A few days ago — 27 November, 2538 CE
“Steve! We need to turn back to save Jack and his family!” Aurelia shouted, her voice commanding as she stood behind the pilot’s seat.
Friederich yanked her away. “Are you crazy? They sacrificed their lives for us! We need to rendezvous with Celestius now!” he shouted, trying to knock so sense into her.
She glared at him with frustration. “No! I’ll never accept that!” she cried, her voice straining with conviction.
“Aurelia, please, we’re this close to crossing the border! Enough of this nonsense!” Friederich argued, grabbing her wrist.
Steve and the Virgo mages looked on, unsure of whose order to follow.
She pulled her hand free, her eyes welling with tears. “No! You don’t understand, Fried. Jack is more than that.”
Amused, he scoffed, “What do you an? Are you falling for him or sothing?”
She didn’t answer. Her lips quivered as she bit them, face downcast, her body trembling.
Then, without warning, she shoved her guardian out of the way. Friederich lost his balance and slamd into the side of the craft.
Aurelia’s hand had already reached the ergency latch.
Everyone stood frozen in shock.
The side door swung open, a whirlwind flooding in. She looked back over her shoulder at her guardian.
“Fried, I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible beneath the roaring wind.
Friederich’s eyes widened. His mouth moved, screaming, “Aurelia, no!”
But before he could finish, the princess leapt from the craft and vanished from sight.
Friederich rushed to the door against the pushing wind. He saw Aurelia diving towards the ground — until a portal opened mid-air and she disappeared into it.
As he prepared to follow, hands grabbed him from behind.
“Friederich! Please don’t do it!” Triss’s voice snapped him out of it.
Exhaling hard through his nose, he cald himself before turning to her.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be doing sothing as irrational as the princess,” Friederich muttered bitterly, placing his hands on Triss’s shoulders. “Thank you, Triss, for reminding .”
Triss nodded quickly in response.
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Friederich then turned to Steve. “Steve! Take us closer to the battle zone in the north. We’ll try to locate the princess from a safe distance,” he ordered.
“Roger that!” Steve bellowed, adjusting the controls.
***
Zetius’s jaw dropped at the story. “Damn it…” He knew Aurelia better than anyone. She was brave, yet stupidly reckless. No one had ever been able to protest against her will.
Under the dim lighting of the small room, Friederich’s expression turned grim. “Sorry. I couldn’t stop her… and your family was lost for nothing.” He fiddled with the gemstone, his thoughts weighed down by guilt.
Zetius placed a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You know I know her well. This isn’t your fault. What happened next?” he asked solemnly.
In the back of his mind, he thought, I refuse to believe Frain is gone. As long as I live, I’ll find her.
“So we tried locating her, right? But once we arrived at the battlefield…”
“Where I fell…” Zetius interjected, his face shadowed with pain.
Friederich nodded soberly. “Yes… We saw you and Lupus’s—” He paused, the haunting image flashing in his mind. Words stuck in his throat.
He exhaled heavily before continuing, “If Jack really is your vessel… then I’m truly sorry for your loss.” Friederich bowed, his voice filled with sincerity.
“It’s all in the past. Ti shall never be reversed, as Kronos is shackled away for eternity,” Zetius said, reciting a verse from his master’s old teachings.
“Right…” Friederich muttered, then added, “We saw her mourning over your vessel. But the enemy detonated an Arcanite disruptor. It knocked her out cold. We tried to fight back, but we were hopelessly outnumbered… I had no choice but to order Steve to turn back.”
“Are we to believe Rhok Wagner and Master Ignius were in collusion?”
“That seems to be the case. From what I’ve heard, many suspect Master Ignius defected. Ordinary mages couldn’t possibly break a Binding Oath so easily. Such a feat would require higher intellect — soone from Celestius,” Friederich observed, folding his arms.
“I agree,” Zetius replied, piecing together the new wave of information.
“Where are Triss and the Virgo mages?” Zetius asked.
“We parted ways at Poranthis. Then Ziyue and I caught a dostic flight here. You t her this afternoon.”
“The bop lady,” Zetius recalled.
Friederich gave him an awkward look. “Yes, that assassin mage. I’ve heard she’s Celestius Jovian’s pri disciple.”
An intrusive thought crossed Zetius’s mind. Why does her hair have two different colours like that? Is it so kind of new trend?
Snapping back to the mont, he asked, “And Steve?”
“He’s under investigation and currently being held at Poranthis Police Station,” Friederich answered honestly.
Only bad news. Zetius’s face dropped. His shoulders slouched. It felt like their entire plan had collapsed into nothing.
Chaos was brewing everywhere. His family and friends — either gone or lost.
Exhaling sharply, Zetius asked flatly, “So what now? Since you're here in Lilybend, this can’t be just a coincidence. You must have sothing concrete.”
Friederich straightened and locked eyes with him, his pale blue eyes burning with resolve. “Of course. We’re planning to rescue her from the northern fortress.”
Zetius’s lips curved into a smirk. “Then let join you.”
“With great pleasure!” Friederich exclaid, lifting his fist halfway across. “Jack?” he asked hesitantly, unsure which na to use.
A smile lit Zetius’s face. “Zetius is fine,” he replied warmly, bumping the side of his fist into Friederich’s.
“Welco back, Zetius Zel Celerius,” Friederich said firmly.
“Let’s rescue Aurelia. I’ve got a bratty kid to teach a lesson or two,” Zetius muttered, a confident fire gleaming in his eyes.
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