“I know you must be tired, but could I have a word with you?”

Kaeli’s deep blue eyes had an eerie glow in the dimly lit room as she stared right back at Leona. Regardless of what Krieg wanted, the tactician was more than ready to finally have closure regarding everything that happened in the past couple of days on that ship as she answered.

“Yes, we’ll talk in the dining hall.”

After leaving an unconscious Phoebe in the room, Leona left with Krieg’s help to the dining hall while Kaeli took one last look at her sister.

‘This may be my last goodbye, Phoebe.’

She brushed the black hair from the side of her sister’s face before gently closing the door and following the two out. On her way back, Sylas stopped by her with a crate of potions in his hands with a tone of excitement in his speech.

“Lady Kaeli, I had some questions pertaining to the process which you used during your mana transference procedure, is it possible for me to ask a few questions later?”

She was surprised for a split second, but with a bittersweet smile she answered.

“When time allows, yes.”

“Thank you very much.” He bowed before taking out one of the potions from the crate he carried. Different from the usual red or light blue color, the potion he handed to her was green like grass. “Do take care of yourself in the meantime.”

He then left for the storage room while humming an unfamiliar happy tune under his breath. The smile subtly faded from her face as she grasped the glass vial tightly between her fingers.

Leona on the other hand just made it back to the couch she was previously treated on and sat down with the help of Krieg’s left arm.

“I don’t know what she might be planning but…” He whispered. “...it doesn’t seem like it’ll end well.”

“Stand by my side, Krieg. It’ll make me feel at ease too.”

“Understood.”

He turned around with his left hand resting against the scabbard which didn’t look threatening at first but it allowed him to quickly draw the blade if needed. The high elf arrived a bit later as she sat down on the couch on the opposite side clasping both of her hands together. While looking on the floor between her feet, Kaeli began to speak up.

“Leona. I’m sorry.” She looked up at her with sorrowful eyes which confused the tactician. “I judged you as a sheltered and oblivious girl during our first meeting back in the Great Forest.”

“I don’t recall you saying that.” Leona couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “But I’m certain from the expression on your face, this isn’t just for an apology.”

“Indeed, this isn’t.” She moved her thumbs around each other as if trying to hide her anxiety. “But even so. I think it’s only fair that you know about me since I know much about you and your family thanks to the brief time I was working under Alexander.”

Leona nodded without saying a word, her expression was serene yet deep down she felt apprehensive to have a conversation about someone that was trying to kill her just a few weeks ago.

Kaeli straightened her back while placing each of her hands on the knees before she began to tell her tale.

“When I first arrived in Arcadia, I was seeking solace from my exile when I met Alexander.”

She closed her eyes and it felt like it was just yesterday when she had arrived in the capital city of the largest nation in the continent. Arcadia. The capital was everything others had described to her, stone paved streets, shops with all kinds of goods, a city bustling with all kinds of people and opportunities.

‘This is it… Arcadia.’

Kaeli was wearing a brown and tattered cloak covering most of her face and hiding her elvish features, which wasn’t exactly something easy to do given how far the edge of her ears stuck out from the side of her head.

By taking a stroll around the center town she was able to witness things that she wouldn’t otherwise have in the far east kingdom, namely the fabled royal knights, a fancy noble’s horse-pulled carriage and mages performing on the side of the street for coin. She kept walking forward as the clopping of the horse became distant behind her; the cool autumn breeze gently brushed against her face as she made way for yet another carriage to pass by.

Kaeli couldn’t help but wonder how it would have been to live in such a vibrant city with her sister as she walked past a bakery—the faint smell of freshly baked pastries filled her nostrils with an alluring scent. She glanced inside the bakery through the window and noticed an armored knight leaving the establishment with a package. At first she thought of tricking him with magic, but as she was about to walk towards the entrance, a man pushed her with his shoulder to the side against the glass window.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” She shouted without thinking which earned her an unexpected fast retribution in the form of a fist to the side of her face. “Ngh!”

The punch knocked her on the stone paved ground—the left side of her face burned in pain as she tried to get up but her arms felt weak as if strength was leaving her body.

‘Am I passing out…?’

Her hands clenched into tight fists as she tried to muster enough strength again to at least turn around to see her assailant’s face, but her arms gave in and she fell back on the floor unconscious.

“Hey what happened to them?”

“I don’t know, maybe they fell?”

The people who noticed her fall whispered to themselves but none helped, instead they continued on with their lives. Some that were walking near the bakery simply circumvented the unconscious Kaeli as if it was just another occurrence in the city.

Hours passed before the high elf regained consciousness and by then the sun was already setting.

“Ugh…”

She rolled to the right and her back was laying against the bakery’s window. Her left cheek was swollen which also made it a bit difficult to see from her left eye. Despite only having her face punched, her whole body was aching from pain.

She spent a few minutes in that position until recovering some strength to at least sit up.

“Dammit…” She mumbled as she reached for her own face with both hands and began to cast a spell. “Great power of the sea, mend this battered body, Heal…”

With a gentle blue glow, the swollen skin and muscles slowly healed back to normal. She touched her face a few more times to confirm the swelling was gone but her left hand was trembling ever so slightly which worried her. When she took a good look at both of her hands on her lap she noticed it was hunger.

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‘That’s right… I didn’t eat anything yesterday either…’

In a city where everything was new to her and nobody would extend a helping hand made her feel despondent as she just sat there without knowing what to do next.

“Umm… excuse me, miss?”

A kind female voice came from her left side. Kaeli turned just enough to look at whoever was addressing her without exposing too much of her face.

“What… is it?”

The woman wore an apron and she had a scent of baked goods to her. Her brown hair was tied in a high ponytail and her hazel eyes seemed to radiate kindness as she softly continued.

“I don’t want to come off as rude but it’s not good for our business if you just sit there. So I’m kindly asking you to either come in to buy something or leave.”

“Ah…” Kaeli attempted to stand up only to stumble to the right as her leg almost gave out. “I’m sorry… I’ll leave.”

“I’m sorry but thank you.”

The high elf turned to the right and left the vicinity using her right hand against the wall as support to avoid falling again. She kept going for a bit until she found an alley where she could sit down without being bothered.

‘I should have some coin left to at least eat a meal…’

She touched the side of her belt where she had a pouch of coins but it wasn’t there. Her hands trailed around the leather belt as she searched her entire waist for it.

‘Did I lose it?!’

She desperately stood up and looked around the corner where she came from but there was nothing on the ground nor anyone looking at her directly which made her realize she never really lost it on her way there and instead was robbed off her person when she was unconscious. Her left shoulder hit the wall as she slowly slid down. The coin she managed to make during her travels was now gone and in the middle of a city that she knew nothing of was practically a death sentence.

“Dammit…”

Hunger and fatigue was catching up from the days she spent walking from Akrapocalis to the capital city. She thought she’d be able to at least eat a warm meal and sleep on a comfortable bed for once but nothing changed—in fact it was much worse now. In the Great Forest she could at least be on guard for whatever wild animal that tried to approach her but in the city, it was a different story, she couldn’t just attack anyone with magic as it would probably kill them and killing someone, specially someone influential, was a quick way to find oneself being hunted by an entire kingdom.

She rested her head against the brick wall while staring at the opposite one. Her outstretched hands clenched into tight fists from anger.

“I didn’t come to this place only to be miserable again…”

Suddenly, sounds of multiple metallic footsteps approached from the street. Dreadful thoughts that filled her mind were replaced with a sense of urgency as she struggled to stand up.

Multiple knights were running down the street where she had come from. Something big happened as she peeked out of the alley.

‘Why are there so many of them?’

She thought as she was looking around.

“Hey you there!” One knight wearing full plate armor with an ornate blue cape fluttering behind him approached Kaeli with a halberd between his hands. “You don’t look like a beggar, what are you doing in this alley?”

“I- I was robbed just now.” She nervously explained. “I was taking some time to gather my bearings.”

“Right… I’ll need you to come with us.” He took another step closer. “A noble has been murdered a few blocks down the street and you seem a bit suspicious to be left alone.”

“W-wait-!” She took a step back from fear while raising her hands in front of her body. “I just got to the city! I haven’t done anything!”

“I just need to ask you some questions.” He approached yet again but this time his fingers were tightening around the halberd’s shaft. “If you truly haven’t done anything you need not be afraid.”

At that point Kaeli was becoming desperate. Not only she didn’t have any coins in her pockets nor food in her stomach, she was also being suspected of a crime she didn’t commit.

She took another step back only to fall on the ground, her hands began to sparkle with electricity—a trait that she had when met with too much stress. However such a display of power wasn’t taken kindly by him as he took a step forward seemingly ready to charge with the pointy end of the halberd.

“Wait. Captain.”

The knight stopped at someone else’s behest and looking past him, Kaeli noticed who addressed the situation. A middle aged man of short greasy brown hair, hazel eyes and a distinct confident faint smile on his face; he wore a fine red wine suit with silk trousers of same color and polished dark leather shoes.

“Sir Alexander?”

“She is obviously not our culprit. If she was, she would have attacked you already knowing you are a royal knight.”

“But sir, it was Lady Crossford that was-”

The middle aged man’s hazel irises seemed to release an eerie dark red glow from them as he further explained to the knight.

“I’m sure we’ll find the mastermind somewhere else, captain. Now, if you can—leave us alone.”

The knight seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly nodding as if he came to a fair conclusion.

“Yes… yes… I’ll go check somewhere else.” His stance suddenly softened as he turned around to leave. “Excuse me, my lord.”

After the knight left, the man approached Kaeli with his outstretched right hand.

“That must have been scary for you. What is your name?”

She looked at his hand with hesitance at first but seeing how he saved her from a potential confinement, she extended her own hand and stood up with his help.

“Kaeli Hawkeye.”

“I see. What a beautiful name.” He said with what seemed to be a sincere smile. “My name is Alexander Lorraine.”

Leona or Krieg could scarcely believe what they just heard. With widened eyes and a half open mouth, Leona was trying to process everything she had just heard as she asked.

“Let me tell you what I understood so you can confirm whether or not I’m right.” She was trying to get rid of any doubts she had after hearing Kaeli’s story, as unbelievable as it was. “You came to Arcadia to look for a place to call home.”

Kaeli nodded with a somber look on her face.

“Yes. This was after I was exiled by my master.”

“I see. Then after just coming to the city you were not only assaulted by a random passerby but also robbed while unconscious?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“And this was roughly four years ago?”

“Yes.”

“This can’t be just a mere coincidence.” She looked at Krieg whose expression could only be described as disbelief. “Alexander wasn’t responsible for the royal knights at that time was he? I was told he was looking into the issue with the lack of Londrian merchants and wasn’t even in the city.”

“I believe not, he was only assigned to the post because Lady Ravness passed away.”

Leona wore an intense glare as each side of her jaws puffed outwards from her clenching teeth. Those words meant that not only he lied to the people investigating about her mother’s death, but also went out of his way to be in the city when it happened.

“...” She stared at the floor in front of her before turning to Kaeli once again while doing her best to bury those burning feelings inside her chest. “Where were you taken to after this?”

“To the Grand Academy. I was told to teach mages and soldiers how to better use their magic. I spent my time working there as a professor of advanced spell casting but only recently I got the position of Archmage.” She once again stared at the floor as if pangs of shame hung her down. ”I thought with all my heart that he was right. That you, alongside everyone from your family, were just treacherous people trying to gain power by using demonkind. But seeing you risk all for not only the people close to you, but for an enemy such as me, I couldn’t deny what I have witnessed and for that, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

She bowed down.

“You are just another victim.” Leona said with a bitter taste forming inside her mouth. Both Krieg and the archmage looked at her with a bit of surprise at the angst in her tone. “Arcadia and Alexander are two sides of the same coin. The despair he brought to demonkind and the ever growing apathy in the capital city is nothing more than seeds of chaos he sowed throughout the years and are now bearing fruit. Had the populace been more respectful to outsiders, you wouldn’t have joined hands with him and all this unnecessary conflict would have never happened.”

“Don’t feel sorry for me, Leona.” Kaeli could manage to show her a faint smile. “I did terrible things not only for you but your comrades as well, if anything I’m the one who needs to repent. However to break one’s vow is to not only lie to oneself but also the ones that believed you.”

That statement made both the tactician and Krieg turn to her.

“Just how I gave my word to not harm anyone on this ship until we reached land; I too vowed to take you down and despite my now understanding of who you actually are, it changes nothing regarding my oath.” She stood up and removed her right glove which was part of the military uniform she had stolen and threw it on the tactician’s lap. “Leona Crossford. I, Kaeli Hawkeye, challenge you to a duel.”