Normally the awe-inspiring view of a field of clouds outside the window would be enough to put Rean's anxiety to rest, but this day was an unfortunate exception. So much had happened since his arrival on the Pantagruel and trying to find an answer to his current problem was proving to be nearly impossible.

After exiting Valimar he had been ushered directly to the bridge of the ship where the highest ranking members of the Noble Alliance waited for him. Duke Cayenne, Rufus Albarea, Vita Clotilde... And Crow Armbrust. The sight of his friend in person after everything that had happened caused him more distress than he had realized.

Duke Cayenne was about what he had expected. A loud, overconfident noble, smug in his own sense of superiority over all others. The offer to join the Noble Alliance was still somewhat surprising even after he had alluded to it during the earlier battle. And yet despite his obvious desire to refuse it outright... he hadn't.

On one hand so much of what the Noble Alliance had done thus far was reprehensible. Working with terrorists, starting the Civil War, imprisoning Elise and the royal family, creating unrest and panic among the citizens... The list went on and on and on. There was no way that Rean would ever willingly support such a group.

But there was no denying that so much of the nobility's anger stemmed from the heavy-handed policies of Giliath Osborne. So many lives had been ruined by the Blood and Iron Chancellor. And with him now dead...

There was no doubt that right now the rebels were winning despite the Imperial Army's best efforts. What was better for Erebonia? Peace under the Noble Alliance, or a continued destructive war?

Rean sighed aloud. Things were almost easier back when his status as a commoner adopted into the nobility meant that both sides shunned him. Now, thanks to Valimar, he suddenly found himself as one of the most desired individuals in the country.

And yet... could he even make that decision by himself? Class VII had already vowed that any path they took would be done as a class. Most of them had their own grievances against the Alliance, and even considering Duke Cayenne's offer felt like a betrayal to the likes of Elliot and Machias.

No. Even if he was still unsure of the path he wanted to take, deep down he knew it wouldn't be alongside Crow and the nobility.

But that presented yet another question of what was he supposed to do now? He was currently onboard what might very well be the most secure airship in the world. And even if the treatment he was currently receiving was absurdly pleasant – the luxurious room he was currently in could attest to that - at the end of the day he was still a prisoner with little hope of escape.

His reverie was broken as the door to his room opened. "Keep rackin' your brain like that and smoke'll start coming out of your ears." A very familiar voice teased before knocking on the door well after the fact.

Turning he was not at all surprised to see Crow standing there. Once again the internal conflict began to wage inside of him, but he did his best to ignore it as he glared angrily at his 'friend'. "What do you want?"

His former classmate raised his arms in mock surrender. "Hey, now. No need to give me that look. I figured I was gonna find you busy thinking everything over like your life depended on it. And what do you know? I was right."

The way Crow played it off so casually vexed him greatly. "How about you mind your own damn business?! And don't you have better things to do with your time? I figured the glorious Azure Chevalier would be far too busy with the way to be hanging out around here."

The other Divine Knight pilot barked out a short laugh. "It's tough being popular. If you joined us, I could get away with doing half the work I am now. So, c'mon! Stop freaking out about it so much and make a choice."

Crow didn't actually think he was going to join the Noble Alliance, did he? Rean was about to call him out on that when he noticed the older boy was holding a basket. "What's that in your hand, anyway?"

"Grub, of course." He answered as he presented the basketed meal. "Kinda early, but I brought you your lunch. Mind if I join you?

A part of Rean wanted to refuse out of principle, but he was feeling kinda hungry. And as conflicted as his feelings were regarding Crow he still found himself at ease in his company. So reluctantly he nodded his assent.

The meal was quite interesting. Rean had never had fish burgers before and he found the taste to be quite to his liking. The fact that Crow himself had made it threw him for a loop.

"You know..." Crow muttered between bites of his own burger. "...I tried convincing the Duke to wait a few days before going to Ymir, but he wouldn't listen."

"Huh?"

"You just got the whole class together again, right?" Crow's eyes narrowed mischievously as he leaned in. "So tell me, Rean... Did you have enjoyable reunions with your girls? Anything hot and steamy happen?" The pointed question caught him so off guard that he couldn't even begin to formulate a response, and yet something on his face must have shown cause Crow pulled back with a huge grin. "Holy shit! Way to go, man! You gotta tell me all about it later... Damn, now I feel really bad about what happened."

Rean was thrown for a loop. He looked genuinely remorseful. This was the same Crow Armbrust that would spend his days at Thors being a laid-back jokester who had a twisted love of teasing him relentlessly.

And yet this man was also C the terrorist. The shadowy figure that stood against Class VII during multiple field studies. This same man was responsible for this entire war and Rean's current predicament.

It was a complete paradox and Rean desperately wanted to understand it better. "It's been bugging me for a long time now... What could have made you want to join a group of terrorists like the Imperial Liberation Front? What was it that made you hate Chancellor Osborne that much? Enough to take his life?"

His rival remained silent so he continued onward. "Tell me, Crow. Please. I want to know what it was that made you who you are now. What kind of place Jurai was, how you lived there... and what you were doing before you entered the academy and met Towa, Angelica, and George."

Crow looked like he wanted to argue against it, but Rean kept his glare steady. This was something that he needed to know. It paid off as the older boy looked away with a sigh, conceding the battle of wills and granting Rean his first win against his Azure rival. "You're really serious..." The jokester turned terrorist recovered quickly, however. "My past really isn't that big of a deal, you know. It's got nothing on yours, that's for sure. If you find yourself thinking, 'That's all?" when I'm done, well, I warned you."

Rean patiently listened as Crow recounted his tale. From the early days of a Jurai that was facing economic hardships thanks to the North Ambrian disaster to it's major recovery thanks to increased trade with the Empire. How Giliath Osborne used that prosperity to buy Jurai's independence in a bloodless annexation.

And how Crow's grandfather tried to oppose such an action and got himself run out of town for his troubles, dying a lonely death after seeing the city he loved so much become yet another cog of the Imperial machine. Leaving his young grandson on his own.

After that a young Crow met up with Vita who must have known of his potential as an Awakener. And thanks to her he was able to ally himself with Duke Cayenne and began to form the Imperial Liberation Front.

...And how he completed his own Divine Knight trials by himself at the age of sixteen.

In a way he had been right with his warning. Crow's story was no worse than that of plenty of others who had grievances against Chancellor Osborne. And yet hearing the tale from a friend made it feel all the more personal to Rean. It didn't weaken his resolve to escape any, but he could finally understand why someone like Crow could be twisted down this current path of hatred and violence.

Having said his tale Crow rose to his feet before grabbing onto the basket and making his way to the door. "Anyway, I think I've stuck around here for long enough. You're going to be treated as a visitor... Well, sort of. It's about time for the higher ups to head back to Heimdallr, so go ahead and pass the time however you want."

Rean blink. "However I want? What else can I even do here?"

"There'll be no guards outside your room, so if you want to try and escape, be my guest. Just keep in mind that some members of Ouroboros and Zephyr are on boards, too. Not to mention me, Scarlet, and Vulcan. So if you're up for a gamble of your own get ready to take us all on."

Just as Crow was about to step out the door he paused once again. "Oh, yeah. One more thing: there's this real cute visitor in the guest of honor's room on the second floor. I think she'd perk right up if she saw you, so why not go pay her a visit? I'm sure your girls won't mind." With that he made his exit.

The swordsman found himself quite curious about that last part. Perhaps he could investigate further while trying to figure out his escape plan? He had plenty of time, after all, as making a rash move with this many monsters onboard would be ill-advised indeed.

As Crow had said, there were no guards outside of his room and he was free to leave. Although he had passed through the area the previous night, his mind had been focused elsewhere and he hadn't been able to take in the sheer majesty of the Pantagruel at the time. But now? Now he was free to gape at the sheer majesty of the interior of this massive airship. It was more of a palace than a military vessel!

Servants traveled to and fro as they worked to accomplish their assigned tasks, but Rean paid them little heed. Instead he was more focused on the many powerful presences he could sense in the area. When Crow had warned him that Ouroboros, Zephyr, and the ILF were around he didn't inform Rean that they were sharing a living area with him!

He blinked as a thought came to mind. If he was technically seen as a guest right now, wouldn't that mean it was alright for him to talk to them? While he doubted he would get much relevant information from him, he had time to kill and his curiosity was piqued. There were so many different individuals fighting for the Noble Alliance and they must all have their own stories to tell...

And yet even as he approached the nearest occupied room he felt a sense of trepidation. Guest or not, these were all extremely powerful individuals that he had battled against in the past. Would they really be willing to ignore all that and converse with him just like that?

He did his best to ignore the anxious butterflies in his stomach. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do at the moment, right? Steeling his resolve he knocked on the door and was rewarded with a voice telling him to enter. Muttering a silent prayer to Aidios Rean opened the door and entered the room.

It was a much more relaxed Rean that walked towards the last unexplored room a little while later. While he had been optimistic that these powerful enemies might be willing to chat with him he hadn't expected them to be quite so... friendly.

The first two people he had met with were Scarlet and Vulcan. Given their earlier encounters he had been expecting some lingering animosity, but the two terrorists were surprisingly forthcoming with him. Vulcan freely talked about the ILF and how most of its members had left after the Chancellor's death, while Scarlet surprised him over tea by telling him about the time she had spent training in Arteria.

And yet, Rean couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness from the two. It was as if the death of Osborne had sapped them of the fire they once possessed and now they were content to merely go through the motions. In a way he found himself pitying the two, even if he knew they would detest him for having such thoughts.

Crossing the lobby he had met up with the enigmatic Phantom Thief B sitting at a table, who promptly offered Rean a seat and some conversation. As twisted as he knew the Enforcer to be, he couldn't deny that sitting there with a drink while listening to the man's stories was a truly fascinating experience. If nothing else his charisma was the real deal.

The incident that had occurred in Liberl over a year ago... It sounded too far-fetched to be true. And yet everything Bleublanc said lined up with what little he knew. From Ouroboros' role in events, to Prince Olivert's journey with the Bracer Guild, and how the two odd men had struck up their own unique little rivalry.

The story was completely impossible, but Rean found himself believing every word of it.

Perhaps his mind had still been focused on those stories, as the swordsman completely forgot his sense of decorum and brazenly entered the next room without knocking. Given that the room contained Duvalie the Swift – a woman – he completely deserved the immediate hostility his action generated. He was fortunate that she didn't draw her sword upon him!

Still, despite his mistake the young woman was surprisingly enjoyable company, despite her questionable affiliation. Even if he didn't think he was the best at reading people he was quite assured in his belief that Duvalie wasn't actually a bad person. There was something honest about her, including her absolute devotion to the mysterious Steel Maiden of Ouroboros.

If there was one thing he disliked about the knight, it was the grudge she seemed to hold against Laura for some reason. At first he thought it was because of their earlier fight, but she didn't seem to share the same animosity towards Fie. A shame she finally got fed up with him and kicked him out of her room before he could inquire about it.

After being unceremoniously shooed out of her room Rean cautiously proceeded to the next one. Knocking offered no response. Despite sensing a presence inside the room the absolute lack of noise emanating from inside piqued his curiosity, so instead of simply walking away he couldn't resist the urge to open the door and walk in, consequences be damned.

An answer was provided as he discovered that this was Altina's room, and the young girl was sound asleep on her bed. Looking at her like this... it was like an entirely new side to the enigmatic girl. She was the one that kidnapped Elise, and yet lying there like that he couldn't help but realize that at the end of the day she was just a young child.

"Claiomh Solais." ...Sadly his rumination lasted long enough that she awoke, and it was only after the combat shell had been summoned behind him that he understood just how bad the situation looked. Had he seriously just been staring at a young girl while she slept? Fortunately his excuses seemed to mollify the victim, as his life did not end at the powerful fists of her black machine.

It was odd. She shared so many similarities to Millium, and yet everything about her personality was completely opposite. Despite everything that had happened he couldn't help but feel his heart clench at just how lonely and emotionless the agent was. His conversation with her didn't end up amounting to much, but she did mention one thing that seemed important enough to remember... The Black Workshop.

Opposite her room was one that he had both been avoiding – as the power he felt from it was frankly terrifying – but also kinda looking forward to. One of the things McBurn had said to him outside of Bareahard had stuck and Rean was hoping for an elaboration. So despite his own trepidation he knocked and was granted entry from the bored voice inside.

Luckily the dangerous Enforcer – despite his disinterest – was willing to expand upon what he meant when he previously asked Rean if he was 'mixed'. That unnatural power inside of him. It was something that didn't belong, but he possessed it anyways. According to McBurn it was that quality that made him mixed and was something they shared in common.

That being said, there were plenty of differences between the two of them, too. Beyond the obvious gulf in power between them there was also the fact that the Enforcer was freely able to control his fire, while Rean had no advantages that he knew of unless he transformed. Did the Almighty Conflagration also have a transformed state? He shuddered as he contemplated the idea.

Overall, Rean was feeling quite pleased with how things had turned out. While none of the enemies had disclosed any game changing knowledge, it was enlightening none the less. He also felt he had a better understanding of the people they were fighting, which was both good and bad. He wasn't looking forward to the next time he fought individuals that he might have respected had their situations been different...

With confidence he approached the final door. He had already spoken to all the Ouroboros agents, the two ILF members, and Altina. With Duke Cayenne and Rufus supposedly at the capital and Crow gone to Aidios knows where, that just left...

His confidence died as he stopped short. He knew exactly who was behind the door he was now standing in front of, and he also understood that he absolutely wanted nothing to do with it. Nervously the swordsman took a step back-

"Schwarzer? That you?" Dammit!

"Come in." The deeper voice of his partner intoned. Rean badly wanted to refuse the offer, but he tacitly understood that this was an offer he wasn't allowed to refuse. With one brief prayer to the Goddess of the Sky the terrified student opened the door and entered the room.

As expected, the two occupants in the room were the duo from Zephyr, Xeno and Leo. Both gave an air of nonchalance as they sat in two seats drinking what looked to be a rather hard liquor, but Rean was skilled enough to tell that their relaxed postures were a mask to conceal just how dangerous they really were.

That and the fact that both men were staring unerringly at his every move.

"Just the man we wanted to see." Xeno said with a terrifying smile. "C'mere. Have a seat."

Wordlessly he complied, knowing that once again it was an invitation he couldn't ignore. Nervously he took a seat opposite the two. Understanding from his many conversations with Fie that showing weakness to these two veterans would bode poorly for him he did his best to put on an air of false confidence. As he gazed upon the two jaegers he couldn't help but feel curious about these members of her old family and what had happened after abandoning Fie-

"It seems like you have a question to ask of us." Leonidas rumbled.

He suspected he wouldn't get an answer from these two, he still had to try. For Fie's sake, if nothing else. "Where has Zephyr been this past year? Fie told us about the incident between your leader and the Red Constellation, but after that..." He trailed off briefly. "You guys really hurt her, you know?"

Perhaps it was simply his eyes seeing what he wanted to see, but for the briefest of moments Rean thought he saw genuine remorse appear on the faces of the two hardened mercenaries. But by the time he had blinked it was gone, replaced with cool indifference. "That's none of your own damn business..." Xeno snapped quickly. "...but when the time's right we'll tell the kiddo."

The swordsman nodded, satisfied with the answer. Seeking to extricate himself from the situation before it had a chance to get worse he rose from the chair. "Hold on." Dammit! Worriedly he glanced back at Leo. "You must be pretty close to Fie if she has been telling you about her past... Just what is your relationship?"

"Yeah! Spit it out!" His partner pressed when he didn't immediately respond.

Gulping nervously he glanced between the two men who were now glaring fiercely at him. Should he lie to save his own skin? In the end he decided against it: In his current panicked state there was no way he could lie with a straight face. "Fie and I are..." He swallowed nervously, "...dating." Came the reluctant answer.

"I see. I see." Xeno's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Armbrust already told us about that, actually, so had you lied we would have killed you on the spot." What the hell, Crow!? "But that doesn't really answer our question."

"You haven't done anything... inappropriate with Fie, have you?" The Behemoth rose from his seat and took a menacing step forward.

This time Rean was mentally prepared. He knew for a fact that being truthful here would spell the end for him. If he wanted to survive the next few minutes he absolutely needed to not think about the intimate night he shared with Fie. The way she smiled at him, the way her powerful legs wrapped around him, or the way she gasped out his name as-

"You son of a bitch!" By the time he realized his mistake it was already too late. Frantically he took a dive as Xeno grabbed his massive rifle and took a shot at where he had been standing. His respite was brief as Leo swung his massive bladed gauntlet down at him, forcing him to roll out of the way lest he be crushed on the ground. Scrambling to his feet he raced out the door as quickly as possible, two enraged jaegers hot on his tail.

Entering the main hallway he wasn't at all surprised to see that the commotion had attracted attention from the other guests."Wh-What the hell is this racket!?" Duvalie screeched as she stormed out of her room. The other doors followed suit and soon he found himself surrounded by all of the enemy elites.

"There a reason you're trying to murder the kid?" McBurn asked, with the tiniest hint of interest peeking through his bored expression.

Fortunately the crowd seemed to have calmed down the two jaegers enough for them to not immediately murder Rean. "The little bastard defiled our princess!" Unfortunately they were more than willing to shout that to the entire group while glaring bloody murder at him.

Some of the reactions weren't all that bad. "Oh? You and Sylphid, huh? Not bad, kid." Vulcan kinda looked proud.

"Oh my. And here I was thinking that you were the innocent type. Perhaps I've underestimated you?" As did Scarlet.

Sadly not everyone looked as impressed as the two terrorists. "...It seems my impression of you was indeed correct. You are an indecent person.

Bleublanc laughed obnoxiously. "Don't be like that, my young companion. There's a wonderful beauty in love~"

"H-H-Hold on just a minute!" The female knight stomped her foot petulantly. "You're dating the jaeger girl!? Armbrust told me that you were with the Arseid!" Seriously, what the hell, Crow? Was he trying to get Rean killed?

"It's not like that at-"

Anything he wanted to say in his defense died as a powerful hand laid itself on his shoulder in a very unfriendly way. "So, our Fie wasn't good enough for you, huh? Needed another girl to be satisfied?"

"...That would explain why he was watching me as I slept."

Altina's declaration was enough for Duvalie to draw her sword. "You lecherous fiend! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cut you down where you stand!?" The glare she was sending him wasn't actually all that scary, but that was only because he was getting even nastier looks from the two jaegers behind him.

"Hahaha!" At least Phantom Thief B still seemed rather amused? "I now see why my esteemed rival holds you in such high regards! Truly you carry on the legacy of the debaucherous one very well!" ...A shame it was for all the wrong reasons.

"This is all a huge misunderstanding!" He shouted. For some reason he was actually really bothered that all these enemies were getting the wrong idea about him. "It was something they came up with! Surprised me too..."

"Hmm..." Leo mused. "That does sound like something Fie would do..."

A bored yawn put a halt to the discussion. "Alright, that's enough," McBurn muttered. "The kid might be even more twisted than I realized, but I don't want to have to explain to the others why we killed him when he was supposed to be a guest. Too bothersome..."

Duvalie huffed in annoyance, but put her sword away again. "Fine. But I still don't trust you! On my honor as the head knight of the Stahlritter I will kill you if you dare attempt to unleash your lustful intentions on another innocent maiden!"

One by one the others began to leave, and Rean finally let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Unfortunately there were two people still present, and they were the ones that he least wanted to be around at the moment. "This isn't over." Leo assured, frown still etched onto his face.

"The air duct in your room." Xeno stated, much to his confusion. "It's big enough for a person to fit through. If you go through there it will get you past the security guarding the exits to this place. Your Divine Knight is on the deck, waiting for you."

"Huh?" Were they actually offering him advice on how best to escape? But that made no sense to him! Why would they-

"You heard the man. So long as you're a guest we aren't allowed to harm you. But if you decide to escape..."

Leo's didn't need to finish the threat as the message was all too clear. Once Rean began his escape he would no longer be a guest and they were free to attack him at will.

Still, as terrifying as the idea was, it worked to his benefit as he remained as resolved as ever to escape. He needed to get back to Class VII. If that somehow meant getting past a pair of overprotective jaegers and a handful of other crazy monsters, so be it.

But even if his resolve was as firm as ever and he had an escape route he couldn't just walk out the door and expect to make it. The others – Xeno and Leo especially – were probably all waiting for him to make his move, so he would need to be smart about it. Even with his powers he couldn't afford to fight all of them and expect to win.

Best to bide his time so the others might possibly let their guard down a bit. And he still hadn't investigated that VIP guest that Crow had mentioned previously. He had his suspicions as to who it could be, and if he was right...

His escape might get a lot more difficult, but it would be worthwhile as it would accomplish one of his main goals in this war.

Ascending up the stairs to the second floor he passed by a pair of maids who were having a private conversation and shaking their heads in dismay at something. Curious, but he ignored it as he reached the top and looked around. There was only one room at the end of the hall and so that was where he went.

He knocked politely, and a second later there was a response. "Yes? Who is it? Please, come in." He exhaled. That familiar female voice confirmed all of his suspicions.

Entering the massive luxurious room he laid eyes on the Princess of Erebonia as she stared at him in complete shock. "I had a feeling it was you, but I didn't dare to hope."

"It's... you..." Alfin muttered quietly, as if she could scarcely believe her eyes. "It's really, really you!" Regaining her wits she surprised him by running up and hugging him tightly, burying her head in his chest. He could hear the muffled sobs from the young girl as instinctively he returned the hug.

It must have been terrible for her, trapped here by her lonesome for so long. But that was about to change. He was getting her out of here and it didn't matter how many jaegers or enforcers stood between them and freedom.