As Damion accepted his invitation to Alloy's crew, the grass began shining golden from the inescapable light of the setting sun. As excited as Alloy was about Damion, the sunrise was also something she loved watching. With her stamina hanging on the balance, she skipped to the top of the hill, watching the blue sky that got a lighter and lighter shade of the same. Right above it with white clouds hanging on a blue and golden tinged sky, she just fell to the ground. Her shadow stretching with every second the sun rose. This was the first time Damion and Tasue had seen this, they were surprised when they followed just to see a big smile plastered on her face… but they looked a bit higher to see her eyes drop a tear.
"I thought you loved the sunset…" He inquired.
"The sun set someplace else for it to rise here, didn't it??" She replied. Catching him off guard with her answer.
The day to day life of Gami was more lively that day, the townsfolk were busy all morning, mourning their dead once more as they freed the piles of bare bones and flesh from the tarps and put them all next to their graves on the graveyard, they cleaned the area, removing the daggers, looking for original gravestones to put them back in place. The mayor had thanked Alloy and her friends profusely and had them resting in a very nice inn not far from the graveyard. Food was brought in droves, free showers and new clothes for everyone. After hours of recovery and sleep, Alloy and Tasue were busy eating in the inn, Tasue excited and jumping around, still celebrating Damion's victory. An almost entirely bandaged Alloy watched the townsfolk sort out their dead and grow once more as a community in the graveyard from the window with a mountain of dumplings, teriyaki and rice balls next to her.
On the Western side of Gami, the old short and black bearded mayor, Damion, Ritta, a few syndicate troops and their captain, a young man by the name of Yukio. His young appearance gave so many questions as they saw his white shoulder-length hair and the black eyes that always seemed to be looking at something beyond what or who they set themselves to. He wore the Captain-Syndicate level attire better and entirely in regard to his post. Something Spire did not do.
He had on a hip-length black military coat with silver embroidery on the collar and sleeves, and a shirt beneath it, fitted black trousers and boots with hardened soles. Behind his 6'1 height, Maki and Spire sat atop two different horses, chains restricting their hands and feet at bay with runes etched on them that nullified drifts. The port of the island they were on was a station for the Arcane Syndicate. The towners who managed to get to the port when Spire was attacking had cried for help, the Commander that lay there and Yukio decided on immediate action, but by the time they had arrived, things had settled merely hours earlier.
"We will take these two and their followers who ignored the safety of citizens in this town. They will be tried and persecuted to the fullest extent of the law!! We are very sorry for allowing this to happen!!" He bowed to them, his soldiers doing the same in an unsettling unison.
After all that happened, Damion and Spire had no words for each other, Ritta, however, forced a reply from Spire when she spoke, "Thank you for burying your parents at home." To which he replied. "They were my parents… our… parents…" He glanced at the near completely bandaged Damion once more, then hung his head down as the horses began trotting. The only thing Damion could do was clutch at his mother's pendant. Ritta held his shoulder and they turned as they began walking back to the inn.
"I'm proud of you, Damion. You unlocked your drift and learned of its rules in battle. Your mother would be too…"
"Thank you, Ritta. I couldn't have done it without you… but something is still on my mind."
"What is it??"
"Will I only be able to create sparks alone once I stop using the runes to help me??"
"Well… you tell me, the runes on your gloves aren't real. Just the one on your mother's short bow." She smiled.
"WHAT??!!" He exclaimed. "But… they glowed!!"
"They were runes meant to reflect light, they only looked like they were glowing because they reflected the flames you made for your arrows." She chuckled. "You are stronger than you think, which goes for Tasue and Alloy-kun. So, to answer your question, no. Sparks seem to be the beginning of your journey. They aren't the final stop. As long as you train to perfect and go over it."
"Huh…" he wondered as he glanced at his gloves and his bandaged hands, he couldn't help but smile at Ritta's words and trickery.
"So?? What's your answer??" Ritta asked.
"Answer?? For what??"
"At Karuu, you said you'd give me an answer after all this. Is this the life you want to live??"
"Oh!!" He remembered. "Yes. It is." He replied with a short but clear smile.
They didn't take that long to get back. Spire was gone, Damion's goal accomplished, the town on its way toward repair, and the crew with their own thoughts about their situation. Upon arrival, Damion opened the door to the inn, and in no time at all, Tasue jumped on his face in her expression to missing him. Alloy walked from the window, two iron platters on the ground with the mountain of food gone as well. She belched before getting to him.
"You look cuter now that the anger in your eyes is gone." She giggled, smiling with both her hands on her waist. The short-sleeved shirt she had on did no work to hide the bandages that helped heal her wounds from her fight. They were wrapped nearly everywhere on her body, with a small bandage taped to the cut on her face that loosened with her constant smiles.
"Cute??!!" The veins on his head bulged in anger.
"Yeah, aniki!! You look cute!!" Tasue added her thoughts.
He smiled at her, ignoring the cute statements.
"What'll you lot do now??" Ritta asked them.
"I want a cook!!" Alloy chimed excitedly.
"A cook??!!" Damion snapped.
"Yeah!!" She replied. "I want more dumplings when we travel. Plus, I don't know how to cook, do you??"
"Uh… I ca…"
"He can't cook even if you told him Spire would go free if he failed." Ritta interrupted.
"I can cook a little… but it's not good enough for all of us." Tasue said.
"I'm sure we'll love it." Damion replied, reassuring her.
He looked back at Alloy to see her in a pure state of excitement, she definitely wasn't listening, she was merely waiting for their agreement to her idea.
"Fine, let's find a cook." He gave in.
"YES!!"
"Where will he cook though??" Damion asked.
"Uh…" Alloy was speechless.
"What do you mean where will he cook?? Doesn't your ship have a galley??" Ritta asked as she sat down.
"Uhh…"
"We don't have a ship." Damion broke the looming silence.
"WHAT?!?!" Ritta and Tasue reacted.
Alloy chuckled.
"Youngin. Without a ship, you won't get far at all, what's your goal??"
"I wanna know about where I came from." Her smile thinning. The silence loomed once more. Damion and Tasue composed themselves as well.
"What do you mean??" Ritta continued.
"I don't know my parents, my real ones, I have power I don't understand how or where it came from. I don't remember anything since waking up to the people who took me in."
"Didn't you train for it??" Damion asked.
"I did for my swordsmanship, but…"
"Regardless… whoever raised you did a great job." Ritta intervened.
"Maybe we'll find your answers as we go." Damion added. With that reassurance, Alloy felt lighter, but she definitely had another thing on her mind that needed their attention.
"I have another goal… I have a friend who was taken from me, but I couldn't save her, I still can't save her by myself, I even don't know where she is."
"The sea is vast youngin, you'll find her. Like Damion said, you might find answers as you go."
"But for now… how will we continue??" Damion asked.
"You could take Spire's ship for now…" Ritta began. "It's in the next town where Spire just got taken. It's a port where the syndicate look over the island, given their response time and urgency was slow this time, but they'll allow you to take his ship after dealing with him for them. They'll make any justifications to defend their misdemeanors."
"That's great!!" Alloy chimed.
"So you can navigate it??"
The look on her face slumped her entire body to the ground as she realized what they were missing. Damion crouched and held her color-drained shoulder. With crocodile tears on her face she asked. "This means we have to get a cook later doesn't it??" Then she just wept. A fountain of tears to be exact.
"Yeah, but it's better than getting lost in the sea." He replied.
"I don't wanna get lost." Tasue added. Crocodile tears forming on her face as well.
Alloy's tears dried fast as she got back up to acknowledge their position.
"Okay. We'll find a navigator first!!" She decided.