Faithful Night and Yoni haved moved away from the treasure tower to a nearby bus stop, they just finished up telling Lorenza what occurred.

Lorenza (Over Hologram): Yoni, I'm disappointed in you

Yoni: But I did a good job fighting off the Sextant

Lorenza (Over Hologram): YOU'RE INEXPERIENCED, The Sinners Sextant are DANGEROUS, I don't want you getting hurt, so you need to give up on this crusade

Yoni: You and dad never believed that I could go on adventures

Lorenza (Over Hologram): It is as our dad once said it was part of a more glorious time

Yoni: There's never been a more glorious time than the present!

Wjenx: Can't get much more glorious than discovering the key to eternal life

Dassu: We can always go to space or jump over a shark

Monact: What does jumping a shark have anything to do with glory?

Lorenza (Over Hologram): Who cares!! Listen I don't care about The Century Corps and what happens to them

Elybe: Ouch…

Lorenza (Over Hologram): But I care about you Yoni, so please abandon your quest

Yoni: I'm my own woman, unlike you, I'm going to follow this adventure even if it kills me

Wjenx: How much of the world was denied to you?

Yoni: So much

Lorenza (Over Hologram): Do you hear yourself, you sound insane, please reconsider

Yoni: What's there to consider?

Lorenza (Over Hologram): Your life, the fact your family cares about you

Yoni: You don’t care about what I really want, neither does dad

Lorenza (Over Hologram): Your reckless desire to go on adventures is being curbed to protect you

Yoni: I also want to help Rome’s poor but it seems your content to leave them to die in their hours of need

Lorenza (Over Hologram): Our hands are TIED in that department

Yoni: Yeah ok, why don’t you take your high and mighty attitude and leave me the hell alone, I’ll get your shiny goblet back

Before Lorenza says another word, Yoni hangs up on her

Wjenx: Family trouble?

Yoni: Yeah…

Wjenx: You’re not alone in that, we’ve got family trouble here too

Elybe: Ayev…

Monact: We don’t have time to delve into that can of worms

Wjenx: Why not? Yoni needs to know

Yoni: Know what?

Elybe: Ayev, was one of us in another life

Yoni: You’re kidding?

Monact: We’re not.

Dassu: Ayev was as close to us as we were to each other, but that all changed

We begin transitioning to a flashback

VIII Years Ago, Baltimore

Elybe (Narrating): Faithful Night was a tight knit group even back then with Ayev as one of our chief members. They were a great friend and equally great warrior. We we’re on a job in Baltimore and we were caught during The Freeing.

Faithful Night is looking over the edge as The City of Baltimore floats into the sky, they are surrounded by an army of Centennials led by a fearsome general

Elybe: So…what’s next for us?

Wentus: You can join us, as Centennials who weren’t trapped for decades, your experiences would be valuable in our crusade

Wjenx: I know what the American Alliance did to you was a disservice and wrong but those people are long gone, you should be focusing on maybe stopping the city from flying

Wentus: Priorities Wjenx

Monact: So what, we just go on and fight The Century Corps?

Wentus: That’s the idea, they’e trying to bring Acantha to justice for the cardinal sin of freeing us

Dassu: Maybe the cardinal sin of endangering tons of innocent people in a power grab is what they after her for?

Wentus: Do you want to join us or not

Ayev: I say we do it?

The rest of Faithful Night looks at Ayev

Ayev: What?

Elybe: You want to take part in this mindless violence?

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Ayev: I think it makes sense, we’re helping those who were hurt by making corrections, it’s something we would do

Elybe: Our goal is to help the innocent, fighting alongside rioters

Ayev: Are our trapped and scared siblings not innocent, being rewarded for their service by being locked in a cage for decades! I thought I had known you better

Wentus: Ayev, you are someone who wishes for genuine change in the society we live in, I see your fire, join me and we can take down the Century Corps.

Dassu: Ayev, please don’t leave us for some fruitless endeavor

Ayev: Guys…can’t you see our people need us

Monact: You are going down a road we cannot follow Ayev, can’t you see that this isn’t how we forge a better path for our people

Elybe: The Centennials under there are only following Acantha because they’re scared of the retribution they’ll feel if they don’t have someone to stand beside, we can help those scared Centennials by helping them escape the city

Ayev: But how can they leave when we’re floating into sky?

Elybe: No clue but we can try

Ayev: I think I’ll help the people who need me, Wentus, let’s go

Wentus: Glad of you to hear

Wjenx (Narration): And thus, guided by the false promise of protecting our people, Ayev left us to follow their new path, they didn’t try to harm us for not following and they left on amicable terms but when they found out we joined The Century Corps, they were unconsolable

The Flashback ends, as we return to the present day situation in Rome

Yoni: I think I get it

Monact: Fighting Ayev will be the hardest decision we ever make, but we need to bring them to justice, no matter how much it hurts us

Elybe: I wish they would come to their senses…

Dassu: They would say they came to they senses long ago

Wjenx: We can’t reason with them, not anymore

Yoni: Alright…let’s get that chalice back, starting from where?

Elybe: How about right here

Begin Streets of Rome I

When you’re XXV% through

Yoni: It’s still surreal to be moving through these streets I’ve lived far above for most of my life

Wjenx: I bet you didn’t imagine your first adventure would be so close to home?

Monact: Why are you saying first as if she’d have more

Wjenx: Have you considered the fact she could join our guild after this?

Monact: NO…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Yoni: Aww you really want me around that much?

Monact: GET HER AWAY FROM MEEEEE

Wjenx: Hehe you’re gonna be best friends

Resume

When you’re L% of the way through, Dassu’s weapon begins glowing strangely

Yoni: Should we be concerneced

Dassu: My weapon is a non-euclidian spire, it does weird stuff like that often

Wjenx: It’s highly unstable basically

Yoni: Well ok…but what about your weapon isn’t it somewhat unstable

Wjenx: A little yeah

Monact: Isn’t luck an unstable power

Yoni: Yes

Monact: Pot calling the kettle black

Resume

When you’re LXXV% of the way through, an unusually large group of Sinners Sextant goons approaches

Elybe: So Ayev is sending their lackeys to do what they’re too afraid to do?

Monact: It would appear so

Yoni: Let’s take them on

Yoni begins punching another member

Sinners Sextant Member: Uh…what are we supposed to do here?

Their question goes unanswered as Yoni comes into to punch them

Fight against The Sinners Sextant again

When you win

Monact: Ok, these guys are kind of chumps without their old leader

Dassu: Yeah they clearly don’t have the brightest tool in the shed leading them

Wjenx: Ayev doesn’t really seem like they’re cut out for something like this

Resume

When you come to the end of the course, The team stops for a little.

Dassu: I need a break

Elybe: Yeah sure

Monact: Isn’t time of the upmost importance right now?

Elybe: Well yeah but we don’t want to show up to Ayev all exhausted and stuff, they might kick our ass

Wjenx: Alright, five minute break

Faithful Night begins their quick break, and Yoni just sits nearby, stretching her arms. As the time wounds down, she gets another hologram ring

Yoni: Better not be Lorenza again

Yoni answers the hologram, Faithful Night looks over at Yoni

Eili (Over Hologram): Hey hey hey sister

Yoni: Oh hey Eili, what are you calling about

Eili (Over Hologram): A little birdie told I me, I mean Lorenza was loudly screaming about how you’re working with the Century Corps on the case of our missing godly goblet

Yoni: Yeah she got really mad when I told her that

Eili (Over Hologram): I bet she was but anyway I know about all the treasures we have

Yoni: Yeah so you’re a nerd what of it?

Eili (Over Hologram): A nerd who knows the value of all the treasures

Yoni: Well I doubt some paltry goblet would be they valuable

Eili (Over Hologram): It’s so valuable that dad actually has an entire system in place for when one of us that’s not him wants to use the Chalice

Yoni: Wait seriously?

Eili (Over Hologram): Yeah I dealt with that when I was testing The Chalice’s ability to fill instantly from any liquid you put in it.

Yoni: Why would Dad care so much about the ability to duplicate any liquid?

Eili (Over Hologram): Maybe it’s because it’s any liquid?

Yoni: I don’t follow

Eili (Over Hologram): Do you know how many things are liquid?

Yoni: OH I get it now

Faithful Night comes over

Monact: So I think we know who hired Ayev now?

Dassu: OPTICA!!

Monact: She’s dead

Dassu: Oh… right I am an idiot

Monact: I’m talking about Lark2n

Dassu: Wait, isn't he dead too?

Elybe: I mean that’s what we thought but then he came back and turned into a giant titan who knows he’s probably still alive

Monact: He could put HIMSELF in the Chalice and create an ocean of HIMSELF

Eili (Over Hologram): A liquid man making themself even bigger sounds terrifying please get the goblet back before evil things are done with it.

Elybe: Yes mam

Yoni: Alright Eili don’t you fret I’m gonna get us that goblet back

Eili (Over Hologram): Ok thanks we’re counting on you

Eili hangs up on Yoni

Yoni: So we keep going now

Monact: Yeah probably

Suddenly more Sinners Sextant appear

Dassu: How did they find us?

Wjenx: I mean we we’re just chilling on the sidewalk taking a break, they probably remustered their strength to attack us again

Ayev: I’m not here for you

Faithful Night looks up to see Ayev in the sky

Elybe: Ayev!! You don’t have to do this you know

Ayev: …

Ayev goes silent

Wjenx: I believe this is not the time for words

Fight against Ayev and The Sinners Sextant

When Ayev is at L%

Monact: This feels wrong..

Ayev: …

Resume

When Ayev and The Sinners Sextant are defeated, Ayev staggers back

Ayev: Alright..grab her

Yoni: What?

The Sinners Sextant agents begin grabbing Yoni

Yoni: Get off of me!!

Yoni tries to fight them off but she is outmatches, Faithful Night tries to join the brawl but are blocked

Wjenx: Uhm, was this part of your master's plans?

Ayev: Yeah, we wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t up to them

Monact: So your original plan was to take the chalice and run off

Ayev: …

Without saying another word, Ayev flies away with Yoni as their captive

Monact: Damn it guys…I told you this was a bad idea

Dassu: Well what now?

Elybe: We gotta get her back

Monact: Well she got herself into this mess

Dassu: But the fact that Yoni’s capture was added to Ayev’s agenda clues us in as to who really hired them

Monact: What do you mean by that

Dassu: Think about it, why would anyone want to kidnap Yoni, aside from holding her for ransom

Elybe: That could be what this is?

Dassu: But also consider the fact the Li Cadenzo family is powerful, any ransom holder could be found out easily, obviously this is someone the family can’t publicly go after

Monact: So you think…

The team thinks about it for a beat

Wjenx: Alright, I’ve got a plan, follow me

Faithful Night follows Wjenx across the city in a plan to rescue Yoni and uncover the true culprit