Sitting in a finely furnished room, decorated with paintings of sceneries both mystical and vibrant in life, the tinum-haired sage, who remained in such blissful youth despite her true age, sipped from an ivory cup.


    Having been long-time allies with the Hollow Foundation, the Ounders were weed with open arms into the isted, vast space of the secretive organization.


    Given their very own sector of the Hollow Foundation, just as any guild, the Ounders had been adjusting to their new quarters.


    Well, this is something we had nned for. It was obvious something like this might happen, Beatrice thought.


    As the gentle mes inhabiting the firece formed of burgundy bricks filled the room with aforting warmth, there was no greater leisure for Beatrice as she sat at the pristine, white table with her cup of tea in hand--but she was not sitting there just to pass the time.


    A knock came to the door; responding to this, the sage simply snapped her fingers as the oak door opened itself without any physical touch.


    Standing in the now open doorway was a woman who stood tall and proud, presenting not only a royal aura, but one of power and integrity; gracefully, her golden curtains draped over her shoulders d in armor.


    "Sage Beatrice, it is an honor to meet you."


    Bowing her head as she greeted the casual sage who looked up at her with her inhuman eyes that held the cosmos within their mirrors, another person could be seen standing behind the female knight.


    An elbow to the tall knight''s gut from the woman snapped the man out of his tight-lipped trance as he hurriedly greeted the sage, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sage Beatrice."


    "Forgive my partner, Sir Damiencks certain manners despite his standing as a knight."


    Keeping her head bowed as she continued to show utmost respect to the sage, the golden-haired, female knight dressed in magnificent, silver armor with an emerald cape draped over her shoulders earned a smile from the sage.


    "Lady Getrude, this is not our first meeting."


    "...Pardon, Sage Beatrice?"


    Lifting her head, the well-mannered knightmander looked at the sage who smiled with a certain tranquility.


    "It was when you were just a small child; I remember how full of glee your father was whenever he saw you. A stern man, he most certainly could be--but you broke him right out of that. Your mother was quite a busy woman at times--so I was left as your caretaker on some days. Not that I minded. That, however, was in a time long since passed."


    "..."


    Getrude didn''t know how to react to these words, her lips falling slightly agape as she looked at the wise, primordial woman sitting at the table amidst the center of the quiet, rxing room.


    "Sage Beatrice…"


    ''Just Beatrice is fine."


    "Beatrice, may I…?"


    Pointing her prematurely-ended question towards the open seat across from the sage, the tranquil, ck-dress-wearing woman nodded with a smile as she gestured for the female knight to im the seat.


    Taking her seat as she made sure to keep hervish cape that represented her vision neatly set, Getrude faced Beatrice, who continued to smile calmly at her.


    "I hope you don''t mind Sir Damien being present in our discussion?"


    "Not at all."


    It was a meeting that presented a new turn in the world; the sliver of hope the Ounders needed, and the powerful backing that Getrude yearned for.


    On this destined meeting, the tides of the world would forever be changed in the future soon toe.


    "Are you sure you really should be moving? You''re in pretty rough shape."


    Asking with eyes that expressed little of the same care of his question, Tristan ran his fingers through his pale tufts of hair as he looked at therade of his sitting across from him, wrapped in an abundance of bandages.


    "I''m fine, it''s been a week; I have to say though, their healers really are incredible here."


    Faimented with a wry smile as he looked down at his bandaged body, squeezing his fists shut to check if he could even do that much.


    The room he found himself in was rather minimalistic—to be expected of a room meant for recovering guests. Oak walls engraved with rejuvenating symbols, a bed asfortable as a fluffy cloud; even the impatient Fai Meng found himself attached to itsfort.


    Tristan and the others that were away on their mission, fortunately, got here just before we did. I heard the team that was sent out on the Getrude escort returned too...haven''t had the chance to see them yet, Fai thought, life in the Hollow Foundation, huh? Who would''ve thought?


    "Did that sage say anything about the others? I mean Ren, Iris…their teleport gem is connected to Grandeuve, right?"


    Asking as he stood himself up from his pale-sheeted bed, Fai hopped in ce a bit while shaking his arms to warm his body up.


    Taking a moment to respond as he watched the bandage-covered man move as if free of any hindrances, Tristan let out a puff of air between his lips with the ever-present aura of boredom hanging over him.


    "She did."


    "And?"


    Stopping his warm-up hops, Fai brought his gaze down on hisrade, who fixed his messy locks before answering once again.


    "All she could do was disable the gem."


    "Huh?"


    Fai''s eyes widened at this as his voice took a sharp rise at this response.


    "Fiddling with magic, even if it''s her own, from that type of range…it''s a miracle she did what she did."


    "Still…they''ll be stranded out there."


    "Not unless we pick them up. Just trust, Beatrice. Anyway, the good news is we managed to secure an alliance with that princess. Though, I don''t exactly know how helpful a single division of knights will be against Mastorn but...it''s something. Oh, I guess there''s that new Argonaut guy Charlotte managed to recruit, somehow. Still don''t know how to feel about that."


    Letting out a sigh, Tristan stood himself up from the stoic, wooden chair he sat on, adjusting the jet-ck tank top that sat over his torso.


    An alliance with the princess of Mastorn huh? Getrude, I think? It''ll be a big help. And Strife...well, I think I trust him--though, I don''t know about the others. At least, Beatrice seemed eager to ept him, Fai thought.


    "Going somewhere?"


    Fai, with a raised eyebrow, asked the man born from the greatnd of Britain.


    "Well, I might as well be the bearer of good news for the others. God knows some good news is wee around here."


    He''s right. Between our home being destroyed and Lucas…I can''t imagine what those two who were with him are feeling right now, Fai thought.


    Opening the humble door that led outside the solitary, tranquil room of rest, Tristan looked back at the ever-energetic man.


    "You sure you''re good?"


    "A-O-K!"


    Fai assured the man with a wink and a smile, only being met with a shake of the man''s pale head of snowy hair before he left the room.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "…It hurts."


    Speaking to himself, Fai sat back down on the bed just as the door closed, looking at his bandaged hands as they began to tremble.


    I can still feel it. The pain from his magic. Dense, rabid darkness—just digging into my flesh, tainting it. That''s the price of fighting a master-ss user of dark magic, I suppose, Fai smiled wryly.


    Thinking this to himself, the hazel-haired man coughed up a storm, hawking up a fit of blood into the palm of his hand.


    "Even in death, you''re a pain in the ass, Avdima."


    Another few days came and went of being holed up, sealed away in the recovery chamber—Oundersing in and going, but it was an impatience-fueling experience all the same.


    Jumping up from his bed with a gleaming resolve in his eyes, Fai Meng let out a puff of air between his lips.


    I can''t waste time any further. I''ve been waiting, but my body is finally healed up enough to use mana…even then, it''s going to hurt like hell, Fai thought.


    "Here goes nothing…Come, Cdrius!"


    Wincing as his veins pressed against his blemished, wrapped skin, Fai called out as blood lined the corner of his mouth.


    Sprouting forth from a small puddle of shadows manifested in front of the man, a snow-white bird suddenly flew out from the abyssal holds, spreading its pearlescent wings.


    "Ghh…!"


    Falling to one knee, he ced his hand over his heart as heavy breaths followed, huffing as he looked up at the newly summoned avian.


    It was hardly taller than his knee height, but it''s glistening feathers brought with it an aura of mysticism, looking at the pained man with its beady, azure eyes.


    "I guess even summoning a small fe like you is a bit much for me right now…do your thing, Cdrius."


    Giving the manifested bird a thumbs-up, Fai smiled weakly as the pale-feathered creature seemed to acknowledge hismand, spreading its wings as it began to encircle him.


    pping its wings as it flew around the man, snow-like particles rained down on Fai, who closed his eyes during the mystical process.


    Cdrius ispletely useless in battle, but when ites to the art of healing—he''s my best bet for my current predicament. If what I''m feeling is more of a mana-driven poison rather than a flesh wound, Cdrius is the one for the job, he thought.


    As the unique, curative particles met his body, his form took a slight glow—watching as the sable patches that dyed his skin like bruises began to dissipate.


    "Amazing…keep it up, Cal!"


    There''s only one caveat—which is why I''ve also been a bit hesitant to use something so useful: Cdrius can only be used once a year, Fai thought.


    Sitting in the downfall of mystical rain for a few minutes, the mythical avian finally descended to the ground once more.


    "Thanks, Cdrius."


    Giving the bird a pat on its head, he smiled before watching the creature disappear into its original, astral form.


    Standing up, Fai hopped onto his feet with a newfound vigor, shadow boxing a bit to test out his recovery.


    Back in top form! He thought.


    Without any hesitation, he ripped the itchy bandages from his body with a satisfying tear, allowing them to burn away into nothingness with a whim of his mes.


    Tying his loose locks that draped over his back into a ponytail, he finally set out from the solitary room—swinging the door open with a certain level of moxie.


    "Fai Meng, at your service!"


    Meeting his boisterous entrance was—nothing. Silence. Awkward, prolonged silence. Outside of his room was a courtyard, inhabiting snow-white trees that thrived without a real sun, fueled by the fire-magic empowerednterns hanging from their branches.


    There wasn''t a soul in sight, though it was to be expected.


    The Hollow Foundation is practically asrge as a city…no, I think it is. A home for those who sit outside the scope of thew; adventurers, mercenaries—you name it. More often than not, it''s a ce where wanted people find themselves, a perfect fit for the Ounders, he thought.


    Stepping onto the cold, pristine flooring built of a sable, metallic material, he made his way down the tranquil courtyard as only the echoes of his own footsteps filled his eardrums.


    Even I don''t know all the details, but apparently, some secretive council of nobles from the surrounding kingdoms run this organization. I guess a lot of people aren''t happy with how Mastorn runs things, Fai thought.


    Passing by the isted section of nature, secluded within the underground base, Fai found himself traversing a flight of stairs.


    The only thing guiding him forward were his own senses—his sense of magical energy, to be exact. There was no mistaking it; they were all in one room—the gathering of many Ounders.


    Did that sage know I would be up today?…Creepy, he smiled.


    Finding himself in front of a door twice asrge as himself, coated in residual mana, the man took in a lung-filling breath before opening the door.


    As he thought, the familiar sight of hisrades awaited him in the library-like chamber. It resembled a lounge in its exuberant disy offort: a toasty firece, velvet carpets, and furniture that looked as soft as a bunny''s fur.


    "Yo, Fai!"


    Greeting the man with a bright smile, therge, muscr, crimson-haired friend of his gave him a high-five.


    "Hey, Sora."


    Trying to meet that radiance halfway, Fai felt such brightness be dulled as he saw past that smile held on Sora''s lips; his eyes held a somberness to them despite his best efforts.


    "That Argonaut really did a number on you."


    Brahmi joined in their proper reunitement, pping the recently recovered man in the shoulder with genuine boisterousness to her pep.


    "Yeah, well you should have seen him."


    "Avdima, huh? He was on our list of dangerous threats. Good job, Fai."


    It wasn''t the usual suave to Sirius'' voice to speak as the ck-haired man leaned against one of the shelves with his arms folded across his chest.


    "A fine job, indeed."


    Donatien spoke with a fix of his sses; clearly prioritizing more stable healing, the navy-haired man of a slender build still wore some bandages, showing a bit of bruising left on his body.


    Despite the seemingly happy scene before them, the mood hanging like a curtain of nightly rain was bleak.


    Scanning his eyes across the room, Fai still couldn''t help but smile seeing the scenery ofrades before him, finally settling his gaze on the tinum-haired woman sitting in the center of the chamber.


    "Sirius, Sora, Tristan, Brahmi, Fai, Natalia, Charlotte, Noah, Strife, and Donatien…Now that we''re all here…it''s time to discuss our next move."