"The Pillar System is a mistake! ... There should no longer be a Pillar in Cephiro..."
Lantis heard it clearly in his ears. "Apparently, we aim the same thing... But we fight in different ways. Eagle isn't someone who can be swayed by words, you know?" He stood up with Hikaru still in his arms. Her body was frail and weak, burdened by a great weight. He felt a tinge of pity.
"Thank you..." Lantis felt her struggle to say it. Her eyes remained tightly shut, showing the pain she endured. Yet her lips remained sealed, not voicing any complaints.
"You're injured quite badly. I'll take you to the castle... Hold on." Hikaru weakly nodded. She gripped the front of Lantis's robe tightly. Lantis became her sole support. "You'll be alright." Hikaru nodded again, but now tears streaming down her face. Lantis noticed. "Be patient."
Lantis sighed atop his horse. He glanced briefly at the shattered Cephiro after the recent battle. He returned his focus back to Hikaru. "How could you devise such a crazy plan?" The cold wind swept over them, and Lantis embraced her, drawing her closer and offering more protection with his cloak.
Hikaru smiled faintly. "That sounds like a compliment..."
It wasn't a compliment. "Why did you go to such lengths? Why fight for Cephiro? This country isn't your country. This world isn't your world..." Lantis lamented. "You might even have reason to hate this place..."
"Is that... what Cephiro did to you... that makes you say that?" Lantis was taken aback. "This is what Cephiro does to many people, including us. No one forces us. We fight because we will... so that we no longer have to shed tears of regret..." Lantis looked at Hikaru, listening to her weakening voice. "Isn't that also your reason... for coming back?"
Lantis... his eyes welled up. Why were her words so painfully true? He never showed it, but tears of regret flooded his heart for so long... Lantis turned his face away when he noticed Hikaru opening her eyes. Hikaru saw him, tears flowing slowly, trickling down his cheeks... For some time, there is only silence between them.
"May I ask something?" They had reached the castle gates. Worried people awaited them... "Who is Eagle Vision to you?"
Lantis didn't know how to answer. Eagle Vision had finally become his enemy. He answered with silence.
Hikaru sighed. "Alright. I... understand..."
In Cephiro Castle
Caldina touched Hikaru's warm forehead. "She's trembling," she said with concern. She then took Hikaru's hands and squeezed them. "So cold..."
"She'll be fine. I've healed her wounds," Fuu assured. Fuu looked at Presea and Caldina. "She needs rest. If you don't mind, you can leave her to us. Umi and I will take care of her..."
"My dear girl..." Presea bowed her head and hugged Hikaru. "Why are you all so stubborn? You can't act recklessly like that again... What if you two get hurt too?"
"We are not injured, Presea..." Umi replied.
Caldina touched Presea gently. "Don't speak like that. They're really fine. There's nothing to worry about. Let's get out. We need to prepare for the next battle. Autozam is right in front of us now..."
"That's true, and thankfully, Fahren and Chizeta have become allies for us," Presea said. "Good news. They've decided to protect Cephiro this time."
"Ah... Glad to hear that. I should greet them," Caldina said joyfully.
"Let us know when she wakes up."
Umi and Fuu nodded simultaneously.
Time seemed to pass so slowly... "Sleep, Fuu... We can take turns." Fuu shook her head. She continued to watch Hikaru with utmost seriousness.
"She's a bit terrifying, isn't she?"
"Hikaru?"
"It's like she's not afraid of anything. I know she is a brave person. But, to be able sacrifice herself like that... It really never crosses my mind that she might be..." Fuu couldn't continue her words about the worst she could imagine.
"That's always been her strength—her courage, recklessness, steadfastness, and innocence. Her way of thinking is simple, which is why she rarely hesitates. She can do what I can't. When I saw her stop Autozam's path, it was like my world stopped."
"Yes, death felt so close... Maybe next time, luck won't be on our side anymore. Honestly, I don't know how to face it if death comes close to me... If a moment like that comes again..."
Umi took Fuu's hands to calm her. She slightly smiled. "Fahren and Chizeta have decided as we hoped…"
Fuu shook her head. "But not Autozam. Eagle Vision strongly desires that position… to save his country on the brink of destruction. We can't blame him for loving his country, but how to make him understand that the Pillar system isn't the best path?"
"I imagine if one day all countries could work together to solve their problems," she said with a smile of optimism. "Like in our world, where all countries unite, discuss many issues together, and solve them by joining hands. Isn't that possible here?" Fuu lay down beside her. "I think I know why we were called to Cephiro this time..."
"What?"
"To bring change, to make things better… Isn't that it?"
"It seems you're right. In school, we indeed learn a lot about life and how to manage things…"
Umi chuckled. "You are the most brilliant among us. Fuu, for the first time, I feel my life has meaning. Finally, I am a useful person…" Umi yawned.
"Let's go to sleep."
In other part of the castle...
"We can really do something to find the Pillar candidates and stop the war. We make them understand and let them choose..." Clef closed his eyes, considering Hikaru's proposals. "If we manage to find the candidates, we need to convey what truly happens, all the sad truths about the Pillar System."
"Clef..." Presea noticed Clef's softened stance. A Magic Guru is the person entrusted with authority and reverence to maintain the ancient order in the land of Cephiro and protect the continuity of the Pillar System.
Finally he made a clear decision. He stared all people who are with him: Prince Ferio, Presea, Caldina, LaFarga, and some other sorcerers. "We all love Cephiro, and that's why we want to protect it. But I no longer want to see people hurt because of the Pillar System... However protective it has been, we need to break free from its grip and start living relying on ourselves, our spirit, and our strength."
"I stand with you, Master Clef," Ferio affirmed. "My sister, Emeraude, must become the last Pillar. If we find the candidate, we must make them understand the tragic possibilities of being a Pillar. Even with that knowledge, the candidate has every right to refuse the Pillar position..." Ferio looked at everyone, "...and we will accept their decision. Cephiro will start a new day without the Pillar System whatever the consequences may be. Are you with me?"
They all clenched their fists to their heart. "We are with you!"
Meanwhile outside the castle...
"Is a world like this truly beautiful?" Zagato challenged him with that question years ago. Now he could answer. No. It's false. It took so long and so far for him to be able to answer. Cephiro has been playing around for too long, and the Pillar System is its damned protector!
Lantis pulled something out from under his cloak—a necklace with a beautiful white crystal pendant. He looked at it dearly. It was an heirloom passed down from his mother, imbued with the magic of resurrection. He realized the bitter decision he must make as a magic swordsman, a status he had long wished to discard. For hundreds of years, his clan, Cail, had been honored as protectors of the Pillar and had tragically met their end because of this system. He, the last Cail, would rudely put an end to that tradition. He was no longer a protector. He would become a killer of the Pillar.
Lantis pulled the talisman chain off his neck. He threw the object far into the lake. He knew he could no longer avoid doing this, something that made him want to choose not to live longer to bear the guilt of ending the life of the most important person in his life, his best friend, Eagle Vision.
Primera watched Lantis from amidst the leaves, tears streaming down her face out of concern. She gripped the branch she stood on tightly. She wanted to prevent Lantis from discarding the precious object that possessed healing and recovery powers. She wanted to catch the item before it sank, but she hesitated because it was the first time she heard Lantis crying.