"You speak so clearly of honor, Fianna, it almost seems like we're right to do what we're doing. Tell me what honor is there in judging and condemning our own master? The one who raised and guided us since we were baptized and sent away from home. The one who played the role of father better than our blood parents. Do you think it's an honor to be in our Fianna position? You might just be trying to make me laugh..."
Annabel didn't like Fianna's last words. For her, who has a great affection for Apollo, being in the position of her Master's executioner is like a bad joke...
"I may be in that position, but I'm not doing this for the honor or the glory it will bring us. Just thinking about how much Master will suffer and that I'll be partly to blame for it makes me want to throw myself into the Abyss with him."
Her tone was becoming more and more melancholic and sad, it seemed that that previous tone of joy did not come from the same person. But even so, she continued to speak, trying hard to contain the sadness in her voice:
"I just haven't done it yet because I'm sure Master would throw me out of there himself. Telling me with that simple smile of his: 'This is not the place for you Annabel, children should train to get stronger'... Typical of him hahaha"
With a small laugh and eyes full of tears, Annabel seemed to slowly wither with each step she took down the road.
Fianna beside her was also slowly growing sadder, as if she was reminded of her situation again.
"Fianna, do you think Master will forgive us? I don't know if I will have the courage to go to the end of this trial."
Annabel knows that Fianna's answer will not ease her doubts and regrets. But some comfort might come from her words, or at least she would be better off knowing that Fianna is also going through the same difficulties.
Fianna did not take long to answer the question, and replied in her firm and confident tone:
"Master taught us to judge someone without hesitation and give the proper punishment for every crime committed. I believe that he himself would want us to do what is right. Just as I believe he would not condemn us, but rather thank us for being the ones judging and condemning him."
Pausing for a moment, she inhaled and exhaled heavily, as if seeking resolution and clarity for her mind. And she continued to speak, now in a cheerful and enthusiastic voice, not typical for her:
"We are doing this to honor Master's teachings, Annabel. We have to be grateful that we were chosen among the countless candidates to play this role. We are the disciples of Great Apollo Kairis, The Protector, The Pathfinder, The Youngest Aura Emperor of this age."
Fianna's pride in speaking those words radiated in the color of her Aura, which she was unknowingly exuding. Her red and green Aura lightly hinted at her emotions of pride, passion and serenity.
"The Master's legend is far from over, but he must pay for the crimes committed in order to clear his conscience. You more than anyone know that he is grieving for the lives he took. And his mentality was heavily affected by his sins, leaving him in a state of remorse and deep despair."
Quickly, Fianna stopped walking and grabbed Annabel by the shoulders in an attempt to force understanding of her words. She said:
"Master has the whitest Aura I've ever seen, he exudes goodness and purity, only Aura knows how much he is suffering right now. We have to be strong not to let it get lost in the darkness of uncertainty and despair. We must judge him not just to wash his soul, but to help him get back on his feet. So, I believe that not only will he forgive us Annabel, I'm sure he will also thank us by saying 'I taught you very well' or something like that."
Strong, confident words from her were like rain on dry ground. They were quickly absorbed by Annabel, who managed to see a glimmer of hope. For her who wasn't sure of anything anymore, having some hope to go on was more than enough.
Soon, Annabel's expression began to change and return to her state of joy and enthusiasm. As much as she still had doubts in her heart, her mind was focused on the immediate goal. To honor his Master's teachings and make him start as soon as possible on his path to redemption.
"Your words from him are always as wise as his. I envy that about you, whenever I have a doubt I end up walking in circles for a long time, but you only need to look slightly to the sides and you already find the right path to follow. Thank you Fianna, his words showed me the right way to solve my problems."
Her thanks were as sincere as they could be and the fianna understood that immediately. But that thanks was never necessary, as longtime friends, partners and sworn sisters, words of comfort and encouragement always came naturally.
Even so, Fianna said absolutely nothing and just hugged the elf vigorously. And the elf responded in kind, with a warm hug.
A few seconds passed until the two felt that they were invigorated. Then they resumed their walk towards the next meeting point. Calmly and silently, but now the mood was exuding cheer and hope.
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At the same time, near the Bordium Empire embassy, Daehyun and Emmanuel had already arrived at their meeting point and were now heading towards the Palace. There, they would find Celeste and could head straight to Babel headquarters where they would meet up with the other girls.
Emmanuel, dressed in a navy blue suit with a white shirt, had a black overcoat and was apparently very warm and comfortable. His white hair had no protection against the cold.
Daehyun, seemed even less affected by the cold than his partner. He was wearing only a black shirt with a high collar and long sleeves, with gray jogger pants. A pair of white sneakers was his latest addition.
Even with the freezing cold of the streets of Redsnow, they didn't seem to mind and casually walked along. In no hurry to reach their destination, they discussed a subject they preferred not to discuss in front of the girls:
"Do you think Master really went crazy, Daehyun?"
Emmanuel asked this question with a tone of disbelief and uncertainty. For him, Apollo was the reference figure for various subjects. Whether in your quest for power, wisdom, discipline, self-control or encouragement.
Since his baptism he was given over to the personal care of Apollo at Babel. At first he thought it was totally unnecessary and useless. There was no way he could learn more from a man far from home than he could at home from countless teachers.
But with less than 1 year of tutoring, he discovered that the man named Apollo Kairis was different from everyone else. Even at just 15 years old, the figure of Apollo was already the supreme reference for Emmanuel, and still is today.
"I think madness is the only explanation for the events of the past 6 months. For all we know, Lady Ivanov may be hiding various circumstances of the crimes. That is, the crimes may have been much worse than we know."
Daehyun gave his honest opinion, not letting his feelings affect his reasoning. This was always the characteristic that Apollo most praised and condemned in him.
But after a small sigh, Daehyun put his calculating and cold attitude aside. His expression slowly changed to one of regret and dismay and spoke:
"Master must have had some kind of problem. And as usual, he tried to solve the problem himself. But this time he failed miserably to find the solution. I have no idea what the problem he found could be, but I'm sure he didn't want to harm anyone."
Emmanuel listened to his answer and came to the same conclusion. He spoke in a more uncertain tone:
"It's kind of revolting that Master preferred to isolate himself and try to look for a solution without seeking our help or at least notifying us. At the same time, I think he asked Babel for help, so even if he did talk to us, we would hardly be of any use."
Daehyun complemented his friend's reasoning by saying the following:
"He definitely asked Babel for help, but for some reason they couldn't solve the problem either. What intrigues me is thinking about how much despair Mestre must have faced knowing that his problem took the lives of dozens of innocent people."
If there is one truth everyone agrees on about Apollo Kairis, it is his hatred of evil. Daehyun has always admired the sense of justice and devotion to fighting evil that Apollo has always shown.
In all of Apollo's missions, fighting evil has always been the goal. For him, the motivation for gaining strength was to protect the weak and innocent from the strong and evil.
In his curriculum, there are numerous missions to combat the trafficking of Beasts of Aura, Mystical Creatures, rare animals, people and ores. As well as missions to fight petty and big crimes of all kinds on all 5 continents.
"It is our duty to do what Master cannot do. As his disciples, we must give him the proper punishment, or at least try. This will let the world know that he has paid for the crimes he has committed and that this should no longer tarnish his honor."
Daehyun had a glint in his eye that seemed to burn like fire. But Emmanuel was not motivated enough to enter into this discussion of right or wrong… Instead, he spoke curiously:
"Right, right… But what I really want to know is what or who caused this. Also, I want to see how Queen Aurora reacted to this fact, she was always the most attached to the Master. This curiosity is eating away at me, Daehyun, do you have any theories on the matter?"