"Let me guess... thinking about your squad?" Alona startled the stargazing Guilford outside their house.<br/><br/>The man glanced to the side and kept his eyes on Alona until she joined him.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Yeah...more or less."</span>he finally answered.<br/><br/>"Heh. You look like a parent who left their kids alone. That's why I could tell. Are they that incompetent to make you worry?" she mused, mostly aiming to relieve and not to aggravate.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Hardly. I'm more worried about their emotional state rather than their skills."</span><br/><br/>Alona paused, a faint smile curving slightly on her lips. When this man isn't being a stick in the mud, he was showing more emotions than he normally would. She had seen a glimpse of this side of Guilford back in the PKA. Alona remembered the time she was facing off an instructor. At first she was getting pushed around, but for some reason, the match spiraled out of control when she landed her first counter. Whether it was pride as an instructor or as a swordsman, Alona's opponent refused to accept defeat and kept pushing. She'd gotten seriously hurt and would have lost had it not been for the one who threw that pebble to distract the instructor and give her an opening to end the match. When she looked back to where the pebble came from, this man had a bratty look to him and a confident smirk; he even had his thumb up.<br/><br/>"From the first time I laid eyes on your squad, I could tell who would be your worries. Wanna bet?" she challenged Gil with confidence.<br/><br/>Guilford turned to look at the female swordsman with an amused stare, arms coming to fold above his chest. Aside from Lance and Akira, Alona was the third most playful friend to him.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Knowing you, the bet would probably be a death match."</span>he jested. The woman simply smirked. "Not this time. You're training with Abel is almost over. Wouldn't want to beat you up too badly and delay your stay here. But I have to say, that thought is very tempting. Heehee!"<br/><br/>Guilford shared a moment of laughter with Alona.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Okay, you're on. What's the bet?"</span><br/><br/>Now there was an air of seriousness in her eyes. "If I guess your squad worries in the correct order, you have to promise me you'll live and come back here for a formal visit."<br/><br/>Guilford sighed lightly. It wasn't the kind of bet he was expecting from her but goes to show that she's just worried about him. He plastered a genuine smile on his lips.<span style="color: #0080FF">"And what if you guess wrong?"</span><br/><br/>"You'll get a pick-me-up from me and the finest mineral I have in my possession."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Mineral?"</span><br/><br/>"Your Nirvana got broken right? You can use Silver's smithy so you can forge a new sword. I've always heard that the Rosenwulfs were superior blacksmiths."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"And I always heard that the Lovells, aside from being a distinguished family of knights are also excellent mineralogists. Alright, let's hear my squad worries."</span><br/><br/>Alona took a deep breath and recalled the images of Guilford's squad in her mind. "First is going to be that young blonde man. The way he carries himself goes to show he's a worrywart and would probably stress over the tiniest of things given the chance. He has a tendency to overreact and if not supervised, will probably do something stupid."<br/><br/>Guilford laughed. As expected of Alona to read personalities accurately. It was probably a skill she picked up while honing her swordsmanship. Being able to tell someone's personality from a glance is a skill most crucial to a swordsman for a lot of reasons.<br/><br/>"Next would be that female blonde you almost had in your dirty clutches." she teased with a sly smile. She watched Guilford facepalm before continuing on. "I'm guessing she's going to be the type easily caught up in her own emotions. Whether it is due to a traumatic past doesn't matter. Her emotional stability is affected by a pillar of strength she always draws upon. The loss of that strength would lead to her crumble if she doesn't find a new source soon. I would chance that she wouldn't even dare look for one."<br/><br/>She even read Natalia like an open book! Guilford couldn't help but feel impressed. Natalia sure had her doubts about herself and the only reason that his youngest knight was able to come this far was because he was always there to keep pushing her forward, drag her on if needed.<br/><br/>"Then there's that black-eyed blonde. One look told me he doesn't trust himself or his skills. Your worry about him lies more on him spiraling back to helplessness and self conflict. What is it with blondes and their insecurities! Ugh! Good thing I'm a proud redhead!"<br/><br/>A sheepish laughter was his only response. Vlad admired his strength and asked him for advice once before he took the man under his wings. He had wanted to show the man the way to find his own strength but never really got to do that since he himself couldn't even use his own. Perhaps now he could truly guide the man in finding what he was long looking for.<br/><br/>"Probably the least of your worries is..." Alona paused. She knew it had to be that black-haired man who always seemed aloof but she shouldn't guess this one correctly. "...that gruff bearded man with a big sword."<br/><br/>Guilford's brows began to knit close together upon hearing her guess. Perhaps she needs more work on her perception?<span style="color: #0080FF">"That's where you're wrong. Georg is a former captain. He had dealt with losses more than I have and though I know it is never easy dealing with it, he's one of the two I don't have any worries about."</span><br/><br/>Alona simply closed her eyes and smiled. Only then did it hit Gil that she intentionally guessed wrong. Her true goal wasn't to hold him to a promise but to help him. The redhead walked closer to him and hugged him tight. "As promised, your pick-me-up." she said and pecked at Gil's cheek lightly. "It's tough for them but they're not the little kids you have in your mind, trust them Gil. If you're still worried, then just hurry up and come back to them. Tomorrow is your last day with Abel's guidance, stop by my room when you're done for the mineral." she said and untangled herself from Gil. She began walking back to the house. Before she opened the door, she glanced back at a bewildered Gil and smiled. "It's a Eudinsite Ore, the only one left in the floating islands." she said and disappeared into the house leaving a stunned Guilford outside.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"It's unlike you to be so worried about him."</span><br/><br/>The voice was from Lance who had his back rested beside the doorway when Alona came in. The other deflated on the door and looked at her carrot-top friend. "I can't help it. I've always known he had this side of him he tried so hard to hide. I just..." she trailed.<br/><br/>"You don't think he's ready do you?" Lance picked up her words. Alona nodded.<br/><br/>"It takes great courage for anyone to face this wicked world with their own strength alone. It always feels like no matter how strong you become, it's never going to be enough. This is why people make friends, and what friends do is help each other by lending them strength. The good thing about this is that Gil has finally acknowledged himself. He wouldn't be trying so hard to shoulder the burden alone now I believe. Though I always did think of him as someone being overly stiff and uptight. At first I thought it was because he just had a code for himself that he must uphold no matter the cost, kind of like a Rosenwulf thing. It was later when I figured it wasn't the case." he paused. "Way too late." and added.<br/><br/>"And this is why he worries me so much now."<br/><br/>"Haha! That's why we're here, to help him. By now I would assume he figured out the reason behind your actions. Still..." Lance trailed and the look in his eyes was a playful one. "It's a fancy way of telling him he's not alone in this fight. Mind if I get a little pick-me-up from you too?"<br/><br/>Alona sighed. "Your teeth on the ground would be the ones asking you for a literal pick-me-up if you dare continue that thought." she huffed and stormed back to her own room.<br/><br/>Lance scratched his head sheepishly. "Come on! Why does<span style="font-style: italic">he</span>get so much affection and we're left in the sidelines!"<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">____________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>"Excellent! You're doing great now. Keep that focus and you should be fine." Abel praised as he watched Guilford's form lined with a thin and calm sheet of white light. His eyes were fizzling every now and then with sparks of white and his presence was even more prominent from before he started training. "Now let's see you move while maintaining that much power in your body. Come at me Gil!"<br/><br/>With a hard kick to the ground, Guilford launched himself towards Abel, engaging the old knight who was also lined with the same power. They traded fist blows that echoed loudly in the vast space they were training in. Birds flew away from the treetops as they felt the vibrations of their mock battle rumble the ground. Cora and the other four were on standby, watching their friend duke it out in the open in a high speed exchange.<br/><br/>"He really is something isn't he?" Lance commented, noting how fast Gil has even become.<br/><br/>"I'm even more impressed that Abel is holding his own. Though I for one don't want to be at the receiving end of that onslaught. Just look at Gil go!" Akira added, taking down notes for personal reference.<br/><br/>"The outcome of his future battles will fall down on how long he can stay in that state and in how many ways he could manipulate his divine magic. He may have completed Abel's training course but that doesn't mean self improvement should stop there." Silver said and took a seat indian-style.<br/><br/>"Gil knows that. He's probably going to push his limits as far as he can after this." Alona frowned, worry befalling her features.<br/><br/>"Don't worry, Gil isn't reckless by nature. Besides, I made him a promise that if he comes back to me all battered and broken, I would add more injury instead of healing him." Cora proudly mused.<br/><br/>The five of them watched the ensuing fight and treated both master and apprentice during breaks. It didn't take long for Abel to feel that he had finally done everything that he could for one of the chosen. It was time to send him off back to the front lines. It was already dusk when all of them decided to call it a day.<br/><br/>Nightfall came and all seven of them were enjoying a hearty meal in the small kitchen. Lance was doing his usual antics about criticizing Cora's cooking that it was not as perfect as her healing, making the latter bring out her Grand Cross and swear she would cook Lance instead. Gil found himself laughing. How long had it been since he truly enjoyed the little things? Somehow, even with the knowledge that he was about to go back and fight, his chest weighed lesser than how it used to and he could...smile. More hours was spent recalling old memories of their friendship. Laughter and jokes filled the small kitchen and it was only until late when one by one the friends decided to call it a night.<br/><br/>Guilford felt a light kick on his shin and turned to look at Alona's pale blue eyes staring at him, signaling that he come with her. The two excused themselves from Lance, Akira and Abel who were left in the kitchen. Alona led Guilford to her room and invited the latter in. For some reason he was tense. How many times had he been alone with a lady inside a room? One too many times now but this was actually the first time he felt uneasy about it. Was it because he had finally started feeling? Was it because he had opened his eyes to the things he almost always refused to see? Before he knew it, Alona's pale blue eyes were once again staring accusingly in his own. She made a conscious effort to make him know that he was as red as her hair and laughed.<br/><br/>"Pervert." she blurted out and giggled again before turning back to scuffle around her room looking for something. It was only then that he remembered the second part of her bet, the Eudinsite Ore. With a sigh of relief, Guilford rested his back on her door and simply waited for Alona to find what she was looking for. Moments later, she handed him a good chunk of the rumored Eudinsite and smiled. "I'd love to see you try your skills on this one."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Are you sure about this?"</span><br/><br/>Alona nodded. "It will do you more good than it would do me having that thing sitting in my room."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I... don't know what to say Alona. This ore is pretty valuable."</span><br/><br/>The redhead flicked Gil's forehead. "And I'm telling you to put it to good use! Quit hesitating and let's just bring it to Silver's smithy and get started." she said and pushed Gil out of her room. She then dragged the man to the direction of Silver's smithy down in the basement. "Come on! I want to see you forge something out of this!" she said with excited eyes.<br/><br/>Guilford finally relaxed and just went along with it, he did needed a new sword after all. Inside the smithy, Guilford slowly made his way around, taking in the sight of multiple tools lined neatly. Although this forge isn't exactly like the one they had in Rosetta, it still felt like home. He breathed deep, inhaling the unique scent a forge has. Shortly, memories of when his father Rannulf first brought him to a Rosenwulf forge came flooding his mind. Though any normal kid wouldn't be excited over a place like this, to Gil, a forge was his candy store. Alona simply watched her friend in silence as the man began taking a feel of the forge and its tools. She had a smile on her lips knowing that he probably has good memories running around his mind. The smile on his lips was the obvious evidence. Guilford stopped when he finally reached the smith hammer. He hesitated for a moment but finally grasped the tool in his hands.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"It's been so long since I last held one of these."</span>he said and smiled after feeling the faint touch of holy power within the hammer. As expected of Silver, he could work with these tools that carried the soul and passion of a blacksmith. After his moment of reminiscing, Guilford began taking his top clothes off, much to Alona's surprise. He chanced a glance at the now flushing lady with him in the forge and chuckled.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Pervert."</span>he teased back, earning himself a flustered glare that the redhead couldn't maintain long. Just why did he have to take his top off? Noticing the woman's curious look, Guilford smiled and tried to ease her into a conversation.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Clothing around the upper body dulls the feeling of each hammer strike and hinders resonance with the weapon being forged. When a Rosenwulf forges a weapon, we use our upper body to recognize how the material responds through the vibrations each hammer strikes creates in the air."</span><br/><br/>"I-I see..." Alona haphazardly mumbled in return. She was now peeking at Guilford who was preparing her Eudinsite Ore. When did he become so... ripped? Was this one of the results of Abel's hellish training? Was it her or is it getting hot in the forge? Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise when Guilford fired up the furnace; it would take a while for it to build up the right heat. She then watched him move around the smithy, cleaning the ore and preparing it for what looked like a ritual of some sort. It piqued her curiosity which prompted her to ask. "What are you doing?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I'm going to 'talk' to your ore."</span>Before the redhead could make a clever quip out of his statement, Guilford continued on, shutting the opportunity to make a fool out of him behind closed doors.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I know it sounds ridiculous but it's a blacksmith thing. Not all materials can be made into a fine sword. I have to find out what your Eudinsite wants for itself before I work on it. Factors like shape, length, forging style, sharpness, all of these are determined by the material's desire. Since I'm making it for myself, I have to make sure this ore understands my desires for it too."</span><br/><br/>Alona blinked twice. She didn't expect forging weapons to be this intricate, but seeing Gil look like he was having fun easily placed a smile on her lips. He had fallen into silence, similar to a meditative state and Alona thought it would be for the best if she just watched in silence. Gil was moving his hands around the ore, eyes closed and a mild layer of holy energy surrounding him. Were all Rosenwulf weapons made this way? No wonder they were highly valued. A shame that they handed over Pristine Knight weapon production over to the council. Her first generation Judgement was a very good sword, no doubt made by a Rosenwulf.<br/><br/>Hours later and Guilford finally opened his eyes. They had an excited gleam in them as he took the ore and began scuffling for a specific mold. Alona noted the one Guilford picked, a single-edge eastern style sword mold, one of the three hardest swords to make. Is he trying to recreate Nirvana? Is he going to make another sword near-impossible to wield? There was no point in asking him anything with the pace the man was going. He had his mind set and his body in action. Alona simply watched the man work his magic in the smithy in anticipation of the sword he would craft.<br/><br/>Hours later and the forge began to fall into silence. A sweaty Guilford was admiring the weapon he had just crafted. It was a magnificent piece, the silver blade had a slightly bluish hue and much like his Nirvana, was glowing faintly. Guilford also performed the binding ritual to this sword, he is and always will be this sword's only master. He had inscribed letters near the base of the blade. The L stands for Lovell and the R for Rosenwulf before attaching it to a white hilt, LR was also the initials for the sword's name, Light's Requiem. He swung the sword around a few times, doing final checks on the sword's balance. It felt good, it was perfectly crafted if he had to say so himself.<br/><br/>Alona tossed a towel to Guilford and gestured for them to leave the smithy, she was sweaty too with the intense heat Gil had to put the furnace on just to melt the ore. When they came up from the basement forge, they were caught off guard by Lance who probably couldn't sleep with the forging they had been doing.<br/><br/>"A little hot loving down in the basement?" he joked after noting a topless and sweaty Guilford along with an also sweaty Alona. The redhead blasted Lance with a mild Banish bolt that the other skillfully dissipated with his left palm. "Geez Al! Can't take a joke these days?!" he whelped, feeling a numbness in his palm after blocking the bolt. The redhead stomped her way to the bath leaving Lance to his imagination along with a dumbfounded Gil. Lance then turned his attention to his friend who was carrying his latest piece of work.<br/><br/>"That's an excellent sword. Are you planning to leave tomorrow?" he asked.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Yes I am. Thank you for everything Lance. You have my deepest gratitude."</span><br/><br/>"Come on, no need to be so formal! That's what we're here for! Feel free to mooch in on us anytime!"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Thank you Lance, I mean it."</span>Gil paused and looked at the time.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I should probably catch a few hours of sleep before heading out. I don't wanna fall asleep riding a horse on the way back."</span><br/><br/>"Yeah, you should do that Gil. Goodnight."<br/><br/>When he was about to turn in for what was left of the night, Lance called for him again. "Don't die out there. I'm still holding you to that promise back in Sharen."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Heh. I'll be sure to keep it."</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">____________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>Two riders on horseback sped their way through the plains, forest trails, valleys and shallow rivers. One of them was cloaked and was wearing a plain white mask. It was Akira's idea to maintain the illusion of his death for a little longer to avoid putting an abrupt halt on the Council's good work. They would need to find the right time for him to come back to life or so he says. Guilford felt that it was unnecessary but Abel decided to agree, leaving him no choice but to comply. Their first destination was Rosetta. He needed to make sure his parents knew that he was okay and relieve them of their worries. They would most likely reach Caleta on the seventeenth of the month.<br/><br/>Upon making it to Rosetta, Guilford and Abel went directly to the Rosenwulf manor, avoiding as much contact with the townsfolk as they could. Thunder however, showed signs of unrest when they passed by the stables. The steed probably recognized its master despite the shroud of mystery that he was wearing. He would have to find a way to get back his horse soon, the poor thing might have missed him a lot.<br/><br/>Upon reaching the manor, the two went inside and upon making sure that everything was secured, Guilford took off the mask and cloak. Karrie couldn't help herself but burst into tears as she enveloped her only son in a loving embrace joined by Rannulf.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Sorry to have worried you mother, father..."</span>Guilford trailed, comforting his crying mother as best as he could.<br/><br/>"Abel. Thank you so much for taking care of our son." Rannulf bowed in gratitude to the old knight.<br/><br/>"It is nothing Rannulf. I merely did what was in my power."<br/><br/>By this time, Karrie had finally managed to compose herself. She clasped her hands together and was finally able to smile. "Oh hush Abel, you saved a life and that act alone will always deserve gratitude. Will you two be staying for dinner?"<br/><br/>Guilford frowned.<span style="color: #0080FF">"As much as I would love to mother, I'm afraid there is so much to be done with so little time. The enemy might make their move soon and I have to sort out my-"</span>he paused and chose his words carefully. He wouldn't want to upset his mother anymore than she had to go through.<span style="color: #0080FF">"...situation with the knighthood. I have to help everyone prepare for any possible large scale offensive by the enemy while there's still time."</span><br/><br/>It was Karrie's turn to frown but she wasn't going to throw a tantrum about it now. She too knew her son's duties and wouldn't want to be the cause of him not being able to see them through. Though sometimes she couldn't help but feel a little selfishness sometimes. Gil channeled an Absolve in both hands and cast his magic on the Rosenwulf pair.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I heard you had to lie. I just want to make sure."</span>he said with a smile. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Karrie asked, persistent on doing at least something for her son. Guilford took a moment to think.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Well, there is something that might be difficult for me to do on my own. I want Thunder back."</span><br/><br/>Rannulf laughed. Guilford always loved that now fourteen year old steed. "Of course son. That should be an easy enough matter. Are you planning to head to Caleta during the night?" Guilford and Abel nodded. It was easier for them to keep Guilford hidden that way. "Then wait here, I will have Thunder ready for you." Rannulf said and headed out of the Manor.<br/><br/>After a bittersweet parting with his parents, Guilford and Abel mounted their steeds and rode off in the dark of night to Caleta. First they would need to get a handle on things since the situation might have undergone changes the last time Akira and the others were here. He would have to discreetly gather his squad and get updates from them directly. It was a good thing that Abel volunteered himself to the task. Guilford's heart pounded heavily in his chest. A huge part of him was excited to see his subordinates again, though he should probably prepare an apology to all of them just in case they decide to throw a tantrum about what happened to him.