Solemnly, Rufus leads them to the next.

Feno’s embarked a ship. He’s hunched over in a chair, burying his face into his palms. His shoulder’s been patched with a bandage. Before him, baldy’s in a comatose state, spread out on a make shift table that’s lined with rugs and receiving emergency treatment from three focused medics. One of them is conjuring something that looks like an oxygen bubble, blobbed on baldy's face. Whereas the other, has his hands flare open, creating a dim Magia dome around the laceration cite. Hovering a scalpel and needle that are working diligently to fix any internal holes.

There’s a sigil stitched into the pocket of their scrubs, of a white flower, the same as the engravements on their rings. They must be from the local guilds.

But baldy’s pallor is bleaching whiter with each passing second. With a concentrated look on his face, the surgeon medic hurriedly tells the woman beside him that's healing the shallower wounds with a green basking glow,

‘It’s no good. His Vita is dipping dangerously low. He’s lost way too much blood.’ to send her fumbling for the tools tray to retrieve a syringe of purple-pink substance. Lining it within his inner elbow, she depresses it downwards, injecting it right into baldy’s veins. It looks awfully familiar.

“Is that Crystalline?” Lilith asks curiously.

Rufus nods.

“But why? Isn’t Crystalline bad for you?”

“Ah.” he gives an acknowledging, “I suppose, years of misuse has probably changed public opinion about it.” Rufus explains,

“It was initially created for medical emergencies. When an adventurer becomes gravely injured, their Vita falls dangerously low that it can hardly sustain their lives. As such, direct Magia transfusions are required to keep the adventurer alive” he points,

“Alas, that is exactly what’s happening in this scene.” the Crystalline’s glowing in his veins. Mapping down his bloodstream to finally give color to his complexation. So that’s how it’s supposed to work. Orange juice in an empty glass will not overflow. Baldy does look more stable now.

It’s then the door clicks open. Feno lifts his head up. A middle-aged woman’s entering the room, dragging her flowy red dress behind her. She takes one final puff from her long narrow pipe before handing it a swordsman beside her that’s escorted her in. Tucking her fallen fringe behind a flower she has on an ear, she sits herself down just as Feno stands to greet her,

‘You must be Cixi, the guild leader of White Camellia.’ his voice still sounds grim, but he’s putting formalities first, placing a hand by his chest,

‘I thank you for your assistance in lending me your men and your ship in such short notice.’ he must’ve been expecting her.

‘There is no need for such courtesy from officials of the Elite Ten.’ she returns a polite smile,

‘We are but a small local guild in charge of these regions. In fact, I must thank you for helping us out with this disaster.’ outstretching a hand,

‘If you won’t mind, may I have a look at your memories?’ solemnly, she elaborates,

‘I need to be absolutely certain, if it is truly what you have described. This situation may be more dire than any of us have initially anticipated. I do not wish to relay misinformation that would cause a great uproar amongst the guilds.’

‘Yes.’ Feno takes her palm, ‘of course.’ returning to his seat. They close their eyes. The moment they did, a mist like, hologram of images begin spiraling around them. Recounting the recent events from the moment they’ve landed, flickering past rapidly, up till the encounter with Luci, the demise of freckles and bowl cut and the farewell of Lanara. Reliving through that moment’s made Feno flinch in his seat. Grimacing as though it’s a fresh wound that’s being poked. Cixi’s furrowing her brows, it backtracks to the scene of Luci’s resurrection, she’s letting it play out for a while. Before she snaps her eyes open, withdrawing her hand as if she’s being pricked by a pin. She stands up, muttering,

‘It’s worse than I thought. We need to get word of it out. The crimson witch...’ she’s at a lost, repeating Luci’s title like a senile elderly, before she takes a long drag from her pipe to calm herself,

‘The first of Dal’gore’s children has returned.’ stabling herself with the shoulder of the swordsman beside her. He’s escorting her towards the door as she says,

‘We need to contact Odion Blight immediately.’ ordering the swordsman,

‘Bring me back to the guild hall. We need to evacuate every town surrounding YunChuan in the nearest forty-kilometer radius. No one is to step foot in there until further notice.’

‘Wait!’ Feno calls out to her, she turns over her shoulders to watch him request,

‘Is there anyway, you can take me back to YunChuan?’

‘I don’t think you understand the severity of this situation,’ his sentence makes her scrunch her face, ‘You are demented if you’re thinking of going back there alone.’ but Feno attempts to persuade,

‘My division captain, Lanara, she’s remained behind.’

‘What difference will you returning make?’

‘I should at least try to help her!’ he’s stopping his voice from shaking when he says,

‘She’s alone right now... Battling the crimson witch by herself.’

‘And you believe, you can take down the crimson witch if you assisted?’ Cixi points out,

‘With what? The power of love and friendship, you pray for a deus ex machina to make you stronger?’ she’s struck a nail, it must be grave considering her demeanors have drastically changed after witnessing his memories,

‘You’ll be walking yourself into a coffin if you returned.’

‘If that’s the case then so be it!’ Feno’s losing his composure, ‘if I can’t save her, I at least want to die with her!’ the regret of abandoning her must’ve begin eating at him.

With a heavy sigh,

‘I’ve seen many idealistic young lambs like you in my life.’ Cixi lifts her dress to step over the door sill, gesturing the swordsman beside her with a flick of her wrist,

‘But don’t confuse bravery with recklessness and stupidity. Throwing away your life that your captain’s painstakingly saved will just make her sacrifice moot.’ in a puff of feathers, he’s morphed into a giant black bird, lowering himself to the ground to allow Cixi to climb on top,

‘As a guild leader myself, I fear, I will not be lending a hand in someone else’s death wish.’ before she delivers some uplifting news,

‘The crimson witch does not appear to be in her full strength as of this moment. Your captain is rather capable. With a stroke of good luck, she may still live if she’s clever enough to run when there’s a chance.’

But Lanara won’t run. Feno knows she wouldn’t. If she would, she would’ve gone with him. She plans to sacrifice herself there to repent her sins. Either she takes down Luci, or she dies trying. Lanara’s too stubborn for her own good.

Standing in silence, Feno watches Cixi take off with a flap of the bird’s wings, into the grey skies, furling in explosion clouds in the distance that still hasn’t dissipated. That’s where Lanara is right now. He’s biting into his lip, clutching his pants to stop his shoulders from trembling. That must be rough... Seeing him like this, Lilith can’t help but to feel a little sorry for him.

Powerlessness.

So, even someone like Feno’s felt it too. He’s holding back tears with a sniffle, straightening his head when he’s called out by the surgeon medic behind telling him that baldy’s out of the critical zone, but he probably won’t awaken anytime soon within this journey.

Feno spends the trip home gazing into the oceans. Watching the eastern regions depart him, further and further, until he’s unable to see the land, the smoke, and the skies clear to blue. Yet, the gloom still remains on his face. He’ll sit by baldy’s bedside in silence. Making an expression that’s awfully familiar to Lilith now. That distant, forlorn gaze like he’s waiting for the venom to wear off and he’s waking up from a fever dream.

Guilt, regret, helplessness.

It’s a fading spark of hope that gets duller and duller each passing day, and whenever a messenger raven arrives, it ignites briefly before extinguishing as he reads the updates. The eastern guilds have amassed backups and arrived at the site. They found nothing but massive craters breaching far and wide into the bamboo forest where they were previously at. Not a single body was retrieved. Not Lanara, not Luci, not any of the villagers. It’s a dead trace. They’ve responded too late. Luci’s still at large, and she’s got an undead army. The tensions are rising, they don’t know where she’s going to strike next.

It takes a few more weeks for him to land in the docks of Athens. By the time it does, the tiny hope is completely gone. Remaining nothing but an ice-cold tundra.

Desolation.

There’s already crowd assembled at the harbor. Carrying unconscious baldy on his back, Feno listlessly disembarks the ship. Going down the road, there are prying eyes upon him, nasty whispers spreading amidst the confusion,

‘Have you heard? The crimson witch is back’, ‘these are the people that’re supposed to protect us in a crisis? What a waste of taxes, so much for officials of Elite Ten, they’re completely incompetent.’ Feno’s passing a child, tugging on the hem of his mother’s dress,

‘Mommy, mommy, where is the nice cheetah lady that fixed the bridge for us? She was the one that took the mission, right?’ hearing that makes Feno bite his lips, but he continues forward, ignoring them, towards Altyria’s guild hall in the distance. The mother hushes,

‘Word has it, she chose to stay so that the crimson witch won’t follow them back here.’ the little boy points, ‘then why is he back?’ A woman beside her answers,

‘It’s always the incompetent ones that live the longest. Truthfully, if I were them, I won’t come back at all. Adventurers or whatever, it’s because of them that the previous war even happened. I just pray they don’t fight it here this time.’ another one adds,

‘Won’t it be much more peaceful if all Magia users just disappear from this world? Anyone with that much power is a wild card. The guilds are just leeching off us to make their guild halls bigger and grander whilst everyone starves. And when things go down, they’re suckling their thumbs under their blankets all the same.’ the middle age man on her right disagrees,

‘The way I see it, it’s less about the guilds, but the goddamn Mythicals, isn’t it? Look at this kid, pretending to be a tragic hero and what not. Their kind has always been violent, and the crimson witch is one of them to begin with.’ it offends the Mythical commoner beside him,

‘What did you say about us? We’re no different from you Sapiens in this situation!’ they’re starting to bicker, tossing insults back and forth until one of them draws a punch and a fight breaks out.

Is this how Lanara must have felt when she’s returned alone? People sure are fickle, they’re quick to point fingers the moment something bad happens. Feno stops in front of them, looking like he’s about to say something but a splash of water, conjured midair and showering down, halts them before he could. The two arguing men pauses to look at the person who’s drenched them. Parting aside to let him through.

‘Guild leader, Vaegil.’ Feno greets instead, the person who’s just emerged.

Vaegil’s gracefully tucking his trident behind his back. Above his hair, in a half pony tail falling over his shoulders like waves, dark as the midnight ocean. Ghostly pale as he is, it makes him look like a mysterious deep-sea creature that dwells in the depths. He’s only put on one sleeve of his robe, so the other side’s just draping off his hips. But even that’s disheveled off his shoulder, as though he hasn’t figured out how clothing work. Exposing the black scales shimmering down the side his ribs lining his abdomen muscles like gills, contrasting his stark green eyes. Pale as jade, the same as the fins he has in place of his ears.

A fish type Mythical? Lilith isn’t entirely sure, or perhaps, he’s one of those merfolk Killian’s once described to her. Never fight them underwater, they’ll turn into a level ninety-nine final boss, she thinks his warning was. There’s one more thing about how they’ll steal your breath away before you can even drown. She’d previously dismissed it as Killian’s shallow nature for sexualizing everything pretty that breathes. But now she guesses she’s judged him too harshly, Killian probably meant it in a way that, characteristically, they’re breathtakingly beautiful because Vaegil’s definitely silenced the flying rumors of surrounding bystanders just by his presence alone. Either that, or because he’s Altyria’s guild leader that they were happily slandering away.

There’s an airy quality in his voice when he addresses the crowd,

‘There’s no need for panic, dear residents of Athens.’ it echos a little, like the song of a siren, his smile’s the same way, flippant,

‘I have heard your grievances, but worry not, I promise your livelihoods will not be jeopardized in this battle.’ clasping his hands together,

‘So shall we not suffocate our brave adventurers with tasteless rumors and instead celebrate the fact that they’ve survived such a horrid ordeal-’ he’s getting pelted with a rock. It bounces off his forehead, so he’s cut his statement off with a little, ‘ouch, that hurts.’

Despite how bewitching he appears, it seems, the people don’t respect him very much. Or perhaps, it’s precisely because of how he appears, the people don’t take him seriously. For a guild leader, he’s extremely unintimidating, especially when he flicks his eyes up with a pitiful gaze to search the little brunette boy that’s thrown it. He’s in a wooden wheel chair, tears in his eyes as he shakingly accuses,

‘But my sister didn’t come home! She was supposed to be under your protection!’ no wonder his features strike Lilith as familiar, that must be freckles’s younger brother. Behind him, a middle-aged woman who handed him the rock collapses. She's so terribly frail, as if she hasn’t eaten or slept for days on end, her cheeks have sunken in. Scream crying into her hands,

‘Where’s my daughter, return my daughter to me!’ breaking down in the middle of the crowd like the world has roared up against her,

‘Clara, Clara...She hasn’t even turn twenty! She’s hardly experienced anything life has to offer yet.’ she’s becoming a little delirious, muttering to herself,

‘She’s never fallen in love, never went on that dream date that she always muses about, never had a boyfriend, never walked down a marriage aisle,’ tears pouring down her face that’s now smeared with dirt,

‘And now she never will!’ she points an accusing finger, ‘you sent her right into a battlefield. You sent her to her death!’ her voice is wheezing,

‘She’s just a little girl... A little girl, dreaming a dream most little girls dreams about...’ as if she’s pleading to the heavens how cruel fate can be.

Her outburst has encouraged the locals to pelt more rocks at them. Showering them like hail along with the onslaught of insults, ‘useless!’, ‘greedy tax eating bastards.’, ‘we don’t need you!’, ‘just drop dead already!’, ‘Disappear!’ that Vaegil is at a complete loss. Cool as his entrance was, he’s now scurrying to Feno, trying to drag him away from the jeering, telling him they’ll talk about things in the guild hall. But Feno isn’t budging.

‘You’re wrong...’ he mutters under his breath, it draws the woman’s attention, she’s sniffling in disbelief, as if she couldn’t fathom what she’s just heard, so he repeats it louder,

‘You’re wrong.’ he sounds bitter when he refutes,

‘Clara isn’t just a little girl, if you’re her mother, then don’t dismiss her achievements like that.’ yet it’s eerie how still he is when he describes,

‘When she was asked if she wanted to drop the mission and return home. You were what’s on her mind. She wanted to help her family so she knowingly placed herself in danger. She chose it.’ he’s detaching himself from his emotions,

‘And she fought bravely, until the bitter end. So, don’t call her a little girl. She’s an adventurer. She sacrificed herself, so you can have a cozy life, so all of you here, can have a cozy life.’ freezing his veins with ice,

‘Slander us all you want, but know that, in the end, if we were to die, then it’s the likes of you, that’ll be in the front row seats of the crimson witch’s wrath.’ yet it just fans the fire in the crowd, they’re booing him harder. It’s starting to get out of hand, the masses, closing in on them with a few hotheaded men in front attempting to throw punches. At that, Vaegil waves a hand. Storm clouds, closing in. Casting the skies immediately with shadows, a bolt of purple lightning strikes before them,

‘Ah, look at the weather. We really should be going now.’ Vaegil’s awkward laughing at Feno, straightening his gaze,

‘Sorry for causing troubles.’ he apologizes profusely despite he’s stopping the commoners’ advance. One of them, nearly lunged straight into the lightning and the shock’s toppled him over. Striking between his legs, he’s still frightened bloodless by the sound as another person behind him helps him up, scowling hostilely,

‘This is all the adventurers are good at. Abusing their powers.’

A blistering rain starts to pour, it completely drenches the onlookers. Distracting their aggression to instead, seek shelter. Running beneath shops and buildings, shielding themselves with their arms. The crowd’s thinning, until the few persistent remainders realize that they’re out of reinforcements and are forced to retreat. Yet despite they’re running away, the insults never stop hurling.

Vaegil doesn’t intend to let Feno remain here much longer. Grabbing him by the wrist, he runs towards the harbor when the path clears. Diving them into the waters, split second later, a massive Leviathan surfaces, holding Feno and baldy in his mouth. Feno’s completely impassive, for a few moments, Lilith thinks, he looks exactly like baldy next to him that’s still unconscious. Certainly, all the seawater lashing them past can’t be healthy for the guy. But they’re going quickly, towards the river flowing downwards from the hanging gardens. The skies behind him, clearing up to blue, but the storm clouds directly above follow. Serpentine up the waterfall, the Leviathan bursts apart into waves, splashing downwards like a tsunami into the ravaging seas beneath. Vaegil reemerges, carrying baldy on one shoulder and Feno with the other, landing at the entrance of the guild hall. There’re a few adventurers already waiting for their return, medics probably, considering Vaegil’s placing baldy in their care. Letting them carry him away hastily on a stretcher as the thunderstorm he’s summoned dissipates.

It’s after that Vaegil, almost comically, like grabbing a cat by the scruff of its neck, sets Feno down.

Feno isn’t resisting, he doesn’t look like he’s in the mood to resist. There’s just this blankness on his face like he’s uncertain of how he’s supposed to react, so instead, he shows nothing and silently follows Vaegil forward.

With a sigh, Vaegil pets his head,

‘Don’t let it get to you.’ he’s trying to comfort him. It backfires,

‘How could it not? What are we even fighting for? For what reason, did Lanara sacrifice herself?’ Feno’s getting unhinged, looks like bottling up his feelings has made him highly irritable,

‘Just let the crimson witch kill them. Wreak havoc all she wants! People like that aren’t worth protecting!’ he’s shouted it so loudly it draws the attention of the passing adventurers in the guild's foyer. They’re scampering past with books, papers and scrolls, busy with Luci’s reemergence so they're brushing it off shortly after. Returning to their respective duties.

‘Then, do you wish they sing you praises instead?’ dismissing the few adventurers’ formalities greetings that’re scurrying by them with a polite smile. Vaegil stops briefly to poke a finger at Feno’s heart,

‘That was your pride, your guilt speaking.’ before he continues leading them forward, through the gardens where Lanara’s frequently trained with her squadron,

‘The commoners live very different lives from us. They may look older, but know that most of them, hasn’t even lived a fraction of what you have, their Vita just isn’t strong enough to sustain their lives for that long.’ he explains chasing his gaze to a butterfly that’s fluttering by the hanging flowers that they’ve just passed underneath,

‘They’re detached from it, the conflicts, the wars, the rebellion guilds, Dal’gore and the sevenths.’ he smiles at the insect landing on top of his finger, before he watches it patter off again as they step into the shade,

‘If a region is prosperous and peaceful, they’ll question if you’re necessary and if adversaries arise, they’ll point accusing fingers. You can’t win, honestly.’ he sighs whimsically, going up a flight of stairs,

‘But there is one thing they do know, they’ve experienced the aftermath of our wars, our conflicts. They have to live with the consequences of our fights. They lose people they love to our world. So honestly, I can’t say it’s fair for them either... Athens is still very much recovering from Beelzebub’s destruction.’ reaching their destination, Vaegil opens the door to his office, holding it for Feno and gesturing him in,

‘The memories are still fresh in their minds, it’s a grueling reality just a few generations ago. Poverty still plagues them in their daily lives. That’s why Lanara’s tried so hard to help them. To make their lives more comfortable any way she could. But ultimately, even that support is brittle and insignificant after the ordeal we’ve put them through.’ it’s a simple white room overlooking the ledge into the sparkling seas. Vaegil pulls out five big pouches of coins from beneath his desk,

‘And now that she’s gone, she’s entrusted her squadron to you. What do you wish to do, Lieutanent Feno?’ along with it, he pushes a brand-new mission slip forward, it’s printed three days ago,

‘We found Lucifer by tracking the destruction whilst you’re still on your way home. She’s resumed her rampage in the eastern regions. Desolating town after town. And if we don’t do anything about it, after the eastern lands, she may make her way north, south, west, anywhere really.’ triple S, the location’s White Camellia’s guild hall in ShaoHaiGong,

‘I attended the Elite Ten’s conference. Odion Blight intends to rid her once and for all now that she’s holed herself in his land.’ there are already a few guilds who’s signed their names beneath. Lilith recognizes two of them, Raven’s Death and... Hollow Bow? Right, they were the west’s government before Felmane. Is that how Feno’s going to be acquainted with them?

‘I agreed to lend a hand, but I’m not forcing any of the squadrons to come with me. It’s on voluntary basis.’ Feno seems hesitant, shakingly reaching his fingers forward before he stables it with a clutch,

‘I-’ he’s at a loss for words, ‘I don’t know what I want to do.’ he breathes a shuddering laugh,

‘I joined the guild for Lanara. I never imagined, it’ll be so soon, we’ll encounter another war.’ withdrawing his hand,

‘Unlike her, I don’t have any ambition. I just...’ his voice is cracking, ‘I just enjoyed the simplicity of the daily life I got to spend with her. I never even wanted this position, this burden. All of it.’

‘She chose you, because she saw potential in you to make the right choices in her absence.’

‘You’re asking me, if I would send the rest of her squadron to die!’ he’s resisting, ‘and what for? For those who’ll rather see us disappear from this world?’ fracturing,

‘She loved them... She loves her squadron...’ he scoffs bitterly, ‘she won’t admit it herself, but I heard the endearing way she talks about them. The way she laughs and her eyes would sparkle when she’s around them.’ his words are running loose,

‘She felt so much guilt for the previous S+ mission, she chose to kill herself because she’s unable to forgive herself for what she did. All so that, they won’t have to fight in her stead.’ he challenges, flickering his eyes up,

‘So how am I supposed to make this decision when every fiber of my being is screaming to go against what you’re persuading. I’m not selfless like Lanara is, and I can’t be selfless like you are. I’m weak, I’m flawed, I couldn’t do anything to the crimson witch but watch her kill my comrades before my eyes! I couldn’t protect Lanara who’s on the verge of bleeding out and pleading me to save Michail instead! And even then, I thought, fuck him. I’d rather die with her if I can’t persuade her to leave with me.’ he’s really reluctant,

‘So, I can’t... I can’t do it for strangers who wish for our destruction. I can’t bring myself to sacrifice the people Lanara so dearly loves for them!’

Vaegil isn’t pushing, instead he retreats into his armchair, very quietly, he admits,

‘None of us is that selfless, Lieutenant Feno. All living things desire to survive.’ fiddling with a quill that he’s retrieve from atop his desk within his fingers,

‘But that survival, is often exclusive to one or the other. The same way, a lion hunts a deer. It’s either the lion eats and lives or the deer runs and the lion starves.’

Feno challenges,

‘Then for what purpose does the crimson witch attack us? She isn’t a lion that’ll starve without blood sacrifice.’

‘It’s a blood feud that begun millenniums ago by our ancestors and we’re still fighting it.’ Vaegil says with a half lidded glance,

‘We’ve killed her father, hunted down her siblings. Perhaps what she’s doing right now, is revenge against the very people whose robbed her of her family. A never-ending cycle of hatred, but what else can we do? Shall we not rise up to the defense and let her take everything we’ve built? Shall we be selfless and sacrifice ourselves to the lion so it can have its meal?’ he laughs airily,

‘No one is truly that noble, Lieutenant Feno.’ Vaegil’s statements have disarmed him, Feno’s wavering. But Vaegil isn’t waiting for his answer, he’s pushing the three fat pouches forward,

‘You don’t have to give me a reply right away. Division nine and division two hasn’t decided either.’ Vaegil points to one of them with the feather tip,

‘For the completion of the S+ mission. This is Anthony’s. But he doesn’t have any surviving family members left. As a Magia user, he’s outlived his parents and siblings decades ago. So, do what you may with it.’ before he brings the quill to the other two,

‘This is yours,’ tapping them in sequence, undoing a blue spark of Magia, like some kind of a lock, that’s been put on them,

‘And I’ll entrust Lanara’s share to you.’ he hints,

‘Bring it to her grandmother for me. Perhaps you may see the world a little differently through Lanara’s lenses.’ before he gets up to stretch. Sitting down has made him restless but that gesture just dishevels his clothes more. Now it’s looks like it’s about to fall off him any second, so he’s absentmindedly caught it by the ropes of his belt. But he’s choosing to discard it completely and let the top drape off his elbows like a fluttery shawl hanging to his ankles. It’s no wonder the commoners judge Altyria’s guild leader so harshly. He’s completely eccentric.

‘Alright!’ Vaegil perks up, swiping the remaining two bags off the table, ‘I gatta go give my condolences to Clara’s family after you’ve almost made her mother faint.’ and he’s reminded,

‘Oh, and if you’re curious of Michail, he’s in the infirmary right now. His family came by earlier. They’re probably staying by his bedside until he wakes up so they’ll be here for a few days. You should swing by eventually, considering he’s still your comrade after all.’

Feno’s standing by his desk, he hasn’t moved for a while. Flopping his head downwards and staring at the white surface listlessly.

It’s like the reality’s just hit him and he still refuses to accept it but even through all that, Lilith doesn’t think she’s ever seen him cry. Wearing that face again, eerily solemn. Feno's trying to shove his feelings into a jar and seal them up. That’s not healthy. It reminds her of Cyan a little bit. So desolated, that Feno isn’t even commenting on Vaegil’s attire as he attempts to walk out of the room. Instead, the moment Vaegil opens the door, the adventurer that’s waiting for him on the outside chops him on the head with his clipboard as though he’s already predicted Vaegil’s antics and he’s sick of it,

‘Need I remind you that you’re naked right now.’

Unlike Vaegil, the other man is fancily adorned in a black uniform, finished with a myriad of golden buttons, the same color as his eyes and hair. Amidst the badges, he has on, there’s a cloud swan with the letters V.G imprinted beneath it. Lilith guesses, he must be the vice guild leader. His actions made Vaegil flinch backwards with another,

‘Ouch, that hurts.’ before he pouts, ‘Salem, you’re so mean.’ but Salem isn’t entertaining him,

‘This is the reason why no one takes you seriously. You’re a weirdo if you think it’s appropriate to go out in public looking like this. When will you learn? Our reputation is already down the gutter as it is.’

‘I don’t understand you land dwellers and your obsession with clothes! If we’re in Lantika, it’s going to get wet regardless.’ Salem noncommittedly reminds,

‘You aren’t in Lantika anymore, Vaegil.’ before he snaps the discarded belt into his hand, tossing it to Vaegil and reading the list of commitments he has off the clipboard.

Vaegil’s to attend another conference meeting in an hour to discuss siege strategies, afterwards, he’ll have to assign the local governing guilds duties in his upcoming absence. Following that, they need to reallocate tax funds to mission rewards, region development and subsidies for the unfortunate. There’s also something about organizing a parting rights ritual to mourn the dead adventurers who have passed. Salem’s lecturing him not to splurge too much guild funds on that, they’re running low on it. However, they still have to maintain the presentability of the grim event as to boost morale and remind the adventurers what they’re fighting for.

Being a guild leader sure sounds like a chore. Vaegil doesn’t seem too enthusiastic to be reminded of his tasks, lethargically fixing his attire and mumbling at the same time, Salem’s a nag. Salem doesn’t acknowledge his complains, he’s dragging him out of the room and hurrying him to get moving. Before he leaves, Vaegil leans back into the door way, attempting to catch Feno’s attention with a little casual wave,

‘But don’t take too long to make up your mind.’ he hollers,

‘We’re leaving for the east in a week! Lucifer may relocate again if we took our time, war waits for nobody.’ it’s almost funny how he’s able to say it so cheerily as though it’s a field trip they’ll be going on. But Salem just clicks his tongue at him, telling him that he’s awfully insensitive and give the kid some time to grieve after the trauma he’s been through. Pulling him away against his wishes by the wrist, despite Vaegil’s still mid adjusting his clothes to look somewhat presentable. He isn’t very skilled at maneuvering the flowy white fabric with just one hand, especially when it’s dripping wet from soaking in the ocean previously.

It’s awfully quiet in the office after they’ve left. Lilith doesn’t know how long Feno’s been standing there afterwards. With only the sky to tell time as he watches the sun inch its way towards the late afternoons. It’s almost like he’s lost his will to live. As if he’s embarrassed to take a step out of the office and answer to the very people who are waiting for explanations and instructions. He doesn’t know what to do. There isn’t anyone left that’ll step in and guide him. As the Division Captain, he’s now supposed to be the guidance.

He’s thrusted that role by Lanara, and reinforced by the Guild leader. Lanara’s rather cruel actually. To use his feelings for her like that. Lilith wonders, is Feno thinking the same? She can’t tell. He isn’t showing anything. Not hatred, dismay, regret, anger. Just emptiness, like he’s been gorged open and hollowed out.

It’s during the evening when Feno impassively picks the pouches up from the table and finally departs. There’s still that stone cold gaze in his eyes as he drags himself down the hallway. Avoiding bumping shoulders with busy passing adventurers that looks him with pitying glances. They must’ve already heard what’s happened.

Feno’s turning the corner to avoid all of them, he’s going towards the second building, past the maze where he’s done the freeze tag trial. Now, it’s just been used as a training site for combat sparring. He looks longingly towards the few adventurers that’re utilizing the place, as if he’s recounting past memories of the happier times. But he soon breaks his eyes away like he’s been pricked by a thorn.

Losing Lanara must’ve been harsh. Instead, he picks up his pace, scampering down the walkway to escape the ugly monsters crawling out of the depths of his mind. It’s only when he’s in line of sight of his destination that he picks his head up again to acknowledge the people who’re waiting for him before the closed doors of Lanara’s office.

It’s her squadron. Seeing them makes him stop in his tracks. Taking a backwards step, he’s attempting to run away, but holds himself there knowing that he shouldn’t. There’s a somber look on all of their faces. Some of them, bursting into tears like witnessing Feno has just fortified the hearsay into truth, repeating,

‘So, she really is gone...’ in murmurs.

Feno takes a deep breath, he’s finding his words. They’re waiting for him to address the situation. But he couldn’t bring himself to say anything other than,

‘I’m sorry...’ in a tiny mutter. It enrages the delinquent guy standing right in front,

‘Don’t apologize! You can never apologize enough!’ he steps forward to push at his shoulder,

‘You can never repent enough! Apologizing won’t change anything!’ he’s shuddering, holding back tears that’re insisting on dripping down his cheeks,

‘Apologizing won’t bring her back...’ clutching into the collar of Feno’s shirt, he shakes him,

‘Order us into battle. Let us avenge her. Let us kill that warmongering bitch!’ that must’ve rattled something in Feno’s brain. Because he’s letting out a strange sound. A cold, and detached laughter. Did he break him? That makes delinquent guy hesitantly step backwards, he’s furrowing his brows at him,

‘What’s so funny?’ but Feno doesn’t reply, the laughter’s getting louder instead. It’s taunting delinquent guy to draw a punch,

‘You fucking bastard, is this all a joke to you-’ striking down at his face but Feno’s caught it within his palm. He’s clutching it, ice freezing up the delinquent guy’s arm. He’s refraining from struggling against it, he must’ve known, if he tugs, the frostbite’s going to explode him, so he’s just repeatedly cursing at Feno.

Feno’s snapped,

‘How are you supposed to kill the crimson witch when you can’t even win against me?’ lashing out his helplessness, his indignation,

‘Do you think she’s going to be the same pushover you meet in your average D+ quests?’ parroting what the White Camellia’s guild leader has told him,

‘What good is throwing away your lives that your beloved captain painstakingly tried to protect? It’ll just make her sacrifice moot.’ he’s clenching harder, the ice’s cracking, it almost looks as though he intentionally wants to cause harm. Delinquent guy isn’t backing down even if he’s grimacing and grinding his teeth at his statement,

‘We’re weak. We are all weak! If it wasn’t for Captain Lanara we would’ve been kicked out of Altyria a long time ago. We already understood that. But rather than wallowing in our sorrow, we’d rather fight to our deaths than to let the enemy trample over our pride and take what’s ours. So what if she’s the crimson witch, she can even be Dal’gore for all I care.’ delinquent guy doesn’t try to retaliate, instead, he’s attempting to persuade with words,

‘I cannot live with myself if I don’t do anything. I cannot live with myself if I don’t at least try to avenge her. And I thought you, out of anyone else here, would feel the same.’ he scoffs at him,

‘But in the end, you’re nothing but a daydreaming bastard.’ the next statement makes Feno flinch,

‘None of us wanted to acknowledge it, but Captain Lanara truly is blinded by her emotions when she chose you.’ he spits on the ground,

‘You’re fucking pathetic.’ Feno shatters his ice to let delinquent guy retract his arm. He’s rubbing his wrist, bruised purple from the lack of blood flow. Inhaling sharply to compose himself, delinquent guy says very seriously,

‘I will never acknowledge someone who gives up before a fight as my captain. With or without you, I’m taking the mission even if I have to join another guild to do so.’ he flicks his head towards the rest of the squadron,

‘You lot can either follow me and die trying, or stay with him and wallow in self-pity. It’s your choice.’ before he takes off in the opposite direction. A few of the squadron members immediately leaves with him. The majority, flickering their eyes between them, taking a few moments to make their decisions before scampering away too. There’re fewer and fewer people remaining behind until the crowd entirely disperses, leaving none but one. It’s a young girl with pink pigtails. Possibly sixteen or seventeen. She looks extremely skeptical. Skipping forward with a hesitant,

‘Um... It’s Captain Feno, right?’ to draw Feno’s attention. She looks up with a contemplating gaze,

‘I don’t think you’re wrong...’ she says softly, hugging a book before her purple pinafore dress defensively like a shield,

‘Unlike everyone else, I’ve only recently joined division six so you probably haven’t seen me around much. I don’t really know Captain Lanara very well, and neither do I know you.’ she meekly admits,

‘That’s why... I’m not motivated as the rest of them to risk my life on the battlefield for the sake of revenge. And when I heard that the guild leader intends to march us into war. I can’t help but to feel terrified.’ she takes a deep breath as if she’s trying to find her courage,

‘I really don’t want to die yet.’ but Feno’s just returning her a cold uncommitted stare, like he’s telling her that agreeing with him isn’t going to make him feel any better. He’s just as disgusted at his own actions. But she somehow interprets it differently and tries to introduce,

‘Oh... R-right.’ pigtails stutters, ‘my name is Nana. Nana Rinheart.’

‘I don’t care.’ he makes it clearer.

Brushing past her to reach for the doorknob into Lanara’s office. Feno enters the room. It’s messy as Lanara’s left it, with stacks of unfinished work piled on top of her table, looking to collapse. Some of them already did, scattering all over the ground. Her coat is still hung on the clothing rack, above her training weights that’s discarded in the corner, along with a box of vanity products of nail clippers, rouge and hair brush collecting dust. A ball of yarn tangled beside it that she sometimes bats around and fiddles with when she’s sick of working. Everything in here must’ve reminded him of her. He’s reaching for a book on the shelves flushed against the opposite wall. It’s one with a green and yellow cover, a risqué romance novel that Lanara secretly reads when the lights go off. Freckles has recommended it to her apparently. Feno's flipping it to the middle, there’s an envelope slipped between. Seeing it breaks his composure. He’s shaking a little. Before he tries again, sealing his emotions shut. He’s really bad at coping with losses.

Feno retrieves it to unravel the contents. It’s a note for him, left by Lanara almost a year ago, she’s mentioned it to him once to search for it when she dies. But Feno had jokingly replied to her then, as if he wants to see her final will.

Ironic it’s happening so soon; unfurling the paper, he takes a deep breath as if to prepare himself before he reads,

‘Hello Feno! If you’re seeing this, I’m guessing something bad happened to me huh. Well, did I at least go out in a cool manner? It’s rather awkward writing this at the present moment, but it’s better to be prepared than never at all! As an adventurer you must always anticipate to die on duty.’ she’s drawn a little smiley cat face there,

‘I feel a little insane doing this, I don’t even know what to address. I feel like I’m talking to myself. There’re so many things on my mind just thinking about my demise. Well, anyways, I do plan to make you my Lieutenant in the near future. I’ve been considering it for a while now. You must’ve accepted the job. I’m totally going to hassle you until you accept it and I won’t back down! Don’t underestimate yourself! I really believe you’re up for the task! Is my squadron giving you troubles yet? They’re a hardy bunch to deal with.’ there’s something scribbled off in the next part that she’s changed her mind about,

‘Hm... I don’t really know what advices I can give you. You must be awfully confused right now. I can already see the expression you’re making. I’m predicting, you’re sulking because you miss me! Did you cry for me? Are you crying for me now? If you’re sad, you should cry! There’s no shame in it! I’ll be flattered,’ she’s drawn a blushing face next to it,

‘But afterwards, pull your shit together! If the captain doesn’t toughen up, the entire squadron falls apart. No matter what adversities you’re facing, you need to be levelheaded for them. Don’t try and guess the decisions I would make. Make the decisions you feel is right! You’re in charge now, and if they don’t listen to you. Just be a little pushy, like I am. Knock some sense into Anthony if he bullies Clara! I trust you to know what’s the best thing to do! And oh, there’s another request I’d like to ask. Will you pass on my life savings to my grandmother? She’s all alone now. It’s the blue dimension pouch in my drawer, I’ve sealed it with Magia that only you can break. If it isn’t too much trouble, visit her for me sometimes too. She makes the best cookies. You won’t regret it!’ there’re some more scratched-out letters, she’s probably rewrote this many times,

‘And... Hm... I wonder if I’ve already told you by the time you read this, but do you know. I think I’m falling in love with you.’ this part’s making his grip tremble, she’s too cruel,

‘Sometimes, when I look at you, the whole world becomes sparkly. And whenever you blush at something I said, my heart skips a beat and I can’t help but to think, I really want to pounce on you. You’re so cute to tease.’ there’s a sly catty smirk next to it,

‘Or maybe it’s just the romance novel playing tricks on me. I wonder if I had the courage to confess before I died. Did you return my feelings? If you didn’t, I’ll probably need to come back and rewrite this again at some point. Urg. I’ll hate that, don’t reject me, alright?’ the paper’s getting crinkled with how tightly he’s holding it,

‘But, don’t let this hold you back. I’m already dead by the time you see this, so move on! Move forward! Make another person happy the same way you’ve made me! But don’t slack off on your Captain duties either, I have high expectations of you!’ she’s signed off at this point. Kissed the bottom of the page with a pink lipstick and wrote good luck in cursive.

Lanara really is selfish. How is she expecting him to move on when she’s left behind something like this. It’s almost manipulative. In the middle of the barely lit office, Feno collapses to the ground. Lanara’s letter must’ve been the last critical arrow that smashes the jar wide open. He’s losing it. Hugging his knees to burying his face against it, he finally lets himself cry.