The next morning as Mina was getting up, she saw the travelers eating breakfast together. She thought this was a good opportunity to pass the time, so she walked over to them.

“Do you guys mind if I join you for a bit?”

Emmet looked over to her and said, “Sure, you can join us.”

Mina sat down, pulled out her rations for breakfast and began eating. Emmet trying to start the conversation said, “I am surprised. You are the first person other than the captain, that has shown the slightest bit of interest in us.”

“Don’t take it personally, we have been running around ragged for days, trying to find these raiders. At this point everyone is focused on the mission, so we can return back to the capital.”

“You don’t, seem so ragged yourself, um… oh yes, Mina. Sorry, I recognize you from last night, but you didn’t talk much.”

“That’s because I can hardly do anything with my Sophia. Even though I am a part of this squad, I am not allowed to go on patrols, so I mostly stay here a base camp and do random tasks to help out my comrades.”

“I don’t want to be rude, but why did you want to join the military, and why did no one stop you?” Chimed in Sora.

“It’s simple, I love my friends Alex and Jack, they are like my family. Ever since I lost my parents, they have always supported me. Even if I can’t do anything with my Sophia, I would gladly lay down my life for them. I just know that one day, I can improve my Sophia and be useful.”

“Can I ask, what is your Sophia?” said Emmet.

“Sure. It’s Philla.”

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“Hmm, I see. Love of a friend.” Conroy interjected.

“That’s surprising, you guys are the first people to know what it means without asking. Even more so, because lectures over this type of philosophical information requires high or military class.”

“It’s true, if everyone had access to high level philosophy concepts, the world would have another Mortis Causa.” Responded Emmet.

“You guys even know about the Mortis Causa, who just are you people?” Mina, stared with quizzical eyes.

“We are just travelers, who like to take in all kinds of information for the sake of knowledge and truth.” Emmet stated.

“If that is the case, then why don’t you have more powerful Sophias?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, it just we are who we are, and we have what power we have.”

“Then what hope is there for me, and the growth of my Sophia?”

“I will tell you this Mina. Even though you have friendship love as your focus, after talking with you, I believe that you have an affinity for a different type of love.”

“What do you mean? I have studied all the types of love, Storge, Philia, and Eros.”

“There is one more, that has been lost to time, it’s called Agape,”

“What is it? What does it mean?”

“It is classified as the highest form of love, charity, and unconditional self-sacrifice for others.”

“Why was this term lost to time?”

“It’s because it has a high religious significance. In many texts it talks about the need to understand Agape. This is because in a religious context, Agape is most commonly defined as the divine love that God has for his creations.”

“I thought all religious texts were destroyed during the Mortis Causa?”

“That’s just a lie, the truth of the matter is that during Mortis Causa, many people knew that great power hid in those religious texts, so many faked their destruction and found ways to hide it and guard it through the generations.”

“How did you guys come across this information.”

“That, Mina. Is a secret I cannot tell you.”

“Then, why did you tell me all this? This is dangerous stuff you guys are talking about. I need to tell Alex this.”

"There is no point to do so."

"Why?"

Emmet sighed, “It’s because they found us.”

“What do you mean?”

After she just finished asking her question, the camp’s alarm went off. Mina suddenly realized what he meant…. libertine raiders.

****

“Destiny has two ways of crushing us - by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them.”

– Henri Fredrick Amiel