The High Priestess was sitting in her ceremonial chair at the temple, ruminating on the political meeting she had just conducted with some ambassadors from the Emperor Of Jillius. Or rather trying to ruminate on them. But every time she tried to stay on topic her thought returned to a short time before, when Leorina had spilled out her heart to her and she'd comforted the former sky pirate in return.

It was strange, she had to admit. She was fond of everyone under her tutelage, and many others outside the reach of Claire's teachings. But Leo… she felt a particularly strong concern for her wellbeing, and she could not put her finger as to why. Perhaps it was regret for allowing them to go on a dark path in their life for so long, perhaps it was a wish to try and help them become something greater… or maybe it was something else…

Her train of thought, both political and sentimental, was thrown off when the doors to the hall burst open and one of the senior priestesses came running through in a hurry, coming to a stop at her feet.

"High Priestess, High Priestess!" they panted out in a panic.

"Please, slow down." She said as she stood up in concern. "Try to calm yourself and tell me what is wrong."

Taking a deep breath, the priestess finally found their nerve to continue. "It's Klonoa and his friends! They've been kidnapped by some green-suited monster in a flying machine!"

The High Priestess covered her mouth in surprise at the news. Usually, Klonoa was perfectly able to hold his own against any foe, so the fact they were able to get the drop on him was worrying indeed. "That is concerning… do we know where they were taken?"

The priestess panted and nodded despite their lack of breath. "Yes, the big mountain not far from here… but there's no one left who can go after them! All the town guards were injured during the fight, and the monster took every one of his friends! They even made off with the Sky Pirate Leorina and her companion!"

Although she had managed to mostly hold her composure before now, at the mention of Leorina's name, the High Priestess let out a gasp and almost fell over in shock. She knew Leo. Headfast-ness aside, she was one of the greatest fighters she had ever seen and could make short work of anyone who sized her up. If she was in danger…

Seeing her superior nearly collapse, the priestess came running to her side in alarm. "Miss, are you alright?"

She waved them off as politely as she could muster. "Yes, I'm fine, I'm just…"

But she didn't finish, as she looked down at her staff. There was no one left who could go on after them. No one except…

Her.

Her face hardening, she began to stride down the hall towards the exit.

The confused priestess called out after her "Where are you going?!"

Without looking back, the High Priestess simply called back:

"To save them."

Meanwhile, in the tall mountain in question, Klonoa and his friends were indeed being held. Lolo, Popka, Guntz, Leorina, all of them had been tied up together and suspended over a pool of some acidic looking liquid. And below, at a set of controls, the green-suited monster Garlen was gloating and laughing like the stereotypical villain he was!

"MUAHAHAHA!" he bellowed in a textbook gloating glee. "Capturing you all was too easy! Once I have you all out of the picture, there'll be nothing stopping me from taking over this miserable world and remaking it in my image!"

Above him, held in tightly binding ropes, most of Klonoa's group were trying to wriggle themselves loose or otherwise trying to cut through. But Guntz and Leorina, the eldest among them, just scowled down at their malefactor, not willing to give him the satisfaction of their fear.

Guntz in particular looked upon him with a bitter hatred, the villain having had a hand in his father's death. "You're gonna pay for this, Garlen!"

Garlen just laughed even harder, putting on a sarcastic fearful expression as he condescendingly rubbed in his dominance even more. "Oh really?! With all you up there and La-Lakoosha's law enforcement out of action? Pray tell, who else is going to come along and save you?!"

As his words had barely left his lips, the sound of a scuffle came through the locked iron door to the chamber they were in before it was blasted off its hinges and thrown clear several metres, followed by the unconscious body of one of Garlen's minions. And stepping over them to enter the room was the High Priestess herself, holding her staff. Her hat had been done away with, leaving her hair free to billow behind her, and her face wore a look of vengeful fury that none in the room had ever seen her wear before.

She spoke only briefly once she stood to face Garlen, every word dripping with hatred.

"Let. Them. Go."

Garlen looked at her dumbfounded for a moment, before bursting into peals of laughter at the sight. The High Priestess' face never wavered, even as Klonoa's group looked down at her. Leorina especially was almost paralysed with surprise, whispering to Guntz: "It's her! What's she doing here?!"

At last Garlen recovered from his laughing fit and gave an evil grin as he stepped towards her confidently. "Man, this is rich! You? Going to stop me?"

The High Priestess barely moved, her face still marked with anger as she stared back at him, never breaking eye contact. "I ask again. Let them go and leave this place, or I will not be responsible for what happens next."

Letting out another laugh, Garlen couldn't hide how little he respected her. "And what are you gonna do, hm? Preach the good word at me until I submit. I'd like to see you try!"

At last, the High Priestess began to move, the gemstone at the peak of her staff beginning to crackle with a powerful green energy as she stepped forward.

"You were duly warned."

Then, quick as a flash, a beam of light crackled and bellowed out from her staff towards Garlen, and he barely was able to give a look of shock before it connected and sent him flying across the room.

As Klonoa and Co. looked on in surprise, the High Priestess simply kept walking towards where Garlen had fallen in a steady almost robotic rhythm, letting out wave upon wave of green-tinted lightning that zapped him painfully across his body, already leaving him begging for mercy. Often she wasn't even pointing the staff at him, simply using it as a conduit as she simply fired the energy out of her free hand, attacking him with all her might.

Garlen had one last failsafe, however, and using the last of his strength was able to rush towards a trapdoor he opened using a button on his lapel, falling through it before the High Priestess could blast him clear. Next moment, it slammed shut, and the room was left silent save for the residual crackle of her staff.

He got away.

At last, as the energy started to wane, she seemed to come back to herself and her expression changed to one of deep pain and remorse as she quickly moved to the control panel to cover the acid pool and lower the hostages to safety.

Once they were on the ground, it was short work for Guntz and the others to slash it free and get them unstuck, most of them already celebrating from their luck. Leorina, however, was quick to get up and try and rush after the High Priestess, who was already disappearing through the door she had came through in a mad run.

"Wait!" she called out, but she was too late. She was already gone…

Later that day, Leorina and Lolo were both at the Claire Moa temple. Leorina had only intended to be there to accompany Lolo back safely, but the priestess in training had managed to convince her to explore the grounds of the temple a little. By that point, they were walking along the grass outside and gossiping about what they had just been through.

"Gosh, I'm glad the High Priestess came to our rescue!" Lolo said as they both walked. "I shudder to think what would have happened had she failed…"

"I'm grateful too, but…" Leorina stopped to think a little. "Did you see the expression on her face when she was fighting him? In all the time I've seen her, she's never looked so… furious and angry."

Lolo pondered this thought. "I guess you have a point. She's always been a benevolent leader of the temple in the time I've known. Even when I was picked on once, she did her best to try to discipline those that were doing it. She must have really wanted to save us."

"That's the thing though, why come at all?" Leorina replied, their discussion getting more animated as they went. "I always thought her a pacifist, never wanting to raise a finger to harm others and wanting to help them however she could. And she just wiped the floor with him. I didn't even know she had such power…"

Lolo shrugged. It was an interesting point. "I guess that's why she's High Priestess, to have that power but only use it when she feels she has to. Y'know, I've heard some of the newcomers whisper that they reckon she might be the reincarnation of Claire herself."

Leorina raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe that stuff do you?"

Lolo smiled. "No, but it's fun to think about. You should hear some of the theories they have to back up that claim."

The pair chucked a little to themselves, but their conversation was interrupted by the light airy sound of a harp being played nearby.

"Do you hear that?" Leorina said, craning her beck to get a better hearing of it. "Where's it coming from?"

"I'm not sure" Lolo replied "But it's a very nice tune…"

She was right; it was a beautiful melody, almost melancholy in sound, and many of the other priestesses nearby stopped what they were doing to listen, but none could tell from where it was coming from.

In truth, it originated from a high balcony, leading from the High Priestess' private quarters, and she was there, playing her gilded harp, dressed only in a casual dress she normally wore to bed so her hair could flow down her shoulders in a comfortable way. She had much on her mind, to say the least.

She had intended to free the others, that was for sure. But to get that vengeful, and use her power she normally hid away on that villain… she never expected she would be driven to that.

But seeing Leo… bound up and close to being killed… made her lose the mental fortitude that held her back and she went to whatever extreme necessary to save her.

And the mere fact that it had been for her specifically, and not for the greater good of the hostages or Lunatea as a whole… what did it mean…

What were these feeling she had for her? Could it be that she…

She noticed that her playing was getting sloppier as these thoughts went on and she stopped for a moment to try to calm down, before continuing at a quiet pace.

That could be for another time…