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The youma led the Vanguard out of the castle, through the dark and uncomfortable space of the Dark Kingdom. Eyes were on them as they moved, and Lyndin seemed vigilant as they passed from one space to the next. He walked with forcefully powerful strides, but the strain on his body had left its toll. He was pale and tired, and not the indomitable force his Cadets would have known him as.

In the middle of the Dark Kingdom’s abandoned city there was a tall stone house. It had been repaired a few times over, and though it lacked comfort inside, it was safe. The youma left them here, though it stood guard out front as if to make sure none of them thought to leave.

The stone structure had some furniture inside--chairs, tables, lamps. It had electricity, but little decor. It was two stories tall and there seemed to be ample space for them to spread out comfortably. They might not have all had a room to themselves, but there was room to share.

Lyndin waited until the Cadets were all gathered. He waited until the youma was gone. He closed the door behind them, closed his eyes for a second, and then produced a small, circular disc. When he pressed it to the door, it stuck immediately, and a thin wave of blue energy rippled from it, spreading throughout the house.

Immediately, the overwhelming presence of Chaos seemed to fade. It was the same technology as their shield--and that meant, they were safe. They were alone.

He rested his hand on the door for a second, for support, and took a breath.

Then, he turned to face them.

For Caelyna, he pulled out a Source Stone, but he was careful not to touch the gem, or her. He offered it as a replacement for hers, that had cracked earlier when placed against him.

“We’re safer here,” he assured, but he stayed at the door, anyway. He was leaning against it heavily and the fatigue clung to him like a palpable haze. “We’ll spend the night. I’ll make arrangements in the morning for us.”

But, that wouldn’t be enough of a statement to be fair to them. Some of them had already given him glares and attitude and tone. He didn’t seem upset with them, just tired.

He sighed again, maybe trying to stabilize himself. Maybe trying to brace himself.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to go like that. This isn’t what I wanted for us.”

He was worn down. His fingers would occasionally twitch. His eyelids drooped. He didn’t stand as straight, or as proud, as he usually did.

Lyndin needed to rest, to heal, but he wouldn’t grant himself the luxury. This mission wasn’t over, and he had a duty to the Vanguard still.

Cadet Fae-Fae

They were safe. For now. Throughout all of this, their leader had made every move he possibly could to keep everyone safe. Fae-Fae was so confused by that -- because he was now also the man who had committed the most terrifying act of violence she could have possibly imagined, just a little while ago. The contradiction made it hard to look at him. She was afraid of what version of him she would see if she did.

And at the same time, she knew how self-defeating that fear was. She had learned how foolish it had been to try and maintain multiple version of Lyndin in her head. In reality, there was just the one. Just the one.

Her ComTech warbled out, "Commodore Lyndin."

It felt like it had been weeks since the last time she had heard her own voice.

Fae-Fae felt as weary as he looked, as everyone looked. She didn't want to sow division, or worsen the situation. Lyndin had been so thoroughly exhausted by all the lectures and questions he'd recieved on the battlefield. She didn't want to add to the chorus that was once again building in here, and make the fatigue build even further. But there was one thing she wanted, needed to know.

"What did the Elders' Council think of all this?"

Had they approved of the plan to work with the Negaverse? To kill Caedus?

Fysarius wasn’t even injured. The only thing that attacked him had been the Negaverse when they'd joined the battle, and it hadn’t even been with the violent intent to kill him. Probably. It felt like the Negaverse should have spared more consideration for people who were supposed to be their 'allies,' but Fysarius felt naggingly like nothing made sense.. He wasn’t damaged in any way that felt like it should be affecting him. Despite that, he wanted so badly to just sit down. The uncomfortable roil in his stomach and ache in his chest and swirl of his mind made him want to tap all the way out, reset, take a nap. He might have even asked Ny to carry him, if it wasn’t the most pathetic thing any of them could’ve done.

She would have, though. He was exactly 98.9% sure she would have. Definitely could have, in terms of physical ability. He didn't think she was damaged, either.

But he didn’t ask, and instead just trudged slowly and unhappily through the Dark Kingdom on the heels of the rest of the cadets. They weren’t being allowed to leave this place, judging by the guard-monster that loitered around. Even if they’d wanted to, how would they have escaped this bizarre realm. It wasn’t of Earth, was it? Could they just walk away from it? It didn't look or feel like anywhere they'd been able to explore over the past month... And when they got out, then what, if they couldn’t go home? What else could the Negaverse’s Queen possibly want from them? Definitely not ‘nothing’ if they were planning to work something out behind everyone’s back again.

Fysarius' breath escaped him on a tiny huff, and he coiled his arms around his chest, side-eyeing anything that looked to be getting too close.

When they made it to the little stone house, again, Fysarius had to wonder why they couldn’t just leave, he slouched his weight against a side wall and slid down into a sit.

Were they actually going to talk about this? They didn’t need to know everything, particularly given the turmoil it caused, and it seemed unfair of them to ask more of the Commodore when he’d at least successfully gotten them to… wherever here was, safely… Even more strangely, it felt insanely as if Fysarius didn’t know anyone here, for all the way they’d spoken to each other, for how they’d fought, for how they rebelled and questioned, and he didn’t think he was any different. Confused and hurt and foreign. It all felt foreign.

He shivered, let his head tip back to rest against the wall while he eyed the others trying to get settled.

He watched Nessaela. ’Betray Caedus.’ It hardly seemed fair to use such language for someone content to allow his entire world to perish because he’d… grown attached to humans? There was no ‘betraying Caedus’ when he’d already stabbed the rest of them directly in the face. If he was happy to let them die so he could ******** off and live out his life somewhere else, Fysarius didn’t think any of them had any obligation to him.

If they ’could not go home’ without Caedus’ starseed… “Is it still the plan?” Fysarius asked, turning wide, golden eyes back to the Commodore.

Cadet Naeria

Naeria did not know the true answer to Andreyia's question of who the powerful blue-haired woman was. All she knew was that as they were led out of the chamber, out of what was apparently some sort of building, a tiny bit of tension left her shoulders even as the exhaustion set back in.

She watched, both intrigued and unnerved, as they made their way through the unnatural cavern system.

It was only when they reached the second building and Lydin sealed the door that she finally pulled herself away from leaning so heavily on Andreyia. She still remained near him, but at that point, she leaned on the wall, instead, slowly sliding down the stone surface until she was seated cross-legged on the floor.

She thought to pull out her source stone and gave herself enough energy that she no longer felt quite so dizzy.

Others were already beginning to ask the difficult questions, and Naeria found herself grateful for it. She would have tried to work her way up to that, if it came to it, but it might have taken some time. She nodded when Nessaela spoke, and then Fae-Fae, and made a note to talk to them later about her suspicions.

As for herself, she simply asked Lyndin, "Are we the Negaverse's prisoners?" She pressed her lips together, swallowed. "Do you think they will be like the other humans and ask for some kind of strange exchange in order to let us go free?"

Cadet Cypher

Since their arrival, Cypher had remained relatively dispassionate about most things. Curious, yes. But not to the same degree of several of his comrades. Tried to look at the mission objectively rather than emotionally. Never before would he have even considered speaking up in such a way. Even at their initial briefing, he spoke not a word to Lyndin in lieu of letting the others have their voices heard.

Back in the throne room, however, he felt baited by the Queen’s coy smile and comments about being unable to return home. Like the novice he was, Cypher spoke out against all rationale when instead he should have shut the ******** up. Nonetheless, despite all things, he felt no remorse for the pointed statements and offered no apology for having likely been a reason, if not the reason the Vanguard had been removed from the congratulatory celebration among the Agents.

He did, however, offer Fys space and took a seat away from the gathered groups.

One thing Cy had prided himself on was being prepared by maintaining a level of environmental awareness and suspicion so that he could anticipate these things coming. It is why he had initially considered the possibility that those who were wary of their arrival might take the information of their plan to the supposed enemy.

Unfortunately, when fed partial truths while having crucial information withheld, there were consequences that could not be avoided. Several members of the Vanguard had been killed and now even more were missing (Aeleas, Lixian, Vaylin, Neryn, and Valnyr). Before they had been a mostly cohesive group with an understanding of tasks they’d been given. But in the chaos and confusion of the battle, lines had been drawn and sides had been chosen. Now they were fewer in numbers than when they first arrived.

Nessaela was the first to question Commodore’s plan and he was content to just wait for a reply before speaking out so brazenly as he’d done before.

While he still believed that Lyndin had been forced into a position where difficult choices had to be made and believed he made the right call given the resources he had at his disposal. Trust ran both ways and to a degree, he wondered if the Commodore trusted them.

It was both confusing and frustrating. Cy did not like feeling this way. Did not want to question Lyndin's judgement. Yet, as much as it pained him to admit, while his loyalty remained with him, he wasn't sure what level of trust he put in their leader.

He nodded to Vyn and Aliez, appreciative for their concern but knowing it was better applied elsewhere. He didn’t think he should have to rest, not when he doubted they would without the answers they asked of him. He wanted to see their injuries tended to though, wanted to see them taken care of.

Formality dictated that Lyndin should stand before them tall, and proud, as a leader should. He had done the best he could, but he was at his limit. If things had been better, he would have retreated so the cadets didn’t see him vulnerable, so they didn’t see him weak.

Their convictions were shaken already, leaving now would have only solidified whatever doubt they had.

He abandoned protocol and caved to the demands of his body; Lyndin had no choice but to sit, and he did not wait for a chair. Let the others have it; he didn’t need one right now. He rested, back pressed to the door, and looked up at them with tired eyes.

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” he asked Lysvi, with little amusement in his voice. “But, she is their Queen. Securing good favor with her guarantees our safety. I required this, it was the only way to extract the starseed.”

He held up the gauntlet and looked at it for a moment before he dismissed it to subspace; he rubbed his hand absentmindedly afterwards as if it were sore.

“This was always a plan. The last resort.” He looked at Nessaela. “It was meant to have fewer casualties. We were meant to leave the area while they continued to generate more power. I didn’t anticipate the generators going down so quickly. Or for Order to be so susceptible to the Chaos. But it’s nothing that can’t be corrected in time.”

There was obviously a lot to unpack there, and he reached a hand up to rub at his eyes.

“You saw his starseed,” he said to them, but his eyes wandered to Fae-Fae. “...The Council knows of its condition. This is not the first time they have suggested it would be better for us to return it to the Cauldron. It’s too dangerous to send it alone. There’s no guarantee that it would make the journey. The only way it was going to make it was with an escort. And I am the only one with power and experience to see that it arrived safely.”

He did not sound like he took delight in sharing this information, or dwelling on it.

“A few Commanders knew. Some research specialists. The Council knows. We’ve been monitoring Velencya’s condition closely for a while now. This wasn’t our first choice. Nothing we try has given us more than just a little more time. Even Archideus--”

His mouth remained open for a second, but he closed it with a sigh.

“We’ll see. But if it does anything, it has only bought us a little more time. I was hoping it would be enough to repair the starseed and return it to the Cauldron. Without out it,” he shrugged, lost.

“I don’t know. We still need it. I don’t think Earth can do anything for us. They are ignorant, all of them. The ‘White Moon’, the Negaverse. They don’t understand anything. They don’t know why they’re here. They don’t understand how amazing it is that they are. They live in their own little world, oblivious to everything else out there. They fight, because they cannot come together.”

He did his best not to sound bitter but he was too tired.

“I cannot return without the starseed. Or, something more than the ‘hope’ that we can save Velencya. I need more than dreams and empty promises. I won’t hold you here. If they think we are prisoners, let them. I will teach you a lesson, now.”

He paused, only to give them a moment to absorb what he had said and prepare for this lesson. “When you are on an unfamiliar world, you never tell them everything. You cannot predict who wants what from you. I kept secrets because I needed to keep secrets. I was clear in the mission objectives.” He did not remind them that so many of them failed to meet them and grew too attached to Earth and its people. “I did not anticipate that some would become so enamored with this world. Disappointed that you think I would be so quick to contribute to its destruction. My duty is to Velencya, but Earth is nothing short of a miracle. I want this world to survive. I want the Senshi, the Knights, to rebuild their worlds, to restore them. Energy is fluid. Sometimes you have to make it. They were struggling. They needed a little push. I do not blame them for suspicions. I know how it looks.”

He shrugged. “But I know what it takes to survive. I know what happens when someone, something stronger than you shows up on your home and takes it. I have seen the darkness in the universe. I know what’s still out there. They are divided, and weak. There is one thing keeping them safe from everything, and it’s not their Surrounding. It’s not their Senshi, not their Knights. The only thing this world has that they don’t is Metallia, and they don’t have enough unity to destroy her and whatever she’s keeping away.”

He crossed his legs and let himself relax a bit against the door; it was not for pleasure, or even because he thought he deserved any peace, but because he did not have the energy to do more.

“As such, let them think we are prisoners, if that is what earns us an advantage in negotiations. We’re not, though. There’s a warp pad programmed in Destiny City, on the other side of the forest. I’ve already uploaded the coordinations in your ComTech. I only ask that if you’re going to leave, you don’t use it tonight. I need to talk to the Queen tomorrow to hear her terms and I don’t want her to know what we’re capable of. I’ll tell you what she’s said when I get back and we can plan from that. But, if you’re in danger between now and then, use the new coordinates and escape. But for tonight, just stay here. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I will answer your questions, just take the opportunity to rest while you ask. I know this is a lot to take in.”

Cadet Vyn

Vyn took the water bottles from Aliez and could do nothing but stare at them at first. He barely felt the hand against his back. Through blurry eyes, he watched the Commodore sit.

They didn’t have time to get him a chair.

Vyn clenched his teeth around another quiet sob.

Their world was dying. Their Commanders were dead; Vyn still wore some of Commander Cydfae’s blood. The Cadets themselves were smaller in number. The whole that was left was disjointed. Some of the others had gone astray. And now their Commodore sat on the floor of a borrowed shelter within the Dark Kingdom, at the mercy of his own Cadets.

He was revered among their people as a hero. That image had already been tarnished that night, even for Vyn, whose loyalty never wavered despite that.

It shattered a little piece of Vyn to see that image crumble further.

He took another shuddering breath, willing some sort of control over himself. He shuffled closer, opened one of the water bottles with trembling hands, and held it out for the Commodore.

“At least have something to drink,” Vyn said, his voice quiet and shaky. “Please.”

The others had some of their answers. Vyn wanted to hear it, too; of course he did, but he could not squash the resentment that bubbled beneath the surface.

If they’d all saved their questions and reined in their accusations, perhaps the battle would not have gone so poorly. Perhaps they wouldn’t have lost the starseed, and the Commodore would not be this worn now. If they’d only listened, if they’d only trusted…

Now they wanted the Commodore to satisfy their curiosity instead of allowing him the rest he desperately needed?

Vyn could not look at any of them without glaring, so he kept his eyes lowered and sat on the floor near the Commodore.