She searched for Kon on the night he fled from prison. It was still before dawn when she finally gave up, having crossed all three districts and nearly left the city without finding a single trace of her friend. Her chest ached, tight and heavy. Anxiety made her restless, almost frantic.
Where had he gone?
He left without saying goodbye…
In the depths of the night, surrounded by silent houses in the streets of the Rei District, Yuna broke down in tears.
She felt a measure of relief knowing that Harald's carriage driver had secured Kon's escape, yet she felt even sadder knowing she would not see him again — at least not anytime soon. And all of this for what? For nothing.
She felt deeply guilty for not having warned Regius Lane beforehand; perhaps he could have sent someone to knock Kon unconscious until the messenger's ship departed. Yuna felt everything, even when it wasn't her fault.
The next day, having barely slept, she sat in the backyard of her house, where a mulberry tree grew. Around that time each day, before lunch, Kon would appear and urge her to go on a brief adventure with him. She would always say she needed to eat first, and he would reply that they would eat out, and she would give in. She considered herself a fool every time, because the adventures almost always involved mortal danger. Kon liked to challenge beasts in the forest and secretly meet the city's most promising young fighters to duel them. Often, Yuna never ate the meal her friend had promised.
Even so, Yuna was happy. She would return home hungry in the late afternoon or the middle of the night and find the lunch she had prepared waiting for her. She would eat and, after a cup of tea, fall asleep.
Today, however, was quiet.
When afternoon came, Yuna was sweeping the floor of her house. Her body felt limp; she had no desire to do anything, yet she kept moving just to feel that she was still alive. When she finished, she made a cup of tea and sat at her doorway, watching the street.
Fallen Blossoms was a relatively peaceful city when there was nothing to celebrate. People walked back and forth trading goods, leading cattle and horses, talking, or simply drinking. Children played carefree, as the city was completely safe for them. Yuna watched all of this from her doorstep — but something was missing.
That "something" was on everyone's lips: Kon. People spoke excitedly, eagerly, anxious to know what would happen next. By then, several versions of what had happened to Harald Rei were circulating through the city, but all of them painted Kon as the carp swimming against the current.
Hearing all of it only made Yuna sigh more deeply. What people proclaimed as grand was, to her, a cause for worry. Harald was wealthy; he could send someone after Kon anywhere on the Seventh Continent — if he hadn't already done so.
She stood up and went back inside, deciding to read a book. She stayed that way until night fell and someone knocked on her door. When she opened it, she found Amy's younger sister: a twelve-year-old girl, cheerful and energetic like a ferret.
"Holly? What are you—"
"Come with me, Dad wants to see you!"
The girl grabbed Yuna's hand with monstrous force. Little Holly was blessed by the same Great Spirit as her older sister, granting her abnormal strength. She dragged Yuna like a rag doll across the entire Lane District.
"HOLLY! WAIT! I—"
Yuna was about to protest when she suddenly felt a wave of nausea. A second later, they were inside the Lane Mansion.
"Good heavens, Holly! Didn't I tell you to go by horse?" Regius rushed to Yuna, who lay sprawled on the floor, holding her mouth to keep from vomiting.
"Nah! Horses are slow! You won't give me a magic mount anyway…" Holly complained.
"You're already a typhoon on your own. If I gave you a mount, you'd turn this city upside down!"
"But—" Holly tried to argue.
"No 'buts'! Go to your room. I have matters to discuss with our friend here," Regius said, unwilling to indulge his youngest daughter's whims.
Holly shoved her hands into her pockets and stomped off grumbling, pouting adorably and knitting her brows.
After making sure Yuna was all right, Regius asked her to sit in the nearby chair. They were in his study. The young woman was confused, even a little uneasy — what was this summons about, after all?
"Have you been in contact with your grandfather?" Regius began, sounding somewhat nervous himself.
"My grandfather?" Yuna frowned, thinking of her family. Her parents were already dead, but she still had grandparents on the Fifth Continent. "No. It's been a year since he last replied to my letters."
"This situation between Kon and Harald is spreading like wildfire through the nearby regions, and somehow your grandfather learned of it and contacted me. He wants you to pack your things; an emissary will come for you in a few days," Regius said plainly, wasting no time.
"What? He can't— I won't go!" Yuna decided without hesitation.
"At this point, I think we both know what we want doesn't matter. Recently your grandfather has fallen into the good graces of the Yomikawa Clan; he's no longer someone I can deal with. But he hasn't shown hostility, if that's what you're thinking — it's just a precaution against Harald. The emissary arrives in three days."
"So soon?"
Yuna didn't argue or justify herself. She was far more understanding than Kon, who would have picked a fight with the emissary to defend his right to choose. After hearing Regius's brief explanation, she gave up.
"If Kon comes back… will you tell me?" That was the reason she didn't want to leave. None of her other friends stirred such worry in her.
"I will. But we both know that's unlikely — he offended an entire family. At this point, I doubt Harald's relatives aren't already thinking of 'solutions.'"
"It wasn't him, it was Athan!" Yuna protested in her friend's defense.
"But Kon is the one who started this story, and now everyone thinks he set the Rei garden on fire and swept that prison with blazing flames. That's how things are."
There was silence after that. Yuna had no way to refute it. The truth was cruel; people were foolish, quick to believe certain lies.
"I didn't call you here only for that. There's something I want to give you personally."
The study door was open, so Regius went over and closed it. He did everything calmly, which made Yuna wonder what was so important that he was being so careful.
"There's a woman who lives on the Fifth Continent, in the eastern region — more specifically, in the Five Peaks region. I can't give you her exact address, but with this…" Regius drew from his elegant cloak a small rectangular piece of black wood, smaller than an adult hand, inscribed with violet markings, and handed it to Yuna. "With this token, you'll be able to find her — or rather, she'll come to you as soon as you set foot in the Five Peaks."
"Sir Regius, I don't understand…" Yuna was confused. The inscriptions looked like ancient characters, unreadable to ordinary people. She didn't even know what was so special about the Five Peaks.
"It's a special token to contact a High Seer. I won it in a wager years ago, but I never had a purpose that required their services. Traveling to the Fifth Continent just to consult a High Seer would cost me more than any business I run here on the Seventh. In short, it's useless to me. But you're going there — so perhaps you can find Kon faster than I could."
Yuna felt a swirl of emotions. She was confused, sad, grateful, and angry all at once. Her life had been turned upside down in a matter of days, without giving her time to prepare for anything. In that sense, she was just like Kon — though without his recklessness and stubborn drive. She hated not being in control.
Regius had always been good to them, treating them like his own children. When Yuna met Kon, her parents were still alive. Now, suddenly, she had no one. She had other friends, yes, but it wasn't the same. They had their own lives and wouldn't care for her the way Kon would — setting aside an entire day just to adventure with her.
"Thank you very much, sir. I don't know what to say…" she began.
"Say nothing. Just go. When I find the time, perhaps I'll take a stroll across the Fifth Continent myself," Regius said, smiling with his usual encouraging grin.
"Yes…"
Yuna looked at him one last time and ran forward to embrace him. Regius returned the hug and gently patted her head. He felt melancholic — he had always had a soft heart. When they parted, Yuna left the mansion without looking back, walking slowly. She could have taken one of the Lane House's horses, but chose to walk to calm her mind. And so she did, the entire several-kilometer journey, until she reached home.
When she arrived, she saw her door open, just as she had left it when Holly dragged her away. She sighed resignedly and went inside.
She couldn't say what time she fell asleep, but it must have been quickly, as she lay staring at the ceiling without the desire for anything. Her sleep was peaceful; she didn't recall dreaming.
If anyone were offered the chance to travel to another continent, they would be ecstatic and eager — such an opportunity was rare and meant to be seized with both hands. Yuna didn't feel that way. She wanted her old life back and felt increasingly guilty for not having truly stopped Kon. Maybe humiliating herself before him and the families would have worked…
She tried to lie to herself, saying that as long as Kon was alive, everything would be fine — if only it were that easy. She couldn't hide or pretend away the pain she felt.
When her grandfather's emissary arrived, Yuna stepped into the carriage without a word. The coachman was a relatively young man, nearly forty, and he made a point of wearing an apparently ordinary katana at his waist. He was dressed like a common merchant, with an almost innocent face, but Regius, who observed everything, knew that the coachman was as cunning as a fox, even without truly knowing him.
"Mr. Sonozaki thanks you for taking care of her. He asked me to inform you that he will soon repay the kindness," the coachman said, bowing lightly.
"I only did what was right. Tell him I like sake," Regius replied calmly, with a faint smile.
He looked at Yuna through the window but said nothing. She stared at nothing. It was better that way — better that she didn't look back.
The coachman climbed onto the carriage, and it soon moved away. The pace was normal, but many resources would still be used before reaching the Fifth Continent. Yuna closed her eyes, wishing she could sleep and wake only upon arrival. She thought of everything that had happened, of how she wished things were all right, and of how the plans she had made for the coming weeks had been ruined. None of it was truly her fault, yet the thought that she could have been more decisive weighed heavily on her mind.
She sighed and then lay down on the seat, curling up like a defenseless child. The coachman spoke to her only when necessary — asking if she wanted to eat, if she wished to stop at an inn, if she needed the restroom, medicine, or tea. Beyond that, the journey was silent of human voices. Only nature spoke.