Master Kohga frowned beneath his mask. Astor was back. "I don't suppose you killed the Hero and his friends, prophecy-man?"
"No, but I did get vital information," Astor told him. "I now know which of the Hero's companions will not sacrifice innocent lives for their own-and which will. And I acquired a new weapon." He showed Master Kohga a ring.
"A ring?" Master Kohga asked.
"Observe," Astor said as he started casting a spell on the ring.
A giant, misshapen hand grew from the ground and slipped into the ring, then retreated into a tattered purple cloak, beneath which a single red eye could be seen. "Ah, finally! At last, I'm back out of that ring!"
"Wizzro," Astor addressed the monster. "I brought you back on Ganon's behalf. The three of us will ensure his ascension."
"Is that so?" Wizzro asked. "What's in it for me?"
"Perhaps revenge on a certain sorceress," Astor offered.
"She's still alive?" Wizzro asked.
"She's alive, though she is within the Spirit Realm," Astor told Wizzro. "I see no reason why Ganon would not let you take her soul, and perhaps her sister's as well."
"Hmm," Wizzro mused. "Very well, let's say I'm interested. What do you need me to do?"
"The Hero's company is divided at the moment," Astor said. "Simply put an end to eight miserable brats who think they can aid the Hero."
Wizzro's eye became a grinning mouth with crooked teeth. "I can do that."
Kass led the young adventurers to another of the trading posts that had begun to be a fixture of the Rising Sun Company's journey. "We can rest here for the night, and begin our climb to the Riola Spring tomorrow."
Ashe went to get the nine of them rooms at the inn for the night, while the others started to do other things.
Cyril took the horses to the stable to have them boarded for the night. He noticed the woman in charge of the stable was watching the sky nervously. "You all right?" he asked.
"I think it's going to rain tonight," the woman said. "Lightning strikes this stable so often, I get nervous whenever it rains even a little. I just don't understand why it strikes so often..."
"Sounds like a fire hazard," Cyril said.
"A fire? That would be bad," the woman said. "Hey, it's a long shot, but if you have some time, could you find out why lightning strikes the stable so often? I'll take care of your horses while you do."
Cyril shrugged. "Sure."
He exited the stable and climbed to the top, with some difficulty. It didn't take him long to find the culprit: a lumber axe with scorch marks in the wood around it.
He pried the lumber axe free and took it back to the stablehand. "I found what the lightning kept hitting."
The woman smiled. "Aha! Yeah, that's as good as a lightning rod, isn't it? I wonder if someone put it up there on purpose. How strange..."
"You think someone might have wanted to burn the stable down?" Cyril asked.
"I don't know, it seems like just setting a fire would be easier," the woman mused. "Thanks for looking into it for me! Here's something for your trouble." She gave him a helmet made of a strange substance. It honestly looked a lot like a fish to Cyril. "It's made of a material called rubber. They say it can shield you from electricity."
"Thanks," Cyril said. He wasn't sure he would ever use this comical helmet, but you never knew.
"Don't you think the waterfall flowing down from Lake Floria is the very picture of perfection? There is something strange at the top of that waterfall, though...and even though it has shrunken over time, you can still see a faint glow," one of the residents of the trading post, Kampo if Flayn remembered correctly (which she might not have) noted.
"It is rather lovely," Flayn said. "Is there a path to the top?"
"Sadly, there isn't," Kampo told her. "You climb to the top, or you don't go at all."
"I will reach the Riola Spring, even if I have to climb," Flayn reaffirmed her resolve.
Linhardt ran up to her. "Flayn! I think I found some new information!"
"Oh? W-what did you find out?" Flayn asked.
"We thought the messenger of Faron was able to summon the Divine Dragon Farosh, the same was Emperor Wilhelm I was reportedly able to summon the Immaculate One during the War of Heroes, right? And given that Farosh flies from the Riola Spring, we're going there to see if we can follow Farosh to the messenger?"
"That's right," Flayn lied. She didn't think she had been convincing, but Linhardt was too excited to notice.
"According to local rumors, one of the locals had an encounter with a Lynel some months ago," Linhardt elaborated. "The Lynel was threatening to attack him. But then a strange woman appeared and said something to the Lynel in an unknown language, and the Lynel actually backed down! I think the woman might be our messenger!"
"So she is close by!" Flayn couldn't contain her excitement.
"Is, or has been recently, Linhardt said.
"Or that," Flayn agreed.
What she didn't say was that if she was right, and the woman was the dragon, she would be there at the spring for sure.
Hubert sat by Lysithea. "You don't look happy."
"I think the Great Fairy's blessing wore off," Lysithea told him. "Everything feels just a little bit painful again."
"I am sorry," Hubert said.
"I don't need your pity," Lysithea spat.
"I don't mean to look down on you," Hubert told her. "What happened to you was ghastly, to be sure. But from what I can see, you have not let it destroy you, though you could have. You have strength. Still, just because I can acknowledge that strength does not mean I cannot be horrified at what happened to you."
"How do you know what happened to me?" Lysithea demanded.
"You weren't the only one forced to bear a second Crest, at the cost of your siblings and much of your lifespan," Hubert said.
Lysithea frowned. "You weren't given a second Crest. You don't even have one. None of the Vestras do."
"No, and my siblings are alive and well," Hubert confirmed.
"So...Edelgard," Lysithea realized.
"Yes," Hubert confirmed.
"Why?" Lysithea asked.
"To create a weapon that some very evil individuals could use to conquer Fódlan," Hubert answered her. "Evil individuals that include my father."
Lysithea leaned closer. "Tell me more."
That was when "Monica" showed up with a plate of pie. "They have apple pie here! It's really good. I feel like I could run all night long!"
Lysithea looked at Hubert. "Later," Hubert told her. "For now, have some pie."
Lysithea clearly liked the idea of pie. "All right."
Dedue, Ashe, and Cyril did some evening training with their axes. "You are getting better," Dedue praised Cyril.
"Not fast enough," Cyril said. "I want to be the best knight I can be."
"You'll be an excellent knight," Ashe assured him.
Rhea had a thought. "Why don't we take this to the Training Grounds? Cyril, you can show me what you have learned."
"Really?" Cyril asked. "I mean, I..."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Seteth asked. "The training grounds are less secure than this meeting room."
"Nonsense. The training grounds are indoors, and the doors can be guarded," Rhea assured him. "There are no places a spy could listen in. I made sure of it." She had been the architect for the Monastery, after all.
Link looked at Zelda. "It's fine with me."
Byleth shrugged. "I could use a spar."
And so the Rising Sun Company, sans Lorenz and plus Rhea, Seteth, Jeralt, and Byleth, headed for the training grounds.