Albedo was walking down a hallway just after the meeting was concluded. She called on the Arvanians, as well as Kei. Together, they made their way to Albedo and Kei's shared chambers. Albedo led them to the table and had everyone take a seat. "Why have you brought us here?" Lucille asked, "As I said in the Council room, I bought us time. I don't want to announce it in front of everyone...but I don't trust the Twilight Covenant at all. If they're as dangerous as you say, then I sincerely doubt they would just let go of Arvan..." Albedo answered, "So what are you thinking?" Gabriella asked. Albedo looked between them and took a deep breath. "If they are truly leaving Arvan in peace...then that can only mean a few things. If they've completely left Arvan, it would give Ravania time to rally a massive army, one large enough to destroy any Kingdom with ease. With the Covenant here in Celestia, they wouldn't be able to move fast enough to stop the rest of the Kingdoms from banding together." She said, "So you want to rally the Kingdoms?" Gabriella asked, "Yes...but not in front of the watchful eyes. Moona will be expecting us to do that. And considering they have such a massive army, it's likely that they'll be watching for any movement around Celestia." Albedo answered. Gabriella nodded. "So we gather forces in secret, and surprise them with our numbers..." She said.
Albedo shook her head. "I don't know...this all just seems too straightforward. I mean, I get that they know the artifact is here, but why sacrifice their foothold? There has to be some kind of overarching plan here. Surely they have to know that if they only stay in Celestia, then the other Kingdoms can rally against them. Even if the Twilight Covenant is strong enough to destroy Ravania, I don't see why she would leave an opening for an attack like that. Can she really be that confident?" She asked, "I suppose there isn't much left of Arvan. And it's not like they don't have their own place to stay. But still...it does seem strange that they would just let go of it. After all the work they went through to get it, they just dropped it. Why would they do that...?" Gabriella asked, "...Because they didn't promise anything else." Lucille answered, "Huh?" Albedo and Gabriella both asked in synchronization, "They never said they weren't going to conquer the other Kingdoms. They only said they would leave Arvan alone...a Kingdom that they already left in ruins. She twisted it in a way that made it sound like she was doing something kind and generous. But it was really just a cover so she could conquer the other Kingdoms..." Lucille answered. Albedo was shaken up by her words. "I-I can't believe I didn't even notice that..." She said, "She's a clever little Halfling. She knows what she's doing. We have to find a way to stop her as quickly as possible..." Gabriella responded. In spite of the situation, Albedo seemed relatively uncertain. "I don't know..." She said, "What do you mean?" Lucille asked, "Well...what if Moona really does want peace? If that's the case, then aren't we the villains of this story? If what she said is true...then maybe we should give her a chance..." Albedo answered.
Gabriella let out a frustrated sigh. "It's your Kingdom. If you want to parade about all buddy-buddy with that bitch, then I can't really stop you. But even so...you have to understand. The artifact...no matter how noble her goals may be...will bring ruin. We can't let her open it, peaceful or not." She said, "The artifact has brought war, time and again. Yet I still feel like I know nothing about it. What does it do, exactly? Aside from the whole 'grants one wish' thing." Albedo asked, "I've only heard rumors and stories, so its exact effect is unknown. But essentially, it grants you what you desire...at the cost of absolute destruction. By opening the artifact, you may very well doom the world. The artifact has never once been opened as far as I know, but that's the most common story surrounding it. I don't imagine Moona believes that, though, considering she's trying to open it anyway." Gabriella answered, "...Or she knows something we don't." Albedo said. Kei cleared her throat, attracting everyone's attention. "I was just clearing my throat." She said, "Oh, okay." Albedo responded, looking back at Gabriella. All of the sudden, a new voice filled the room. "The artifact must not fall into anyone's hands." It said. Everyone turned, entirely alarmed. To their surprise, Goltač stepped out of the shadows! "Wh-When did you get here?! What are you doing in our chambers?!" Albedo asked, "Fear not. I mean you no harm." Goltač vaguely answered. Kei narrowed her eyes. "Then what do you mean, exactly?" She asked.
Goltač approached, taking a seat at the table. "The artifact offers a path to one's greatest wish, entirely for free. One only needs to know how to unlock it. But such a path is attached to great risks and even greater consequences. The artifact must not be opened by anyone, regardless of how noble or kind their intentions may be." He said, "That's all well and good, but I gotta ask...who the fuck are you?! I don't remember letting you into our chambers!" Albedo asked, "Names hardly matter in the end. It will all fade away with time." Goltač answered, "Th-That's not really an answer!" Albedo exclaimed, "You may refer to me as 'Goltač.' It is the only title I possess." Goltač responded. Albedo was flabbergasted. She had no idea of what to say. In her silence, Goltač continued. "As I suspected, it seems our goals align yet again. All of our goals." He said, "What are you suggesting?" Kei asked, "The artifact must be destroyed so that no more war can come of it." Goltač answered. Everyone at the table fell silent in thought. If the artifact were to be destroyed, then Moona would no longer have a reason to stay in Ravania. There was a chance she would leave after, or simply offer to maintain their peace. "I agree. Even if it doesn't end up dealing with our Twilight Covenant problem, at least no more damage can be done by the artifact..." Gabriella said, "Grandmaster?" Goltač asked.
Albedo was still shaken up, though she quickly came to her senses. "W-Well, if there is a way to destroy the artifact, then I think that would be for the best. But how are we going to reach it...or destroy it, for that matter?" She asked, "We need only find the artifact. I can handle the matter of destroying it. But finding it is the issue. We know it's in Celestia, but so does the Twilight Princess. We have no way of knowing who else has clues to its whereabouts. As of now, I'm afraid we'll need to improvise." Goltač answered, "Alright...maybe Moona has a way of finding it, and we can somehow work off that? Either way...I'm with you in destroying it." Albedo said. Kei nodded. "So am I." She said. Gabriella looked at Lucille, then back at Goltač. "You have our blades." She said. Goltač nodded. "Then henceforth, we are allies. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Goltač of Imperium. An order that seeks the destruction of the artifact, and all that resides within. As we are now allies, do not hesitate to call upon me if you need my services." Goltač responded. Albedo nodded, and Gabriella spoke up. "If any of us finds anything, we'll tell the others." She said, "Agreed. We'll all need to stay vigilant." Albedo responded, "For now...I think Lucille and I should go seek allies elsewhere if we're still planning to go through with that." Gabriella said, "Just the two of you?" Albedo asked, "Mhm. It would look less suspicious, seeing as Arvan is supposedly free of the Twilight Covenant's control. It would just look like we're going home." Gabriella answered. Albedo nodded approvingly, and they continued planning for a little while. Once they were finished with the specifics, the Arvanians left the chambers, followed by Goltač.
Albedo and Kei remained, side by side. It had grown late and was time for bed. They returned to their room and took a bath. It went by silently, as they were both in thought. It was a stressful situation. Neither of them truly felt that they had any words to say. Only thoughts to think. After their bath, they got into bed. Their minds swirled around the Twilight Covenant and what they would do about the artifact. Finally, the silence was broken. "So...do you ever wonder why Reptile-People have thumbs?" Albedo asked. It was silent for a moment before Kei let out a rather expected response. "...What?" Albedo shifted to her side so she could look at her. "You know...reptiles don't have thumbs, so why do Reptile-People have thumbs?" She asked, "I...don't know. I mean...they're Half-Human, right? So...wouldn't that give them thumbs?" Kei pondered, "Well, kinda. But not really. Humans came from monkeys, right? And Mermaids came from fish. And Yatagarasus came from birds..." Albedo said, "'Yatagarasus?'" Kei asked, "Yeah, you know...three-legged crows? They talked about a big one in history class when I was a kid...I think her name was...ah...what was it? Tsuki? No...that begins with a T..." Albedo answered, "Suki doesn't begin with a T." Kei said, "Huh...? Yeah it does." Albedo responded, "No it doesn't. It's spelled S, U, K, I." Kei said, "That's...incorrect. It's spelled T, S, U, K, I. There's a silent T." Albedo replied, "Is there a source for that?" Kei asked, "Uh...I'm smart...?" Albedo answered, "I disagree, but okay..." Kei said, "Oh really? And why is that?" Albedo asked, "Because you never learned how to spell..." Kei answered. Albedo let out a small laugh. "Agree to disagree." She said. Kei let out an approving grunt, and they rested in silence for a few moments.
Once more, Albedo broke the silence. "Grr...that's not it. What was her name...? Lily? No...that's the cat. Do you know it? She's the one who saved the world from that one evil lady. What's her name? Z the Ravenous?" She asked, "Z the 'Conquerer.' And I think the one you're looking for is...'Saori,' right?" Kei asked, "SAORI! That's it! Good job! You're almost smart!" Albedo exclaimed, "Almost?" Kei asked, "Yeah...maybe if you learned to spell you would be." Albedo answered. Kei let out a small laugh, and they fell back into silence. A moment later, Kei spoke up again. "With all the threats we're facing...all the imminent danger...that's what's on your mind, huh?" Albedo took her hand in her own, looking back up at the ceiling. "The threat isn't going to go away if we think hard enough. Even if we wish that was the case. We've come up with some plans...but in the end, all we can do is our best. We can't do anything about it right now. Sure it can help to think it over...but if you dwell on it...you'll just stress yourself out. So...why not think about something fun? I mean...there's no need to just be miserable all the time because of this. We have to stay positive, you know?" Kei looked up at the ceiling as well, thinking her words over. A moment later, she spoke up. "I think the Gods wanted it." Albedo looked back at her in confusion. "Huh?" She asked, "Thumbs. I mean...they evolved Humans to have them...so why not give it to the other races, right?" Kei answered, "Hmm...but isn't Laufi the only 'true' God? And the Dragon Emperor and the others are just Demi-Gods?" Albedo asked.
"You know in Arvan, and in a lot of other regions, they follow a more widely accepted religion than Laufi and her...well, 'self-proclaimed yet accepted' Godhood." She said, "I've heard about that...it's the one about the God of bananas...right?" Albedo asked, "Uh, no. I'm pretty sure you dreamt that up...something about you and dreaming about bananas..." Kei answered, "Hmm...yeah...probably. Well, bananas are my favorite vegetable." Albedo said, "Bananas are fruits." Kei replied, "Huh...is there a difference?" Albedo asked. Kei facepalmed hard. She said nothing, as the motion was responsive enough. Albedo, flushed with embarrassment, decided to remedy the situation with a subject change. "So...what religion do they follow in Arvan?" She asked, "In Arvan, they follow the Red Hallow. They believe that when we die, we go to the Red Hallow to live forever with the Gods. There are many, many Gods...and all of them reside within the Hallow. They brought about Humans and the other sentient races, and they love us with all their hearts. Though that's just the synopsis of it. There are other aspects that go into it. Like Alleria, and the Binding Star, and the Disgraced Wyrm, and the World Tree, and...well, you get the point." Kei answered, "That sounds...complicated." Albedo said, "Yeah...kinda. But it's the most widely accepted religion. I've even heard that it's the primary religion beyond Ravania. A lot of people really believe it." Kei replied. Albedo let out a "hmm," and they returned to silence. She snuggled up against Kei and whispered gently to her. "What do you believe in?"
Kei looked her in the eyes, thinking her question over. "I'm not really sure. I guess if I had to say anything...I would say I believe everything has a bit of truth to it. Laufi may not really be a God, but she may have some connection to them. The Gods of Red Hallow may exist, but I don't believe they're the only Gods out there. And I don't believe those events are the only ones that have truly happened. I think that for every...'exaggerated' tale, there is a bit of reality behind it. And I think it all forms a big picture." She answered. Albedo nodded. "I think that's a good way to look at it..." She whispered. Kei nodded back, holding her close. It was silent for a few more moments before Albedo spoke up once more. "Kei...have I ever told you that I love the sound of your voice? Every time I fall asleep to its sound...I dream of it..." She whispered, "No...but you have told me stranger things." Kei whispered back, "Huh...? Like what?" Albedo asked, "Like 'oh, Kei...the texture of your hand is so soft...I just want to squeeze it like a stress ball...'" Kei answered, "That's not strange..." Albedo said, "That is definitely among the weirdest things anyone has ever told me." Kei replied, "But...your skin is so soft..." Albedo said, "A perk of being a Half-Elf, I suppose..." Kei replied. Albedo nodded and ran a hand along her side. She looked at her side as she did this, her eyes tracing her body. She stopped, however, when she saw a particular scar on her stomach. One that gave her chills every time she saw it. Kei noticed and pulled her into a tighter embrace. "It's okay...Albedo..." She ran a hand through her hair gently, attempting to keep her spirits high. However...it didn't seem to be working.
"Sometimes...when I close my eyes...I...I see him...you know...?" Albedo asked. Her body began quivering at the mere thought. "Sometimes...when I...when I do something I don't mean to do...or I say something I don't really want to say...I can't help but wonder..." She stopped herself as the thought grew to be too much. Kei kissed her forehead warmly. "It's okay, Albedo. He's gone...he has been for years..." She whispered, "I...I know...you're probably right...but...sometimes I just can't help but remember..." Albedo whispered back, "It's okay to remember, Albedo. Even when it's hard...if we weren't affected by those experiences...then we wouldn't really be human, would we?" Kei whispered, "Well...technically I'm a Celestial, and you're a Half-Elf..." Albedo whispered back. Kei rolled her eyes, and let out a small laugh. "Well, my point is that it's okay to remember. Even when it's hard. I'm...sorry that you have to...and I know it is of little comfort, but as I said, he's gone. And...you know I forgave you long ago..." She said. Albedo did not respond, instead snuggling even closer. After a few moments, the silence was broken. "Kei...will...will you hold me close tonight...?" She asked, "I always hold you close." Kei answered, "I-I know...but...don't let go...okay...?" Albedo asked, "Don't worry, Albedo. I'll never let go of you..." Kei answered. Albedo felt her tiredness overtaking her. As she drifted off, she heard Kei whisper one last thing to her. "...I like the sound of your voice, too..."