Chapter 3: Wind and Light crossing the plains

The Pao Plains were wide plains in the northeast of West Rune.

In this land lived tribes of nomads scattered about with no fixed settlement. The name “Pao” was a word for their tents, shaped like upside-down spinning tops. They lived moving around with the seasons, much like the cream-colored flowers blooming through the plains.

But there was a big difference between the largest tribe in Pao Plains and the other, smaller tribes.

That tribe moved through the plains from west to east periodically with a giant machine, the Pao Train. It carved deep wheel tracks with its overwhelming size while serving as a merchant caravan, crossing the ocean of grass. That was a scenario only possible in those wide plains.

Bleu’s group had arrived at the Pao Train. It was stopped at the western edge of the plains, full of shops lined up, selling ornaments and food and more from the east. While having their attention constantly grabbed by the tents of the foreign bazaar they weren’t used to, the group headed to the car spearheading the train, where the queen was.

Armed soldiers stood guard by the entrance of the car.

Bleu and Wendy presented to them letters addressed to the queen. The two letters carried the signatures of Otrant of Manarina and Zylo of Bustoke.

After waiting for a while, an aide of the queen welcomed them in.

The soldiers who came accompanying Wendy waited outside. Of the people following Bleu though, not a single one stood outside quietly. They all followed him inside as if it was the natural thing to do.

The inside of the train had an atmosphere much like that of the dwarves’ secret passage. The walls and floor were made of metal, and a light with no warmth shone from the ceiling. Two long tubes of different widths ran through the car’s sides, connecting with the other cars.

The group walked with composure through the wide corridor, where doors to compartments of all sizes were spread out neatly.

Guided by the aide, they arrived at the doors to the room where Queen Koron awaited.

“I’ve brought the people of the Shining Force.”

As if answering to their words, the doors slid to the sides on their own.

Though it was due to Bleu being there, all the others felt strange about being referred to as the Shining Force.

With her back turned to two mysterious shining pillars, Queen Koron sat quietly at her throne. Her young face was both calm and grave, and her voice was clear.

After a couple of questions about the content of the letters, she gladly allowed them to stay.

“Why would I deny a request from the Shining Force? We will be departing tomorrow, and taking you along to Uranbatol.”

Bleu expressed his gratitude to her. Looking at his face, she seemed confused all of a sudden.

“Sir Bleu, is anything troubling you perhaps?”

He took a while to answer. “No. It’s nothing...”

“If anything is making you anxious, I can give some small counsel.”

“Bleu, Her Majesty is also a prophet. It wouldn’t hurt to take up on her offer,” Krin suggested.

“Though I don’t know how much my words will help you. It’s best if I am frank about this. Because my predictions do not decide the future, they merely point out a path to be taken.”

She smiled humbly. It was a warm smile that melted away Bleu’s tension.

“Then, I’d be honored,” he asked while bowing his head to her.

Nodding slowly, Koron got up. Her skirt rolled out in waves from how it stood over the throne. Her arms spread out to the sides. The light shining behind her made shadows dance over her lavender dress as if it was a screen.

She raised both hands to her head. Her pale arms became exposed up to the shoulders. Her hair, scarlet like fire, waved slightly over her shoulders, back and chest. Finally, as if grasping something, she slowly brought her arms down. Still as if holding something, she placed both hands gently over her heart.

“Young Sacred Dragon...” With closed eyes, she began to speak, “if your heart is lost in the east, turn your eyes to the north. Your bonds are not to be severed. One of closed eyes and open mind might be of great help to you. At the end, you will find the true form of what binds down your heart. Something ancient will be lost, and at last you shall find your true manual. A new bloodline will start from there.”

With her eyes still closed, Koron turned her head to Karin.

“Maiden with a noble heart, your determination will save many things, and then might save one more.”

She then slowly turned to everyone else.

“You who follow the Sacred Dragon in his journey, time will save you from the flames, and in one time flames left unextinguished will save you. Within the flames, you’ll find the book that should be burned. Unbreakable harmony will call forth the Shining Dragon.”

Koron finished her speech, and opened her eyes again. But, she squinted at if facing a bright light. Her eyes suddenly stopped at Camallia. As the priest somewhat met her gaze in response, Koron said nothing.

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I’ll take these words to heart.”

Feeling that Koron was tired, Bleu decided to leave for now. He was struggling a lot to understand the meaning of her predictions, but figured he could take his time to unravel them.

He and the others excused themselves, and the queen asked an aide to give them a tour of the Pao Train.

As they bowed to her and left in order, Camallia felt eyes on her and stopped.

She turned around and questioned Koron, who didn’t answer at first.

Saying that they would go on ahead, Karin closed the door.

“Do you need anything of me, Your Majesty?” Camallia asked courteously.

“Maiden of a foreign land, there is something I want to ask you,” Koron said with a grave voice. The tubes of light behind her grew brighter, and Camallia narrowed her eyes, dazzled by them.

“Proud maiden, this pride of yours, who is it for?”

Her question rang through the room.

“My pride is for my own sake, and also, for those I love and respect.”

Camallia answered with unwavering confidence.

“Then, swear on that pride, that you won’t follow through with things you don’t believe are right.”

“...I swear.”

While answering, Camallia wondered how far had this prophet seen through her.

“To them, you are someone very important. I hope that they too become important to you. Until the day you take back your true form, learn what you must learn, maiden of a distant world.”

“Is that all?” Camallia asked in return.

She showed with her gaze how there were only the two of them currently in the room.

“Will that be all?” She asked again, and Koron gently nodded.

“How will you answer to the trust placed upon you?”

Koron threw the honest question at the girl in front of her. Camallia was forced to recognize who was included or not in those words. Her gaze went to the queen. Suddenly, she understood. Koron was using that person’s eyes to look into that person’s own mind.

“...I’ll trust him.”

Camallia bowed deeply to Koron.

“Please excuse me, Your Majesty.”

With that bow, she left the room.

*

The following day, the tents set up around were all taken inside, and the Pao Train departed.

The soldiers from Bustoke parted ways with them there, and went back to their own country. Only Wendy wanted to come with Bleu and his team, but Zylo wouldn’t accept that selfishness. Bitterly, she took the way back home.

For every departure, there are meetings as well.

The following day, the tents set up around were all taken inside, and the Pao Train departed.

Just as Lyle had said in Rindo, an old member of the Shining Force, Guntz, was on the Pao Train as well. It seemed he had been living there for quite a while already, to research the huge machine.

Bleu was overjoyed with the reunion, but couldn’t follow much of Guntz’s talk about machines. Instead, it was Krin who jumped at that topic. She spent almost all her free time on the cab and the power sources.

Tyrin said he had orders from Otrant to not let Bleu and the Manual out of his sight. Bleu doubted if he was competent enough to oversee this, but couldn’t easily refuse Otrant’s wishes. Randolf too, with their deal from before still in place, wouldn’t leave his side until meeting the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia. Bleu regretted having taken that deal so hastily, but it was too little too late. And Karna as well seemed to have no intention of leaving until she found some clue of Gong’s whereabouts. More than that, she seemed more passionate about the task of helping the Sacred Dragons than Gong right now.

Their views are all different, but an odd feeling of unity grew between them as they traveled together. Perhaps, while their goals were different, their reason for traveling was the same. The center of all that had always been Bleu.

For Karin in particular, her desire to stay beside him was very clear in her face.

With nothing obstructing its path, the Pao Train continued on without issue. Of course, there was nothing that could stop the advance of that huge machine. If any careless creature stood in its path, it would obviously be crushed underneath it.

However, pretty much no creatures were hit by the machine. It crossed the plains like wind. Such was the defining image of the Pao Train that Queen Koron rode on.

It continued to run even as night fell.

The typical sounds of the engine could be heard through the walls, along with the wind blowing by the windows. Not drowned by any of this, one more sound rang through a small but cozy lounge, the clear melody of a lyre.

Bleu and his friends were spending their hours peacefully after dinner.

Everyone had made a circle, and Karna was in the center, sat atop a small box. Carrying a lyre of 16 strings shaped like a swan atop the waters, she sang a song. Her voice, clear and high pitched due to her youth, would go from cheerful, to sweet, to frenetic, weaving together the threads of the song.

In her song there were people, and beasts, creatures playing in nature, wind for the birds, water for the fish, everything finding its place in a cycle, everything finding harmony, their daily work spinning on the threads of time, like a spinning wheel singing a song, weaving together a singing voice, people finding harmony, and harmony giving birth to more people...

“Is that a song from your homeland, Karna?” Tyrin asked her once she finished a section, and took a break to rest her throat.

“No. I actually grew up among wanderers. I don’t have a particular homeland. If I had to answer, I’d say all of Rune is mine.”

“You mean ‘my home’, not 'mine’.”

She stuck her tongue at Tyrin’s correction.

“So, without thinking, I had become a traveler. It was in the middle of my travels that I met Master Gong. The song I just sang is one Master taught me.”

“That song is Gong's...!?”

Bleu and Guntz immediately looked at each other. Neither of them could imagine it at all, that quiet man singing anything. Eventually, the image of the monk singing a broken and out of tune song while red in the face came to their minds. But, looking as how Karna talked nostalgically about it, that was probably not how it was. Maybe he was unexpectedly good at singing, the two whispered.

“Master told me: 'If you think I’ve been kind to you, share that kindness with many others. If you are grateful to me, then you too work every day to receive that gratitude from people.’ That’s why I’m coming along until Sir Bleu feels grateful to have me. If I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t be able to look Master in the eyes. Besides, while I’m with Sir Bleu, maybe Master will show up to see his fellow Shining Force members.”

Karna touched over and over the White Ring that Gong had given her in the past. The ring was made of platinum with an Aquamarine stone inlaid in it, and glowed warmly in her ring finger, hiding healing magic within.

“I don’t think Gong is coming to visit me any time soon though. Besides, I’m already grateful enough for you. What he was trying to say is that if you were helped by a certain someone, you can pay it forward to anyone else. You’re misunderstanding things.”

“Aah, so is it a bother that I’m coming along?”

Her eyes started filing up with tears.

"It's not like that..."

By reflex, Bleu averted his eyes, staring at the ceiling instead.

“I think you need a healer around for traveling, for when you get injured and such. I’m sure of it. I’ll train with Karin too and become stronger, so I won’t be a burden to you.”

“I’ve told you already, I don’t look anything like Gong,” Karin jumped in the conversation to stop her, “if you want to train with someone, do it with Camallia.”

“Nooo, a gallant big sister is my ideal kind of woman!”

Karna made heart-eyes at her.

“Wait, Bleu, help me out here!”

Troubled, Karin turned to Bleu. He laughed with Camallia, who was sat at their side, their shoulders rubbing together. Their carefreeness got on her nerves.

She dragged him away from Camallia, trying to get him between her and Karna.

Having watched everything from the start, Randolf was roaring with laughter. Many of the others joined him as well.

Karna got a grip on herself, and set to play the lyre once again.

The song went on. The birds to the wind, the fish to the water, the plants to the light, the people to all living things... They all gave their thanks to that which sustained them. They all gave them gratitude and care. They all gave their thanks and prayers...

Karna’s song told of all living things, and the earth and sky and sea around them, with benevolence.

“What a strange song.”

Once the song was over, Camallia mumbled her thoughts on it.

“Why does such a song exists? All things are not equal, the weak feed the strong, and the strong feed the even stronger. These relationships between them are what the gods decided.”

“And if that’s how it is, then the strong must be grateful to the weak. Master Gong talked much about it. Everything in this world is kept alive by someone else. Those who rule can do so because those ruled over allow them to, and those who protect can do so because those they protect let them do so. We can’t forget to pray in gratitude to even the smallest bugs and the blooming flowers.”

“If I prayed for every single one of those, my neck would end up pretty stiff.”

Randolf laughed off Karna’s words as lectures from a cute child.

“That’s not how she meant it.”

Sat by Karna’s side, Karin came in her defense as the younger girl sulked, petting her head lightly as she took the chance to snuggle closer and be spoiled. It seemed that had Krin been around instead of exploring the train, she’d have to fight to get her sister back.

“We hunt birds and beasts,” Karin said, “but we shouldn’t ever kill them for no reason.”

“Well well, there’s no need to quarrel about this. Instead, I would like to request one more song. Would that be okay, Karna?”

Tyrin entered the conversation as if trying to mediate. In a better mood, Karna accepted, and began playing the lyre again.

And her songs continued.

Bleu wanted to agree with what Randolf had said. If living things needed other things to live, then they were too unreliable and frail. That went for Sacred Dragons too, how much of a fleeting dream it was to expect them to be allowed to live all this time just for the sake of protecting the Manual?

Bleu didn’t voice any of those feelings, and Karin and Karna did not find out how much he disagreed with them in that night.

*

The rear of the Pao Train had a small deck, for embarking and disembarking and connecting to the other cars.

Deep in the night while everyone slept soundly, Camallia stood there alone.

As her hair blew away freely with the wind coming from both sides of the train, she enjoyed the scenery of the mountains surrounding the Pao Plains. They were like a pitch-black painting, moving as quietly as the stars in the sky. No matter how unchanging they looked, they were slowly but surely being passed by.

She hadn’t started this journey for sightseeing.

Camallia berated herself.

Karin and Karna, and Bleu. She had no intention to meet people like them at the start. That wasn’t the reason she had come to this land, was it? Those thoughts had her shaken. Because she also had the feeling deep in her heart that she had met just who she had to meet there. One day, liking it or not, she would find out which one of those thoughts was right. Though she didn’t yet know when that day would come...

It’s easy to drown in your own thoughts. And also, to tear them apart.

With a small noise, the door opened. Someone came by.

“...There you are.”

Karin closed the door behind her.

“Do you need anything from me...?”

Camallia asked her amicably, showing a calm smile under the moonlight.

Karin didn’t answer right away.

“It is very late already,” Camallia warned her, ignoring how the same could be said for herself.

“I do want something…” Karin finally said after a good time, “I have a request. Don’t take Bleu with you.”

Her words came out like a dam had burst.

“Why is that?” Camallia asked back politely, watching Karin’s face as she spoke so directly.

“He wants to go to Parmecia with you, but as long as you have the Manual you don’t need him. We can just give it to you.”

“Is that so?” Camallia played dumb. “Would it really be wise to give away his precious Manual to someone else? And then, what would I do about the Dragon Blood Crystal seal? Also, his people are waiting for him in Parmecia. Those are reasons enough for him to come, no? The only reason for him to stay back is some meager, selfish fear surrounding the Manual, and that’s it. More importantly, Bleu himself decided to go, so no one should be able to stop him.”

“No!”

“Why.” She answered sharply to Karin’s shout.

“Don’t take Bleu away!!”

“What a weird thing to say. When have I taken Bleu away, and from who? Sure, he — Sacred Dragons are interesting. Yes, they are perfect, beautiful, and noble creatures. A simple human can't compare to them. So I want to be with him just a little longer. I want to watch up close how he feels, how he thinks. Those are my upfront intentions right now.”

“I want to be by his side, too. I want him with me forever.”

“Like a pet? Sacred Dragons aren’t the kind of creature for that.”

“No! Of course that’s not what I mean!”

“No, I’m right. Sacred Dragons don’t exist for your entertainment.”

Karin couldn’t find the words against Camallia’s scathing criticism.

“He’s not yours.”

“And not yours either. What are you to Bleu, anyway? A mother? Sister? Or maybe, a lover...?”

Camallia knew she was tormenting her, but even so, she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“...A friend. Yes, a precious friend.”

Maybe Karin didn’t know yet what name to put to her feelings. Maybe humans were coward and weak creatures.

“Yes. Of course. There shouldn’t be any romantic feelings between different species after all. I shouldn’t fuss over what you two look like together. As a human, it doesn’t concern me.”

To Camallia, that was a terrible thing to say. Was there any bond more powerful and mysterious than love in this world? Someone had been asking that kind of question to the stars and wind countless times until just now.

It suddenly occurred to Camallia that she might have had some Sacred Dragon blood mixed in herself. The memories of healing Bleu’s wounds came back vividly in her mind.

“Protecting someone and setting someone free are not the same thing. All you’re doing is tempting him to run away.”

“Wrong. Bleu is bewitched by that Manual. And you drove him to that.”

“Oh my, really? I shouldn’t have that kind of power. But, if he’s really obsessed with the Manual, then I want to see with my own eyes what he’ll do when everything is over...”

Camallia began to walk away, stopping by Karin’s side as she had her head down.

“They grow up fast, don’t they?” She whispered in Karin’s ear, and passed her by.

Pushing the door open, Camallia entered back in the train. Closing the door, the darkness of the night and Karin within it both disappeared from her sight.

*

The weather didn’t look good.

The sky was full of heavy clouds, ready to rain down at any moment.

Having arrived at the east edge of the plains, the people of Pao began setting up their bazaar. They put up frames, and wrapped them up in thick cloth to make walls. Then more fabric was used to cover them and the job was done. In less than an hour, the Pao Train was surrounded by colorful tents that had blossomed like flowers.

For better or for worse, the rain began once the tents were already up.

To the plains, the rain was a blessing.

But to Bleu’s group, it was only something to delay their departure.

To confirm that the rain wouldn’t let up any time soon, they went to see Queen Koron.

As if she had predicted the time of their visit, she had all her main aides reunited there for an audience.

“Sir Bleu, hurry to Uranbatol as fast as possible. This rain brings misfortune.”

Coming from a prophet, those words sounded terribly ominous. That worry wasn’t lessened by the panicked soldier running up to them.

“I’ve came to report. A squad of devils is invading the bazaar right now. There’s dozens of them. One is a giant squid monster.”

“A kraken. Seems that Ziduur hasn’t given up on the Manual yet,” Camallia whispered as she heard the report.

“Are these the devils that crossed the ocean to steal the Manual? In that case, we have to make them regret challenging us.”

Queen Koron turned to her aides, her right arm pointing energetically to each of them. The bright blue shawl covering up to her fingers flapped, exposing her sleeveless emerald dress with golden embroidery.

“Take out our soldiers and wipe the enemies out. We’ll gather all civilians in the Pao Train and then station it away from the battlefield.”

The people hurried away to fulfill Koron’s orders.

“Is it possible to see the enemies from the head car?”

“Yes,” a soldier from Koron’s personal guard answered firmly.

“Then, please follow me. Sir Bleu, you and your group shouldn’t leave this train.”

“No, we will fight too,” Bleu said to the queen.

“That won’t do. Leave this matter to us.”

“No, those who can fight shouldn’t be wasting time here. I’m leaving the Manual to Karin. Tyrin, Randolf, Guntz, Camallia, let’s go.”

Calling his companions, Bleu made his way to leave the room.

“Wait, I’ll go too,” Karin stopped him.

‘Why can’t I go but Camallia can?’, she accused in her mind.

“You protect the Manual,” he told her, and took the others outside. Koron only called for Guntz to stop.

“I have a request for Sir Guntz. Please come with me.”

Taking him with her, the queen went to the head car. Karin, Krin and Karna, having been left behind, followed them without being told no.

Swinging its ten legs full of suction cups, the kraken pounded the tents repeatedly as it advanced.

It was a monster from the ocean, the depths of it no less, and would never come to the surface by itself. The land wasn’t its territory. As proof of it, it couldn’t support its huge body, dragging itself through the ground slowly.

This was all in vain, thought Ziduur as he stared at the summoning circle he had inscribed in the ground with his own blood.

He certainly would have the upper hand if attacking them at sea. But, he was afraid of losing the Manual in the waters. Finding the semi-transparent object there would be near impossible.

If he didn’t come back with the Manual, his master would destroy him. For sure.

Anxious, Ziduur decided to rush things.

At least the rain, that he had brought down using more of the Devil Jewel’s power, was washing away the magic circle he used to summon the kraken and the other monsters.

“Go, steal the Manual, and kill the Sacred Dragon and all his followers.”

Ziduur ordered the devils shaking his left arm, the only one he had left. The monsters advanced towards the Pao Train. They were half men half-fish known as soulsowers, and purple worms and gargoyles, with the kraken as their main force.

The soldiers of Pao were well ready to welcome them.

They dodged the anemone-like feelers of the purple worms and stabbed them with their lances, and cut down the hard scales of the soulsowers with their Battle Axes.

The problem were the gargoyles. Bleu was good against flying enemies like them, but they were too many. The ones he failed to finish off began chasing the retreating train. Bleu went after them, and the kraken after him, knocking down the soldiers in its way.

Its many legs, ondulating heavily like waves of a storm, stretched towards Bleu. If caught by one of those suction cups, he would be slammed down to the ground with no escape. Bleu made the best of his flying skills to fly around the kraken. Its huge body also proved itself terribly resistant to Bleu’s lightning breath.

“Let’s hit it while it’s chasing Sir Bleu,” Tyrin shouted. He was leading soldiers carrying Buster Shot cannons loaded with explosive bullets.

Estimating the timing of Bleu’s and the soldiers’ actions, he cast a Freeze spell. The cold storm assaulted the kraken while turning the falling rain into a hail. A soft part of the monster’s body couldn’t stand the attack and froze, white. The soldiers concentrated their shots there. The power of their weapons, built in Prompt thanks to the legacies of the Ancients, smashed the kraken’s frozen skin.

Leaking blue blood, the monster’s anger changed its color to black, and released its poisonous ink, the Aqua Breath, in the direction of Tyrin and the soldiers.

A soldier failed to dodge and was completely covered in the ink, perishing.

“Are you okay, Tyrin?”

Randolf came by after cutting a purple worm into slices, grabbing Tyrin’s arm and carrying him to a safe place.

“Couldn’t you be a little more gentle?” Tyrin yelled, with water dripping down his beard like a waterfall, and covered in mud. If he had enough energy to complain then he was just fine, Randolf laughed.

“Are you two alright?” Bleu had come back, worried. “Where’s Camallia?” He asked, not seeing the girl there.

“She went after the gargoyles, to protect the train. Leave that place to the girls,” Randolf said, pointing to the Pao Train, and then the kraken with his thumb, “our priority is doing something about that monster.”

Water came down with no mercy on his open mouth.

The train’s large shape could be only be dimly seen in the pouring rain. Because of that, it looked farther away than it really was, and Bleu felt anxious. An indescribable fear ran through his veins at the realization that he had left Karin somewhere he couldn’t reach.

“Don’t worry, Queen Koron and Camallia will handle the girls and the Manual somehow. You heard the King of Bustoke, you don’t fight by yourself. We gotta do what we can in our area. Right now, that’s defeating that monster,” Randolf shouted, sensing Bleu’s fear. The rain was so strong that being that loud was the only way to talk.

“Alright, let’s do it Tyrin’s way one more time. Randolf, you lead the remaining knights and open further the wound they made before. I’ll deal with its movements and poison somehow.”

Giving these short orders, Bleu flew once again.

*

“Out of my way!”

Camallia bashed a gargoyle in her way with her flail. Gargoyles were artificial creatures created by breathing in magical power into a stone statue. They were sturdy, but if attacked with strong enough force they’d turn back into stone and break into pieces.

The path to the Pao Train’s cab was thus full of gargoyle pieces scattered about.

Hurrying ahead in worry, Camallia was almost shot by Karin. Had Krin not pushed the arrow off course in panic, she would have been blasted by Guntz’s custom-made lightning bullets attached to the arrows.

Leaving the sisters and Cerberus to guard the place, Karna had gone to the back cars to tend to the wounded. Guntz and the queen continued to handle some complicated operation of the machine.

“We’ll ram the Pao Train into the monster,” Queen Koron told Camallia.

“What a ridiculous idea. Of course you could crush the kraken with such a huge machine, but it will all be over if it dodges.” Camallia’s eyes were wide in surprise. The water dripping from her front bangs threatened to drop in them. “Besides, why would the queen who looks after this train destroy it?”

“I am here to protect my people. Not to protect a machine. Why would I be queen if not to save them?” Koron answered with great pride, then asked Guntz if he had finished the preparations.

“All that’s left is to disconnect the back cars. The head car will be more agile then, and with the monster’s movement hampered by the bazaar’s tents, it won’t be able to dodge the impact. Of course, we’ll be in trouble if it leaves the bazaar area.”

With that, Guntz had answered both Koron and Camallia’s question at once.

“Let’s hurry. Everyone, please disconnect the cars. It seems that all monsters that broke into the train have been wiped out, so you needn’t worry about me.”

“What do you intend to do, queen?” Karin asked her, worried.

“Once I confirm that the cars were disconnected, I will launch the train and escape as well. I should have time to spare before it accelerates. Now, we have no time to waste. Hurry to your task.”

Obeying the queen’s order, everyone hurried to the coupling mechanism between the cars.

“Karin, where’s the Manual?”

Karin tapped the knapsack on her back in answer to Camallia’s question. The Manual was well secured inside it. Because of it, she carried her quiver on her waist now. The few arrows inside it clacked loudly as she walked.

The four opened the last door, and run to the deck that connected everything. With that, the hollow sounds of rain became painfully loud, continuously beating on the train like a drum. It was amidst that noise that the awaiting gargoyles began their attack.

Having failed to break in, those monsters had flown circles around the train, waiting for when a door would open.

Karin faced the enemies dropping from the sky, while Camallia and Cerberus dealt with those already down on the deck. Meanwhile, Guntz and Krin went to each side of deck, and began to let loose the chains that connected the cars.

Guntz undid the chains very fast, but as he went down the ramp and began to unlink the railway coupling, the train suddenly started moving.

“Why? It’s still too early!” Krin shouted, while having a hard time with the huge chains. Not only were they heavy, but they were also slippery from being wet. Even pressing on with both her legs while pulling, Krin wasn’t strong enough to pull the chain’s tip away from its latch.

“It’s the monsters. No doubt Queen Koron launched it early because of them, she must have judged that it wouldn’t make it in time otherwise,” Guntz shouted, barely holding on to a handrail on the side with a single hand. He desperately tried to avoiding falling.

“It’s the monsters. No doubt Queen Koron launched it early because of them, she must have judged that it wouldn’t make it in time otherwise,” Guntz shouted, barely holding on to a handrail on the side with a single hand. He desperately tried to avoiding falling.

Camallia felt a new and indescribable anger at the contradiction between Koron’s previous words and current actions.

“No!” Guntz yelled, “the queen believed in us, that we’d be able to decouple the cars.”

Fighting against the acceleration and the slippery water, Guntz frantically reached out to the lever that unlinked the railway coupling. His vision blurred against the unstoppable rain.

His left arm had grabbed the lever.

The gargoyles rushed toward him.

With both hands occupied, he had no way to defend himself. He had pulled the lever halfway through before the impact of the monsters made his hands slip away. They all rolled down to the ground.

“Sir Guntz!” Camallia screamed, smashing the head of another gargoyle in front of her. It fell from the deck and, with a shrill noise, was crushed underneath the train’s giant wheels. She didn’t know if Guntz was safe, having fallen earlier.

“Hurry. If we take too long, the cars won’t stop even decoupled.”

Camallia helped Krin in her struggle with the chains. She kept the gargoyles in check with her right hand, while holding one of the chains with her left. The latch hadn’t given an inch to Krin’s pulls, but came off with Camallia’s strength.

“Good, it’s loose!”

Camallia threw the latch away over the ramps. The gargoyles that had escaped Karin’s arrows came flying by. Krin was too slow to let go of the chains, and they dragged her small body down with them as they fell.

“Krin!”

Karin went to save her, but a gargoyle was on her way.

With a short cry, Krin was swung like a pendulum, and she and the chains smashed into the next car.

Her arm entangled in chains, she was just barely held by them, bruised and bleeding profusely. However, as the rain continued to pound, she began slipping away.

A thin arm reached out to grab her.

Karna chanted a spell as she pulled her back. A light shone from the doors of the last car that had just opened, illuminating the gargoyles flying amidst the wind and rain.

They stopped moving. Countless fine rays of light flew by around the monsters, scattering the rain away in a circular motion that defied nature. The gargoyles’ bodies cracked all over. Falling down, they were tackled by an extremely furious Cerberus. Already brittle from the storm of cuts of that Hellblast spell, they crumbled to dust with that attack.

Having defeated the last of the monsters, Cerberus began to stare worriedly at Krin’s wounds.

“I shall look after her, lady, so if you may, step aside.”

Karna pushed away the tip of Cerberus’ snout, and began chanting a healing spell for Krin.

“Now.”

Hurried by Karin, Camallia went down to the railway coupling. In that instant, the train made a big jump. With a clang, she and the gangplank she stood on lost their balance and fell down. The train had detached. The coupling, already loosened by Guntz, had unlinked completely with that impact.

Fallen down, Camallia desperately flattened herself on the ground. The Pao Train passed over her head at incredible speed. Its roaring sounds assaulted her eardrums and shook her whole body many times. Pieces and bits of the crushed gangplank splattered on her without stop. She felt as if she wasn’t even alive anymore, and then the train suddenly stopped. Perhaps Karna or Krin had pulled the emergency brakes.

Camallia crawled from under the train, and sighed in relief at last. Her breath was white in the cold, and in a mere instant the rain washed it away.

Taking a look behind her, she saw Guntz’s short and stout figure running over to them. Somehow he had been lucky enough to escape punishment as well.

Camallia returned to the first of the decoupled cars, and found Krin and Karna panicking in there.

“Karin was left behind in the head car!?”

She ran after the car fading away in the rain.

*

Karin stared blankly at the cars fading away in the rain.

Why hadn’t she jumped out right away, she lamented. She was athletic enough to do it. But, the moment Camallia fell down, something tugged at her heart. It made her hesitate for a moment.

Why did she pause? Unable to answer, she continued on the running train.

She didn’t have the luxury to wait any longer. She steeled herself for the jump again.

While figuring out the right timing, the train shook once again. The force made Karin sway to the side. The misty scenery in front of her turned a bit sideways as well.

Karin realized what was worrying her.

Someone was driving this train, right now.

There was no doubt about who it was. She hurried to the cab.

Just as she expected, Koron was there.

“Why are you still here?!” The two exclaimed at the exact same time.

“It’s impossible to hit the monster without someone controlling the train directly from here.”

Koron explained, expecting agreement. She thought Karin could understand, she wanted her to understand.

“You meant to sacrifice yourself to kill the monster from the start. Why would a queen discard herself like this?”

Karin scolded her, as she couldn’t understand.

“I have no intention to die. This train is stronger than it looks like. Besides, that creature is soft, it won’t crush the train on impact.”

“That’s nonsense. Even if the train can resist the impact, the humans inside won’t. Let’s leave already.”

“I cannot, the monster is already leaving the bazaar. To hit it for certain, someone has to be here until the end.”

Koron’s face was resolute.

“Queen!”

Karin desperately tried to persuade her.

At that time, a messenger from Koron had reached Bleu’s group.

“Trap the monster within the bazaar. Hold it there until you see the Pao Train, then leave the area quickly. Those are Her Majesty Koron’s orders.”

They all struggled to understand her true intentions, but to the soldiers of Pao, the queen’s orders were absolute.

Bleu drew the kraken’s attention while continuing to attack with his breath and claws. As he flew by in high speed, the falling rain beat up against his wings like thrown stones. Even Bleu began to show signs exhaustion at that. But the kraken too was losing strength against his many attacks.

When he went for a dive like many times before, all the kraken’s legs lashed against him like whips. Bleu tried to do a sharp turn upwards, but his ankle was caught by one of them.

Without time to react, the kraken swung him up.

It intended to smash him in the ground at once.

Bleu somehow managed to turn his neck, and put all he had into a lightning breath against the leg. Its tip, burned by the electricity, broke off the during the swing downwards. Tossed away, Bleu did a tailspin, just barely avoiding the ground. The water in the ground sprayed around by the gust of wind he provoked. Correcting his posture somewhat he managed to stabilize his flight, and use the force of that to ascend at once.

As he panted heavily in the sky, a shrill noise ringed by. Bleu turned around and saw the Pao Train coming straight ahead.

“Is this what the queen wants to do?”

He thought back to her orders, and understood her plan.

Suddenly, his face froze in shock.

Beyond the glass front of the train, he saw the queen and Karin apparently arguing with each other.

“Idiots! What are they doing?”

The kraken was already in front of them. If they hit it like that, they certainly wouldn’t escape unscathed.

Bleu bolted towards the train.

Amidst their discussion, Karin and Koron saw a flash of light blow away the glass window. Panicked, their covered their faces with their arms to avoid the shards. Next, a huge figure flew in. At the same time, the rain and its noise fell harshly on the train.

“What are you doing here, you two!!”

They turned to the angry yelling and saw Bleu. The Sacred Dragon was drenched in water and his own blood, and he did not hide his anger.

Without listening to whatever Karin wanted to say, he took the two in his arms without asking.

Outside, the kraken was right ahead, extending its legs as much as it could to try to stop the train.

Bleu hurried and flew away through the window he had destroyed.

He grazed the kraken’s body at high speed. Right behind him, the Pao Train smashed with all its weight against the monster.

Tearing away the legs caught under them, the giant wheels of the train crashed between its eyes. Its eyeballs rolled to the wrecked tents from the impact. Black poison gushed out from its torn body, staining the Pao Train black. The wheels made unpleasant noises as they spun in vain over its organs, before finally stopping. The body left under the train, which had been knocked sideways, no longer resembled the original beast.

Bleu began to slowly reduce his speed so as not harm the two in his arms, while ascending to get a better view of his surroundings.

Held so tight it hurt, Karin buried her face in Bleu’s chest. After struggling against the intense wind, they could finally breathe again.

“Good grief, it’s finally over. Honestly, what were you...!!”

Just as he breathed in relief, Bleu was suddenly blasted from the side. Flames burned on his back.

“You just brought the Manual carelessly like that. You didn’t even consider it could fall on my hands.”

Ziduur revealed himself from his hiding spot, having cast a Blaze spell. He walked towards the group, elated with his success.

Even as he fell, Bleu didn’t let go of the girls. Not only that, but he twisted to fall on his back in order to cushion their fall. However, that couldn’t fully nullify the impact. They were thrown away a good amount by the force he hit the ground with.

Groaning from the pain all over her body, Karin raised her head. Due to the rain or maybe the impact, her vision was hazy.

“Bleu, Your Majesty.”

She pressed down on them. They were right next to her, unconscious.

“You’re terribly hurt. Wait here, I’ll get Karna or Camallia right away.”

Seeing Bleu’s back burned raw, Karin mustered the willpower to stand.

She couldn’t leave Bleu like that, he had got hurt protecting her. She forced her wounded body to go on.

She took a step forward, gritting her teeth against the throbbing pain. Looking ahead without faltering, she saw a figure approach them in the rain.

She wanted to celebrate that help was at hand, but her voice froze in her throat.

She picked up her longbow fallen nearby, and fixed an arrow to the string.

Footsteps drew near among the splashing sounds of the rain.

The arrow launched, weaving its way through the raindrops and toward the monster.

Ziduur raised the jewel fragment, and the arrow stopped right in front of him. The lightning bullets in the arrowhead exploded with an bright burst of light. But, the resulting blast of wind was pushed towards Karin herself.

She was knocked down next to Bleu.

“As if… I’d lose here. Bleu saved me, now it’s my turn to save him.”

She reached for the quiver in her waist. But it didn’t have a single arrow left.

“It’s no use.”

Ziduur watched her with a small chuckle. It then grew to roaring laughter.

“Once I get my hand on the Manual, I’ll gladly settle the score with the dragon for cutting off my arm.”

He walked towards Bleu, picturing cruel delights.

Karin covered Bleu’s body with her own. Drenched in the rain, her hair fell down, exposing her back. The devil set his eyes on her knapsack, containing the Manual he craved.

He began reciting a spell. He intended to encase both of them in ice and then steal the Manual.

Karin could do nothing but shield Bleu with her own body.

The Freeze spell was cast in their direction, turning even the raindrops into ice.

She hugged Bleu tight in her arms.

But, the cold vanished right as it reached them. From beyond the dispersed diamond dust, someone appeared.

“You... Always getting in my way like this...”

He groaned. Karin raised her hazy head to look in his direction. She slowly made out the shape of a tall and slim woman. Karin recognized it as Camallia. As she stood bravely against the devil, her hair seemed to shine a lustrous reddish purple color, maybe due to Karin’s blurry vision. The tension slowly leaving her, Karin fell down next to Bleu and blacked out.

“Showing up in front of me twice, you don’t know your place, do you?” Camallia told him sharply.

Feeling massive pressure from her, Ziduur began to step back slowly. Way faster than that, Camallia closed the distance between them.

“If you bastards hadn’t appeared, I’d be Lord Lucifer’s head general...”

Camallia ignored his mumbled complaints.

“You better leave. You can’t stand against me. Hurry and get away,” she pressed him again, holding up her circlet with the red jewel in it.

Ziduur winced, and took out his own jewel fragment in resistance.

“What a sore loser. Honestly, that fragment is too much for the likes of you.”

In her hands, the circlet’s jewel began to shine brightly. As that light hit the fragment Ziduur held, it flew away from this hand as if pulled out. It then seemed to melt into the red glow, absorbed into the bigger jewel.

Ziduur screamed in anguish and tried to ran away. Pillars of red light rose up in front of him to stop him. As he turned back in shock to face Camallia, one more pillar appeared between them as well. One by one, six pillars in total surrounded him.

“I won’t kill you. I don’t think you’re worth it. You will stay alive forever, in the darkness deep within the earth.”

Camallia cast the seal. The hexagram formed at Ziduur’s feet by the six pillars began to float in the air.

Within this holy seal drawn by the light, the ground where the devil stood on disappeared. As if sinking into a swamp, Ziduur’s body began to disappear into the abyssal darkness.

“Help me!”

Camallia stared down his face, coldly ignoring his pleas.

“Help... Hel... me...”

Swallowing him, the hexagram silently disappeared. At the end, the ground looked as if nothing had happened.

The harsh sound of the rain assaulted Camallia’s ears as if she had just been reminded of it.

But, even that began to finally weaken.

Camallia placed the circlet on her head again, and went towards Bleu and the girls.

She took a small breath in relief, and began to pray for the blessings of Aura for their sake.

He caused great damage, but having been finally defeated, Ziduur no longer posed a threat to the continent of Rune. That made everyone’s hearts at least a little lighter.

“This is so terribly wrecked,” Guntz freaked out as he inspected the damages on the Pao Train. Strangely, there was some happiness in his face too. There were parts of the machine he so far hesitated to touch or take apart, but now, to repair it, he would fiddle with them to his heart’s content.

“But I’ll fix it. Yes, I believe I’ll have it all back to normal in three months,” Guntz said to Koron, making a rough estimate.

“If that is how long it will be, there is nothing we can do. I’m just happy it can be fixed,” Koron replied humbly. She hid a small sigh from everyone’s sight.

The only good news is that the living quarters in the back cars were all okay. They wouldn’t be able to act as a caravan for a while, but at least they could still live without issue.

“No, make that two months. That is, if I help.”

All of a sudden, Krin had entered the conversation.

“That’d be great, if I call Master Crock and Lyle it will go even faster,” Guntz went along with her.

“Leave it to me.”

Although Koron couldn’t deny a certain fear, she left the job in their hands.

“That’s how it is, so, I’ll be staying here,” Krin told Karin nonchalantly.

She had always been one to jump into an idea as soon as she had it. Karin only smiled bitterly at her little sister’s selfishness.

“Do as you please. That’s just like you, anyway.”

With her sister’s permission, Krin went to Guntz, and they began to struggle together with the bunch of blueprints he had made. Very quickly, they had shut down everything else from their attention. Next to them, Cerberus laid down, seemingly bored as she watched her master move around.

Bleu gave his farewells to Koron once again. With Krin and Cerberus staying behind, the group of six continued to Uranbatol.

“Take care, Sir Bleu. Lady Karin, I will take great care of your younger sister as well. To everyone, may good meetings and the Light’s protection be with you.”

Sent away with these words of Queen Koron, the group left the Pao Plains.

The centaurs that once fought alongside Bleu were gathered in Uranbatol. With the help of Queen Koron, they had built a new town focused on sea trade.

“Seems like you had a hard journey. Until we finish preparations for your ship, you should relax and rest.”

The governor of Uranbatol, Earnest, laughed brightly while buried in mountains of paperwork. Bleu added an official letter from Queen Koron to the piles. The letter contained a request for aid in the form of materials and provisions for the restoration of the Pao Train, and for a ship for Bleu’s group to cross the ocean with.

“Still, those ocean monsters that escaped from us were defeated there, huh.”

“You mean what a shame, don’t you?”

Vankar poked fun at Arthur.

“Well, they wrecked half of our warships, so I wanted us to be the ones to finish them off.”

Pelle laughed bitterly. He likely meant it.

The harbor, which was their whole livelihood, had to be closed off due to the kraken’s attack. They immediately dispatched warships after it, and managed to sink the ship that seemed to be controlling the monster. However, a good part of the devils in there managed to get into the land.

When it came to the kraken, they couldn’t leave a scratch on it. Half of their ships were sunken, unable to do anything against underwater attacks, and the fleet had to retreat in panic.

After that the kraken vanished, and they missed their chance at revenge.

“If you’re on a journey, why don’t we come along?” Pelle proposed, as if looking for an outlet for his burning fighting spirit. He used to be a wandering mercenary, and the idea of traveling to an unknown continent seemed to have greatly picked up his interest.

“You can’t, each of you should know very well why,” Earnest stopped him with no space for excuses.

“The only one busy here is you, uh, sir. Ah, I guess Arthur also has his hands full reforming the navy. Then, it’ll be just me and ol’ Vankar. So, that good for you, Bleu?”

Bleu struggled to answer. Earnest made a look that said ‘don’t indulge him’.

“We’re not gathering a whole force to invade the place... but I appreciate the sentiment. Thanks, Pelle.”

Pelle clicked his tongue at Bleu’s reply. Vankar laughed heartly at him.

“Pelle, Vankar, I’m sending you two as messengers to Her Majesty Koron. You’ll guard the supplies during transportation and the train while it is repaired. If some unlucky bandits come by, then you can kick their asses as you want. …Which is not something I should say with ladies present, is it?”

Earnest laughed, while Arthur agreed with a serious face. The governor turned to him a bit offended, but then Arthur grinned at him. Earnest snorted back at his friend.

“Then, how long will it take for a ship to be ready?”

Arthur told Camallia it would take around two days.

“Then, you and I can discuss the details. Until the ship is ready, we’ll take your offer and relax in town.”

Saying that to dismiss them, Bleu went with Arthur to another room.

Three days later, the ship prepared by Arthur awaited patiently for Bleu’s group to board it.

“It looks really small, for a ship meant to cross between continents,” Karin mumbled as she looked at the vessel in front of her.

“It’s the one Arthur’s team picked. There’s nothing wrong about it.” Bleu paused before continuing. “Well then, I’m going to give the governor my farewells, so you and Karna go ahead and board. Tyrin and the others should be coming soon. After all, if you’re early you get to pick the best rooms.”

Bleu pushed them inside, and then hurried off. His behavior wasn’t convincing. But, Karin couldn’t realize right away what was off.

“Let’s go, Karna.”

Calling out to the girl, she headed to the ship she was pointed to.

“Alright,” Karna answered happily, and boarded after Karin. In the end, she had hardened her resolve to cross to Parmecia with the group. Her feelings against leaving them were stronger right now than her wish to seek out Gong and become his disciple.

And thus, the ship departed with the two onboard.

Only once the sun had gone down did Camallia managed to yell at Bleu for it.

She had been told that they would only depart the next day, and had realized that the two girls were missing.

Bleu was in the same room as Tyrin.

“Was it you who planned to deceive them like this? Or did Tyrin put it in your head?”

Her breathing was ragged with fury.

“I had no choice. I knew that there was no way they’d stay quietly in Rune. Even so, I don’t want to bring them to Parmecia.”

Camallia could understand the reason, but couldn’t stand the method.

“You look down on them. Besides, would those two even give up just from something like this?”

“It’s fine. Even if they turn around after reaching Waral, we’ll have already departed to Parmecia by then,” Tyrin answered, putting on the airs of a strategist.

Camallia glared at him, telling him that such assessment also underestimated them.

“Then, why are you taking Tyrin and Randolf along?” She asked Bleu. Since he struggled to answer, Tyrin opened his mouth in his place.

“I am still under orders from Master Otrant. Randolf has his own ambitions. Men look for adventure, after all. It’s a burning fire only we understand. And keeping delicate ladies away from danger is a men’s duty as well.”

“Self serving excuses. Such an egotistical way of protecting does not really protect people.”

Having said that, she gave up and left her seat.

Bleu knew very well that it hadn’t been a respectable way of dealing with things. He had prepared himself for the scolding when he went with Tyrin’s idea. How much did his honor even matter compared to Karin’s safety?

As he swallowed down the bitter taste of the confrontation, Camallia wandered aimlessly through the harbor. Perhaps that was her way to keep her own negative feelings at bay too. Or, perhaps her flushed cheeks yearned for some fresh air…

Were those the reasons? In reality, she was carrying out a happy secret reunion in that harbor.

The following day, Bleu took the ship and departed from Uranbatol.

Besides the ship crew chosen by Earnest and Arthur, there were only Tyrin, Randolf, and Camallia with him. It was too late to let go of the two men. Both of them and the ship would be sticking around until the end, it seemed.

While the crew was full of vigor and hard at work, the absence of those bright and boisterous girls cast of a shadow over the voyage. Bleu didn’t know if he could call that lonely or what.

“If you miss them, there is still time to go meet them,” Camallia suggested, seeing through him.

“No, this was my decision.”

“Indeed, your decision, not their decision, nor something they have agreed with.”

Bleu asked what did she mean, but she promptly ignored him and moved away.

He would only learn what she meant once quite some time had already passed since their departure.

As Karin and Karna appeared in front of him, he doubted his own eyes. Tyrin and Randolf had their mouths agape in the same way. Only Camallia had a knowing smile on her face.

“Stowaways, sir,” the ship captain told Bleu. They had been hiding in the boats at the deck.

“You... If you came then...” Bleu’s shoulders trembled. “Camallia, you’re an accomplice, aren’t you?”

He turned to shout at her, while she kept a cool face.

“They braved danger by their own choice to escape their ship in the middle of sea and come back, what reason did I have to deny a request from them? I did what I had to, and guided them in secret.”

Bleu stared at her with hate on his eyes as she boldly declared that. But Camallia wasn’t one to be shaken by something like that.

“Do we have to go back now...?”

He whispered, and everyone rejected the idea.

“Even you two,” he looked at Tyrin and Randolf, who had not reacted as he expected. Tyrin explained that if they came back, the same thing would just happen again.

“I surrender completely. Shouldn’t you, sir, know better than anyone else that the result will always be this?”

Bleu couldn’t answer that. If he did he’d have to agree.

“Then, at least Karna..."

“Why are you singling me out?” She was unusually stern as she stared him down. “How many times do I have to say it, it is a priest’s duty to help those in need and be good. I won’t be as virtuous if I abandon Sir Bleu here.”

“Then, what about your goal of finding Gong?”

“Once this adventure is over, rumors should spread about a priest that traveled with a Sacred Dragon, and that will be me, of course. I’m sure they’ll reach Master’s ears. When that happens, maybe he’ll come see me. At the very least, he should realize that I’ve been training seriously.”

Karna stubbornly believed that.

“What should we do, do we turn back?” The captain asked with a troubled face.

Bleu had to give an answer.

“Continue on like this. To the north. Our destination is Parmecia.”

Bleu told the captain like he was choking at the words.

The girls cheered. Someone’s stomach suddenly growled over their voices. Karna’s face became bright red. Thinking now, the reason the two had been found in the boats was because of that noise.

“Well, well, if hardtack is fine by you, shall we eat?”

Karna agreed immediately and went after him. The others followed suit.

Only Bleu and Karin remained in the room.

“I’m sorry.”

She apologized earnestly without delay. With his plan beaten, Bleu mellowed out.

“Good grief, you’re impossible. Always causing me trouble. I told you that you couldn’t come along,” he tried to explain gently.

“...Are you angry?”

“I’d be lying if I said I’m not.”

At that blunt answer, Karin lowered her head.

“Why can’t I come? Am I that much of a burden to you?”

“That’s not it. I never said that. I’m just, worried. I don’t want you to face danger, or sadness.”

“Why do you think that I won’t be sad if you leave me? Why do you think you won’t be able of doing a single thing against the dangers that might come?”

“I don’t trust myself to protect you.”

Without thinking, Bleu let out his true feelings.

“So I really am a burden.”

“I told you it’s not like that.”

“Then, try and protect me. Not your pride, but actually me. You are capable. If not, you’ll stay forever the baby dragon who cried in our arms. Say, don’t you need my help?”

Bleu struggled to answer for a moment.

“You’re not a burden to me. But, I don’t think I’ll ever rely on you like that again. Children get to be just children, no matter their race, but now I’m Bleu, the Sacred Dragon.” He paused. “Now, let’s go join the others. For now, I won’t try to drive you away anymore. I’m lucky you’re being as nonchalant as Karna about this.”

He took Karin’s hand, and they left the room together.

*