Part 1

It ended quickly. Too quickly. The second Chronos did not strike Cephiro as it should have. Most of its energy exploded within the dimensional corridor when Lune could not maintain her vessel. Shinre held the rest back. Only a small portion, although still highly destructive, rained down on the earth and accurately hit the Pillar Tower, destroying the structure to the ground. After Chronos was finished, the sky instantly turned dark but was soon greeted by a red hue in the east.

Dawn... A new day... A new sun for Cephiro... had risen.

Amidst the air, Lantis froze in place. Right before his eyes, the fire user fell into the darkness of the earth below. He touched one of his injured body parts and saw blood on his hands. The wounds he had sustained at the border were now open. But Chronos had done nothing to him. He was saved.

Lantis looked down, watching the castle's barrier disappear and the voices of the people of Cephiro booming.

"It's over..."

He didn't understand. Was it because of the memories he had always tried to forget that returned or because his heart was touched by the actions of the magic swordsman who had protected him? He couldn't decide. Regardless, that person was ultimately the one who saved Cephiro.

But if that person died, would he care? No. His duty was complete; there was nothing left he cared about except one thing: finding Hikaru in Runes. Lantis dropped his mental shield and took a deep breath. He turned west, leaving the rising sun behind him.

As the new day dawned, the devastation became more apparent. The battle had ended some time ago; now, all that remained was a silence occasionally broken by distant rumbles. Flames roared everywhere, exuding an intense heat. As far as the eye could see, black smoke billowed, obscuring a sky that should have been blue. Large craters gaped across the earth, where once stood beautiful buildings, now leveled to the ground. The soil was littered with thousands of human bodies and shattered robots.

The land was on the brink of death, but by some miracle, the final moments of the battle had given them a chance to breathe, a fleeting escape from the jaws of destruction. The castle's protective shield was lifted, and the survivors poured out. They scoured the ruins for what remained after the battle: survivors, the wounded, those in dire need of rescue... The people who managed to escape the bunkers erupted in joy and sorrow, celebrating life while mourning an enormous loss. It was difficult to distinguish the meaning of their tears. Everything was destroyed, and all had returned to zero.

Fuu, in a frenzy, chased after the fiery magic swordsman who was committing an act like suicide and managed to land amidst rubbles. Behind her, Umi was following.

"FUU!" Umi called out. "Fuu, wait. Where are you going? What are you going to do?" She chased after Fuu, who was running ahead of her. Fuu paid no heed to Umi's calls. She ran with all her might, climbing a steep, rocky cliff, determined to reach its summit.

Only one thought consumed Fuu's mind. The realization both thrilled and terrified her. She was worried about the magic swordsman, the one Lantis had defeated. She vividly remembered the battle that had just unfolded before her eyes. That immense power... a fire arrow?!

I'm not mistaken, Fuu thought. Only Hikaru had ever fired such an arrow. Only Hikaru could command flames of that magnitude. Was it her? No! If that power came from Hikaru, then he knew Hikaru! If he survived, the path to Hikaru would open... Please, don't die!

A terrifying image flooded Fuu's mind. The magic swordsman had tried to stop Chronos with his fire arrow, only for deadly beams of light to pierce through his body. What was he thinking? Fuu couldn't comprehend it. Why did he do that? What was he trying to protect by acting so? Cephiro was his enemy, so why was he defending Cephiro?!

When she reached the summit, Fuu gasped. "Eagle!" Eagle was already there.

He turned to glance at her briefly before turning his attention back to a body lying on the ground. Eagle picked up a golden whistle from the dead man's neck and studied it. It was the source of the sound that had summoned the magic swordsmen. Eagle blew into it experimentally. It was the whistle of the highest-ranking general. A sharp, high-pitched note rang out.

Fuu rushed over to Eagle and knelt beside the body. "How is he?" she asked urgently, panic lacing her voice. She shook the unmoving body. "Wake up…"

Eagle hesitated momentarily, curious to see the face of this great warrior. He slowly removed the mask covering the man's face… and froze. The man was young, with a handsome yet expressionless face. "He's dead..." Eagle whispered.

The sight fully absorbed Eagle's attention before him, disbelief filling him as he realized how young this man was. He stared at the elegant features—the straight nose, the mouth slightly parted with blood staining the corners… and then the half-open eyes, their once brilliant light extinguished. They gazed blankly toward the sky as if still searching for something, longing for something beyond reach. His eyes, such beautiful red eyes, glittering with… tears? Eagle was both astonished and heartbroken. He couldn't bear to look any longer and gently closed the man's eyes.

"He's not dead!" Fuu suddenly screamed, startling Eagle.

"Fuu." Eagle knew that what Fuu was thinking was the same as what he had been thinking. But this was too much. There was no point in trying to save him. "It's too late…"

Fuu began removing the magic swordsman's armor and tore at the clothes beneath. His body was riddled with wounds, some going clean through to his back. Fuu recoiled, unable to bear the sight, trembling even more.

"You can't die. Please…" Fuu whispered a spell and a soft light emerged from her hands, enveloping the magic swordsman's body.

"Fuu… It's useless," Eagle said, though Fuu didn't listen. He stood up and saw Umi arriving, breathless from her run.

"What is she doing?" Umi asked Eagle.

"Call Kotori for me! I need her!" Fuu suddenly cried out, startling them both. "Call my daughter, Eagle!" Seeing that Eagle didn't move, Fuu turned her plea to Umi, shouting, "Umi!"

"Fuu..." Umi didn't understand what Fuu was trying to do. She looked at her with a worried expression.

"CALL HER!"

Confused and unsure of what else to do, Umi obeyed Fuu's demand.

The light in Fuu's hands grew even brighter. She was utterly determined to save this young man. "Breathe, I beg you..."

"Mother!"

Fuu looked up and saw Ascot arriving with her daughter and Ryuuki. "Kotori, come here!" Both jumped down and hurried over to where Fuu knelt.

"What's going on?" Kotori asked. She winced at the sight of the blood-soaked body before her. "What are you doing?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice. Why was her mother trying to save him? She stared at her mother in disbelief.

"Use your healing power. Help me!"

"What?!" Kotori stammered. "Saving him? But he's the enemy!"

"Don't argue with me! Do as I say!" Fuu snapped. "We don't have much time..."

Kotori knelt on the opposite side of the body, trembling. "Mother... He's already dead..." Has she gone mad, trying to bring someone back from the dead? The same healing light appeared in Kotori's hands. She glanced at her mother, seeing the sweat pouring down her face. Then, with a grim determination, Kotori grew serious, and the light in her hands intensified...

Umi, Eagle, Ascot, and Ryuuki watched tensely, wondering if this would work.

"Help me sit him up," Fuu instructed as she pulled the young man's body into a seated position, trying to close the wounds on his back. She resumed her healing efforts. Unnoticed by everyone, something slipped from the young man's body, making a faint clinking sound as it hit the ground before disappearing beneath the folds of his black cloak.

Only Eagle noticed. He was about to reach for it when suddenly, the young man choked. Blood spurted from his mouth, and he fell unconscious again. Everyone gasped in shock.

"He's alive? How is this possible?!" Eagle's eyes widened. "This... this is impossible..."

"He's breathing!" Fuu exclaimed with joy. She stopped healing and gently laid the young man back on the ground. Her trembling hands wiped away the sweat from her forehead.

"The bleeding is starting to slow, but he's still in critical condition... He's almost lost all his blood," Kotori reported, feeling an unexpected wave of relief.

Fuu turned to Ascot. "Ascot, help me take him to the castle. Bring him to my tower. I'll continue there."

"Alright. Ryuuki!" Ascot called out his son. Ryuuki knew what to do. He lifted the young man and carried him on his back, departing alongside his father.

Fuu tried to stand slowly, but she suddenly staggered. Umi caught her just in time. Fuu's breathing was ragged, and her face had gone pale.

"Mother!" Kotori cried out in concern. "Are you okay? You've exhausted your power…"

"Thank goodness…" Fuu murmured. "He will lead us to Hikaru…" She looked into Umi's blue eyes, her eyes brimming with tears. Umi was deeply moved. "He knows Hikaru. Somehow, I'm certain. That power… Do you remember that fire?"

"Then Hikaru might be with those people?" Umi understood. "Eagle…" she called to Eagle, who nodded in agreement.

"Does that mean I should head back to Autozam right away?" Eagle smiled. "I promised I'd look into it. Besides, I've been missing my homeland."

As Umi and Fuu left, Eagle lingered on the hill for a moment. His gaze dropped to the ground, where something remained. He recognized the shape at once and picked it up.

"This… Isn't it Lantis's magic pendant? Did he drop it?" Eagle wondered. He noticed fragments of a gold chain around the crystal. The crystal… was it this dark? As far as he could recall, the crystals were always bright white. "Is this Lantis's?"

Eagle looked up at the sky, realizing that Lantis had vanished. He hurried back to the castle. Some parts of the structure had survived the attack, including the great hall. He found Ferio standing alone, gazing at Hikaru's painting in the grand chamber. Ferio seemed startled by Eagle's arrival.

"Fuu already mentioned it… You're going back to Autozam?" Ferio asked.

"That's right. This is our chance to find out what really happened and bring Hikaru back," Eagle said, his eyes locking with Ferio's.

"Very well. I trust this mission to you. Bring her back to us," Ferio replied, his voice heavy with sadness.

"What happened?" Eagle asked, sensing something deeper.

Ferio took a deep breath. "Seville has returned from the border and reported to me." Eagle's brow furrowed. "Almost all the troops stationed there are dead... He also mentioned something about Lantis…"

"Lantis?" A bad feeling swept over Eagle.

"He has decided to leave Cephiro. He won't be coming back."

"What?" Eagle's grip tightened around the pendant in his hand. "He didn't even say goodbye to me? What is he thinking, leaving Cephiro right after the battle? Where does he go?"

Ferio shook his head. "I don't know. I'm going to check on Master Clef. He's still unconscious."

As Ferio walked away, Eagle remained frozen, his mind reeling. In front of him loomed the painting of Cephiro's Pillar, Hikaru, her figure smiling down at him from the canvas.