The landscape remained a monotonous grey and they walked for hours on end with nary a change. Yuriko repressed a yawn, paying half a mind to Reinhardt’s prattling.

The young prince seemed to have a need to fill the silence with his voice, and he’d been talking for hours.

‘I knew I said that I didn’t know him at all, but I didn’t expect him to start talking about his entire life.’ Yuriko sighed.

So far, he’d talked about his childhood in Llioth plane’s royal palace, about how every Season of Fire he would tour the country with his siblings, and how he spent most of his life training to duel.

“Duel with what?” she asked curiously. She didn’t see him carrying a weapon at all.

He snapped his fingers and conjured up three diamond-shaped Animus constructs. They floated above his palm and with a casual wave, sent them flying several paces away. The projectiles dissipated after a couple of seconds.

“These gloves are my bonded weapon,” he said proudly. “She allows me to gather ambient Chaos and mix my Animus in them to create my diamonds. Nobility in Isger fight for sport using Animus constructs. Only commoners bind common weapons.” Reinhardt glanced pointedly at Devion, Michi, and Kallas.

“Oh.” Yuriko murmured faintly, while listening with half an ear to the rest of his boasting. Sometimes he spoke about the beautiful places he’d visited and to those she listened with her full attention.

“The Fireflows of Mount Ligrah are one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen,” he said, then added with an insouciant grin, “almost as gorgeous as the scenery now.”

Yuriko just arched an eyebrow and rolled her eyes at the obvious flattery, but he continued after a brief pause.

“Molten earth flows down the mountain, glowing orange, green and violet. It throws up fires of brilliant hues too, and the flows carve through the softer rock of the hills around it. The stronger and harder rocks remain firm enough that it’s safe to stand on them, and visitors would enjoy the view up close. Even more enjoyable are the heated pools in the nearby areas. I’d love to take you there sometime, you know, enjoy the atmosphere and dip in the heated water.”

“I’d love that,” Yuriko answered absently, even as she returned her attention to their surroundings. “Are the pools deep?”

“About a pace or so at the edges. Shallow enough for anyone to enjoy, and inn builders carve seats at the edge.”

Every once in a while, Yuriko would glance at him out of the corner of her eye. Reinhardt had a heart-shaped face and fine features. He looked soft though. His robes hid most of his body, but from how he moved, she knew that he was no warrior, despite his professed dueling training. Maybe he was used to fighting with others like himself, for sport. When she helped them a few hours ago, he had been cowering behind his guards. Doing nothing ensured his survival though.

He had pinchable cheeks and his enthusiasm and bright eyes reminded her of her youngest brother, Rami. It awoke a protective instinct in her.

Midday and the seven of them stopped to take a rest. Both Tiernan and Reinhardt were winded, the Isgeri noble more so than the cadet officer. Well, he spent most of the time talking, so he should have had a hoarse voice, by now.

“Miss Davar…Yuriko,” Tiernan whispered to her. “Are you sure about bringing extra baggage along?” He pointedly didn’t look at the Isgeri.

“Do you propose just leaving them?”

“Yes.”

Yuriko arched an eyebrow and Tiernan flushed.

“There may not be room in the Ebon Horizon for them, and maybe they bring troubles of their own.”

“Have you been to their plane?”

“No, but I’ve been to Chelda once. The Ebon Horizon trades everywhere. Chelda is near the border. Er,” He crossed his eyes and hummed, “I think Isger is a bit more inward. Scratch that, Chelda isn’t a frontier plane either, and Isger’s Vellexa is a single plane from Chelda.”

“What’s your point?”

“Well, from what I heard from Jonir and Zoey, Coalition states near the frontier are filled with unrest. Who do you think sank their Chaos ship?”

“Privateers?”

“And the question is, who’s backing them? If we stay with them, then maybe we’ll have to fight their battles, too.”

Yuriko shrugged. “Well, that’s merely conjecture.” She pursed her lips. “You may be right, but I don’t want to just leave them, especially after we helped them already.”

“Are you attracted to that floozy?”

Yuriko blinked. “I don’t think so.”

Tiernan eyed her strangely, then chuckled. “If you say so.”

Reinhardt walked up to them, carrying a cloth bundle. He offered it to Yuriko and handed Tiernan a smaller bundle. “I noticed that you’re not eating. Short rations?”

“You’re right.” Yuriko sighed. “We were thrown out of out ship so suddenly that we only had what we were carrying instead of a full pack.” She patted her hip satchel under her robes. “We only have a few ration bars between us and a few things we purchased from Euphoril.”

“Wayfarers’ bread,” Reinhardt nodded. “It should taste better than those ration bars you Imperials love.”

“You know about those?” Yuriko asked curiously.

“Of course. The entire Chaos Sea knows about Verdanian ration bars,” he grinned, “and how bad they taste.”

“Only if you eat them without prepping,” Tiernan protested.

“Sure, but wayfarers’ bread is good even without doing anything to it. Go ahead and take a bite.”

Yuriko unwrapped the parcel, finding three squares about three inches to the side. It was slightly brown and hard to the touch. She nibbled on a corner and the bread practically melted on her tongue. It released such a blast of flavour, a mix between sweet pastry, ham, and cheese, that she couldn’t help but moan in pleasure. She hurriedly took more bites until the slab was gone, and a few more bites to polish off the rest of it. The second bread tasted of berries and cream, while the third tasted like roast potatoes smothered in butter and milk.

“This is amazingly tasty,” Tiernan gasped.

Reinhardt smiled. “Well, those are royal rations, so they’d better taste good.”

“Oh, are these your personal supply?” Yuriko asked.

“Of course, but nothing but the best for you.”

“Thank you.”

Reinhardt shrugged. “We’ve got a limited supply of water. The water maker isn’t pulling enough moisture. I think we have enough for three days. Five if we ration it carefully.”

“Don’t worry about water,” Yuriko offered, “I’ve a technique that will take care of it.”

“Truly?” Reinhardt smiled widely, “Then I must thank you for saving our lives again.” He turned to Tiernan, “Good sir, how far away is your ship, and how long would it take to get there, I wonder?”

“I’m not sure how far,” Tiernan shrugged, “but it hasn’t moved since we started travelling.” He gulped, “I only hope we find them safe and sound, instead of a wreck.”

“Bite your tongue, none of that pessimistic talk, now.” Reinhardt frowned. “I've got some odd news as well. Devion tells me that his swordbrothers haven’t moved either.”

“You mean the rest of your guard?” Yuriko asked.

“Yes. All members’ bonded weapons share the same source, allowing them to form a tenuous connection. Much like young Teirnan here, Devion could feel which direction the others are in. But…they haven’t moved much.”

“Could they be dead?” Yuriko asked grimly.

Reinhardt shook his head. “If they were, the bonded spirit would have dissipated. But the bond doesn’t indicate distance. So maybe they’re headed straight towards us instead.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Maybe.” Reinhardt sighed then lapsed into silence.

“Thank you for the bread,” Yuriko said again, “but we must continue on.”

Reinhardt nodded. A few minutes later, they continued their journey.

How much longer would they have to walk? And would Aunt Layla and her cousins look for her? She hoped so, just as she prayed to the Ancestors that they were alive and well, that the reason the Ebon Horizon hadn’t changed positions was that they were either waiting for her and Tiernan or that they were headed directly at them.

But would they even know that the cadet officer was with her? She carried no beacon that would pinpoint her position for them, and Tiernan admitted that he had nothing of the sort either. What’s stopping them from assuming that she and Tiernan had died? Would they just leave?

Pessimistic thoughts spiralled in her mind. Ever since she got sucked into that rip in the fabric of reality, everything had gone wrong. She got stronger, sure, but she was stuck far from home. She missed her brothers and she knew that Rami needed her. Marron’s duty prevented him from being with their youngest sibling, just as Kato’s schooling separated him from Faron’s Crossing. Oh, wait, he should have finished his course in the Academy by now. Another thing she missed.

And what of the revelations from Gonir of the Oska? What of Masa? Their frank words made her doubt her actions in Bella. Had she been nothing more than a pawn to move to another’s will? Every step she had taken was done to get her home. Otlaca had done little but to draw her into a fight that she didn’t want.

Why did she fight for them anyway?

An image was burned in her mind. Corpses of defenseless children slaughtered in the village square. Wrath. She felt hot rage coursing through her veins. How could they kill the innocent? Wasn’t that why she helped the Lucentians? Monsters who kill children deserve no mercy!

But was it really the Vizugmon troops who did that? She was sure it was them. Chaos, they had three cohorts that attacked her and Rhox! Those were catkin, for sure.

But…wasn’t there another faction in Bella composed of rebels of all races? ‘Don’t tell me they had acted under Otlaca’s orders?’

She didn’t realise it back then but because Layla and her cousins explained it to her, she was a war asset. She had been responsible for allowing the Lucentians to fight on an even footing.

A sick feeling in her tummy welled up and she felt the urge to vomit. Did she just help a murderer?

But there was no proof. It was all conjecture. But now that the idea had taken root in her mind, she couldn’t help but reexamine every interaction she had with the snake-kin. They were rebels, weren’t they? What would they not resort to to achieve their goals?

No, no. It was all guesswork. The fact of the matter was that the cat-kin attacked her on her way to Viterra. She hadn’t been part of the war efforts then. Unless…

She shook her head. No use for spinning in circles. She was away from Bella and its civil war.

But didn’t she join in just because she didn’t have anything better to do? Didn’t she kill because Otlaca gave her a purse of coins more than enough to give her passage home?

“Miss Davar!” Tiernan grabbed her shoulder and she almost smashed his nose in.

“What?”

“Are you alright?” Reinhardt’s voice was heavy with concern. The three bodyguards had their hands on the hilts of their weapons, and Shara was trying to interpose herself between her and the prince.

“What do you mean? I’m fine.” Yuriko said curtly.

“You…” he gulped, “you suddenly started glowing, and golden flames emerged from your body. Then you looked like you were going to destroy the next thing that crossed you.”

“Eh?” Her Anima had flared, without her noticing it. The golden flames billowed around her, and it stretched farther than before, at thirty two inches. Just eight more to reach the threshold!

She looked at Tiernan who was quivering in his boots. But he still managed to touch her shoulder. Her Anima didn’t reject him. As for Reinhardt, he was at the border of her flare.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled at her Anima. A bit of red tinged her flare, spiderwebbed from her heart towards the edges. She could feel her anger focused on them, feeling it prodding at her mind. With a frown, she pulled harder until the reddish light returned to her, and the flames resumed its pure golden light. Then she pulled and condensed until it was but a layer above her skin.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you for your concern.”

Tiernan nodded while the Isgeri eyed her with suspicion. Except for Reinhardt who only grinned happily.

Her display had not been without consequence. Even as she condensed her Anima, she saw ripples in the distance, and in the blink of an eye, grey creatures rose from the earth.

That was good. She needed to vent her frustrations anyway.