Gemini sighed as he placed the small cup of wine down. The names of his friends, which had been inscribed here to immortalise them, was more than enough to put a damper on his spirits. He never did get to finish the battle with Ortega, and Magnus still owed him some drinks.

These promises would never be fulfilled ever again.

Placing his hands together once again, Gemini inclined his head at the monument, where the names of so many heroes had been inscribed on. At the same time, Lila folded a small paper flower and placed it beside the cup, while Hereward conjured a small ring of grey light.

There were all kinds of ways to honour the fallen, and after placing a small cup of wine in the dedicated offering area, Gemini and the others entered Ark City with Eliza’s help. Having her by the side was essentially a shortcut through just about every procedure, although Gemini did feel somewhat bad that the Demigod herself had to have her identity verified.

Also, the way how everyone stared at Hereward, who was a radiant shadow of grey light, was rather amusing as well.

“Huh. I would have thought that it was dark and everything inside, but looks like Lila wasn’t pulling my leg after all.” Gemini looked up at the sky…or rather, the false sky. “Did you guys make the roof a giant artefact?”

“Yep. It’s quite the marvel, right? No more sneaky spies coming in above the city walls, if there aren’t city walls. And there’s only a few ways into the city too!” Eliza chuckled. “The blue sky is for everyone’s sake, though. They would probably riot if everyone had to be stuck in darkness for more than three weeks.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’d expect,” Gemini replied.

“Glass would have been an easier alternative,” Hereward noted, “but there are probably hundreds of weapons built into the dome here, no? Glass wouldn’t work.”

“That’s pretty much it,” Eliza replied. “I’m not sure about the technical details, though.”

“Why would you be?” Gemini rolled his eyes. “Alright, where should we go first? Should we feed the hungry great god next to us? Or should we check out our old home first?”

“I’ve contacted the others,” said Eliza. “Well, those who knew who you in your…previous life, anyway. Chamberlain, Degurechaff and Emily…that’s about it, really.”

“What a small welcome party.” Gemini shook his head. “If only the others could be here.”

“If only.” Eliza shook her head too. “But let us not dwell on these issues for too long, shall we?”

“Auh!”

The Demigod glanced at Aria. “Does she actually know what I’m saying? Or is she just reacting to it?”

“That is a really good question,” Lila replied. “According to Hereward, it seems that due to the nature of you, Gemini and him, she can actually comprehend thoughts.”

“And respond to them?”

“Apparently so,” Lila replied. “I think this makes her smarter too, but that might be the mother in me speaking.”

“Hmm. Well, let me note this down for future reference, at least. If I go around interacting with babies, would that make them less of a hassle to raise? That’s an interesting point,” Eliza murmured. “Anyway, do you two want to check out your house? We’ve rebuilt Erudition Street and kept it as is, so your house is still very much liveable.”

“Is that okay?” Gemini asked. “I mean, it is a historical site now. And besides, Lila probably has a new house, right? A house safe for Aria to crawl around, no? We can go there instead…and well, Aria looks very sleepy.”

“Auh…”

“See?” Gemini poked her little cheeks, and then smiled. “Let us not disturb matters of the past. We should continue to carve out the future and not be restrained by history.”

“I get the feeling that you’re trying to tell me something,” said Eliza.

“Make a guess, then,” said Gemini. “Once this Abyss Sovereign thing blows over…the world would be linked together in ways we cannot comprehend. The Conference of the Four would be nothing compared to this.”

“To let go of the Second Extermination?” Eliza asked.

“Huh? No, of course not. Pursue a fair trial, no matter what. Even if it ends up harming the interests of the other nations, justice is needed if Ark City is to move on. Or else everyone’s going to focus on revenge through and through,” Gemini replied.

“Justice, eh?”

“Yeah. Use it as a bargaining chip. Tell the War Council that you’d only chip in if they agree to hold a fair trial of any and all involved in the Second Extermination,” Gemini replied. “Ark City is too much of a war asset for them to not say no.”

“We already agreed to help them out, though.”

“Then just pull back from the agreement. Ark City hasn’t quite deployed its forces yet, right?” Gemini pressed on. “Therefore, tell them that unless the Southern Assembly yields to a fair trial hosted by the other nations…”

“That’s what the preamble was for, huh,” Demigod Eliza muttered. “I thought you were going to say forgive and forget, though.”

“Me? I think I’m the last person who has the right to say that, though.” Gemini paused. “Apart from another twelve individuals and a deceased great god. Telling you to forgive and forget is just plain hypocrisy on my part.”

“You know that’s not true.” Eliza folded her arms. “Everything you did was directed by the Human God, and there is ample evidence that he brainwashed the Constellations into launching a genocide of the beastfolk. Furthermore, you have more than made up for it. No one in Ark City blames you for anything, not with the truth out.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t blame myself,” Gemini replied. “Nothing can cancel out my part in the Second Extermination. Nothing.”

“Gemini…”

“We’ll return to my house then,” Lila cut in hurriedly, changing the subject. “Is that fine with you?”

“That’s fine,” said Eliza. “I know where you live. I’ll bring the others along…for our hungry guest. Seriously, how are you capable of eating in this form?”

“You don’t want to know,” said Hereward.

“Auh!”