Talon stared at Ignis through the holoprojection.
"You're sure you sensed another guardian inside Aqua?"
"I am certain. The girl Aqua is a yoki and she houses a guardian within her. There is no mistake." Ignis replied.
"However, I cannot determine how powerful it may be. Its essence is buried too deeply."
She looked down at her armored hand for a moment, as if even she didn't fully understand what she sensed.
"I have never encountered anything like it throughout my existence. Not once since the birth of Elara's clan."
Ignis raised her burning eyes toward the projection again.
"But I do believe it may have something to do with the one Aqua mentioned."
Talon's eyes narrowed.
"Lucifer…"
Ignis nodded once.
"Yes."
Elara leaned forward slightly, resting both elbows against her thighs.
"That could very well be the case. But how would he be able to do something like that? There is no cosmic seal I'm aware of capable of suppressing a guardian to that extent. Especially not one buried inside a yoki."
"Aqua said he had the ability to erase things from existence, right?" Talon replied.
Elara looked toward her projection.
"Yes."
"What if that has something to do with it?"
Elara didn't answer right away. Her eyes dropped to the floor as the possibility of such a thing ran in her mind. Talon crossed her arms over her chest, her expression sharpening the longer the two of them thought about it.
"Does Aqua seem aware of the guardian inside her?" She asked, looking over to Ignis.
"No. From what I observed, she appeared completely unaware." Ignis replied.
"That lines up then."
Elara stared at her through the projection.
"Lines up with what?"
"With everything Aqua told us. She said the Sera I fought on Nara's homeworld wasn't the same Sera she became friends with at the academy they attended. She also said Sera mentioned knowing people that could make her so-called bad memories go away. And the same thing was likely done to Sera as well. Likely to make them easier to control."
She looked between Elara and Ignis.
"I say all that to say this… what if Lucifer erased her guardian from existence? Or at least erased Aqua's ability to remember and access it? What if that's why it seems dormant?"
"That could be possible. However, if her guardian was erased from existence, then how am I still able to sense it?" Ignis replied.
Elara slowly lifted her eyes.
"Because that might be one of the limitations of the ability." She said.
Both Ignis and Talon looked back at her.
Her red eyes stayed focused on the floor for a moment as she thought.
"Every ability has a weakness. No matter how powerful it may seem. Maybe Lucifer's power doesn't truly function the way Aqua described it. If he used that ability on Aqua's guardian, and you can still sense its essence…" She continued, looking at Ignis now.
"Then that means it still exists within this reality."
Talon's brows lowered.
"So it wasn't erased completely."
"Maybe not." Elara replied.
"Or maybe the ability only erases pieces of someone. Memories. Connections. Awareness. The part of Aqua that knows what she is."
Elara's fingers tapped once against her leg.
"But we need more information before we can make any real assumptions."
Talon looked away slightly. Her face was serious, but Elara could see the thoughts moving behind her eyes.
"With everything happening now…" Talon began.
"I don't think you should hand Aqua over. Not yet."
Elara's expression didn't change.
"Talon—"
"I'm serious." Talon said, cutting her off.
"Even if we ignore the guardian inside her, Aqua's memories and information are too valuable. Even the pieces she can remember may help us find Lucifer and this so-called Grand Order."
Her purple eyes narrowed.
"And if that guardian inside her wakes up at the wrong time, we don't know how dangerous she could become for others."
Elara sat quiet for a moment before speaking.
"I agree." She said.
Talon blinked, slightly caught off guard by her sudden agreement.
"But I already notified the Rangers of Aqua's crimes and requested pickup." Elara continued.
"They have knowledge of her identity, her crimes, and the fact that she is currently aboard our ship."
Her gaze hardened.
"If we back out now, we'll be considered criminals for harboring a known fugitive."
Talon didn't look surprised.
"I figured that."
Elara raised an eyebrow.
"You figured that?"
Talon scratched her cheek slightly and looked to the side.
"I already thought of something."
Elara stared at her.
"Really?"
Talon's face flushed faintly.
"It's not really a plan. It's more like… a hunch."
Elara's eyebrow lifted higher.
"A hunch? What kind of hunch?"
Talon's eyes shifted away for a moment.
"Kaito…"
"Kaito?" Elara repeated, somewhat confused.
Talon nodded.
"Knowing that idiot, he probably already came up with some kind of plan to rescue Aqua at the last minute."
Elara's expression shifted slightly as she stared at her silently.
"That is quite an assumption to place your hope on."
Talon looked back at her.
"I would place my life on it. He already told both of us that he's going to save her no matter what. And even though he's stubborn and attacks every problem with his fists… I'm sure even he knows deep down he won't be able to defeat you when you two fight. So I'm willing to bet he already made a second plan to rescue her. That's just the type of person he is."
Her eyes softened slightly.
"He doesn't go back on his word."
Elara watched her for a moment.
Then a small smile crept up her face.
"He sounds like someone I know."
Talon's face scrunched slightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Elara let out a small chuckle, trying to remain serious but failing miserably.
Talon tried to keep a serious face, but the corner of her mouth twitched before she let out a small chuckle of her own.
For a few seconds, the heaviness in the starlounge faded.
Then Talon leaned back and crossed her arms.
"And do you know what else he said?"
Elara tilted her head slightly.
"He asked me to join his crew once he beats you. Like the guy is insane in the head." She said, letting out another laugh.
"Oh…? So… what did you say?" Elara aired out, her face becoming somewhat unreadable as she stared at her awaiting an answer.
Talon stopped laughing and froze. Her purple eyes widened slightly.
"I…"
Her mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again. Then closed again.
"I mean… I… I… I… Uhh…"
Elara crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes slowly widen and her mouth dropped open slightly as if she was silently saying she couldn't believe what she was hearing or seeing.
Talon's entire face went red and her pointed ears fluttered repeatedly.
"I said yes, okay! But it's not like that!" Talon blurted.
"It was only because of the promise we made!"
Elara's expression changed.
"What promise?"
Talon's shoulders lowered slightly and the embarrassed look on her face faded.
"The one we made to Farro."
Elara's red eyes widened. Talon looked down at her hands.
"We weren't able to give him a proper send off after what happened during the tournament." She said quietly.
"Everything happened so fast and Kaito…"
She paused and her hands bawled into fists.
"Before we left for the tournament, Farro asked us to take care of him in his place once he joined the crew."
Her voice became quieter.
"He trusted us with him. And I don't want to break my promise to him."
The projection flickered faintly between them. Elara watched her silently for a long moment, then she smiled softly.
"You've really changed so much…" She mumbled softly
Talon blinked and her face flushed red again almost instantly.
"What are you talking about?"
Elara's smile remained for a moment before she shook her head.
"It's nothing. But in all seriousness, can I ask you one question?"
Talon stared at her for a short moment before crossing her arms.
"What is it?"
"Is that part of the reason why you suggested we split the crew into two once we meet back up outside of simply keeping an eye on Kaeline and Elysia?"
Talon's entire body went stiff. Her purple eyes widened slightly and her pointed ears twitched. She slowly looked away.
"Maybe…" She muttered just loud enough to be heard.
Elara chuckled softly.
"I guess that's a good enough answer."
Talon's face turned even redder.
"Don't make it weird."
"I didn't say anything."
"You're thinking of something."
"I'm always thinking about something. That's how thoughts work you know?"
Talon glared at her through the projection.
Elara's small smile slowly faded as the weight of reality slowly returned to the room. Her eyes lowered for a moment before lifting again.
"Once we complete our two current goals, everything involving Sylas, Lucifer, the Grand Order, and Kaito's guardian will be next on our list."
Talon's embarrassment faded almost instantly and her expression became serious. Elara rested one arm against the side of the chair.
"From everything we know, each fragment leads its possessor toward the other fragments most closely connected to it. And the location it gave us…"
"Is likely leading us to Seraphine and the fragments she has." Talon finished.
Elara's gaze hardened and a smile grew on her face.
"That works perfectly for us."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Once you take down your father, the Accord will lose one of its most powerful and influential leaders. He's undoubtedly the second most powerful among them. Next to Seraphine. His fall will create a vacuum in their ranks so suddenly that they will begin to crumble from within. Maybe not completely, but enough. And while that happens… I will strike them in the head."
Her expression sharpened.
"Seraphine… I will kill her myself for the evil she brought upon my people and the rest of this universe." She said calmly.
Her voice didn't quiver one bit.
"Once she falls, the rest of the Accord will follow. And after that, a new generation of leaders will rise. One beginning with the two of us. Leaders who actually care about the living beings born into this universe. Not just their own people. Not just their own power. Everyone."
For a moment, neither spoke. In that brief silence, she began to sit up from the plush chair.
"I'll hold a meeting with the rest of the crew before we arrive at Starfall City so that they'll know what's about to happen. I'll call you again once we arrive."
"Wait." Talon blurted out.
Elara paused, nearly halfway out of the chair before sitting back down.
"What is it?"
Talon's entire demeanor had changed. The playful embarrassment from moments ago was completely gone. Her purple eyes looked directly into Elara's.
"Are we ready? Are we truly ready to take down Seraphine and the Accord right now?"
She didn't give Elara time to answer before continuing.
"Sure. Maybe you and I are. Kaeline probably is too. But what about the rest of the crew? Do you really think they'll all be ready by then?"
Elara's expression remained calm.
"They will be." She replied.
"Everyone will continue to train and grow stronger before that day arrives. Our crew has grown substantially since we left the academy. It's not just the two of us anymore."
"I know that." Talon replied.
"And I agree..."
She paused.
"But you're making this sound much simpler than it really is. Maybe your monstrous strength blinds you sometimes, but the Accord isn't full of pushovers."
Her tone sharpened.
"They have tens of thousands of A-ranked star travelers in their ranks. Several S-ranked as well, not including the five leaders. To you and I, that may not be a major issue because we're abnormalities in terms of strength, but what about everyone else? What about Finn? Kaito? Jinx? Rorik? Nara? Even Elysia and Sylas?"
She shook her head.
"Sure they're strong, but this is the Accord we're talking about. They have soldiers just as and far stronger than each and everyone of them. Countless of them."
Elara's gaze lowered for a short moment then she looked back up.
"I think you're underestimating them a little."
Talon didn't respond.
"It won't happen tomorrow. There will be time between when we reunite after you defeat your father and when we infiltrate the Accord's headquarters. During that time, the crew will train. We'll explore more cosmic wells. Obtain stronger artifacts. Gather more allies if possible."
Her eyes hardened.
"By the time we face them, we'll be ready for whatever stands in our way."
Talon stared at her through the projection.
Elara could feel the intensity of her gaze even from the billions of light years that separated them. She hesitated before the next words left her mouth. She took a small breath before speaking again.
"I know you won't agree with this, but it would be in our best interest to use Kaito's power alongside ours. His strength isn't normal and you know it. Look at how quickly he's grown since we met him."
Talon's expression slowly darkened.
"It's not the growth rate of some ordinary human." Elara continued.
"It's not even the growth rate of a normal elf. It's closer to a core race elf. Like us. At the rate he's growing, Kaito could become a crucial piece in defeating Seraphine."
She stopped speaking and waited for Talon to respond.
But Talon said nothing. Her face had gone completely still.
"Talon?" Elara asked.
No answer.
"Is everything okay?"
"How can you be so selfish…?" Talon muttered
Elara froze.
"What? What do you mean?" She asked quietly.
"Even after all this time… How can you still be so selfish!?"
Elara's eyes widened slightly.
"Talon—"
The holoprojection vanished and the starlounge fell silent.
Elara stared at the empty space above the table where Talon had been only seconds before. Her red eyes remained wide unsure of how to process what just happened.