After listening to Alba, Eagle returned to his quarters in turmoil. He sank into his chair, his whole body trembling. He clasped his hands tightly, closing his eyes. Alba was right; we only thought of ourselves. We knew nothing… Eagle felt as if his breath had been stolen. His memories replayed from those many years ago when Hikaru decided to fight alone against thousands of Autozam soldiers. Their wrongs against her were indeed that great.
Alba's question shocked Eagle. Left us? Hikaru left us? No… Eagle seized Alba's shoulders. "What do you mean by that? She didn't leave us…" It was Cephiro that abandoned her, leaving her to bear that overwhelming burden alone!
"Meeting you, being here, it's tormenting me…" Alba lifted his head. "I lied to you all when I said I didn't know about her."
"Hikaru? Do you know about her? Why didn't you say anything from the start, at least to me?" Eagle demanded.
"If I told you, what could you even do? What could you do for her?" Alba shot back. "I can't hand her over to people who only think of themselves, who search for ways to escape their guilt! Do you understand how she felt when she still considered you all treasures in her life after everything that happened?! You didn't see her, how she ended up in Runes!"
A gradual understanding seeped into Eagle's mind. He started to realize that this wasn't as simple as he had once thought. This wasn't a matter of just finding someone lost and easily reclaiming it. Hikaru wasn't lost; she had left them, becoming part of someone else's world.
"Even if you want her back, she is now part of Runes, and by any means, we will protect her…"
"What… happened… to her?"
"You heard what I told my Father—that someone protected me." Eagle remembered. "It was Lady Hikaru! She was the one who protected me and the entire people of Autozam when Nair struck us down. She was the one who established the peace treaty between Autozam and Runes… She is the figure in the Shinre statue! She exchanged her life for Runes' peace… Just as she did for you all… She held on, striving to bring unity and peace to both nations. But I can feel how much pain this truly caused her, and I was powerless to help her…"
Eagle felt something heavy, unbearable, hanging over his heart. His face grew warm, and a tear fell. The memories of his last moments with Hikaru made him realize that, once again, he had failed to embrace, protect, or save her. Too many things hurt her, and they were the cause.
"Do you truly love her? You made her leave; you are also the ones who can bring her back. After all that has happened, if she wishes for peace between Runes and Cephiro, will you work to achieve it? If she wants you to overcome the resentment in your hearts, will you try to do so?"
What must I do?
While Eagle and Alba went their separate ways, Kotori and Ryuuki stood frozen in their hiding spot. They had accidentally stumbled upon the place and decided to listen to the entire conversation.
Kotori trembled violently.
"Kotori…" Ryuuki placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I will go find my father. This is so heartbreaking. I will beg him to release the people of Runes; I'll ask him to let go of this matter…" Kotori suddenly felt the urge to walk away.
"No!" Ryuuki grabbed her hand, urging her to stay in place. "Don't…"
"I can't just stand by!"
"You don't understand. This isn't a simple matter. This involves all five nations. Everyone is demanding accountability. Don't you realize that your father is the leader here?"
"Ryuuki…"
"If you understand what he said, you'll know everyone has a hand in this devastation. Everyone is to blame here! Cephiro, Chizeta, Fahren, Autozam, and Runes! But everyone is also a victim!" Ryuuki cried. "Calm yourself. We can't do anything if we're agitated like this."
"Then what should I do?"
"Trust them with this…"
"What?" Ryuuki nodded, and Kotori voiced her worry, "You know, in situations like this, I fear war may break out again."
"Calm down; that won't happen. Want to bet?"
"Don't joke around…"
"Alright. Calm down, okay? If you want to attend the meeting, you'd better hurry. I'm going to where the two Runes are being held. They have lots of interesting items." Ryuuki smiled at her.
Kotori nodded again. She took her path toward the main meeting room, but once she knew Ryuuki was far away, she turned in the opposite direction. She was determined to meet the prisoner in his cell.
The Silent Forest
This area had always been so frightening and traumatic to her. In the past, she almost died after a monster's attack. Fortunately, Lantis saved her. Not long ago, she nearly died again when the magic swordsmen infiltrated Cephiro. After all the struggle ended, this place died without any living organisms. But now, she was on an important mission entrusted to her by Eagle.
"Why I have to go to such a place…" she muttered to Mokona.
"Puu…" Mokona replied sympathetically. It jumped with tired Primera sitting on top of its bunny head.
She had searched for Lantis in Cephiro's remote areas, including the Cail clan's castle, where he usually lived. Only one place remained unchecked—the Sky Castle owned by Zagato. Primera shivered. That abandoned place was terrifying in every sense of the word. She looked down at the pendant Lantis had given her, now resting around her neck, and her determination flared.
"I must find Lord Lantis and return this to him." Primera gazed into the distance. Soon… That castle lay ahead. "Mokona, help me fly there…"
"Puu!"
The castle that Zagato once occupied lay stranded on the rocky cliffs beside an endless sea. The majority of its parts were crumbled already. As soon as she arrived, Primera felt relieved when she spotted Lantis's magical steed visible in one of the towers. With enthusiasm, she descended to the place below.
"Lord Lantis!" called Primera. "Lord Lantis!" She searched everywhere. Her existence was the only thing glowing in that place. With magic, Mokona enhanced her light. Finally, they found that they searched!
The sight before her pierced her heart. Lantis lay powerless in the darkness. Primera immediately approached him and found that Lantis was wounded and extremely weak. Could this be from the war back then? And other wounds looked fresh… "What had happened to you?" She trembled as she took in Lantis's pale face. "Lord Lantis! You must not die. You must not die!"
Lantis remained unconscious.
"How could you fall this far?" Tears streamed down Primera's face, and she chanted a spell, "Magic Healing!" White light radiated from her hands. Slowly but surely, the wounds began to close. "Thank goodness!" Primera returned her focus to the healing spell. But even before Lantis could regain consciousness, Primera had fainted from exhaustion.
"PUU!" That bunny jumped frantically, slapping her body with its ears in an effort to wake her up.
