"How are you all?" Presea greeted softly.
"Presea!" Hikaru ran towards Presea and hugged her. Presea hugged her back, and they both laughed. "I see you..." Hikaru suddenly sobbed. She remembered how they parted after Presea made weapons for the Magic Knights from the Escudo crystal. Presea almost died... "I was so scared... that you got hurt..."
Presea gently patted Hikaru's head. "Thank you for thinking of me. I'm alright... You see?" Hikaru nodded enthusiastically. Presea turned to Umi and Fuu. "Umi... Fuu..."
Umi and Fuu smiled at her. Seeing the master smith here was a miracle. Both of them had tears in their eyes. Presea was precious to them. During their struggle to become Magic Knights, Presea nearly died saving them.
Presea seemed unchanged. Her long blonde hair highlighted her feminine side. She wore a long bright orange outfit and gloves that looked dirty. A weapon was strapped to her hip. She was a spirited woman, but there was an undeniable sadness on her face.
Presea guided them through the white-walled corridors. From the large windows, they could see the view outside the castle; the beauty close to them and the extraordinary destruction far beyond. They walked in silence, but in truth, they were all thinking the same thing. They wanted to know what had happened to Cephiro.
Presea noticed this on the faces of the three girls. She stopped and turned to face them. "I'm sorry, this is Cephiro now... The country you protected with all your heart and soul, this is what Cephiro has become," she said with her head bowed. "I'm very sorry..."
"Presea..." said Hikaru. "Don't blame yourself..."
"Master Clef finally told me the truth; the secret behind the legend of the Magic Knights. I want to apologize... The weapons I made for you brought you sorrow. If only I had known the truth..."
"Because of you, we could protect ourselves! I am very grateful to you..."
"Hikaru..."
"Presea, we actually feel guilty for everything that happened. We all feel the same way. That's why we can strengthen and help each other."
"Kind words, Fuu," Umi touched Fuu's shoulder. "We came back here to do something and it's not to dwell on the past. Isn't that right?"
"Alright. Let's set this aside for now. I was instructed to welcome and escort you to the Magic Guru and the prince of Cephiro. They are waiting for you in the meeting room." They continued their journey.
"Hey, I know Clef. He's the Magic Guru," said Umi. "But, who is the prince of Cephiro? Does Cephiro have a monarchy?"
"This might be something you don't know yet. Cephiro is a country with a royal system. For hundreds of years, Cephiro has been ruled by kings..."
"Then, what is the Pillar?" asked Fuu impatiently. "Isn't the Pillar the protector and leader of Cephiro?"
"That's right. Princess Emeraude was the Pillar, the highest-ranking member of the royal family. She was the queen and head of government in this country. She was an extremely important figure..."
"The Pillar bore an extraordinary responsibility..." Fuu mused. "She was truly an extraordinary person."
"But when she was gone... Cephiro fell into extraordinary chaos." Presea sighed. "You've seen it, though maybe not all of it. The beautiful and peaceful Cephiro... no longer exists, it vanished in an instant."
Hikaru just listened quietly. She finally understood the consequences of the death of a Pillar, the result of the murder they, the Magic Knights, had committed. She easily concluded that there was something wrong with this Pillar system. Indeed, it was an extraordinary system; placing the responsibility of managing and maintaining the country on one person's shoulders. But that system created a country that was incredibly vulnerable and actually weak...
"There is no sun... You can't tell if it's day or night. Nothing can survive without the sun. Water has disappeared, and the air has become bad... Natural resources have dwindled to such an extent, disasters occur everywhere, and monsters appear. Many people have died..."
"Didn't you prepare for this?" asked Hikaru, surprising Presea, but Umi and Fuu understood. "In my world, people always prepare for disasters... Everyone is taught to be responsible for the place they live in... No matter who they are..."
"If you have a Pillar who lives for 100 years and guarantees everything, there's no need to prepare..."
"At least, you should prepare in case the Pillar is no longer there..."
"The Pillar cannot die... And if they are gone, we can appoint a new Pillar."
"Where is the Pillar?"
Presea shook her head.
"Even if you appoint a new Pillar, it will only-"
"Hikaru." Umi grabbed Hikaru's shoulder. Umi, who saw the frustration on Presea's face, asked Hikaru to stop talking. "The people of Cephiro have their own way of living. This place is not the world we live in. You can't blame them."
"But, this is really wrong!"
"It is wrong," said Presea deeply, startling them. "But, is there another way for us to survive?" Presea continued walking.
Umi and Fuu followed her. They invited Hikaru to join them, but Hikaru just stood there. She felt completely lost. She gazed at Cephiro and saw her own reflection staring back at her in the glass.
I am already in Cephiro. I don't even have the answers to fulfill my own resolve.
"We're here." In front of them was a large, gold-engraved door. The electric lights shone brighter around it. Presea pushed the door open. "This is the Great Hall, our meeting room. Let's go in."
Clef, who had his back to them, turned to greet them with his characteristic smile. Nothing had changed about him, except perhaps the visible fatigue on his face. He wore his grand robes as the Magic Guru of Cephiro.
"Clef..." Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu stepped closer.
Like Presea, there was sadness on his face. And again, like Presea... "I apologize. You three, girls from another world... I made you go through a painful battle. I am truly sorry-"
"No, Master Clef," interrupted Umi. She couldn't stand this kind of situation. "Don't apologize. Everyone feels sad about what happened, but... your decision, I believe it was the best. You knew Princess Emeraude better than we did. What you did was the best you could give... You care about our feelings, but all this must have been even harder for you."
"Umi..." Clef was touched, knowing Umi was trying to comfort him.
"Even if someone has to apologize, we are the ones who should apologize," said Hikaru. "We failed to help Cephiro or Princess Emeraude..."
"You are wrong."
Everyone was surprised. From behind them, someone spoke, contradicting Hikaru. It was the voice of a young man... and they, especially Fuu, would never forget it. She immediately turned and found...
"Ferio?"
Ferio had just entered the room where they were. Fuu wanted to ask how he could be there, but something stopped her when she observed Ferio's unusual appearance. There was grandeur and distinction in his long white robe and glittering ornaments. He was not the Ferio she had seen in the Forest of Silence.
"You actually granted my sister's wish."
"Sister?" Hikaru didn't understand and was stunned to hear the answer.
"Princess Emeraude was my only family. She was my sister."
Umi gasped. "S-so... you're that prince?" Umi looked back and forth between Clef and Presea, who nodded. "How is that possible? Y-you were just an ordinary guy!"
"Yes, I am a prince, but I spent much of my life as an ordinary person." Ferio smiled. He wanted those who heard him to understand the freedom that made him leave the castle. "My princely title was a burden to me. I wandered and spent my time training with the sword..."
"So, that's why you knew about the legend of the Magic Knights?" asked Fuu, suddenly emotional. Ferio also grew concerned. "You were the closest to her..."
"Maybe I should have told you?" Ferio approached Fuu. He saw tears streaming down her face.
"That means I... Your sister..." Fuu trembled... This was another bitter reality.
Ferio touched her, calming her. "Will you listen to me?" Fuu looked up. Ferio wiped the tears from her face. "Before the Pillar was gone, in her last moments, I heard her whisper... Finally, she could feel happiness. Finally, she could be with the man she loved and pray as a woman... to her beloved, not as a Pillar..."
"I also heard that voice..." said Clef. "She asked me to convey it to you. She apologized, and she thanked you..."
"Thanked us?" Hikaru couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Umi was the same... Hearing everything Ferio and Fuu said, she was even more confused. Why did Emeraude thank them? Was death better than life for a Pillar? Hikaru touched her chest, her heart feeling so heavy.
"We have all gone through this and felt how heavy it is. There's no way to regret what has happened..." Clef's words calmed everyone's emotions. "We don't need to make it harder on ourselves by dwelling on the past. No matter how bad it was, this truly is a new day for Cephiro."
The three Magic Knights wiped away their tears. They reaffirmed their determination that these would be their last tears shed. They lifted their heads, and their mission was clear. There was something they had to do for Cephiro, for Emeraude who loved this land so much... for someone who mysteriously opened a portal for them.
Hikaru found her voice again. "So, what happened to Cephiro? Why does everything look different? Is it really because of the Pillar's death?"