So many were injured, so many were dead. Nearly all settlements lay in ruins, with many forced to live underground to escape a surface world reduced to rubble. It was a scene all too reminiscent of what happened when Pillar Emeraude died and the aftermath of the Autozam-Cephiro War seventeen years prior—only this time, it was worse.

On a decimated land that had lost half its inhabitants, securing enough shelter, food, and clothing was an arduous task. Plagues and famine spread quickly, claiming lives without mercy. Cephiro would face annihilation if not for unexpected aid from survivors of the former nations of Fahren and Chizeta. Those who remained were guided to seek refuge outside Cephiro, while others gathered in the capital, the last place considered safe.

Caldina led the evacuation effort, while Cephiro's generals and soldiers, under LaFarga's command, continued to secure the effort. The greatest weight, however, fell on Master Clef. Unconscious as he struggled to keep the mental shield intact around the castle, his absence left many feeling unprotected. Without the Pillar, everyone had come to rely on Clef's wisdom and strength. And in these times of shattered hope, the verses of an old song seemed to echo more frequently:

You will believe, as you always hope,

The future will bloom with sincerity.

You will see smiles, as you wish to see,

The beauty of the land in serenity.

A new day awaits to be awakened,

By brave souls with visions pure and bright,

A world where love and kindness thrive,

Together strong, forevermore.

Now, nearly two months since the war's end, people were absorbed in their tasks, including Eagle Vision. He inspected the NSX, which was freshly repaired and ready to embark on a dangerous journey back to Autozam. He checked the ship's weapon and defense systems while outside, fifty soldiers assembled, prepared to join him on the mission.

What had happened in Autozam was the mystery that troubled him most. Border scouts reported that the mental shield, which had protected the nation for years, had vanished. This sudden loss was just the visible sign of the vast changes within Autozam, possibly indicating a shift in the Pillar System.

Another question weighed on Eagle's mind: What had become of the Autozam people themselves? Memories of a dark past, marked by Autozam's dominance over the people of Runes, stirred unsettling thoughts of what might have occurred over the last seventeen years since Runes reclaimed its autonomy. He feared the possibility of retribution. Had this finally come to pass?

Resolving himself, Eagle felt the weight of his mission. He needed answers to questions that had haunted him for years. Soon, he would be returning home.

"General," a soldier greeted Eagle, "Primera the Fairy has arrived, as requested."

Eagle turned to the soldier. "Thank you. I'll see her shortly." As the soldier left, Eagle walked to a corner of the room, opened a drawer, and took out the pendant of Lantis he'd kept safe all this time. He then stepped out of the NSX's command cabin.

As always, Eagle Vision greeted her warmly, though Primera couldn't return his smile. She had been sullen since Lantis left Cephiro. Why had Eagle called her here?

"Don't look so glum," Eagle teased. "Or I'll lose my partner for debating all sorts of trivial things." Sitting on top of Mokona's bunny head, Primera looked away, and Eagle chuckled. Being Lantis's friend, he was so different from him; he was cheerful and easygoing as if the world's troubles hardly touched him. "I understand how you feel… If you miss Lantis, why not go find him?"

"He asked me not to… not to follow him," Primera pouted. "How could I defy him?"

"You are so loyal to him. Primera, would you like to see him again?"

"What? Is there a chance to see him? But… No, no, no. He'd be angry if I broke my promise."

"He wouldn't be angry at you. On the contrary, he'd be grateful." Primera's curiosity was piqued at Eagle's words. "I want you to find him and…" Eagle reached into his pocket and drew out something, "…return this magical pendant to him."

Primera's eyes widened. She knew what this was—that talisman! "That belongs to Hi—"

"It belongs to Lantis," Eagle interjected before she could finish.

Confused, Primera tilted her head. She remembered well—Lantis had given it to Hikaru years ago as a token of his love for Hikaru. She vividly recalled that moment when Lantis proposed to her. It had stung her deeply back then.

"He seemed to have dropped it during the battle. I found it near a magic swordsman's body…" Eagle paused, his brow furrowing. "Dropped?" He found himself questioning his choice of words. Was dropped even the correct term? He wasn't sure. How could something as personal as Lantis's talisman end up on that other person? Unless Lantis had either lost it… or perhaps unintentionally given it away somehow? The thought grew murkier the longer he considered it, raising even more questions.

"Why… the crystal's turned black… and is cracked, too…"

"I don't know the reason, either." Eagle fastened the necklace around Primera's neck. "Please, return this to him. I know it means a lot to him."

"Alright…" Primera's brow furrowed in thought. How could this be? Had Hikaru returned it to Lantis?

"Cheer up! I have to depart. Autozam awaits me. Good luck." Primera nodded, and Eagle left.

Taking a deep breath, Primera's mood lightened. "Oh, who cares!" she exclaimed excitedly, a broad smile on her face. "I get to see Lord Lantis again! Come on, Mokona! Let's depart!"

"PUU!"

"Uncle Eagle has departed..." said Ryuuki as he looked out the window. He watched the NSX take off. Kotori and Dyna paused to change the bandages that covered the young man rescued by Fuu, Kotori's mother. They were in Fuu's private room, a beautiful and bright space filled with the smell of medicine. "Now everyone can only wait, hoping he returns with good news..."

"Let's hope we, too, can bring good news," Kotori added, gazing at the unconscious young man's face. "How long will he be like this? Hasn't two months been too long already?" She wiped the sweat from her forehead. "He seems to be in such pain..."

"You need to be patient. He nearly died, so bringing him back to health certainly isn't easy," Dyna said as she bandaged the young man's arm. "His wounds were severe... this one even put him at risk of losing both arms."

"Isn't this young man terrifying and dangerous? I still don't understand why your mother went to such great lengths to save him," Ryuuki asked.

Kotori sighed. "Be quiet, Ryuuki. We're so busy, and you keep making negative comments about him. It's like you're saying our work is evil and pointless." She looked up, puzzled to see Dyna standing still. "Sister, why did you stop? What are you seeing?" Kotori noticed Dyna intently examining the young man's arm.

"I'm just wondering. This man has the same wounds Aunt Hikaru once had when her fire backfired during a battle."

"Who?" asked Kotori.

"Hikaru... the last Pillar of Cephiro?" asked Ryuuki, intrigued. He moved closer to see what Dyna was observing.

"To me, it's no surprise that your mother saved him," Dyna continued. "This man shares a similarity with her: their power. Fire." Dyna noticed the confusion on Kotori and Ryuuki's faces. She explained further, "That fire is no ordinary flame. Seventeen years ago, during the war against Autozam, she saved Cephiro with a similar fire. Thousands of fire arrows shot from her hands. They launched so quickly, like the missiles from Uncle Eagle's NSX. But that fire took a toll on her body as well."

Kotori and Ryuuki still wore puzzled expressions.

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't understand. You two weren't born yet. At that time, I was only six years old myself. I know some things because I was with her until her final days in Cephiro..." Dyna put down the bandages in her hands and looked at Ryuuki, then Kotori. "What's wrong, Kotori?"

Kotori's face showed more than just confusion; there was also worry. "Father won't be pleased if we discuss the Pillar of Cephiro. Mother and Aunt Umi always look sad when they mention her... and Uncle Eagle... everyone..." Kotori looked down. "If it brings them so much unhappiness, why are they trying so hard to find that woman? Wouldn't it be better if she was never found? She doesn't need to come back. She's a nightmare for us..."

"That's not how it is," Dyna corrected.

"What do you mean?"

"At the very least, the truth and the reason for their sadness isn't as simple as you think." Dyna took a deep breath. "Everyone is grieving over the mistakes they made in the past. The Pillar of Cephiro was the greatest victim of those mistakes. What happened 17 years ago was incredibly painful."

"Isn't she the reason Cephiro was destroyed in the past?"

"Yes. But that's only a fragment of the story. Your mothers and the Pillar of Cephiro were like sisters. They were once the Magic Knights who ended the reign of the previous Pillar, Emeraude. When she became the Pillar herself, Aunt Hikaru abolished the Pillar System in Cephiro. After a period of peace, a war broke out between Autozam and the three nations of Chizeta, Fahren, and Cephiro. But that war was, in truth, Autozam's strategy to seize control of the entire land—by ending the life of the last Pillar. Tragically, she was lured into the trap.

"She had hoped that people would fight alongside her to defend Cephiro. But unfortunately, everyone was so desperate. Their only solution was to surrender the Pillar in exchange for peace. At that time, Cephiro was divided. The majority sided with your father, who wanted peace, while only a few chose to stand by her and fight with her. She loved Cephiro deeply. She thought about the lives of everyone, both those who supported her and those who had turned their backs on her. In the end, to protect Cephiro and everyone in it, she reactivated the Pillar System and fought against tens of thousands of Autozam's forces..."

"She sacrificed herself?!" Ryuuki asked.

Dyna nodded. "Even though Cephiro ended in ruin, it was saved, and Autozam was defeated."

"And she never came back after that victory?"

"That's right. She never returned. I only know a little that a mysterious force was manipulating the people of Autozam at that time. The magic swordsmen were behind that force. As people say, these people dealt the final blow to Cephiro and killed the Pillar. Just like what happened the other day... that destructive rain of light... I saw her drown in a vortex of massive energy in a fight I couldn't understand, and she vanished from Cephiro to this day. Everyone searched for her, but no one could find her."

"I never knew the details of that event..."

"Of course. The king restricted that knowledge and what could be written in history books for political reasons. But the people who lived through that day cannot be deceived. The guilt is so real and profound in everyone's hearts. People are filled with regret, thinking that she might still be with them if they hadn't abandoned her. Everyone knew her and received her kindness... That's what made their betrayal unforgivable."

Dyna looked at Kotori, who wore an unhappy expression. "I'm sorry to bring this up. I didn't mean to corner your king father..." She continued, "If you and the other kids often make fun of the gloomy Uncle Lantis, in fact, in the past, he was a very different person. Since that incident, Uncle Lantis changed..."

"What happened to him?"

"Have you ever loved someone?" Ryuuki and Kotori just stared at Dyna, their eyes widening as they listened to what came next. "Uncle Lantis and Hikaru… they loved each other. Uncle Lantis protected her during the battle. He was severely injured and nearly died." Dyna's eyes seemed to glisten with tears. "He never returned to us or mingled with the people again in the villages. We lost two people who had always looked after us. There was no one left to sing songs or play with us. Our beautiful memories were so short-lived..."

"Is that why you visit the people so often?" Ryuuki asked.

"Yeah..." Dyna nodded. "With those who spent their childhood with Aunt Hikaru," she added. "For me, the work of keeping the hopes and spirits of the people alive must not stop. Everyone feels very guilty and is drowning in sorrow. I can't bear to see them like that. Aunt Hikaru surely wouldn't want to see them like that, too. Even though I'm so angry at those who abandoned her, I can't give in to my anger. I know the Pillar didn't sacrifice herself to make people blame themselves. She loved everyone so much and wanted happiness for them."

"Father surely did make mistakes in the past," said Kotori.

"And he's been trying so hard to fix them. He becomes a good king..."

"I now understand my mother's decision," Kotori said again, looking at the young man. "If by saving him, we can get back someone precious who has been lost to us, then we must take care of this person." Kotori wiped the young man's face with a damp cloth. "Isn't it that way everyone will be happy again?"

"But what will happen to this person afterward?" Ryuuki asked.

"Maybe he'll be imprisoned for life or sentenced to death. That's very likely considering what he has done to Cephiro," said Kotori. "Why do you sound unhappy?" Kotori asked, noticing Ryuuki's expression as he heard her response. "The actions of the magic swordsmen cannot be forgiven. They deserve to die."

"No human deserves to die in the hands of others," said Ryuuki. Ryuuki grabbed something hanging around his neck, a gift he received from the war that had ended. The East Tower. He always wanted to understand the reasons behind that woman's hesitation when she had the chance to kill them. "If anyone deserves to die, then we all deserve to die... Nobody in this world is pure without sin and mistake."

Kotori didn't understand Ryuuki's complicated thoughts. "Are you still thinking about that woman?"

"They have an idealism we don't understand. Because of that, I genuinely feel sorry if he, too, must die."

"True. Besides, he's still so young," said Dyna, stroking the young man's face. "He looks to be about your age."

Kotori and Ryuuki looked at the young man's face.

"If he fought as fiercely as you've described, he must have experienced something extraordinary. Could he have been protecting something precious to him?" Dyna stroked the young man's long hair. "So far, we know he's the only one who survived. How would he feel knowing he's been left alone like this? Living and fighting alone is heartbreaking... Death might indeed be the best path for him."

"Let's make a bet," Ryuuki challenged Kotori and Dyna. "He will live," Ryuuki insisted.

"Father will surely kill him," said Kotori. "He's a criminal."

"You guys. Don't make jokes with someone's life..."