Outside the Palace of Lights…

There it is! The Oracle’s palatial sanctuary, nestled deep within the blessed, sacred heart of the Holy City. It was quite the gleaming beacon from afar. And now, up close… it’s even more of a sight for sore eyes!

We enter the luscious palace gardens in Eris' footsteps, passing carefully trimmed shrubbery, ancient stone fountains and marble statues. It’s nice and good to sightsee, but Anna and I can’t stop to take in the beauty. Nor are we really in the mood to do so.

Good grief. Eris hasn’t said a word ever since the Trade District, ever since she walked away from us, lost in her thoughts after what Anna said to her. I’m not sure if she’s upset or pissed off, or just… unhappy. It’s not looking too good.

Oh, but it’s not all doom and gloom just yet. It’s clear to me that she’s been… thinking. Like I said, lost in thoughts, all alone. Thinking about what Anna said to her, I reckon. I’d say I know what I’m talking about, having picked up a thing or two on reading faces and body language while serving as Student Council President back at St Elicia’s!

“First, I’ll show you both to your suite…” Eris says half-heartedly as she suddenly stops dead in her tracks amid the gardens, her back still turned to us. “There, you can prepare yourselves before meeting Lady Nhaka. Ah, and I…”

Worriedly, Anna opens her mouth to say something, but I stop her in the nick of time by squeezing her hand, prompting her to look at me. In that forlorn gaze of hers, I can spot that same fire in her eyes when she chose to follow me into the darkness of the Highgrove Warrens. Determination. The fire of a thousand suns to let justice be done, even if the heavens fall.

Fucking hell. As I bear witness to such raw emotion… I can do nothing more than nod wordlessly, looking into her eyes seriously as I hold on to that hand of hers. That she’d trust my instincts for a little longer.

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“Anna…” Eris adds quietly, suddenly stopping dead amid the gardens, her back still turned to us. “I thought about what you said. You’re right. I want to remember.”

“Eris…”

“I’ve had enough of having this emptiness in my heart… having these headaches when I think about the past. I… don’t want to live like this…”

Moving past me, Anna embraces Eris from behind. Their backs are both turned to me, but I can see them both trembling, sniffling softly together in the cold morning air. It’s… heart-wrenching. And it hurts to watch. It really does, knowing why Anna feels the way she does about Eris’ forbidden memories.

“My Manager won’t speak to me. Nor anyone else from the Studio. I’ve written to them, reached out in every way I could, but then… nothing,” Eris adds forlornly, teardrops falling into the grass beneath her feet. “Lady Nhaka and the Sacred Shield have been good to me, but I still… I still don’t understand…”

Gosh. Deep down, the Bard once cursed to be the Demon’s Voice really is a gentle soul in her heart of hearts, huh? Soft-spoken like the caress of a morning breeze in the sunrise. Truly, she cares for that Manager of hers so damn much… just like I would Anna or Lady Iris. Seeing her like this, I figure she must’ve been scared out of her mind when the Demon Cult did what they did to her in the previous timeline… twisting all that goodness and sweetness in her into lunacy. Why, just thinking about it pisses me off!

Oh. But that’s anger for events from a past timeline. Here and now, Eris needs our help!

“If there’s a chance we can help you, I swear we will,” Anna answers confidently. “Arisa and I… we’ll get to the bottom of this for you.”

“Yeah. We’ll have a word with Lady Mezalune,” I add with a smile and a playful swagger as Eris looks at me. “Don’t worry about it!”

“Even if the truth isn’t what I want to hear… I have to know,” Eris answers solemnly, bowing her head, her face stained with tears as she stands before Anna and me. “Promise me.”

“Even if it hurts you?”

“Yes. Ah. It is my past. I have to live with it. I must.”

“We’ll do what needs to be done, then,” I answer warmly, hand on my heart as I look Eris in the eye. “We swear.”

“Thank you, Arisa. Anna…” Eris answers softly, a small, sad smile on her lips as she wipes away the last of her tears with a handkerchief. “Ah. Shall we proceed onward? We should.”

Bowing politely, she invites us to follow her into the Palace proper. I look at Anna, at the unease in her eyes, and I squeeze her hand tightly again. She looks at me forlornly, and I can do nothing more than nod empathetically again as I take her by the hand, walking by her side as we continue onward.

Good grief. What a day, huh? What a day…