Hope

"How?" Yuna exclaimed with a loud whisper as her heart had yet to recover from the previous answer

"Eh?" Ichiya replied with confusion of her own as Yuna took a step forward, her see through silhouette was intimidating as it is let alone when she was visibly angry

"I said how?!" She yelled, furrowing her eyebrows as her logical side could only see Ichiya's statement being a joke

"There's no way my country still stand!" She gestured aggressively with her hand towards Ichiya, denial in her words

"I saw what happened! I was with the men and women in the frontline when we lost the battle at Yokohama!" Ichiya on the other hand tried to protect herself from the angry spirit with her hands raised

"Wait... does that mean you really are Naginata Yuna...?" Ichiya asked her, mouth opened while her eyes widened at the sight of one of the legend's heroes, or at least the spirit of one

"Answer me!" Yuna screamed at her which prompted her to recoil back with a skipped heartbeat

"Yuna your anger isn't helping Ichiya explain what you want her to!" Fae said loudly to her friend that slowly looked over her shoulder to give Fae a freezing gaze

But then, as she could see Fae's eyes hide the fear that she had for Yuna's intimidating stare, the wraith decided that she should take a deep breath, Fae was the only reason that she was out of that putrid dungeon and brought here, she shouldn't act this way

"I apologize" Giving a bow to both Fae behind her and Ichiya in front of her, Yuna then lifted her head and looked at the latter

"Please, just tell me what happened after I died" She asked for the truth that was finally out of arm's reach

"W-well" With a stutter from the still present tension, Ichiya scratched the back of her head

"I'm not very knowledgeable about our history" She started off with not giving much hope for Yuna

"But I know that after Yokohama was lost, the Aralians sailed to our islands and fought against us for 7 months" Putting one hand on her waist and gesturing with the other, Ichiya continued

"After that period a truce was made between both nations, and with the end of the Naginata bloodline a famous figure of that war was chosen as the next emperor" Ichiya explained, Yuna seemed to catch on to what happened but Fae was as lost as the word could get

"What's uh, Yokohama?" Fae asked, and Ichiya seemed happy to give the answer of that

"Yokohama was a blade colony that Yuna's parents received as a peace offering from the Aralians when they were at war" As she explained the start, Fae crossed her arms and tilted her head

"Looks like your country and Aralia aren't the best of friends" Ichiya let out a soft chuckle

"Well, Aralia never was friends with any nation due to it being a militaristic nation in nature" Her chuckle then turned sour as remembrance hit her

"And the church nesting itself in Aralia's capital doesn't help either" Fae had a curious eyebrow raised

"Why's that?" What seemed like a right question for Fae, looked bizarre for Ichiya

"The church is infamous for being intolerant towards any belief other than the four gods" Yuna replied on behalf of Ichiya

"But please, let's stay on topic" She added on, looking at Ichiya again for more answers

"We had no chance against the Aralians with how many soldiers we lost at Yokohama, just how did you win the war?" Yuna with her tone sounded as if she was pleading for answers, but Ichiya's knowledge finally dried out

"I'm sorry I just don't know" She meekly answered the disheartened Yuna

"But you can come back home, you can talk to my grandfather and I'm sure he'll explain everything!" She continued on with her enthusiastic words and her closed fists

"He said he fought alongside you in Yokohama, I'm sure he'll be honored to answer any of your questions!" Yuna's expression softened as memories slowly started to fade in

"So the injured sailed safely back home, I'm glad to hear that" She muttered to herself

"Yes, he was with the ships that escaped out of Yokohama, he said that without you and your troops' sacrifice nobody would have made it out of there" Ichiya's words brought out a so very small smile out of Yuna

"I am in no need of flattery, only answers" Yuna replied

"And I am only narrating history, nothing more, nothing less" Ichiya answered Yuna back

"Albeit my knowledge being limited, my grandfather can definitely help you know more" Ichiya gave Yuna a polite smile as she spoke

"And I'm sure you want to come back home, no?" Yuna looked down at her feet with pursed lips

"Well, I can't really go on my own" Her head slowly looked to the side and locked eyes with Fae

"You lookin' for my permission?" Fae aske with a raised eyebrow and a smirk

"Of course we're going there" With a warm smile, Fae continued her words as that same smile infected Yuna

"Thank you, I couldn't ask for more" The latter replied with words alongside a slight bow of her head

As both of the women looked at Ichiya's confused expression, Yuna decided to answer it before it was questioned

"My soul is bound to Fae, I cannot go where she isn't" As Yuna gestured to Fae, Ichiya's curious eyes slightly widened

"That's fascinating" She then slowly looked at Fae

"How did you two even meet?" She asked her, Fae smiled

"How about we talk about it while walking?" And with those words spoken, both Ichiya and Yuna gave her a slow nod before the latter vanished while the former walked alongside Fae.

....

"A gem in a dungeon huh..." Ichiya repeated those words under her breath, pondering the incident that led into Fae encountering Yuna

"But even after she attacked you, you still decided to help her after all" She then looked at Fae and gave her a warm smile

"Going so far for her all the way from Flora, you're a good woman Fae" Ichiya's words prompted Fae to let out a nervous laughter

"I'll take the compliment" She answered her

"What about you Ichiya? tell me more about yourself" She inquired with a polite smile as the other chuckled

"Well I guess you can say that I'm a wanna be merchant, I came all the way from the empire to try and become one, but you can see how that went like" That same chuckle turned into a grim laughter that pushed Fae to comfort the woman with a hand on her shoulder

"Hey merchandise can be bought back but your life can't" Ichiya looked at Fae's eyes and then smiled

"Yeah yeah I know, I'm just kidding" Answering Fae with a smile, Ichiya then looked away while another question dawned on the former

"How are we going to get to the empire of blades exactly?" Fae asked her new acquaintance

"Well, we'll have to go to the city of Newbury" Humming to herself for a brief period, Ichiya continued with her words

"Then we'll take a ship to the empire" Interlocking her fingers to then put both hands behind her head, Ichiya whistled cheerfully

Fae chuckled at how at ease she was right after a near death experience, but she thought it was better than if she was still shell shocked

"And don't worry about the payment, it'll be an honor to take a fallen hero back to her homeland" Fae was given those comforting words tied with a neatly ribbon in form of a warm smile that targeted both her, and her spectral friend

"Thank you, I'm sure Yuna's grateful as well" Fae replied, seeing Ichiya smile and turn her head back at the blue sky, feeling the wind howl at her face and lift her hair

Fae on the other hand had her own thoughts to think of, she was suspecting that Ichiya was more than she was letting on, she didn't know how expensive it was to board a ship but it definitely wasn't common back in the medieval ages

With a sigh, she let her new friend off the hook as confronting her now of all times wouldn't amount to anything

Fae and Ichiya both walked, following the path laid to them and doing brief small talk with each other whenever they felt the need, but Fae still could feel the chaos that was itching in the core of her soul, she knew it was because of Yuna's entangled emotions and how could she blame her?

"Alrighty then, here we are" Ichiya muttered when both her and Fae finally reached Newbury

"A coastal burg with maybe around three thousand inhabitants and the base of operations of the 3rd fleet" She explained to Fae who was slightly taken aback from how much information was dumped on her

"I'm impressed you know that much about a foreign place" Fae replied to Ichiya who couldn't help but chuckle as she scratched her cheek

"Hehe, I'm flattered" Fae replied to that with a smile of her own while the other continued walking as both entered the burg

"Getting pretty late eh?" Fae heard her travel partner talk with her as the latter lifted her head to gaze at the sunset

While her friend was admiring the view, Fae looked around to notice the multiple stands and merchants that were packing up their numerous wares

"Let's head to the port, hopefully my associate is still there" Without seeking permission from Fae Ichiya immediately started walking into the direction of the Sea

Fae's eyes were immediately struck in awe by the sheer size of the lonely ship docked in the port, numerous canons were aiming through holes from each side of the hull through gunports, the huge mats of the ship had a recognizable emblem of a red rose on a wavy cross

"That looks... menacing" Fae muttered under her breath while Ichiya was seemingly non impressed as she walked up to the boarding ramp

"It should be" Yuna's words filled up the air around Fae as the former appeared next to her with her blue eyes fixated on the ship

"It's made for war... not for transportation" With furrowed eyebrows Yuna looked at Fae who quickly picked up on the hint

A military Florian ship wouldn't be the "associate" of a random start-up merchant from a country Fae didn't know even existed until now

"But..." Yuna then looked down at the ground, sorrow plastered on her face as it grimly twisted her expression

"If there's any truth behind what Ichiya told us, I'm fine with taking the risk" Fae comforted her with those words accompanied by a warm smile

Yuna's eyes still gazing at the ground, pursed her lips and lifted her head to make eye contact with Fae as the corners of her lips ever so gently lifted to form a tiny smile

"Thank you" She softly muttered

"I have nothing to lose anymore, but you..." Yuna looked down with her lips turning into a thin line, her face seemed unable to find the proper words to express herself with as she looked back at Fae

"Just thank you" As Fae wanted to reply however, another voice was heard

"Fae, hurry up!" Yelling from up the ship, Ichiya gestured to Fae to catch up with her and walk up the ramp and before the latter realized it, only blue energy was left where Yuna was standing to melt with the air

Fae took a deep breath and walked up the ramp as she could see only two figures standing on the ship, one was Ichiya, while the other was a young man that Fae could guess that he was in his 30s perhaps, a black scruffy beard and short hair with the same color while his clothes screamed that he was one of a high place with how fancy they, especially the blue frock coat with gold laced buttons

"And how was your stay at Flora?" The man seemed to have asked Ichiya

"Ah we'll talk about it later don't worry" She waved his words away as the only choice he was left with was to smile politely and nod his head while his hands were firmly behind his back

"This is Fae, she'll be accompanying me back to my homeland" As she gestured to Fae the man seemed to soften his smile into a more friendly one

"My name is Edward and I am the captain of this ship, it is a pleasure to meet you" he gave Fae an elegant bow with a hand on his chest that increased the already rising tension coursing through her body

"Nice to meet you too Edward" She answered his introduction with her own, accompanied by a small smile

"Anyway, We'll be departing back home right now if you do not mind" Ichiya wore an optimistic smile on her face while Edward raised an eyebrow

"Isn't your return home scheduled for many days from now?" He inquired suspiciously yet Ichiya seemed to have an iron-made smile and unwavering tone

"Yes but it is of an urgent matter, I need to go back" She told him with now slightly furrowed eyebrows as both stared at each other for a silent second until Edward's thin lips broke into a smile

"Understood, she did order me to be your transport no matter what" With a small nod and a polite bow

"Then I'll need to gather my men, we will be departing shortly" Edward excused himself

But Fae had more questions than answers, who did Ichiya had in good favors, and what kind of woman was that person to be able to order the captain of a military war ship

"You okay?" She snapped back to reality after Ichiya put her hand on Fae's shoulder, bringing her back as the latter gave the former a small smile

"Yeah yeah, just wondering how the trip will be like" Fae replied briefly bringing Ichiya to chuckle

"Why? will you get seasick?" That same smile quickly turned into a smirk with narrowed eyes, prompting Fae to laugh softly

"You wish" She answered back before walking towards the edge of the ship at the other side while Ichiya followed her closely, the latter crossed her arms on the wooden rails

"I wonder, Fae" She heard her friend say as Ichiya stopped next to Fae while her eyes looked at the dark sea

Fae raised an eyebrow at the sudden desire for knowledge that came from Ichiya

"You're not from Flora, are you?" She asked her, a piercing gaze was emitted from her eyes as she stared hard at Fae who felt her heart mess up its own rhythm

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" She answered back with a question of her own, raising an eyebrow and giving the temporary investigator a sidelook

"Well..." With a chuckle she put her elbow on the rails and rested her cheek on the open palm of her hand while her eyes haven't left Fae

"You just seem so oblivious" The next words made Fae snort from the sudden urge to laugh, turning her head away to try and pick up her composure

"You didn't even know that Newbury was a naval town" Intensifying her smirk and cunningly sharp eyes, Ichiya chuckled while Fae looked back at her

"You just calling me an airhead?" Fae asked her bully with a raised eyebrow and a calm tone

"No airhead would have survived the vengeful spirit of a heroine from the empire" Ichiya seemingly turned it around with a compliment towards Fae that made her even more confused, appreciatively confused

"I'd say" Putting her raised index finger at her lips, Ichiya thought for a second with her eyes looking at the sky

"A dork" She struck right at Fae with a huge grin, the latter could barely fight back as the only left choice was to roll her eyes

"A dork that is definitely not from Flora" Fae could but only sigh before looking at Ichiya with as much of an intimidating gaze as she could muster, but it only brought the latter to laugh

"Okay okay, I'll stop" Finishing her laughter at the expense of the smiling Fae's pride, Ichiya continued

"You can keep your secrets if you want" She told her

"I know you're a good woman, and that's all that matters" Her smirk faded away to birth a warm smile and gleeful eyes

"Gee, are you trying to get into my pants or what?" Fae asked recoiling slightly with a raised eyebrow targeted at the now laughing aloud Ichiya

"Hahah, Nah~" Resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she looked outboard, she continued

"I'm only into having adventures" She added on, Fae almost catching a glint in her new friend's eyes

"The joy of exploration and discovery, meeting with new cultures and learning foreign languages" Her tone grew softer and genuine with each word

"Talking with locals and exchanging ideas, seeing their perspective of life, standing in awe at architecture that I could never imagine" She let out an inspired sigh yet her smile was still decorating her white face

"I presume you'd also be into near death experiences" Fae hinted with mischief while her friend chuckled

"What is life without a dash of recklessness?" She seemed too proud of her own words for Fae and so she gave up on trying to change her mind

"Miss Ichikawa" Both of the women turned their heads to meet the voice calling

"We couldn't find appropriate lodging for your friend that wouldn't be in the crew area" It was Edward the captain of the very ship they stood on, but he didn't seem to bear good news

"Edward, don't tell me you're asking for Fae to sleep next to your men?" Ichiya said with a stern tone while the captain slowly shook his head

"That's why I'm here to tell you that the alternative to that would be exchanging rooms" He added on

"My personal cabin has a king sized bed unlike your own room, so we'll exchange lodging for the duration of the voyage, does that seem fair to both of you?" He asked with an open palm of his hand as a gesture to the both of them

"That would be much preferable, thank you" Fae replied with a polite smile while the man excused himself with a formal bow

She then turned her head to look at Ichiya with a raised eyebrow and a suspicious glare

"Who are you really?" Fae asked her but only bringing her to a laugh

"Nobody important" Finishing her words with a cunning smile and narrowed eyes that didn't help put Fae in any type of comfort

....

Fae let out a groan as she sat up on her bed, she didn't catch a single second of sleep and the sounds of loud snoring next to her made her quite jealous seeing on how cozy Ichiya looked like in her sleep

Putting her feet down on the ground, Fae sat at the edge of the double bed and took a deep breath while her eyes caught the silhouette of her backpack in the corner of her eyes

Stretching towards it Fae barely grabbed it without having to get up, pulling it by one of its straps towards her before resting it on her lap

Opening it all the way Fae could already see that one promise she had yet to fulfill

Grabbing the scroll and pulling it out to stare at it as her eyes admired the ornaments and engraving

She wondered whether she should just give it to Edward and narrate to him of what happened when it was given to her

It would be much easier and convenient if that's the choice that she picked, but how could she?

It was the last wish of a man, even though it was one that she have never met all her life she couldn't bring herself to just take a shortcut

He told her to give it to the queen

So Fae will personally give it to the queen

Letting out a long exhausted exhale as her hand put the scroll to the side, Fae kept rummaging through her backpack until she found the thing that she was looking for

It was a white scarf that she had only worn once in her life, a gift from the very same friend that texted her on the night that she had left her homeworld

She felt a bit of guilt as she had never enjoyed that gift since she didn't think that the white color would suit her and now she couldn't ever show her gratitude again

Putting it aside with a heavy heart, Fae took another look inside her backpack to find the couple of textbooks and a bottle of water and next to it was the thing she was looking for

Leaving the room and standing directly on deck Fae could notice the few men that were manning the ship but she decided to do her best not to make any eye contact with any of them

She went on to that same spot where herself and Ichiya were previously, resting both forearms on the wooden rails of the ship while her hand brought out a single cigarette from her pack for her lips to take

Opening the palm of her hand and focusing on that same fiery tempest she thought of previously, Fae could feel a tingly sensation course through her spine while that same hand had a bright red slowly fade in, enough heat to light her cigarette as she touched the tip with that scorching hand

But she could clearly tell that it wasn't as bright and flaming as when she previously did it back to show it to both Ulfgan and Yulia, maybe she had to absorb more mana

Closing her eyes and pushing the smoke up her lungs and out of her mouth, Fae then slowly opened those same eyes ever so slightly as they gazed at the dark sea that could only be enlightened by the reflection of the moon

The only thing she could listen to was the creaking of the ship and the waves of the sea that were under her, she could also catch very few muffled words between the men that were moving from deck to deck

Putting the cigarette that was caught between her lips in her index and middle finger, Fae took a deep intake of smoke before she put it away, staring at the white moon with enamored eyes and parted lips

Smoke slowly and gently left her mouth in a continuous motion while her eyes never left the sight of the moon, it was the only thing that was of interest to look at in a sea of darkness

"Are you anxious?" Fae muttered under her breath and with each word spoken out was accompanied by cigarette smoke

"Very much so" She heard Yuna's voice that echoed within her head

"I am not accustomed to fear, but I really am afraid now" Yuna added on, much to Fae's confusion portrayed with a raised eyebrow

"Afraid of what?" Fae asked her friend before she put back her cigarette between her lips to take a big intake of smoke

"Change" And she got her reply just as quickly, a grim chuckle from Yuna followed before she spoke again

"Even though I'm going to a home that I thought I didn't have anymore, I'm still scared that I can't recognize it" Fae could understand her troubles

"Pitiful, isn't it?" Fae slowly let the smoke that she exhaled out of her nose fade out

"You've been through hell and back" She replied to her friend

"Your sacrifice allowed so many of your men to come back home in safety and probably inspired hope throughout your kingdom" She then let out a warm smile that she hoped Yuna could see

"I'd say that you earned yourself some time to be vulnerable" Tapping her cigarette with her index finger as ash fell down to be carried with the slight wind, a silent couple of seconds dawned on Fae

"I remember my grandpa telling me that being unable to feel fear wasn't courage, but that courage was overcoming that crippling fear" Fae added on with a soft tone, and after a silent second she finally received a reply

"My brother did tell me something alike of that" Yuna's tone jumped from the sorrowful side of the spectrum all the way to the other side, a gleeful tone basked in nostalgia took place of the previous one and Fae could almost feel her smile through the warmth that bathed her heart

"Thank you for keeping me on the right path" Those words made Fae's smile even gentler

"My pleasure" Putting back her cigarette between her lips, Fae took a deep inhale and then sucked air to push the smoke into her lungs

"Pardon?" She jumped and put a hand on her chest from the surprise she got caught in, turning her head to see a very much so confused Edward

"Uh, I was just singing a little song" She tried to throw him off, but his interest seemed to have quickly diverted from her words to the smoke that came out with those same words, his eyes slowly darting towards the cigarette between her fingers

"That's a very thin cigar" He remarked with a touch of both interest and confusion while Fae had her back against the rails of the ship

"Oh, right..." Turning back to lean forward on the rails while Edward stood next to her, Fae continued her words as she was glad he went off and far from her conversation with Yuna

"Guess you can say that, it's less of a hassle to smoke compared to a cigar" She added on, seemingly continuously watering Edward's curiosity as he inquired further on

"Could I be so selfish to ask for one?" He answered her with a question while his face made the expression of one's curiosity overpowering one's pride, Fae smiled as she notice a slight trace of the honesty that Claude had

"Of course" And with that she brought out her pack of cigarette out of her pocket and pushed one for Edward to reluctantly take

"Curious material" He said, words directed to both the pack and the cigarette itself but he nonetheless still relieved Fae's pack out of one as the latter instinctively put her free hand into her pocket to bring out her lighter

But wouldn't that be even more explaining to do? especially how she was speaking to somebody from the military

Any suspicious behavior could end really badly, Fae decided to not help him light it

"How did you light yours?" He then asked her with a tilted head and a raised eyebrow while she cursed inside her mind

"Ah right, put the cigarette in your mouth" And so he did, prompting Fae to raise a thumb out of a closed hand and to put that one finger on the tip of his cigarette

He took a deep breath of the now lit cigarette to then put it aside

"So you know how to use magic" He said under his breath while the scorching heat that was on Fae's thumb extinguished by its own will, looks like she ran out of mana

"Yup" Deciding not to delve further to maybe make his curiosity die down, Fae put her cigarette between her lips and took another deep breath to then give a sideglance to the man next to her

"I've never had a 'cigarette', is it something of your homeland?" He asked her when he noticed her gaze on him while his eyes still were inspecting the cigarette he now had between his index and middle finger

"Something like that, yeah" She pushed her gaze back to the sea while smoke slowly came out of parted lips

"Then what brings you to Flora?" She mentally sighed at the now interview she was getting trapped in

"Personal reasons" Not making eye contact with the captain Fae decided she much rather continue looking at the glistening reflection of the moon on the surface of the sea

Edward however, couldn't let Fae off his gaze, whether it was because he saw her as a threat or he was just curious would be something only he would know, he decided to take a tiny break from his questionnaire to take an inhale out of the cigarette

Exhaling the smoke out his mouth to then look at Fae again, he spoke

"I apologize if I'm asking too many questions" His words attracted Fae's attention as she gave him a sidelook

"I only thought that you would be a diplomat representing your country to the empire" He added

"But I've noticed the identification necklace that you're wearing, which means you registered as an adventurer in Flora" He then furrowed his eyebrows as his calm demeanor slowly was overshadowed by a trace of intimidation

"And diplomats are strictly forbidden from doing so" Keeping his gaze on Fae for a silent second, Edward continued

"So you're either a normal citizen, or a spy, and I sincerely doubt you're the former" Fae even though she felt like her heart was pounding so fast it was escaping her rib cage, still defended herself

"And why wouldn't I just be a normal citizen?" She inquired him

But she asked a question that made even Edward who has to yet betray his façade with any emotion, break out of his character

"What?" He asked her in confusion

"The empire has prohibited foreigners coming to their land a century ago" Yet his confusion only deepened as he could see that Fae was surprised of that news

"Unless you're there on official business the Miyakashi islands are strictly off limits to anybody out of the empire" He continued on with a question dawning on his mind

"Wait, do you even know who is the person you are travelling with?" He asked her but Fae was unaware of answer she should give, let alone the correct one

"As far as I know, Ichiya's a merchant and she's doing me a favour" She replied to him, he stared at her for a couple of seconds before looking away with a sigh

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into" Taking one last inhale out of his given cigarette, Edward slowly exhaled the smoke through his nose and flicked the near burnt off cigarette off to the sea

"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable but I hope you understand" He added on as he stood straight with his hands behind his back in a firm and uptight manner while Fae couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh

"I get it, you're doing your job" Without diverting her eyes from the sea she made it clear that she had no more words to say

"Thank you ma'am, I wish you a pleasant night" He said while performing a slight yet elegant bow that was still not enough for Fae to move her eyes from the dark sea but it was enough to move them towards her burning cigarette

"Yeah, good night" As Edward left Fae to her own devices, the latter took a continuous intake of smoke out of her cigarette until she felt full, and then put it away with two fingers to suck in air through her mouth as she closed her eyes and felt a weight was removed out of her head

And then she ever so slowly exhaled in a stable flow of smoke out of her parted lips

Gently opening her eyes to see the tiny bit of cigarette left, she whispered to herself

"I hope you see what trouble I'm getting myself into" And after a silent second past a voice resonated inside her own mind

"And for that I am ever so thankful" And those words finally broke Fae's frown into a warm smile

As Fae decided to go to bed she ended the most eventful night of the 7 days voyage to the empire, the 6 other days and nights were spent doing her best to occupy her mind out of boredom and the endless sea that filled the horizon, mainly through games of cards and lessons about Bladen culture from both Yuna and Ichiya and while they weren't lecturing her, Ichiya narrated to Yuna about the current state of the empire and even If Fae wasn't very knowledgeable about politics or economy, she knew from what Ichiya was saying that the empire was in a golden age of some sort

Although, Fae could feel that the atmosphere was awkward at best between the crew and Ichiya herself, the men aboard excluding Edward seemed to pace themselves as far away as possible from her at the point where Fae wondered if Ichiya was a huge misandrist of some sort, but her logical side dismissed that thought with a fit of laughter

Between amusing herself with Ichiya, watching the two women from the empire discuss matters that were beyond her comprehension, the distancing the men took away from Ichiya and finally the endless sea, Fae felt like those 7 days were the longest she ever had the displeasure to experience but just like an hourglass each day fell down, one after the other, until it was the last day, right at noon

"Excited?" Fae asked as she sat down on the edge of the double bed that was in Edward's cabin, in front of her was a tense Yuna inspecting the bookshelf that contained many books that to Fae, looked like a chore to read

"In the worst way possible" Yuna answered, one hand on the handle of her sheathed sword while the other was down by her side, the fist of that arm closed

"I'm sure the end of this journey will be relieving for you, stay strong" Fae replied to her friend who let go of that closed fist into an open hand and then looked over her shoulder to give Fae a tiny smile before turning again to face the bookshelf, her eyes staring down at her feet

"Hopefully" And with those words, she vanished away as her silhouette melted in a blue powder carried by the air that made it disappear

And right after that, the door was opened

"Fae-Fae we've arrived!" Using a tone brimmed with enthusiasm, her manner of addressing Fae made her snort before she got up her bed

"Alright I'll be there in a minute" Fae answered Ichiya who gave her a quick nod before she went out again

Fae took a deep inhale and looked at her weapons that were leaned against the night stand, grabbing her shortsword and attaching it to her waist, she also took both Archad's dagger and the sword that saved her from Yuna

With a small smile, Fae then headed towards the door before opening it with excitement that was quickly stolen by the sun attacking her eyes, prompting her to shelter them with her arm as she went to the upper deck

And as she removed her arm while her eyes adjusted to the burning sun, Fae could finally gaze at Yuna's homeland

Ships with mats that reassembled wings of ancient dragons, maple trees taking the color of a burning orange flame, architecture that prided itself in showing dominance with sharp geometry and patience and virtue with its dark color palette

Fae's eyes widened by themselves as she approached the end of the wooden rails to grasp them tightly, standing next to Ichiya and Edward

"Such a nice feeling to be back home" Ichiya whispered to herself as her own eyes gazed at the busy populace that she could discerned by silhouettes only

"Welcome to" But as soon as she wanted to welcome her friend to her own nation, that same friend cut her words in half

"Karokawa..." Both Edward and Ichiya looked at Fae with a curious look as none expected her to know the name of the port city that they would be arriving to since none of them mentioned it

Fae, quickly realizing what situation she was in broke herself from the trance she was shackled in before looking at the other two

"Oh right, I forgot I told you about it's name, kinda ruined the surprise" Ichiya covered for Fae with those words, accompanied by a soft laughter that Fae helped with a laugh of her own

Edward didn't seem interested after that, or at least he didn't want to be

Fae however, could feel her insides burning in a literal sense and her worries only increased as she noticed her left hand covered in a blue aura that was akin to the one Yuna would take when she appears

Immediately putting her hand in her pocket to avoid anyone else noticing it apart from Ichiya, and especially not Edward

"Well lady Ichikawa, it was a pleasure to be of help to you" With those words, Edward gave a polite bow to Ichikawa

"Thank you, pass my best regards to her whenever you can" Ichiya replied as Fae's curiosity immediately peaked when she heard Ichiya mention "her"

"Understood, hopefully this will lead to a brighter future to both of our nations" He answered her with soft words and a polite smile that Ichiya imitated

"I will do my best in that regard"

Fae after that followed Ichiya and Edward as they had a brief conversation with the guards of the port that Fae deducted was about herself since the guards took quite a couple of hard looks at her

"Alright Fae, keep the hood on your head so we don't attract any more attention" Ichiya told her friend who immediately raised the hood of her cloak over her head as Ichiya also did the same

Saying their final goodbyes to Edward, both Ichiya and Fae finally delved deeper into one of the many cities of the Empire as the former finally felt the comfort of her homeland while Fae felt the exact opposite, an itching discomfort inside her very soul that only kept raising in intensity the more she walked

The naval town was busy with seamen transporting cargos from ships to the port, or vice versa

And as both of the women exited the port to walk towards the heart of the town Fae's discomfort in her chest went to the point of where she had to rest a hand on that area just to feel the placebo effect of relief

"Fae?" Ichiya suddenly addressed her friend who came to an abrupt stop

"Are you okay?" Tilting her head to the side to finally make eye contact with Fae who could see the shock Ichiya had in her face when they looked at each other's eyes

"Your... your face is half blue" Furrowing her eyebrows and having the first serious expression that Fae saw Ichiya have so far, the former pulled her phone as she tried to unlock it yet the blackness of the screen held still

She lined up the sun so it would strike the turned off screen as she could finally take a look at her own face

And what she could see was that the right half of her face was hers, while the other's was of that same translucent blue aura

"I'm sorry Fae-san, I need to see" And as she heard those words inside her mind, she put back her phone in her pocket and pulled her cloak's hood even lower

"Hopefully nobody will talk to us" Taking a deep breath Fae gave a nod to Ichiya that it was okay as the latter gave back the nod to then walk further on, too far to give up now