Morning arrived the following day after a night that Hikari could only describe as one of the most stressful that he had ever experienced. He had done his best to try and get as much rest as he could in preparation for the next leg of his journey, but that turned out to be much easier said than done. Hikari stayed awake for his segment of the night watch, but he couldn't seem to get to sleep again after that. He tossed and turned for ages, and when he drifted off, his rest was fitful and didn't do much to replenish his body or his mind. Hikari supposed he shouldn't have been surprised; he was bound to be stressed after something like that happened. How could he not be wound up when he had been chased out of Conning Creek because he was on the run from Mugen? 

Hikari had known this was always a risk, but he had hoped more than anything that it wouldn't come to this. He hadn't been in Conning Creek for long at all, and yet, it happened anyway. All it had taken was a few glances from members of the town guard that Hikari hadn't even realized were watching him to begin with, and everything came crashing down. He was going to have to keep moving as quickly as he could stand to make sure he wasn't pushed up against the wall and pinned there by the forces of Ku. It wasn't going to be easy, but Hikari didn't see much of a choice. He was the only hope Ku had at the moment, and that meant doing everything he could to hold strong in the face of impossible odds. 

That did very little to assuage the guilt that was pounding through his head though. Hikari knew that he had to work with the others in his team along with his old friends from the previous war within Ku, but that didn't help him much when he really thought about how many ways all of this had gone wrong. He shouldn't have been put in a situation like this to begin with, and he shouldn't have had to worry about the rest of his friends suffering because of him. The other travelers vowed to stand by him no matter what, and Hikari certainly believed them when they said it, but it still stung to think about. He was bringing them so much trouble just by traveling with them, and even though he had no plans of leaving, Hikari couldn't seem to pull his anxiety out of his head. 

The travelers gathered food for the morning and then set out from the cave toward Ryu, and Hikari hoped with everything he had that they wouldn't run into any other issues when they arrived. It would be dangerous to return to Hineouma, something Hikari had known all along but had been doing his best to not think about because of the anxiety he knew it was going to cause him. He was going to have to go back if he wanted to help Castti with her journey to uncover her memories, but Hikari worried for all the ways that it could have gone wrong under different circumstances. He wasn't going to let Mugen chase him away forever, of course, but Hikari remained deeply anxious in a way that he couldn't quite put to words. Everything was so far out of his control, and it felt like it was never going to come back beneath his thumb again regardless of what he tried. 

Hikari didn't realize just how anxious he was until after he felt a small tap on the shoulder. He whirled around with wide, panicked eyes, halfway believing it was a soldier from Ku who was going to stab him through the chest. In the end though, it was only Throné. Hikari's heart continued to race anyway, and he wondered just how she had managed to sneak up on him. She was an expert at surprising people, something Hikari had learned all too well within the last few weeks, but it found new ways to shock him each and every time. 

"Throné," Hikari forced himself to say when he was able to get a grip on himself enough to speak. His breaths came out as wheezes that were far more strained than they had any right to be, but he forced himself to stand up tall anyway. "What do you need? Did something happen?"

Throné's lips were pressed firmly in a frown, and Hikari bit back a wince upon realizing that he had probably said the wrong thing to her without even realizing it. "I was wondering what you were thinking about," Throné told him. "You've been out of it all day. Unless you want to end up killed by an ambush when we make it to Hinoeuma, that has to change."

Hikari forced his head to nod, knowing that Throné was right. She was blunt and could have chosen a better way to say it, but she had a point in saying that Hikari was going to end up a corpse in the sand if he didn't find a way to pull himself together as soon as possible. "Yes... I suppose you're right," Hikari replied. He let out a thin breath, willing his heart to calm down as much as it could stand. He didn't know how much it was actually going to work out in his favor, but at least he could say that he was trying. "I've been worried about what to expect from the future ever since we were attacked last night."

"I don't know if I would call that an attack," Throné countered with a shake of her head. "We were traveling through Conning Creek, and we ran into an issue along the way. We didn't have to fight against any of the soldiers of Ku, and I'm choosing to take that as a victory. For all they know, the guards of Conning Creek could have just made a mistake in believing that you were there. I doubt they would be able to figure out for sure if they were right or wrong about thinking you were in town."

"I suppose so," Hikari hummed. His heart rate was finally starting to slow, though Hikari didn't think he would feel truly calm until the immediate panic of being discovered in Conning Creek had worn off and then some. "I'm worried that being here is going to end up putting the rest of you in greater danger than you should ever have to consider. You've already been through a lot, and I don't want to make that any worse. If the rest of you have other things that need to be taken care of, then I don't want you to have to worry about taking care of me."

"You remember what we talked about last night, don't you?" Throné countered with a frown. "We're here because we want to be. We wouldn't be walking through the entire continent with you if we hadn't chosen to come along with you. I don't think there's anything you can say or do to chase us off now. If we're still here after soldiers from Ku tried to track you down in Conning Creek, then I think you're fine."

"But..." Hikari tried to form an argument, but the words died away on his tongue long before he had the chance. He sighed and shook his head, willing himself to believe that Throné was right. She wouldn't have said it unless she genuinely believed that she was telling the truth. Throné was not the kind of person to mince words, and Hikari knew he could trust her to be honest with him even when it was hard and made her stomach churn. "I appreciate it, Throné. I just worry that the rest of you may not know what you're getting into. I don't know how much danger is going to be waiting for us at the end of this journey, and if any of you were to get hurt..."

"We would find a way to figure it out," Throné finished for him. "I think you forget that you're not the only person here who has been putting the group in danger since we got here. Temenos is looking for a serial killer, and even now that Vados is behind bars, I don't think he trusts that the case has been solved. We had to fight against security at one of the largest corporations in all of Solistia for Partitio, and you almost had one of your limbs bitten off by an angry dog. Even with Agnea, we had to fight a corrupt theater manager in order to make it here. The rest of us have been putting the group in danger too. You're not even the only one who is on the run right now. Don't you remember the story that Osvald told us?"

Hikari certainly couldn't argue with that. There was a difference between him and Osvald though; the rest of the world thought that Osvald was dead, but the universe very much knew that Hikari was alive. The warrior was tempted to mention this, but he already knew Throné wasn't going to hear him out if he tried. "I... I guess you have a point," Hikari relented. "Our journey has been fraught with danger ever since we set out to travel together."

"Exactly," Throné nodded. "And you're not the only one who's going to end up putting us at risk in the future. I can tell you that we're going to end up in a lot of trouble when we make it to Oresrush, and..." She trailed off for a brief moment, forcing out a careful sigh through her lips. "I thought it would be better for me to travel on my own when I first left New Delsta, but I don't think I could leave now. I feel better here than I would have felt on my own, and I think that's what I should be thinking about most. The same is true for you."

Hikari nodded, though he couldn't say he entirely understood what it was that Throné was referring to. She had been hushed about the truth behind her adventure up to that point, saying that she was chasing freedom in the hands of two people who she had come to oppose, but the rest of her past was something of a mystery. Throné had been vague when she explained the reason for her departure from New Delsta, and Hikari had been more than fine to stay silent right along with her. As far as he was concerned, she would talk about it whenever she was ready. 

And that time seemed like it was going to arrive sooner rather than later. Throné was going to have to talk to the rest of the group when they got to Oresrush, and Hikari would finally learn the truth behind what it was that she had been hiding up to that point. Even so, she was doing her best to keep her resolve as strong as it could have been. She was not shying away in the face of danger, and Hikari couldn't help but admire her for it. He would have to find a way to borrow her strength going forward. It felt like one of the best things that he could have ever done for himself. 

"This journey isn't what we expected it was going to be, but I don't think you should get caught up in everything that has been happening out of our original plans," Throné continued. "We had to leave Conning Creek, but we'll solve whatever the situation is when we make it to Ryu. We can get you a better disguise and then decide if we're going to be headed to Oresrush or Sai. After that, we'll just... Keep traveling. We'll figure something out, and everything will come together in the end."

Hikari could tell by the somewhat strained quality to Throné's voice that she was trying to convince herself of this just as much as she wanted him to believe it. Even so, he could not bring himself to call her on it. This was just what he needed to hear, and Throné seemed to know it well. Hikari allowed himself to smile despite the guilt that threatened to rip him to pieces, and the stress knotted between his shoulders finally began to dissipate. "Thank you, Throné. I really appreciate it."

"Of course," Throné said, looking away from Hikari as if she was embarrassed by the fact that he was looking at her with such kindness in the first place. Most of the time, Throné carried herself as shamelessly as she could, but the darkness seemed to creep in whenever she grew a bit too wrapped up in her thoughts of the past. "I hope we're able to find something useful in Ryu that will help to keep you hidden. The last thing I want is to run into any trouble when we get there."

"I doubt Mugen's soldiers will go as far as Ryu just yet," Hikari assured Throné with a shake of his head. "If he wishes to conquer all of Hinoeuma, then he will need to take over the smaller settlements that are closest to Ku. I wish there was something I could do for all of those tiny villages, but..."

"We have to get stronger before we can take him on. Rushing in before we're strong enough to handle everything that he's going to throw at us is tantamount to suicide," Throné reminded him, and Hikari nodded. He hated that he had to agree with her on something that he so desperately wished to push, but he wasn't going to argue with her when he knew she was right. "We're going to figure it all out, and when we do, no one is going to have to worry about being attacked by Mugen or the rest of his army ever again. That's a promise."

Hikari nodded once again, and for the first time since he was chased out of Conning Creek, he felt himself breathe easily. He wasn't sure of where all of this was going to take him, but he wanted to do his best to power through it. He was going to do everything he possibly could to save the land of Hinoeuma from Mugen's tyranny, and that started with staying alive. After he made it to Ryu, he could find a way to disguise himself, and then he could come up with a plan that would carry him through the next few stages of his journey. It was hardly ideal, but Hikari knew it was exactly what he needed to do at the moment. 

The rest of the group was right. Hikari would be able to stop all of this soon. Until then, he simply had to be patient... And he wasn't going to leave any of them behind until he knew for a fact that this horrific chapter of their lives was over. 

~~~~~

To put it simply, having to leave Conning Creek prematurely was not ideal. 

Osvald had known before he arrived in the town that he was taking a major risk by going there at all. He knew there was a chance he would run into trouble when he started asking questions about what happened to his family all those years prior. He just hadn't expected that the real trouble would come in the form of the forces of Ku trying to chase after Hikari. Osvald had imagined the issue would be that the local town guard would want to go after him. Instead, Hikari had been spotted by someone who was looking to pick up the money from turning him in to Mugen, and that was bound to send the group's entire plan for their future travels into a tailspin. 

Osvald should have expected something like this to happen eventually. How could it not? Someone was bound to decide they wanted to take over Hikari's life as soon as possible, especially because of the reward they were bound to get from the forces of Ku if they handed him over. Osvald had known how to be careful with his own steps to the future, but he wasn't sure of how he was going to talk to Hikari about his own. He supposed he would have to figure out sooner or later though. They couldn't go on like this as long as there was the chance they would be caught in a similar situation a second time. 

"Osvald?"

Agnea's voice interrupted Osvald's thoughts, and he looked down to find that she had sped up in her walking to make sure she was just beside him. It took a bit more effort on her end because of her lack of verticality when compared to Osvald, but she was doing her best to make it work. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice edged with worry. "About the fact that we weren't able to go to Conning Creek today. I know that you were... Well, I don't know if I would say that you were looking forward to being there, but..."

The anxiety in the air was palpable, and even though Osvald had never been particularly good with social interactions, all he wanted to do was put Agnea's fears to rest and set her free of her sudden spike in fear. "I'll be alright," Osvald assured her. "There was always a chance something like this was going to happen, and I knew that ahead of time. Now, our best course of action is to simply go elsewhere and then return later when we know that we won't be in as great of danger."

When Osvald put it that way, it seemed so simple. He would be able to walk away, think about something else for a little while, and then return later with even more strength in his steps and even more fire in his chest. He didn't know if he actually believed it would be that easy though. Osvald certainly wanted it to be, but... He had struggled with wrestling together the courage to go to Conning Creek at all after everything he lost because of Harvey. It was going to be a task for him to find the strength to go back there for a second time even if he had no other option.

It was almost incredible how a single night of poor memories could ruin an entire place for him instantly. Osvald had once thought that Conning Creek would be his home forever and that he would never have a reason to move away. His research was set in Montwise the majority of the time, but Osvald was more than fine so long as he was able to visit his family back home. He had been happy with that life even if it was a bit unorthodox for other people. Osvald couldn't have asked for a better place to live, and he couldn't have asked for a better family to stay with either. 

But then the fire had happened. Osvald hadn't believed it at first, but he had no other choice when he was grabbed and hauled off for his trial on the opposite side of Solistia. Osvald had been quietly struggling to stomach the idea of going back to Conning Creek ever since. He had no other choice if he wanted to learn more about what Harvey had done on the night of the fire, but that didn't make it any easier. He shouldn't have had to do this. He never should have had to so much as consider a life without the rest of his family, but there he was regardless. Osvald didn't know what he was going to say or do when he made it back to the house that he had once called home, but he knew that it was bound to sting in ways that he never should have had to face. 

In a way, Osvald had been doing his best to make sure he wouldn't have to go back until he was ready. He let Ochette take over with her mission in Conning Creek first because it felt easier than going there himself. He had dedicated himself to the path of vengeance while knowing fully well what it was going to mean for him, but it seemed to find new ways to hurt him regardless. He needed Harvey out of the picture as soon as possible, but Osvald had no idea of how he was meant to do it when he didn't want to go back to a place that had once held so many joyous memories for him. What was he going to do when it was time to take Harvey's life? Would he be able to get through the sentimental in order to exact his vengeance?

Osvald hadn't been thinking much about his return to Conning Creek while he was in Frigit Isle. No, that wasn't true. He had been thinking about Conning Creek, but he had been thinking about a version of the town that no longer existed and had not ever since Harvey set fire to his home. Osvald had been doing what he could to mentally gloss over what he knew he was going to have to face when he returned to his hometown, and it was agonizing now that he was almost there... Not that he had to deal with it now. He had a good while before he had to consider returning to Conning Creek for a second time. He would be able to think about what it would be like to be declared a fugitive of his own home while he was on the road, not that it would ever give him the peace that he knew he was going to need. 

"Still..." Agnea hummed with a frown. "I know that you were doing what you could to be ready for this, and then it didn't happen. That has to be hard. Even if it's no one's fault that it turned out like this... It still stings."

Osvald offered her a hum of agreement, but he couldn't find the words to express much beyond that. He simply couldn't force his lips to form the syllables, not that he would have trusted their integrity even if he had that power. Osvald could trust what he said within his own mind, but it was much harder for him to know what he was trying to communicate when there was someone else by his side. So much had been misinterpreted and warped of his intentions during his time in Frigit, and Osvald didn't know if he would ever be able to trust his own skills of communication and conversation ever again. 

"I had a hard time with going back to my mother's grave after she passed on too," Agnea continued, and Osvald found his chest growing tight. That was right. Agnea understood the pain of losing a family member all too well just like he did. She did her best to mask it with a smile on her face, but the agony lived beneath her skin the same way it did for all those who had lost someone to the tides of grief and pain. "I wanted to visit her, but... I didn't know how. It felt impossible when I knew that it was going to remind me that she wasn't here anymore." 

Osvald nodded quietly. He couldn't even say that he had struggled with going to Rita and Elena's graves after their deaths; he hadn't been able to go at all. The townsfolk had done their best to give them both a burial worthy of their memories in the cemetery, but Osvald had already been dragged away for his murder trial by the time that happened. It was a miracle he had learned about the fact that they had graves at all. The soldiers that were helping to run his trial certainly hadn't been merciful enough to tell him that openly, so he had to find out from a few of the journalists in the gallery at the courthouse. 

"I found that it was easier to go and visit her when there were other people with me," Agnea said. "It was never easy, but if there was someone else going there with me, then... Then we could talk to her together. We didn't have to think about how much we were missing if we were together. We could help each other through the darkness." After a few moments of silence, Agnea looked up at Osvald with a sad smile. "And I think the rest of us can do that for you too. I know that none of us knew what your wife and daughter were like, but... If you want to have us with you when you go to see them again, then we'll be there. I promise."

Osvald found himself blinking rapidly all of a sudden, and he realized a bit too late that tears had started to prickle at the corners of his eyes. Perhaps he was taking the sudden divergence in plans and the forced departure from Conning Creek harder than he thought. It defied all logic and reason, but saying that didn't seem to do much to help him at all. He was struggling even if he refused to admit it, and the pain felt like it was going to eat him from the inside out. None of this should have been happening. He shouldn't have had to go and visit Rita and Elena's graves at all simply because another man decided to act in a way that was pure evil. He shouldn't have had to worry about fleeing from Conning Creek because the king of a foreign land decided that he wanted to track down those who he found to be threats. None of it should have been happening this way, much less happening at all, and Osvald didn't know how he was meant to confront any of it. 

Agnea's fingers slipped between his own, and Osvald looked down to find that she was giving him the best grin she could muster when they were talking about a subject of such deep grief. "You're not in this on your own. We're going to make it back to Conning Creek, and we'll do what we can to learn about what happened to your family," Agnea assured him. "Just hold on for a little while longer."

Osvald wanted to say something in words even if the response was rough around the edges, but he couldn't seem to find the strength. Instead, he forced himself to nod, but all that did was dislodge the tears that he had been doing his best to restrict and hide throughout their conversation. Agnea's hands were so much warmer than his. Even now, Osvald feared he was trapped on Frigit Isle even if he had escaped physically. It felt like pieces of him were still imprisoned behind those chilled bars, and all he could do was sit there and watch as his life passed him by. He had lost so much, and the only reason he could think to wake up in the morning anymore was in the name of revenge. 

But standing there with Agnea... Osvald almost wondered if perhaps there was more to it than that. Agnea's hands were small, so much smaller than his, and Osvald couldn't help thinking if perhaps this was what it would have been like to cling to Elena when she reached Agnea's age. Osvald would never know now that she was gone, but he was certainly going to dream about it for the rest of his life. Even if he would never find out what Elena could have been, Osvald wanted to do what he could to help her memory live on. He wanted to destroy the man that had taken her life, and he needed to ensure that no one ever forgot about his daughter and all the light that she could have brought to the world. 

Osvald felt like the pain of losing Rita and Elena was returning to him so many years after he had declared it had frozen inside of his chest. He hadn't been able to think about them at all after he was dragged to Frigit, and Osvald had thought that was for the best. There was no time to stop and think about anything painful on Frigit, so his only choice was to bury the pain and pretend it was not there. Now though... Osvald wasn't sure if it had ever been the best course of action. The years that he had spent willing his heart to freeze and abandon him were catching up with him all at once, and the only thing he could convince his body to do was cling to Agnea's hand like it was the only lifeline he had left. 

"Thank you, Agnea," Osvald somehow managed to choke out. He wasn't sure if Agnea had noticed just how tight his chest had grown or how strained his words had become, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything about it. Instead, he let out a slow breath, willing his fears and tears to fade away and calm. 

But they weren't going to leave him so easily. He had been pushing everything down for far too long, and it had always been a matter of time before the dam broke. Somehow, avoiding Conning Creek had been the final knock his defenses could take, and Osvald's only option now was to crumble. He hated it deeply, and he didn't think he would ever feel prepared for the rush of pain and misery, but it was the only thing he could do now. 

Agnea smiled up at Osvald, a light in the darkness through all the suffering that he had ever tried to smother. She was so kind, far kinder than he deserved, and he was glad she was there. "It's no problem at all."

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Chapter time! Woohoo!

I really do love writing these intermission chapters honestly. I feel like I've said it a million times, but it remains true. I'm glad that I wound up deciding to split up the intermissions a little bit more than I was originally planning on. Initially, I was going to have Temenos and Ochette's travel banter with Acta take up their part of this segment, but I wound up changing my mind after a bit of thinking on it. That would just leave too many familiar groups of characters (since I was originally going for Throné/Hikari/Osvald and Partitio/Agnea/Castti), so to keep from doubling up on common selections, I split it up. 

And I love how this chapter turned out with that in mind. I think these scenes are a lot stronger than the ones I had planned initially, and I'm looking forward to getting through the other two. There are probably two chapters left before we make it to our next major plot beat, and I'm excited for it! Things are going smoothly, and I'm having a lot of fun with this story. Oh, Eight Interwoven... You really are my beloved forever. 

Next time, we'll focus on those two other scenes with the other four travelers. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital