Mythbird arrives on Netern Island in relatively short time, landing on the Dawn Plateau. Vektor stretches shortly after descending to the surface:

"Ahh, it's finally over...!"

Fully recovered, Sych also gets off the bird:

"We've been through some tough times..."

After saying goodbye to Mythbird, the two head back to Noogard's residence in Wind Hills, where they find Kder staying at the house.

"You're here... I'm really glad you're both fine."

Vektor does not hide his astonishment:

"That's my line! You disappeared out of nowhere during the battle against Maken, I got scared! Seeing you fine here is something hard to process."

"Haha, the truth is that I don't even remember exactly what happened to me over there... Ah..."

"What is it?"

"There's just one thing I want to ask you, Vektor."

"Spill it."

"What happened to Hiroshi?"

"...!

(Oh no.)

So... about that... How can I explain... It's kinda complicated..."

"...No, it's okay. If you can't explain I understand, sorry for asking this out of the blue."

"(...I'm sorry, man.)

A- Anyway, what are you doing here, Kder? Where's everyone?"

"Your mother said that you shall spend the rest of the day here until she finishes preparing the portal back to your homes. That's why I decided to stay around here to make sure everyone can return safely."

"You really take an extra step for everything, don't you?"

"That's part of my job as the protector of this island. As for the other guests, they've all returned to their homes. However, Hayato was badly injured during the incident, so he's currently hospitalized at Drettonus Castle."

"Damn, I didn't know that. Get well soon, then. Master Noogard is there too, isn't he?"

"Yes, it seems he will soon begin preparations to move house soon. All the recent events seem to have affected him."

"I can imagine..."

The day then continues as usual. Everyone tries their best to return to their daily lives while Vektor, Kder, and Sych rest from the battle. By late afternoon, all preparations for the departure the next morning are ready, with only the completion of the portal spell at the Drenn Portal remaining.

Finishing his work day, Kder finally says goodbye to Vektor and Sych and then leaves to Kder Island, where he will enter his own home for the first time in days.

After entering the secret gate of a desert lighthouse near Haidora Village, the swordsman begins to run across the underwater bridge that connects Netern Island and Kder Island. As he runs, he remembers the words spoken by Vektor's mother that make him uneasy...

"I had a vision."

"Eh? Really? When was it?"

"While I was unconscious. The vision itself was very vague, however, so I can't say for sure what it means. What I can say is that it was enough to give me a bad feeling about what might be coming. So I want you to stay alert."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

As he recalls this conversation, the swordsman realizes that he will not be able to rest any time soon. Recent events may have been nothing more than a simple sign...

At Drettonus Castle, everyone is quite stressed after the whole situation, but they try to fulfill their individual roles anyway. Princess Reiko heads to a conference with her father, where she reports the events at the Sun Tower:

"And that's all the information we have available."

"I see... Good job, daughter."

"(In the end, I wasn't able to tell him about that man...)

Hey, father, that's just my opinion..."

"Go ahead."

"But do you think the clan was involved in this incident in some way?"

"...Naturally, the obvious answer would be no. They have a peace treaty with our island, they would not risk a direct conflict with us any time soon. However, there is always the possibility of indirect involvement on a smaller scale. In any case, it is nothing that we can use as justification for retaliation."

"So we can't do anything about it?"

"No, unfortunately."

"..."

"However, a single detail in this report keeps intriguing me."

"Vektor Drenn's ancient power?"

"Yes... I understand that because he's not a citizen of the island, he's ignorant of the illegality of seeking this power, and precisely because he's not a citizen of the island, he can't be condemned for it as he is not subject to our laws. However, this raises another question: Even if the clan has the necessary methods and knowledge, he would still need the help of someone from the island to seek the Netern Crystals while knowing the new defense methods."

"Do you think that someone might be...?"

"Yes... It must have been him."

"..."

The sun sets and the other stars light up the sky as Katsuo arrives on Kder Island. As he returns to dry land, his speed drops dramatically and he walks calmly towards his home, built inside a cave on the island.

The sound of the wind is the loudest noise he can hear on his island, the only thing besides the waves of the sea that prevents absolute silence.

His body is exhausted. Despite everything that has happened, his sword has never been taken away from him in any way. Perhaps this is an indication that no matter how beaten down he is, he still has the strength to carry on. That is what the heroic swordsman Kder is supposed to represent after all.

However, Katsuo can no longer simply fool himself in the face of unchangeable facts. Vektor's vague answer to his question was all he needed to accept a fact he had denied for weeks. His current reality is something permanent, and he expresses his acceptance in his voice as he opens the door and enters his home:

"I'm back..."

...

All dark. No one home to answer him. This is the reality he will have to live with from now on.

He turns on the lights and finds dust in every corner of the house.

"I'm going to set aside tomorrow morning to clean the house..."

After taking a shower, he starts to prepare dinner. His mind is so absorbed in the situation that he doesn't even notice that his refrigerator has a little less food than the last time he opened it.

The rest of the night goes on as usual. When it's time to sleep, he hopes to dream of an exciting story like the ones from the books he loves to read. However, before turning off the lights in his room, something inside him leads him to his drawer, something like a last spark.

As he opens his drawer, all the emotions stored inside Katsuo overflow, making him fall to his knees on the floor, unable to contain the tears that leak from his eyes. These tears represent different simultaneous emotions that contradict and complement each other, all while smiling emotionally.

"I knew it... I knew... that you... were always a big liar...!"

Inside that drawer, there is nothing but a single, small, golden earring...

...

That same night, Kards goes to a dark and sinister place, hidden from the rest of the world, to report the events to his superior, an old man sitting on a throne, who in turn shows dissatisfaction:

"So you're saying that everything resulted in a complete failure...?"

"Nah, far from it. I would even say it was a great success."

"We lost Maken, half of Null was sealed, all this for apprentice Drenn to not even have reached the required power level for us to continue. There's no way to call this a success!"

"That's where you're wrong, old man. Well, know that I've already planted the seed of curiosity in the boy's mind. And I can guarantee, we won't even need to advance to progress. Because this time, he'll be the one coming to us."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Trust me just this once. I know how kids like that work, and I'm absolutely certain he'll come to our territory."

...

Meanwhile, yet another report is given, this time by Noburo, the Unique with super strength, to his boss in a base located somewhere in the world. Unlike Kards' superior, Noburo's boss reacts very positively:

"I see, so in the end we didn't even need to interfere... That's very good."

"According to the data gathered by Hiki, all of the events had as their center and main target the apprentice of flames, Vektor Drenn."

"..."

"Boss?"

"...Okay. Thank you for the report, Noburo. You are dismissed."

"If you'll excuse me."

After Noburo leaves his office, the boss soon reveals a big smile on his face that he had to hold back a lot when hearing this information.

"Great...! You're really amazing, Vektor. I knew you were the right choice."