After a few days of rest, Kagari was finally discharged from the hospital. Due to the destruction of the academy caused by the Cult of Diablos, the school was closed down and he along with the other students were given an early Summer Vacation while the campus is being repaired.
As for Sherry, her mental state wasn't in the best condition, so she is still being held under the hospital's care. She was still under the protection of Bahamut and Genji, but she has been moved to a different room as Iris and The Crimson Order do not want her near Lutheran.
Speaking of Lutheran, he finally woke up to be greeted by Princess Iris and The Crimson Order who had the evidence required to take him into their custody for interrogation as he was released.
(Timeskip)
Kagari's Room
Kagari was now in his new apartment room, packing his belongings as he was planning to leave The Midgar Kingdom for the first week of his vacation. He also received a message from Alpha, asking for his assistance in...
The Sacred Land of Lindwurm. A famous city which is one of the holy sites of the most widespread religion of this world, the Divine Teachings.
Kagari's Thoughts: (So, I'll be taking a trip Lindwurm, eh? Alpha said they'll need my assistance in uncovering something big from the Cult. Interesting.)
With the last of his belongings packed, Kagari left his room and headed for the train station.
(Timeskip)
Train Station
At the train station, Kagari was waiting in line to board the train to Lindwurm.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Cid said he'll be on the next train by tomorrow. Hmmm, maybe I should have had Kaisel take me to Lindwurm instead of going by a train...)
As the line began to move, Kagari felt a bag hit him in his back as he moved forward.
???: Oh, sorry! My apologies for hitting you!
Kagari: No don't worry, it's fi--
Kagari turned around a stopped mid-speech as he recognized who he was talking too.
Rose: Kagari, is that you?!!
Kagari: Rose..?
*Flashback*
As the fires were being put out by the knights, Rose was running in the fields towards the medical center of the Academy.
When she arrived, she walked passed rows of injured students being treated by doctors and medical staff.
But she stopped at the end of the row and smiled happily at who she saw.
Rose: Kagari Kagenou!
Kagari: Ah, hey Rose....
Rose: Thank heavens, I'm so glad you're alive!
Kagari: Heh, I can say the same to you..
Rose: Your unwavering effort and love must have produced a miracle!
Rose held Kagari's hand and kneeled to him.
Rose: I accept all of your feelings for me.
Rose: You gave me my life.
Rose: So now, I will give you my heart.
*End of Flashback*
On the train...
Rose: In that moment, I felt the hand of destiny....
Rose: My dear Kagari, you are the one.
Kagari: I see.
Kagari's Thoughts: (After all that happened with the terrorist attack, I figured that I would calm myself with a train ride to Lindwurm.)
Rose: We won't be arriving in the Sacred Land for two days, so let's relax and get plenty of rest in the meantime.
Kagari: Sounds like a good idea.
Rose smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder.
Kagari's Thoughts: (I sent Bellion to Lindwurm a few months ago in order to investigate the Sacred Land. I'll be sure to check on him when I get the chance.)
Kagari sighs.
Rose: Is something wrong, Kagari..?
Kagari: No. It's nothing, Rose.
Rose reached on the table and poured Kagari a glass of wine.
Rose: There you are.
Kagari: Thank you.
Rose: So Kagari, I assume you're going for The Goddess Trial as well..?
Kagari: Yes, I've heard a lot of things about it, so I'd like to check it out for myself.
Kagari's Thoughts: (That is what Alpha called me and Cid for...)
Rose: I've seen the real you, Kagari.
Rose: I know how brave you are.
Rose held his arm again.
Rose: I am quite certain that our path together will be a thorny one. No one will give us our blessing, or approve of our union.
Kagari: Yeah, that's an obvious problem.
Kagari's Thoughts: (I wonder. For the trial, should I use my Eclipse persona as a cover when I'm in Lindwurm, or should I remain as myself as I did in the academy..? No, I've attracted way to much attention to myself after that academy stunt.)
Kagari looked down at the table and picked up on of the pamphlets.
Kagari's Thoughts: (The Divine Teachings are the most popular religion in this world. It's the worship of the goddess Beatrix.)
Rose: But it is said that after the Goddess granted the legendary heroes her powers, they built up wealth from humble beginnings and married the princesses of great kingdoms. So, I believe that at the end of every thorny path, there awaits a blessed and happy future.
Kagari: You think so, Rose..?
Rose: Yes, If you can make it through the Goddess's Trial, I will be able to speak to my father of a brave young man.
Kagari's Thoughts: (In the stories, Lindwurm was where the goddess condescended to give the three heroes their powers.)
Rose: So let us follow this thorny path and overcome its obstacles together, one step at a time.
Kagari: Of course.
Rose: Thus our love will be bound ever more tightly.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Honestly, I do like Rose. But everything she's said came from that fabricated story from the cult.)
Kagari's Thoughts: (If only she knew...)
Rose: We can't speak of this to anyone yet. But let us do all that we can for our bright happy future.
Rose smiled and he smiled back.
(Timeskip)
Nightfall, Train
It was now nightfall as the train was still driving towards Lindwurm, marking the end of the first day before their arrival.
Kagari was laying in his bed asleep until he heard the sound of his door opening, he rubbed his eyes to see it was just Rose.
Kagari: Oh, hey Rose.
Rose: Hello, Kagari.
Kagari: What's wrong, can't sleep..?
Rose: Well, I thought that maybe I could come and sleep with you tonight. Is that okay...?
Kagari: Sure, I don't have a problem with that. Come on.
Happily, Rose walked towards the bed as Kagari placed the covers on top of her and they laid together.
Rose: Sneaking around in the middle of the night to sleep with my sweet Kagari...
Rose: I'm so embarrassed.
Kagari: There's no need to be embarrassed, Rose.
Kagari: You did say you wanted to beat the obstacles stopping us from being a couple, right? Well, we have nothing but time, and sleeping in the same bed can be one of our first steps.
Rose: Well, yes...you are right...
Rose's Thoughts: (He's so close....)
Kagari: And since we're here, why don't we just go a tiny step further.
He gently began to wrap his arm around her waist and pulled her in close as she began to blush immensely.
Rose: K-K-Kagari?!
Kagari: What's the matter, Rose..? This is what couple's do when they sleep together. The girl always cuddles with the guy and the guy holds her in really close.
Rose: W-Well....if it will help make our love...s-stronger...
Rose cupped her face in her hands to hide her red face.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Hehe, looks like I found another favorite to tease other than Alpha.)
(Timeskip: Two Days Later)
Lindwurm
After two days, Kagari and Rose finally arrived in the Sacred Land of Lindwurm. As they were tourists, the two of them decided to explore the shopping area of the city.
Kagari: How come all of these pendants are all left arms..?
Rose: Legend has it that this is where the hero Oliver cut off the left arm of the demon Diablos so long ago. Somewhere within the steep mountains surrounding the Sacred Land are ruins known as The Sanctuary. It is said that is where they have sealed away the left arm of Diablos.
Kagari: That would make sense, with it being the sword and the left arm.
As they were walking, Rose stopped dead in her tracks.
Kagari: What's wrong, Rose..?
Rose: My favorite author Natsume is having a book signing!! I'm here biggest fan!!
Kagari: Natsume? You mean the famous novel writer?
Rose: Yes, she is known for her tremendous imagination and her fresh and original world building! Romance, Mystery, Action, Fairy Tails! She even writes literature in the classic style. She's a master of every genre and her stories are so diverse, it's like they're written by different people! It's amazing!
As Rose waited in line, Kagari looked to see the "original books" Natsume has created.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Let's see here. The Midsummer Natsume Collection. "I am a Dragon," "Romeo and Julietta," "Asherella," "Little Crimson Riding Hood," "Stars It's a Trap Wars," "One Purse," "Dragon Bowl" "Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute" "Dark Clover" "Demon Killer" "My Hero School" and "One Kick Man"...)
Kagari's Thoughts: (So that's, How to Train Your Dragon, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Star Wars, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Black Clover, Demon Slayer, and One Punch Man....all plagiarized.)
Kagari looked back at Natsume who was autographing books.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Perhaps I went a bit overboard with the stories that I told her.)
Later, Kagari was in line until he and Natsume were face to face.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Hello, Beta.)
Natsume: Here, hand me your book.
Kagari handed her his book for her to sign.
Kagari: So, how is it being an author?
Natsume: Can't complain. I'm getting my name out there, people know who I am.
Beta's Thoughts: (And it's all thanks to your wisdom, my lord.)
Kagari's Thoughts: (I was fine with Gamma using our knowledge to make Mitsugoshi. But this...oh no...)
Kagari's Thoughts: (Back when we were kids, Beta had a hard time working as a member of Shadow Garden. She could never get used to the thought of killing people, and she would have nightmares of the ones she killed and them dragging her into the darkness.)
Kagari's Thoughts: (So, as a way to calm her down, I began telling her tales of my past life. Personal stories and tales from past experiences. It was also for her to use them as a way to become a famous author and infiltrate the higher class of society.)
Kagari's Thoughts: (But I wasn't expecting her to make stories out of all of them...)
Natsume handed Kagari's book back to him.
Natsume: Here you are.
Kagari: Thank you.
Beta: It contains all the details of the mission.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Be ready, Beta.)
Kagari nods in response and walks away as he began to read the book with the plans and details inside.
(Timeskip)
Nightfall
Night has fallen over The Sacred Land of Lindwurm. Inside of the Great Cathedral, The Leader of The Seven Shadows, Alpha can be seen walking in the darkness.
Alpha: We want to know the truth...
Alpha: Great Hero Oliver. What did you really do at the place they call The Sanctuary?
Alpha: The more we unravel the threads of history's darkness, the more fact mingles with fiction.
Alpha: Archbishop Drake, what were you hiding..?
Alpha: If you had been able to speak, I would have loved to hear your answers.
Alpha: Who killed you? Would they dispose of a man even of your high status?
Alpha: Tomorrow, we wait for the moment that the door is opened.
Alpha leaves in the shadows as guards of the Cathedral arrived to witness the aftermath of Archbishop Drake's murder.
Outside of the Cathedral, Kagari was standing on a vantage point near the area as he heard the sound of the bells ringing.
Kagari's Thoughts: (It looks like Alpha is done on her end, and with the information from Beta, we'll be striking tomorrow during The Goddess's Trial. I'll fill in Cid on the important details once he arrives.)
Just then, a large figure can be seen walking towards Kagari.
He is a huge humanoid, shadow warrior with two pairs of black wings on his back, jagged black armor, blank white eyes, and glowing purple skin.
He's the Grand Marshal and the strongest of Kagari's shadows, Bellion.
Kagari: I good to see you again, Bellion.
Bellion: Greetings, my liege. As you have ordered, I've looked into the details of The Sanctuary.
Kagari: Tell me, what have you found?
Bellion: As we suspected, it has been confirmed the left arm of Diablos is being held inside of the Sanctuary. However, the story surrounding it is merely a front as the cult has ulterior motives for the use of the arm.
Bellion: My liege, do you recall your opponents using a drug resembling a red pill?
Kagari: Yes.
Bellion: We suspect that the arm is their primary source of the strengthening drug. If we were to dispose of it, we could cripple the cult's resources even more.
Kagari: I see. Thank you for the report, Bellion. I want you to be ready for tomorrow. Once the gates to the Sanctuary open you will lead a team of soldiers alongside Igris and Beru.
Bellion: Understood, my liege.
Bellion walked away and phased through the shadows for preparations.
Kagari jumped off the vantage point and landed in a nearby alley. Just as he was about to leave, he blocked the attack of a random Cultist.
Kagari: If I were you, I'd look up.
The Cultist looked up to see three slashes coming down from above, killing him instantly and slashing him into three halves.
Kagari: You used magically imbued sword slashes and perfectly trisected your opponent...
Kagari: I'd expect nothing less from you, Epsilon the Precise.
Epsilon is a young Elf with a high refined posture and a beautiful smooth face. She has long light blue hair tied into pigtails. The color of her eyes is purple, different than the color of her hair. She also possesses a curvaceous body that will make any woman envious.
Epsilon: I'm honored.
Kagari: Alpha has finished her mission in the Cathedral, Beta has delivered information on the mission to me as well. So, how is the mission on your end..?
Epsilon: The target has been eliminated by the Cult's executioner. We managed to take out his henchmen, but the executioner himself has gone into hiding.
Epsilon: We are moving to Plan B.
Kagari: Understood, but you do know what might happen, right..?
Epsilon: We are prepared for the consequences.
Kagari: Very well, I will continue with my role in the plan. Do not fail me, the mission will begin once Shadow arrives.
Epsilon: Yes, my lord.
With that, Kagari walks into the crowd.
Kagari's Thoughts: (Alpha, Beta, Epsilon and the girls have been working very hard lately...)
Kagari's Thoughts: (Perhaps I'll give them rewards when this is all over...)