NSX, Autozam

Geo looked anxiously at the monitor. As the deputy commander-in-chief, second in command within NSX, he had every reason to be concerned. Nearly twelve hours had passed, and Zazu hadn't returned. Eagle returned to NSX with his FTO, the combat robot, severely damaged.

"The FTO's laser exploded?!" Zazu exclaimed, almost in tears.

The FTO was the most advanced ever built in Autozam. Therefore, the Magic Knights must be exceptionally strong... Geo stared at the monitor. He couldn't focus on reading and analyzing the data that FTO had successfully recorded about the strength and fighting style of the three knights. The data recording seemed to cut off when an attack was made, damaging the FTO's laser. Geo tried again to read the data from the beginning, concentrating as hard as he could...

No use. The first problem was resolved when he decided to trust that Zazu could repair the FTO. The second problem was not... Geo's mind wandered to Eagle, who was now lying in his room. It had been nearly twelve hours, and he hadn't woken up from his sleep, after experiencing extraordinary fatigue from his battle with the Magic Knights. Eagle wasn't a machine, but a human! His condition was worrying!

Eagle returned to NSX and emerged from the FTO's cockpit with a pale face and trembling body as if he were afraid of something. What he said next, before collapsing, was indeed frightening.

"I saw... Lantis. It seems he's really returned to Cephiro."

...

Suddenly, the large monitor lit up.

"Commander!" called out a soldier handling inter-wing communications. "Channel 1 from the right wing."

A soldier appeared on the monitor. He saluted and quickly delivered his report. "Commander! Fahren and Chizeta are on the move. Each escorted by a large number of their troops." The display on the monitor shifted to show the situation outside, where Fahren and Chizeta were extending their light paths, steadily approaching Cephiro. Autozam was now lagging behind.

"Damn! They're capitalizing on our failure to hold our own ground!" Geo slammed his fist on the table.

"Command, Commander! Fifty FT-1s are ready to be deployed to combat them."

"No... Autozam will be at a disadvantage if attacked by forces from two countries. And Eagle isn't here!" Geo exclaimed. "Retreat..."

"Commander..."

"Retreat, I said! Until Eagle returns, I'm in charge here!" he shouted at the NSX pilots.

"Understood!"

"NSX, retreat to a safe point! Let's see what unfolds. It will be an interesting battle that will entertain us!" Indeed, now it was their turn, those three foolish princesses, to face the Magic Knights! Hopefully, they would be destroyed!

Dome, Fahren

Dragon Dome soared gracefully through the sky, its majestic metal-coated exterior gleaming. Sections of its tail had detached and were swiftly flying alongside the main body, tasked with securing the path for Dome's approach towards Cephiro. Inside, dozens of sorcerers skilled in illusions were on high alert.

"Let's show Cephiro the greatness of Fahren and the might of our armed forces!" exclaimed a small girl in sheer delight, her voice cracking with excitement. She burst into rhythmic laughter, a distinctive "Hohoho..." that seemed endless, shaking her entire body with joy.

"Her Majesty Princess Aska..." Her advisors wanted to remind her to maintain her composure and not laugh so loudly.

"San Yun!" Princess Aska called for her advisor. Aska took his hand and twirled him around. "Tell them we'll arrive at Cephiro soon! Tell them I'll be the one to claim the Pillar position!" Princess Aska laughed again.

"Your Majesty!" an elderly advisor interrupted firmly, quieting her down.

"Chan An..."

"Your Majesty should return to your place. You mustn't lose focus... Our path to Cephiro is still far."

"You're too much, Chan An. You understand reality in such a pessimistic way. This dream truly excites me!"

"Sit down, Your Majesty... You don't want our hard-won path to disappear, do you? Victory is not yet in our hands. You mustn't be too joyful."

Princess Aska was taken aback. "You're right." Aska quickly returned to her small throne. The 11-year-old girl only spoke if it was related to the topic at hand: Fahren's path. "Could our path disappear?"

"Yes. If you're defeated. That's why you must remain calm and not be complacent. Our path won't be easy!"

"But Autozam has retreated..."

"They have retreated, but not lost. They can attack us again when they recover."

"I pray they lose when they face those three strange creatures..."

"They're machines! How can you, who wish to conquer Cephiro, not understand Cephiro?!"

"No need to shout, Chan An... Now I understand, right?"

"You still have much to learn!"

"Continue." Princess Aska smiled softly, causing Chan An to withhold his anger.

"Before us are three machines, but what has troubled us all along is Chizeta..."

"Those dark-skinned people..."

"Don't interrupt with irrelevant matters!"

"Go on."

"They may think like us, with the same optimism as Your Majesty, but perhaps with greater ambition. We know the issues of their country..."

"So, what are you trying to say?" Aska asked, bored. She toyed with her peach-shaped fan.

"Declare alert for war, Your Majesty."

"What?!" Aska was genuinely shocked. "So soon?! We haven't even landed yet!"

"Perhaps we won't have a chance to land before we defeat Chizeta and the Cephiro machines in this opportune moment when Autozam has temporarily retreated from the battlefield..."

"ALERT FOR WAR!" Aska shouted without hesitation to her waiting generals. They were adult men and women who fully entrusted themselves to the next in line for Fahren's throne. They nodded in unison. "Release all Dome tails! WE ARE INVINCIBLE!" She rallied everyone.

Bravada, Chizeta

A pair of young twin women gazed at the scene in their magical pool with extraordinary surprise on their faces. They observed the latest developments in their battlefield. The younger sister couldn't keep calm like her elder sister. Tatra, tossing her long braids, faced all her generals. She spoke to the female leaders of Chizeta's war forces:

"Fahren has dared to threaten us! Let's crush their arrogance! Let them not even step closer to Cephiro!" She was impassioned.

"All forces are ready!" They were about to disperse, when...

"Wait," said the gentle older sister, Tarta. "Let's think this through together, my dear."

"What are you waiting for, sister? Such opportunities won't come twice!"

"It's precisely at times like these that we need to think carefully, because there will be no retreat after this." The view in the pool changed to an image of Cephiro Castle... "Nothing in this land is as valuable as its Pillar system. If we succeed, we will gain a quarter of the Cephiro mainland. But if we fail, it will be a painful blow to our own nation." Tarta looked at her generals. "Our lives are also needed in Chizeta. Don't act rashly with your bravado..."

"Sister..."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Don't go on! You're crushing our troops' spirits!"

"I want to show you all the reality that you need to survive. I don't want us to fight and die for something futile. Look!" The scene in the pool changed again, showing a broader world. "Autozam behind us. Fahren blocking us. Cephiro ahead of us with the three machines we saw yesterday..."

"What are you trying to say, sister?" Tatra couldn't wait.

"It would be wise for us to negotiate with one of the countries. A beneficial negotiation, of course..."

"What?"

"There are three options. We collaborate with Fahren, Autozam, or Cephiro itself." Tarta smiled mysteriously.

"Tell us, sister."

"With Fahren, we can offer to join forces to defeat Autozam and permanently expel them. We could occupy Cephiro together and discuss the division of its territories regardless of who becomes the Pillar."

"Amazing! I despise those unruly ones!"

"I know, calm down." Tarta laughed. "The first option is undoubtedly the worst. Fahren always seeks absolutes... that remote country."

"What about Autozam?"

"We might have better mutual understanding because our country and Autozam both need a place to live. We could work together to drive out Fahren and occupy Cephiro. We could divide Cephiro into two, north for Autozam, south for Chizeta."

"The people of Cephiro will surely resist then? They will lose their homes."

"The last option... Consider allying with Cephiro and the Magic Knights to drive out Fahren and Autozam. We would land in Cephiro as friends, their saviors. We would become the Pillar... We get what we want, and so do they."

"Allying with Cephiro is more advantageous... We reduce our enemies and gain allies."

"How?"

"But how do we initiate contact with Cephiro?"

"I have a way."