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Chapter Text

16- Quaternary

"...an Adephagos…" Jakob stammered, his face blanching white. "...you mean, like the thing that almost devoured the world four years ago? That Adephagos?"

"What other Adephagos could there be?!" Rita demanded, and Estelle gripped her arm. The creature was still pulling itself from the ground, writhing and roaring as it dug its claws deeper into the island. Anzu spread his wings and took off toward the creature, but Duke called out before he could get too far.

"No! If you are exposed to the miasma, you will become an Adephagos yourself!"

Duke's warning was accompanied by a low but distinct warble from Ba'ul, who had ventured closer to gauge the situation and was hovering a short distance away from the ship. Anzu faltered and then turned back, landing on the deck with his ears pressed back against his head and his tail between his legs. Judith pulled out a pair of binoculars to get a better look at it, and Raven leaned in, waiting for his turn.

"That thing is big," he commented, "but it ain't swallow-the-world-in-one-gulp big like the other one was. If we got rid'a that one, surely this won't be a challenge."

Yuri scoffed. "You say that like it's really so simple," he muttered, and Rita nodded in agreement.

"Last time we had the blastia network to focus the spirits' power. But that could only work once. Our spirit magic formulas haven't progressed far enough to harness that many spirits' power at one time. Only combinations of the first four elementals have been studied so far, and at most three of them at a time. Without blastia conversion to pull the spirits' power into one single force…"

"We're pretty much helpless, huh?" Yuri finished for her. Judith lowered the binoculars, finally handing them over to Raven.

"I've never seen you give up so quickly."

Yuri shrugged. "I'm not giving up. I'm saying we'll have to find another way. Just because we can't use the spirits' power doesn't mean there isn't some other solution out there."

"Yuri's right!" Karol chimed in. "There must be something we can do!"

There was a pause, then Raven and Estelle spoke up at the same time, both so tentative that they didn't seem to realize they were talking over one another.

"Well, there is one blastia still workin'-" "The Children of the Full Moon were able to seal away the adephagos before, by-"

"No, no, no, no," Rita broke in, stepping between them and snatching the binoculars from Raven. "Those are both terrible ideas for multiple reasons. Estelle, we want to destroy this thing, not trap it. Old man, converting a single blastia would be no more powerful than calling on one existing spirit. Both of you stop talking nonsense."

Before anyone else could scold them as well, Duke's voice broke in from the center of the deck, drawing everyone's attention.

"I agree with Miss Mordio. If sacrifices must be made, they should be made prudently and effectively."

"We're not making sacrifices," Yuri shot back. "There's got to be a better way. Rita, what's that three-spirit attack you were talking about?"

Rita stepped away from the railing, beginning to pace back and forth across the deck. "Scalding Vortex," she recited, as though reading from a textbook, "combines Undine, Efreet, and Sylph's powers-"

"-to create a vortex of steam hot enough to cook monsters alive," Nan finished. "I've heard of that one."

The corner of Rita's mouth twitched as she struggled to hide her displeasure. "So the monster-killer is an expert on spirit magic now, huh?"

"I just said I've heard of it!"

"Well, that doesn't exactly help us-!"

Judith grabbed Rita's arm to cut her off. "What about Estelle? As a Child of the Full Moon, she has a connection with the spirits. Perhaps she could call upon their help without having to develop a specific formula."

Karol inched closer to Estelle. "Would… that be dangerous?" he asked. Rita frowned and jerked her arm away from Judith so she had some space to think it over.

"Technically, yes, Estelle could call upon the spirits for help. But it wouldn't focus their power the way a formulated spell would. It would be up to the individual spirits to determine how to combine their power, and I don't know how well that would go over."

Duke was listening intently, absentmindedly offering the tassels of his cloak for Bell to play with in order to distract her from the situation. "Calling upon the spirits, if possible, would likely be the best approach. Their understanding of the world's flow of aer would prove invaluable insight."

"I-I'll try, then!" Estelle exclaimed, and clasped her hands together. The others stepped away to give her some space- except for Karol, who Nan had to grab and tug away when a soft glow appeared around Estelle's feet. "...elemental spirits, please… we need your guidance… this creature of uncontrolled aer threatens our very existence and we must find a way to stop it..."

The boat swayed back and forth as the water around them began to churn. White foam, sprayed up by the sudden gusts of wind, splashed at the side of the boat. A voice, seemingly from beneath ship's hull, addressed them.

"I have sensed the poison in the water created by contact with uncontrolled aer. By manipulating the ocean's currents, I am working to contain it. But currents alone can only isolate this poison for so long."

Undine's figure appeared on the deck beside Estelle, and Sylph floated just above her.

"The winds can circulate around the island and contain much of the atmospheric aer," Sylph agreed, "but Undine is correct. It is only a temporary solution."

Kida and Jakob huddled together with Anzu on one side of the deck, staring wide-eyed at the spirits- and the rest of the group, who seemed unfazed. "Th-those are-!" Kida began, but Duke stepped in beside her and shook his head. Bell was still playing with the tassels on his cloak, seemingly unaware of the conversation happening just steps away. Undine was speaking, but her expression was serious and her voice low.

"As that creature is no longer an Entelexia, its contact with the barrier did not destroy the barrier entirely. It did, however, enlarge the hole in the barrier underneath the aer krene. Gnome is working to restore the barrier as we speak- if he does not, the aer will continue to spill out unregulated and the results could be disastrous."

"What can we do about that adephagos?" Estelle asked. "Can we attack it using spirit magic? Will that affect it?"

Undine nodded. "Efreet will do what he can. Sylph and I can offer our power as well, but that will mean allowing the aqueous and atmospheric aer to flow unchecked. The longer we spend fighting the adephagos, the further this contamination will spread. We cannot afford a long, drawn-out fight."

"Makes sense," Yuri replied with a nod. "We don't want a long fight either. We've got to get rid of that adephagos, and fast."

"...so be it. We shall assist you."

Undine spoke her reply and immediately disappeared, along with Sylph. The ocean and the wind around the Fiertia calmed, and a rumble closer to the island accompanied a sudden outpouring of energy. Vortexes of water, spirals of wind, and bursts of flame lashed out at the creature. It let out a roar, shaking its body and loosing from its sides a dense field of miasma that absorbed the attacks. The spirits' efforts weren't even grazing the creature, unable to penetrate its defenses. Rita watched through the binoculars, but eventually lowered them and stepped back.

"They… they can't even touch it…" she breathed. "It's surrounded itself with a shield of miasma- gaseous aer concentrated to deadly levels."

"What do we do about the miasma?" Yuri asked, reaching for the binoculars. "If the spirits keep attacking, will they eventually be able to penetrate it?"

"Not if it keeps renewing its defenses," Rita answered. "And with its access to the crystallized aer on the island, it's not likely to get tired out anytime soon. If nothing changes, this is going to drag on and on while the aer keeps spreading."

Yuri cursed under his breath as he handed off the binoculars. "There's gotta be something else we can do, but…"

It was Karol's turn using the binoculars, and he slipped the strap over his neck before bringing them to his eyes. He was dissatisfied with the view, though, and quickly lowered them, stepping away from the railing.

"Nan, give me that map!"

It wasn't a question, though Karol at least waited until she handed it towards him to snatch it and make a run for the ship's main mast. He tucked the map under one arm and hoisted himself up onto the rigging, and Nan followed suit.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded.

"Getting a better view. I want to better understand the topography of the island."

Nan knew better than to scold him for focusing on something seemingly unrelated. He must have some kind of plan. "And what exactly will that do?"

Karol steadied himself against the mast and retrieved the map to compare to his view of the island. "I'm trying to get an idea of where the creature's supports are," he explained. "If we use the spirits' power to destabilize its footing first, we may be able to break through its defenses without having to use force."

Nan climbed up beside him, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look at the map. "Throw your enemy off his rhythm, huh? A classic tactic- though I've never seen it applied on such a grand scale."

Karol handed the map back to Nan so that he could use the binoculars again. "Can you write on those maps?"

"I, uh, really shouldn't…" Nan began, and spared another glance at the island. "But, given the circumstances, I think the Chief would go easy on me."

"Just make some kind of note of the features I'm describing to you, okay? Rita will need them."

"Got it."

Karol described what he could see from his perch on the side of the ship, and Nan made careful note of his descriptions. She didn't write on the map, but pointed to the locations he was describing to confirm with him before he moved on. When Karol was satisfied and lowered the binoculars, Nan slid back down onto the deck where Yuri and Repede had gathered to watch.

"What were you up to over there?" Yuri asked, and Nan gave a quick response as she pushed past him.

"I need to talk to Rita."

Karol followed, settling down on the deck again and handing the binoculars over to Yuri. "Sorry," he began, "I didn't mean to run off with them."

"That's not the issue." Yuri pushed the binoculars back in Karol's direction. "What's up with you two? Doing some kind of scouting?"

"I know Undine said that Gnome is trying to re-seal the aer krene," Karol explained, "but we thought, if he could destabilize the ground that the creature is standing on, we might be able to knock it off-balance and penetrate its defenses while it's trying to regain its footing. I was scouting out what parts of the island the monster is using as footholds."

Yuri glanced over to where Nan and Rita were arguing loudly, with Estelle and Judith trying to get a word in edgewise. "It's a good idea, but I don't know if Gnome will be willing to leave his post. It sounds like the aer krene is more of a problem than we realized."

"But… if we don't do anything about the adephagos, what point is there in sealing the aer krene?"

Repede barked in agreement, and Yuri shrugged. The group on the other side of the deck seemed to have reached a consensus, so he and Karol approached to find out what was going on. Duke was giving some kind of lecture on the stability of aer crystals, and Rita was waving him away with a simple "yeah, yeah, I know."

"So what did we decide?" Yuri asked, breaking into the group. "Can we get Gnome to help?"

"Gnome refuses," Estelle explained, "but Efreet-"

"Aer crystals can be warped and even melted under high heat," Rita interrupted. "With the low density of these crystals, it shouldn't take too much work to melt them under that creature's feet."

"We only have a short window of time, though," Judith added. "Liquid aer is far easier for the adephagos to consume than solid. If it regains its footing before we can breach its defenses, it will be able to absorb the liquified aer and re-fortify itself."

Yuri frowned. "Bit of a risky ploy, huh? Not like we've never taken risks before."

"We'll have ta get closer too," Raven pointed out. "I don't like the idea'a gettin' anywhere near that thing."

"We're already too close for comfort," Judith pointed out. "Don't be such a coward, old man."

"It ain't cowardice! It's common sense!"

Repede had already run up to stand by the ship's wheel, and Yuri joined him. "We don't have time to worry about common sense. Let's go."

The Phaedrus pulled over alongside the Fiertia, and Patty waved from the deck. "Yuri!" she called. "We haven't got that fancy spirit magic, but we can protect you with our cannons if that thing attacks! Siren's Fang has your back!"

Yuri saluted her. "We owe you one!" he yelled in reply.

"Marry me and we'll call it even~!"

"I'm already engaged, but we'll work something else out."

"Boo-! I'll take it up with Flynn, then."

The two shared a smile and a good-natured laugh that carried across the distance as Yuri turned the Fiertia toward the island. Rita, further back on the deck, was busily working with a magic formula, using the map to calculate exactly how she needed to focus and aim Efreet's power.

As the ship grew closer to the island, however, it sailed into water tainted by the miasma, and most of the people on the ship doubled over as the vapor invaded their lungs. Karol put a hand over his mouth to keep from being sick, and Judith had to prop Raven up to keep him from collapsing onto the deck. Jakob put his arms around Kida, and Duke pulled his cloak over Bell to keep her from breathing the aer. "We must turn back!" Duke called. "The miasma will only grow thicker as we approach. We will not survive."

"You don't have to tell me twice-" Yuri began, clutching the wheel and beginning to turn it, but Rita stopped him.

"W-wait! Just… just a little longer… I need just a minute…"

Rita stumbled and Estelle lunged to catch her, holding her from behind and steadying her hands. As she breathed the last words of the spell, Rita closed her eyes, and a series of fiery blasts sounded from the island. The creature roared, and Yuri turned the ship sharply, ignoring the way it pitched to the side as they sailed away from the boundary of the miasma.

Once they had cleared the tainted water and were once again breathing clean air, Rita managed to prop herself up against the ship's railing to view the results of her work. The creature had fallen over, and the cloud of miasma began to disperse as it struggled to regain its grip on the nearby crystals. As it did so, the spirits continued their assault, their attacks finally reaching the monster's hide and causing it to roar in pain. But there was another roar of pain too- one much closer this time.

"Anzu!"

Kida screamed, and the others turned to look. Anzu was heaving heavy, ragged breaths and pawing at his muzzle as though something was stuck there and he was trying to remove it. Kida reached out in an attempt to calm him, but he swatted her away, sending her tumbling back. He let out another agonized roar, and his entire body shuddered with pain. Raven and Judith ran to pull Kida away, but she staggered back in Anzu's direction. "Please calm down! It's only me! Anzu-!"

Duke stepped in front of her, one arm still cradling Bell beneath his cloak and the other outstretched to keep her from getting any closer.

"It was the miasma. An Entelexia his size could not handle such a concentration of aer. It overwhelmed him."

"So he's turning into a-?!" Estelle gasped, unwilling to even say the word. "What can we do?"

"We cannot do anything. The miasma is already incorporated into his body. Only a creature who can manipulate the flow of aer can remove it."

Kida looked back over to the island. "B-but, the spirits are-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, a familiar deep warble sounded from above them. Ba'ul had been inching closer, trying to stay with the boat without getting too close to the miasma, but he finally approached it directly. The group standing near the bow scrambled back as Ba'ul lowered his massive face to the deck and gingerly picked up Anzu by the scruff of the neck. Anzu's thrashing immediately stopped, and he fell limp as Ba'ul lifted him off the Fiertia.

"Wait-!" Kida gasped, running back to the spot where Anzu had been. "Ba'ul, what are you-?!"

"I see," Duke spoke up, though he'd turned away from them and lowered the hood of his cloak. "He is consuming the aer directly from Anzu's body. Done so quickly after exposure, it should fully reverse the effects of the miasma."

"But-! Won't that hurt Ba'ul?"

Judith approached Kida, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "It shouldn't. He's too big. A dose of aer that's poisonous for Anzu is nothing but a midday snack for Ba'ul."

"...oh." Kida let out a sigh of relief, stepping back as Ba'ul lowered Anzu's unconscious form onto the deck again. Once Ba'ul backed off, she ran to Anzu's side and wrapped her arms around his neck. He remained unconscious, but his breathing was now easy and regular. "Thank you, Ba'ul! If anything happened to Anzu before he was able to become a spirit, I don't know what I'd do!"

Jakob watched as Ba'ul gave the Fiertia some space once again, then lowered his gaze to Kida and Anzu. "...Entelexia are truly incredible…" he murmured, and seemed as though he was going to say something else. However, the ship lurched to the side, and everyone was sent scrambling for something to hold onto.

"Yuri, what the hell-?!" Rita called toward the bridge. "Are you trying to knock us overboard?"

"I'm trying to keep us out of the miasma!" Yuri shot back. "That stuff's spreading even faster now!"

Karol was clinging to the railing, and he steadied himself enough to point back towards the island and the creature.

"You guys, look at that!"

It wasn't obvious at first, but something had changed. Something in the creature's eyes looked different. Through the spirits' assault, it dragged itself across the crystals, its roars of pain dissolving into a deep tone that sent vibrations across the top of the ocean. Its gaze was fixed on the Fiertia, and as the low sounds continued to vibrate from its throat, they began to coalesce into something… understandable.

The creature was speaking.

"YOU…" the voice droned, so slow it almost didn't come across as a word at first. "...YOU WHO CALL UPON ME… YOU ARE…"

Hearing the voice, the spirits stopped their assault and fell back, hovering close to the Fiertia again. The whole group had pressed close to the side of the ship, trying to get a better view of the creature.

"It's talking?!" Raven demanded. "How's that possible?"

"It must not be entirely transformed into an Adephagos yet," Judith answered, and Duke nodded.

"It seems we were mistaken. There is still an Entelexia somewhere deep within."

Before he could even finish his statement, Jakob grabbed his shoulder and reached for the ring that was hidden beneath his cloak. Bell, still huddled against Duke's chest, had grabbed at the chain and was sucking on the ring like a pacifier, and Jakob had to wrench it out of her grip. He snapped the chain from around Duke's neck and carried it over to the edge of the deck.

"Ancient One! I've wanted to hear your voice for so long- please, tell us what we can do to help you! How we can save you from this curse-"

The creature roared again, turning its attention back to the island and the crystals. Its glowing eyes had lost their focus, and it no longer seemed to hold any regard for the Fiertia and its passengers. A renewed cloud of miasma began to gather around it, and Jakob fumbled desperately with the ring.

"No… no, no, no! Ancient One, please! I know you're in there! You just have to respond! Please-!"

Yuri held the wheel steady, craning his neck to see what was happening on the island. "Was it just a fluke? Has the Adephagos portion taken over again?"

"It's re-forming its defenses," Rita pointed out. "If we leave it alone, it's going to recover, and we'll have to go through all that again."

"We should resume the assault," Sylph agreed. "The longer we wait, the more the miasma will spread."

"But-! But-!" Jakob clutched the ring close to his chest. "There's still an Entelexia in there! He saved the world multiple times! You're just going to kill him?"

"We are left no choice," Efreet replied. "He has succumbed to the Adephagos. There is no saving him."

"B-but Anzu-!"

"-is small," Judith finished. "If he were a fully-evolved Entelexia, Ba'ul couldn't have saved him. There's no being in the world large enough to siphon off that much concentrated aer."

"But… but…" Jakob stammered, fidgeting with the ring. Rita started to say something, more to the spirits than to anyone else, but Duke broke in.

"Wait one moment. Let me try something."

Everyone turned to look at him. Bell was still whining, sheltered partially by his open cloak, and he held her in one arm as he reached out the other hand to Jakob.

"Return the ring."

"What?" Jakob flinched. "What are you going to do with it? You can't talk to him! It has to be a Krityan-"

"Not to me. To Bell."

There was another pause. Kida shifted closer to Duke and Bell, and Jakob reluctantly passed the broken chain back over to Duke. Bell squealed and reached for it, and Duke pressed the ring into her hands. She immediately transferred it to her mouth, once again treating it like a pacifier, and Jakob frowned.

"Are you sure about this?"

Duke stared at Bell as she turned the ring over in her mouth and ran her fingers over the carvings on the side. There didn't seem to be any change in the creature, and he frowned.

"...was I wrong…?"

Kida drew close, holding out a hand. "I, uh… really don't think Bell should be chewing on that-"

Before she could finish her sentence, there was another low rumble emanating from the island. The creature had stopped consuming the crystals and picked up its head, its eyes once again focused on the Fiertia. Its voice, deep and slow, spoke up again over the churning waves.

"...YOU…"

Duke tightened his hold on Bell and approached the side of the ship to get a closer view of the creature. It had lifted itself onto its hind legs, towering high above the tiny ships afloat just offshore. As its voice continued, it tilted its head back and forth as though trying to focus on the ship's passengers.

"...YOU ARE… LIKE ME…"

It finally managed to speak again, its eyes taking on an oddly soft expression as it continued.

"...NOT ONE… NOT THE OTHER… BUT BOTH…"

"Is he talking about Bell?" Karol whispered. Estelle looked back and forth between Duke and the creature, gauging both of their expressions.

"He must have recognized Bell as a mix of human and Kritya, the same way he's a mix of Entelexia and Adephagos."

"...IN THE PLANET, I WAS STABLE… THE PRESSURE KEPT MY ADEPHAGOS SIDE FROM CONSUMING ME... NOW THE CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED… I AM UNSTABLE HERE... AND SEEING YOU… A PERFECT MIX LIKE ME… I WANT TO BE STABLE AGAIN…"

The spirits approached, and Rita snatched the binoculars from Karol so that she could keep a closer watch on them. The spirits' voices were loud enough to hear, even from the distance, but both Raven and Estelle crowded in next to Rita for a glimpse too.

"You cannot return to the interior of the planet," Efreet explained. "Gnome is repairing the barrier as we speak."

"...GNOME… AN ELEMENTAL SPIRIT..."

Sylph flitted closer to the creature, a shield of wind around her to protect her from the miasma. "You can become an elemental spirit as well. All of us were once Entelexia in our former lives. Gnome had begun the transformation into an Adephagos, but because he gave himself up before succumbing fully, he was able to be reborn."

"...BUT AS A SPIRIT… WOULD I BE ABLE… TO RETAIN… MY DUAL NATURE…?"

"We cannot say," Undine replied with a shake of her head. "But we do retain our memories from our former lives. If your dual nature is important to you, I'm sure it will be reborn with you into your new identity."

"...I DO NOT WANT TO BE CONSUMED… IF I CANNOT RETURN TO THE PLANET'S INTERIOR… THEN THIS IS AN ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE…"

"In order to be reborn, you will need to surrender your apatheia- your very life," Efreet explained. "Do you understand this?"

The creature bore its chest, shaking off the miasma.

"...DO WHAT YOU WILL… BEFORE I AM… CONSUMED ENTIRELY…"

Estelle lowered the binoculars as the glow of the spirits' magic radiated out from the creature. With its unarmored belly exposed, the spirits' attacks managed to piece the creature's hide, sending it staggering back. Its entire body glowed yellow for a brief moment, so bright that the groups on the Fiertia and Phaedrus had to avert their eyes. Almost as soon as the glow began, however, the creature's body burst into tiny pieces with a sound akin to shattering glass. The burst sent a wake out from the island that eventually buffeted the side of the ship. But despite the way the boat rocked back and forth, the group remained on the deck, watching the spirits as they approached. Estelle held out her hands as Sylph handed over a glowing stone.

The apatheia was massive, far larger than any the group had seen before. It was too heavy for Estelle, and Judith had to step in and help her lift it. The color was blue, but there was a cloudiness to it, with dark purple blotches scattered throughout the stone. Rita narrowed her eyes, inching closer to get a better look.

"It's… contaminated. There are miasma bubbles trapped inside. Can this really be converted into a spirit?"

"We have to try," Estelle replied. "He gave himself up to become a spirit. We have to honor that decision."

"It'll take a lot of energy to convert something this size," Rita pointed out. "Are you up to it?"

Estelle nodded.

"I can't consider this problem resolved unless I do."

Yuri smiled from his position at the helm and nudged Repede back in Estelle's direction. As Repede approached, the others did too, Karol standing beside Estelle and resting a hand on her shoulder, Raven standing behind her in preparation to catch her if she collapsed. Rita placed her hands over Estelle's and smiled at her.

"We're with you."

As Estelle closed her eyes and channeled her energy through the apatheia, there was a spark that passed around the group like static electricity. The apatheia pulled away from Estelle and Judith's hands as though repelled by them, and was surrounded by a bright flash of light above their heads. Estelle staggered backward, and Raven and Karol caught her, propping her back up so that Rita could steady her. Estelle looked up at Rita and smiled.

"...Rita, your hair!"

Rita's smile faded in confusion as she noticed her fringe standing on end. Estelle's hair was shorter, and it had puffed up more dramatically, eliciting an amused laugh from Rita as she realized what was going on. The others had their hair tied back, but even so, the hair around their faces was beginning to stand up. Their gazes carried up to just above the ship, where the glow around an orb was starting to dissipate and reveal two concentric metallic rings that were circling around one another. The air around it crackled and popped with electrical energy, an energy that the group could feel even from the distance below.

"Is… is that a spirit?" Karol gasped. "It looks more like a machine."

Rita kept one arm around Estelle and used her free hand to begin investigating the formula that surrounded the object. "Those two rings have opposing electromagnetic charges. That's what's causing them to spin like that. And the electrical energy it's giving off… this is amazing. I've never seen anything like it."

Raven tried to smooth his hair and flinched as he received a small shock. "So it's, like, an electricity spirit?"

Undine, Sylph, and Efreet gathered around the new spirit, examining it. It generated a noise, a sort of buzzing tone, and Undine nodded.

"Positive and negative charges," she translated, "from those polar opposites is born an electrical current. He is pleased… beyond words, so to speak."

There was another buzz from the spirit, this one in a few short, punctuated bursts. It had no face, but from the sound, it almost seemed that the spirit was laughing. Jakob and Kida approached the group too, staring up at it in awe. Jakob let out a gasp, murmuring "...spirits are truly incredible too…"

"If our spirit generators can be adapted to harness this kind of electrical energy," Rita began, still frantically exploring the formula with one hand, "it would make our old blastia generators look like grade-school science projects! This would be a huge leap forward!"

"We could use it for barriers too," Nan pointed out. "Electrified barriers would be even more effective in deterring monster attacks on human settlements. You should bring that idea to the Empire."

"Oh?" Rita raised an eyebrow. "A Hunting Blades member looking to the Empire for help?"

"We're hunters, not engineers-!"

"Sounds like a lot of opportunities for the New Energy Initiative," Yuri commented with a grin. "You've got your work cut out for you."

The spirit let out another buzz, descending closer to the deck of the ship. "He wishes to thank the child who reached out to him," Undine explained, "the child who is both human and Krityan."

"Oh, Bell is-" Kida began, nervously glancing at Duke, who had been standing a short distance away from the rest of the group. Bell was still playing with the ring, ignoring the noises that surrounded her shelter under Duke's thick cloak. Duke removed his cloak from around her, and she initially whined at the feeling of the cold air. But Duke handed her over to Kida, and she smiled again at the sight of her mother. She dropped the ring in her excitement, and it clattered onto the wooden floor of the deck. "-here. I don't think she knew what she was doing. She's only fourteen weeks old."

"It was for that very reason that she was able to reach out to him in the way she did," Undine replied. "Her developing mind, unencumbered by the need to present itself with language or imagery, could project its most basic self to him. She didn't need to know. She only needed to be."

Yuri laughed. "I don't think any of us knew what we were doing. Bell isn't alone in that."

Estelle pulled away from Rita a little, just enough to draw closer to the new spirit. "Does… does he need a name?"

There was a pause and the spirit buzzed again. Undine nodded.

"He asks that you give him a name that reflects his dual nature."

Karol stepped forward with a big smile. "How about 'The Madly-Sparkling Wheel of Destiny-?" he began before Nan cut him off with a gentle slap to the back of his head.

"What the hell kind of name is that?"

"I thought he deserved something cool-!"

"No, no." Nan shook her head. "Destiny isn't thematically appropriate, and it doesn't roll off the tongue either. You're looking for something catchy, like 'The Madly-Sparkling Wheel of Duality."

Karol's eyes lit up. "Oh! You're so right-!"

"Honestly, how the hell did you manage to give Bell a normal name?" Rita groaned, shoving her and Estelle's way to the front of the group. "Let Estelle handle this."

Estelle had closed her eyes and was considering it. "Dual nature, hm? A spirit that embodies positive and negative charges… and the electrical potential that results from the difference between them… Volt. Your name is Volt."

Her statement was followed by a loud buzz from Volt, that same punchy, punctuated buzz that sounded vaguely like a laugh. Efreet let out a laugh as well.

"It seems he likes it. Volt it is."

Sylph buzzed around Volt as well, though she addressed the group back on the Fiertia when she spoke. "We cannot stay long. We must help Gnome repair the barrier. Volt's power will be invaluable in restricting the flow of miasma from the island, but for now, you should keep humans and Kritya away from Erealumen."

"We'll make sure Harry and the emperor know," Judith agreed. "There isn't much travel in this area anyway, but I'm sure Gull's Song and the Imperial Knights will want to know regardless."

Yuri leaned over the side of the deck, waving to the Phaedrus. "You get all that, Patty?" he yelled. Patty waved back with a grin.

"Aye! Siren's Fang will keep the black market shipping routes away from this area too. You can count on us!"

Rita rolled her eyes. "Good thing the Commandant isn't around to hear that."

"We can discuss the finer points of politics later," Yuri pointed out, patting Rita on the shoulder as he headed back toward the bridge. "For now, let's head back toward Dahngrest so we can give Harry and Flynn a report."

The group started to disperse, Karol and Nan taking orders from Yuri to make sure the ship was good to sail. Repede helped to steady Estelle, while Rita droned on about potential applications of the new spirit magic. Kida was keeping watch over Anzu, who was beginning to stir, and Judith and Raven watched them from a short distance. Anzu lifted his head and stood up, shaking the salt spray off his fur. He noticed Kida and Bell standing next to him, and leaned over to nuzzle Kida's cheek and lick Bell on the forehead. Bell yelped at the feeling of Anzu's rough tongue against her skin, and he jumped back in surprise. Judith laughed.

"I think someone else wants to make sure Anzu's alright too."

Kida looked up and let out a gasp as she saw Ba'ul leaning down close to the deck. He positioned himself over Anzu and gave him a hard slap on the head with his chin. The impact made the entire ship shake, sending Raven grabbing onto the railing and Kida scrambling backward into Judith's arms. Ba'ul didn't seem to mind, letting out a long drone of low chirps and warbles. Anzu's ears drooped, and Raven laughed at the sight.

"Sounds like somebody's gettin' an earful," he observed once he'd regained his balance. "What's he sayin' Judith darlin'?"

Judith giggled. "He's explaining what happened, scolding Anzu for being reckless and scaring him like that. He's really angry. It's adorable."

"Adorable, huh?"

Something Ba'ul said seemed to trigger a surprised response in Anzu, his ears and tail perking up again. He let out a sharp growl and turned away, spreading his wings and flying off in the opposite direction. Ba'ul followed him and Kida stared, looking back and forth between where the two Entelexia had gone and Judith.

"What did Ba'ul say?" she asked. "Anzu just called him some crude names. He seemed… embarrassed, almost? I know he can be aloof when it comes to affection, but that seems a little extreme."

Judith shrugged. "I didn't think Ba'ul said anything strange."

"Perhaps Anzu was startled, as I was, by Ba'ul's novel method of saving him," Duke offered. "As effective as it was to siphon the excess aer directly from his body, I was surprised Ba'ul would do such a thing so readily."

Judith raised an eyebrow. "Why is that? Is it a taboo among Entelexia?"

"No, not in itself, at least. It's the setting that was the problem. This was a dire situation, so there was no time for modesty, but under normal circumstances, an act of that nature between two Entelexia is a very… how should I put it…" Duke's pale cheeks turned an uncharacteristic shade of pink. "...private and intimate affair."

Kida gasped and hugged Bell closer to her chest, while Judith put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Oh my~! How scandalous. Had I known, I would have averted my eyes."

"Like an Entelexia version of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, huh?" Raven observed with an amused grin. "Never knew Ba'ul had it in him. I guess when somebody ya love is in danger, all sense'a shame goes out the window."

Jakob had been listening from behind the group and finally let out a sigh. "To think Entelexia have practices like that too… there's so much I don't know about them. So much I never knew."

Duke approached him, looking him over as though assessing how serious he was about the statement he'd just made. "...you know nothing about Entelexia," he observed, and Jakob drooped.

"I'm sorry. After all this time, I… I wasn't willing to face reality. The age of Entelexia is over, yet I've been clinging to it anyway. I ended up being used as a pawn to start a war between humans and Kritya, and then nearly destroyed the world myself. I was wrong. I need to figure out how to move forward into the future, the new age. It'll be difficult, but I can't keep living in the past-"

"Who says living in the past is a bad thing?"

There was a pause. Jakob froze, Duke's question not completely reaching him at first. He opened his mouth to reply, closed it, and then opened it again as he stammered out a response.

"Of… of course it's a bad thing. It blinded me to what was really happening in the world."

Duke shook his head. "It was your own lack of knowledge and experience that put you in such a vulnerable position. Putting the past aside will only heighten that problem, as it will cause the eventual loss of Entelexian knowledge. Seeing the ignorance that still exists, even in Krityan societies, makes me realize how dreadful it would be if the records of Entelexian culture were to disappear. I have no desire to rejoin human society and would prefer to live the rest of my life in solitude. But you are young. You seek a purpose in life, a place in society that involves both Kritya and Entelexia. Perhaps I could help you fulfill that purpose."

Jakob looked up at him, covering his mouth as it hung open in surprise. "...you…?"

"If I teach you all I know about Entelexia," Duke continued, "will you agree to record that knowledge and bring it back to your people for the benefit of future generations?"

Jakob's eyes sparkled with excitement. "...y-you mean… become your apprentice…?"

"Apprentice. I suppose that is a good word for it."

"Y-yes! Yes! Yes!" Jakob began to jump up and down, then stopped himself as he realized what he was doing. He cleared his throat and bowed politely. "I-I mean, please, Sir Duke. I would be honored if you would make me your apprentice."

Duke reached out and patted Jakob on the head.

"It will not be easy. But as long as you promise to keep in contact with your niece…" He looked over to Kida and Bell, both of whom smiled at him. "...I will gladly teach you all I know."

The humid summer heat could be brutal in Dahngrest at times, something Karol had quickly forgotten during a visit to Zaphias with its milder weather. He was grateful for the iced drinks he was carrying, already taking a few gulps of his own while he searched for Nan among the crowd in Dahngrest's main square. It didn't take him long to find her, and he caught her eye, waving one of the drinks in the air as a greeting. She broke into a smile when she saw him, the same smile that could always make his heart flutter, no matter how many times he saw it.

Karol handed one of the drinks over, the one that hadn't already been opened and sampled. "Cold brew coffee, black," he announced, "and a raspberry lemonade for me."

"You're the best," Nan answered back, standing on the tips of her toes for a quick kiss. She grimaced as she pulled away, however, and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "Ugh, how can you drink that sugary garbage? It tastes like straight syrup."

"Hey!" Karol gestured at her coffee. "I could ask you the same thing about that bitter nonsense."

"Touché."

The two paused for a moment before dissolving into a fit of laughter. They linked their free hands together, strolling across the square until they found a comfortable spot on the low wall to sit and chat. Nan had already started asking questions by the time they got settled, and was nodding along as Karol explained.

"-was so much bigger than I expected. Like, the entire Lower Quarter showed up, and a bunch of people from the knights too. The ceremony was crowded, but that just made the after-party more fun. Raven got drunk and cried a lot. I think Judith had to carry him back to the inn."

Nan put a hand over her mouth to keep from spitting out her drink as she laughed. "Now I'm really sorry I couldn't go," she commented, and took a moment to regain her composure and continue with a more compassionate tone. "Was the Best Man okay without a plus one?"

"D-don't worry about me! I was fine!" Karol insisted, waving one hand dismissively. "I spent the whole time staring at Yuri and Flynn anyway. They're so in love. I wanna be like that someday."

"What, you're not in love with me now?" Nan elbowed him, but dropped the teasing act when she saw him preparing a serious explanation. "I, uh... would like us to be like that someday too."

It was rare to hear her get sentimental like that. Karol blushed and changed the subject before she could get uncomfortable. "So, um, how was the conference? I want to hear all about it."

"Nah, you really don't." Nan shrugged. "I mean, I'm glad I went, but there wasn't anything spectacular. Everything is still in the prototype stage, so it's gonna be a while before we can put any of it into use. Still…" She stared at her coffee, tipping the cup back and forth and watching how the ice moved. "...it's nice to see people from the Empire actually talking to guild members that regularly work with monsters instead of just telling us what they think is best for us. There's still a sense of superiority among the Imperial engineers, but small progress is still progress."

"Hey, that's great to hear!" Karol chimed. "I'm sure Rita will be happy to hear it too. She's in town to help out while Yuri's on his honeymoon, you know- you should stop by the guild office and say 'hi' sometime."

Nan frowned. "You haven't given her your room again, have you?"

"No! She and Estelle are staying in Judith's room, since Judith doesn't really sleep there anymore… except when she's mad at Raven…"

Nan had been taking another sip of her drink, and she choked on it as Karol finished his statement. "So that's really a thing, huh?"

"You thought it wasn't?"

"I don't know, I guess I just didn't want to think about it at all."

Karol shook his head. "They're not that bad, honestly. It's Rita and Estelle who are overly lovey-dovey. Like, I wish they'd tone down the PDA just a little bit."

"Jealous?" Nan asked, nudging him. Karol blushed and looked away.

"Th-that's not it. They've been babysitting Bell and getting all mushy with the baby talk. She said her first word a couple weeks back, and now they're trying to get her to say other things."

"Her first word?" Nan perked up. "What was it?"

"Papa. According to Raven, Harry had her at an Altosk meeting while Kida was busy, and she was trying to get his attention. Pulling at his vest and hair wasn't distracting him, so she tried a different approach."

"Did that work?"

Karol scoffed. "Did it ever!"

The two shared a laugh, imagining a scene like that taking place in a serious Altosk meeting. Karol finally calmed down and took a deep breath before he continued.

"Speaking of which, I've got something else I wanted to talk to you about. It's about guild policies."

"Oh, working out more policies, are you?" Nan asked, her expression turning serious again. "Is this about the wedding?"

"No, it's something else entirely. I'm actually not sure whether you'd know much about this one or not-"

"Try me."

Karol set his own drink aside and turned to face her more directly. "How much time does the Hunting Blades usually give for parental leave?"

The question gave Nan pause for a moment. "You mean, like, maternity leave?"

"Yeah. Is there a regular amount of time they give, or does it depend on the parent?"

Nan closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Obviously we don't have pregnant members on active patrols after a certain point, but when it comes to full leave, I think the standard is around three months…" Her eyes snapped open again. "Wait! Is this for somebody in Brave Vesperia?"

"Yes-"

"Hypothetically, or right now?"

"Right now, but-"

"Who?" Nan demanded, leaning closer, but stopped and waved one hand. "No, no, let me guess. Yuri doesn't seem like the type…"

"Nope."

"...so, Estelle and Rita?"

Karol shook his head. "No. I think they want to get married first."

"Then…" She covered her mouth. "...oh my god, Judith and Raven?"

"No, definitely not."

Nan went quiet, her expression blank for a long moment before a look of frustration passed over her features. She leaned back and groaned. "It's the dog. Of course it's the dog. Why didn't I guess that to begin with-?"

"N-no, actually not," Karol broke in, shaking his head. Nan straightened up, frowning as she mentally reviewed a list of Brave Vesperia's members.

"So… who's left?"

Karol grinned and leaned over to reach into his bag, retrieving a sketchbook and turning a few pages to find an image on loose paper that had been clipped in. There were a series of graphite sketches, showing a creature that looked vaguely like a seal. Its bushy antennae and feathery front fins gave away the fact that it was something more fantastic, however, and the scale drawn next to it showed that it was about the same size as Repede. "This is Phos," he explained. "She was born recently at an aer krene in Yurzorea. Newborn Entelexia can't venture far from aer krene on their own, so Ba'ul has asked for time off so he and Anzu can take care of her 'till she's able to harvest aer from the environment herself. Judith says that Entelexia have really strong parental instincts, since it's so rare for a new one to be born. Technically, Ba'ul is an independent contractor rather than a guild member, but he's one of the family, so we want to give him the full membership benefits anyway,"

Nan's eyes had gone wide, and her mouth turned up into a fascinated smile. "That's incredible. So Entelexia are still being born, even now?"

"Yeah. We thought that the era of Entelexia was over now that most were converted to spirits. But it seems that's not the case at all. It's possible that, over the next few thousand years, the Entelexia population will recover. Yuri pointed out that just because there are butterflies doesn't mean there stops being caterpillars, right?"

Nan stifled a laugh. "I suppose that's one way to put it. Still… that makes me happy to hear. I won't tell Master and the Chief about this. After what the Hunting Blades did to the few Entelexia that survived the war, I'd hate for anything to happen to the ones still left."

"Ba'ul and Anzu are still young, so it'll be a long time yet before they can become spirits," Karol explained. "But Judith thinks there might be more to it than that. See, usually the birth of a new Entelexia is a rare occurrence that only happens every hundred years or so. Ba'ul is over a hundred, but Anzu is only around twenty."

"So… what does that mean?"

"She said the sudden change in timing may just be the aer reacting to the lack of Entelexia in the environment, but that's unlikely, given the spirits' influence. A more probable explanation is that Phos was intentionally created, since it's possible for a powerful Entelexia to stimulate the development of a new Entelexia where aer is abundant. We know it happened at least once, with Elucifer and his daughter Khroma." Karol looked down at the sketches, passing a hand over the paper. "Ba'ul and Anzu aren't powerful enough on their own. But if they took a tip from humans and worked together, then…"

Nan leaned over the paper again. "So they're trying to save their species, huh?" she murmured, her expression uncharacteristically sentimental. "The last two of their kind, charged with repopulating the world. That's so romantic."

"Well, Krones is still around, so they're not the last… wait, r-romantic?" Karol went stiff. "You think that's romantic, but the candlelit dinner we had last month wasn't?!"

"Th-this is dramatic, full of danger and raw instinct!" Nan defended, turning away to hide her blush. "There's nothing romantic about not being able to see the food you're eating-!"

The two began to argue, good-naturedly poking fun at each others' romantic sensibilities until they had finished their drinks and the late-afternoon twilight began to wane. Karol sighed, putting a hand against his forehead.

"I've got so much paperwork due on Monday, I don't wanna go back to the office. Will you hide me at the Hunting Blades headquarters?"

"Sorry, but you've made me promise not to enable your procrastination. I love you too much to let you turn into Raven."

"Now that's romance right there."

The two laughed, and Nan leaned against Karol's shoulder. "Don't worry so much about all the paperwork right now. I'm sure your next exciting adventure is just around the corner."

"Our next exciting adventure, huh?"

Karol repeated her words with a smile, staring up at the sky.

"...yeah, I'm sure it is too."