Resolution

On the way to St. Binah, Ion collapsed. Talk about a wimp, sheesh. Oh well, I guess we'd better take a rest now.

While I was explaining the situation to Guy, some Oracle Knights attacked us all of a sudden. We managed to take care of them, but I couldn't get myself to kill a real live person...and Tear ended up getting hurt because of it. We ended up staying overnight here to let Tear's injury heal.

Everybody says that I don't have to fight, that it's perfectly normal for civilians to be afraid of killing.

But what they're really saying is that I'm just in the way. I don't want to be treated like that, so I decided I'm going to make myself do it. I don't want to kill people, but if I have to do it in order to survive, then I guess there's not much choice.

Everyone accepted my resolution and now we're off to St. Binah again.

Chapter 2

Raine sought refuge in the study where shelves upon shelves of books waited to be read. She approached the books and looked at the spines, but was surprised to see unfamiliar writing. Sure enough, when she opened a book, she found she couldn't read it. Did Sheena encounter the same trouble in Sylvarant? No, she couldn't have. She had taken the test in Palmacosta with everyone else and she did better than Lloyd did. The only way Sheena could've done worse was if she couldn't read. Then, perhaps, did the Renegades teach Sheena the written language? That was possible, she supposed.

Either way, Raine didn't want to feel the shame of the McGoverns believing she couldn't read. They knew she was a teacher and assumed that she could read, so she would have to put in some serious effort to learn before anyone caught on.

There was a way. She saw a map in the study and looked it over. If she could use what she learned about Malkuth to decipher the map, which clearly wasn't a map of the whole world, she might be able to decipher some of the texts. From the map, she knew the shape of the continent she was on. The world couldn't possibly be one giant landmass, and this map had a bridge connecting two landmasses, both of which were cut off. This may have been Malkuth, but it wasn't where she intended to be.

"I'm afraid that map needs updating." Elder McGovern startled her. She turned and saw him walking towards the desk near the wall where the map hung. Immediately, her heart picked up pace. "According to that, Kimlasca-Lanvaldear still owns Akzeriuth." He pointed to the lower half of the continent where the map was cut off. "The Fubras River used to divide the north from the south."

Malkuth is the north, then, which means Kimlasca is the country to the south. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Malkuth's geography."

"That's quite all right." Elder McGovern pointed to the top half of the landmass. "Our capital, Grand Chokmah is at the top of Rugnica. It actually sits on the water." Privately, Raine decided she's never going there. "Engeve is the city in the plains north of here. This," he pointed to a town next to a large river and a plateau, "is St. Binah. There is, of course, also Sylvana, but it's not on this map."

"How do I get to Belkend from here?"

"Rose will probably find you an escort who can take you across the Rotelro Bridge. After that you can head south to Chesedonia, and you'll be back in Kimlasca." She became aware that he was watching her.

"Thank you."

"For an itinerant, you're quite ignorant of our world maps."

"I'm sorry," Raine said. "I just… It's too dangerous to tell anyone where I'm really from. You understand."

His chin lowered in disappointment. "I see." Elder McGovern hesitated. "Don't tell Glenn that. He'll insist on some answers."

Raine didn't say anything, but her body language must have said plenty.

In a low voice, he said "You don't seem to be malicious." He pulled a folded paper from his desk drawer and opened it on the desk. It was a full world map showing several large land masses, each labeled with more foreign writing. Raine leaned over his shoulder. "Well, I know you know Sheridan at least. That's where you got the flying machine." Even so, he pointed to a city on the upper right of the continent on the far left of the map. "You're headed to Belkend, correct?"

"Yes. Where is it?"

Elder McGovern pointed to the next continent over, just across a narrow strait of water. No wonder Glenn was so suspicious. Belkend and Sheridan were close enough for someone to travel in just a few days, let alone taking a Rheaird to fly overhead. As he said, St. Binah was in a whole other direction. She supposed if she were Glenn, she would've been highly suspicious and hostile as well.

"And this is Baticul, the capital of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear where King Ingobert VI reigns." Baticul was on the same continent as Belkend, but it still looked like quite the trip. A marsh and strip of mountains separated the two cities. "If you're going through the Aberria desert, you'll want to know about the oasis." He pointed to a town about halfway through the desert. "When you reach Chesedonia," he pointed to a town north of the desert, "be sure you stock up. You won't find much food or water out there."

"I will. Thank you." Raine noticed the continent with Sheridan had hardly anything on it aside from desert mountains. "I've been here a lot," she lied, pointing at the continent, "but I don't know what it's called."

"Oh? It's the Radessia continent. This area is the Meggiora Highlands. If you've survived out there, you'll be fine in the Zao Desert."

"Where is Sylvana?"

"That's this northern continent here. And that's the town of Keterburg."

"What's this continent? Is this part of Malkuth or Kimlasca?" Raine realized she asked a strange question when Elder McGovern raised an eyebrow at her. She pulled away. "I've spent a long time on Radessia." He watched her for a moment, but clearly, it wasn't enough of an excuse not to know. Still, he answered her.

"That is the continent of Padamiya, where Daath is." Apparently, this was common knowledge. It's okay to be ignorant of Malkuth as someone from Kimlasca, and vice versa, but everyone knew about Daath. She would have to find some way to learn more about it, discreetly.

"The Rotelro Bridge leads to this island. What is this called?"

"That is the Ispanian Peninsula."

"Is it part of Malkuth?"

"Yes. Chesedonia is an autonomous city, with Malkuth to the north of it, Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to the south of it. Chesedonia is run by the Chesedonia Merchant's Guild."

"I see. Thank you." Raine said. "I know it must seem so suspicious to know so little about the world's geography. I appreciate your kindness in explaining it to me."

"Anything I can do to help." He spoke softly as if unsure about something. "You don't seem to have malicious intent."

"Coming to Malkuth was an accident."

"Yes, I'm sure it was," though he didn't sound like he believed it.