Tales of Xalthia

by xXGhostStalker

*DISCLAIMER: This holds no relation to Tales of VS. This is an original story* A mysterious lineage. An unimaginative power. Oblivious to Tsuki Himura, he defends his kingdom from evil and learns of a sinister plot. Forced to seek help, he travels the globe for much needed allies. Join him as he learns more about the world and about himself as something awakens inside him

37. Past Reflections -1st Revision-

Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 36: Past Reflections

The sun rose high the next day after the Shinobi threat was eliminated. Despite the horrible deeds they committed, the fallen Shinobi were given proper burials. Amongst their number, a small handful of them surrendered themselves now that they didn't have to worry about rebelling against the Syndicate or the Shogunate. No longer having the weight of being conscripted into service by force or through fear tactics, those that surrendered could finally pick up the pieces and rebuild what they've lost. The road to recovery was a long one, however. A road that would require a lot of therapy and rehabilitation.

The villagers happily welcomed the new additions and offered them food, shelter and support. With the sun rising high, people started their days early to finish cleaning up the leftover mess from the day before. With the guidance of various village leaders, the workflow was pretty smooth. Before anyone knew it, the rest of the mess was cleaned up and repairs were underway. With the village population being mostly of the hands-on variety such as farmers, carpenters and laborers, there was no shortage of help.

As for Tsuki and the others, they had all gathered in Ryoka's house where they exchanged information of what went on during their time of separation and brought Ryoka up to speed with the full run-down of information. After seeing what happened the day before, he knew that there was no denying that something was going on and whatever it was ran deep. This time around, it was much easier for Ryoka to understand the situation. Tsuki introduced his companions to him and, in turn, Ryoka gave out a proper introduction of who he really was which Raiden had alluded to prior to his death. What he had to say surprised everyone in the room.

Tsuki was sitting back against one of the chairs with his arms folded in front of him. He had a feeling that he wasn't just your average village elder from the moment they first met. He had a certain aura to him that gave off a sense of familiarity. "I knew you were keeping something from us but I didn't think it was this. To think you're the former Knight Commander of the Sirione Royal Guard…" he said.

The Sirione Royal Guard was the former military power that served the once-great kingdom. Under the watchful eyes of the Sirione royal family, they strongly advocated peace and co-existence between Humans, Faeries and Beastmen. The royal family was comprised of a middle-aged king and queen, a young boy in his pre-teens and a young girl three years younger. The citizens absolutely adored the royal family and the Royal Guard as they always used to prioritize the citizens over themselves. No one was too ashamed to lend a helping hand to the needy. Even the royal family themselves would go out and mingle with the public and offer assistance when need be.

The king was an ordinary Human who grew up in a mixed community. During his younger days, there was a fair share of strife and turmoil amongst the different races. There were many differences in opinions of how co-existence should be handled and what laws and regulations should be passed. Unfortunately, many of the politicians kept impeding progress in the courts and delayed the process to the point where things were at a stand-still. The future king dreamed of true peace and co-existence among his fellow countrymen and strived to achieve that goal. He spent his entire youth studying the history between Humans, Faeries and Beastmen while gaining a strong hand in the political world.

The princess, who would become the next queen, was a bright and cheery Foxkin who lived a life of luxury and comfort. Growing up, there was no shortage of wants and needs for her but at some point, she grew tired of everything being handed to her on a silver platter. She wanted to prove that she could be independent and dedicated her early teen years developing herself to be more than just a pampered little girl and this continued on even into adulthood. After many trials and hurdles that she had to overcome, she was eventually recognized as the capable person that she worked so hard to achieve to be.

The culmination of both their efforts only deepened and grew to greater heights when the future king and queen eventually locked eyes with each other. They both knew right away that the other person shared the same views and goals and both worked together to make them happen. Because of their shared views, they both hit things off pretty well and before anyone knew it, months turned into years when they eventually ended up getting married.

With the inauguration of the new king and queen, they weeded out all of the people that hindered the political process and proceeded to appoint the new laws and regulations. With Sirione under a new watchful eye and a reformatted Royal Guard, Sirione would spent the next few decades thriving in the peace and co-existence that the king and queen worked hard to achieve. The two of them eventually gave birth to a baby boy a few years into their marriage and then a baby girl three years later. As their children grew, they slowly passed on their ideals for them to carry on into their futures. With the young prince first in line for the throne and the princess having her eyes set on a separate life goal, the future of Sirione was bright. That is, until that fateful night when they were attacked by the Syndicate. The king and queen, who everyone loved and adored, were murdered and the prince and princess ended up going missing during the chaos and presumed to be dead. The Royal Guard that fought valiantly for the great Republic quickly fell and broke apart. This was the end of the Sirione that everyone once loved and the start of a completely different reality that many revolted and condemned all across the world.

Ryoka spent a good part of the morning explaining to them what Sirione used to be and what it once stood for. He expressed an abundance of love and affection for the royal family that he loyally served while gripping through the immense guilt that weighed down on him. "Some Knight Commander I was. I boasted great strength and confidence and yet, I couldn't stop what happened. I couldn't save the royal family from their fates" he said. He was sitting on the far end of his couch, his right hand rolled up into a fist as he lightly slams it down against the couch arm. "Now, the once great Republic of Sirione is now a festering hellhole filled with rot and death" he said, gritting his teeth, his hand shaking with a bit of anger.

Cesela's ears lowered a bit, feeling a fuzzy feeling in her chest. It was almost as if she could feel his pain. She held her hand up to her chest, not sure of what to say that would bring him comfort. Throughout his story, a number of flashbacks played through her mind. Some of the images that flashed through her mind involved many interactions with a certain older gentleman in a suit of armor. "Ryoka…" she mumbled.

Melphi was extremely curious to know more about what happened on that fateful day. The world outside the borders of Megrove knew so little about the events that took place there on that day. Getting information into and out of Megrove was an extremely difficult task, one that takes extensive, careful planning. "Can you tell us what happened? Any information you have could prove useful to us" she said. Being a Faerie herself, even though she's never been affected on a personal level, this was something that played a major part in her life. It's because of the stigma that Humans bear against Faeries and Beastmen that she's met with so much hostility and resentment.

Ryoka took in a deep, heavy breath as he recounted that fateful day. It all happened on a night that should have been full of celebration and joy. "It all happened on the princess' 3rd birthday. It was a celebration open to all that wanted to attend and unfortunately, the Syndicate took advantage of that. Not only did it allow them to get close to the royal family, but the large gathering of officials and important figureheads gave them the perfect opportunity to inflict maximum damage and shock value" he said.

Events from over 9 years ago played through his head like a silent movie as he spoke. A younger version of Ryoka could be seen wearing reflective, silver armor standing next to the throne chairs of the royal family. The king and queen were sitting on the throne chairs while the prince and princess were being courted to dance as the main event took place in a large, banquet hall. Everyone danced the night away, drinking and having the time of their lives. Even the knights were enjoying themselves, some even hitting things off with the various men and women that were in attendance.

Little did everyone know though, the Syndicate have melded into the gathered crowds. As the celebrations were reaching their peak, what should have been thunderous applause and cheer was replaced by explosions and screams of terror. He recalled the large banquet hall that was bright and cheery turn to a bloodied chamber with a raging inferno. Unknown entities and Syndicate members that had bodily enhancements from the effects of Arcanum stormed into the banquet hall and killed without prejudice. Whether they were knights, government officials or even civilians, it didn't matter to the Syndicate one bit.

Knights were ordered to engage the enemy but no matter what they did or how hard they fought, they found themselves overpowered. The king, queen and Ryoka stood their ground to fight off against the attackers while the prince and princess were quickly escorted out in an attempt to reach safety. The king and queen were capable fighters in their own ways and Ryoka was one of the strongest knights within the Royal Guard. Despite that though, their efforts proved to be futile as they found themselves the only ones left standing. With their backs pushed up against a large, stained glass window, there was little hope for survival. The king and queen knew that they were going to die and all they could think about was the survival of their children. In a desperate plea, the king gave Ryoka one final order and that was to find them and take them far away from harm's way. Before he could give an answer though, the king ended up pushing Ryoka through the stained glass and sent him crashing down into a small pond not too far below them. It was then that the king and queen fought to the very end, only to be struck down and killed.

Ryoka used the cover of darkness to conceal himself beneath the surface of the water as he same to the far end of the pond. After pulling himself out of it, he gave one last look back towards the castle as it became engulfed in flames and distant screams of terror and panic could be heard echoing through the night skies. Afterwards, he quickly set out to where he was suppose to regroup with the prince and princess. They were suppose to meet at a small shack not too far from the castle that was connected with an emergency escape tunnel. However, when he arrived, the only thing he saw were bloodied bodies of some of the knights that were in charge of escorting the two of them to safety along with a few bodies that belonged to the attackers. Following the trail of blood through the forest, he eventually reached a small ravine with a flowing river at the bottom of it.

He scouted around the area to try and find them but as he searched, he discovered the last of the knights that were escorting them, struck down in a bloody manner. Upon closer inspection of the surrounding area, he came across a horrible realization. There was a chunk of the ravine that looked to be broken off recently and near the broken section was a small hairclip of ornamental design that belonged to the princess. It was with this evidence that he came to the terrible, heartbreaking conclusion that the prince and princess found themselves surrounded by their pursuers and ended up falling down the ravine into the river below which would eventually spill out into the ocean. He had presumed them to have been dead since the river downstream became more violent and turbulent, something two kids had no chances of surviving.

This brought Ryoka down to his knees as everything he knew and worked for came crashing down. He had failed to protect the royal family and allowed them to die. He wallowed in deep despair as explosions could be heard in the distance as a heavy downpour soon started as if Mother Nature wept in heavy tears. The fate that befell the royal family was an eternal disgrace and shame that he will forever bear until the day he dies. In the days that followed, he went into hiding as he saw his fellow citizens being corralled up like cattle and put to work for the Syndicate or shipped off to who knows where. Anyone from the Royal Guard that was held captive were executed along with anyone else that defied the Syndicate. Realizing that it was too dangerous to stay in Sirione anymore, and Megrove for that matter, he concealed himself within a group of fleeing refugees as many attempted to leave Megrove before the ports were shut down. Not having any purpose left in Megrove, he and several others were the last ones to successfully make it out of Megrove thanks to a small merchant's boat.

That boat would eventually bring them to the southern reaches of Ersheath where he and his fellow survivors managed to secure an audience with King Raiku where they had informed him of what transpired. It was news that shocked him to his very core and it didn't take long for official word to get out to the other kingdoms. The Republic of Sirione has fallen to the Syndicate, it's royal family all presumed dead. Photographs of the king and queen's bodies were shown off in full display to prove the events that took place. However, the bodies of the prince and princess were never found and have assumed to have been washed out to sea where they ultimately drowned, if they weren't dead already.

Having been a good friend to the royal family, Raiku welcomed him and any survivors into his kingdom and even gave them a large plot of land to the north where they could rebuild and regain some semblance of life. This large plot of land was a deep, thick forest was far from major cities and offered them a familiar environment the would remind them of Megrove. This came to be known as Spiral Woods where the newly formed Haven Village would thrive and prosper in relative secrecy with it's gates open to any and all Faeries and Beastmen alike. The survivors that were with Ryoka were understandably concerned and worried that they were practically indebted to Humans who took their home away but with the reassurances of Ryoka and Raiku, they came to understand that there were just as many bad Humans in the world as there were good, much like how it was with Faeries and Beastmen.

Back in the present, Ryoka came to the conclusion of his story as he divulged everything that had occurred on that fateful night. Everything he had said was completely new to them as they were unaware of what exactly transpired over nine years ago. After hearing his story though and how they fought against enhanced Humans and strange entities, it all but confirmed their suspicions that Arcanum was a direct involvement. It then begged the question of where and how the Syndicate got their hands on it. Based on his story, it didn't seem that there was any Honegroth involvement whatsoever. Of course, that doesn't mean that they weren't indirectly involved though so the possibility was still out there. They were going to need more information from other survivors and refugees that were there on that night in order to put all the pieces together.

Tsuki and the others needed a minute to process his story. There were still many unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions but what they were told was as good of a start that they were going to get. It wasn't going to be easy to get information out of survivors from that fateful day considering that it was a haunting memory and experience in which many most likely didn't want to have any part of anymore. The fact that Ryoka divulged what happened from his perspective gave them food for thought. As Ryoka told his story to them, Shadow and Cesela were unusually quiet. It was hard to get a read on Shadow with most of his face covered up but Cesela looked like as was in deep thought.

Thinking about his story reminded Tsuki of how Eresseas fell. The attacks first started at night during a much anticipated celebration where people had gathered in mass quantities for maximum carnage. Both attacks happened suddenly and shared a common goal which was to kill the royal family. Even right down to where Ryoka got pushed off by the king was reminiscent of when they jumped from the audience hall. The only difference is that the Taichi, Emma and Cheria survived the ordeal while the Sirione royal family all met a grim fate.

Lynette was sitting on a nearby couch, leaning back against it with her arms folded. Much like with Tsuki, she was able to make the similar connection. "If I didn't know beforehand, I would have thought you were talking about the events that took place in Eresseas a few weeks ago" she said. It was strange how two different events had some striking similarities.

Ramza nodded in agreement. "I agree. It's like Honegroth took a page out of the Syndicate's book and raised it to a different level" he said. He was obviously referring to the fact that they utilized an Anti-Arte Field barrier that crippled everyone.

Ruko glanced over towards Ramza for a moment. "If Honegroth was involved with the siege of Sirione, albeit indirectly, then it would make sense that they would use a similar strategy that's worked previously" he said. It's been roughly nine years, soon going into ten, since that fateful night which gave them plenty of time to refine the strategy.

Ryoka shook his head a bit with a heavy sigh. "I've tried to gather as much information as I could but having pretty much all of my connections cut off has made it almost impossible …" he said. He stood up from his seat and walked over to a nearby cabinet where he rummaged through it a bit before returning to everyone else with a letter in his hand. "I have one last contact within Sirione. A colleague of mine who's working with the rebel army. She's been keeping me informed of recent events. I received this letter from her a few days ago" he said. He then placed it on the table in front of them.

Tsuki picked up the letter and started to read it out loud for everyone to hear. It was a rather short letter that was mostly about the rebellion's efforts against the Syndicate and the lives of some of the oppressed citizens. Just from holding the letter and reading what was written, he could feel the writer's struggles when it came to dealing with the situation. As he read it though, he started to pick up a strange, foreboding feeling. While the letter depicted the current days of Sirione, it also seemed to give off a sense that something else was going on within Sirione.

"Royal Guard Commander, Ryoka Soule:

I pray that this letter reaches you like all the others have. I hope things have been quiet and peaceful over there in Haven Village. Believe me, you wouldn't want to see what's been happening around the kingdom as of late. The Syndicate have made several attempts to push back against us in order to reclaim the southern territory we've liberated and occupied. Skirmishes with the Syndicate have increased in both number and ferocity. It would seem that they're starting to become more bold in their movements.

Recently, our forces at Fort Gjorman were attacked by a large force comprised of Syndicate followers and those strange entities. We received intelligence of strange activity taking place at a nearby village and in response, we sent out a few divisions of fighters to investigate. However, this intelligence we received was a trap. They lured some of our good fighters out of Fort Gjorman and used the opportunity to strike at two angle. Miraculously, the ones we sent out were able to overcome the ambush and returned just in time to provide support. After an intense battle, we managed to retain occupation of Fort Gjorman but with heavy losses.

That's not all I have report, however. The treatment of the oppressed citizens continues to worsen on a regular basis. Countless live in fear and countless more are forced into submission to do just about anything that the Syndicate pleased, be it manual labor, forced into servitude and even…providing "entertainment" for certain individuals. The people are crying out for help and all of us within the rebellion wish we could provide it. However, our numbers have been stretched too thin. Some have even abandoned the fight to serve the Syndicate, viewing our situation as a pointless endeavor to fight against.

There's one last thing I have to report. Some of our scouts have reported some strange activity around the capital and it's surrounding regions. People are brought to secluded places and are never seen again as normal people, if that makes sense. I've encountered a number of familiar faces that have no life in their eyes. They look like the walking dead but they're not. They have some will that possesses them to move around and fight. The bloodthirsty aura they give off is reminiscent of that of a raging monster.

Megrove is becoming more and more of an unholy land with each passing day. The battle wages on and I fear that our days here may be numbered. Something is going on around here. I don't know what it is but everyone can feel it. A strong sense of evil and dread can be felt in every corner of the island. We've come too far to give up, though. We will keep on fighting to our dying breath. Maybe in the near future, things will finally start to look up. The future of Sirione, and all of Megrove, are depending on us.

-Your friend and colleague, Stelle Valerion"

Tsuki set the letter down on the table after he had finished reading it. Hearing about the current events happening within Megrove was unsettling. The fact that it seems to be escalating also brought on a lot of concern. "I had a feeling things were bad but…" he said.

Melphi shook her head a bit. "It definitely doesn't sound good. By the sound of it, the rebel forces are being pushed into a corner. The fact that they're able to hold their own against Lesser Daemons, though, shows how tough and resilient they are" she said. She wasn't born in Megrove but some of her ancestors and friends were so she felt a deep connection with what's going on.

Allie held her hand up to her chest as she felt a tight feeling. She couldn't remember but hearing what's been happening in Megrove for some reason resonated deeply with her. It almost brought a tear to her eye thinking about it. "Is there really nothing we can do…?" she asked. She couldn't explain it but she had a feeling of deep connection to Sirione. Whether it was sympathy or something else entirely was a mystery.

Cheria slowly shook her head. "I know how you feel, but there's nothing we can do. Not from where we're at and not from where we currently stand in the way of things" she said. They were too wrapped up with the business in Ersheath to do anything and the persisting threat of Dolothlond and the mystery surrounding Kaito was all they could handle.

Elle shrugged her shoulders with a heavy sigh. The more she hears about the struggles that the Faeries endure and the decaying state of Sirione, the more she gets the urge to take action. Reality was a harsh thing, however and it was something that just wasn't feasible for her. "We just have to keep telling ourselves that we have to push on. Only then will we be able to find an opportunity to take action. Nothing good comes out from being reckless and impatient" she said.

Phi nodded in agreement. They were going to need more information to go off on regardless of how they go about things. Research and a bit of intelligence gathering can go a long way when you're faced with insurmountable odds. "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. To lose patience is to lose the battle" she said.

Tsuki glanced over towards Phi as he recognized the words she spoke. "One of Georg's teachings, huh?" he asked. Georg would often preach that saying to all the knights in training. He's said it so many times that it wouldn't be surprising if he made it his life motto.

Phi nodded, scratching the back of her head. "More like, his only teaching. He drills that motto into your head until you swear to live by it" she said. Studying under him to master the Twin-Blade Style was challenging in many different ways. Some of the challenge was learning how to handle Georg both as a person and a warrior.

Cheria shrugged her shoulders a bit. She's had many interactions with Georg, seeing as how highly valued he is as a knight. The fact that he's been offered a position into the Royal Eight numerous times, all of which he's politely declined, with more offers in the future shows just how capable he was. Her father especially is very adamant about getting him promoted. "Yet, I've heard that everyone that has the chance to train under him, even a little bit, are very thankful for the lessons" she said.

Lynette was silent for a good while as she looked like she had something on her mind. It was something that Raiden had mentioned before passing. Ruko took notice of her behavior, raising an eyebrow. "Something on your mind, Lyn?" he asked.

Lynette shook her head as if being called back to reality. Since the whole situation with Sirione is out of their reach for the time being, she shifted her thoughts to what directly relates to them. "There's something I'm curious about. That man mentioned something about Arcanum. How we could find out more if we go to some place called Delphoi?" she said.

Ryoka shook his head slowly. There was a reason he hasn't made any mention of it. "Delphoi used to be an educational institute for aspiring doctors and well-known for producing prodigies in their respective fields. However, that all seems to have changed when the Syndicate took control" he said. He spent a good few years studying there himself before becoming a knight in the Royal Guard. "Unfortunately, much like all of Sirione, access to it is out of our reach as it lies on the eastern coast of Megrove" he said.

Allie tilted her head a bit, holding her hand up to her chin. "A place where Arcanum is researched…" she mumbled to herself. Suddenly, her thoughts came to abrupt halt when her mind became locked on to the institute's name. "Wait…Delphoi…?" she said.

Suddenly, numerous images flashed in her mind. They were images that contained herself in a small room surrounded by three concrete walls and thick glass. The room resembled that of what one would use to observe someone. The images of herself though were much different than how she was now. She appeared to have no light in her eyes at all. No emotion. Someone that appeared as if they were being controlled or didn't have a will of their own. The people that surrounded her were all grown adults in white lab coats as they did what seemed to be a number of tests and experiments on her.

Those weren't the only images that would flash through her mind, however. She had visions of herself in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by corpses while holding a bloodied sword in her hand, her clothes drenched in blood. She had no emotion in her eyes at all as she fought and killed without prejudice. Suddenly, the visions shifted to her fighting against someone who had a close resemblance to familiar figure. Based on her previous visions, there have always been four people that have consistently shown themselves. One of them wore a similar lab coat as those that surrounded her and three other individuals: two Humans, a male and a female, and a Dragonkin male. With this most recent vision, she was finally able to make out one of the figures and they had a striking resemblance to much younger Cliff Steele, the first Sigil Bearer.

These visions would depict the two of them engaging in life-or-death combat on multiple occasions. Despite having the appearance of a young girl, she gave Cliff a hard time every time they fought. She was unnaturally powerful that shouldn't be possible for someone her age. For some reason, however, who she was in the present couldn't even hold a candle to how she used to be based off the visions she's had. The huge disparity in her strength from before and now was quite glaring and there was no foreseeable explanation as to why that is. There was even an instance that she had overpowered and almost killed Cliff, the person responsible for the death of Sarex.

Just as fast and sudden that those visions appeared, another set soon played out in her mind that shifted focus back to the one specific individual who wore a familiar-looking lab coat. These visions showed a young male in his early 20s acting all friendly with her and trying to get her to open up to him. The visions depicted the young male as a warm, comforting soul who would always put her needs first. It was after meeting this young male that she started to develop and show off more emotion. She had visions of the two of them laughing together about something and enjoying warm meals together.

These visions would soon take a darker turn where they depicted a certain event that took place. At some point in time, the two of them could be seen running through steel hallways with alarms blaring and people pursing them. The visions would soon jump to the two of them outside of a large building made out of rock and steel, surrounded by people wielding strange-looking weapons that looked technologically advanced. The last vision she had was the young male being shot several times and her desperate attempt at protecting both herself and her wounded companion.

Back in the present, Allie found herself down on her knees with her hands clutching the sides of her head with tears flowing down her face. Despite having these visions, she still couldn't remember the context behind them but she knew that they each played a significant part at some point in her life. She could feel the intense pain in her heart as if she had lost someone she deeply loved. It was at this point that she started to hear the voices of Tsuki and the others calling out to her.

Tsuki was down one knee next to her with a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently as he tried to snap her back to reality. "Allie! Hey, come back to us! What's wrong!?" he shouted. From their point of view, she suddenly grabbed the sides of her head and had a mild freak-out before shouting out in pain and collapsing down onto her knees. When he went over to her side, he could see the tears flowing down her face.

Allie didn't remember what happened in the last few minutes. One moment, she was standing next to Tsuki and then the next, she was down on the ground and having a full mental breakdown. She felt as if she was very close to remembering something from the visions she had but she had already forgotten what it was by the time she snapped back to reality. "H-huh…? What am I…?" she tried to ask.

Cheria was down on the other side of her, looking very concerned. "Are you okay? We've been calling out to you for the last few minutes now but you wouldn't respond" she said. She had suddenly freaked out from nowhere which greatly concerned all of them.

Allie soon wiped the tears from her face as she tried to compose herself again. "I-I'll be okay…" she said. She had to take several deep breaths before being able to calm down.

Cesela walked up in front of her and got down to her knees so that she was eye level with her. She could see the turmoil in her eyes and the fluctuation of the Aer inside of her. Whatever she just experienced wasn't normal. "Are you sure? Say something if you're in pain" she said. She's given her much support in their short time together and she wanted to return the favor to her. She wasn't as much of a fighter as she was but she could tell that she was someone who needed someone to support her, deep down. She had a strong, unbreakable will but it was so rigid that it would snap in two without a proper pillar of support.

Allie eventually calmed herself down, looking at the three of them and nodding with a smile on her face. "I'm okay, really" she said. She soon stood back up, brushing herself off before she spoke once more. "I don't know why but I recognize Delphoi. However, based on the visions I just had, it didn't seem like your average "educational institute" you mentioned. It felt more…nefarious" she said. Just the mention of it's name was enough to make a pit in her stomach.

Ryoka tilted his head a bit as he was curious on what she said. "That's because Delphoi has only existed as an educational institute for about 250 years. Prior to that, it laid as an abandoned ruin since the early 1500s. History states that it was first built after the fall of the Daemon Lord, Sarex though no one knows for what purpose" he said. Most people these days don't really care for the history of Delphoi. For historians, however, it was a pretty hot topic around Megrove for a long time. "As you would expect, any substantial documents that could shed light on it's history have been lost to the tests of time but the Elves believe that Delphoi was the home of sacrilege and forbidden research" he said.

The fact that she was able to pick up on the fact Delphoi is rumored to have a questionable history was very interesting for Ryoka. Back when it still operated as an educational institute, there were many dark secrets the headmasters and board of directors kept from the public. Not even the royal family was privy to this mysterious knowledge. It caused some unrest among officials to the point where they attempted to subpoena the information through royal declaration. All attempts of which have failed to make it officially on paper. Whatever information they kept from the public, they were determined to keep it buried.

Ramza leaned up against the wall next to a window with his arms folded, looking over towards Allie. Now that everyone was back together, he could finally ask a question he's been meaning to ask since Nobuo Shrine. "Speaking of mysteries, what about that transformation of yours? That angelic form you took to fight against Kaito and Raiden" he said.

Lynette turned her head over towards Allie as well. She was extremely curious about the circumstances revolving around that form. She felt a warm, soothing and powerful presence that emitted from her that was unlike anything she's ever felt. It was a similar vibe as when Tsuki became under the influence of the Sigil and the souls that inhabit it. "The Aer that flowed out from you was extremely potent. It was restricted quite heavily by conflicting forces but I could feel how deep it ran. If I didn't know any better, I would definitely put it along the lines of a Great Spirit" she said. Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with a worthy comparison because she's never came face-to-face with a Great Spirit. All she could do was come up with theories and a hypothesis.

Allie held her hand up to her chest, feeling that same warm energy from before flowing through her. As she said, she could feel it's flow being restricted by something but it was definitely there. "I don't know. When I thought about losing those I cared about and feeling a familiar sense of deep loneliness, it was like something awakened inside of me" she said. She held her hand up in front of her where a small light flickered over her palm before a single white feather seemed to materialize out of nowhere and floated down into her the palm of her hand.

Ryoka walked up to her and felt the Aer around her. It was a warm feeling that brought comfort to his old bones but more than that, it brought on a very familiar and nostalgic feeling. "This presence…could it be…?" he mumbled to himself.

Reis looked over towards Ryoka, tilting his head. "Do you have an idea on what it is?" he asked.

Ryoka was silent for a few moments before shaking his head and stepping away from her. "No…just an old man going senile, probably. Don't mind me" he said. There was no way he could convince himself about what he was feeling. It was highly improbable as it was buried deep in Sirione myth and folklore. Something that shouldn't even exist anymore, at least according to the records and history books. He then shifted his eyes towards Shadow, who was sitting in the far corner of the room in silence. "Amidst of everything, I almost forgot to thank you as well. You rescued the villagers and brought them back. You have my gratitude for that" he said.

Shadow shook his head slowly. "Don't mention it. I couldn't just turn a blind eye when my own kind faces danger" he said. It was pure coincidence that he wound up there at that time. It didn't think that he would run into Tsuki's group again so soon. It's only been a few days since the events in Chesberry.

Tsuki looked over towards Shadow. He had a tinge of guilt pass through him as he remembered him entrusting Cesela's safety and well-being in his hands. Because of that, she faced a great danger she could have avoided if he had declined his request. "What brings you here, anyway?" he asked.

Shadow was silent for a moment as he shrugged his shoulders. "After Chesberry, I scouted around the desert to tie up loose ends left behind from the slave auction. That's when I discovered a link between them and the Shogunate. The captured Faeries that we saw being transported through the desert were supplied by the Shogunate" he said. He reached his hand into the one of the sleeves of his ninja garb and pulled out a letter along with a list. "After doing some digging and persuasive interrogating, I learned about a small encampment the belonged to the Shogunate not too far from here. This letter that I had intercepted talked about a "hidden village of Demi-Humans" and planned an organized attack" he said. He walked over to the nearby table and placed both the letter and list down for them to look at. The letter contained a generalized map of the forest and what paths to take to pass through the mist barriers. The list had names of various people and other potential spots where others could be hiding. "Seeing an opportunity to strike, I made my way to the forest outskirts where I wound up running into Lynette and the others who were having a hard time" he said.

Lynette shook her head a bit, shrugging her shoulders. "I wouldn't say that we were having a hard time. They were just being difficult" she said.

Shadow gave her a quick glance. "Some would say that's having a hard time but I digress" he said. He then dropped his arms down to his side and headed over towards the door. "I'll be around the village for a while as I make sure there aren't any more remnants of Shinobi around. If you'll excuse me…" he said. He then promptly left Ryoka's house, shutting the door behind him before anyone else could speak up.

Elle watched him leave and tilted her head a bit. "Still as charming as ever, I see" she said. She let out a bit of a sigh before looking over towards Tsuki. "So, now that everyone's together again, what do we do now?" she asked.

Cesela tilted her head for a moment in thought before taking the Raven's Claw out from her pocket. She could still feel the immense power swirling around inside of it. "Maybe we should return this?" she asked.

Ramza looked at the Raven's Claw in her hand. Despite everything that's happened, it didn't have a scratch on it. "We could do that but it would probably be better if we held off on that until we return south. With the damages that Nobuo Shrine sustained, returning it to Ustrisu Fortress or King Raiku would be the next option" he said. Since they were already this far north, it would be advisable to check out the surrounding area.

Tsuki held his hand up to his chin and fell into thought for a few moments. If they weren't immediately heading south, then there was one place that he wanted to check out. He had a quick glance over to Reis before speaking. "If it's not too much to ask, I would like to meet up with this Flynn character over in the Rosedes Tundra" he said.

Reis tilted his head a bit. He didn't expect him to want to meet with the Nightwings' leader. "The commander? Why?" he asked. He was curious to know what his reasons were. He had nothing to gain by getting involved with them.

Tsuki thought back to the circumstances behind the Tundra's "occupation" that Reis had told him about. "You said that there was something in the glaciers that could turn the tide with the conflict surrounding Dolothlond. The faster this is settled, the sooner we can do something about Sirione" he said. He fell silent for about a minute before speaking further. "Not only that, but for some reason, I feel like I'm being drawn there" he said.

Allie nodded in agreement. Ever since they left the canyon highway, she felt a portion of her power suddenly react to something. It wasn't just a typical reaction either. It specifically affected the Water element inside of her and nothing else. "That's probably what I'm feeling. It's like something is calling me" she said. Since the two of them shared a connection, it's understandable that Tsuki could feel what she felt.

Nagi tilted her head a bit. To drop in unannounced into the heart of a rebellion stronghold might not be the best idea. "Would that be okay to do? I would think we would need to give prior notice" she said.

Reis folded his arms and closed his eyes as he fell into thought. It shouldn't cause too much of an issue if he brought them together. After all, he recalls that Flynn had wanted to meet a "particular group of foreigners" ever since the ordeal with Chesberry. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. I suppose this would have happened at some point in time so the sooner, the better I'd say" he said. He stood up from his seat and gathered his things. "But you're right; it would be best if they are aware that I'll be returning with company" he said. He glanced over towards Ryoka for a brief moment. "Is our contact still around?" he asked.

Ryoka nodded. "They are. They should be out by the Springs gathering medicinal herbs to restock our lost supplies" he said. He stood up, walked over towards the kitchen and soon came back with a small basket. "Give this to her. It's not much but it's filled with a few snacks. We wouldn't be good hosts if we let her go hungry" he said.

Reis took the basket from him and nodded. "Sure thing" he said. He looked back over towards Tsuki and the others for a moment. "I'll put in a good word for you guys and send word out to the checkpoint once I've met up with my associate. Try and take it easy while I'm gone" he said. He soon walked over towards the door and left.

Once Reis left, Ryoka started to gather some of his things as well. "Well, I need to make my rounds around the village. Feel free to explore if you'd like to. I'm sure the villagers would be delighted to show their appreciation for what you've done" he said. He headed towards the door and reached for the handle but stopped for a moment to look back towards Cesela. "Care to join me? A walk amongst your own kind might do you some good" he said.

Cesela's ears perked up a bit as her eyes lit up. "I would very much like that!" she said. She walked over towards him, only to glance back towards Allie. "Umm…can Allie come too?" she asked.

Ryoka chuckled a bit, smiling slightly. "She's welcome to join us, if she likes" he said. He looked over towards Tsuki. "That's alright with you, right?" he asked.

Tsuki shrugged his shoulders a bit, shaking his head. "Allie is her own person. She's free to do whatever she wants to. She can't go too far from the Caliburn, however, so as long as you don't leave the village…" he said. He feels a tinge of guilt because of her ties to the Caliburn. Because of that, her freedom of movement is relatively restricted as she couldn't travel too far from it.

Allie looked at Tsuki, giving him a casual salute. She could take care of herself just fine. "Don't worry, I'll be careful" she said. She turned and approached Cesela, reaching her hand out to take hold of her hand with a smile on her face. "I would very much like to join you. Us kids need to stick together, after all" she said.

Ryoka nodded and glanced back over towards Tsuki and the others for a moment. "Feel free to take this time to relax. The village will be holding a big feast in the Banquet Hall tonight and the guests of honor are highly encouraged to join" he said. He then turned and headed towards the door. "Let's go, you two" he said. He promptly left through the front door with Allie and Cesela walking right behind him, shutting the door behind them.

When they left the group looked amongst themselves and realized that something was missing. They were short another person. A look around the room would show them that at some point, Shadow had disappeared without a word. Lynette was the first to point this out. "Wait, when did Shadow leave? He was just here" she said.

Tsuki scratched the back of his head a bit. It was another experience that lived up to his true name. "Well, Shinobi are meant to be discreet. Though, it's a little unsettling how he can seemingly appear and disappear without anyone noticing" he said.

Ramza shrugged his shoulders a bit before diving into deep thought about something. To his understanding, there was no Guild Branch in the village. If they had an established Guild Branch, they could bolster the defenses of the village. Considering that the village was under tight wraps and secrecy, however, he could see why it was almost impossible to establish one. However, he might have a solution to this problem. "I'm a little uneasy about leaving this village virtually undefended despite it's secrecy" he said.

Cheria nodded in response to his concern. The village may have some small protection with a few volunteers to act as village guards but there was nothing substantial. Since it's a hidden village, there is no assurances from the royal knights. "Is there something we can do to offer a bit more protection?" she asked.

Ramza rummaged through his thoughts for another minute as he mumbled to himself. "I might have an idea. I'll have to reach out to Seara and see if I can work out some the details" he said. He turned and made his way towards the door. "I'll need to leave the forest so I can call my messenger hawk so I'll catch you all later" he said.

Melphi walked up to him. Seeing as how he wasn't given official blessings yet to see through the mist barriers, it wasn't a good idea for him to wander the forest alone. "I'll go with you. The last thing we would want is for you to get lost out there in the maze of trees" she said.

With that, the two of them left together. Elle watched them as they left and made herself comfortable by laying across the now empty sofa, letting out a slight yawn. "I think I'm going to catch a little nap. I didn't get much sleep last night" she said. She was up most of the night cleaning up any remaining debris and scouted around the area to make sure they were safe.

Nagi tilted her head a bit before taking out her spell book. It started to glow immediately after pulling it out. "I'll hang back here. I unlocked some entries in my book that I haven't been able to recite yet" she said.

Phi strapped her twin katana back to her waist and did some mild stretching. "I'm going to go find a quiet place to do some meditation and brush up on my skills. I've been neglecting my training for the last few days now" she said. Being a student of the Twin-Blade Style, there was a certain training regime that she needed to keep up with if she hopes to master it and to one day surpass her teacher, Georg.

Ruko saw this as a perfect opportunity for him to do the same. Being in such a tranquil, peaceful environment, it brought back some memories of his younger days. It made him a little nostalgic of the days training under Tenebrae. "Mind if I accompany you? I could do with a bit of meditation myself" he said. His skills were improving by the day but if he hopes to be able to overcome Albert, or Draven as he calls himself now, and learn what he knows about their former master, he needed to get better.

Phi glanced back at him, shrugging her shoulders. Some company might be good for the meditative process. She might be able to learn some new ways to meditate by observing him, seeing as how he's been doing it longer than her. "Sure, so long as you can keep up with me" she said.

Ruko grinned at her, clapping his iron gauntlets together to make a metallic clanging sound. "Oh, you're so on" he said. He could sense a bit of competition in her words and he wasn't going to let them pass him by.

The two of them quickly left the building, leaving just Tsuki, Lynette and Cheria left to decide their plans. Lynette was the next one to take action as she grabbed her staff and headed for the door not too long after they left. "I think I'll stop by the clinic and see if I could offer my services to them. I'm curious to see what kind of natural medicine they use around here too" she said. There may be more people in need of aid and healing so the clinic is where she was going to be needed most. She soon promptly left through the door.

Tsuki scratched the back of his head a bit. Everyone quickly dispersed before he realized what was going on. "I guess that just leaves us now, huh?" he asked.

Cheria giggled a bit and held her arms behind her back with her fingers interlocking one another as she leans forward slightly, looking up at him. "Shall we go for a walk around the village? It's been a while since we've had some time to ourselves" she said.

Elle raised her arm up in the air and shooed them away by waving her hand at them. "Go enjoy yourselves. Just try to be a little discreet, will you?" she asked. It was obvious that she was implying their tendency to display passionate affection towards each other.

Tsuki glanced back at Elle, giving her a slightly displeased look before letting out a sigh. "Good to be back, huh?" he said sarcastically. He turned to Cheria soon after and nodded at her. "Shall we then?" he asked.

Cheria gave him a bright, warm smile and was the first to leave the room with Tsuki right behind her. With everyone split off to do their own thing, they spread out all over the village. The minutes slowly passed as each of them carried out their own individual tasks. After about an hour had passed, Ramza and Melphi could be seen walking out of Spiral Woods and back onto the open, grassy plain. It was the first time they were able to get a proper look at their surroundings since their focus was elsewhere before.

The open, grassy plain that surrounded them was known as Edenic Edge. It had a familiar vibe as the Great Plains of Cayhill. The grasslands extend far into the distance with various slopes and ridges at different heights. Behind the forest was a tall line of mountains where the snowy white caps could be seen at the very top. The chill in the air from the nearby snowfields wasn't too cold but cold enough to warrant dressing up appropriately. Based on the attire that the villagers wore though, they appeared to have adapted to it to the point where they didn't feel the brisk, everyday chill. In the not-so far-off distance leading west, they could see the stone checkpoint that divided the grassy plains and the snowy tundra.

Ramza took out a slip of paper and jotted something down on it before rolling it up and wrapping it in small string. He then put his fingers up to his mouth and blew out a loud, rhythmic whistle that echoed across the grasslands. After about a minute or so, a brown and white hawk came soaring down to him. With his right arm extended out, the hawk landed on it which allowed him to tie the slip of paper to it's leg. Afterwards, he put the palm of his hand in front of the hawk's face and spoke a brief enchantment which caused both the palm of his hand and the hawk's eyes to glow. Moments later, the hawk let out a cry and then took off flying south.

Melphi watched him do his thing with the hawk and sent it flying away until she couldn't see it anymore. "So, what's this plan of yours?" she asked. He was yet to divulge what he was thinking to her.

Ramza folded his arms as he looked up to the sky. "Seara may have a bit of a rough exterior with her whole Pirate Lord persona, but she's extremely fond of Faeries. She grew up here in Ersheath but spent a lot time in and around Sirione before the Syndicate came into the picture. She even considers Sirione her "home away from home" as she puts it" he said. She made many accomplishments as a mercenary to the point where she established her own crew which allowed her to sail across open water. "Out of all the mercenaries I know, she's the only one with a wide network of associates she can depend on from all over. I wouldn't be surprised if she has connections with people from every kingdom and every island" he said.

Melphi thought back to when she was still bedridden in Chesberry. When she was able to move around without feeling much pain, she wound up having several conversations with Seara as she worked to rebuild and re-establish the Guild Branch with mercenaries that were sent from Velika. Every time she spoke about Faeries, there was a deep soft and fondness in her voice and words. She spoke like someone who had a deep love for them, a trait she didn't see too often in Humans. "I spoke with her a number of times while I was recovering in Chesberry. I could tell how sincere and serious she was. You think she may know how to solve the Guild Branch issue?" she asked.

Ramza nodded at her. "That's what I'm hoping for. Usually, we need permission from headquarters to establish an official Guild Branch but considering the lengthy process it requires and the fact that the suits are incompetent, we can't afford to wait" he said. It was moments like these that puts him at odds with the mercenary's main base of operation.

Melphi tilted her head a bit. She heard a few stories about the higher management of mercenaries from Shana. She shared similar grievances with them to the point where she's almost threatened open opposition with them. Considering her standing as the guild's only S-rank and her vast strength, she essentially spoke for all of the mercenaries, both former and current. "Shana shares a similar view as you. Having someone with more strength and power than humanly possibly in their ranks seems to have backfired on them. No one at headquarters would dare try to cross her lest they feel her thunderous fury" she said.

Ramza let out a heavy sigh, hanging his head a bit. It was truly unfortunate with how the upper management is handled. The guild as a whole was essentially two separate working entities operating under the same roof. On one side, you have those who work behind the scenes that never leave the island where the headquarters is located, not too far off the northwestern shores of Cayhill. On the other lies practically every single Guild Branch that are all individually operated but work under the same network. The fact that Guild Branches don't work in tandem with the main headquarters shows how dysfunctional the Mercenary Guild is on a deep level.

Ramza soon leaned his back up against a tree, closing his eyes as he felt a crisp breeze blow across his face. "Since we would need to keep the Guild Branch a secret, we're going to need trustworthy people who can keep a lid on it" he said.

Melphi glanced back into forest for a moment. "And so, you want to try and use her connections to foster and guard that secret" she said. It made perfect sense especially with all the connections she's supposedly made.

Ramza mumbled to himself softly, his head leaning back a bit. "There should be plenty of work within the forest and around these plains that mercenaries can handle. Seara knows how to pick out trustworthy people, even if she's never interacted with them much, if at all. If anyone can put together an "official" Guild Branch in secret, it would be her" he said. Seara may be an A-rank and not as well known as someone like Shana but she's made her presence known to the higher management and where her stance was. "Much like how the Guild can't afford to lose Shana's overwhelming strength, they can't afford to lose all of the connections Seara has made and nurtured" he said.

Melphi couldn't help but wonder why there was even a main headquarters at all. From all the stories she's heard, the impression that she gets from them is that they do absolutely nothing while the Guild Branches do all the work. "Why even establish a headquarters then? It seems that the Guild Branches operate just fine on their own" she said.

Ramza shook his head slowly. There has been a lot of change that's happened over the last few years. "Believe it or not, it wasn't always like this. Under the old management, headquarters used to provide support whenever it was needed in a timely manner. Things changed when the new president took over and brought in the new rules and regulations at the dissatisfaction of many mercenaries" he said. He was only just starting out as a mercenary when all of this change occurred. The new rules and regulations that the current head brought in caused a lot of drama and tension where most of the Guild Branches almost revolted. If it wasn't for the intervention of Shana, a full-scale conflict may have broke out. "Suffice to say, headquarters is now basically a shadow of its former self" he said.

Melphi scratched the side of her head. The conflicts of man seemed trivial to her. They're as much of a threat to themselves as they are to every other race. "It's little wonder why I prefer to stay out of Human affairs" she said.

Ramza turned his head towards Melphi. He heard a bit of her background but she hasn't really gone into full detail with it yet. "You mentioned that Shana saved you and because of that, you formed a life bond with her. Is the reason why you don't like Humans the cause that led up to that life bond?" he asked. He has always been curious about her past. She keeps saying that she didn't want to be involved with Human affairs and yet, she's blood-bound with one.

Melphi was silent for a few moments, her head hanging low with her eyes closed. At first, she didn't want to reveal much about herself to them but the more she travels with them, the more comfortable and relaxed she becomes. It was a nostalgic feeling that reminds her of when she traveled around with Taichi and his companions back in the day. "It was around the beginning of Year 1976, in the mountain village of Elkhorn. I was still a young dragon child at the time. It was in the middle of a brisk, Spring afternoon when the village was visited by Kaito Isamu. At the time, no one knew about the evil deeds he was committing" she said. Scenes from that time played out in her head. She was standing next to an older male individual, looking up at a younger Kaito with curious eyes. Thinking back on it now, she remembers getting an uncomfortable vibe from him. Something about him seemed off but with her still having an adolescent mind, she didn't put much stock into her own feelings. "He came to the village under the pretense of wanting to use the nearby mountain paths to establish a new trade route. Elkhorn was a village that was hard to live in due to how remote it was so a new trade route would bring profits into a struggling village. Little did we know, however, this wasn't what he had intended" she said.

Ramza sat down in the grass with his back up against the tree as he listened to her story. He had heard some talk about Elkhorn but it was all mostly rumor and speculation. Whatever really happened there seems to have been covered up by the Dolothlond government. Very few people alive now know the truth. "So, he garnered the trust of the village in order to push his own wicked agenda. All it required was the perfect bait and a potential source for money and supplies fit the bill" he said.

Melphi was silent for a few minutes as she gathered her thoughts. Scenes and memories from that time continued to play out through her mind as she spoke. "He spent a number of days working with the village mayor and builders to plan out this trade route and pitched the idea of using one of the old mine tunnels. This supposed tunnel would be used to connect Elkhorn to the nearby Merchant Town of Mastead" he said. She soon let out a heavy sigh as her voice grew heavy. The next few scenes to play out in her mind were rather unpleasant and ultimately changed her life. "Then, on the last night where planning was going to be finalized, the villagers were all called into the tunnel's end where expansion was going to continue, he revealed his true nature. He trapped all of us in the open chamber and proceeded to turn all the villagers into blood sacrifices for his own personal gain" she said. The sounds of agonizing and terrified screams echoed through her ears as if they were happening all over again. "First, it was the men then the elderly. When that wasn't enough, the women were next to be sacrificed and eventually, the children would also fall victim until I was the only one left. If Shana and her friends hadn't came when they did, I would have been next" she said.

Ramza could feel the heaviness in her voice and words. Her story had a similar vibe to the fate the befell Tomoha. "I'm sorry…" he said. He had no words to share with her on the subject. With all of the villagers supposedly killed and the Dolothlond military playing a part of it with Kaito's position as an active General, it was little wonder why they would turn what happened to Elkhorn into a cover-up story.

Melphi shook her head slowly before looking up into the sky as a breeze blew across her face. "The cover-up story was that the village was abandoned due to poverty issues and since Elkhorn was known to be a poor, failing village, most believed the story without issue. However, when I raised awareness alongside the testimonies of Shana and her friends, the Faeries and Dragonkin were quick to believe us" she said. This news sparked the inner disdain against Humans that Dragonkin have harbored and thoroughly separated from Human ties. "Because of the attempted cover-up and Dolothlond's refusal to acknowledge the tragedy and assume responsibility, many Faeries around Nargelond, particularly Dragonkin, have a growing vendetta against Dolothlond itself" she said.

Ramza could understand where the Faeries and Dragonkin stand after the blatant disregard of Dolothlond. Anyone would grow upset if no responsibility was taken from such an event. At least with the events that took place with Tomoha and the aftermath that came from it, the Eresseas royal family took responsibility for what occurred and continues their attempts to mend things. "Humans really are everyone's worst enemy, huh?" he grumbled.

Melphi let out a sigh as she held her hand out while one final scene played out as if she were living the moment all over again. The scene contained a much younger Shana extending her hand out to her, offering the warmest of smiles with an aura that, at the time, brought her a deep comfort. She remembered hesitating to reach out to the Human hand that had reached out to her. She was both terrified and filled with anger after witnessing her whole village murdered in cold blood. "It was Shana that first reached out to me. She showered me with great love and affection as a mother would her child and before I knew it, she had her presence wrapped around me that brought in gentle warmth" she said.

Ramza glanced at her for a brief moment as she had her little moment. She spoke in such a soft, tender tone that was almost uncharacteristic of her. The bond between the two of them must be a very special one if she could talk in such a way. It makes him realize that under that hard exterior of hers, there's a kind, caring girl. If she had any weakness to her, it most definitely was Shana. "You must really care for her if she's got you speaking in such a way" he said.

Melphi soon cleared her throat as if to change the subject before she glanced down towards Ramza. "What's your story? A military General in his prime suddenly retires from service after only a few years? What led up to that decision?" she asked. She always thought it was odd that someone like him, who was well-known and respected still among the knights and officials, would retire so soon.

Ramza was silent for a moment at her sudden question. However, after having her divulge such a life-changing event from her past, it would only be fair if he spoke his part too. There was only one person that knew the real reason as to why he retired as General and became a mercenary and that was Raiku. "Do you recall the story that Caz told us when we first arrived? About how the Queen and her bodyguard went missing after being ambushed?" he asked.

Melphi nodded at him. She remembers being very shocked from hearing that bit of news, given her relation to the royal family. "I do. It took a while for it to sink in. At first, I didn't believe it but after talking to various people, I had to accept it as truth" she said.

Ramza took a deep breath before continuing his story. "The Queen's bodyguard that disappeared alongside her was actually my niece. She wanted to follow in my footsteps into knighthood and with her exemplary skills with a rapier, she quickly rose through the ranks and was nominated to become a personal bodyguard by the queen herself" he said. He could remember the excitement in her voice as her eyes lit up brightly when she told him the news. "It was her first mission as her bodyguard and it turned into a disaster. Many found fault with her, claiming she wasn't ready for such a task while others blamed it on the fact that they went out ill-prepared" he said. He remembered hearing a bunch of backtalk, criticism and slander being tossed around in the shadows about her niece which greatly angered him since everything they said was unfounded. "For my own sanity, and the safety of others, I resigned from my position and became a mercenary so I could take the investigation into my own hands" he said.

Melphi listened to his story in silence. If there was one thing that Humans and Dragonkin had in common, it was an undying love for family. "What brought you over to Cayhill then? Surely, it wasn't just for mercenary work" she said.

Ramza nodded at her response before reaching into his bag to pull out an old, folded-up letter. "I suspected that the ones that ambushed the queen's carriage were the actions of Draxus. Others missed the signs but I knew them clear as day when I investigated the area. One day, I received this letter via carrier hawk and I knew right away that it belonged to my niece before I even read it" he said.

Melphi tilted her head a bit. "How did you know?" she asked.

Ramza held the old letter in his hands as he stared at the faded white paper. "My family uses a specific breed of hawk to carry letters and missives across wide distances. At each coming-of-age ceremony, we all pick from a batch of newborn hawks in which we bind our Aer with. Think of it like a spirit contract. It allows that person to call forth their hawk no matter where they are" he said. The elation and relief to know that his niece, and subsequently, the queen, were still alive at the time when he received the letter, which was a few months after they had first disappeared.

Melphi started to understand. She recalled when he called forth a distinctively different hawk just minutes ago. She could sense that there was an unbreakable bond of some kind between the two of them just at a glance. "So, the hawk that came to deliver that letter was hers?" she asked.

Ramza nodded at her, putting the letter back in his bag. "She confirmed my suspicions of the fact that they were indeed attacked by Draxus. They used a powerful enchantment which put the both of them under a sleep spell. When they came to, they found themselves stripped of their gear and weapons and tied up behind bars in an unknown location" he said. He stood back up and took a few steps out towards the grasslands, gazing out into the distance and watched a herd of antelope prance across the grassy plain. "Despite the situation they were in, my niece kept her composure and managed to free herself and the queen, escape and were on the run from them. Unfortunately, this was the only letter I received from her and never revealed her location to me" he said.

Melphi nodded to herself as she came to grips with his story. "So, you're hunting down Draxus and following up on any lead you can come across" she said.

Ramza nodded once more, putting his hands on his hips and leaned his head back. "That's right. I caught word of Draxus activity taking place in Cayhill so I hopped on a boat to investigate. I used the connections that are afforded to mercenaries to further my goals. This eventually led me to investigate the murders of Cayhill officials and well-known individuals, thinking it may be linked because of similar elements being found. However, I soon realized that Caius was the one behind it all, not Draxus" he said. He was pretty disappointed that all the leads he was following amounted to something that wasn't even related to his search. "All of this led up to my meeting with Tsuki and Lynette and from there, you know the story" he said.

Melphi folded her arms and lowered her head in thought. "Hmm…I see. And so, when they explained what happened at Prophet Castle, that lead proved to go nowhere" she said. Draxus was a group that operated in relative secrecy. It's not easy for one to come across information about their whereabouts and most that do come across them don't live to tell the tale. "Find the ones that were responsible for the ambush and you might find information on them. I assume Raiku knows about this?" she asked.

Ramza couldn't of hid the fact that they were both alive from him considering she's the queen of Esseand. He had no choice but to tell him. "It was the only way to free myself from my position of General so easily. He allowed me to temporarily resign so that I could search for them" he said.

Melphi glanced at the cloak that was hanging out a bit from his bag. "Which explains why you still have that Cloak. Your resignation from the royal knights wasn't made official" she said. It all made sense to her now. No matter how much of a successful General he was, no active military personnel would follow the orders of those that have officially retired from service. That would cause a very serious security risk.

Ramza shrugged his shoulders before turning back around to face the forest. "You catch on quick. Call it an extended leave of absence for an undetermined amount of time. But yes, officially speaking, I still serve Esseand as it's General" he said. He was allowed as much time as he would need in order to find the queen and her bodyguard and bring them both home.

Melphi couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle a bit, shaking her head. "Humans can be as clever as they are cunning, that's for sure. It's thanks to that however, that I've been able to meet some interesting ones out of the lot" she said. First, it started with Taichi and the rest of his companions and now it was Tsuki and the others. After what had happened in Elkhorn, she didn't think she'd be so comfortable and open around Humans. It was thanks to Taichi and the others that made her realize that not all Humans were bad people and throughout her time spent with Tsuki and the others 25 years later, that same sentiment still carries on.

Ramza stretched his arms over his head a bit before bending his back slightly. "Well, shall we head back then?" he asked.

Melphi tilted her head a bit. "Don't you have to wait for a reply from Seara?" she asked.

Ramza shook his head. "Nah. Knowing her, she'll send someone out with all due haste, no questions asked. She's nothing, if not reliable" he said with a faint chuckle. He then started to walk back towards the trees.

Melphi could see the bond the two of them shared. He hid it well but it was obvious that he cares for her a great deal and trusts her completely. In contrast to him, Seara didn't even try to hide the fact that she shared the same feelings towards him. She was rather open about it, figuratively and expressively. "To share and express each other's love in different ways. If only Humans could be more straightforward with their feelings…" she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Ramza held his arm up and waved his hand as if to brush off her last comment. "I'll pretend like I didn't hear that" he said. He soon stepped through the bushes and started to make his way back through the thicket back to the village.

Melphi let out a sigh with one last shake of her head before looking back out into the grasslands one last time. All of this talk about loved ones and family made her thoughts briefly fall back on Shana. "Wait for me, Shana" she said. She saw the grass blow through the wind before feeling a cool breeze blow across her face. For just a brief moment, she felt a familiar tinge of static brush across her cheek along with the breeze. Afterwards, she turned and headed back into the forest to follow Ramza.

The scene shifts over to a secluded part of the village near a small spring of crystal clear water with a gentle waterfall. Phi was practicing her swings while Ruko sat on a slab of stone, shirtless as the gentle waterfall bore down on him. His eyes were closed and legs crossed as he appeared to be in a deep, meditative state. Phi used an old log as a makeshift training dummy as she swung at it in various different ways. Sounds of metal slashing at wood echoed through the nearby woods as various small forest creatures watched from a distance. Ruko was drowning out all of the sound she was making as he closed off most of his senses. His goal was to further tap into the mind's eye and rely more on instinct than feeling.

Compared to Ruko, however, Phi's training was incomplete still. There was much that Georg had to teach her about the Twin-Blade Style. She faced off against the makeshift training dummy with razor sharp focus. She visualized Stahler standing in front of her instead of the training dummy. This visualization had him ready his twin shortswords before charging at her. She dodged the visualized attacks as if they were real before swinging her twin katana at him, slashing at the visualization a few times before spinning her katana around until they pointed out behind her under her arms. In one quick, smooth motion, she swung both her arms out as the blades came into contact with the visualized Stahler and sliced through him like a pair of scissors, cleaving him in half after a bit of resistance. When she approached the visualized upper half of Stahler, his image was replaced with the training dummy that she was fighting as it laid on the ground in two pieces.

Phi examined the training dummy she sliced in half and noticed that the cut she made was rather rough. While she may have sliced it in two in the end, it wasn't a clean slice. She had the power but lacked the speed in her wings. The katana she uses were had a shorter length than that of a normal katana allowed her to be more fast and precise with her swings. The Twin-Blade Style was designed for quick, clean attacks which required a delicate balance of both power and speed. If one side lacked efficiency, the overall fighting capabilities of the wielder would suffer. The fact that attack wasn't a clean slice showed she still lacked discipline. She had hoped that using the visage of Stahler, the man that almost killed her and aided in the fall of Eresseas, would be enough to steer her in the right direction but she had let her anger dull her senses.

Phi let out a heavy sigh with a slump of her shoulders before returning the twin katana to their sheaths. She took the remains of the makeshift training dummy and brought them over to a pile of loose wood that was planned to be used as firewood. After that, she returned to the Spring and sat down along it's edge, removing the katana from her waist and set them down next to her. "Still have a ways to go, I see. I feel like I've made no progress in recent days" she mumbled to herself. She wasn't satisfied with where her skills were at currently.

Ruko continued to meditate under the waterfall but heard her speak. He was able to make out a sense of frustration in the tone of her voice. "Progress takes time. It's something that can't be rushed, especially when you don't have someone to guide you along the way" he said. He's been in that spot before when he parted ways with his former master, Nezusuke Tenebrae. Even though he stated that he had nothing left to teach him, he felt like his skills could still use some improvement. "After my master left with Albert to lands unknown, I had to find ways to improve myself on my own. Suffice to say, I had a hard time with it. You just have to find a training method that blends with your fighting style" he said.

Phi looked over towards him as the waterfall continued to bear down on him. "What was the method that worked best for you?" she asked.

Ruko took in several deep breaths, his eyes still shut and most of his senses blocked. Even though he couldn't see his surroundings, he could "feel" and "see" them with his mind's eye. "I was taught in the ways of the Fist. By honing the mind's eye, I align myself with the element of Earth. Ordinarily, we'd rely on our five senses to feel our surroundings but I was trained to detach myself from that. The mind's eye is a powerful thing if it's properly trained" he said. As he meditated, scenes played out in his head that involved his brief fight with Albert back in the forest when they went out to rescue the herbalist. Despite sharing the same master, he easily overpowered him. While that could mostly be attributed to the fact that he harbored Arcanum inside of him, his fighting style was almost identical to Tenebrae.

Phi tilted her head a bit. She recalled Georg telling her that the mind's eye was a powerful tool if utilized properly but she never saw much interest in it. "And how is the mind's eye more useful than the five senses?" she asked.

Ruko chuckled a bit. "Try it out yourself. Throw something at me" he said. It would be better to show her rather than explain it to get the point across. He soon stood, stepping away from the waterfall and assumed a defensive posture.

Phi looked around and picked up a decent sized rock. She took aim at Ruko, who still had his eyes closed and senses blocked, and threw it at him with a good amount of force. When the rock was within arm's reach, he quickly threw out his right fist and shattered the rock as it smashed against the steel gauntlet. Phi raised an eyebrow and started to toss more rocks at him with increasing force. Ruko managed to shatter the rocks with ease as if he knew the path they traveled through the air.

Then, there was nothing but silence in the air. Ruko, still with his eyes shut, couldn't sense Phi's presence anymore. He maintained his defensive posture, taking in several slow, deep breaths as he opened his mind's eye. Suddenly, Phi came charging at him from the side, one hand holding onto a sheath and the other just above the hilt of a single katana, In one swift, clean motion, she drew her blade and swung at him with almost blinding speed. Ruko stood his ground as she drew closer and then turned his body around to block to attack effortlessly, the sounds of iron clashing ringing through the trees.

Phi was surprised to see that he was able to not only see where she was coming from but the angle of her attack. The technique she used should have concealed her presence entirely so there was no way for someone who has blocked their senses to have seen her coming. "Impressive. I guess you weren't bluffing about the mind's eye stuff" she said. She lowered her katana and stepped back from him before returning it to her sheath.

Ruko finally opened his eyes with a satisfied grin on his face. "This is the way I was taught to fight. The way I should have been fighting. Somewhere along the way, I deviated from that path in pursuit of my own style" he said. Again, he remembered his miserable defeat at the hands of Albert. "Lot of good that did for me when it counted" he said.

Phi folded her arms as she observed him. He wanted to expand his knowledge and skills beyond that of what was passed down to him through his master which meant he was almost starting from square one again. "Your own style…" she mumbled to herself.

Ruko walked across the stepping stones and back onto the grass towards his stuff. He reached down and pulled out a small towel and used it to dry himself off. He also grabbed a change of clothes and went off around a stone wall to change into them. After a few minutes, he came back around the corner with his wet clothes in a bundle and his towel around his neck. "Since we were both taught by the same master, Al would know every move I make. If I hope to beat him, I'm going to need to rely on my own techniques" he said. He approached his belongings and gathered them all together before picking up his bag and putting it across his shoulder. "I want to find a style that incorporates everything I was taught by master and my own developed style. I don't want to simply copy the skills I was taught" he said. If he just took what his master taught him and called it a day, he wouldn't feel right to call that self-improvement.

Phi fell into a bit of deep thought as his last remark echoed through her mind. "Copy…" she muttered.

It was in that moment where she had a brief flashback play out. It was a flashback that contained both herself and Georg during some point in time before Eresseas fell. They were both in the castle courtyard having a sparring match with each other as other knights watched from the sidelines. The two of them were using shinai which were swords made out of bamboo in an altered form of Kendo. Georg was mainly on the defensive, retaliating when need be while Phi came at him with full force. She used everything he had taught her up to that point to the best of her ability but these were techniques that weren't going to work on him. He knew where every step was and what direction every swing would take which made it easy for him to block and counter.

When Georg took a defensive posture and closed his eyes, Phi took the chance to charge in while his guard was seemingly down. What she didn't realize was that he didn't open himself up at all. As she drew closer, he took the shinai he was holding and switched to an offensive stance. It was too late for Phi to stop so she continued to follow through with her attack while bracing herself to defend against his. The attack that she expected from him, however, was a bluff. Rather than attacking, as he swung the shinai, he released it from his hand and sent flying towards lower right leg. With no time to react, the white tip of the shinai collided with her leg which threw her off-balance and stumble forward. Because she wore iron plating around her legs, she didn't feel any pain but there was enough force to make her fumble. With her defenses wide open now, he charged towards her, knocking one of the shinai out of her hands and taking it by the handle while grabbing hold of her other arm and pulled it back, stopping slightly behind her with the bamboo blade of the shinai he took pressed up against the side her neck.

Off on the sidelines was an average knight in charge of overseeing the match. "Match! Georg is the victor!" the knight shouted, raising his left arm up in the air.

The knights around them an broke out in applause, some admiring the skill he displayed and others complimenting the fact that Phi has came so far in her training in so little time. Both of them got equal praise from all those that were watching from the sidelines.

Georg released her arm and took a step back from her and gave her a look of satisfaction. The purpose of this training was to see how much she's improved and she met his expectations with flying colors. "Excellent work, Phi. Your training is starting to pay off" he said.

Phi sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Not fast enough though. I can copy the same movements and foot patterns you use but my body just can't keep up" she said. She was frustrated that she wasn't making any progress despite Georg claiming that she was. She felt inadequate.

Georg shook his head. "Everyone's body moves in different ways. No person will have the same movements as another no matter how much you train yourself" he said. He examined the shinai that he held in his hands that he took from her. "I've told you this before. Your sword is an extension of our body. You wield twin wakizashi while I wield twin tachi. Your weapons are half the length as mine. Because of that, fundamentally, you will never be able to match me" he said. The differences with their weapons of choice plays a major factor in their individual fighting style. He flipped the shinai and held it by the tip as he held the hilt out towards Phi to give it back to her. "That's why you can't simply copy me. You need to find a style that goes hand-in-hand with your twin blades of choice" he said.

Phi reached out and took the shinai back from him. Wakizashi were shorter than tachi which offered a few advantages over a full-length blade but comes with it's own disadvantages. Where wakizashi suffer in reach, they make up for it in speed. Half weight of a tachi, she was able to be more agile with her strikes. Because she was trying to mimic Georg, she was making unnecessary movements as they were suited for dual tachi. "But how will I know when I find my own style?" she asked.

Georg walked over to the shinai he tossed at her picking it up off the ground. "That's something you'll have to discover on your own. There's just some things I can't teach you" he said. He turned and faced Phi, resting his shinai on his shoulder. "But you've already come this far. I have the utmost confidence that you'll find the style that suits you" he said.

The flashback ended with his final words fading away into an echo. Back in reality, Ruko was doing some light exercises while Phi was doing more practice swings. The next 30 minutes flew by as they surrounded themselves with the sounds of nature and wildlife. Phi had a look on her as if her thoughts were elsewhere. She was still hung up on the task of finding her own style. All this time has passed and she hasn't been able to find it yet. She felt like she was missing something in her form.

Ruko finished doing a round of push-ups and noticed that she was mildly distracted about something. It was obvious something was eating at her. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

Phi stopped her swings, letting out a sight. "Georg once told me I can't simply copy him. That I had to find my own style. Even Tsuki has his own style and his skills are all essentially self-taught" she said. She glanced down at the two wakizashi that she held in her hands. "I talk a big game but I just can't grasp what I'm missing" she said.

Ruko tilted his head a bit. He was a little surprised when she told him about her struggles. She comes across as a capable person and from his viewpoint, he doesn't see anything wrong with her. "Personally, I think your style right now is fine. Maybe it's just your lack of confidence in your own abilities. You don't seem too satisfied. Try experimenting with different things. You might find something that suits you just fine" he said.

Suddenly, a familiar male's voice spoke out from somewhere. "He's right. You display the soul and pride of a samurai proudly but your Shinobi traits burn even brighter" the voice said. Moments later, Shadow suddenly appeared standing on top of the small waterfall.

Ruko looked up towards the top of the waterfall where the voice was coming from. Much like how Phi hid her presence, he couldn't even sense him coming at all. "Shadow! There you are. Where did you disappear to?" he asked.

Shadow shrugged his shoulders. "Apologies for that. I had some things to check out around the village" he said. He suddenly jumped high up into the air and landed across from the two of them.

Phi tilted her head a bit, confused at his last comment. "My Shinobi traits?" she asked.

Shadow nodded at her. It didn't take him long to realize that she hasn't recognized them yet. Training under a samurai, however legitimate they were, would explain that. While samurai and shinobi have a shared history with one another, their forms and styles are significantly different. "You have all the traits a Shinobi bears. Speed, agility, versatility and a razor-sharp instinct. That move you did earlier was all the proof I needed to know" he said. The move he was referring to was the one where she concealed her presence until the moment of her attack. It was a technique known to Shinobi as Shadow Step. It was something that's consistently used and even melded with other techniques. It gives them an advantage over their opponents to catch them off-guard. "The reason you feel like you haven't made progress is because your way of thinking follows along the path of a samurai. What you need to be doing is fleshing out your shinobi capabilities. With how you were trained, however, I feel like you could become something more. A shinobi with inherited samurai skills and abilities. A potentially dangerous combination, if you ask me" he said.

Phi glanced down at the wakizashi she wielded as a brief scene played out in her head. It was back when she first started to train under Georg where she was given a selection of weapons to use. Among them were katana of various lengths, decoration and design. She remembered trying out all of them but none of them felt right. That is, until she came to a pair of wakizashi. Not only did she immediately feel a connection with them, the skills she demonstrated with them caught Georg by surprise. She knew right away that she found her weapons of choice.

For Georg, he found something quite unexpected. He hasn't revealed the truth to her yet but the twin wakizashi that were in the selection pool were placed there by mistake. He was about to remove them since he was looking to train a new age of samurai until he saw the skills that Phi displayed while using them. It was obvious to Georg that while Phi didn't have the capacity or skill set to be a samurai, she had all the markings of their dark and stealthy counterpart. That was when he hatched a new idea. To breed a new age of fighters that incorporated both samurai skills and shinobi talents. It was going to be a tough climb due to the history and relationship between samurai and shinobi but times have changed. Phi was going to pioneer in a new age for samurai and shinobi both.

Back in reality, Phi couldn't help but think that Georg knew the truth all along. Thinking back on all of their training scenarios, his movements did seem a little odd. It also explained why she wasn't able to easily replicate some of the actions he's done. "Did Georg know…?" she wondered. It was a question that she was going to have to confront him with whenever they see each other again.

Shadow didn't know the connection she had with Georg but he was able to tell that he took her training seriously by the way she holds herself up. Seeing as how her shinobi talents could still use some work, this was a good opportunity to throw his lot in with Georg to assist in his intentions, if that's what they were. "Would you like me to show you some of the shinobi basics? Perhaps I can help steer you out of this rut you found yourself in" he said.

Ruko was interested to see what he had to teach her. Having someone with a shinobi skillset in their group could prove to be extremely useful later on down the line. "You should go for it. This might just be what you need. I don't see the harm in it" he said. If he had to be honest with himself, she never had the aura of a samurai. It was only when they first came into contact with shinobi that he started to see similarities in their fighting style.

Phi thought about his proposal. Knowing how others like her fought and see it firsthand, what he said didn't sound too crazy. In fact, it almost made perfect sense to her. If he could offer what she was missing, then there was no reason for her to deny it. "Then, if it's not too much trouble, please show me the basics" she said.

Shadow chuckled a bit and even though most of his face was covered, it almost looked like he smiled a bit under the cloth covering his mouth. He drew his twin shortswords and assumed an offensive stance. "Your move then. Show me more of your talents. I'll be able to take things from there when I have a grasp of your abilities" he said. While her shinobi talents were mostly unrefined and rough around the edges, he sees extraordinary potential in her.

Phi drew her twin wakizashi and lowered herself into an offensive stance. Even though this was purely a training session for her, she felt a rush of anxiety while slightly nervous. This felt like completely different experience for her which made her feel a sense of déjà vu. It was like her first day of training under Georg all over again. "My swords are extensions of my body. Flow through the motions and let the wind take you…" she muttered to herself. She took several deep breaths to calm and recompose herself.

Ruko looked back and forth at the two of them and saw that they were both ready to go for their training session. Seeing how this was a matter for those trained in the shinobi arts, it was the perfect time for him to get back to his own meditations. He headed over towards one of the lone trees and sat down under the shade provided by the canopy above and resumed his meditations. It didn't take him long to disconnect himself from his senses once more. Soon after, Phi and Shadow started their sparring session, pitting their respective skills and abilities against each other.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Lynette was helping out at the clinic and assisting the local cleric who had their hands full. While no one was severely injured, there were many that were hurt or sick. The clinic was a small, wooden hut with two separate rooms, each capable of holding 5 people for a total of 10 beds. According to the cleric, the rooms are divided based on the reason for admittance. One room is for those that have been injured in some way while the other is for those that are sick or unwell. This helps eliminate the spread of potential germs and viruses but it's certainly not fool-proof protection. All the beds in the room for the injured were all occupied while three were being used in the room for the sick.

Behind wooden hut appeared to be an extension that was currently being worked on. However, because of the brief occupation, some of the work that was done on the extension was damaged and had to be torn down and rebuilt again. Thankfully, there wasn't too much that was damaged and the key structure points were relatively unharmed. The damages were extensive enough, however, to cause heavy delay in construction efforts especially since parts of the village took some hits from the occupation and skirmish with the shinobi.

Having been taught in the ways of both medicine and Healing Artes by Reia, Lynette's assistance was a blessing for the village cleric. The cleric was an older male in his high 50s who had the ears and tail or a dog. His age was definitely show in his face from the slight wrinkles and grey hair. Despite that though, he was dedicated at his job as the village's only cleric. He was sitting at his desk, sorting through some medical documents and filling out scripts to give to the injured and sick when Lynette came out of the room that housed the injured. "You're a saint, my dear. I appreciate all of your help" the cleric said.

Lynette was feeling slightly drained from all the aid she's given out. Prior to her arrival at the clinic, she help out those around the village that weren't able to seen at the clinic. She's been constantly on the move, tending to whatever injuries she could heal. She walked over to one of the couches in the main lobby and laid out across it. "Please, don't mention it, doctor. I'd be neglecting my duty if I didn't help" she said with her right arm resting against her forehead.

The cleric shook his head. There was no need for her to be so formal with him after everything that's happened. "Call me Jak. Be that as it may, the Harrows aren't a family that don't repay debts. If you need anything, please consult me" he said. Her skills with Healing Artes are certainly impressive but so was her knowledge in average medicine. He could see her making a name for herself in the future if she continues this path. "It's nice to have someone around that knows their way around medicine for a change" he said.

Lynette reached into her bag to pull out a Gel so she could consume it and give her energy a boost before staring up at the ceiling for a minute or so. "I had good teachers. If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be here" she said.

Jak looked towards Lynette, leaning forward on his desk. "Do you come from a family of doctors?" he asked. With how she was trained, they had to be professionals in their respective fields, both in medicine and Healing Artes.

Lynette was silent for a moment as she shook her head. "No. My parents passed away when I was still very little. I was taken in by my village's mayor and it was through her family connections that I started learning Healing Artes. My knowledge in medicine comes from the village doctor who took me in as an apprentice" she said. As she stared up at the ceiling, she briefly had visions of Reia and Crescentia's doctor, Elune Calus flash before her eyes.

Jak stroked his chin in thought as he mumbled to himself. "I see. To be gifted with Healing Artes and a wealth of knowledge on medicine. I see a bright future ahead of you" he said. He could see that she still had much to learn in both fields, but she was making good progress at least.

Lynette sat up on the couch and hunched forward a bit, letting out a sigh. "I want to develop healing techniques that incorporate both fields. Healing Artes are have a lot of uses but they're not omnipotent. Healing Artes can't treat illness or mend broken bones whereas common medicines can do just that. While the recovery process would be longer, natural medicines can do things that Healing Artes can't and vice versa" she said. Depending on the medicine, it could have vastly different molecular and aetherial structure. Applying Healing Artes to common medicines introduces an external factor into the mix which could affect the medicine's potency on molecular level. In most cases, the medicine would end up becoming diluted or unusable.

Jak thought about the idea. There were many factors to take into consideration when incorporating Healing Artes in medicine. "That's a tough challenge. The element of Light is almost as destructive and corrupting as Darkness is if it's not handled right. It's also the reason why Healing Artes are almost a rarity amongst the field of magical research and study" he said. People who were proficient in Healing Artes were few and far between. Many have succumbed to over-abuse of their abilities and many more them for less-than-ideal purposes such as turning a profit.

Lynette nodded to herself as he spoke familiar words. What he said basically aligned with what Reia had told her before. "The person who taught me Healing Artes said the same thing. She said many use their abilities to bleed people dry of their money or even dive into forbidden research like resurrection. Healers became a bit of a stigma under the eyes of certain people" she said. Despite all the good that Healers provide, a number of people around the world distrust the nature of Healers because of the less-savory acts others have committed. "An old, traveling Healer once said that Healers have one duty and that is to save lives and ease the pain of others without looking for anything in return. It's a belief that I want to follow too" she said.

Jak nodded as she spoke. Whoever it was that said that had a good head on their shoulders. They sounded like someone who was a true Healer, through and through. "With a mindset like yours and the right amount of determination, I'm sure you'll be able to succeed one day" he said. He glanced at a photograph he had on his desk for a brief moment. It was a picture of a young Foxkin lady in a pharmacist's robe. "My late wife had similar thoughts as you. She witnessed the suffering of many people and some of that resulted from her own hands. She became disillusioned by fancy words and promises that were too good to be true" he said. He put his hand up to the picture frame, letting out a forlorn sigh. "When she found out that the work she was being given drove people to the end of their lives instead of saving them, she was burdened with an overwhelming sense of guilt that ended up crushing her in the end. Her final wish was for me to become what she couldn't. A doctor that works and lives for people's welfare" he said.

Lynette felt her heart break when he told her the tale of his late wife. To put in so much effort and energy into something you think serves for the benefit of others only to find out that it was the complete opposite, to the point where people even lost their lives, had to have been devastating. "Oh my gosh, I-I'm so sorry…" she said softly, holding her hand up to her heart.

Jak gave a sad smile while shaking his head. "The world can be a cruel reality. So long as you have the drive to pursue your dreams, never stop looking to the horizon like she did" he said. He has deep regrets about not doing more than he did for his wife. If he was more reliable, then maybe he could have seen passed through her struggles and pulled her through them.

Lynette closed her eyes as she thought about all those that share her line of work, both past and present. There were many struggles ahead of her but she was determined to overcome every single one of them. He looked back at Jak, giving him a bright smile with a confident look in her eyes. "All obstacles are meant to be overcome. It just takes a steady hand and an iron will. I want to be the one that breaks through all of them. For your late wife, for those that taught me and for those I haven't met yet" she said.

Jak looked at Lynette and for a brief moment, the visage of his late wife flashed before his eyes as if she was standing right next to her. Seeing her so fired up and motivated brought back feelings of nostalgia that he used to have with his late wife. It made him believe that there are people out there that haven't given up yet. It makes him want to support her with everything his old bones could handle. "To prepare you for the trials ahead, I'd be delighted to teach you our ways of medicine to deepen your knowledge" he said. If there was anyone that had the potential to carry on the legacy that his late wife wanted to leave behind, it was undoubtedly her. She had a kind heart with an all-soothing soul that could heal just about anything.

Lynette's eyes lit up when he said that he would teach her his secrets and methods of medicine. The more she knew, the more she could improve herself. "Really!? That'd be great!" she said. She jumped back up to her feet as if all of her spent energy suddenly came back.

Just as she did that, the door to the other room where the sick and ill were resting. A young male Dogkin who didn't look any older than twenty with small brown ears and a tail came walking out from the other side. "Um…I apologize for disturbing you two, but my mother is ready for her medicine" he said.

Jak looked over towards the young man and nodded before standing up from his seat. "Excellent. The timing couldn't be more perfect too" he said. He then glanced over towards Lynette. "Would you like to see a demonstration before hitting the books?" he asked.

Lynette nodded with enthusiasm. If she could see how he handled medicine firsthand, that would allow her to make references to it when need be. "Yes sir!" she said.

Jak gathered a couple things from his drawers and with Lynette, they entered the room where the sick and ill were resting. Lynette was excited to learn new practices in medicine that she hasn't been able to properly take the time to study and learn herself for a good while now. She's been collecting various medicinal herbs and plants through their travels but hasn't had the free time to experiment with things herself. She had received some helpful tips and advice from Shuko, Phi's grandfather, back in Esseand that she has been wanting to practice with. Having additional knowledge of medicinal practice would greatly benefit her as she strives for improvement.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts over to Ryoka's house where Nagi and Elle were hanging back. Elle was still resting along the couch while Nagi skimmed through her spell book. Ever since she shifted to the battlefield, she's been struggling to find the right pace for her fighting style.. She needed to find a method that would suit her in order to better attune herself with her spell book. Since their fighting styles were completely different, Elle couldn't really offer anything to her in terms of advice or pointers to follow. That didn't stop her from trying to pitch in some help whenever she got stuck on something. It also gave her the opportunity to bond more with Nagi so she didn't complain. This was something that she can't really do in front of others in order to protect her image so she was going to make the most of this.

After spending some time skimming across the various pages, Nagi let out a tired sigh as she closed the book. "My brain hurts. All these words and symbols can be so hard to understand" she said.

Elle soon sat up and reached over for her spell book, taking her hand to open the front cover of the book. According to what Mina had told her about the spell book, it only reacted in the hands of it's chosen. If she were to open the book up with her own hands, nothing would be revealed. All she would see would be blank pages. However, when Nagi opens it, the book reacts accordingly and lights the pages up in various symbols and letters that looked like script that was pulled from ancient texts. By using Nagi's hand to open it up, she was able to see the symbols that lit up on the page. Naturally, she didn't understand what any of it meant. To her eyes, it was a bunch of random gibberish. "Hmm…there really is nothing but scribbles and lines. It's amazing that you're even able to form a single word out of all this nonsense" she said. This would be a book that would definitely be thrown out if normal people could see the lines of text on the page.

Nagi rubbed the sides of her forehead as she felt a slight headache come on. "It's not that I can form words. It's almost as if they're spoken in my mind. It's just a matter of reciting them. But, even then, it's a struggle" she said. It takes more than just being able to recite the words that are spoken. You have to actually "feel" the words and the Mana that courses through them.

Elle scratched the back of her head a bit, mumbling to herself. While she has a history of delving into the magical side of things, the type that originates from her spell book looked far more ancient. In fact, it might even predate that of Elvan magic. While she wasn't able to make out a single thing, she was extremely curious. "I wonder just how old this magic is. There are familiar symbols strewn around the text but majority of it belongs to the old languages" she said.

Nagi tilted her head a bit, glancing at her for a brief moment before shifting her gaze back down to the spell book. "It must be old if even you don't know its origins" she said. If the spell book really was that old, it makes her wonder where Mina found it.

Elle shook her head a bit with a shrug of her shoulders. "I may be a High Elf but I'm not that old. There are things even I am unaware of. Elves are known for being very secretive, as you should know by now" she said.

Nagi couldn't help but nod in agreement with her statement. "Oh, I know. There's a certain High Elf that is harboring a big secret" she said, shooting a few glances at Elle.

Elle was silent for a moment as she stared up at the ceiling. After a short while, she stood up from her seat and stretched. "I think I'm going to go for a nice soak. Want to join me?" she asked.

Nagi looked up as she stood up, nodding at her. "Anything that will get me away from this book for a while" she said. She set the spell book down on the nearby table and stood up with her.

The two of them headed off to another part of Ryoka's house and took it upon themselves to make use of his bathroom. They loaded the bathtub with bubbles and since it was a rather large bath, there was more than enough room for the both of them. Once the water was at the desired temperature with the right level of bubbles, the two of them undressed and cleaned themselves off before entering the tub. Some of the water came spilling out from the sides but it all just went down a separate drain in the floor. The steam from the bath rose up through a nearby open window as they could hear the distant sounds of tools pounding on wood and stone and the voices of people.

The two of them were sitting in the tub with their backs up against each other, using the provided sponges to clean themselves as the indulged in the hot water. It wasn't on the level of a hot spring but it had it's own charm and relaxation to it. After they finished washing themselves, they simply sat back-to-back with each other and relaxed their bodies.

The two of them sat in silence for a good few minutes before Elle broke the silence in a much more softer tone of voice than what she usually puts on in front of others. She would use a more mature, somewhat cold tone of voice when there are others around but when it was just the two of them, she spoke with a voice that seemed far more genuine and real. "Ahhh…the hot water does wonders for these old Elf bones of mine…" she said.

Nagi nodded as she sunk down until the water was just below her neck. "Personally, I'd prefer something of a hot spring but this has it's charm to it" she said.

Elle put her right hand up to her left shoulder as she rolled her head across her shoulders, feeling her muscles grow more relaxed. "Maybe one day will come where we can all take nice trip to a hot spring without having to worry about worldly problems. Like, a relaxing family vacation. You, me and my brother…just like the old days" she said.

Nagi fell silent for a moment. She was told what her reasons were for harboring such a big secret but even now, she still can't fully understand them. "I know you told me why back in Basilwell but must this really be kept a secret?" she asked.

Elle looked down at the bubbly water, scooping some of it up with her hands and lifting it up. "I know what I'm asking is a little unreasonable, but yes. It's not the right time yet" she said. Keeping it a secret was of great personal conflict of hers as much as it was for Nagi. She knows where she was coming from and why she's been against it from the start.

Nagi shook her head slowly. It confused her to keep such a secret even though when they're already so close together. "When is the right time though? By the time that happens, it could already be too late, you know" she said. So much weight could be lifted off their shoulders if this secret came to light.

Elle closed her eyes as the water she had scooped up in her hands slowly drained out down her arms. "I…can't say" she said.

Nagi glanced back at her with a slight head turn. "Can't or won't?" she asked. She let out a sigh and sat back up. "You two haven't changed a bit. You're both stubborn in your own ways and make things harder for yourselves" she said. She turned around to face towards her and wrapped her arms gently around her neck, resting her forehead up against the back of her head. "I just want us to go back to how we used to be" she said.

Elle closed her eyes with a content smile on her face as she felt her warmth wrap around her. She reached her hand up and placed it up against her arms. "I know. We may not be able to completely go back to how we used to be but I promise you that it will happen some day. On my honor as a High Elf and of the Eternal Grass that intertwines us" she said.

Nagi had a faint blush as she lifted her head away from hers. "Do you really intend to uphold that tradition? That happened so long ago and so much has happened since then" she said.

Elle nodded softly. The Eternal Grass was a tradition mainly used and honored amongst Elves. Very rarely was it a tradition used amongst different races. As an Elf and everything they've been through together, she had no reason not to honor it. In the end, it really depends on what Nagi feels. "Of course. Personally, I wouldn't mind it at all. I wouldn't have agreed to it all those years ago otherwise" she said. She turned her head to look back at her with a slight tilt. "Having second thoughts? Considering it was something that wasn't made official yet, you still have time to think about it" she said. She didn't want to force Elven tradition on her and it really was something that kids usually do during their childhood without much thought.

Nagi shook her head a bit. "N-no, it's not that! It just…seems like an old, antiquated tradition now" she said. She knew that the lifespan of a Human was only a small portion of that of an Elf, especially a High Elf. Speaking from a Human perspective, it seemed like a tradition that belonged to the history books.

Elle couldn't deny that. Many traditions that Elves still follow to this day were old-fashioned and out-of-date. The concept of the Eternal Grass was one of them. "Well, you're not wrong about that, but I wasn't the one to propose the idea, now was I?" she asked almost in a teasing manner.

Nagi didn't have anything to say for herself. It may have happened when she was still a kid but she did it, knowing what it meant and stood for in Elven culture. "No but…" she said as she sunk down into the bath water.

Elle turned around to face Nagi as she reached forward to grab hold of her hands before bringing them up to the bubbly surface. She gave her a soft smile and a gentle look in her eyes. "Then, don't worry about it. With so much happening around us, old traditions like the Eternal Grass can be afforded to be put on hold. It'll also give you more time to sort out your own feelings. I know you still haven't gotten over what happened with Meghan" she said.

Nagi was silent for a few moments when she brought up and old, familiar name. "We promised to see the world together one day. To live a life of peace and quiet. To regain what was taken from us. Friends, a new home, feelings of love…" she said. They made so many plans for the future on the hopes that one day, they would escape from Draxus. Unfortunately, those plans came to ruin when Meghan was killed. It was her death that ultimately led her to give up on living. That is, until Tsuki and Lynette showed up to save her.

Elle remembered the expression on her face when she told her everything that happened while she held captive up their daring escape attempt. It was easy to tell that she loved Meghan and having witnessed her death caused by poison arrows must have caused more trauma than she lets on. She wanted to make sure that trauma was nursed properly and that she was given the necessary time to heal. "And you will make good on those promises. Even though she's gone, she'll always live on in here. All you have to do is feel for her" she said, poking where Nagi's heart is.

Nagi let out a slight smile as she closed her eyes for a moment. Of course, she'd prefer it if Meghan was with her to experience this together. "Thank you, Elz…" she said.

The two of them continued to have their moment in the bath for the next several minutes. After a while the two of them eventually got out to dry off and put on some clean clothes. They both felt very refreshed and relaxed after their relaxing soak. After gathering themselves up, they went back to the main room of the house and sat back down on the couch. Nagi went back to studying the newly acquired spells in her spell book while Elle started to do some polish work on her sword. Their conversations from then on seemed to have shifted from the seemingly intimate topics of discussion to more casual conversations.

The scene soon shifts over to Ryoka, Allie and Cesela as they made their walk through the village. With Ryoka guiding them along, they were able to see all the sights Haven had to offer them. Thankfully, most of those sights were relatively untouched by the Shinobi. As they walked around the village, it seemed like the villagers all collectively wanted to say something but were urged not to. Everyone tried their best to return to their daily lives. They pitched in to help the villagers as they made their rounds around the village.

At one point, they came to a stop in front of a large tree surrounded by a variety of colorful flowers. A cool, gentle breeze came blowing through the field of flowers and the canopy of the surrounding trees while kicking up flower petals in the wind. Allie's eyes lit up at the sight as she ran out into the field of flowers to look at all the different flowers. In the eyes of Ryoka, it looked like she was acting more like her age. Every time Ryoka sees Allie, he notices that she tries to be mature yet slight aloof. She was a year younger than Cesela but yet acts way older than she is.

As Allie frolicked around the field of flowers, Cesela and Ryoka took a seat on a pair of stone slabs. Cesela was the first one to speak up. "This is a nice village you got" she said.

Ryoka nodded. The surroundings offered a bit of nostalgia as it brought back fond memories of Sirione for many people. "We got lucky with this. It's remote, quiet and surrounded by nature. Brings back memories for many" he said.

Cesela nodded to herself with a slight smile. "Yeah. I agree. You did good" she said. She didn't think she'd ever feel what she was feeling again. It's almost enough to make her emotional.

Ryoka had a slight smile as she complimented him. "Your words bring me great honor. I'm hardly deserving" he said. He soon fell silent for several moments before letting out a heavy sigh, staring off towards Allie. "If I may be blunt, news of your survival brought both great shock and jubilation amongst the villagers. There's no shred of doubt that everyone thought you were dead" he said. Even he himself didn't expect her to still be alive. Her survival rekindled a long, dried-out hope amongst everyone.

Cesela turned to face Ryoka and bowed slightly to him. "I'm deeply sorry. If people knew I was still alive, it would only end up causing more problems than good" she said.

Ryoka shook his head at her. "You don't have to apologize. Your survival was paramount over everything else and I know everyone else will agree with me on that" he said. It did surprise him that her captors weren't aware of her real identity. "I'm just amazed at how long you managed to fool the slave drivers" he said.

Cesela shrugged her shoulders as she reached up to play with a few strands of her hair. "In order to hide my identity, I had to change everything about me. My behavior, my mannerisms, the way I walked and talked. Even my hairstyle and appearance had to change" she said. Her hair used to be much longer and her overall appearance and presence was more regal. "Despite that though, I have a feeling that my captors had their suspicions about me. It could explain why I was treated with more…respect, if you can call it that, compared to everyone else" she said. Her punishments weren't nearly as severe as others were and she wasn't treated like an everyday piece of trash.

Ryoka was almost thankful for the Syndicate's ignorance. It allowed one of their biggest targets to get away in the end. It now brings up a question that he's been wanting to ask. "If you survived, what about your brother?" he asked.

Cesela didn't know how to answer him. "I'm not too sure. He was still alive and knocking heads together up until the point where I got captured. Though, I do have a feeling I've ran into him fairly recently" she said. She might have an idea on who he was but since he hasn't directly come out and said it, especially to her, then he must have his reasons.

Ryoka could only hope for the best at this point. If she survived after the fall she took, then her brother likely did as well. "Once he brings himself into the spotlight, we might just be able to rally people together in an effort to retake Sirione" he said.

Cesela shook her head a bit and gave him a look that almost looked like she was pleading him. "I'm sorry but can you keep this between us? I don't mind if the village knows about me but Tsuki and the others…" she said.

Ryoka got the gist of things from the moment she first stopped him from muttering her true identity when they first met. "I know. They're unaware of who you are and considering the incredible odds that are stacked against them right now, you probably feel like it would only add more burden on them. Sound about right?" he asked.

Cesela nodded slowly, holding her hand up to her chest with her head hanging slightly low. "I know I shouldn't keep it from them but they have enough to worry about right now. I'll tell them on my own when the time is right" she said. The less they knew right now, the better they can focus on what matters in the present. "So, can we keep it to ourselves?" she asked.

Ryoka smiled at her with a nod as he put his hand to his heart and gave her a slight bow. "If that is your wish, then I shall oblige" he said.

After he bowed to her, Allie came running up to Cesela with a bundle of flowers in her hands. She looked like she was enjoying herself to the fullest as any child her age should do. "Here you go, Ces! I collected these for you" she said.

Cesela tilted her head a bit when she came up to her with a bunch of flowers before taking them into her hands. "Why, thank you, Allie. They're beautiful" she said.

Allie looked at the both of them and noticed that they both were looking rather serious for some reason. "Why the sour faces? Everything okay?" she asked.

Cesela soon shook her head with a smile. "It's nothing. I was just talking to him about the village. Don't worry about it" she said.

Allie tilted her head a bit before turning back around towards the flower field. "Okay…well, I'm going to go check out the other side of the field for more flowers" she said. She then took off running across the field once more, leaving the two of them behind again.

Ryoka chuckled a bit as the two interacted. "You two seem to have gotten pretty close in the short time you were together" he said. It was good to see that she was getting the opportunity to have normal interactions with people again.

Cesela lifted the flowers that she gave her up and took a small whiff of them. It was a smell that brought her great comfort as her ears twitched a bit with her tail swaying back and forth. "I don't know why but I feel a very strong affinity towards her. It almost reminds me of home, in a way" she said. She was aware that she was suffering from a bad case of amnesia so, much like everyone else, she was curious to know more about her past.

Ryoka glanced off towards Allie again and watched her run around. He had that same feeling when they first met. "I feel the same. There's something about her that's very different to that of normal Spirits, and possibly even the Great Spirits. Particularly, that angelic form she took on during the fight…" he said.

Cesela had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Her angelic form has been stuck in her head this whole time and she couldn't stop thinking about it. "Yeah. I'm not sure if it's the same but I remember seeing something like that in one of the history books back home…" she said. The history book talked about a certain Spirit that has long since disappeared from the world. No one knew if the Spirit in question was alive, dead or even if it existed at all. "Do you think it could be her?" she asked.

Ryoka mumbled a bit as he stroked his chin. Unfortunately, he couldn't answer her with a positive answer but he couldn't deny either that the similarities between the two were striking. "Hard to say. It's possible but considering how long it's been since she was last reported and documented, I'm not sure what to think. I want to believe it's her but I don't want to get my hopes up" he said. The Spirit they were referring to was one that was deeply rooted into Sirione history. "With her memory loss, however, we're in the dark as much as she is. All we can hope for at this point is for her memories to return" he said. Despite having no memories of her past prior to waking up for Tsuki back in Briswater, she still pushes on with all her might. "With all things considered, she's an astonishingly tough girl from what I've been told" he said.

Cesela nodded as she watched Allie with a smile on her face. "I sense a great power inside of her but I also sense a deep sadness and loneliness beneath all that. I don't know what she's been through but I want to be there for her" she said. She took the short bow that Cheria had given her and ran her hand across it. "To do that though, I need to become stronger. I don't know if I'll ever match her, but I can't stay how I am now" she said.

Ryoka chuckled a bit with a smile on his face. He was beyond happy to see that she hadn't changed despite all of the things that have happened in the years they've been apart. It was clear to him that she was putting on an act towards Tsuki and the others to make herself look like a helpless victim but he could see the solidarity in her eyes. "You'll get there. Just pace yourself as you move forward and it'll all work out in the end" he said.

Cesela looked down a bit and twiddled with her thumbs for a moment before taking in a deep breath and looking up at him briefly and giving him a tight hug. "I'm glad that you survived, Ryo. I really am. I hope I can count on you again in the future" she said.

Ryoka hesitated at first before returning the hug. Given their current positions and having everything stripped away from them, the principles of titles and prestige no longer applied to them. "On my honor and loyalty to the late king and queen, you have my scythe whenever you need it. All you need to do is just call for it" he said softly.

While the two of them talked, Allie was leaning up against the other side of the tree where they couldn't see her. She stood there in silence as she appears to eavesdrop on the conversation they were having. She mumbled to herself with her eyes closed and head tilted down slightly as she processed what they were talking about. Considering the topic they were talking about, it was pretty easy for her to get an understanding of what it was about, especially with all the formal talk that Ryoka was doing. She wanted to respect her wishes to keep what she heard a secret for the time being so she continued to walk around the flower field and pretended not to have heard anything.

After a few more minutes of her running around the flower field, she returned to them with a few flowers in her hair as the two of them seemed to be having a more relaxed, casual conversation than what she had overheard. She just had to remember to act like she didn't hear anything. "The flowers around here are really pretty. Who takes care of them?" she asked.

Ryoka chuckled and patted himself on the chest. "Me and a few others that have a green thumb. It's actually quite relaxing tending to the flower field" he said. The flower field was probably his favorite spot out of the entire village.

Allie took the flowers from her hair and smelled them with a sharp inhale. It was a nice, pleasant smell that made her feel relaxed. "They smell nice too" she said.

Ryoka examined the bunches of flowers she held in her hands. There was an assortment of colors like red, pink, yellow and white and all belonged to the same family of flower. These were amongst is favorite. "You have a good eye. These were pretty popular back home. They were a main decorative piece for many. They bloom in the late winter and into early spring, depending on the environment. They're called Primrose" he said.

As he spoke their name, Allie had another one of her visions of her muddled past. Only this time, her visions were accompanied by a young man's voice that also spoke the name "Primrose". In her vision, she saw herself in nothing but a thin, white t-shirt that was too big for her inside of a 4x4 room with one side of the wall being made of thick glass. The room she was in looked to be pretty cozy but based on her facial expression, she didn't show much emotion. Inside of the room with her was the same young male in a lab coat that she's seen in multiple visions. It was the same male from her last vision that was seen being shot several times.

Allie tilted her head with a semi-blank look in her eyes as she stared at the male holding flowers. "Prim…rose?" she asked with a flat tone.

The male nodded at him with a wide grin on his face. "Yeah. The different color ranges really make scenery pop and give it life" he said. He handed the bunches of flowers over to Allie. "I brought this for you, thinking you could use a little color to brighten up your character" he said.

Allie tilted her head, showing little to no reaction to his comment as she stared at the flowers. "Am I…not colorful?" she asked.

The young male let out a sigh before walking over towards her to kneel down. He put the bunches of flowers in her hands and put one in her hair over her left ear. "No but don't you worry. I took it upon myself to bring some life back to those empty eyes of yours" he said.

Allie lifted up the flowers in her hand and stared at them for a bit longer. "Am I…even allowed to have such a thing?" she asked. She had almost no emotion to her vocal tone and looked like someone who was barely living. She smelled the flowers, inhaling the nice, pleasant aroma.

The young male nodded and patted her on the head. "Of course you do. You're more than just a weapon, you know" he said. The others around them only looked at her and saw her as a living weapon but he was different. He saw a young girl trapped in an ice cold shell with no way to thaw out.

The young male gave her one last wide smile before her vision of a muddled, unknown past came to an end. Back in reality, Ryoka could be heard calling out to her. When she snapped back to her senses, she saw Ryoka waving his hand in front of her face. She looked at the both of them and saw how concerned Cesela was. Apparently, they were calling out to her for the last minute or two.

Ryoka waved his hand in front of her face a bit more until he saw that she was back with them. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. He recalled that she did this last time back at the house when Delphoi was mentioned.

Allie nodded a bit. "H-huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine" she said. She was relieved that she seems to be making progress on finding out about her past but the more visions and flashbacks she has of it, the more afraid she gets and she doesn't know why. Every fiber of her being practically trembles at the thought. She can feel that she has some pleasant memories but amongst them were a lot of bad ones. It's enough to make her wonder if she's better off without them.

Cesela didn't like the look she gets when this happens. She can't help but be concerned that she might remember something unpleasant. "What did you remember?" she asked.

Allie shook her head a bit. She still doesn't know the circumstances as to why she was seemingly locked in a small room with barely any emotion nor who the young male was. From what she could tell based off her bodily and subconscious reactions, however, the vision that she just had was more along the lines of pleasant. She felt a strange fondness towards the young male that kept appearing too which made her feel safe. "I was in some strange room talking to a young male. The entire room aside from one wall made of thick glass was made out of iron or steel and looked very advanced and futuristic. The rest of the building looked to be made in a similar fashion from the other side of the glass" she said.

Ryoka folded his arms and stroked his chin a bit. "A futuristic, advanced room…" he mumbled to himself. His memory of Delphoi at this point was rather fuzzy but he was able to recall reading about how excited researchers were when they discovered something "otherwordly" within the ruins of Delphoi prior to it's reconstruction 250 years ago, but for whatever reason, nothing about this "otherwordly" discovery was documented, at least according to public knowledge. It wouldn't surprise him if the old government hid the discovery within top secret documents. He could only speculate but it was possible that there is more to Delphoi than meets the eye. It would also explain why certain things and areas were off-limits under orders from the royal family. "I remember some areas around the institute being kept under tight lock and key. Apparently, they were orders that the royal line have upheld since Delphoi's reconstruction, stating that the discovery would cause "unnecessary attention". Only certain special individuals were allowed access to these tightly kept areas" he said. He's never seen them himself and was always curious to know what they have hidden away from public view.

Cesela thought about Delphoi a bit more but nothing was coming to her. It was extremely possible that she just wasn't old enough to be afforded that knowledge. "More things to add to an ever-growing mystery" she said.

Ryoka shrugged his shoulders. There was little they could do about it now so there was no other choice than to put it on the back burner until the right time comes. "No use thinking about it now. It'll only give us a headache" he said. He then turned around and faced off towards a small dirt path leading through the forest away from the flower field. "Let's head on back. There's a few more things I want to show you" he said. He then started to walk towards the dirt path.

Cesela looked back at Allie and saw that she was in a bit of thought and self-reflection. She extended her hand out towards her with a warm smile. "Come on, let's walk together" she said.

Allie looked up at her and nodded before reaching out and taking hold of her hand. The two of them started to walk towards the dirt path with Ryoka, holding hands as they entered back through the thick woods. The three of them continued to chat amongst themselves among various different topics as they strolled through the pathway. Ryoka would point out a couple things about the forest and talk about some of the wildlife in the area that help the forest thrive while Cesela and Allie would talk a bit more about themselves.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts over to the central plaza of the village where Tsuki and Cheria were sitting on one of the benches, eating an assortment of snacks that were given to them by the villagers while looking off towards the fountain. Despite how damaged it got during the fighting, the villagers were quick to get it repaired with a combination of Earth-based Artes and the skills of various craftsmen and builders.

The two of them watched the villagers rebuild the plaza. They had offered to help the villagers here and there until they told them that they would handle the rest. Using the free time they were given, the two of them made the most of it. They talked amongst themselves about the things that went on for each of them while they were separated. Initially, Cheria expressed her concerns but so long as he was alive and healthy, she didn't care about anything else. Having to watch Tsuki being blown off the side of a high cliff almost made her heart stop.

Cheria finished eating her snacks and sat back against the bench. Tsuki had finished telling her about the things that happened since going over the cliff. "I swear, one of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack" she said.

Tsuki scratched the back of his head. Obviously, he didn't mean to cause her so much distress. It just sort of happens. "It just comes with the terrain of being a knight. A knight's duty is to protect those that can't protect themselves" he said.

Cheria put her hands on her hips and puffed her cheeks out slightly, giving him a stern look. "While that is true, you're my bodyguard. What's a helpless princess without her trusty guardian?" she asked. She can't help but get a sense of déjà vu from this conversation.

Tsuki had nothing to say about this. His duties as a knight may have been suspended for the time being but his duty as her bodyguard was still very much in effect. "Oh c'mon, you're not that helpless" he said.

Cheria folded her arms, her cheeks still puffed out. "So, you don't deny it!" she said. She huffed and turned her head away from him as if she were pouting. "My bodyguard has been getting a little cheeky lately" she said.

Tsuki chuckled a bit as he finished eating. Sitting back in the bench, he couldn't help but think that they were taking it a bit too easy with so much going on behind the scenes. "I still doubt whether we should afford to take it as easy as we have. I'm sure everyone in Cayhill is fighting for their lives right now" he said.

Cheria can understand where he was coming from. There's not a day that goes by that she doesn't think about her parents and the other members of the Royal Eight. "It's not like we have any other choice, do we? Besides, we got our hands full with our own problems too" she said.

Tsuki shook his head a bit. "I understand that but it still makes me wonder if we're doing enough, you know?" he said.

Cheria looked up towards the sky and watched the overhead tree branches sway in the wind. "It's like you said before, we do things one at a time and we'll get there. Even the smallest possibility gives way to future potential" she said. She glanced down at the necklace that had the Wayward Stone attached to it, putting her hand over it and closing her eyes. "I can still feel them. They're still doing the best they can do hold their ground. They have Georg and the rest of the Royal Eight with them, including Shana. They won't be defeated so easily and you know it" she said. She placed her hand over his on his lap, giving him a warm smile, comforting smile. "Maybe you should follow your own advice and stay focused on what's in front of you" she said.

As she said that, a familiar male voice spoke out as it approached them. "She's right, you know. Worrying about things that are out of your reach will only drive you to exhaustion" the voice said.

They looked up towards where the voice came from and saw Reis walking up to them from the other side of the plaza. His clothes were partially dirty with a streak of mud and dirt wiped across his forehead.

Reis stopped in front of them and placed his hands on his hips, looking down at the two of them. "Without a clear head on your shoulders, all you'll do is run around like helpless chickens, ripe for the slaughter" he added.

Tsuki let out a sigh before scratching the back of his head. "I guess you have a point" he said. Cheria was right; he really should listen to his own advice sometimes. "How did your meeting with your contact go?" he asked.

Reis nodded, patting his chest with a smirk. "All good. I entrusted them with a message to deliver to the checkpoint to expect us as well as an update for the commander. All we4 have to do is just meet up with our guide and they'll take things from there" he said. Since they were going to go through the snowfields, they were going to need special transportation. Around this time of year, the snow gets pretty deep which would make passage on foot extremely difficult and ill-advised unless you were familiar with the terrain.

Cheria was curious to know the circumstances behind the reason as to why Nightwing was given the Rosedes Tundra and what this "secret" might be that they claim is hiding within the Glacier. "Is it really alright for us to come with?" she asked.

Reis nodded at her. "Of course. The commander would have wanted to meet you at some point anyway considering you guys have a common friend" he said. He folded his arms and fell into a bit of thought as he considered their situation. "Honestly, I can't help but feel like someone planned all of this to happen" he said.

Tsuki mumbled to himself as Raiku came to mind almost immediately. "As scheming as people say he is, Raiku couldn't have predicted all of this to happen, could he?" he asked.

Cheria shrugged her shoulders a bit, shaking her head. "Maybe not exactly how things played out for us but it's possible. Ramza did say that he has a knack of thinking three steps ahead" she said. If he was able to see all of this happen to some degree, it almost terrifies her to think how dangerous he would be as an enemy tactician.

Regardless of whether or not they were going to meet with the Nightwing commander, they needed to head north anyway. Something appeared to be calling for Allie and Tsuki wanted to know what it was. "If it's got something to do with whatever that's calling for Allie, then I would like to know what it is anyway" he said.

Reis nodded in agreement and fell silent for about a minute. There was one thing he wanted to know. "What are you going to do about Cesela?" he asked.

Tsuki tilted his head a bit, confused at his question. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Reis let out a sigh with a slight head shake. "Things are only going to get more dangerous the further we go. With the village now safe, this is an ideal place for her to seek refuge" he said. He didn't know why she was traveling with them in the first place. He surmised that it was because she wanted to repay them for helping her out.

A part of Tsuki agreed with him. With the threat of discovery removed and additional security from Ramza's most trusted source on the way, there probably wasn't going to be a better place than Haven Village for her. "While I do agree, it's not up to me. She wanted to accompany us of her own volition while having a full understanding of the dangers. If she chooses to stay here, then that's her decision" he said. A flashback briefly played back in his mind of his brief exchange with Shadow just before they left Chesberry. "Besides, Shadow entrusted me with her safety. I don't know what it is but I have a gut feeling that she'll play a vital role in the future" he said.

Cheria held her hand up to her heart as her thoughts went onto Cesela for a few moments. "Every time I look at her, I can't help but be reminded of myself. She knows how to put on an act and maintain it very well but I know without a doubt that she's hiding something very important. Something that gives off a strong kinship between me and her" she said. Unlike Allie who was a Spirit, she was still a child. She disliked the idea of her being on the battlefield but she didn't seem to be the type to just sit on the sidelines and wait. "Honestly, she reminds me of my father. Careful and cautious, yet strong and determined" she said.

Reis folded his arms as he leaned up against a wooden signpost. "I see. She's part of your group so I have no right to change your minds, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be concerned for her safety and well-being" he said. Then again, if she can experience being blasted off the side of a cliff while facing an insurmountable foe and come out the other side almost unfazed by it, maybe she was stronger than he gave her credit for.

Tsuki had noticed that the two of them seemed to have gotten rather close ever since they met at Nobuo Shrine. "You seem to have grown rather fond of her. Like a brother who's protective of his sister" he said. It was a similar vibe he has that he could relate to. Even though they weren't blood-related, he was very protective of Elize. When he sees the two of them together, he couldn't help but picture Elize in his mind.

Reis let out a soft sigh as he hung his head a bit. He didn't think he'd become attached to her like this. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever get the chance to experience feelings like this again. Not after that life-changing event that took his family away. "She…reminds me of my little sister. I cherished her like no other. She was younger than me but always gave me the encouragement I needed. She was a smart, bright young girl for someone her age…" he said.

Reis proceeded to tell the both of them the story that he told Cesela back at Nobuo Shrine. The story of how he and his family were ambushed by members of Draxus and how their parents sacrificed themselves in order for the two of them to escape. He told them how they were chased to a dead end and ended up falling down the cliff where his sister didn't survive the fall and how he ended up near-death in an area that was affected by a Wellspring. This is how they learned how he can to wield Arcanum.

Cheria felt deeply saddened by the loss of his family at such a young age and Tsuki couldn't help but have flashbacks of his own past that involved him running through the burning streets of Tomoha while pulling Elize along. At some point during their escape through the blazing inferno, the two of them became separated by falling debris and Tsuki had to find a way to get back to her. Unfortunately, in the process of doing this, he became trapped under falling debris himself, which funnily enough, ended up being the reason for his own survival.

After hearing his story, Tsuki felt like the two of them shared a similar bond with each other. He had no idea if Elize was even still alive but he firmly believed that she was. She was a High Elf and despite how young she looked even back then, she seemed to be far older than she let on. Because of that, he was confident that she knew how to survive on her own. "I have a sister too. Her name is Elize. At least, that was the name my parents gave her when they found her" he said. He looked around and saw the different faces of the different races of Faeries and Beastmen that walked around the village. "Elize is a High Elf that my parents found wounded and alone in the forest near my hometown. She had the appearance of a normal Human child but they both knew that she was older than her appearances led others to believe" he said.

As he spoke, flashes of a much more peaceful time flashed in his head as still images. He was home alone eating dinner one night when his parents came home with a young Elf girl in ripped, bloodied clothing covered with injuries. She looked like she had just gotten out of a big brawl with something. At first, he was wary of her but his parents assured him that she was harmless.

Tsuki continued on with his story. "My parents said that she suffered from amnesia. She couldn't remember anything. Not her name, her age or how she came to be in the forest. They spent the next few weeks searching for answers that might solve the mystery of where she came from. Unfortunately, all of their efforts amounted to nothing. The fact that she was even there was the biggest mystery as there were no documented Elven settlements" he said. Everyone, not just his parents, wanted to know where she came from. Tomoha resided in the Southern Region of Cayhill so it sat on Tribal Land. Not even the collective thoughts of the three Tribes had any answers as to her origins. If anyone would have known about any Elven villages, their best bet would have been the Tribes. "In the end, my parents ended up adopting her into the family, giving her a new name and a new life in the hopes that one day, her memories would return" he said. The first few weeks of her being officially adopted was a change that they all had to adapt to. Elize was pretty distant from everyone, especially Tsuki for a good while. They were both pretty awkward around each other but eventually opened up as time went on. For whatever reason, his name was too hard for her to pronounce so she always called him "Zuchi". Despite the sudden changes, the few years that would follow turned out to be some of the best. He let out a heavy sigh, soon shaking his head afterwards. "Unfortunately, three years would go by and not once did she remember anything. Then, Draxus attacked the village and abducted many and killed the rest" he said.

Reis didn't realize that the two of them had similar experiences. It was almost like fate brought them together. "Do you think she's alive out there?" he asked.

Tsuki nodded with confidence. "Without a doubt. I was too young to realize this but thinking back on it, some of the things that my parents and Elize told me don't make sense. I know now that there was more to Elize than what I had been told. I know she's still out there and I won't rest until I find her" he said. He has many things that have been left unsaid for years now. He didn't know when it will happen or how, but he was determined to find her. Maybe his parents would have told him the whole truth when he was older but that was no longer an option.

Reis mumbled a bit to himself. It falls on the older sibling to look out for the younger sibling and he was happy to see that sentiment still being carried despite his lack of proof of her survival. Maybe it's his total belief that serves it's purpose. "Well, I'll pray that one day, you'll find her and get those answers that you seek" he said. He extended his hand out towards him, giving him a smile. "From one brother to another, I hope for the best" he said.

Tsuki looked down at his hand for a brief moment before reaching out for a handshake. "Thanks. I appreciate it" he said.

Cheria was always curious about Elize but she never knew how to properly ask him about her. He didn't really like to talk about his past for obvious reasons. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up an uncomfortable subject. That's why she withholds her curiosity until he talks about it himself. "I hope so too. I really want to meet her one day" she said.

The three of them continued to talk amongst themselves for a while longer before going separate ways. Reis wandered off too somewhere else in the village while Tsuki and Cheria stayed together in the plaza for the next few minutes before taking a walk around the village themselves. They wanted to see the other parts of the village while they still had the chance to take it easy. Where they were going was unknown territory. Beyond the checkpoint leading into the Rosedes Tundra, they would be leaving the jurisdiction of Esseand and into, in essence, Dolothlond territory from the eyes of the public.

With life in Haven Village returning to normal, life across the raging seas wasn't so lucky. The scene shifts over to Cayhill in the Honegroth-occupied city of Eresseas. Much of the city was still wrecked from the attack that happened weeks prior as the few Honegroth occupants re-purposed some of the buildings for their own needs. The Anti-Arte Field was still up and active which meant that there were no Cayhill forces nearby. Eresseas Castle was still partially wrecked but there had been a few repairs done to it. Lesser Daemons aimlessly roamed the streets of the city as the entire area was still covered in a thick, purple haze.

Inside the partially rebuilt castle throne room, Caius was sitting on one of the still-destroyed thrones with a figure wearing a familiar black robe. The two of them appeared to be talking about something important as the figure was kneeling down on one knee. Based on the look on Caius' face though, what they were talking about didn't appear to sit well with him. He could be heard audibly grumbling just before he slammed his fist against the side of the throne which ended up breaking right off.

Caius was visibly upset by whatever the robed man told him. "I knew Taichi and Emma would pose a significant obstacle to overcome, but I hadn't expected them to put up such a remarkable resistance despite being cut off. To make matters worse, ever since that pesky mercenary took to the field in their defense, our own operations and expansion have been at a standstill" he said. He dominated them in terms of sheer force and numbers but even that wasn't enough to crush them. It just shows that he shouldn't underestimate them.

The robed individual nodded at him and soon spoke in a rough male's voice. "I'm afraid that's not all I have to report, Your Excellency. I also have an update about our rogue group out in Ersheath" he said. There were more developments that have occurred that were almost as significant as what was going on in Cayhill. "If I may speak, I may have an idea on what their current goals and plans are as well" he said.

Caius let out a heavy sigh. "What is it now?" he asked. He has heard enough bad news already and he felt like it was only getting started.

The robed man looked up at him and saw the displeasing look on his face. Despite being in the face of a dangerous individual, he remained calm and composed. "As you know, their encounter with Draven ended in failure as he was pushed back by the Sigil Bearer. They've also brought an end to the Syndicate's slave operations in Chesberry and had a recent encounter with Kaito Isamu, Dolothlond's new War General" he said. The report on the slave operation wasn't of much interest to them but the fact that they encountered Kaito and survived spoke volumes. "I'm afraid that's not all either. They also put a stop to an operation hosted by the Shogunate" he said.

Caius closed his eyes as he remembered his two encounters with Tsuki. At first, he didn't pose any threat to him at all but the more he hears about what they've achieved, he grows to regret the fact that he didn't kill him when he had the chance. "That knight and his little entourage are building quite the reputation for themselves around Ersheath, it seems. This could be problematic in the future if it continues" he said. He needed nip this problem in the bud before it blooms into something he won't be able to control. "What about this idea you spoke of?" he asked.

The robed man soon stood up straight and looked at Caius straight in the eye. Because of the hood over his head, most of his face was covered and the darkness that filled the room made him almost indistinguishable. "I have a strong reason to believe that they're heading northbound to awaken the Spirit within the Glacier" he said.

Caius shook his head slowly. He didn't see the reason for this little snowy expedition of theirs. "An impossible likelihood. Not only is that Spirit a fragment of another and thus impossible to awaken on its own, they would need to meet specific qualities and requirements in order to do so in the first place" he said. Awakening the Spirit would definitely pose a great risk for him but with what was needed to achieve that, he didn't take it too seriously.

The robed man shook his head a bit. "While true that the Spirit can't be awoken, there is an individual amongst the group that more than fits the qualities and requirements for the Spirit's compatibility" he said. This fact alone was more than cause enough to be alarmed. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you the great danger this poses to our plans. It's not just for that Spirit either; I have further reason to believe that there are more among them that have the potential to be compatible with the others" he said.

Caius mumbled to himself as he was told this revelation. This definitely changes things. "If they're able to successfully awaken those Spirits, they'll become a formidable force to contend with. More so than Taichi and his entourage" he said. While this was certainly bad news, there was a bit of good news buried within it. "However, only one of them have officially been documented and found so this still works in our favor. Send Utaru out to the Glacier and have him wait for them. If they truly are planning on reviving the Spirits, then they can't be allowed anywhere near them, even if it is just a fragment of another" he said.

The robed man nodded and bowed to him. "I shall inform him at once and keep you updated on their movements if anything substantial occurs" he said. He soon turned around and made his way out through the partially destroyed doorway of the throne room.

Once the robed man was gone, Caius stood up from his seat and walked over to the destroyed wall behind him that overlooked the lake below. He gazed out across the distance with his arms folded in silence for about a minute or so. As he stared off across the distance, a faint dark, incorrigible voice could be faintly heard speaking to him though no discernible words could be made out. Whatever those words were that the voice spoke, he responded to them as if he understood them completely. "…I'm aware of the danger. However, I still have many cards to play. Don't you worry about a thing" he said.

Again, that same dark voice spoke to him, but like before, the words were discernible. Caius didn't respond back this time and only stared off across the distance in silence for a few more moments before turning back around and walking towards the throne room exit, disappearing around the ruined, bloodstained walls. Something was brewing behind the scenes, shrouded in darkness. Tsuki and his companions were completely unaware that their every movement was being watched while Taichi and everyone else were forced into a corner with no way out. With Caius now aware of their potential plans, Tsuki's group were going to have a harder time to maneuver around.

By now, the rest of the world have found out that Eresseas fell to the Arcanum-infused forces of Honegroth, which have put the remaining kingdoms and nearby islands on full alert. With still no clear indication as to why they occupied Eresseas unprovoked in the first place, everyone had to be prepared for the inevitable: an open, full-scale war against Honegroth. However, with the current state of the world, no one knew how to react to this. With Esseand and Dolothlond embroiled in their own continental struggle, they won't be intervening anytime soon. Sirione was under the control of the Syndicate and allegedly supported by Honegroth so they had no reason to act. The Principality of Loné was a small nation primarily focused on history and research so they had no strong military presence themselves. Practically, every single kingdom aside from Sirione was at great risk of Honegroth invasion. Thankfully, due to the ongoing efforts and struggles of Taichi, Emma, Shana and the remaining forces of Eresseas, their outward expansion to other regions of the world have grinded to a halt. So long as they are able to keep up with the fight, the world is another day safer. However, no one knew how long that struggle would last. It was only a matter of time before the balance tips.

To be continued…