“Yes, I knew her for a time. She was the head of the Earth temple, back when Heliola was still in the sky,” Gaia says. “Her power was beyond measure—it was she who kept the land mass afloat.”

Ren’s eyes widen. “You mean Heliola?”

“The entire city, yes. However, she met her untimely demise, as did everyone else, including myself, when the city came crashing down on Zenthos,” Gaia explains. “It was an unfortunate point in history—it was that incident, alongside the birth of the Pandora’s Citadel and the release of the four Horseman, that truly threw Zenthos into an age of chaos, death, and destruction.”

“But why isn’t she a spirit like you?” Ren asks. The other great spirits sought shelter in inanimate objects, like a statuette, and the corpses of their dead friends. Why is Gaia hailed as the great spirit of earth, instead of the rightful owner of its title: Terra?

“Perhaps she is. Just like our Emperor, Lord Ignis, she may be wandering out in the wilds. Till you returned, we did believe that our Lord Ignis was officially dead and gone.”

“Yeah, turns out He was just trapped in the Vault,” Ren mutters. If Gaia heard it, She doesn’t respond.

The spirit’s eyes sparkle, emerald light glinting off the walls. If Ren imagines hard enough, he can practically see her smiling. “I believe it’s time for you to get some rest, dear Luminary. You have suffered much, and that effort deserves to be rewarded.”

“Just… Just one more thing,” Ren says, raising his hand. Gaia’s gaze weighs heavily on him, like an anvil crushing his chest. Yet, he must continue, because it’s been niggling at his mind for quite a while now.

“What is it?”

Ren fights the breath caught in his throat, forcing the words out of his mouth as though he were spitting them. “Where were you when Heliola fell? Like, what were you doing?”

“I think that that is enough questions.” Rayfel holds his hands up. “Dear Luminary”—those words were gritted out—“perhaps we can cut short this conversation and…”

“It is quite all right. The Luminary is merely curious,” Gaia says, but there is an obvious edge to Her tone now. “To answer your question, I was in the Earth temple, helping to sort out some clothes. It must have been about three hundred years, but I still remember it as clear as day.”

Ren nods. “Was Terra with you?”

“In the same building, yes, but we were not in the same room. I was in our quarters with the other disciples, whilst she was in the main chamber, meditating. It was imperative that she never miss her daily rituals to maintain her spiritual energy.”

“Do you do these rituals too?”

“Of course, but it is at different times, and we have other duties to attend to. However, none of our talent could compare to that of our master’s. I may be able to raise the earth, over distances greater than you can imagine, but I am unable to lift a landmass as large as Heliola.”

Ren smiles. “I see. Do you know what caused the city’s fall, then?”

“I… I regret that I do not. It all happened so fast, so suddenly, that we had no time to think. Before we knew it, we were tumbling from the sky,” Gaia says. “I don’t even think I remember when I had died.”

As morbid as the thought is, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Falling from that height, in a city that big, large enough to level the land, would probably result in more than a couple of broken bones.

“What about the Box that the Old Ones gave Ignis? Did you know about that?”

Gaia doesn’t answer right away, but She eventually replies with, “No, I’ve not heard of it. Whatever is that, and what do the Old Ones have to do with this?”

Ren tells her what Ignis did. About how He was the one who sought to obtain the power to become an Old One, only to bring about the apocalypse instead. She makes grunts of acknowledgements, and a thoughtful hum floats into his ears as She considers his story. Ignis would probably tell Her the same thing too.

“I see. So, it is because of our dear Emperor’s hubris that brought Zenthos to its knees,” Gaia muses.

“But that…” Rayfel shakes his head. “You mean to say that it was our Lord Ignis who… I don’t believe this.”

“You can ask him yourself,” Ren says. “I think he’s with the Queen right now.”

Rayfel huffs. “I do think I will check with Him myself. This story that you have presented to us is absolutely absurd.”

“And yet, the Luminary would not have any reason to lie,” Gaia says. “Did our Lord Ignis tell you anything else?”

“Well…” Ren bites his lip. “He told us that there was someone there, before Him, who took the Box and opened it, but He isn’t sure about that.”

“Could He describe this person?” Gaia asks.

Ren hums. “No. His memory was too hazy, apparently.”

“I see. Well, I suppose that he could have recalled wrongly. It is entirely possible, after all. It’s been three hundred years since the apocalypse happened. Three hundred years since Lord Ignis was a living, breathing human.”

Three hundred years. To be honest, Ren can’t imagine being stuck down there in that dingy basement for three hundred years, not knowing what the world even looks like outside. How did Ignis remain sane?

“In any case, I do believe that you are tired, and you should turn in early today,” Gaia says. “What has happened in the past has already happened, and there is nothing that we can do to change it now.”

Ren falls silent for a brief moment. “Yeah, you’re right. There’s nothing we can do to change the past.”

He hears the smile in her voice next, that wasn’t there before, a kind of motherly gentleness, as she urges him to go back to his room to rest. Ren turns his back to the statue, and he leaves the altar.

He distinctly feels Rayfel and Gaia’s curious, or scheming, gazes on him as he steps out.

*

Ren can’t sleep. It’s not because he’s not tired—no, the exhaustion clings to every part of him, oozing out from his pores, leaving his muscles numb and his energy drained. However, as much as every other part of his body screams at him to sleep, to doze off and get some shut-eye, his mind can’t help but wander.

It’s been a while since he had a room all to himself. Vane opted to sleep in his own princely abode, whilst Gridel returned to her soldier’s quarters, and Penny is housed in another room just down the hallway from his. Ren stares up at the ceiling, filled with cracks spidering across the flat surface.

Maybe he shouldn’t have questioned Gaia when he was all alone. Maybe he should have waited till his companions woke up, and he has Penny’s backup, that he confronted the “great spirit”. That person that Ignis mentioned having seen in the Vault, could it have been… in that case, what is She doing here? What are Her intentions?

Needless to say, he didn’t sleep at all. Ren awakens the next day as groggy as ever, yawning nonstop throughout breakfast, to the point where Penny asks him whether there’s anything wrong.

No, nothing, he was tempted to reply, but he clamped his jaw shut before he could. It isn’t nothing—it was definitely something, all right—and he doesn’t really see any point lying to Penny. She’d see right through him, and then she’d bug him all day. But it’s not like he can confide in her with regards to his suspicions now either, considering that Elvira and Rayfel are both in the dining hall, partaking in the meal with them.

“Is there something troubling you?” Elvira asks, putting down her cutlery with a sharp clink. Rayfel, on the other hand, doesn’t speak. Yet, Ren can feel his gaze piercing through him, trying to get a read on him.

“No, it’s nothing.” Ren shakes his head. “Just… I didn’t have a good night’s sleep.”

Elvira chuckles. “Perhaps a bath would relax your muscles and spirit. It could be just what you need.”

Ren smiles. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll go do that later.”

After breakfast, he pulls Penny aside, his fingers grasping her wrist tightly and dragging her in the direction of his room. She doesn’t protest and instead lets herself be pulled along. Does she sense his urgency? He sure hopes she does.

Once they’re in his room, Ren shuts the door, and he leans his back against the wood. Penny folds her arms, and she cocks a brow.

“This better not be some declaration of love,” she says.

Ren shoots her a look. “Oh, how I wish it’s something that trivial. Besides, we both know I don’t swing that way.”

“Okay? So, what’s up?” She doesn’t even wait for an invitation before she strides over to his bed, and she plants herself on it, wriggling her butt as she gets into a more comfortable position. “Why’d you ask me here like some kind of weirdo?”

“First of all, I’m not a weirdo,” Ren bites out. “And second, I think Gaia’s not on our side.”

“You too, huh?” Penny purses her lips. “She’s got everyone wrapped around Her little finger here, or Her little bear claw.”

Ren blanches. Penny knew, and she said nothing?

“The more we learn on our adventure, the more sus I was of Her,” Penny says. “Remember how Sylph said that the great spirit of the earth is supposed to be Terra, and not Gaia, and Gaia was just some disciple under Terra?”

Yes, Ren picked up on that too.

“And then there was Ignis’ description of the person in the vault wearing Earth temple clothes. And remember when that miner guy taught us about the mines, about how they have to pray to Gaia before leaving or they’ll meet with some kind of tragedy?”

Ren nods vigorously. Clues that he’d picked up as well.

“The most telling was when we were in Ruk’vahn, surrounded by all that sand.” Penny raises a finger. “I mean, Vane’s sword not working? That’s got to be Gaia, hasn’t it? When we were fighting the Horseman of Famine too. That earth cage wasn’t formed by Vane. It was formed by Her.”

“So, She was in cahoots with the Horsemen? But then why…” Ren frowns, as he rubs his chin. He’s left with more questions than answers. Why would Gaia send them on a quest to kill the Horsemen, then, and summon the Pandora’s Citadel? Why did She work with the Horsemen in that case?

“I think this is something that only She can answer,” Penny says. “What I’m confused about is why She’s a great spirit, you see? Like, isn’t She supposed to be an Old One now?”

That’s true. If the Old Ones are to be trusted, then if Gaia were the one to open the Box, She should have more power than She does now. She should have ascended to the skies, hanging out with Her Old One buddies or something.

“You know what? We’re not going to waste time standing here. We’re going to talk to Gaia today,” Penny says.

“Why not scale Pandora’s Citadel first? We can free Zenthos, then confront Gaia,” Ren argues. “Surely, She won’t respond too kindly if we just went up to Her and—”

The words die in his throat when a sharp knock raps on the door. Ren jumps out of his skin, his entire body frozen as his eyes go wide, mirroring Penny’s shocked expression. He glances at the door, his heartbeat stuttering in his chest as another round of knocks slams against the wood.

“Open up!”

That does not sound like the voice of anyone they know. It’s hoarse and vulgar, grating like pellets of gravel against each other.

“Who is it?” Penny calls back shrilly, the high note in her voice betraying her nervousness.

If the people on the other end heard her, they choose to ignore it. “Open up or we’ll tear this door down!”

“Shit,” Ren mutters. “Do you think they’re on to us?”

Penny doesn’t reply. Instead, she worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “This is—”

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence. In the next instant, a sharp pound on the door splinters the wood. The blade of an axe smashes through the planks, leaving pieces of bark strewn on the ground.

Holy shit.

Ren grasps his friend’s shoulders. “Penny, we have to run.”

The axe slams into the door again, and Ren stiffens. He meets Penny’s fearful gaze. “As soon as they break it down, we’re going to run past them. Do you get me?”

“Yeah, I get you.”

Good. Ren grabs Ifrit from the cabinet beside his bed. “Do you have Mira with you?”

Penny pats her sheathed dirk slotted into her belt. “She never leaves my side.”

With one final swing, the door is cut down, landing with a hard thump against the stone floor. Behind it are a ton of angry soldiers on the other end. Their faces are dark, their entire body suited up in gleaming armour, and they carry all kinds of weapons. The burly one standing at the front of the cluster, the one wielding the battle axe, growls.

“You two are arrested on the charge of high treason against our Lady Gaia,” the soldier announces. “You will either come with us quietly, or we will take you by force.”

Ren and Penny exchange glances. Ifrit burns hot in his hand, as though ready and waiting for his command.

Penny turns back towards the guards, a frown on her lips. “How about… no?”

She draws a diagonal arc in the air, sending it flying towards the soldiers. They scream, some of them flung aside by the high-pressure blade. Ren does not give the others a moment to react, for he conjures a stream of fire from the glowing ruby atop his staff.

The fire scorches the floor, the wall, and whatever tapestries and curtains hung upon them. The soldiers bat at the flames vigorously, looking like they’re dancing. Though it may be a spectacle that Ren could get a good laugh out of, there is no time to waste. They’re wanted people, people whom someone—Gaia—ordered to capture, and perhaps even kill.

“Come on!” Penny grabs Ren’s arm, dragging him out of the room and past the flaming corridor. That blaze is not going to last long, considering that the walls aren’t made of flammable material at all—just stone and hardened earth.

They dash down the hallway, headed for the main entrance. Ren has absolutely no idea where they can go—he has no idea how much influence Rayfel has, but he for certain knows that Gaia can turn the entire army of Gravelle on them if She has to.

“There they are!”

Ren glances up at the voice, eyes widening at the sheer number of soldiers rushing out from the hallways of the second floor. His arm moves of its own accord, swinging Ignis and sending a wave of fire towards the soldiers. A collective gasp and screams ring out from the legion as they are engulfed in the inferno. Ren apologises silently to them, before he’s dragged by Penny to the main hall and out of the castle.

They race across the bridge and out onto the street. It’s practically a ghost town now, what with most of Gravelle’s citizens having migrated to the fields aboveground. They’ve done a bit of restructuring to the place, he notices—particularly the lifts made of wood that extends up into the air, and up into the sky.

That’s their only way out.

The earth beneath their feet trembles, seconds before the soil begins to sink under Ren’s feet. He yelps, flinging his arms out and crashing face-first into the ground. Pain shoots up his chin, and his nose aches. He plunges Ifrit into the ground, away from the sinkhole.

“Ren? You okay?” Penny throws her arm out, her fingers splayed. “Grab on!”

Ren clings tightly to both his staff and Penny’s offered hand. Yet the sinkhole continues to suck him in, caging his foot, as though a set of fingers hard like rock and dirt have curled around his ankle and are refusing to let go.

No doubt Gaia’s influence.

“Loosen the rocks!” Ren shouts. His heart goes at a mile a minute, panic infused in his tone. “Use Mira! Quick!”

He can already hear the guards shouting behind them as they chase the duo down from the castle. That fire didn’t last very long—he knew that, but he didn’t think they’d have to contend with the great spirit of earth Herself.

Penny whips her dirk out and she slams it into the ground. Tremors shake the earth, and for a single instant, there is nothing. For a moment, he wants to ask her just what happened, and why—

Water bursts from the middle of the sinkhole. Ren cries out as he’s hurtled into the air, his entire body thrust into the air, almost high enough to touch the ceiling. Below, the guards are catching up to them, the sinkholes closing up where they step.

As he falls, as his stomach turns upside down, Ren aims Ifrit at the soldiers. He prays with all his heart for this to work, for his plan to not result in him going splat when he hits the ground, and to keep the soldiers from arresting himself and Penny.

Closing his eyes, he lets the magic burst forth from Ifrit’s shining ruby.

Red sears his eyelids, and Ren blinks. A grin grows on his face as the thrill thrums through him, stronger than ever. Emerging from his staff is the mighty fire dragon’s spirit, its serpentine body born of flames and nothing more.

Ren lands heavily on it, the flames dancing on its back burning him. Keeping the staff tight in his hand, Ren grabs a fistful of its fiery mane with the other. Ifrit sails down towards the soldiers, paying no heed to their terrified cries. The dragon lands between Penny and the soldiers. He lifts his head and roars, bellowing out his dissatisfaction, his resolve.

Penny begins running again, taking off down the rest of the sinkhole-ridden road. With another roar, Ifrit draws up a curtain of flames the entire width of the road. Through the fire, Ren can see the silhouettes of the uncertain soldiers, taking measured steps back from the wall.

Ren hops off Ifrit’s body as soon as their spell has been cast, and Ifrit returns to his home in the ruby of his staff. Now that he’s bought them some time, Ren has to scram. He follows Penny, dodging the stone geysers that shoot up from where the sinkholes were. They’re easy enough to evade, as long as he makes sure to skirt the sliding dirt and to keep his focus on the road ahead.

But that road soon comes to an end, when Ren bumps right into his friend’s back. Standing before the lift they were heading towards, Penny has paused, her hand on the grip of her dirk.

“Penny, what’s—” The problem, Ren wants to ask, but that’s before he sees their next roadblock. Their next obstacle to freedom.

“Master Ren? Lady Penny, I heard that—” Vane narrows his eyes. “It can’t be, that you are—”

“We are what?” Penny spits the words out.

Vane wrings his hands, an expression of distress crossing his face. “I received word that there were criminals running loose in the castle. I had to report back immediately and…” He glances from one of their faces to the other. “You cannot be serious, that you are…”

“Well, they’re lying,” Ren says. “We did nothing wrong.”

“Yet,” Vane says, meeting their gazes with a twinkle in his eye, “the orders to eliminate the criminals came from Lady Gaia herself.”