Here's the next chapter. Major spoilers for Castii and Hikari's stories ahead.

Disclaimer: Octopath Traveler II was made by Square Enix.

An Unsettling Truth

Back in Conning Creek, Alistair had been helping to train the newly reformed town guard while assisting the governor with security. The new town guard captain, Steven had managed to get a confession from Stenvar regarding his crimes, after which the former town guard captain was sent to Timberain to be tried and imprisoned, along with the rest of the corrupt guards. Though a couple of promising youths in their mid-late teens volunteered to become a part of the reformed town guard, their passion so far outstripped their skill.

Justin had meanwhile fully recovered from his injuries and was currently writing to Justice Minister Lian regarding Osvald's case. There was practically nothing pointing to Osvald's innocence besides Clarisa and Stenvar's statements, but that didn't mean that King Lorian or Conning Creek's Governor Kent couldn't at least grant that poor Scholar clemency.

At the Governor's manor, Alistair was meeting with the governor, who was in his Middle Ages and had reddish brown hair and a mustache. The governor spoke"I can't thank you enough for rendering aid to our town these past few days, Sir Alistair."

"I am simply doing what was requested of me" Alistair replied"You and King Lorian were acquainted once, correct?"

"Aye" The governor smiled"We studied together with Lord Percival in our youth. But I'm sure you did not come merely to hear me ramble about the past" he chuckled"Was there something you require from me?"

Alistair nodded"If possible, my king wishes to open trade between our cities, we stopped trading with Ku for the time being due to Mugen's senseless warmongering, and we've no further reason to supply Sai. And I'm expected to marshal a force near the border to Hinouema to march in and stall Ku as much as we can while Prince Hikari amasses other allies to overthrow the warmonger. I hope it's not too much of a bother to allow them to pass by your city."

"I don't see why not, that is a noble cause, my friend" the governor assured him"As for opening trade between our cities, I can certainly do that. I will send a letter to King Lorian when I can. Well, now I must return to my paperwork. It's been an honor to speak with you."

Alistair nodded and headed back out of the manor. Steven and his first recruits for the new town guard were in the middle of a training session when the red-haired knight returned to the main town.

After the new guard captain finished his sparring session with the other rookies, he turned to address the veteran knight"Oh, Alistair. How is the governor doing?"

"He's doing quite well" Alistair replied"How is your training coming along?"

"I've improved some, even got a proper spear. My men are still green, but we're working on it" The new guard captain replied.

Alistair nodded"Good. It may take a while, but I am certain you will become fine soldiers in no time."

Steven beamed"Thank you."

Just then, Sergeant Gareth came over"Sir Alistair" he called, urgently"A message from Princess Sabrina has arrived via carrier pigeon!"

"From the princess?" Alistair asked, he had not heard from Sabrina in a while"Has something happened?"

"I believe so" Gareth handed Sabrina's letter to Alistair.

Alistair read over the letter, quietly pondering as he looked over the contents. He frowned a bit"So, remnants of Red's mercenary company are still at large, under the command of his daughter, Scarlet."

"Apparently so" Gareth shrugged, he had read the letter himself"And there are some interesting tidbits regarding Professor Harvey, Osvald, and the supposed victims of the fire that resulted in Osvald's wrongful conviction, Rita and Elena." The sergeant sighed"It seems that Osvald's wife was murdered to create a monster, she and their daughter had actually been abducted."

Alistair nodded, grimly as he read the letter thoroughly to verify"The princess has requested aid in rescuing Elena and stopping Harvey before he sacrifices her in a crazed attempt to uncover the secrets of the One True Magic through her blood." He was surprised to learn that Osvald's wife and daughter weren't killed where everyone thought they were.

Steven, who was still nearby, was also surprised"So Rita and Elena weren't killed in the fire." He then frowned, confused"But then who were the people who died in that blaze?"

"Likely, two people who looked enough like Rita and Elena to frame Osvald for killing his own family, we don't know for sure, though" Alistair replied, taking a moment to process the information.

Steven scowled"If I'd known that Stenvar helped this Harvey guy to kidnap Rita and Elena while framing Osvald for his family's deaths, I would've finished that money-grubbing monster myself for that and killing my cousin."

"There was no way for any of us to know since Harvey covered his tracks" Alistair replied, then looked at Gareth and Steven with a serious expression"Sergeant Gareth, I want you to oversee the new town guard's training in my absence. I will go meet up with Princess Sabrina and Osvald. Steven, I will leave the town's protection to your and Gareth's men."

Gareth nodded"Will do."

"We'll look after things as best we can" Steven grinned"I'd love to come help take down Harvey, but I guess I'd just get in the way, huh?"

Alistair nodded in agreement"You only just started your formal training. And besides, you did enough by helping Priscilla and I to infiltrate the guard outpost to confront Stenvar."

"You're right" Steven said"Good luck" he added.

Alistair nodded and headed out of town. According to Sabrina's letter, Harvey is taking Elena to Gravell, the resting place of D'arqest, so he headed for Crackridge to wait for Osvald and Sabrina, making a note to send a letter back to let them know. He knew that he could also simply arrange for Gareth's squad to try to intercept Harvey and get Elena away from him, but a group of mere soldiers with almost no magical ability are no match for a skilled Magical Scholar. Plus, he'd have to prove to Elena that Harvey was manipulating her if the letter was any indication, it was best to wait.

At the coliseum in Montwise, Priscilla and her group had entered the arena, secretly followed by Scarlet. Bandelam awaited them in the pit of the arena.

"So, you came" Borneau sneered as he watched from the balcony.

Bandelam grinned, drawing his blade"This will be entertaining."

Hikari braced himself, readying his blade as he stepped into the arena"Priscilla, Temenos, Agnea, stay back. I shall step up to this challenge on my own, first."

"Are you sure?" The dancer asked, concerned.

"Yes, but if it turns out to be as formidable as I heard, I will then require your assistance" the prince replied.

Priscilla nodded"Very well."

Hikari stepped into the battle pit, approaching Bandelam"At your ready."

The Reaper grinned"Heh, I will enjoy this" he then swung his blade viciously. Hikari dodged, retaliating with a slash and a thrust, which the older fighter parried before slicing at Hikari's throat. Hikari dodged, powering up with Shadow's Hold to unleash a flurry of blows. Bandelam parried most of the attacks, only to be staggered back by a thrust.

"You're good, but how will you respond to this!?" Bandelam darted forward with a slash and a spin attack. Hikari parried the slash and jumped backward to avoid the spin, darting to the side to move in with a horizontal and vertical slash. Bandelam blocked both attacks, charging forward with a powerful thrust. Hikari dodged, then jumped to the side as the older swordsman tried to slam him with his shield. The Prince let loose with another flurry of strikes, eventually knocking the Reaper back.

"Not bad" Bandelam commented as he took a breath"I've cut down many a foe, but none have the skills that you did. What do you fight for?" He asked, curious.

Hikari lowered his blade, not letting his guard down completely as he answered"For fellowship, and my friends, they await me on the road."

"And where might this road of yours lead?" The older swordsman asked, curious.

"I will become king of my homeland, to reforge Ku into a land not bound by bloodshed, but of fellowship" The prince replied"And so I shall go through you to achieve my aim if I must."

At the second-floor stands, one of the spectators commented"I have never seen Bandelam so hard-pressed."

A guard came into the room"Borneau! Run!" He warned.

"What's the meaning of this?" The arena owner asked.

On cue, several Gladiators stormed into the stands, blades drawn.

"Oh, crap" Borneau cursed, panicking"Bandelam-"

"It's no good" Scarlet entered the room"You have no guard protecting you, now. I planned on taking you down, myself. But this little revolt by the Gladiators will suffice just as well" she stated, walking towards him.

"Ah! Shoot!" Borneau cried, there was no one to help him with his personal fighter and bodyguard occupied.

Kazan smiled wryly"Shoot, indeed. Your hero cannot save you, now." He had secretly been planning to free the Gladiators"I waited a long time for this moment." He then looked at Scarlet"And you must be the person that Lady Priscilla was asking about, yesterday. Scarlet, correct?"

"That I am" Scarlet replied, looking at the gray-haired man"I planned to take this dastard of an arena owner down, myself. But what a coincidence" she commented"I was not expecting someone to beat me to it."

Borneau paled"What-?" Had he been bamboozled? And on top of that, this crimson-armored mercenary had just threatened his life.

Kazan turned his attention back to the arena owner"You are out of luck, Borneau."

Borneau paled and called down to Bandalem"I want these insects crushed, Bandelam!"

The reaper of the Arena nodded"As you wish, master." He then looked back at Hikari"You said you fight for fellowship, correct? Its good to have a reason to fight. Its what gives a warrior his strength, after all."

"Enough talk, that's not what we are here for, correct?" Hikari responded, readying himself"Our blades shall tell the story of which of us is stronger. I will forge ahead."

Bandelam darted forward, striking with a slash. Hikari dodged, striking forward with a thrust. Bandelam blocked with his shield, striking back as Hikari staggered, the blade grazing him.

Priscilla had enough of watching, so she rushed in to cast a fireball, staggering Bandelam. Agnea followed with a wind spell while Temenos healed Hikari with his white magic. Bandelam chuckled in amusement as he shrugged off the spells"Oh? More of you insects want a piece of me? All the more fun, I say."

"Laugh while you can" Priscilla zapped Bandelam with Thunderbolt. The dark-haired swordsman lunged at Priscilla, knocking her back with his shield before slashing at Temenos. The Cleric narrowly avoided the strike, countering with Holy Light, staggering Bandelam. Agnea pitched in with a magical dance to bolster her allies before moving in with a darkness kick attack, furthering staggering the Reaper.

Annoyed, Bandelam charged at Agnea, only for Hikari to interpose, knocking him back with the hilt of his blade. Priscilla cast a Fireball while Temenos cast a Shield of Light to protect Hikari. Agnea cast a wind spell at Bandelam, staggering him. The Reaper then slashed wildly, driving the group back. Hikari went in with a slash, which Bandalem parried. Priscilla then used a fireball to knock the Reaper backwards, Hikari rushed in and slashed Bandelam, causing the man to fall onto his knees.

"It's over" Hikari put his blade away.

"You were all quite formidable" Bandelam gasped, barely able to stand as he looked at Hikari"I have lost. Now finish me. Its the way of the arena."

Hikari shook his head"I do not spill blood needlessly, for my blade exists only to guide Ku."

Bandelam looked at the younger swordsman for a moment longer"Your eyes brook no doubt."

Kazan and Bornau stepped into the ring, the arena owner was shocked that Bandelam had lost. Scarlet had elected to remain in the stands while Borneau barely avoided being killed by the revolting Gladiators.

"You were all impressive, especially you, Prince Hikari" he told the prince"From east to west, none can stand against you, especially not with your allies, I daresay" the aging tactician said.

"Enough sweet words, Kazan, they dull my blade" Hikari replied, looking at him"Could you tell me what you are plotting?"

"Oh, I will" Kazan replied"But first" he looked at the arena owner"I believe there is the matter of a bet to settle."

"J-just spare my life!" Borneau stuttered, scared"I'll give you what you want!"

"What is this bet you spoke of?" Temenos asked Kazan.

The Eagle of Ku replied"The man owes me three billion leeves, as of now."

"That's quite a sum" Priscilla commented"Perhaps the man can afford it?"

Borneau paled"But that much money will take time to gather!"

"Then perhaps I can accept this arena as a tender?" Kazan pressed.

Borneau sputtered for a moment"What!?"

"A favorable arrangement, don't you agree?" Kazan asked the owner"Especially if your life is included in the bargain."

Agnea was taken aback"So that's why he had you fight int he arena, Hikari."

"The Eagle of Ku... They don't call him that for nothing" Priscilla commented, she heard that Kazan was a shrewd tactician, but to witness this deal being made was still quite surprising.

Just then, an arrow pierced Borneau's shoulder while shouts of the rebelling Gladiators and the guards were heard. The group turned to see the rest of Borneau's guards slain and the remaining corrupt spectators being cornered.

"Augh!" The Arena Owner gasped.

Priscilla looked at the man"What?" She looked up to see Scarlet"Scarlet, You coward!"

Scarlet scoffed"Despite my intent, his wound is not severe. You could call it a warning shot that he may live for a while longer, since he no longer has an arena to run thanks to that deal I can see he made with Kazan. This is the only exception I shall ever make to sparing a criminal's life."

"Well, the bastard sure deserved it" one of the revolting gladiators commented, raising his blade as he glared at the former arena owner"Did you enjoy watching us butcher each other?"

"Wait" Hikari spoke"You have a right to detest these men and desire vengeance" He told the gladiators"But take it from someone who has walked that path, nothing is to be gained from meaningless bloodshed, nothing awaits at the end."

Kazan stood silently as the prince appealed to the former Gladiators.

Scarlet smirked"I will see you again, Prosecutor Whiteshore" she mocked as she started to make her way out.

Priscilla wanted nothing more than to pursue, but she had already used quite a bit of her magic during the fight with Bandelam.

"We must end the cycles of bloodshed here and now. There is nothing to gain from sullying your blades with their lives!"

One of the revolting gladiators, who turned out to be Zeto, spoke to his fellow fighters"He's right, my brothers. Let us put an end to this."

The other gladiators put their blades away, and at Kazan's suggestion, took Borneau and Bandelam away to be treated by the nearest Apothecary. Hikari, Priscilla, Agnea and Temenos accompanied Kazan out of the arena.

Once there, the tactician addressed the group"I apologize for the deception and intrigue. My goal was always to free those poor souls."

"Kazan..." Hikari was at a loss for words.

"I was like them, once" Kazan reminiscence"Powerless, spat upon. But King Jigo granted me a place by his side. He lifted me from that wretched position. It made me who I am today."

"In other words, you had to use us" Agnea commented, unsure what to think of this.

"I only wanted the same for them" Kazan replied, referring to the former Gladiators"To offer them a place."

"And so we have it" a familiar voice said as Zeto and the other former Gladiators showed up"We will fight alongside you, my brothers and sisters in arms."

"What?" Hikari was speechless.

"We want to fight alongside you for your nation" one of the other fighters informed the prince.

"You're free" Hikari protested"I can't get you involved in my struggle."

The gladiator smiled"Then we're free to make our decision, we want to fight alongside you."

"I reckon the path you take leads to a better world" Zeto chimed in"For that, my brothers and I fight once again."

"I don't know what to say, only that I am grateful" said Hikari, humbly.

Kazan stepped closer"This eagle will also join your merry band, if you'll have me." He smiled"And tonight, we shall feast to it."

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it, Kazan?" Hikari asked, comprehension dawning"Even this, you knew that the former arena fighters would join our cause."

The tactician chuckled"My reputation was well earned, my prince. But I must admit that I was entirely dependent on your arrival. I will go to the Post Town of Ryu to make ready."

Hikari nodded"There is one more thing I want to discuss with you. King Lorian of Vella has offered his support. The Arcane Brigade, led by Sabrina would also lend us their strength. There is also Alistair, one of Vella's best knights and a squad stationed at Conning Creek."

Kazan blinked, surprised"The King of Vella would so readily lend us his support, after King Jigo had pressured him into lending his strength to Ku, before? That's auspicious news, my prince. I could certainly incorporate Vella's finest into our forces as part of our stratagem."

"And I must go seek another old ally, Rai Mei" Hikari added.

"Before you do so, I have something to ask of you" The tactician stated"A shipment of weapons is being delivered to the forest to the west of Wellgrove. Its recipient is meant to be Ku. I want you to foil this exchange, the fewer weapons Ku has, the easier our battle will be."

"If an opponent is snarling at you, defang them. A wise strategy indeed, Kazan" Hikari nodded his approval.

"Once you are in Wellgrove, seek a merchant called Azuma, he'll fill you in on the particulars" Kazan advised.

"I place my trust in you, Kazan" Hikari said.

"And this eagle places his trust in you, my prince" Kazan stated"The future you envisioned is worth wagering my life on."

"Then let us realize it together, we'll return peace to Ku" Hikari said.

Kazan nodded"My regards to your companions. I shall see you when you are done with your preparations."

As Kazan and the former Gladiators left to make preparations, Priscilla spoke after a moment's pause"If I may speak freely, that Kazan is just full of surprises. Though they do not call him the Eagle of Ku for nothing if I understand correctly."

"Indeed not, there is no finer tactician in all of Solistia" Hikari agreed.

"To think he used us, but not without just cause" Temenos commented.

Priscilla nodded, then sighed as she turned to look into the distance"Well, Scarlet evaded me, again. But I have a feeling that we might see her again."

"Quite a slippery minx, isn't she?" Temenos said, understandingly.

"She really is" Priscilla replied before changing the subject"Well, shall we meet up with the others?"

The group headed to the tavern where the others waited. Partitio greeted Priscilla's group"Got everything you needed to get done at the arena?"

"More or less" Priscilla nodded"I barely accomplished anything, but Prince Hikari gained a few allies for his goal in returning peace to Ku."

"That's good to hear" Partitio commented"I'll be doing a bit of business at Toto'haha before I go to Wellgrove. Wouldn't hurt to earn a bit of revenue and help folks out where I can."

"A merchant's gotta do what a merchant's gotta do, right?" Priscilla asked.

"You bet" Partitio grinned.

Partitio, Sabrina and Osvald accompanied their comrades out of Montwise, making their way back to New Delsta Harbor. Castii, Ochette and Throne met up with them on the road as they walked.

"Hello, everyone" Castii greeted the group.

"Hello, Castii" Hikari greeted"How did things fare in Winterbloom?"

"Fairly, for the most part" Throne replied"But there had been an incident."

"What happened?" Priscilla asked, curious.

"Greg tried to pressure Lady Rosa and me so that he would get the title of Winterbloom's leader by kidnapping her daughter" Castii replied, somberly"We took care of it, though. Greg has seen the error of his ways, but Lady Rosa passed away a short while later. Her daughter is now the leader of the town."

Priscilla sighed, deeply. She didn't believe that people who have no good excuse for their actions deserved sympathy, but it sounded like Greg's actions can be overlooked since it sounds like no one was hurt"I see. And what of you, Castii? Have you remembered anything more from your past, yet?"

The Apothecary shook her head"Not too much, but I saw Malaya again. She said that the answer I want is in the abandoned village of Healeaks, I'm going to meet her, there. I did remember something else, though: A man who joined Eir's Apothecaries at Winterbloom."

"Who was Trousseau?" Hikari asked, politely.

"He was the newest member of Eir's Apothecaries. He tried to save his sister, who died from an incurable illness" Castii explained"But she died. Since then, he had studied, he even joined me and Malaya after we had come to Winterbloom to treat Lady Rosa. He was a very dedicated man, always sought to help those in need, like me."

"He was a fine Apothecary, wasn't he?" Priscilla asked, thinking on the rumors regarding Healeaks' destruction and how they conflicted with the fact that Eir's Apothecaries were a group of healers who had been nothing but helpful to those who were in need.

"He certainly sounded like a fine man, if what we just heard is true" Temenos said, thinking"Perhaps we should go with Castii to investigate and put the rumor of the town's destruction that Eir's Apothecaries are believed to be responsible for to rest."

"And if we can figure out what happened, perhaps we can clear Castii and the rest of Eir's Apothecaries' names" said Priscilla, optimistically.

Throne did not think it would be a good idea to go with the others, Nathan was planning to meet up with her at Montwise for their confrontation with Father, he'd be sure to notice if she wasn't there like they planned. And if Nathan and Priscilla crossed paths now, Nathan and Priscilla probably won't give each other the time of day to come to terms"I have business at Montwise. And Ochette wanted to go to Stormhail to look into Glacis's whereabouts."

"And I must press onward if I am to intercept the weapon shipment at Wellgrove" Hikari stated"Perhaps we shall meet up again later on."

"Then I, Priscilla, Osvald, Sabrina and Castii will visit Healeaks to ascertain what happened, there. It is not that far off from New Delsta" Temenos said, thoughtfully.

"Fine by me" Osvald said, gruffly. It's not too likely that Harvey had gotten very far ahead with Elena, yet anyway.

"Very well, then" Sabrina nodded. She was a little curious about the rumor, anyway.

"See you later, then" Partitio said.

"Hope everything goes well" Agnea chimed.

"We will meet up later if possible" Hikari added.

"Later" Ochette said.

As Ochette and Throne headed to Montwise while Hikari, Partitio and Agnea went to get on a ship to Toto'haha, Priscilla and Sabrina accompanied Castii, Temenos and Osvald to the abandoned village.

The village was eerily quiet as they entered it, only a couple of people seemed to be living there. Priscilla glanced around"The buildings are still standing, though it looks like they are also in a state of disrepair."

"Indeed" Osvald scrutinized the buildings and spotted an older man tending to a gravestone"Ah, a vagabond, I presume."

Priscilla nodded and walked over to the man"Good day to you."

The man turned around"Oh, same to you. You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I am from the Island of Vella" Priscilla explained"I am a Prosecutor, my name is Priscilla. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question. What happened, here?"

"My name is Jacob" The man replied"Truthfully, I don't know for sure. Only that something terrible happened, here. I buried the bodies of the people who died in this village, they seemed like they'd been stricken by some sort of deadly illness, or poison."

Priscilla paled"The rumor said that this village was ruined by poison, so personally, I am inclined to believe that it was the latter. You don't believe that Eir's Apothecaries were responsible, do you?" She asked. She didn't believe it, herself, but she wanted to ask for an opinion.

"I wasn't anywhere near the village that day, so I don't know if that was true or not" Jacob replied, grimly"I am sorry that I cannot be of any help. Though I would not be surprised if some of the more impressionable young people in some other villages took it seriously."

Priscilla nodded, thanking the old man for his time before turning her attention back to Castii. She seemed to be speaking with someone that she could not see, making her wonder"Castii?"

"Huh?" The Apothecary turned"What's the matter?"

"Its just..." Priscilla went quiet, unsure how to broach the topic.

"She seems to have the tendency to speak out loud to empty air, as thought talking to herself" Osvald explained, having taken note of this.

Priscilla blinked, hardly surprised"Her trauma must have been worse than I thought. But then, I was the same way when I was lonely and neglected as a child. Sometimes, I sang, other times I would pretend my father was still there, as though he had never been falsely convicted." She sighed deeply, that was an aspect of her childhood she wanted to forget.

"But Malaya..." Castii trailed off, suddenly clutching her head as more of her memories came pouring back.

"What's wrong?" Sabrina asked the Apothecary.

Castii stopped holding her head"Its coming back to me, we are in the ruins of Healeaks, a village where the rest of Eir's Apothecaries and I were stationed when not traveling. I was the leader of that traveling group of healers, my comrades were Andy, Randy, Elma, Malaya and Trousseau."

"Do you recall what happened to this village, then?" Temenos asked.

Castii shrugged"I'm still drawing a blank, but I can tell you what I managed to remember. A short while before the incident, Trousseau and I had gone to Mount Liphia to the east to get some Sanetajo Blossom to make some medicine for a sick girl called Sally. Trousseau was the most compassionate of my comrades, he was willing to put himself in harm's way, to risk himself to save that girl. I went with him to procure the herb, and we saved Sally."

The rest of the group was impressed to hear this, Priscilla was especially impressed"He sounds like he was a wonderful man." She then frowned after a second of contemplation"Does he or any of your other former comrades have anything to do with the masked man you mentioned before?"

"I still can't remember that" Castii replied, shaking her head, sadly"But a few days after Sally was cured, something terrible happened. One day, as Randy, Elma, Malaya, Randi and I returned from traveling: Sally and another child, Temm were found dead near the foot of the mountain by some of the other villagers. Trousseau was nowhere to be seen. And not too long after the children's bodies were found, purple rain started falling upon Healeaks. Despite my team's efforts, the villagers collapsed, dead. Black blood swelled on their bodies."

"Sounds quite unusual" Osvald said.

"Yeah" Sabrina agreed, just as disturbed.

"So, the true killer wasn't anyone from Eir's Apothecaries, then?" Priscilla asked.

Castii shook her head"Its too soon to say for sure, I was afraid of that very conclusion, myself. That would have certainly explained the townspeople of Canalbrine's hostile reactions to me when I arrived, there without my memories. And as I was saying, shortly after that strange purple rain started pouring, I saw smoke coming from the top of Mount Liphia."

"Can you remember anything else?" Sabrina asked, gently.

"Not quite, but its becoming clear, I need to go to the mountain peak" The Apothecary replied.

Jacob, who was listening nearby, paled"So that's how everyone in the village... Well, I'm going to take a nap. You all go ahead with your investigation, good luck."

"Thank you" Castii told the old man, the led the others into the cave that led to the top of Mount Liphia."

The group fought their way past some monsters as they made for the peak, Castii groaned as she clutched her head once they arrived. More memories of the incident began pouring into her head.

-Flashback-

"Everyone is dead! Dead. Dead." A maddened man in a dark cloak and a mask laughed"Rain! Storm! Keep pouring!"

Castii, Malaya, Elma and Randy looked on in horror at the sight of the purple rain before approaching the man.

"Trousseau?" Andy, one of the other Apothecaries asked, recognizing his voice"You were the cause of this?"

The man turned upon hearing his former colleagues.

"Explain yourself. Now" Malaya said, sharply.

"This smoke?" Trousseau, his face concealed by a bird-shaped mask, asked"I brewed a special sort of poison. It will rise up, turn into clouds and rain down!" He laughed, his voice more high-pitched than he was before"These, my friends, are the tears of those who are suffering."

"Do you understand what you are doing?" A disappointed Castii asked.

Trousseau nodded"Of course, chief. This rain brings salvation."

"Trousseau" Andy addressed him"Temm and Sally are dead."

"I know" The insane Apothecary replied, grimly"I killed them. Ha, ha. It doesn't matter if we get soaked, we must find our precious children" he mocked.

"That can't be true" Castii murmured, not wanting to believe it.-

Malaya trembled with anger"You used the children to lure the villagers out into this rain, Trousseau!? You once risked your life to save Sally! How could you!?"

"That was before I knew the truth" Trousseau said, dismissively.

"What truth?" Castii asked, confused"Didn't you seek to help people? To save them with your own hand?"

Trousseau smirked"Come now, Chief. What do you think suffering is? Existence!" He said"We live in a vast graveyard of decay!"

Castii groaned, a twinge of pain went through her body.

"Poison finally take hold of you?" Trousseau asked"You don't look so well."

"Trousseau..." Castii struggled to speak as she attempted to appeal to her friend's better nature"An Apothercary's hands are not for taking the life of others."

"Its no use, Castii" Malaya told her, resolutely"He's beyond hope. We must check for survivors and help as many people as we can."

-Flashback Ends-

"Are you all right?" Priscilla asked the Apothecary.

Castii nodded as she stood up"Now I remember. It was Trousseau who killed everyone in the village. He was wearing a plague mask. Something inside of him had snapped. It must have been from after we met up with a man who showed a book to me and Trousseau. It apparently was about the darker aspects of mankind and its history. My remaining friends and I tried to save who we can, Elma gave up her life to try to save save our horse. Andy and Randy put their lives on the line to put out Trousseau's fire to keep the poison from spreading further."

"And what happened to Malaya?" Priscilla asked.

"Malaya..." Casti blinked, sadly"She had given her life to get my away from that foul poison rain, she set me on a raft and I drifted out to sea. She stayed behind, but not before giving me Snowdrop Flowers, believing that I can find a cure for Trousseau's poison. The Malaya I've been seeing was just a figment of my imagination, an illusion I subconiously created to help recover my memories. It was miracle that I survived the poison, I only got away with a black swell on my arm."

The rest of the group took a moment to process this. Osvald was especially disgusted"Despicable."

"I agree" Temenos said"Castii, where did Trousseau go after he was done with Healeaks?"

Castii frowned"He said something about going to Timberain, He plans to spread his poison, there. Its going to be during a coronation ceremony. He said he was going to save everyone, but the way he goes on about it..."

"Its like he can't tell the difference between saving lives and destroying them like anyone in their right mind" Priscilla realized"I'm sorry to hear what happened to him and the rest of your comrades, Castii" she said, sympathetically.

"I appreciate your sympathy, Priscilla" Castii said"Randy, Andy, Malaya and Elma gave their lives to save as many people as they can. Now its my turn to act, I have to stop Trousseau."

"We're in this together" Sabrina told the Apothecary"Timberain is in the northwestern-most part of the west continent, very deep in the Leaflands. Its practically on the opposite side of the west continent from Gravell."

"If we hurry, we can save my daughter from Harvey and then go to Timberain" Osvald supplied"I'm no expert, but I imagine that in order for Trousseau to unleash his poison effectively, he'd have to wait until the winds are in his favor. This gives us roughly a month at the most before Timberain becomes a ghost town like Healeaks, I presume. Depending on how quickly Trousseau reaches Timberain."

"He's right" Sabrina noted.

The group headed outside Healeaks, making their way to New Delsta Harbor to return to the West Continent.

Pretty dark, huh? Anyway, no promises I can get the next chapter up sooner than I did, considering how long I took. Please bear with me.