27th Wisdom Moon, 908 – Midnight Village, Arcania Kingdom

Melissa hummed cheerily as she cut up some vegetables on the chopping board and poured them into the boiling pot next to her. As she did, Wisteria dexterously scooped a jar of amber-colored powder and dumped a few tablespoons of it into the pot before stirring, all with just the use of her tail.

Melissa leaned in close and sniffed the stew. "Oooh, this smells delicious."

Wisteria smiled. "My husband did most of the cooking, but I've learned to cook for myself over the years. It's nice to have company for once."

Melissa tilted her head. "You never invited anyone over to eat with you?"

She frowned. "I've…preferred solitude. I try not to get caught up in the Arcania Kingdom's problems. I've lost a lot of myself in that massacre, and things have been on the decline. It's been hard to…talk to others." She glanced at Melissa and smiled. "Though, I suppose your company has been a nice change of pace."

Melissa smiled. "Heh. Well, everyone says my kindness is one of my best qualities."

"Wish we had more people like you out there." Wisteria placed a lid over the pot. "We'll let that cook for an hour."

"What should we do until then?"

"…" Wisteria smirked. "You said you are the infamous Forester who steals techniques, right?"

Melissa laughed. "Well, I don't steal them, but…yeah."

"Have you ever copied Basil?"

"Well, I've copied the way he uses Flame Burst, but I can't say I have his level of mastery."

"…Follow me."

"Jason, this is getting really annoying, you know that?"

Jason adamantly followed Zana through the village as she tried to do her routine patrol. He matched her speed leaping through the trees, barely rustling the leaves as they dashed along.

"Look, will you just hear me out—"

"I've heard you out plenty. We've made up our minds."

"I know both Arcania and Umbra Clock have a bad history, but things are different now. You just need to give us a chance."

She scowled. "Chances, chances, chances. Just because you say something doesn't make it meaningful. It's the same crap the nobles from the west like to spout. Oh, we'll bring change to these dark times! We will right the wrongs of your previous lord! This is for the good of our kingdom! Any of that sound familiar? It's the stuff you've been ranting about ever since we became friends."

Jason glared. "Alright, yes, I haven't shied away from my issues with the way the west's noble houses use their authority. I hold that same opinion even now. So, what does it mean when I'm willing to trust a kingdom with our future?"

"It means you didn't get a knife in your back more than once."

"It means I'm learning to trust again." Jason frowned. "Zana, I've worked personally with King Tadhg for the last couple of months. I have it on good authority that he isn't like his predecessors. He has plans to help Arcania."

Zana stopped leaping through the trees, prompting Jason to stop. She sighed before shooting a glare at him. "That's the thing, though. Everyone thinks they know how to save the world. Everyone thinks they know better when helping those who can't help themselves anymore."

"Don't they have the right to repent for their mistakes? Even if Tadhg had nothing to do with his grandfather's actions?"

"It's not just Umbra Clock. The Subterra Kingdom, the Great Gate Empire, and even the Echo Bell Kingdom have screwed us over more times than I can count! You think putting our trust in these people is easy because you say they've changed? Everyone feared us for a reason in those days!"

"…" Jason frowned. "Echo Bell?"

She scoffed. "Like I said, you haven't been stabbed in the back over a hundred times. Echo Bell offered to help restore Arcania. It wasn't much since we're pretty much surrounded by Umbra Clock, but…we were desperate. So, we accepted, hoping it would spark change. And, would you look at that?" She gestured around. "Still nothing!"

"…" Jason's ears drooped.

"Their stupid ambassador or whatever never showed up! We waited for months and never got so much as an explanation for why they never did! We gave them some of our plants as a token of gratitude! Those only grow here, you know!" She scowled. "We gave gifts as thanks, and we get nothing! Welcome to Arcania, where losers go to die!"

"…Zana, about Echo Bell—"

She waved him off and turned her back to him. "I don't want to hear whatever excuse you have for them." She growled, digging her fingers into her face. "Outsiders. It's always outsiders. All our time and devotion to understanding alchemy, and everyone wanted a piece of our history to get ahead! But that's just life, I guess. Well, this is life, too. Outsiders don't deserve to be trusted!"

"…" Jason scratched his arm. "I used to believe that, too, but then I started getting to know Melissa."

Zana's expression eased a bit, glaring softly at the ground below. "Why did you give a Penworth a chance?"

"…Because maybe a part of me wanted to believe she was more like her mother than her father." He sighed. "I ended up being right, and now she's turned everything upside-down with her dream. Look at us. We've both been beaten down by harsh reality, and so was she. She may be a princess, but she got a taste of just how cruel this world can be. The dread almost swallowed her."

"…"

"But she endured, and now she fights even harder for a Virdis ruled by peace and love." He laughed lightly. "It's all so foolish, but I've got caught up in the delusion. Losing myself in a dream when I had none to cherish."

"…" Zana scoffed. "Not all of us have the luxury of believing, Jason. Whatever works for you, but the Arcania Kingdom has been scorned too many times to take the word of our tormentors." She clenched her fist. "We've stopped believing in dreams a long time ago." She took off deep into the forest, leaving the Pikachu behind.

Jason watched her leave, a pit growing in his stomach. The saddest part about trying to appease Zana was that it felt like staring into his own reflection. If the roles were reversed, he'd be just as adamant, if not more so, about his opposition to such a ridiculous request.

He wanted them to see that there was another chance waiting for them.

But he wasn't like Melissa.

Dreaming wasn't one of his strengths.

Meanwhile, in West Virdis…

A moment of peace echoed between the warring kingdoms, with Wick forced to go on the retreat amidst the overwhelming power of the Senbo Kingdom. Knights gathered in their mobile camps, going over new stratagems on how to overcome this insurmountable force.

However, the moment the knights took their eyes off the war table, a fishing line breached from the ground, hooked the map on the table, and dragged it down without a single alert.

As the knights scrambled trying to find the misplaced map, they were oblivious to the Marshtomp swimming below their feet, traveling outside the camp to the underground den he made.

Enora, who patiently tapped her paw in waiting, opened one eye as her boyfriend emerged from the wall. She lit up their mini lantern, illuminating her face in harsh shadow, and asked, "How does it look out there?"

"Not as bad as it could be," he admitted. He pulled the map off his fishing rod, flicking the mud off, and lay it out across the floor. Enora adjusted the lantern to pour more light over it. "Seems the Wick Kingdom is temporarily withdrawing from the frontlines and reinforcing their defenses along the borders."

Enora traced her paw along the map. "Odd. They were performing a full-frontal assault not too long ago. Why the change in tactics?"

"Perhaps the king finally realized how hopeless it was taking on the entire Senbo Kingdom?"

"A reasonable reaction, though can we really call the Tetrarchs reasonable?"

Fabrice tapped on the map. "But look at this. They're having their armies moving on opposing sides of the kingdom. They'll be trudging through Verde and the Great Ruins to get them on both sides."

"A pincer maneuver, but what does that change?" Enora asked. "Their main target is undoubtably the capital, and that's too central to make use of a pincer attack. They'd be found out before they ever reached the capital."

"But then there's this." He tapped his finger on some arrows made up of dotted lines heading straight toward the capital. "What's the significance of this maneuver? They plan to head straight to the capital, and seemingly without opposition."

Enora glared. "You've been eavesdropping on the knights for a few hours. Did they say anything about what they're planning?"

"All I heard was that they need to put faith in King Tetrarch's wisdom."

The Glaceon rolled her eyes. "Wisdom? Gee, no wonder they're getting their butts kicked. A wise man knows not to take on the Senbo Kingdom." She laughed haughtily, flicking one of her dangles. "After all, we are the strongest military of the west."

Fabrice chuckled. "A bit of Senbo pride there?"

"I try to quell my pride in my kingdom for the sake of the Foresters, but we are pretty strong." She frowned. "Which is why I'm confused by this brazen march on the capital. Of all the places that are going to be heavily fortified, the capital is the worst place to launch an attack. What does the Wick Kingdom have that could match that?"

"Hard to say. Wick does have an impressive military, but it's outmatched by Senbo's artillery." He glared. "What is King Tetrarch up to?"

Enora sighed. "Speaking of which, how are our chances of getting into the Senbo Kingdom ourselves?"

He winced. "Not great. Even with the temporary cease fire, traveling underground through Senbo territory would be dangerous. If a cannon or mortar happened to go off and strike where we were—"

"We'd be a bloody mud pile in the ground…"

"Exactly."

Enora groaned. "Ugh, we wouldn't have to be doing this if the prince was vouching for us."

"Given everything that has happened, perhaps Erasmus doesn't have any authority to sway his father's wrath." Fabrice sighed. "We could try traveling deeper underground, but I wouldn't want to put your health at risk. I'm used to moving in low oxygen areas, but I couldn't subject you to that."

Enora touched her heart. "Aww, Fabrice~!" She shook her head and glared. "Rikmai did say going underground would be our best bet. I'm willing to take that risk."

"You sure?"

"We'll just make stops along the way and try to stay out of heavy battlegrounds." She touched his cheek. "And I trust you to know what you're doing. Just get us to the capital, and we'll be able to sort out this mess with Senbo."

Fabrice smiled back, then glared. "We'll start moving again at midnight. Activity should be low by then."

"Sounds like a plan."

Fabrice scratched his chin unsurely. "Still, I'm worried about what the Wick Kingdom is plotting. What's their long game making such a risky advance on the capital?"

Midnight Village, Arcania Kingdom

Kicking the door to her temporary abode open, Luna made her way inside with a basket of different herbs and plants. Bellatrix and Victoria followed behind with two more baskets, setting them on the table.

Luna patted her hands and smiled. "I'm looking forward to trying out these different potions. Thanks again for lending me your notes, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix waved it off. "Ah, don't mention it. And hey, sorry again for the cold shoulder Zana gave you all. She may seem carefree, but she's super serious about security and junk. Our research was meant to be shared with the other kingdoms, and you are technically an Arcanian~."

Luna giggled. "How thoughtful."

Victoria peered over the ingredients with intrigue. "So, what are you making, LuLu?"

Luna sat down. "Well, I'm quite curious about the practice of magic, so I want to try writing up some notes for myself." She scratched her chin. "My mother is well-known for maximizing the potential of her Blaze without achieving its main activation requirement. I've never been able to pull off the same level of finesse with Overgrow, but I want to extend the potential of my techniques. So—"

"You want to try and create your own magic through alchemy?" Bellatrix finished.

"Exactly."

Victoria laughed. "Good luck with that! It's not as easy as we make it look. My family still hasn't been able to make a signature magic through our alchemy. We've tried explosion magic, but that, uh…well, ironically blew up in our faces. Our poor house never had a nice roof ever since…"

Bellatrix patted Luna's shoulder. "Uh, ignoring that, Victoria is right. We don't just inject ourselves with the first working potion after all. This is the kind of thing that requires months, maybe even years, of extensive research. Understanding not only the ingredients of your potion, but how it interacts with your body itself. Potions need to be modified for every user. Plus, since you would be the progenitor, the process will be very painful."

Luna opened a blank notebook and dragged an inkwell over. "I am prepared to face any obstacle that impedes my vision."

Bellatrix clapped. "Oooh, so exciting! Oh, I wish I can stay and help, but it's actually my turn to watch Old Man Kirby. We like to play checkers!"

Luna smiled awkwardly. "Heh, right. Good…luck with that."

"Thanks!" Bellatrix turned and skipped away, taking off into the air on jets of flame.

Victoria sat down across from Luna and asked, "Still a bit weirded out by our king's…condition?"

"I've chosen to accept these circumstances and scold myself for my rather blunt response. I understand with the state Arcania is in, you guys don't have the room to show any signs of weakness. A failing king would be the final straw." She sighed. "Still, it is a jarring revelation that he's been a sort of puppet leader while Bellatrix and the others have been handling things on their own."

Victoria scratched her head. "It was an adjustment for all of us, but we did what we had to."

Luna scratched her chin. "Indeed. I'm still amazed Arcania is standing after all these years." She frowned. "You sure you don't remember much else about the massacre?"

She shrugged. "I was pretty young when it happened, even if the event was traumatizing."

Luna glared. "It's just strange. No offense to any of you, but Great Gate had you outmatched. Even if a retreat was required, you all suffered severe casualties. I can't imagine a kingdom has the strength to stand on its own without some factor keeping it afloat."

Victoria shrugged again. "I never got involved with internal affairs. I was too busy becoming an Arcanian Knight!"

Luna laughed. "Yes, Zana seemed particularly surprised to see you."

"D'aww, she's just teasing. She loved it when I showed off my skills! I was a blast!"

"I can believe it…" Luna picked up her quill, tapping lightly, and started scribbling into her notebook. She hummed before setting the quill down. "I'm going to check with Mr. Daarkston and see if he has any notes I could borrow. Get an old pros opinion on things."

Victoria nodded. "Alright! I'll stay here and make paper hats!" She grabbed a sheet of parchment and started folding it.

"Heh. You do that." Luna pushed the door open and let herself out. "Hmm, I wonder if I could assimilate my energy into nature to grant myself a greater area of effect—"

Upon closing the door, she paused, spotting Daarkston as he stepped outside his shop. After putting up the closed sign, he walked around and waved down a familiar group of hooded alchemists.

Those guys again? Luna knelt behind the treetop railings and peered closely at the group. She tried her best to listen in on their conversation, but couldn't make out anything beyond garbled sound.

Daarkston seemed agitated by the way he was scratching his head, almost yelling at one of the alchemists. They spoke back in a gentler tone, easing the old Kabutops' momentary rage. After that, they started heading into the forest.

"…" Luna narrowed her eyes before snapping her vines into the branches above, flinging herself over the village. Curse this bad habit. I'll just see what they're up to and go on with my day. It's probably just a private meeting about…internal affair stuff. Yeah. Nothing else. I'll ease my curiosity and go back to conducting research.

After handing off her shift to Vauquelin for the day, Zana traveled deep into the forest to a remote training ground. She stood before a withered log standing upright, scarred with burns and slashes made against its dense exterior.

She pulled her sticks from her hair, causing her bangs to fall further over the left side of her face. She took a deep breath and channeled a pale green light into the sticks. "Light Blade Lv.1: Dual Saber."

Beams of light ignited from the sticks, taking the shape of thin, rapier-like blades. Energy expelled from the point of ignition, taking the shape of a small cross guard.

Taking a deep breath, she lunged at the log, striking with a flurry of slashes. Hot slashes burned across the log with every impact, expelling heaps of concentrated light energy as she danced and sliced into the toughened training post. Each strike landed in a continuous, unbreaking chain, leaving the smallest of intervals in-between each swing. It resembled an endless barrage of lightning bolts striking without rest.

She ceased her attacks and stood still. Though no sounds were made, she felt the approach of someone. A subtle landing that left the forest undisturbed, soundless in its approach, but not invisible to the Thwackey. She felt the gentle tap of someone landing on the ground, the subtle vibrations in the earth traveling under her feet and ringing like windchimes to her ears.

She sighed. "You're persistent, I'll say that much."

Jason stepped out from the shadows, drawing his sword. "Thought you could use a sparring partner."

She glared over her shoulder. "I told you, the Arcania Kingdom will not—"

"I promise, I won't bring up the alliance. I just want to talk."

"…" She raised her light blades and lunged at him.

Jason raised his sword, parrying her dual strikes, and swung back. She dodged his blade by a hair and swung back with a spiraling leap. He blocked the repeated strikes hammering down on his blade before swinging the moment she landed. She blocked his attack, pushed the blade down as she leapt up, and tried to kick him. He grabbed her foot and threw her around him.

She dragged her light blades down to stop herself and rushed back in, slamming both sabers against his sword. "Do you still dual wield?"

"I haven't in a long time."

"Tch. All that wasted training…"

"Well, last time I did was a bit…complicated. Nearly beat a man to death with sheathed swords."

Zana smirked. "You nearly killed someone?"

"If you knew why, you would've done the same."

"Hmph." She pushed him back and swung both blades at his unguarded left, but Jason quickly changed his stance and parried her. "Well, you haven't gotten sloppy, at least."

"You've clearly been practicing."

"I'm not even at full strength yet."

They continued their dance of blades, parrying and swinging at each other with neither side giving room to land a decisive blow. Electricity and light sparked between clashes like fireworks erupting across the sky. Soon, their dance ended with a powerful clash they repelled both of them away, their heels digging back into the dirt as they came to a stop.

Zana sighed and deactivated her technique. "Though, it has been a while since someone could match my swordsmanship."

Jason sheathed his sword. "I remember when we first trained together. You struggled to block my strikes because of the shocks."

Zana clenched her fist. "I've adjusted. The Moonleaf clan can adapt to anything. Though, even if I've finetuned my enhanced sense of touch, getting hurt still sucks. Pain and discordant noise."

"Even now, I barely understand how your sense of touch works."

She sighed. "It's…complicated. When we feel things, it's like we also hear the sounds of those things. The wind and vibrations of the environment is like a melodious symphony of windchimes. Pain is like screeching thunder. My heartbeat when it really gets going feels like a drum is going off in my head. It's like we can hear the rhythm of nature whenever we feel its touch."

Jason shook his head. "I guess I'd have to be a Moonleaf to understand."

"Heh, maybe." She frowned. "Honestly, meeting you has helped me overcome a lot of my weaknesses. I've trained so much to improve my speed and agility. I can get through most fights with nothing more than a few cuts." She walked over to the training post and pressed her fingers to it. "All life is connected to the same earth. It plays the same music. That's the basis of our sonomancy." She frowned. "To think I wouldn't have taken on the greatest form of this gift had my brother survived. I feel…terrible for this envy in my chest. He could've had this wonderful connection and not me…and I hate that I feel jealousy."

Jason walked over. "I think your brother would be proud you're carrying on the family legacy."

She sighed. "I know. That's why I feel so foolish. He would've made a good mage, and now I have this responsibility to carry on the Moonleaf legacy. With so many clans gone, it's…a lot to stomach."

Jason glanced sympathetically at her before pressing his hand to the training post. "What do you feel?"

"…I can sense your heartbeat. Heh. As calm and steady as always."

"What else can you sense?"

She closed her eyes. "I can feel the vibrations of the earth. Faint beats. The sound of the village. Bellatrix, Daarkston, my parents, your friends…" She chuckled lightly. "Only one I can't sense is Vauquelin, though there's never a moment he isn't floating off the ground."

"I may not understand it, but I know how precious Arcania is to its people. You have an amazing gift to keep your people safe."

"…" Zana sighed. "You're trying to soften me up to the alliance, aren't you?"

"Eh…"

"Got to say, I didn't take you for the manipulative type."

"I…like to think it's more of Melissa's influence."

"…" Zana sighed through her nose and pulled her hand away. "Look, we're not in the best place to make hasty deals with our enemy…" She looked away unsurely.

Jason frowned. "Is something wrong, Zana?"

"…" She turned away from him. "I'll reconsider at least hearing what King Foirbeis has to offer. But I want to hear it from you first. I trust your intentions aligns with his vision. Right?"

Jason nodded. "I would never do anything to deceive you, Zana."

"…Right." She shook her head, wiping her eyes, and faced him. "Alright, let's hear it."

BOOM!

Melissa recoiled in awe as the target ahead erupted in a glorious wildfire, all created by a single spark shooting through the air. She looked up at Wisteria, who clicked her teeth and sent another spark shooting through the air, setting a second target ablaze.

"Incredible!" Melissa gasped.

Wisteria sighed. "Causinomancy is about creating pathways of flame. It's all about precision. Our Sweet Scent is made as a highly flammable tunnel to carry the spark through, while our Poison Gas has been given volatile properties when it contact with flame. It's about controlling the individual pathways. A trained user can create and manipulate these gases in seconds upon deployment. We constantly release them through a battle."

"Wow…"

"However, it's reliant on the hands for flexibility. I can still create sparks by snapping my teeth together." She lifted her tail, pulling on her gums a bit to reveal the metal teeth in the back. "Something of a countermeasure if my arms are rendered unusable…or, you know…"

Melissa nodded slowly. "Right…"

Wisteria exhaled, releasing more gas ahead. "Alright. Give it a go yourself."

Melissa pressed her fingers together, holding them unsurely in front of herself. She took a deep breath and, with a click of her fingers, released a spark that erupted into a tremendous flame, decimating a third target. "Whoa!" She leapt back in shock, shaking the smoke off her hand.

Wisteria smirked. "This technique was made specifically for Salandit and Salazzle to use, so you wouldn't be able to do this on your own. Though, I do have a few recipes that replicate the gases. If you practice it right, you could manipulate them using the Sweet Scent and Poison Gas you've copied."

Melissa laughed. "I don't think I'd get anywhere near your or Basil's level. Seems a bit complicated for me."

Wisteria patted her head with her tail. "Are you telling me the notorious Skill Hunter is intimidated by advanced learning?"

Melissa giggled. "Well, it would be nice to learn. I'm actually trying to improve what I already know."

"How so?"

"Well, for a time, I thought I could only copy one person's techniques at a time. However, I'm starting to grasp more of this power of mine, with some help from a friend. I'm learning to use two techniques at once." She smiled. "However, it's a little unstable using both at once, so I've opted for something a bit more…creative: combining techniques."

Wisteria raised her brow. "Oh?"

"King Tadhg told me I have a gift he envies: the power to bridge two separate techniques into something else. I've been working my hardest to maintain the energy flow. It's…difficult. I've only recently gotten use to maintaining and utilizing several techniques with minimal damage to myself. I can't reliably use these hybrid techniques for too long without suffering backlash. However, once I master it, I…" She laughed sheepishly. "Well, I never imagined myself being as powerful as I am now. I used to be a weakling over a year ago."

"…" Wisteria smiled. "You've obviously been putting in a lot of work to get as far as you are. You should be proud of yourself."

"Heh. I'm nowhere near Jason's level. Even with my bag of tricks, he can still beat me in a fight. He's incredible."

Wisteria looked aside. "He certainly mellowed out since the first time he came here." She shook her head. "The idea of the young fighting our battle. It's…frightening. The times have changed."

Melissa frowned. "I…haven't had the best few months, admittedly. I…well, war has been rather…"

"I understand."

"…" Melissa closed her eyes. "Is it wrong for me to mourn someone who was a monster? Someone I hated? I always hear that you shouldn't think of your enemies' feelings in war. It just…makes you hesitate."

Wisteria frowned. "It's not easy, but it's necessary. When two or more sides are at war, your enemy is undoubtably having those exact same thoughts. But we're all fighting for peace, and—"

"Everyone has their own idea of what peace is," Melissa finished.

"…You really have been through a lot."

She sighed. "A lot I wasn't prepared for."

"Want to talk about it?"

"…" Melissa sat down, and Wisteria joined her. She sighed and folded her arms in her lap. "A close friend of mine turned traitor. She's…the reason Emperor Nero was assassinated. She fled, and we don't know where she is." She closed her eyes, her ears drooping over her face. "She wanted nothing to do with us anymore. Told me my dream was nothing. Pointless." She curled her fists. "That stung, you know."

Wisteria frowned. "Sounds like she wasn't a good friend—"

"No. She is a good friend. I just can't…" She covered her face and shuddered. "I just can't bring myself to believe what I saw. I know what I saw, but I can't bring myself to believe that was her. Marie. Marie was my friend. No matter what Jason says, she's not a bad person. She's not…"

Wisteria patted the crying Buneary's shoulder. "You can't always trust the heart. People can be kind, and they can be ruthless. Sometimes both."

Melissa shook her head. "I keep having these nightmares. I…I just can't trust my eyes anymore…"

"…" Wisteria looked aside. "I can't promise to alleviate those terrors, but perhaps I can offer you clarity."

"…Huh?"

"I work with different types of potions, and we here in Arcania know a few special concoctions. Do you happen to have anything tied to that event?"

"…" Melissa paused, blinking the tears away. "Jason told me…that someone knew a potion to reveal the truth or something. Was he referring to you?"

Wisteria smiled sadly. "Perhaps."

"I…did happen to bring her dagger. He told me to. It was…Marie's dagger."

"Has anyone else touched it since its retrieval?"

"Just Jet. Jason had it wrapped up for safekeeping."

Wisteria nodded before standing up, pulling the Buneary to her feet. "After our meal, bring me the dagger. We'll put aside those doubts in your mind and give you closure."

Melissa scratched her arm unsurely. "I'm…not sure I'm comfortable with that. I feel jumbled, but putting to rest what Marie did? Wouldn't I feel worse?"

Wisteria patted her shoulder. "If this is bothering you as is, you'll just keep feeling worse. At least this way, you can take comfort in the truth."

"…" Melissa dried her eyes and nodded meekly. "Okay…"

Stealth wasn't exactly an attribute of a knight, but her time with the Foresters had taught Luna a thing or two about moving about quietly. She stuck to the trees, staying out of sight as she followed Daarkston and the alchemists deeper into the forest, their whispers falling on deaf ears.

Soon, they came to a clearing in the forest, one that puzzled the Snivy. It appeared to be an open laboratory complete with stone tables holding alchemical equipment, and the ground making up the space was made up entirely of stone. In the center of the space was scorched stone with a cavity that was blackened to a crisp.

Some sort of secret lab? She glared. No, this couldn't be a secret. Surely the village would know something like this was within their domain. So, why so far away? For privacy's sake?

Daarkston walked over to one of the workstations and opened a secret compartment. Luna leaned closer and squinted, making out the shape of a glass jar with something red glowing inside. Daarkston held it with noticeable caution as he set it down.

Luna moved closer through the trees until she could hear the alchemists more clearly.

"Are you sure it's wise to be continuing work with the Foresters here?" one of the alchemists asked. "They may only stay a few days longer, surely."

Daarkston shook his head. "Can't afford it. We're on a deadline. We've only just cracked the formula to keeping the flame stabilized. The two controllers we sent may suffice for now, but we still have dozens of these to finish. It's going to be a long few nights getting these done."

Another alchemist asked, "Why the rush, though?"

"…" Daarkston bit his lip. "They're ahead of schedule with the project."

Their eyes widened. "Already?"

Luna raised her brow. Project? She glanced at the jar with the flickering red light inside. And what does that have to do with it?

"They'll be conducting field tests some time in late Winter Moon." Daarkston sighed. "If we can get these finished before then, it'll secure our safety once the rest of Virdis goes to hell."

Luna's eyes widened. What are they…?

"This feels wrong," the first alchemist said. "Going through with this just to ensure our safety—"

"We can't afford to take any chances!" Daarkston snapped, striking his sickle into the ground furiously. "What has the rest of Virdis done for us?! We're barely holding on out here! At least this way, we'll be able to make a name for ourselves!" He clenched his teeth. "We've been scorned and ruined for our culture, and now we should pity those who will be on the receiving end of hell's retributing flames? They brought those flames down on us first!"

"…" The alchemists went quiet, perhaps silently agreeing with their mentor.

Daarkston breathed a sigh and massaged his face, calming himself down. "I don't…I don't want it like this either, but what other choice do we have? Stand and fight for what? There's nothing left to fight for."

He approached a crate, the same one Luna recognized from days ago. He ripped the top open and pulled out a peculiar item: a golden headband with a glowing red jewel embedded in the center. He dangled it before his students.

"Once we've provided, our debt is paid. We'll finally be free from this curse that has haunted us for nearly a century. We will not end as another Great Kingdom, forgotten to the passage of time. We're going to survive this onslaught. The rest of the region burns, and we'll survive. That's the way the east has been treating us. The strong live, the weak serve. Now the strong perish, and the weak thrive. That is our legacy."

Luna stared in horror at the Kabutops' declaration, her eyes fixating on the headband swaying in his sickled hand.

What…is going on here?