“I met him during the mission in the volcano,” he revealed as he brought his legs up to the bed, encasing Chloe between them. “He was actually the one who played that ear-piercing noise that sent us into the volcano. I met him later on in the mission after I split off from Quint and Clyde,” he stated as he continued doing what he was doing before, rubbing her back softly.

“So then, when we saw you appear from the hole that led to the surface, you had actually just finished fighting with him?” She fearfully asked, Rein nodding at her question, even though she couldn’t see it.

“Yeah. And I kicked his ass,” he lied through his teeth, though he only did it to make Chloe feel safer, pulling her off of his chest so he could see her face. “He’s my aunt’s right-hand man… So if he’s the one who killed your mother, then the entire operation was actually my aunt’s doing,” Rein clenched his fist internally, rage building up in his unconscious, though he didn’t show it.

“Her again…” Chloe dejectedly spoke, fear and anger mixed into her quaking voice.

“Yeah… It feels like she’s behind everything that’s happened, like she’s orchestrating everything. It’s like this is one big puppet show for her, and she’s pulling the strings,” Rein grit his teeth, looking away from Chloe’s face as he showed signs of unease growing on his expression. “It really pisses me off. Which is why I won’t let her get away with it. Nothing she’s done will go unanswered. And that feeling should fuel your convection as well,” Rein split the hair that was spilling onto her face with the back of his hand, revealing her large, purple eyes, which were damp with tears.

“But I’m not strong like you Rein… You can only have that confidence if you’re as strong as you are…” She wiped her tears. “I know that I didn’t weaken the gorilla that much today… That was a lie I told the others. You’re just that strong, right? You’re unbelievably strong that you were able to effortlessly swat away an enemy all 5 of us had trouble even knocking down… It’s only because of that strength that you can be so confident…” She wept, sniffing as tears finally escaped her sleepy eyelids, beginning to flow down her face.

“Maybe your right,” he admitted, using the back of his index finger to lift the tears from her cheeks. “But this strength isn’t only mine. It’s your strength too. Whatever your goals are, if you’re not strong enough to fulfill them yourself, I’ll be there for you. And of course, I expect you to do the same if I run into the same issue,” he said, his words making her pause, with a reaction of shock, then a warm smile of happiness, her heart fluttering out of jubilation.

“Thank you…” She laughed warmly, the shimmering moonlight refracting off her falling tears.

Rein heaved a heavy sigh and brought his legs down from the bed. He stood up and stretched widely, then took a step towards the exit when he suddenly felt something warm grab onto his hand. He looked back, seeing Chloe’s red face with an outstretched arm, her small, fragile feeling hand grabbing onto his.

“You’re not gonna leave me after that… Right?” She frightfully asked, Rein feeling a slight tremble on the hand that held his own, sighing, giving in to her request.

“I thought you said that now wasn’t the right time?”

“I know… But please? I don’t know if I can fall asleep like this…”

“You’re really selfish, you know that?”

The next day…

“So, what’s our next move? You said you might have a lead, didn’t you, Rein?” Sho glanced over at him after they grouped up in the gulf grill restaurant.

Rein, Chloe, Quint, Clyde, Core, and Xenia all sat at an 8 person table, the Sho standing up instead of taking his seat, who was taking command in this conversation.

“I did. Based on the direction I saw the soldiers heading in, It’s safe to assume that they took him to an area east of the gulf,” Rein spread out a map onto the table, flattening it out as he ran his hand across it. “If I can get within a 1-kilometer radius of him, I’ll be able to track him down,” Rein said, pulling out an erasable marker, beginning to circle possible locations for the prince’s location.

(click here to view visual)

“Here are the 3 cities we need to check out. Of course, there’s also the possibility of him being held somewhere outside of these cities, but even then the possibility is incredibly slim, and we can ask townspeople if there has been any Orthlys soldier activity in the area,” Rein explained, tapping the map with the back of the marker.

“Pathuless, Alh, and Alwaaq? Why those 3?” Xenia inquired, raising an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t we also check out Zacrozir and Sahdahwar? Or maybe even Stogue?” Xenia pointed to each of the aforementioned cities, Rein shaking his head.

“No, those are cities I’ve been to over the past month, and I would’ve noticed if I sensed him nearby. We should check only the cities that I haven’t visited,” he described, rolling the map back up and returning it to his inventory when it was out of everyone else’s sight.

“Ok, let’s go check if there are any commissions from those cities,” Chloe hastily stood up and turned around, Rein suddenly holding the back of her shirt, pulling her back.

“Hold on there. We’re still waiting for someone here,” he said as he brought her back to her seat. “I get that you’re feeling restless, but just hold off for a little longer,” he said as he tapped her shoulder, calming her down.

“And besides, here comes the food we ordered. We should fuel up before heading out,” Core remarked as he saw the waiter emerge with their orders of seafood.

The group went on to eat their meals, sitting there in wait for whoever they expected to show up. After a few minutes, they all finished their meals and stood up.