"This place is something else." Jayson remarked as Shih guided him through the second story floor of the rabbit palace. "Even if the rabbit wasn't in power right now, this would still be Tuzi's and Yetu's home, right?"
"Correct." General Gao replied sternly.
"Even when he's not the emperor, he's surely living like one. Is it really just him and his daughter living in this large manor?"
"The emperor's family matters are not for me to discuss. You would have to inquire from him directly."
"Understood, apologies for prying."
"No need to apologize." Shih replied as she entered through a door near the end of the hall. "This will be where the men in your party will stay. The female's housing will be down the hall."
Jayson entered a rather large room with four single beds fixed against the walls, with two on one side and two on the other.
"Will you be joining the others in their training?"
"Oh no, I don't even have air essence, so I'd just be a distraction to them." Jayson replied. "I'm going to rest for a little while and wait for Mai to be done."
"In that case... huān yíng Jayson Hillinger." Shih stated as she half bowed to Jayson. "If there is anything else, please come and find me."
General Gao then promptly left and closed the room door behind her. Jayson turned and was about to walk over to the large window on the back wall but suddenly felt a weird presence.
"Long time no see mix blood." Exclaimed Noya, who was leaning against the inside of the room door.
"..."
To be expected, Jayson was confused and didn't believe who he was seeing with his own eyes.
"Hey, you have to say something. Remember, I'm blind so if you stay quiet like that, it'll make me think I've got the wrong person."
"H-how'd you get here?" Jayson finally asked.
"I'm investigating something on the air continent. I had no idea I'd be running into you here."
"No, but how'd you get in here? You did the same thing the last time I saw you. Vanishing and appearing out of thin air."
"Oh, that? It's one of the blessings my sister and I were given."
"Blessings... That's right... You're a spirit."
"Um, no. Not exactly. I mean, I have a physical body see."
Noya skipped over to Jayson and held out her hand to him with an inviting smile on her face. Without hesitating much, Jayson extended his hand and held onto Noya's.
"See? I'm not a full-blown spirit." Noya exclaimed. "But I'm sure the people in my village would think otherwise..."
"What happened to you two?" Jayson questioned. "You and your sister, I mean."
There was a brief moment of silence as Noya dropped her head to the floor. A gentle breeze blew through the window, causing the curtain to dance in the wind while the golden glow of the sunset illuminated the bedroom they occupied. Noya continued to hold onto Jayson's hand as she lifted her head back up towards his.
"We died." Noya answered with a smile. "But I guess that much was obvious. Unfortunately, I'm forbidden from talking about the specifics, but you can say that the gods felt sorry for me and my sister. So we were given a second chance."
In that instance, Jayson immediately thought of both Kaden and Jayson.
"Do... the gods just openly intervene with life and death like this often?" Jayson questioned.
"Not that I know of."
Noya finally released Jayson's hand and walked past him to the window.
"I was there that day." Noya stated. "In Aestus. I watched it all fall apart."
"... You knew that was going to happen?"
"Of course I did. Why else would I be there? That was my first time ever seeing the Phoenix or the Leviathan."
"Why didn't you tell me, so I could've stopped it!? Aestians died! So many of them were left homeless and lost everything! Now that Kajar has freed the Phoenix, I don't even want to think about what's happening in Ignus right now..."
"... I couldn't do anything." Noya said without facing Jayson. "Every day, I'm made to view all sorts of different tragedies and accidents across all the continents, but there is nothing that I'm allowed to do about them. That day I helped you fight the golem was the first time I ever went against my orders and acted on my own. It felt good, but I got a stern talking to after that. So, as much as I wanted to appear in front of you and tell you about the incoming calamity, I couldn't."
"... Sorry. It must be hard for you." Jayson replied sincerely.
Noya turned back to Jayson and returned to her initial happy and playful mood.
"People like you give me hope." Noya stated. "You do your best to make sure things turn out okay. Which is why I'm happy to see you here."
"Are you saying something bad is going to happen here? Is that why you're in Ventus?"
"Of course, I can't tell you that, but I'm actually investigating something different. Like I said, I didn't know you'd be here because I'm looking into something else, not this whole situation with the emperor and his daughter. I only wanted to see how you were doing since I randomly came across you today."
"...In that case, I'm doing alright."
"Good. I'll be around so you might see me again." Noya said as she looked back out the window.
"One last thing." Jayson exclaimed. "Thank you for helping me that day."
"... Don't mention it. Seriously, don't mention it." Noya replied with a slight chuckle.
Just as fast as she appeared, Noya disappeared as the beige curtain elegantly blew across her. Jayson was left with a feeling of confusion as he wanted to know more about the mysterious girl he had met for just the second time now. However, the mystical aura around her made Noya seem clouded and unreachable.
.....
As the sun began to set over Ventus, Kaden, Aaron, and Via returned to the Rabbit Palace after performing flight practice nearby for just about two hours. The trio ran into Mai just outside the main entrance.
"You were able to send the message?" Aaron asked as they approached her.
"Yes, the bubble message is on its way to Aestus, but it most likely won't arrive until five days from now. Unlike Taibai, a bubble doesn't have to stop for rest, so it will arrive fairly fast..."
Mai then looked up to the top of the tallest mountain.
"... Without the gate, there's no way for instant communication."
"It's alright, we trust your judgment." Aaron replied.
"Yeah, so let's get this done before they could even send a message back." Kaden commented while leaning on Aaron's shoulder.
Mai grinned and looked away for a brief moment before replying...
"General Gao said Emperor Tuzi would like to have dinner with us. She said he's a man who loves to listen to stories, so she thinks he wants to hear all of our individual stories."
"I think I'll pass." Kaden answered as he walked to the front entrance of the palace. "I might just go to sleep early, I'm feeling a little lightheaded."
"You guys go ahead, I will catch up with you all later." Mai stated while walking the opposite way back over the bridge.
Kaden glanced over his shoulder as Mai strolled off on her own.
.....
An hour later, Mai had still not returned to the palace. Instead, she found herself on the same column where the others were training earlier, lying flat on her back and gazing up towards the night sky.
"Old habits I see." Kaden remarked as he approached Mai.
"What are you doing here?" Mai questioned.
"The palace is surprisingly noisy at night. A chef and catering team, a woodwind quartet is performing in the dining hall, and Tuzi is a pretty heavy drinker. I almost feel sorry leaving Aaron and Jayson there to entertain him."
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Mai replied as she sat up.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all."
Kaden sat directly behind Mai and leaned his back onto hers.
"Who said you could be so close?" Mai questioned.
"Sorry, but there's nothin' else to lean on out here."
"... You were fighting earlier, weren't you?"
"Whaddaya mean fighting?" Kaden replied, slightly stunned.
"I've known you for quite a while now. I can tell when you're trying to hide something, even though you're quite good at it."
Kaden smiled and did not even try to hide it anymore at that point.
"How can you tell?" Kaden asked.
"It's been a long time since you've gotten lightheaded from using your air essence, which means you really must have over-exerted yourself. Also, when we found you on that column, you were all dusty, and now your arm is bruised. It could've just been from a hard landing, but my intuition is telling me different."
"Haha, and I thought I was observant... Yeah, I got in a fight."
"With who? We just arrived on the continent." Mai exclaimed while face palming.
"It wasn't like I went looking for it. It was actually..."
At that moment, Kaden remembered what Elder Aira had told him a while back. The history between Mai and the Luminants and how they killed both of Mai's parents when she was still little.
"It was actually some weird creature I've never seen before. It had these weird, long tentacles, and it snuck up on me. I'll have to show you it sometime."
"...Okay." Mai replied while peeping over her shoulder.
"If I mention the Luminants it would just be a distraction to Mai and throw her off her game." Kaden thought. "I'd like for her to be as focused as possible while we're out here."
"The night sky is beautiful out here." Mai stated, looking up. "The people of Ventus get to see this sky every night. They're so lucky."
"Have you always liked looking at the sky?"
"My first memory coming to the surface was when my father brought me above ground for my fifth birthday. I was so excited to see the place that my parents were visiting so frequently, and my father told many stories of how the surface was so different from inside Aestus. I remember him specifically saying how the sky was like a living painting. Ever shifting and changing, and at night time, it was so, so vibrant. We went up in the early afternoon, which was early enough so I could've seen the sun setting behind the mountains. He explained to me how the sun was the closest star to our planet and that there were an infinite number of stars all over the universe, and at night, we'd be able to see so many of them. Just knowing that made my little self so excited and eager to see this spectacle. And then... I fell asleep."
"What!?" Kaden exclaimed while lightly laughing. "You got all worked up to fall asleep anyway?"
"Only for a short while." Mai replied. "I guess my father knew how much I wanted to see that sky. So, after a few hours, he gently shook my shoulder and called out my name..."
"Mai... Wakey, wakey." Her father said. "Open your eyes, Mai."
"My eyes crept open, and I witnessed what I still believe to this day to be the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever enveloped. An infinite black backdrop, decorated with countless glowing balls of light in every direction I could see. In the middle of it all, illuminating everything around me was a perfect white sphere."
"The moon?" Kaden asked.
"It was my first time seeing the moon as well." Mai explained. "There was an artificial sun underneath Lake Aestus, but there was no artificial moon. So the moon was much more mysterious and mesmerizing to me. Ever since that day, I've been obsessed with the night sky. It calms me."
"... I understand how you feel. I mentioned last time that you really can't see a sight like this in my world because of all the light pollution. Well, I remember the first time I ever saw a sky like this myself. Back when I was about twelve years old, I joined a club at my school that would take people camping. Wilderness explorers or something like that. I didn't care what it was, I just knew that it was a club that could help me get away from home, and at that time, that was all I wanted. The first camping trip I went on was a hot mess. All of my teammates were incompetent. They couldn't pitch a tent to save their lives." Kaden remarked while laughing about it. "They couldn't even tie a knot properly. Ya see, I was a very um... obnoxious kid. I was a little know it all, so I argued a lot and got into a lot of fights for petty reasons."
"Why are you speaking as if you've changed?" Mai questioned with a grin.
"That's hurtful." Kaden jokingly replied. "Anyway, since I was having trouble getting along with the others, I stepped away from the camp and wandered the edge of the lake on my own. That's when Mr. Know it all stepped awkwardly on a rock and sprained his ankle."
"Ouch!"
"Yeah, but the pain was alright compared to the embarrassment. Those same teammates who I was putting down, I'm gonna have to ask for help. Instead of doing that, I sat there, and that was when I saw it. The reflection of the moonlight on the lake was by itself beautiful, but when I looked up at the moon, that was when everything else became clear to me. There wasn't a cloud anywhere in the sky for miles, just bright shining stars as far as I could see. The feeling I had in that moment was what I had been looking for the entire time I was out there."
"Pain?"
"No. Relief. At that moment, I forgot about everything, and I felt relief... And then the moment was ruined by this annoying little kid."
"Hey, what're you doing out here by yourself?" A young Aaron said to young Kaden. "Someone in your group said they saw you go this way."
"Why do you care? You're not in my group, right?" Kaden replied.
"Just cause I'm not doesn't mean I can't check on you. C'mon, get off the ground."
"Could you just leave me alone?" Kaden asked while looking away.
"C'mon, we're gonna miss roll call, then we'll be in trouble." Aaron replied while pulling Kaden up by his arm.
"Ow!"
"Are you hurt? Is it your foot?"
"Just let me go!" Kaden exclaimed with growing aggravation.
"You need to be more open to letting others help you. Put your arm over my shoulder and lift your foot up. I'll walk slowly taking you back."
"Ah! What's up with you!?"
"Aha! Look! I saw a shooting star just now!" Aaron stated with a large smile.
"Huh?"
"... When I looked up at that moment, I saw a streak of light racing across the sky." Kaden explained to Mai while pointing up to the stars above them. "If you blink, you would miss it. Then I saw another one, and another. A mesmerizing light show had just begun."
"Coollll!" Kid Aaron said excitedly. "Hey, what did you wish for!"
"Wish?" Kid Kaden replied.
"Yeah, my mom told me that when you see a shooting star, you can close your eyes and wish for anything you want."
"That's so stupid."
"Maybe, but I'm sure there's something you want to wish for right now."
"..."
"So, did you wish for anything?" Mai asked?
"... I can't tell you that." Kaden answered with a grin. "Aaron said if I tell anyone what I wished for, then it wouldn't come true."
"... I was only joking around earlier, Kaden. You have changed."
The both of them felt surrounded by a relaxing atmosphere of ease, as they sat with their backs pressed against each other and with calm smiles resting on their faces.
"Same to you, Mai."