As much as he wanted to have a companion, Tetsuda determined it better to venture to Cosiyan alone, and when the sun broke over the horizon the next morning, he and his fellow defectors parted ways.

According to the legend, Cosiyan couldn't be reached by a simple boat, as it was a land completely separate from the physical world of Iyan. Rather, there existed a gem similar to the teleportation stones used to connect Iyan with the human realm, and that gem, when found, would transport the worthy to Cosiyan. Whether or not he met the qualifications of worth, he did not know, but he couldn't let that bother him—not when he had so many demons depending on him.

The legend spoke of a grotto called Crystalline, and with Zelotypia's descriptions, Tetsuda determined the relative location to be on the northwestern coastline of Naiyan—far closer to the palace than he would've liked.

He'd never ventured to the coast before, and he'd expected an ocean of lava to greet him. Instead, however, a steamy expanse of green waters lay before him, with no land for miles and miles. More surprising, however, were the bits of multicolored foliage and soft sand connecting barren desert and infinite waters. Part of him wanted to fall into the waves, to let them consume him and carry him away from his troubles…

But that'd be cruel to Tyrannus.

"How many for today?"

Tetsuda's body stiffened.

"As of this morning, twenty-seven. Knowing the incubi, though, it'll be up to sixty before we even get back."

His eyes darted from side to side, and just as metallic footsteps drew nearer, Tetsuda dove into a bush. It stood about as tall as Tetsuda, and the head-sized turquoise leaves provided enough thickness to effectively cover him.

Through the thin gaps in the leaves, Tetsuda viewed two Ira clad in heavy iron armor approach the water.

"It's nice to get away from the palace," said the one who had spoken first. "Exciting as the executions are, they get a bit boring. Everyone dies the same."

"Lord Tyrannus kills some of them privately," said the other. "He has a torture room. Must be nice, being a dictator."

"Yeah." The Ira hesitated, then asked, "What do you think about Tetsuda?"

"What about him?"

"Do you think...he'll rebel?"

"Hard to say. He didn't fight exile, but I doubt he'll be away long. It's best not to think about it, though. Even with the Ultimas gone, Lord Tyrannus is too powerful to be taken down that easily."

"I suppose you're right."

The Ira started walking his way, and Tetsuda leaned back in the bush, his hands behind his back. He had no desire to fight—not now. He just had to stay silent, and—

His right hand sunk into the sand. Tetsuda withdrew it and leaned down to gaze into the hole that had formed. Inside lay a shallow chasm, the bottom of which glowed with a bluish light.

"Did you hear something? It seemed like it came from the bush over there."

Rapidly Tetsuda dug around the hole, and just as the Ira stood before the bush, the ground collapsed beneath him, and Tetsuda fell into the chasm.

He landed with a soft thud onto ground that should have felt hard, and after looking up, he noticed the hole had closed completely. Had more sand fallen atop it? Or...was this the pathway to Crystalline?

Before him was a stone corridor, and it was from that stone corridor that the faint blue light originated. Rising to his feet, Tetsuda followed the path. As he ventured deeper, moss and leaves began to cover the rocks, and dozens of turquoise gemstones—the sources of the light—appeared in the walls. His body tingled, and his chest grew warmer. This had to be Crystalline—there was no way it wasn't.

Any of the gems could be the transport stone, but Tetsuda proceeded on the pathway. Zelotypia had said that placing faith in the wrong stone would summon the spirits of those who had also died on the path to Cosiyan, and those spirits would band together to kill Tetsuda.

So he continued, and after what could have been hours—everything felt so surreal—he reached an underground oasis. A thin moat separated where he stood from a tiny island in the middle of the perfectly round cavern, and the water was the purest shade of turquoise he'd ever seen. More gems dotted the edge of the ceiling, emanating a blue glow that felt hauntingly tranquil. Chains of leaves hung from gaps in the groups of stones, and bits of moss patched the walls. In the middle of the island was a waist-high column of lumpy rock, atop which lay another gem, only this one was larger than the others he'd seen up to this point.

Without hesitation, he stepped toward the gem, which almost seemed to beckon him closer and closer. This was it. Cosiyan was just a few steps away. Just a few more steps and he could—

He stopped himself before his fingertips could graze the gem's surface. Why would such a sacred item be located here of all places, right out in the open where all could see it. It felt planned, he thought, as if someone had intentionally placed it there as a trap…

He looked down into the moat, full of pebbles and tiny rocks. Something shined right below his foot, and when he parted a bit of the dirt, he laid his eyes upon a dull silver stone. It was nothing impressive—honestly, it looked little better than a chunk of ore. Yet in his hand the glow brightened, more and more, until eventually the whole room filled with pure light.

He comes, whispered voices from seemingly everywhere. The one to save us all.