoulder" she said. Aside from Ramza and a handful of other mercenaries that come and go from the city, most of them don't even give her the time of day.

Rush scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh from her comment. He didn't have room to judge as both her and those mercenaries have a point. "There are people in the Guild that desire to be mercenaries. These people, at least most of the time, are genuinely nice and understanding. However, there are also people in the Guild that are either former knights who dropped out or were kicked out and or those who tried to enlist but was rejected for a variety of reasons" he said. With circumstances like those, it would make sense if there was some bad blood between them. When it comes to the Mercenary Guild, previous employment, if any at all, didn't matter to the Guild. So long as you were an able fighter and passed their entry tests, you're good to go. It's a flawed system as this also tends to result in having less-than-favorable people joining up.

Phi sighed a bit and took a few bites out of the taiyaki. "Sounds to me that we got the bad batch out of the crop. People putting on an act to hide who they really were" she said with her mouth stuffed.

Aya had already eaten most of her taiyaki as she couldn't help but chuckle. It was a rare sight seeing Phi act the way she was. With her last comment, she probably didn't realize that she herself was a part of that, She's always been wanting to be seen as a dependable, strong person so she's practically built up a second identity to hide who she truly was. "I'm not sure that you're one to talk. You should be more true to yourself rather than hiding behind a fake identity" she said.

Phi mumbled a bit to herself and finished up her taiyaki as she had the look that resembled a child pouting. "Who asked you?" she asked.

Rush laughed a bit at her expense as Aya poked fun at her. "I'm afraid that I have to agree with Aya on this one. Your true self is much more charming than some rough and tough knight persona. You're a beautiful young lady so I'm sure no one's gonna complain too much" he said. He hasn't had very many interactions with the Royal Eight members but he had a good eye when it came to judging a person's character and individuality. It was a skill he ended up picking up over the course of his work.

Aya finished up her taiyaki and wiped her hands with a nearby towel before patting Rush on the shoulder. "You took the words right out of my mouth. I think she's just shy" she said.

Phi quickly looked up at Aya and pointed at her. "I don't need any comments coming from you!" she said.

After she said that, an elderly man approached the stall that they were gathered at. He was holding a a bundle of papers in his hand and had a troubled look on his face. "I'm sorry to bother you but I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out where some of these go" he said.

Phi got up and walked up to the elderly man and looked at what he was holding. It was a list of materials that ranged from clothing to props people plan on using for the festival. "I can help with these. Show me to where everyhing is" she said.

The elderly man nodded at her and guided her down the street not too far from the staging area where they were at. Phi had put on her usual knightly attitude while Aya and Rush just watched her silence. The fact that she was able to quickly shift back into knight mode surprised them both.

Rush sighed a bit, lowering his head and shaking it. "She's a handful isn't she?" he asked.

Aya shrugged her shoulders, shifting her gaze down onto the stall and gathered the various papers that were strewn around. "She's not so bad once you get to know her" she said.

Rush looked down the street and watched the crowds work on their respective stalls. "She's got a good heart though. Rough on the outside but soft on the inside. Almost reminds me of...hm?" he said. His gaze soon locked onto a figure walking up the streets concealed completely by a brown robe. It was hard to make out what the figure was but as it got closer to them, he could start to make out some facial features but not much else.

Aya bundled the papers together set them aside before looking at Rush. "What's wrong?" she asked. She then turned around and followed his gaze towards the cloaked figure. She was almost instantly put on guard as the figure walked up the street. "Well, isn't this suspicious..." she said.

Rush continued to try and get a better look on his face and after about another minute or two when her face became illuminated by the sun, he immediately recognized who the figure was. "What? What is she doing here?" he asked. Something about her being here didn't make sense to him. He had a rather puzzled look to him with a hint of being troubled.

Aya looked back towards Rush. Based on his reaction, it was clear to her that he knew who the figure was but she wasn't sure if that was suppose to be a good thing or a bad thing. "Someone you know?" she asked.

Rush nodded slowly. "Yeah. You can say that" he said. He continued to watch the figure before noticing that the figure caught the sight of his gaze and started to approach them.

The figure walked up to Rush and Aya, stopping just a few feet from them. They were able to get a crystal clear look on her face. It was a girl young girl with crimson red eyes and had a rather cold expression to her. Because she was concealed by a robe, there wasn't much to see in terms of her overall figure or appearance but she definitely had a strong aura around her.

Rush scratched the back of his head, not sure how to start the conversation. Her presence here was totally unexpected and not in a good way. "It's not often we see you around civilization and when we do, it typically means nothing good" he said.

The girl tilted her head at him, keeping her cold glance at up at him. She had a rather small stature to her, slightly smaller than the average adult female. "Rush Mhodeo. You'd be correct in your assumption" she said.

Rush looked down at the girl with a serious expression on his face. "If you're here, I take it that she is as well?" he asked.

The girl nodded at him. "Obviously. I wouldn't be here otherwise" she said rather coldly.

Aya looked back and forth between them, tilting her head with visible confusion. The air around them felt awkward and weird. The two of them appeared to be familiar with each other but they didn't seem all that pleased. "Umm mind filling me in? Who is she? A friend of yours?" she asked.

Rush scratched the back of his head, not sure how to answer her question accurately. "You can say that" he said with a hint of hesitancy.

The girl gave him the cold, unrelenting stare. "Don't get ahead of yourself. There's only been a select few humans that I can consider as friends" she said.

Rush laughed nervously at her response. "R-right..." he said. He didn't have any problems with her but in terms of dealing with her, he's always had great difficulty because of the giant rift she puts between most people.

Aya tilted her head more from a certain thing that the girl said that didn't make sense to her. "Human? What did you mean by that?" she asked.

The girl glanced over at Aya with the same cold look. "Wouldn't you like to know? Anyway, I'll be taking a look around but she did pass on a word of advice. Don't let your guards down" she said. She then continued on walking down the street.

As a first impression, she seemed like a very rude and cold person to Aya. The way she spoke and her attitude that she gave them spoke volumes. "Well, she's a charming person" she said with sarcasm.

Rush scratched the back of his head a bit, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "I know first impressions mean a lot but don't think too bad of her. She's...a bit different than us with a complicated past" he said.

Aya folded her arms as she thought back on their brief interaftion. Everything about her seemed strange. From the aura to her overall attitude, not to mention one of the comments she said. "Who is she, exactly? I can tell that she isn't an enemy but something tells me that she isn't exactly a friend either" she said.

Rush shook his head a bit with a troubled look on his face. "I can't say, I'm sorry. Talking about her is a difficult subject and one that would grant me the ire of a certain someone and I would like to avoid that" he said.

Aya grew more and more curious about the girl and the relationship between them. However, it wasn't her business to butt into someone else's personal life without a good reason so she was going to have to deal with it. "Interesting..." she mumbled to herself.

With nothing much else to do or talk about, the two of them continued their efforts with helping out the people around the area. Meanwhile, the scene shifts over to the Business District where most of the stalls and other venues were being set up. Unlike the Recreational District, things were going much more smoothly here. Stall preparations were practically all finished. All that was needed was to finish distributing food and other various goods and the district will be all ready to go for the festival come sundown. Jula and Zero did as they were ordered to and were helping out distributing food and other goods around. The Business Distrcit was a fairly big portion of Eresseas so the two of them decided to divide their efforts. One would take half of the district and the other would take the remaining portion. With this, they were easily able to get things sorted out. Once they were finished taking care of business on their end, they were to meet up at a nearby water fountain that served as a gathering area. Zero was the first to arrive at the water fountain and since he wasn't sure how much longer Jula would take, he decided to take a break.

Zero sat down on a nearby bench that faced the water fountain, leaning back against it and resting the back of his head against the back of the bench. Lugging around all the stuff that he had to help carry and move around made him physically exhausted and a little sore. "Ohh, my aching muscles. I think I may have strained my back a little bit back there" he said.

He soon fell silent, closing his eyes as he took several deep breaths and tried to relax. The gentle breeze blowing across his face with the sounds of trees moving with the wind accompanied by the running water of the fountain made it pretty relaxing. The castle gardens was a nice place but he preferred a spot like this instead. That way, he can interact with the citizens if needed. Zero was always one who puts a civilian before himself. He's taken many efforts to try and get to know as many people around the city as possible. Some of the neighborhood kids in the Residential District even look up to him as a role model. Zero epitomized what it's like to be a knight. He had his quirks like everyone else though. While people like Phi and Tsuki tend to be a little too serious for their own good, he was more of a free-spirit.

As he relaxed on the bench, he noticed a group of kids playing in a nearby grassy field. Much like everywhere else, the area around the rest area was fully decorated with a few stalls set up around the fountain area. Since more of the preparations were done at this point where they're at, everyone was just hanging around and talking with one another. As he watched the people, he noticed someone who stood out amongst the crowd. He was dressed quite differently than the rest so it was easy to make out. As he watched the person, he noticed that he was approaching the bench that he was sitting at and soon sat down next to him. Zero didn't know it but the person that just sat down next to him was Utaru Yomi, one of the suspicious people that entered the city with the parade floats with Delvin. At some point, he broke off from his group and ended up wandering around and found himself in the Business District. He could tell that he was cut from a different cloth compared to the people around them.

Utaru sat back in the bench, letting out a heavy sigh. Being around such a large crowd was taxing for him. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here" he said in a calm tone.

Zero shook his head. Maybe he was letting his imagination run wild. "No, it's fine. You look like you could use a short break anyway" he said. The guy seemed like an ordinary person so he didn't think twice about him..

Utaru closed his eyes and felt the breeze blow across. "Ah, this is nice. You see, I came here with a nomadic group to do a performance for the festival. After getting this set up, we decided to break for a while and check out the town before the excitement kicks off" he said

Zero tilted his head a bit. Cayhill is a pretty vast, open continent with the Great Plains taking up a vast majority of it so it wasn't unheard of to have people constantly moving around, living off the land but this was the first time one such group showed up to Eresseas to take part in the festival. "A nomadic group, huh? We haven't had one of those attend before, let alone hold a performance. From what I understand about nomadic groups, they tend to avoid major cities and other populations so what brought about the change?" he asked.

Utaru kept his eyes closed as he looked up to the sky. "Our group has been interested in this Festival of Blossoms that's held every year. We tried to attend last year but things were complicated back then. Since we were able to attend this year, we jumped at the chance" he said.

Zero examined the man in secret as they talked so he could get a feel for him. He could tell at first glance that he had a unique aura around him and he knew what that kind of aura was immediately. It was the same type of aura that Georg and Phi. He glanced down briefly down to his right hand and noticed blisters on his hand that can only be gotten from wielding a katana. Whoever this person was, he appeared to be quite skilled but did a fantastic job to mask it. It wasn't just the blisters on his hand though but the way his eyes looked. "Those blisters on your hand. You must be pretty skilled with a sword" he said.

Utaru looked down at the palm of his hand as he closed it. "I've picked up a few skills. You see, I came from a family of samurai and the village I was born in had a long history of producing samurai. However, an incident occurred which caused the village to be wiped out. There weren't many survivors" he said.

Zero fell silent as he mentioned a brief part of his past. Based off the track record and their primary targets, he could probably guess who was behind the incident. "...Draxus?" he asked.

Utaru nodded slowly. "Yeah. It happened a few years a go. They abducted anyone they could get their hands on and killed those that resisted. I would have been one of those that were abducted too if I wasn't saved by a passing warrior" he said. His gaze shifted back up towards the sky. "I've been fighting to repay that warrior for saving my life on my honor and pride as a samurai" he said.

Zero tilted his head a bit. He was unfamiliar of this village of samurai so that fact alone was enough to tell him that he wasn't a native of Cayhill. "I see. Are you on a journey or something?" he asked.

Utaru shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Something like that, I suppose" he said. He continued to stare up into the sky, watching the clouds slowly move across and feeling the wind blow past his face. "I've pledged my life to him so I want to make myself useful" he said.

Zero didn't know much about samurai tradition but supposedly, a samurai pledges their life to someone in service to them or because they're indebted to them. He used to always ignore the lectures that Georg and Phi would give about samurai culture and their way of life. "I know a couple of samurai myself. They're both pretty hard-headed and stubborn" he said.

Utaru couldn't help but laugh a bit at his comment. There were definitely samurai out there that were just like that. "It comes with the culture. It's something you get used to after a while. All samurai are like that at some point in their lives" he said.

Zero scratched the back of his head, yawning a bit. He was feeling a bit tired from all the moving around so he stood up and did a few squats and stretches to get the blood moving. After a few minutes, he felt somewhat more energized. "So, this performance you're putting on. Care to say what it's about?" he asked.

Utaru was silent for a moment as if he had to think of what to say. "I...can't say what it's about, unfortunately. What I can tell you is what it symbolizes" he said.

Zero tilted his head once more. "What it symbolizes?" he asked.

Utaru nodded. "Much like with the start of a new season, it symbolizes change. With the cherry blossoms in full bloom, we want to put on a performance that will bring about great change" he said.

Zero was interested in this performance that he has been mentioning and this supposed great change. His curiousity has peaked. "A great change? What do you-?" he asked.

Before he could finish his question, a woman's voice came calling out to him. "Hey! Sorry I'm late. Things took a bit longer than expected" the voice said.

Zero looked up towards the right and saw that Jula approach him. Much like him, she looked a bit ragged herself. She tried her best to hide it though. She did appear to have what looked like a bandage wrapped around her left arm between her elbow and wrist. "You look as much of a mess as I do. What happened to your arm?" he asked.

Jula looked down at her bandaged arm for a moment. "We had a bit of an accident with one of the stalls and I ended up cutting myself. It's nothing serious though. I performed first aid and everything" she said. It wasn't that bad of a cut but it was better to play it safe than sorry. She then noticed Utaru sitting next to Zero. "Who's this?" she asked.

Utaru stood up, faced Jula and gave her a slight bow. "Utaru Yomi, at your service, ma'am" he said with grace.

Jula tilted her head a bit. "Utaru, huh? That's a pretty unique name. You don't look like you're from around here. Have you come to enjoy the festival?" she asked.

Zero looked at her and nodded. "That seems to be the case. He came with some nomadic group to put on a performance that symbolizes change" he said.

Jula held her hand up to her chin with a look of contemplation. "Symbolizes change, huh? Sounds interesting! I can't wait to see it" she said.

Utaru nodded at her. "I hope you both can come. We'll be holding it in the central plaza not long after the festivities start" he said. He then turned around and faced the direction he came from. "I should be getting back now. They're probably looking for me. Hopefully, we'll see each other tonight" he said. He then started to walk off, leaving the two of them.

Jula watched him as he left. As she did, she carefully examined him with a serious expression. "Something about him seemed off" she said. He had a similar presence that Georg and Phi had but there was something else to it that she couldn't put her finger on.

Zero nodded at her and glanced back over to Utaru as he soon disappeared from view. "You sensed it too, huh? He said he was a samurai and he came from a village that had a history of producing samurai that was wiped out by Draxus" he said. He was interested in this village that he talked about but what seemed odd was that none of the reports he's read about Draxus and the acts they've committed said anything about a village of samurai. With a village history like that, it would have surely made the news.

Jula thought to herself, folding her arms in front of her as those words echoed in her mind. "Village of samurai...Draxus..." she mumbled. She was silent for a few moments. There was something familiar to her but kept slipping from her mind. "Could it be...? Hmm..." she mumbled still.

Zero saw that Jula was losing herself to her thoughts. "Maybe it's best not to overthink it. If it bothers you that much, then you can ask him again tonight" he said.

Jula nodded slowly but continued to think about it. "I suppose you're right..." she said. She eventually shook her head to shake the thoughts from her mind. "Anyway, I assume things are all ready on your side?" she asked.

Zero nodded at her, tapping his chest lightly with the side of his fist. "Of course. Actually, we ended up with a lot of extra so we divided everything as evenly as possible" he said.

Jula had a feeling that might have been the case. She ended up letting out a slight nervous laugh as she scratched the back of her head. "That...may have been my fault. It seems that I messed up with dividing everything up. It's alright though; we had plenty to go around on my end" she said.

Zero scratched the back of his head, sighing. "It's not often you make mistakes like that" he said.

Jula had nothing to say to defend herself. When they were dividing up the goods to distribute to their respective sides of the district, she was a little distracted by some of the neighborhood kids. "At least, things worked out" she said.

Zero looked up to the sky as he thought back to what Utaru's performance is suppose to symbolize and it made him think about change in the overall sense of things. "Season of change, huh? Hey Jula, I'm curious about something. What plans do you have after you retire from being a knight?" he asked.

Jula glanced at Zero with a surprised look on her face. "Well, that came out of nowhere" she said. She then sat down on the bench next to him and sat back, folding her arms in front of her as she fell into thought. "Retirement, eh? Never really thought about it. It seems like such a far away thing to really think about now" she said. She was 38 years old and has been serving as a knight ever since she was 18 years old and was appointed a position into the Royal Eight when she was 26 years old. "If I had to think of something, maybe retire someplace in the country and live out the rest of my life in peace. Maybe get into some farming too" she said.

Zero closed his eyes and listened to what she would do for retirement. Obviously, it wasn't going to happen anytime soon but it was nice to hear if she had some sort of plan. "Farming in the countryside, huh? I think that's a good fit for you" he said.

Jula looked over to him. "What about you? Got plans after you leave the knights?" she asked.

Zero chuckled a bit. Much like her, he had plans that would fit him as well. "I think I might try my hand out as a mercenary. I got the chance to talk to Ramza during the banquet last night and he told me what it was like to be a mercenary" he said. Mercenary life had always interested him. While he's off-duty, he makes a lot of visits to the Mercenary Guild. He likes their sense of freedom that being a knight wouldn't allow.

Jula knew that was going to be his answer. He always had a thrill for adventure and would find any excuse he could use to extend his missions whenever he's sent out. "Probably should of guessed. I'm surprised you decided to become a knight instead of a mercenary in the first place, to be honest" she said.

Zero scratched the back of his head. "Due to certain family circumstances, I didn't have much choice in the matter at the time. However, I ended up liking the gig so I decided to stick it out for a while longer" he said. He wasn't sure when the day will come that he will quit the knights so until then, he wanted to make the best of it.

Jula laughed a bit at the second part of his response. "You talk like being a knight is just like any other job out there. I'm not sure how to take that. If His Majesty heard you say that, he would knock you out cold in an instant" she said.

Zero scratched the back of his head with a nervous sweat. "You think so?" he asked. Among the members of the Royal Eight, he was probably the most casual of them all. He does things at his own pace. "Maybe when Mike and Stahler get back, we can all get together and have a few drinks to welcome in the new season. Maybe even ask everyone else about their retirement plans" he said.

Jula closed her eyes and felt the wind blow across her face for a few moments before standing back up. "Speaking of drinks, I'm feeling a bit peckish myself. Want to stop somewhere and grab something to eat before heading back?" she asked.

Zero stood up and nodded at her. "Sounds good to me. I could use a bite to eat myself after all that work" he said.

Jula and Zero proceeded to leave the fountain area and walked off towards the Business District to grab some food before geting back to their work. There was still things that needed to be done but preparations were going pretty well. Meanwhile, the scene switches over to Tsuki as he made his approach to the orphanage that Cheria, Nagi and Georg were. The orphanage had a total of about 30 residents maintained by staff of 20 workers. The residents all ranged from as low as the age of 5 to as high as the age of 18. Most of them were still pretty young so the older residents have made it their duty to watch over them. The workers did their best provide as much need to them as they can while receiving funding and aid from the community with a number of donations made by the royal family. The building itself was fairly big as well to be able to accomodate not only the residents but the staff as well since there had to be a few of them always on-hand in case something were to happen.

The building was fairly modern with the best technology advancements could provide. Each room that was provided to residents and workers were fully furnished and kept clean and tidy. The residents and workers all cooperated with each other and functioned like one giant family. For Tsuki, it always felt a little awkward for him to be there because he had spent a small part of his childhood there after finding himself orphaned after the events of Tomoha. His time in the orphanage was only about a month and a half before he ran away from it. After the events of Tomoha, he found himself at his lowest point. He didn't want to be around anyone else so he opted to live on the streets for the next year. None of the workers that were there at the time of his brief stay were no longer working but it didn't help the awkwardness.

As Tsuki approached the orphanage, he could see Georg doing some stretches in the courtyard with 4 of the residents. Among them, there were 3 teenage males and a young girl. By the looks of things, it would seem that Georg was doing a bit of workout session with them. He decided to hang back near the entrance to give them space to do their thing and silently watched them. After about 20 minutes, their workout session seemed to be coming to a close. Funny enough, the young girl still appeared to have a lot more energy to her than the teenage boys.

Georg clapped his hands together as he wrapped up his workout session. "Alright, I think that's enough for today. You guys look like you could use a break, anyway" he said.

The young girl, who had short brown hair in pigtails with violet-colored eyes, put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. "What do you mean? I'm not even tired!" she said.

One of the teenage males, who had orange hair and red eyes, looked down at the young girl and couldn't believe the amount of energy she had left. "Just how much energy do you have in that small body of yours?" he asked.

The young girl turned and faced the boy and pointed her finger up at him. "Enough to run circle around you boys, that's for sure!" she said with an energetic smile.

The second teenage male, who had spikey red hair and brown eyes, couldn't help but sigh as he shook his head. "I don't know if it's all that chocolate you ate earlier or if you're just a bundle of hyper energy" he said.

The third teenage male, who had short, silver hair and blue eyes, let out a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "I think she's just energetic. Trust me, you will know if she's hopped up on chocolate" he said.

Georg looked at them as they talked amongst themselves, nodding at them with a smile. "Ah, it's always good to see the energy of youth. Nothing beats it" he said.

Tsuki soon approached them as they were winding down from their workout, catching onto his comment as he walked up to them. "You're talking like an old man, Georg. You're still pretty young yourself" he said.

Georg heard Tsuki's voice as he turned around to face him. He had heard that Tsuki made his return to Eresseas but hasn't had a chance to meet him yet. "Tsuki! It's great to see you again! I'm sorry that I haven't gotten a chance to meet up with you yet" he said.

Tsuki shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure that the king and queen have been keeping you busy lately" he said.

They both swung out their arms at each other and clapped their hands together in a tight handshake. Even though they shared completely different positions, they were pretty close. In fact, Tsuki actually looked up to Georg as a sort of role model while Tsuki reminded him of a little brother.

Georg examined Tsuki from head to toe and gave him an approving grin and nod. "I can tell you've gotten a lot stronger since Prophet Castle. Still pretty reckless, though. I heard what happened in Basilwell. You're lucky to be alive" he said. He has heard the damage reports and that Tsuki was dealt a pretty serious injury that could have killed him.

Tsuki scratched the back of his head, letting out a nervous laugh. "S-so you heard about that too..." he said.

Georg shook his head with a heavy sigh. "You carry the Princess' hopes, you know. You can't be going around and asking for trouble. I thought you were pretty crazy with the events of Prophet Castle but then you got yourself into more trouble in not only Basilwell but Briswater too" he said. He wasn't sure if he had an attraction of danger or he was just incredibly unlucky.

Just then, the Caliburn on Tsuki's waist started to glow. Moments later, Allie manifested herself in front of all of them without warning, much to the shock and surprise of Georg and the four residents. "Master is always looking for trouble, it seems" she said.

Tsuki didn't expect Allie to suddenly appear in front of them, much less in front of others who don't even know who she was. "A-Allie!?" he shouted.

Georg was surprised at the sudden appearance of Allie and his surprise turned into intrigue. "Well now, this is a surprise. Who, or what, do we have here?" he asked.

Allie looked up at Georg, tilting her head while giving him her usual detached facial expressions. "Allie is Allie. Who else would I be?" she asked.

Georg let out a slight nervous laugh. "I-I see..." he said. She looked like a young girl given her physical appearance but there was something about her that was different.

Tsuki sighed heavily and saw that the 4 residents all crowded around Allie with excitement. "I'm sorry, even I haven't fully figured her out quite yet. This is Allie. She's a spirit that lives inside the Caliburn" he said.

Georg glanced down at the sword that was strapped to Tsuki's waist. Being a swordsman himself, he immediately recognized the name. "One of the holy swords, huh? Almost seems like something out of a fairytale but I suppose if I hadn't seen her manifest in front of my eyes, I probably wouldn't believe it" he said. His glance then shifted over to Allie who was interacting with the 4 kids that he was with. "A spirit...you don't see many of them around. Interesting" he said.

Tsuki followed his glance to Allie who seemed to be enjoying herself, being able to interact with people close to her own age. For a brief second, she looked like any ordinary girl. "She doesn't remember much of her past. Severe case of amnesia, by the looks of it but something tells me that she hasn't exactly had an easy life up till now" he said.

Georg folded his arms in front of him. "A gut instinct? Can she not remember anything?" he asked.

Tsuki shook his head a bit. "You can say that. As far as what she can remember, not much unless you include some of her...more questionable actions that she apparently picked up from her former masters" he said. He was obviously referring to the couple times where she's appeared in front of him completely naked and the time where she was "healing" him back in Basilwell after his fight with Caius.

Georg looked at Tsuki with both an expression on his face that was both curious and anxious. "Her questionable actions...?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were.

Allie soon turned to face Tsuki, giving him her signature innocent look as if she saw nothing wrong with anything she's done. "Master and I are in sync with each other. When something affects one person, it affects the other. That's why, Allie was told to provide comfort and aid to master whenever they need it" she said.

Georg scratched the back of his head. With a comment like that, it was quite easy to take it out of context especially since she said it with such an innocent look. "When you make a statement like that, it almost sounds like-" he said.

Suddenly, Cheria's voice could be heard calling out to them from behind Georg almost as if they were waiting for the perfect time to interrupt them. "Georg! It's almsot time for the residents to eat. Are you done with-huh? Tsuki?" she said. She approached them and saw that Tsuki was there with him.

Nagi was with her as well. They were in charge of rounding up the residents so that the staff on duty could prepare food for everyone. Since it was a special occasion, they wanted to give them all the time and attention they needed to prepare. "What brings you here?" she asked.

Tsuki looked at the both of them and couldn't believe just how in-sync they both were to each other. They lived in completely different worlds but operated on a similar wavelength. "I figured I would check up on how you guys were doing and that you weren't giving Georg too much trouble" he said.

Cheria put her hands on her hips and glared at Tsuki. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Georg laughed a bit before shaking his head. "No problems here. We've got a good handle on things, as you can see" he said.

Nagi soon glanced over at Allie and tilted her head. She didn't recognize her among the residents. "Who's she? I don't think she's a resident here" she said.

Tsuki put his left hand on Allie's right shoulder, looking over at Nagi. "She's the person I wanted you to meet yesterday. Her name is Allie" he said.

Nagi looked down at Allie, giving her a warm smile and a slight wave. "Hello there, Allie. I'm Nagi. It's a pleasure to meet you" she said.

Allie looked up at Nagi and stared at her for a few moments. "Are you a friend of Master's?" she asked. She then examined her for another moment before turning and looking up at Tsuki, pointing at him. "Master has quite the harem, doesn't he?" she said with no hesitation.

Her sudden comment was so unexpected that it nearly made Tsuki, Georg, Cheria and Nagi fall over on themselves while the 4 kids simply stared at them with confusion. It was obvious on how she came to such a conclusion as a harem. A lot of his friends seemed to scale more towards the female side of things with Lynette, Nagi, Cheria, Elle and the female members of the Royal Eight. That would also include herself as well.

Nagi's face turned slightly red at her comment. "H-harem!? It isn't like that at all!" she said.

Tsuki didn't know how to respond to her comment. It literally came out of nowhere. "I don't even know how to respond to that!" he shouted.

Cheria was just as surprised to hear her refer to their shared relationship with Tsuki as a harem but given the fact that she called her mother his mistress straight to her face, a comment like that would seem normal to her. "Where did you even learn that term?" she asked.

Georg couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. A part of him had to agree with her conclusion. Tsuki did have quite a following among the females. "Questionable actions, indeed!" he said.

Allie tilted her head a bit with an innocent expression as if she saw nothing wrong with the statement she made. "Is Allie wrong?" she asked.

Tsuki swung his arm in front of him in protest. "Yes!" he said. He sighed heavily, dropping his head and shoulders as he shook his head. "I seriously wish I could meet your former masters..." he said. He was almost afraid to find out what other stuff she had crammed into that head of hers.

The repeated mention of a master made Nagi curious. "What does she mean by 'Master'?" Don't tell me you didn't..." she said.

Tsuki looked over to Nagi and shook his head while waving his arms. "I didn't do anything! Why are you making comments like that now too!?" he asked. He sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. "Since she resides within the Caliburn, the sword that I'm using. she's given me that title. That's all there is to it" he said.

Nagi giggled a bit at his expense. "Relax! I was just giving you a hard time" she said. She glanced back at Allie and examined her closely. She could feel the intense power that she had inside of her. "She really does look like a normal girl. Spirit or not, someone like her shouldn't have been made to fight" she said.

Allie tilted her head a bit at Nagi, holding a finger up to her chin. "All Allie knows is how to fight" she said.

Cheria looked at Nagi as she stared at Allie. "From what Tsuki said the other day, she doesn't remember anything prior to them meeting" she said.

Nagi shook her head. "Amnesia, huh? Poor thing..." she said. She didn't want to think about what it was like to be in her position. Having no recollection of her past and then finding yourself at the beck and call of someone else as if it were a natural thing for her. "Hopefully, you'll be able to remember your past" she said.

Allie tapped her chest and gave them a reassuring expression. "Allie doesn't need her memories! All that matters to Allie is what she has in front of her right now" she said. She didn't worry about not having any memories of the past. If she didn't remember them, they probably weren't too important.

Cheria scratched the back of her head, giving her a quick nod before turning to face the 4 residents that were watching them in silence. "Anywwy, we need to get you guys back. The food should be ready any minute now and it wouldn't be good to keep everyone waiting" she said.

The young girl's eyes lit up like a bright light as she almost hopped for joy. "Great! I'm starving!" she said with excitement.

Nagi nodded at Cheria and rounded them all up. "I'll take them back first. You can take your time" she said. She then started to march forward towards the orphanage. "Let's go, you guys!" she said.

The 4 residents followed behind her as they walked into the orphanage. As she walked off, Tsuki and Cheria watched her in silence. She seems to have made a complete 180 in terms of her personality. When she was first found and then brought to the castle, she was pretty detached and broken. Seeing her now made Tsuki think that she was back to how she used to be. She still had some recovery to do as an ordeal like that isn't easy to overcome in a matter of a few weeks but she appeared to be on the right track.

Tsuki couldn't help but nod and smile as she watched her interact with the residents with cheer and a positive attitude. "She really has come a long way. I'm surprised at just how much she's changed since Prophet Castle" he said.

Georg nodded as he watched them. "No kidding. For someone who had their spirit completely broken and beaten down, her comeback was pretty astounding. She's not the only one who's been making efforts to recovery either" he said. He then looked towards the town and watched people pass by the entrance to the orphanage. "The other captives we rescued are also making strong efforts to get back to a normal life. Some had an easy time adjusting back but others had a difficult time, much like her" he said.

Tsuki looked back at Georg. There were a lot more people that were held captive in that hellscape dungeon and since he brought up the subject, he became curious about what happened with them all. "Where are they now?" he asked.

Cheria walked up to Tsuki and Georg with her arms behind her back. "After they received proper treatment, most were escorted back to their families. For those less fortunate and didn't have a place to return to, they were given jobs around town and a place to stay" she said. She then fell silent for a few moments as she looked up towards the sky. "We gave the bodies that were brought back a proper burial with a big funeral service. That hit Nagi pretty hard because..." she said.

Tsuki closed his eyes and had a flashback roll through his head with her making mention of her friend that died as they attempted to make their escape. "Her friend was among them, I hope..." he said.

Cheria nodded slowly. "She spent a lot of her time initially at her grave, crying. It was very hard to see her like that. I couldn't just leave her like that so..." she said.

Tsuki smiled a bit and reached his arm out to rub the top of her head. "I appreciate it. It should have been me that was there for her when she was at her lowest. Thank you for being there for her...and I'm sorry that you had to pick up for my slack" he said. Obviously, there was nothing he could of done at the time. He was still on his mission.

Cheria blushed a bit as the top of her head was rubbed accompanied by his comment. After a few moments, she shook her head and turned around. "Y-You don't need to thank me for that" she said. She twiddled her thumbs for a bit before turning her head to look back at them. "W-Would you two like to join us?" she asked.

Georg nodded at her. "Sure, I don't mind. After all, I was put in charge of you. What do you say, Tsuki?" he asked, taking his hand and hitting it up against his back.

Tsuki was pushed forward a little bit by Georg's somewhat forceful pat on the back. He didn't have anywhere to be right now so he had no reason to refuse. He wasn't suppose to meet back up with everyone else until later anyway. "If you don't mind having another mouth to feed, sure" he said. He then looked down at Allie. "Feel like walking around for a bit?" he asked.

Allie looked up at him and nodded. "Allie will follow Master anywhere" she said. She didn't want to go back into the sword anyway. She was gonna stick around even if he hadn't said anything. She needed some fresh air.

Cheria nodded at him and then motioned them to follow her as she started to make her way to the orphange. "There's plenty for everyone! Come on!" she said.

Tsuki, Allie and Georg followed Cheria into the orphanage where they were led where the others were all gathered at. Time would fly by them as he would spend most of the day at the orphanage. Before he knew it, it was already getting close to sundown and the start of the festival was almost at hand. People had started to all gather around the various districts and central plaza, waiting for the bell to sound off to signal the start of the festival. Excitement was incredibly high in the air. Once the clock struck 6, that was the moment where the fun and excitement would reach its peak.

Lynette and the others had all gathered at the central plaza since they had all agreed to meet up there as things were getting ready to kick off. The number of people that were out on the streets had increased in numbers to the point where they could be considered to be at overcapacity. The buildings and streets were all lit up in decorations and festive lights as the sun made its way down the horizon.

Lynette looked around the area through the sea of people. "Tsuki's still not here yet? Where could he be?" she asked.

Reia sighed, shaking her head. "He did say that he was going to the orphanage earlier. It's possible that Her Highness has been stalling him" she said.

Ramza scratched the back of his head. "I can see that happening. Those two seem to share a rather close bond with each other" he said.

Ruko folded his arms and looked at Ramza. "So, did you manage to find out anything about our nomadic visitors?" he asked. He glanced over in the direction where their floats were set up and saw that they were setting up for whatever their performance was.

Ramza shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. The three most prominent people ended up splitting up so it was impossible to follow all of them. The leader though...Delvin, was it? He acts like a normal guy but he's definitely hiding something. I've informed every mercenary and knight as I could to keep their guards up for anything" he said. The fact that he couldn't learn anything about them in the few hours that they had was pretty concerning. Whoever they were, they weren't the type to drop their guards easily. This could potentially be very bad for them.

Reia closed her eyes, nodding to herself as Ramza spoke. "I've also informed the knights around the castle to keep their guards up. There's something wrong in the pit of my stomach. I just know it" she said.

Lynette felt a little anxious. She felt that they were inches away from the climax of everything that's been happening which made her restless. "Well, at least we'll be prepared for it if something happens...right?" she asked with a bit of hesitancy.

Ramza nodded a bit. He's been through a lot of experiences as a mercenary and there weren't very many instances where he's felt a sense of worry. This time around, the sense of worry was overwhelming. That alone was enough for him. "I sure hope so. For all our sakes" he said.

Several minutes passed as the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon and darkness started to fill the sky. Moments later, fireworks soon started to light up the dark skies as a loud bell rang which echoed throughout the entire town. The sounds of cheer and excitement filled the streets. Things have reached their peak as the Festival of Blossoms had officially started which signaled a new change of season.

Right on cue, people from the nomadic group led by Delvin had gathered around their floats in unique-looking clothing. Delvin stood in the center of the group as 5 others stood behind him. Utaru and Lily, the two others that were with him before, were nowhere to be seen.

As crowds started to disperse slowly, Delvin clapped his hands loudly. "Ah, the season of change! It's a magnificant feeling isn't it!? Who out there agrees with me!?" he shouted loudly

The people that stood around the floats all let out a collective cheer as they all felt the same as Delvin. A new season of change brings about opportunities to say goodbye to old conflicts and welcome in new experiences. It was a feeling that everyone wished from the bottom of their hearts.

Delvin looked around the crowds as they all collectively agreed with him while others spread out to other parts of the central plaza and the other districts. "Yes, yes...excellent! That's the reaction I was hoping to hear! You all understand it perfectly! By working together, we all can bring about a grand change for us all with this new season!" he shouted.

As Delvin spoke, Lynette sensed something. It was a brief flicker but she could sense a strange type of magic that she's never felt before. "Huh...? What was...?" she asked.

Reia looked over at Lynette who looked alarmed by something. "What is it, Lyn?" she asked.

Lynette shook her head a bit. "I...don't know. For a brief moment there, I felt some strange magic..." she said. She then pointed towards the floats. "...from there" she said.

Reia was surprised. Not because of the fact that she sensed magic but because she couldn't feel a thing. "What?" she asked. She then looked towards the floats and did an appraisal of them and soon had a surprised expression on her face. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was seeing a strong field of magic coming from the floats. What made this more surprising and shocking to her is that she still doesn't feel a thing yet she can see it very clearly. She wasn't sure how Lynette managed to sense a flicker of magic when she herself, a master when it came to the Magical Artes, can't do the same. "W-what is this magic!?" she asked.

Ramza looked at Lynette and Reia, who were in full alert mode and knew that something was wrong. "Speak up, you two. What are you sensing?" he asked.

Delvin slowly started to raise both of his arms up into the air as he tilted his head back. He could hear the crowds excitement echo loudly as he started to laugh a bit. "Yes, the time for change is up on us..." he said.

Reia shook visibly see the magic change but she still couldn't feel anything. This was a phenomenon that shouldn't be happening. One can't simply see magic change without sensing a shift in Aer. "I don't know but something is happening to the floats!" she said. She soon started to see the same type of magic emitting from Delvin. "What is he...?" she asked.

Although Ruko couldn't feel or sense magic like Lynette or Reia could, he could definitely feel a change with the surrounding vibes. "Something's coming...!" he said.

Delvin held his arms up high in the air and made two fists. "Let us bring about about a new age. An age...of compliance!" he shouted.

Suddenly, the floats behind Delvin started to glow brightly to the point where it was almost blinding. Moments later, the magic that surrounded the carts shattered, sending out a shockwave throughout the central plaza. The blinding light and shockwave sent the central plaza into a panic as all the fun and excitement had a dramatic shift. After a few moments, the blinding light disappeared and what awaited them was a sight no one had expected. When the light disappeared, numerous people with armor and weapons drawn exited out of the floats and formed a line around them. The armor all had an engraving that was similar to what Caius had on his armor. It was the mark of Honegroth.

Ramza immediately recognized the armor that the knights had on their armor. "Honegroth soldiers!? Here!? How!?" he shouted.

Delvin had a sinister look on his face as he looked back down at the crowds that were thrown into a panic. "All who comply will be shown mercy. As for those who resist, you know what will happen. By the order of King Caius of Honegroth, attack! We shall seize this place!" he shouted, waving his arm.

Moments later, the soldiers let out collective yells and started to rush the crowds of people with weapons drawn. This sent the citizens fleeing as screams of terror and fear soon replaced the sounds of fun and excitement. In retaliation, Eresseas knights as well as mercenaries drew their weapons and engaged the soldiers that stormed towards the crowds. At the same time, explosions could be heard coming from the Business and Recreational Districts which sent vibrations throughout the entirety of Eresseas.

All Lynette could do was watch as everything started to unfold right before their eyes. Their worst fears coming true. Delvin looked through the crowds of fighting and locked his eyes on them as they stood their ground. "Let's let our own festival start. Not of blossoms but of blood and ruin" he said. Moments later, the clothing he was wearing started to glow as the magic around him started to disperse which revealed a similar suit of armor with a scythe on his back. He then took the scythe off his back and pointed it at them. "Let the festitivies...begin" he said with an evil expression on his face.

Lynette and the others drew their weapons as they locked their eyes with Delvin and a horde of enemy soldiers approached them. The encroaching darkness that had been slowly closing in on Eresseas was finally started to close its grips as it offered no way out. It was a situation that was on a whole different scale than the conflict that took place in Basilwell. They had more than one enemy to worry about this time with apparent simultaneous attacks in other districts taking place as well. Confusion, panic and terror filled everyone's thoughts as those who couldn't defend themselves fled the sudden enemy threat. Knights of Eresseas and the local mercenaries fought with all their might to attempt to fight back and allow the citizens to seek sheltar. A dark, suffocating veil was casted over Eresseas, making its future bleak to all.

To be continued...