We have reached the end of the Exodus arc and are about to advance into a new arc in this tale. But before we go on, there are a few things I would like to shed more light on and hopefully help you understand the story better.
This will be written in the form of a Q&A session. The questions are asked by Shiro, Mia, Yamato, Tanaka and Endo. The answers are given by Orie and Shin.
"Who are the Cardinals?" Shiro asked.
The Cardinals were the best of the elites trained by the Prophets. They each represent the four cardinal points of the earth and are tasked with specific duties. Apart from Hanzo the north cardinal that was mentioned, there was also Jade of the east and Genji of the west.
"So that's where Genji comes in" Shiro said.
"What of the south cardinal?" He asked
"There was no south cardinal after my mother" Shin answered almost immediately.
"So Mina was a cardinal before she escaped?" Mia asked.
"That is correct" Shin answered.