NSX, Autozam

"FTO is done!" Zazu exclaimed as he entered the NSX command room. "I finished it as quickly as possible! Fahren and Chizeta are getting closer to Cephiro, aren't they? I know it!"

Zazu fell silent upon finding the command room quiet, with no one acknowledging his successful repair of FTO. He looked at the tense faces staring back at him. He turned to Geo, who was occupying the spot where Eagle should have been.

"We won't be joining the battle, Zazu. Not this time."

"What?! Where's Eagle?!"

Geo didn't answer.

"Is he still asleep? Incredible! This isn't a day off!" Zazu quickly left the command room, determined to wake Eagle. "Good Lord, he loves to sleep, but not this much."

"You all stay on my command!" Geo ordered the soldiers in the room before following Zazu out.

"This is really strange... and worrying me." Zazu looked at Eagle's peaceful face.

"He hasn't moved at all. He's been sleeping longer than usual. Half a day has passed. Is he okay? Are we okay? We're on the battlefield."

"He's not sick, is he?" Zazu asked. He touched Eagle's forehead and felt his pulse. "He doesn't have a fever or anything..."

"Hey, could he be hiding something from us?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said he might be sick..."

"He's not sick."

"Good. Now you can go. Get back to FTO, my GTO, and the robots for the troops. Prepare them as best you can. If Eagle wakes up, he might make a troublesome move..."

Zazu laughed. "Alright. And you?"

"I'll watch over him for a bit."

"Okay..." Geo quickly turned back to Eagle and looked at him closely. Unexpectedly, Eagle's eyes began to flutter open. "Eagle? Are you finally waking up?" Geo asked, relieved.

"Who's making all that noise?" Eagle asked weakly, opening his eyes...

"Eagle! It's me!" Geo panicked upon realizing Eagle wasn't fully conscious yet, seemingly still in a dreamlike state. Eagle muttered and reached out as if trying to grasp something. "Eagle, wake up!" Geo caught Eagle's hand and held it tightly.

"Lantis..." Eagle whispered, stunning Geo. "I... Cephiro..." His voice trailed off, speaking silently.

"Eagle," Geo, deeply concerned, became firm. "Wake up!"

Eagle suddenly jolted, his eyes opening wide in surprise. Geo released his hand. Eagle stared at his palm. "Why are you here?"

"You're finally awake, Commander!" Geo crossed his arms over his chest. His large muscles bulged. "You're finally awake... After 12 hours."

"I... slept that long?"

Geo nodded. "Yes, right after you came out of FTO and said you saw Lantis."

Eagle instantly remembered what he had experienced. Suddenly, Eagle asked anxiously, "Did I say something in my sleep earlier?"

Geo's eyes widened slightly because he knew. But he had a feeling something bad was happening between Eagle and the person Eagle mentioned earlier. He answered, "No."

Eagle sighed, releasing the distress in his heart. His gaze turned melancholic. He looked at Geo. "Forgive me for leaving everyone while the battle was still raging."

"Yes, indeed. There have been many negative developments. I want to hear your plans. I'll wait for you in the meeting room. And don't you dare fall asleep again. Remember that," Geo said firmly, but a faint smile spread across his face. He couldn't be too harsh. Eagle's condition was truly unusual.

"Sure, I know. I'll meet you there, Vice Commander." Eagle chuckled with his usual cheer.

The door closed. The room fell silent. Only the ticking of the clock on the wall confirmed that indeed, a long time had passed since yesterday. Eagle reflected; pondering himself, his mission, and his encounter with Lantis...

Eagle couldn't ask which side Lantis was on. Not on his side, and truthfully, not on Cephiro's either now. Eagle could never forget their conversation from months ago. That event haunted him... when Lantis kept staring high into the sky, towards the east that lost its true blue color. Red seemed to blaze there as if the world was set aflame, its colors reflecting in the sky.

Lantis sat on the edge of one of Autozam's highest and protruding robot hangars, made of interlaced iron frames.

"Are you alone here?" Eagle greeted him. Lantis didn't respond. "What's happening?" Eagle looked in the direction Lantis was staring. "In the east... Your homeland... it's like it's burning..."

"Princess Emeraude... the Pillar is dead," he said flatly, as if nothing significant had happened.

"That's not good news, is it?" Eagle wanted to ask about Lantis's ironic stance. "Doesn't that mean something has happened to your brother too?" Concern was clearly gripping him. He worried about Lantis.

"I... wouldn't be surprised. He knew this would happen. Princess Emeraude couldn't give up everything for her love. She chose to die, so she deserved to die. Even so, Zagato... he fought for what he believed in." Lantis stood up and turned to face Eagle. "Now, he has won."

"Lantis... You're not happy. Why don't you stop wearing your mask just this once?" Eagle approached. He couldn't bear to see Lantis so genuinely sad. Unwanted tears were visible on Lantis's face. Eagle hugged his friend.

"My only family... I don't understand why I chose to leave him when I could have joined him and died with him."

"Lantis, remember. You promised not to wish for death again. Remember?"

Lantis asked Eagle to let go by pushing him away. Lantis looked at Eagle intensely.

"Cephiro cannot exist without the sacrifice of a Pillar. I have never accepted it as something right. All this time, I have been someone who could only run away. I have decided something... This tragedy must not repeat itself. I will end the Pillar system with my own hands. If I have to die, I will die to achieve this goal."

…

Eagle gripped his head as if it might split open. Lantis's disdain for his own country was clear, but his decision to invade Cephiro and vie for the Pillar position had made Lantis resent him, something that truly weighed heavily on Eagle.

How would he convey an apology? Could it be during their next battle?

Eagle listened to Geo's report with closed eyes. He couldn't believe it—was it because of his fierce battle with the three Magic Knights? He wasn't particularly concerned about his damaged FTO, knowing Zazu, the skilled mechanic, was by his side. His mind was consumed with how the path he had paved to land in Cephiro had weakened so drastically. Progress made had instantly turned into a tremendous setback, and now two other nations were exploiting Autozam's defeat by acting more boldly.

"They truly underestimate us, don't they?"

"I'm not interested in proving ourselves to those who underestimate us. We have more important matters: seizing the Pillar System as quickly as possible."

Geo remained silent.

"Let's discuss how we can penetrate..." A hologram of Cephiro's castle appeared. "This protective layer." Eagle pointed. "An extraordinary shield made of mental energy. Ordinary attacks won't bring down the castle because of this shield. Here, everything becomes clear, and I will reaffirm it. Storming and seizing the castle isn't our mission. Therefore, let Fahren and Chizeta carry out their intentions. They won't be able to bring down Cephiro with their usual reckless attacks."

Geo sighed. "It's hard to believe something that large is made solely of mental energy."

"Cephiro is indeed a magical land..."

"Lantis talked a lot about Cephiro when he was in Autozam. You said you saw him. That means he's returned to his homeland, right?" Eagle was slightly surprised. Geo felt something was wrong with the mission Eagle was leading.

Eagle suddenly forced a smile. "This is his home. It's no wonder he's here..." Eagle caught Geo's suspicious glance. "Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"Oh, nothing..." Geo approached Eagle, sliding his chair closer. Eagle became wary. Geo placed his hands on Eagle's shoulders, wanting him to stop pretending. He was genuinely serious. "I want to ask you. Do you not feel guilty about this? Invading Lantis's country, do you really have no problem doing this?"

The smile faded from Eagle's face. He remained silent.

Geo continued, wanting Eagle to say something. "When he left Cephiro as a wanderer, he stayed the longest in Autozam before eventually returning to Cephiro. He used to be silent and aloof, but when he was with you, I knew he changed. The sadness in his eyes disappeared. He truly believed in you. You've experienced and felt the same way about him, haven't you? You both have a lot in common. You both have ideals and hold onto them firmly. You both are willing to sacrifice for what you believe in. You both are stubborn. Don't you remember that? Lantis is your friend, and my friend, and Zazu's too."

Eagle's gaze softened. Of course, he remembered. Even though it was only for a short time, the two years he spent with Lantis were the best he had ever experienced. Eagle smiled sadly.

Geo released Eagle and returned to sit properly in his chair. "I thought Lantis would stay in Autozam forever. But when the protection enveloping Cephiro faded, he said the Cephiro Pillar must have died. Soon after that, discussions about invading Cephiro began. Autozam is a highly industrialized nation. By converting mental energy into numbers, we can create energy to move, change, and create anything, especially machines. However, the impact is that our living environment has become so polluted... No matter how many machines we create, nothing changes. Our country is slowly dying... People are dying too..."

"That's why Autozam needs the Pillar System, Geo," Eagle said. "When Cephiro has its Pillar, the land is always beautiful like paradise. I've always dreamed of having it, that distant blue sky from Autozam's highest peaks. I'm sure the Pillar supporting Cephiro must have a heart as beautiful. But when it's absent, nothing can live in Cephiro. It becomes worse off than Fahren, Chizeta, or even Autozam. How can one's heart control such a vast world? If we can understand its dynamics, we might find solutions to Autozam's problems. But there's no way to understand it except by becoming the Pillar itself."

"So that's really why your father proposed invading Cephiro?" Geo asked.

"I proposed it to my father and the congress. To protect Autozam..."

"Even if it means destroying Cephiro in the process?" Geo asked grimly. "And sacrificing your own life? The Pillar position is hell, you know?"

"That's true," Eagle answered without hesitation. "Fahren and Chizeta with their own motives are also moving towards Cephiro. But we have more information about Cephiro than they do. We have an advantage..."

"You don't care if it means betraying Lantis?"

"I've made my decision. I won't change my resolve, no matter what."

Geo groaned in frustration, unsure of what else to say to Eagle. "I hear you. Because I'm on your side, I'll follow you wherever you go. I'm giving you my life," Geo said as he walked away. He glanced back and smiled at Eagle.

Eagle returned the gesture. He felt better now. Eagle gazed at Cephiro's castle for a while longer, something had settled in his mind... Lantis... forgive me. Even if you won't allow it, I have to take over Cephiro... he thought to himself.