It is mid-day and the sun blazes on the center of the cerulean sea of clouds, bathing all in the noon heat. Iron can be heard being mashed against the ground: it turns out to be armored soldiers marching down a dusty dirt road. They take a turn, and see other soldiers preparing swords, shields, and armor in their nearby tents. A blacksmith works with his tool at the side, fuming blazes from the furnace and all. Archers practice their strafing, mostly hitting their mark. The drill sergeants here and there are constantly yelling while people carrying boxes upon boxes deliver them swiftly to their intended location. All this happens in a walled military encampment within the forest.

One tent in particular stands out among those that surround it; it is larger than usual and it is decorated with a gold version of the Sentio Knight crest.

Dashing frantically through the bustling camp, a soldier tries his best get towards the tent as fast as thoughts can be thought of.

“C-captain Goldrock, reporting in from Aurum West. The Graywood Battlements!” a soldier exclaims, saluting a regal woman seated at the opposite end of a long table with a tactical map across it. The magical candlelight illuminates her, and she stands out among her peers situated in the dimmer parts of the group.

The woman appears to be of a human-like lion race. Her attire is a mix of combat armor and alluring royalty. Her ornate pauldrons contain rose carvings, ribbons and linens are pieced together delicately in her leather corset, and a gemstone-inlaid sword rests at her left side. Her golden hair, golden eyeglasses, and well-prepared make-up really bring out her facial features making her look stunning both in appearance and in might. With grace, poise, and focus from studying the map in front of her, she looks up to the soldier and gestures towards him to relay his message.

“C-captain, they’re using Corrupted against our men!” the soldier says, almost choking in fear and worry at the mention of Corrupted.

All warriors and strategists in the tent freeze and exclaim their fright, but not Knight-Captain Goldrock. She simply looks at the soldier and then back at the map, calculating carefully in her mind what to say.

“At ease, soldier. Dismissed.” Goldrock says to the panicked messenger. He salutes and leaves the tent quickly.

“C-captain” a worried lieutenant beside her says, “T-they really have nothing to lose anymore. A cornered rat bites fiercely, and there is no cure for Emotio Corruption. Should we turn to the Sovereign Mercy?”

“No.” Captain Goldrock replies with a fierce decisiveness. “The Dark Healers will be our last resort. Our scouts should be back any minute now with the solution to the problem.”

“C-captain, not to be untrusting but…” a timid strategist says from another side of the table. “You sent them to uncover myths, not solid evidence of a cure for—”

“The errand was not given only by myself, but by our Holy Kingdom of Aurum itself. The decision was backed up by the royal scholars who take into consideration all aspects of our world be it magic, technology, politics, or economy. I trust it is part of finding the answer to our problem. Do you dare defy the will of the kingdom?”

“N-no, Captain…I’m sorry I gave an inkling of doubt…” fearfully says the strategies and retreats to his seat.

Knight-captain Goldrock smirks and looks towards the exit of the tent. The sheen on her glasses glimmer as the light from the exit shines towards her. As if she’s been waiting for this moment. In her mind, all things are calculated and well-planned out for; there will always be a solution if it appears there is none initially.

Meanwhile, Lunde and Ember finally make it to a tent. It looks small and not as lavish as other tents around. Inside, there is are wooden beds to the most right and most left part of it. Various supplies fit for soldiers surround the beds but in an organized manner.

“Let me just put all our stuff down here before we head out to meet knight-captain.” Lunde says, rushing and thinking to inform Goldrock right away of what he found.

“Are you alright even? You fell unconscious, you should have yourself checked.” Ember, with concern, tells him.

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“No, I actually feel like a million gold pieces right now. It’s…strange.” he mentions while emptying his backpack and putting things in order.

Lunde receives slight visions of what he saw earlier, but remembers the voice telling him that tragedy will only come next after he hearing about the prophecy. It hastens his steps and gives him a sense of urgency.

“Alright. Would it be fine if you meet her first? I’m feeling a little beat, probably from the scuffle earlier.” Ember tells him and letting out a big yawn. She plops unto the bed on the left and dozes off. Lunde wanted to tell her something, but instead decides to tell her some other time when she is rested.

A few minutes later, Lunde arrives at Goldrock’s regal tent. Lunde breathes in and out, and prepares mentally for the information he is going to relay. Despite a small shiver going down his spine, but he keeps composed.

“Virtu Art: Moment’s Courage” Lunde chants. An Emotio art granting him momentary confidence takes effect.

It seems something else is bothering him however. He slowly enters and stands his ground confidently as the room is in the middle of a serious discussion.

“Knight-captain, reporting in” says Lunde. The whole room falls silent. Goldrock gives Lunde a piercing glare and appears to wants to get down to business immediately.

“Everyone, dismissed. That concludes our plans for today. Secretary, please prepare the report.” she says with a wave of the hand. Everyone else disperses except for her and Lunde.

The tent is now vacated and an intense energy arises from Goldrock, as if a lioness is going to zero in on the kill.

Lunde, with the spell’s confidence still lingering, speaks to her. “Captain, reporting—”

In a split-second, Lunde is enveloped in a loving embrace by Goldrock, as if a mother has not seen or heard from her child for a few years. The hug slowly turns into constriction. Lunde fears that the worst has happened, and this was the other thing bothering him the whole time. The Emotio art of confidence eventually fades out.

“Are you ok, child? Are you hurt? Have you eaten?” Goldrock asks him in a quick succession, all while unknowingly strangling him. The concern is very clear in her voice as she shifts from her business mode into that of a doting parent.

“M-mother, please s-stop…I’m o-okay…” Lunde replies, trying to break away and breathe. “Y-you don’t have to d-do this every time I come b-back from an expedition!”

Goldrock releases him, and looks at him with such gladness and joy that he is back. “That’s how mothers are, well, even adoptive mothers at times.”

“If the rest of the camp finds out, I’d want the earth to swallow me whole.” Lunde responds, embarrassed and a little annoyed. “It might have been understandable when I was still little but I’ve grown up now.”

Goldrock lets out a hearty laugh. “My dearest Lunde, even when you were still a kid, you always hated any form or display of affection. Always so serious and wanting to get work done. Remember that one time you embarrassed me when you were going to school for the first time? I will never forget it. All I wanted was a good luck kiss before you ran off to your classroom…”

“I remember that time well too, mother…BUT IT WAS KNIGHT TRAINING ACADEMY, NOT PRE-SCHOOL. AND THERE WAS A CROWD OF ONLOOKERS!” he lets out in an embarrassed yet endearing fury.

The captain’s laughter fills the tent, and Lunde starts to worry because someone might hear it from outside.

“Alright, I’m done teasing. How is Ember by the way? Is she still writing the scouting report?”

“She’s resting at this time. What we went through was…a little strange.” Lunde replies, scratching his head.

Glasses containing a sweet sort of flavored drink are laid out on the table alongside expensive-looking biscuits and treats. The entire trip is relayed exactly as it turned out. Goldrock listens to it attentively and waits for Lunde to finish speaking before she gets a word or a question in.

“So, you came in contact with one of the ‘Wisdoms of Nacrest’. Hmm. It’s an old legend that one of the Scions of Emotio, long-gone guardians of the old world, left pieces of their consciousness in things called ‘Wisdoms’ which are scattered around the world. As expected, the foresight of the kingdom is second to none.” Goldrock explains.

“I’m unsure of how to proceed at this point. He gave me flames of some sort, but I don’t feel anything strange. Should I fall asleep and wait for them to talk to me in a dream? Something tells me that’s their working procedure.” Lunde says, scoffing a little at the last part, saying it as a joke.

“How about an examination by the healer?” she suggests. “I also have to look up this Nacrest. Although I know most of the scions, he’s not familiar to me.”

Before Lunde can respond, a device starts ringing in the background. It is an odd, futuristic tool that looks like a telephone but is mostly golden, has inlaid gems in it, and has extra curves and sections. Goldrock picks up a removable part of the machine and speaks into it.

“Hello?” she asks, talking to the device she holds to her right ear. After a while, a faint voice can be heard from it. “Yes, speaking” she continues.

Lunde snacks on the food laid out, mulling over what to do next while Goldrock uses a magic telephone of sorts. He considers using a Curio Art to identify a magic force within his body, or perhaps he could take Goldrock’s suggestion to get checked up. Nothing bothered him more than not knowing what was going on and not knowing what to do about it. This made him very anxious.

“Lunde, we must go. It’s Ember. She’s showing signs of Emotio Corruption.” Goldrock relays to him calmly, but with a dreadful expression.