Chapter 61: Reflection

Disclaimer:

Hi guys. After a break from this story, I'm back and resuming the updates. We'll have a cooldown chapter here but after that, we'll continue on. By the way, in Chapter 52, I gave Yuno the spell "Aggressor's Destruction", but I wanted to change the name to "Wind Eagle's Refuge" since it fit so much better with what the spell actually did. This suggestion was from 'T.V. 2000' and I also agreed. With that said, I hope you guys enjoy this extra-long chapter!


A sleeping Lucas.

Though he didn't have the same beauty as the character in a certain fairy tale because of the injuries he had sustained. His face was illuminated by a green light which was coming from above.

The room he was in had no roof but was covered by the branches of an Acacia tree. The green leaves were glowing and these served as healing processes for the injured Magic Knight.

There were many injuries cast on to the squad during the fight with Lucas and Yuno being dealt the most severe ones out of the rest.

"It's been two days now and Lucas still isn't up…", Mimosa said with a worried tone to her voice. She was pacing up and down the building whilst the others near her watched.

"Don't worry about it. Whatever happened against Rhya was way too intense for all of us so think about how Lucas felt when he was constantly fighting the whole time", David replied.

"Yeah, he'll be fine in no time at all. His injuries are all healed up so it's simply a matter of time before his body wakes up". Hamon stood up from the brown bench that he and David were sitting on.

The Golden Dawn were all waiting in some type of medical facility that the Druids had back near the main village. It was small and was only designed to hold two patients at the most.

Lucas's room was open-roofed, whilst the rest of the building was closed off from above. There were windows made from small, wooden doors that could allow or prevent light from coming in. Across from each other, there were sets of brown benches and there was a single door to the outside.

The other members of the squad in this building consisted of Klaus and Letoile, who were leaning against a wall, looking up in the air.

"Still, you have to realise just how worried Mimosa is right now. We all are too, but we can't do much except wait", Letoile explained.

"His injuries weren't too bad but it was probably just exhaustion. Yuno woke up yesterday and went off on his own somewhere. Honestly, I know he's not one to keep his mind on something like this but going off on his own?" Klaus added, walking towards the room where Lucas was being kept.

Yuno had woken up a whole day earlier and instead of resting or keeping it easy, he went outside and hasn't been seen since. Bell went along with him but the rest of the Golden Dawn don't know what was up with him.

Suddenly, alleviating everyone's worries, the door to the patient's room opened up and out hobbled a tired Lucas.

"L-L-Lucas!" Mimosa shouted, running over, and hugging him tightly.

"We're so glad you're awake now, buddy. You had the others worried to death", David said, winking.

David's back met with a hard slap from Letoile as she started speaking. "Weren't you the one who actually slept here the whole time 'just in case he woke up'?"

"Um, guys…", Hamon pointed his finger to Lucas and then everyone followed.

"I CAN'T BREATHE!" Lucas shouted. He was struggling since the Vermillion had her arms wrapped so tightly around the Dual mage. He kept tapping the girl's arms as if he was in a wrestling ring and was giving up a fight.

Mimosa realised his discomfort and let go immediately. "Oh, s-sorry about that!" Her face turned a bright, pinky-red as she realised what she had done and sat down on the bench next to her, trying to calm herself down.

With a few heavy breaths, Lucas started to speak normally. "Hi guys, I hope you didn't worry too much. How many hours has it been since the fight?"

Everyone in the room face-planted, but it did lift some of the nerves hearing Lucas's naivety.

The outside door flung open and another Golden Dawn member walked in. He had pale-green hair and his eyes looked angered.

"Is the brat awake ye-!" He started to say but saw the answer to his question in front of him.

Lucas raised a hand and waved sheepishly. He didn't really know what to think of Alecdora right now so he didn't say anything.

"G-Good! You have some nerve making Master Vangeance and the rest of us wait for two whole days while you were having your beauty sleep!" The Sand mage shouted. However, even for someone who loves shouting at others, this one didn't seem all that threatening or intense.

"He's different now since the fight with the enemy", Hamon thought as he nudged the side of David's body.

"He treats Lucas a bit nicer than before but he still constantly locks horns with Yuno", David sighed.

Lucas, though, didn't focus on how Alecdora was speaking but rather what he had said. "H-hang on. A few days have passed? I didn't even realise!"

The mage quickly started to put on his clothes, robe, and shoes. Previously, during treatment, all he was wearing was a dark-blue shirt and a pair of shorts. Though, seeing the rush he was in, Klaus stepped forward.

"You don't need to be in a rush, Lucas. Now that you're awake, we'll be leaving later on in the day so take your time", he said.

Lucas, midway through putting on his right shoe, slowed down. He looked up and asked; "hey, where's the Captain?"

"Master Vangeance is with Cathbad somewhere. They're probably discussing what happened a few days ago", Alecdora responded.

Lucas stayed silent for a few seconds, kicking his feet against the ground. "I really need to thank him for what he did for me back there".

Mimosa's gaze went back to the room where Lucas was a few minutes ago and looked through the window of the. Her yellow eyes lit up from the healing leaves that had just stopped. "Sallyanne's magic really is insane… her Recovery Magic can do something like this?"

David responded by wrapping his arm around the royal. "She may have more powerful magic but with a bit of work, you'll see your magic level up in no time", he smiled.

"Thanks", Mimosa replied.

Suddenly, the door that Alecdora was standing by burst open, revealing a flash of bright, red hair zoom through the hallway.

"I heard that!" Sallyanne shouted, strolling through. "Sorry, Mimosa, but if you improve that means that I'll just get stronger!"

"Sallyanne! How long were you outside for?" Mimosa asked, wondering how she just happened to turn up once they started speaking about her.

"Me? Hm, I just got here because I wanted to talk to Lucas about something but once I heard my name, I just had to burst through", the Druid explained. She turned her head to the side and saw the person she was on about. "Oh good, you're up!" Sallyanne cheered, her ponytail swaying back and forth as she moved her head.

"Couldn't she sense Lucas before saying all that? I thought Druids are in touch with their mana sensing and whatnot…", Mimosa sweat-dropped.

"Hi there. Thank you for using your Recovery Magic for me", Lucas thanked.

"Haha, no worries", she replied. The Druid smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Lucas stretched his arms and turned his neck, checking if everything was alright. "I… I'm a bit sore but I think I'll be fine. Thanks for the hospitality", he put his hand out.

"Oh, my second ever handshake with a human", she stuck her tongue out cheekily. The Druid accepted and then moved herself into the middle of the room, ready to address the others.

Sallyanne looked at Lucas and asked something regarding the events that happened during the battle in the temple.

"Have you had any time to think about just what happened back there?" Sallyanne asked, her tone shifting more to the serious side.

Lucas paused but didn't really know what to say. He was about to speak but the Druid got there first.

"I'm specifically on about your interaction with Rhya towards the end. He really seemed to have it out for you", the Druid explained.

Without notice, the same door to the outside flung open once more. It seemed as if this door was on a timer with how frequently it was opening and closing. However, this time, instead of someone bursting through, a different Druid calmly strolled in with a serious expression to her face.

"Well, before you answer what Sallyanne is asking, how about you answer the real point of interest", she said with a firm and serious tone.

"What is it with all the barging in?" Letoile sighed, shaking her head. She sat down on one of the benches.

David stood beside Lucas, making him feel at ease. Obviously, two Druids entering the room and immediately questioning him made him feel slightly out of it, but he was ready to answer. Besides, he didn't know more than he already did.

"The real point of interest? You mean what happened with me back there?" Lucas asked, rhetorically. He started fidgeting but after a long sigh, he was prepared to answer.

Everyone's minds went back to Lucas fighting against Rhya. While there were many questions about the transformation and the change in Lucas, they also thought about why the Copy mage was so vicious when it came to the Golden Dawn mage.

The truth is… I don't know what happened", Lucas replied.

Valmoira's head started to show a vein popping out from the side indicating she wasn't pleased with the answer. She walked up to him and grabbed him by the robe, showing her anger.

"What do you mean by that?" Valmoira grunted.

Hamon had now joined David. Both of them extended their arms in front of Lucas, pushing her away from the Dual mage.

"Now, that's not really the right way to ask someone, right?" David said sarcastically.

Valmoira took a deep breath and backed up. "I… apologise", she said softly.

This gained a surprised look from Sallyanne but she didn't interfere with what was going on.

Mimosa interrupted though but it was also to make sense of what had happened. "Lucas. Rhink back to when you were… impaled by your weapons. Is there anything you can give us?"

The ginger-haired teen put his fingers to his chin to think. "When I was impaled…?"

"All I thought back then was… wanting to protect Yuno and… wanting to hurt Rhya for what he did to Mimosa…

There was a familiar feeling of anger…

And it felt… good…?"

Lucas snapped out from his train of thought when he started hearing loud shouts from his squadmates. With a shake of his head, he looked into Valmoira's piercing, green eyes.

"It happened because I wanted to protect my friends. I felt anger like I had… felt before at times. Then, before I knew it, I felt my Time Magic well up inside me and I blacked out", Lucas explained.

Valmoira nodded her head, trying to understand. When she thought back to what Lucas looked like, she got an idea in her head which may have been slightly far-fetched. "Your transformation looks awfully like Valchronos…".

There was silence in the room as the group tried to process the information.

"Valchronos? Isn't that the name of the person depicted in the diagrams and illustrations along the inside of the temple?" Every Magic Knight in the room thought.

The one to break the silence was the smaller Druid who was standing by Mimosa.

"Who are your parents?" Sallyanne asked plainly. There was no sense of maliciousness from her but there was a feeling of interest.

"H-hey, you can't ask that!" Mimosa protested.

"Actually, it might tie in to who he actually is", Valmoira responded.

"Yeah, but that's…", Hamon tried to say but was interrupted.

"No, it's fine", Lucas put his hand up. He wiped the sweat from his head and replied. "I don't know my parents as I'm an orphan, but I do have these weird dreams from time to time. I get to see these floating auras or silhouettes of people or beings that I vaguely or don't recognise at all. I do think there's something more to this but I don't know what I don't know".

Lucas thought back again to when he started to wake up after his transformation came undone. There was also a blue figure in front of him that looked similar to himself.

"That was something different altogether. First there were silhouettes of people I don't recognise, and then there was a figure that looked like me…", he shook his head.

"I see…", Valmoira said quietly. She left the room after the mini interrogation.

A few minutes passed with no one speaking after that. Slowly, Alecdora left the building along with David, Hamon, and Letoile.

"So… this is awkward", Lucas spoke up as he broke the silence.

"Phew… Finally, someone spoke!" Mimosa said with an awkward laugh.

"I was hoping someone would!" Sallyanne kicked her legs back and forth on one of the benches. "So, when are you guys leaving?"

"Probably in a few hours. With a bit of luck, and speed, we might get back in time for dinner", Mimosa answered.

"I haven't had a proper meal since before we left", Lucas closed his eyes. He started to think about all the food that would be waiting for him once he entered the HQ again.

"Hmm…", Sallyanne thought. "I'll see you guys later!" She then left the room, leaving the duo of Lucas and Mimosa alone.

"What is she thinking?" The both of them said to each other.

The two of them sat down together and turned to one another. Mimosa spoke first as she twirled the edges of her long hair.

"Really, how are you feeling?" She asked.

Lucas sighed as he felt comfortable enough at this moment. Just a few minutes prior, he was being questioned and it didn't feel too good. Even though he told them what he could, he could relax properly now.

"Personally, I feel a bit tired but I'll be fine. But, in the grand scheme of things? There's a lot to figure out with the Eye of the Midnight Sun as well as my own powers…". The mage lifted his right hand and turned it around, thinking about his Time Magic.

"I'll be here to help!" Mimosa added.

"Thanks", Lucas replied. Then, he paused as he realised just who was missing. "Hang on a minute. Where's Yuno?"

Mimosa pouted and filled her cheeks with air. "He went off somewhere yesterday and hasn't returned. People have seen him but he doesn't seem to want to come back. I tried talking to him but he didn't seem to be in the mood", she said in a defeated tone.


On the other side of the main village, stood a small, stone building which was covered with light-green moss and dangling vines. There were small insects like red ladybugs and others crawling around the top of it. Through the windows, there were two people speaking to each other.

A dark-oak desk separated the two who were in conversation, whilst they sat on opposing chairs.

"Now that you are about to leave, I would like to offer you an apology for how you were treated". Cathbad was the first to talk and it seemed like he had struggled to get these words out, considering his personal experiences with humans.

"Cathbad, it's fine", William waved. He wore an odd expression showing that he was slightly embarrassed. "We came into your home and the way we introduced ourselves was not right", he said as he thought back to what Alecdora did.

The general feeling that the Druids had for the humans seemed to have skewered after the events at the temple. While Cathbad remained guarded, he was a bit more open to speaking with them. With regards to Valmoira and Sallyanne, they had welcomed them with the former having changed her attitude the most. Dike was the same with them but that reasoning was due to something else altogether.

The large Druid then stood up from his chair, walking towards one of the open windows to take in the flowing breeze. He stared out towards the village where he saw other Druids going about their routines.

"When we first met, I was adamant you were the same as the ones that came centuries before. However, through your sacrifice for your squad member, my mind started to change and it made me… want to trust you", he said as he looked away. "There is only one question that I need to ask and that is… why?"

William paused for a moment before lowering his head. He stared down onto the floor before responding. "I love my squad and I want to do everything to protect them…", he said with a darkened expression that Cathbad couldn't see.

With a heavy sigh, he turned around and put his arm forward towards the Captain of the Golden Dawn. His right hand went across his bandaged chest, where he was slashed by Rhya's copied Dark Magic, and he opened his palm.

The Chief of Druids had offered a hand. It was a gesture that was accepted by William as he met the hand.

"This handshake cements our trust. I still do not approve of what you are in general, but I am willing to look past that for the benefit of both of us", Cathbad said.

"You have offered us trust and that is all we could ask from you. In return…", William started to say before he put his hand in his grimoire satchel. "… here".

The masked mage handed Cathbad a device of some sort. It was rectangular in shape with a rounded edge at the top of it. In the middle were dark-green buttons and the overall colour of the device was a light-brown one.

Cathbad accepted the item wondering what it was.

"That's a Magic Communication Device. It allows you to contact me over a large distance so please could you carry that with you just in case… you know", the captain explained.

The Disaster mage looked at the device and moved it from one hand to the other. It was small in comparison to his large hands but he took care in handling it.

"This… device? With this we can exchange information?" Cathbad asked, needing reconfirmation.

"Correct. I don't want to bring this up but clearly there was a third party involved with what happened to your soldiers. To improve and make sure something like this never happens again, information on them will prove very useful", William explained.

The Chief looked it over again before tucking it away in his fur coat he had dangling from his shoulders. "We will examine them and then relay any information we get to you. You must find out who did this", he said with a louder voice suggesting his anger.

"I will get to the bottom of this", William assured.


The scene changed to a certain individual on the grassy floor, punching his fists into the ground in frustration. He was breathing heavily and was sweating a lot with what he was doing. In front of him, there was the side of a mountain with large slashes going through it in different directions.

The lights in the ceiling had started to dim and as they did, they reflected and deflected off different surfaces. Once this happened, the person that was on the floor was revealed to be none other than Yuno.

"Dammit…", he said as he breathed heavily. The Wind mage had dirt all over his clothes as he muttered to himself.

"That's enough!" Another voice called out. Bell had flew towards him to pinch his cheek and then sit on his shoulder. "You haven't said a word to me since you woke up and instead of resting, you're training?"

The Sylph couldn't believe what she was seeing but considering her connection to him, she understood why this was happening. Even so, it was difficult to see his annoyance.

"I have to be better if I want to improve…", he spoke for the first time since he started training here.

"We all need to be better but there's a time when w-", Bell tried to talk but was cut off.

"No… You were there, Bell. We were close to multiple techniques during the battles in the temple but I never got a hang of anything. Yes, we got stronger but that final battle was… not good", Yuno explained. He had stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead, getting ready to go again.

Bell flew in front of the mage's face, putting her arms out. "You're the only one who's this hard on himself after a battle like that! You learned Wind Eagle's Refuge to save both Lucas and Dike. Isn't that something to be proud of?"

"I have to be hard on myself! All I hear around me is people praising me for my magic power and strength but I don't care about all that. I have to keep improving and getting to the next step or I'll fall behind again!" Yuno argued, rolling his hands into a pair of fists showing his anger.

Bell shook her head as she crossed her arms. Her thin wings flapped in the air as the wind silent wind picked up between the two. "You know what? Fine. Go ahead and improve but don't think for a second that I won't be right here with you! The only thing I ask is…", she said before generating a ton of wind in front of her.

"Wind Spirit Magic: Sylph's Breath!" She shouted as she fired out a large ball of wind at Yuno.

Yuno reacted by summoning a Towering Tornado to deflect the attack. He lost his footing on his right leg and started to kneel on the floor.

"What was that for…?" He asked, looking annoyed.

"All I ask is that you rest for today. Once we're back at HQ we can train together on some things. Besides, I know exactly what you want to work on considering you got the idea for it in that battle against Rhya", Bell said as she floated towards the tall mage.

With a slight hesitation, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine".


After a few minutes, Yuno had brushed away most of the dirt and dust that was on his clothes and started to make his way back to the rest of the squad. Bell was sitting on his head, playing with the ends of his messy, black hair as she enjoyed the feel of the breeze fly past her.

Eventually, after another few minutes, he reached the village where everyone was waiting. All of them were stood by the large, flowing water fountain and Lucas was the first to notice the Wind mage.

"Yuno!" He waved as he ran over.

"You're finally awake", Yuno replied with a smirk. "It was about time".

"I need to work on not passing out for more than one day, don't I?" He laughed with an awkward look to his face.

Slowly, the rest of the Golden Dawn made their way to the group of two. David and Hamon had their arms crossed as if they were about to interrogate Yuno, whilst Klaus, Letoile, and Mimosa had a smile to their faces.

"You really left us without saying anything, Yuno!" David said, grabbing the mage's robe in a playful way.

"… Let go, please…", he said softly. He even mentioned something along the lines of that this wasn't in tune with his character, whatever that meant.

"If you're worried about something, just let us know next time", Hamon added.

"Okay, I will", Yuno responded.

The Golden Dawn were now all together and were ready to head out. Lucas, Yuno, and Mimosa were the first to take a step towards the exit but then a loud rumble sounded out behind them. Slowly, they turned their heads as they knew just what the source of this noise was.

"Hohoho, sorry about that!" Hamon raised his arm to apologise. "We haven't had a proper meal for a few days and you know what I'm like!"

A few of the squad started to laugh but all of them knew they need to leave since they couldn't have food here. However, after this, Sallyanne appeared once more as she jumped down from one of the roofs on the buildings to the side.

"Woops…", she said as she landed, stretching her arms out to reaffirm her balance.

"You again", Alecdora muttered. It didn't seem like he was impressed after being startled by her earlier.

The Plant Magic user turned to the dark-green haired noble. "Scared, were you? Anyway, where do you guys think you're going on empty stomachs?"

"We have to go back to our headquarters. There is a lot to do when we get there", William explained. He walked up to the Druid but it didn't look like she was going to listen.

"Okay, that's good and all… but why don't you guys have a meal here? I'll even throw in a hot springs visit for you as a show of thanks", Sallyanne persisted.

"T-that's a good gesture from you but do you think that's appropriate? A lot of your people died in the temple and you think we should have fun?" Vangeance didn't seem like he wanted to do something like this and this was shared by a lot of the others.

"I don't think it's right…", Klaus added.

"Maybe some other time", Letoile answered.

Sallyanne pouted but it didn't look like she was going to give up. However, before she could say anything, Valmoira showed up.

"Is she following me?" Sallyanne wondered.

The Woodland mage agreed with what Sallyanne had offered. "My sister did not explain things well at all", she coughed to clear her throat. "Regarding the ones who passed on, after analysis, we will be burying them back into the earth. When Druids die, we ask to be buried like that so we can contribute to the lives of the future. Think of it as supporting those who come after".

"Is it so they can always be part of you?" Letoile wondered.

"Exactly", Valmoira replied.

Slowly, the area around the Golden Dawn started to get filled with other male and female Druids. There was a range of them going from adults to kids but they all seemed like they had something to say to the humans.

In an extremely broken language, they tried to talk to the Golden Dawn.

"Stay… dinner".

"Happy… enjoy".

Valmoira and Sallyanne smiled. "They are thankful for what you did in the temple and are happy with your efforts. Cathbad told them everything that happened and were appreciative that you fought", the older Druid explained.

"They want to personally treat you", Sallyanne added.

One-by-one, the Golden Dawn members slowly turned to look at the captain who had a look of defeat to him. The ones that were giving him the most looks were the trio of David, Mimosa, and Bell.

"Okay, okay. Fine. We will spend the night here but we're leaving first thing in the morning", he said with a sigh.


A few hours into the night, everyone was having a fun time having conversations and joking around. The Golden Dawn were in a large, open-roofed building with a view towards the illuminating and sparkling ceiling. The building had a border of tall pillars going around in a rectangle which gave it structure, whilst there were thick leaves in between each which acted as a fence of sorts.

The floor was the grass but within the building itself were multiple benches and tables separated into rows. It looked like a dining hall with how it was set up. The most important part for a lot of the ones who were there was that each table was full of exotic-looking food and drinks.

Hamon was the one that was continuously eating and he was joined with Bell of all people. The duo were chugging down food like it was nothing and their stomachs had become bottomless pits for the drinks they were having.

"We should really do this more, Bell", Hamon said as he rubbed his stomach.

With a squeaky burp, Bell replied. "You know what… I'm happy to do so".

The Glass mage reached out for the large plate in front of him that looked like it had some sort of otherworldly meat on it. It was a cooked slice of meat that had a brown colour to it but with a fiery tinge of red. There were flowing sauces, and salad to the side and it looked like this food was sent from the heavens.

"We can do this…", Hamon turned to Bell.

"You bet…", Bell turned to Hamon.

Mimosa and Letoile were talking with the other Druids in the centre of the room. They were sat down on a large, circular, yellow and orange rug with five other Druids. In total, there were seven people here and they were all making loud noises.

"Clothes…", one Druid tried to say. She pointed at their uniform and when she pointed to her own attire, she frowned.

Letoile waved her arms to disagree with what she was implying. "No, no! Your clothes are really nice. I like how free you are when you move and do things and you look so good with them!"

After she finished talking, her face went pale with embarrassment. "Hang on… you can't understand what I'm even saying, can you?"

On the other hand, Mimosa wasn't embarrassed at all. In fact, she was fully enjoying talking to these Druids. She was smiling and laughing and also having some food to go with it.

The other Druids pointed at Mimosa and it looked like they were talking about the clothing as well. Then, they pointed at themselves in the same general area, making a circular gesture around their chests.

"Your clothes are really beautiful! I wish I could pull off something like that but I don't think I would look nice in them!" She smiled.

Letoile looked in on the conversation but since she was more aware, she realised that these female Druids were, in fact, not talking about clothing. The Compass mage started to blush but she had to tell Mimosa so that she would know what was happening.

With a whisper to her squad mate's ear, she explained what they were saying. "They're talking about your er… well, boobs… I think they're saying that they're jealous…", she said quietly.

Mimosa paused but she still had the smile on her face. It was like she was processing what was said but couldn't quite get there in time. Eventually, her face resumed working and she was in a slight shock.

"N-n-n-no, guys! Come on, you guys are fine! If you had these, then your clothes wouldn't fit, haha!" The Vermillion tried to explain.

"What are you even saying?!" Letoile shouted.

"I dunno!" Mimosa gasped, panicking.

The two began a fit of screaming to one another but since the whole area was even noisier than they were, no one batted an eye.

"It's good that these Druids are wanting to talk to us but they are quite cheeky, aren't they?!" Letoile face palmed.


Yuno was on his own towards one of the edges of the building. He was sitting outside with his back to one of the pillars and he had a cushion in between him and what he was leaning on. Next to him, was an empty plate of food as well as a half-finished glass of water.

"This really is nice…", he looked towards the dark, glinting sky. He put his arms behind his head and leaned back more.

"I wonder what you're doing, Asta. I heard you have your own mission with the Black Bulls to get a Magic Stone. Perhaps you have a better time in getting it?"

The Wind mage smiled and put his right arm up towards the sky, rolling it into a fist. "The next time we meet, I'll be sure to be stronger than you!"

Back in the building, David was sat to the side with Valmoira next to him. The two were sharing one plate of food and were talking with one another.

"Are you enjoying this?" Valmoira asked, talking quieter than she normally would.

"I am. Thanks for doing all of this on short notice. After the whole thing with the Temple of Valchronos, we all needed something like this", David replied.

"It is a thank you from the others but… I would like to offer a personal thanks from myself", she explained.

David perked his ears up, leaning in to what she had to say. He was intrigued at what Valmoira wanted to say.

"Back when I was taken over by the Purple Hydrostat, your words brought be back to reality. I do not think I ever told you how thankful I was but I am telling you now". Valmoira chugged down a glass of water as she felt her skin start to heat up.

"No worries. It's what a friend would do", he smiled, not noticing the change in Valmoira's expression.

The Druid put down the plate and she turned her head to the back, making sure that the Dice mage couldn't see her. She brought her arms to her chest, rolling her hands into fists over her heart.

"Why did him saying that make my heart skip a beat…? I have never felt like this before but…", she shook her head, trying to evade this foreign feeling.

David, not seeing what was happening, continued on talking. "Sallyanne and you really did outdo yourselves here with this event".

Valmoira sighed a breath of relief as the topic had switched. She turned her head back around and replied. "Everyone helped set it up. All the other Druids and of course Sal...", she began to say but shook her head, stopping herself from continuing.

David tilted his head, confused. He pointed his fork at the Druid and asked; "you were about to say your sister's name, weren't you? Are you two fighting?"

"N-no… It is just… ah, never mind. I do not think I should be talking about familial matters with a human", she shook her head, scoffing up more food.

"We're back to that now, I see. Druids being separate to humans even in matters like this? I thought you said you wouldn't say things like that again?" David said, stopping his eating for now.

Valmoira's dark-green eyes widened, knowing she had been caught out. She messed around with her black hair and she thought about her history with Sallyanne. Then, she looked at David who was just waiting.

"Perhaps he can help?" She wondered before acting on her thoughts. "Sallyanne and I have had a good relationship for years but after what happened in the temple, I have realised that we never reconciled about a big moment in our lives", she explained.

David put down his utensils and switched position. Instead of his legs sitting on either side of the bench, he turned his body towards the outside with both of his legs in one place. "A big moment? With how you just described it, it's probably not something you want to talk to me about but your sister is a different story. I've seen what happens when there's a divide between siblings. Our Vice-Captain… well, anyway… even if you might think everything is fine, there's always that feeling that it also might not be", he replied.

Valmoira thought back to the start where her relationship with Sallyanne started to change. They never really spoke about what happened but perhaps it was time to.

"If a battle like that with an enemy that strong ever happens again, I worry that I might lose my chance with her…". Valmoira raised her head, standing up and away from the bench. "I shall speak with her!"

David smiled, picking up the plate once more to continue eating. As he got another piece of meat on his fork, he felt something grab his hand. Opening his eyes, he saw the hand of the Druid who had just stood up, offering him a handshake.

"You called yourself my friend just now but we never even decided that", she teased. "Though, this handshake can seal the deal".

"I guess you Druids really are professional even with things like this", he sighed with a smile.

The two shook hands and Valmoira left the area to find her little sister.


In the centre of the room, a few tables away from Mimosa and Letoile, was the Light and Time mage sat with Klaus on his right. As he was eating and drinking his fill, he looked towards the Steel mage and they started talking.

"Are you enjoying all of this?" Lucas asked, wiping some crumbs away from his filled-up mouth.

Klaus snapped back in a comedic way seeing that the person beside him was eating with his mouth full. "Honestly, Lucas, speak after you've eaten!"

"S-sorry!" Lucas replied in haste, not realising that he did what he did. After he gulped down his food, he apologised again.

"Haha, sorry about shouting. I've just been on edge, you know?" Klaus said, taking a deep breath. He put his glasses back on from the side he left them on.

Lucas squinted his eyes, wondering why Klaus was the way he said he was. "What seems to be the matter? I'll listen".

The Steel mage pondered for a few seconds before replying. He thought whether or not this was the right moment to say something but, after having kept this a secret for a few days, he needed to tell someone.

"Lucas, you know that I said I would tell you what happened when I was called to House Lunettes after this whole mission?" Klaus said, undoing the top few buttons of his blue and gold-outlined collar.

Lucas looked up, thinking back.

"The thing is… I was called back to House Lunettes to discuss an urgent matter. Literally, just as I woke up, I had my family's own personal Spatial Owl in my bedroom with a letter in its beak".

"Yeah, you did say something like that when we were travelling here on the brooms. You missed the meeting where I told everyone about my Time Magic", he remembered.

"I can't believe it either…", he said with a slow shake of his head. "I said I would tell everyone but I'll tell you now".

"Ooh, this is getting me excited!" Lucas said, shaking his fists in anticipation.

The light-blue haired noble coughed to clear his throat and then he revealed the secret information that only he knew prior.

"My family called me back… because they think I'm ready", he said finally.

Lucas's face turned into that of confusion. "Ready? Ready for what?"

"You know… ready for the… thing", Klaus tried to explain.

"Ready… to buy your own house?" Lucas questioned.

"No! The thing where a guy does something when he's older and of age…", Klaus said, leaning in.

"Oh my God. You're talking about that thing that adults do!" Lucas said, gasping.

Klaus clicked his fingers seeing that Lucas had figured it out. For some reason, the noble couldn't get the right words out of his mouth due to the nature of the topic.

Lucas leaned in and he whispered. Though, he didn't really need to since the place was full of noise anyway. "I've heard David talk about this thing but it's scary, right? When a man and a woman do the… thing to get babie-!" He said as he was cut off by a quick hand to his mouth. It felt like Klaus was trying to suffocate him with how hard he was pressing against his mouth.

"What on earth has David been talking about?! From now on, just hang out with Mimosa, Yuno, and I! I'm talking about marriage for crying out loud!" Klaus shouted, finally revealing the actual information.

"Ohhhh, well, you should've just said", Lucas said with no hesitation.

"You're not thinking it's too early?" Klaus asked as he calmed down from the previous misunderstanding. "I mean, I am only 18".

A moment of silence filled the air between the two mages. After a few seconds, Lucas shouted as loud as he could, though no-one else heard this as there was plenty of other noise muffling his own. "No way you're 18. You act so mature", Lucas waved the thought of Klaus being younger than what he thought away.

"No, I am 18. I get people thinking I'm older than what I am but I don't really know what to say to that", he said as he scratched his head.

Lucas paused to take it all in but still replied as honestly as he could.

"You're of that age, right? People can get girlfriends or a wife when they think they're ready and I don't think you're any different. Being 18 is a big moment and now you're thinking about the future", the ginger mage nodded.

Klaus was taken aback with how wise Lucas was being right now. "You say all this… and it all makes perfect sense, yet you still don't realise that a certain someone is crushing on you?" After the noble thought about what he had in his head about Lucas, his wise outlook wasn't as impressive anymore.

"Thank you for saying that, but I'm not sure if I want to get engaged right now, let alone marry", Klaus admitted.

"Why is that?" Lucas asked with a puzzled look.

"The girl that my family liked for me… she's a bit uh… different from everyone. I'm not sure that I like her like that", Klaus revealed.

Lucas was silent for a moment. Obviously, this decision relied on Klaus so he didn't feel as if it was his place to tell him to go for it or not. Instead, he said something else. "I don't know much about this whole thing but whatever you choose to do, I'll support you", he smiled toothily. "Though, 18 is a bit young when I think about it but it's not like you're marrying straight away, right? Perhaps you can take the time to get to know her?"

Klaus wrapped an arm around Lucas, pulling him in. "Thank you. Maybe... I'll take that advice", he smiled. The noble then stood up and eyes up a small, brown door that led elsewhere at the corner of the room. "Say, why don't we go to the hot springs?"

"That sounds great! Let-", Lucas tried to say but a sudden shout from the one next to him broke the sequence.

"Ah, I misplaced my robe!" Klaus panicked, looking around and under the table and bench that they were sat at. "This is annoying. Lucas, go on without me and I'll catch up!"

With a sweat drop and a face palm, Lucas set his gaze towards back door where the hot springs was located.

"The hot springs, huh?" He said to himself as he got up from where he was sitting. "Maybe… being alone is good for now". His tone shifted from one that was happy and content to one that was hesitant and worried.

As he opened the door to exit, there was one set of eyes following him.

The building they were all in was connected to a mixed hot springs bath. As Lucas entered through the door that separated the two areas, he saw the large, open bath filled with warm water that was all the way to the top. The water glistened with the reflection of the sparkling sky and it looked like it was almost inviting the Magic Knight in.

"I know it's not good to swim after a meal, but just taking a dip should be fine", he convinced himself.

Luckily, before this whole event started, Sallyanne had provided everyone with suitable attire for this very moment. Though, 'attire' wasn't really the right word since the men were given shorts made out of natural leather and other such items, whilst the women were given their own clothing.

After Lucas had changed, he slowly took a dip in the warm water. He poked his toes through the surface of the water before fully submerging the lower half of his body in. He had put a small towel over the top of his forehead and relaxed his head back on the edge of the springs. His head was right by a wall of hedges which had multiple flowers blooming along its surface.

His body was feeling the rejuvenating heat and his body kept on upping the level of peace that it was feeling. His blue eyes shifted across the area, taking in the surroundings. In front of him were the changing rooms that were separated into one for men and the other for women. On the right hand side, was the building where he just was and on the left was an open area where he could see the rest of the village.

The place the Magic Knights and the Druids were enjoying was on a higher bit of land which meant that people could see down but no one could really see what was going on from the village.

"This… really is nice", he said as he closed his eyes. Without meaning to, his mind went straight to the battle with Rhya and everything that happened which caused him a bit of confusion and worry. He opened his eyes since he didn't really want to think about those events currently but as he did, he saw someone.

That very someone was Mimosa who walked up to the opposite edge of the hot springs bath.

"Lucas? H-hi", she said with a bit of hesitation. "May I join you?"

"Sure", Lucas replied, still thinking about the battle even though he tried to stop himself.

"I was wondering why you left all of a sudden. You could've told me you were coming here and I would've joined you", she smiled. After she said that, she slowly entered the opposing end of the springs and took a deep sigh.

Lucas replied but it looked like he was having a hard time. Mimosa noticed this but she let him speak first.

"Initially, Klaus wanted to go together but I… wanted to think about a few things. A lot of stuff happened these past few days and I needed a minute by myself", he explained, still looking into the sky.

"Well, what have you figured out?" Mimosa asked, interested.

"I haven't figured out anything and that's the problem. I wanted to ask you a question seeing as you were there and saw everything". Lucas lowered his head and met Mimosa's yellow eyes.

"… Was I… What was it like when I transformed? All I remember is the feeling of anger and rage and I'm not sure if I want to feel like that again".

The Vermillion moved her right hand across the water surface, creating a mini wave in front of her. "I'm not going to lie to you since it would be bad coming from a friend. It was really scary and it wasn't only a little worrying, it was a lot".

Lucas felt a sense of defeat come over his head and he lowered himself into the water until only his nose and the rest of his head was above the water. He started blowing bubbles as he sighed underwater.

"It was like you were right there with us, but it also wasn't", she explained further.

The Time mage's mind went back to the blue figure he saw when he was starting to wake up. It looked just like him, but he knew it wasn't him.

"… but that's how I know you'll be able to control it", Mimosa added. This prompted Lucas's full attention as his eyes shifted back to Mimosa's.

"You were still there and since that was the case, you'll be able to", she smiled. "You were fighting right alongside us. It was intense but at the end of the day, it is your power. Who knows? I wonder what you'll be able to do once you're fully in control of that transformation!"

Mimosa raised her head and wore a bright smile. For the first time since they started talking in the hot springs, Lucas really saw Mimosa and it seemed like a dark cloud was lifted from his head. His worries were still there but now it gave him the feeling of courage.

"Thanks a lot, Mimosa", he replied with a large smile that met the radiance of Mimosa's. As he looked towards the Vermillion again, he paused.

Lucas's face started to go red. Mimosa was wearing some sort of swimsuit that the Druids had made for her earlier. Going across her body, there was a thin, brown piece of material that wasn't too different to what the women wore in the Forgotten Forest. Below that was a skirt that was made from large leaves and tied together with a white string that connected to a bra made out of the same material as her skirt which wrapped around her chest area.

The royal's bright, vermillion hair was down to her left and had become slightly wet at the ends since it accidentally touched the water. Her skin was almost shining under the glowing, night canvas that the two were under.

"Lucas?"

"Uh… um... no, huh? Wait… it's not like that!" Lucas snapped back from gawking. He raised his arms and turned his face around, heavily protesting for his innocence.

"What were you…!" Mimosa gasped as she buried her entire body below the water. "Was he… staring at m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-me?"

Suddenly, alleviating the awkward tension between the two, the rest of the Golden Dawn appeared and jumped in together.

David and Hamon were the first ones to join and cannonballed into the middle of the springs, getting everyone wet. Yuno and Letoile were smarter as they kept to the sides, enjoying the warmth on their own whilst Bell floated on top of Klaus's head who was standing on the side.

"I found my robe, Lucas!" He waved it in the air.

"G-good job", Lucas said as his nerves and embarrassment started to fade. He took another look at Mimosa but instead of staring, he just smiled at the royal.

"Don't worry about it", she said as she gave the Magic Knight a thumbs up.

The only ones who weren't in the hot springs that were part of the Golden Dawn were Alecdora and the captain of the squad. Everyone knew that the Sand mage wouldn't be interested in all of this but not having the World Tree mage with them was slightly upsetting. Regardless, the group carried on having their fun until it was time to go to bed.


As darkness covered the Forgotten Forest, two groups Druids met with one another but they were in different places. The first pair met in their own house, whilst the other pair were elsewhere.

This house was the very same one which Valmoira and Sallyanne shared from childhood. It was also where Dyam, the two girls' father had tragically died in the middle of.

"Sallyanne?" Valmoira called out as she opened the singular, wooden door to the small house. The Woodland mage entered the entranceway and all the memories flushed through her mind as she did.

From the other side of the wall, the Plant mage popped out with a jump. "Hey, Sis! What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same for you. Should you not be with the humans back at the village?" Valmoira asked, crossing her arms. Though, this was perfect as she wanted to speak with her little sister anyway.

"Oh, I didn't really feel like it, Besides, I wanted to tend to the house a bit more".

The two Druids would still keep the house clean and in top shape even though they hadn't lived there for years. After the death of their father, they didn't want to love in the same place but they also couldn't fully leave as they felt attachment to it like no other.

Valmoira sat down at the small dinner table, inviting her sister to join her. "I… actually wanted to talk to you about something".

"What's up? You're worrying me here! Oh, is it about David?!" Sallyanne perked up, her eyes glowing like stars.

"What? No, it is not", she said as she waved off the claim. She didn't even think twice about why she was mentioning the human's name since she was focused on something else.

"Then?" Sallyanne wondered, resting her chin on the palm of her right hand.

"I wanted to talk about… Father", she gulped.

Sallyanne returned the shocked expression and felt a little unease. This was the first time since the day that Valmoira had even said those words to her and today didn't seem any different so all she was wondering was…

"Why?" Sallyanne asked plainly.

"I realised some things and I… never got around to apologising about what I did". Valmoira shifted her gaze to the entranceway where the incident had happened.

"Sis, I know it wasn't your fault, so why…?" Sallyanne questioned.

"It was my fault! I did not listen and I did all of that! But… another thing that I hate myself for was saying what I said to you!" Valmoira shouted.

There was turn of feeling in the air between the two sisters. For many years, this topic was never addressed between the two but now they were shouting about it at one another.

"I'm telling you… it's not your f-!" Sallyanne shouted back but then some tears started to form from her eyes, falling down on the surface of the table. "H-huh? Why is this…?" She asked, confused as to why she was crying.

"That is the reason I wanted to address it. Both of us are not over what happened…", Valmoira answered. She had also started to get teary-eyed but she didn't question it as she knew this needed to be done.

"V-Valmoira… I… I don't want to feel like this anymore", the red-haired Druid cried.

The mere mention of the event triggered such emotions that the two had never experienced before. This showed just how the two sisters never even discussed this topic with how easily they reacted.

"Sallyanne, I am… so sorry", Valmoira pleaded. "I know I cannot turn the time back but I can make you happy from this point forward!"

Sallyanne, instead of speaking anymore, jumped across the table to wrap her arms around her older sister. The two started to hug which was actually the first proper one they had done since before the incident.

"I… don't blame you for anything…", Sallyanne sniffled.

"Th-thank you so much…", Valmoira cried.

An hour or two passed after Valmoira apologised for the first time but the two were still in an embrace. Finally, one of them started speaking for the first time.

"This is getting quite uncomfortable", Sallyanne said.

"O-oh… is it?" Valmoira loosened her grip to let her sister escape. "I thought that to be a good sister, you needed to give hugs?"

The Woodland mage's innocence in this topic was enough for Sallyanne to start laughing. Again, they reached for an embrace but this was lasted only a few seconds.

Valmoira was confused but she let it go. However, her mind went back to something that Sallyanne had mentioned briefly.

"Wait, hang on. Why did you mention David before I… well, you know", she asked.

"Never mind!" Sallyanne shouted. She quickly blew out all the candles and ran out of the house.

"Wait!" Valmoira shouted, chasing after the energetic Druid. "What did you mean?!"


During Valmoira and Sallyanne's interaction, the other pair of Druids met on the edge of the village. It was away from everyone else so that no one could hear what they were speaking about.

They met near Cathbad's old house where memories weren't pleasant for either of them. However, it was suitable considering what was going to happen.

"The humans are different from what we thought, are they not?" Dike said, sitting on the bridge that went from the old house to the rest of the land. His legs were dangling below as he kicked his feet in a rhythm.

"They are. Though, I assume this is not what you wanted to talk about when you called me all the way out here for", Cathbad responded. He walked up to Dike and sat beside him, looking out into the distance.

"You would be correct, Chief", he said. Slowly, he turned his head towards the large Druid.

"I want to leave".

Silence. That was all there was between the two until Cathbad broke it a few minutes later. Instead of arguing or debating the topic, he spoke calmly.

"Is this because of that Lucas kid?" Cathbad asked, sighing.

Dike stood up and looked down at the Chief of Druids. "Yes. You felt it too, did you not? The similarity with Valchronos that our ancestors have passed down for generations?"

"Of course, I did. You are feeling frustrated?" Cathbad asked, still looking into the distance.

"Yes!" He shouted, breaking the calm character once again. "How can something like that be possible? I know it is not for me to meddle in their business, but all I can think about is… the amount of knowledge and information that is out there for me to find and understand!"

Cathbad smiled as he closed his eyes. For one of the first times ever, he seemed happy. "Finally, you tell me what you are thinking for once".

"What do you mean?" Dike asked, calming his theatrics down.

"It is no secret you never wanted to be my Advisor. From the moment that wicked Nanny appointed you – or rather forced you into it – you were never happy", Cathbad explained. "Your thirst for knowledge and information, it was halted by being with me".

Dike was silent. Everything he was saying was right and it was exactly what Dike had felt but he could never oppose it since he felt like he had a duty to be with Cathbad.

"Will you be careful? You will be in the land of those humans and who know what else?" Cathbad asked. His voice seemed to soften up as he spoke right now.

"You know I can mask myself anytime I want. All I need is to be out there, instead of here. Forbidden Magic is my expertise, yet I feel like I can learn so much more!" The Nature-Force Magic user turned his body around and stared up into the sky, his eyes lighting up.

Cathbad stood up, meeting his Advisor at the same level. He reached his hand out and, with a very tiny frown, opened his palm. Dike met the Chief's gesture with his own hand and the two agreed.

"I will allow you to leave".


"Goodbye!"

The day had moved forward a few hours until the morning light shone down on and in the Forgotten Forest. The Golden Dawn had packed up and were ready to leave the forest. They had spent more than the amount of days they had previously thought they would and now was the time to leave.

The Magic Knights were heading off towards the exit whilst the Druids waved from behind. The water fountain sprouted behind them as a sign to show happiness.

"It was great meeting all of you", Mimosa smiled as she bowed to Cathbad.

"No need, Miss", Cathbad said as he asked her to raise herself.

"He seems very different from the start, don't you think, Yuno?" Bell said to her host via their link.

"Tell me about it…", Yuno said with a deadpan expression.

"Thank you for all you guys did!" Lucas, David, and Hamon said to the rest of the Druids who had come to say goodbye.

"Visit us again!" Sallyanne shouted, waving.

Valmoira nudged her shoulder. With a whisper she spoke to her sister. "I mean, that is fine and all but we still need permission from the Chief!"

"Oh, come on! You want to see David again, right?" Sallyanne moaned, sitting down on the floor.

"What does that even mean?!" Valmoira shouted, pulling her sister's hair.

Klaus waved along with Letoile and they joined Alecdora at the front. Yuno, Mimosa, David, and Hamon all joined in and the only ones at the back were Lucas and William as they walked next to each other.

As the squad were about to see the exit, Lucas grabbed his chance to speak with the captain.

"Hey, Captain. I didn't manage to see you at all yesterday but… I wanted to thank you for saving me in the temple. Without you… I don't know where I'd be right now. I know we lost the Magic Stone but I'll do my best moving forward!" Lucas smiled.

"I was busy last night but I'm glad you are okay. I'll be expecting big things from you", William smiled back.

Lucas started to run ahead but then he turned around to face his captain. As he ran backwards, he spoke again. "I know I don't have to say this but… I trust you the most and I'll make this squad the best one of all time!" With a bow, he ran ahead to join Yuno and the others.

William's smile never faded until a few seconds later. He paused and stopped walking as he saw the rest of his squad move ahead. With a sigh, he stared at the fading Lucas ahead of him, as well as the rest of the squad.

"I still hope you can forgive me if I ever betray that trust…".


NOTES:

It is OVER! I know I said the arc was over last chapter but the main bits of it were. I still wanted this cooldown chapter to be part of the Forgotten Forest as there were some loose strings to tie up.

What did you guys think of this long chapter? It is the longest I have ever done and I didn't even plan for it to be like that.

The party-like event was fun to write with everything that was happening. I worried I was writing it too much like how the Black Bulls would be so I held back on some aspects.

The fate of Dike is in the air, but there is now an established connection with the Druids that the Golden Dawn have. What can come of this?