Beyond pale, Luna's body looked borderline anemic. As we continued to climb up the stone stairs, she appeared to grow weaker with every step. I couldn't afford to panic. Kazuna seemed certain that this temple would be an adequate respite for the team. The appearance of what remained of the temple however spoke volumes against her initial assessment. Of course, I'd learned the hard way what was presented on the surface usually differed greatly from what lie beneath.

As we reached the peak of the staircase there were a series of seven stone Torii Gates; ornate arches in various states of disrepair. Underneath the arches, what was once an elaborate cobblestone path had been mostly reclaimed by nature. Roots, vines, grass, jutted out of the hexagonal stones that remained intact. Large wooden beams that fenced in the path were mostly splintered or destroyed. Kazuna was right; there was life in abundance here, just not anything we could speak too or ask for help.

Beneath the surface however, what I felt our journey had been lacking for days, was a straight path. It may have been rocky, worn down, and largely overgrown, but there was a path nonetheless. If we were lucky enough to have time to ourselves, to think through our next move, perhaps all this madness would end. If only life were so simple. Even though my memories only reached as far back as a month, there was a feeling that my life had mostly been spent wandering through the woods, and rarely on any type of linear path. I would immediately eat my own words as we approached the temple entrance.

As we followed the remains of the stonework path toward the modest complex of stone and wooden buildings, we came upon a narrow bridge consisting of two interlocking 'L' shaped wooden walkways that spanned a thirty meter chasm. Far below us, was an impressive drop into the rapids expelled from the series of waterfalls beyond the temple. Although one could not necessarily see the bottom of the trench, judging by the roaring waters to call a sudden fall into that fissure 'treacherous' would be too polite a word.

Impatient with the myriad of obstacles we'd already encountered, Midnight stepped to the edge of the bridge and spread her wings. A pitiful YELP followed. Thirty meters must have been as effortless as skipping over a crack in the pavement to the Dragoness. With only the tattered remains of her right wing, and a bloody stump to show of her left, she was grounded. To be denied the pleasure of flight, of freedom, must have been hell. Midnight's face certainly reflected the sentiment as she wrapped her good wing back around herself, and proceeded across the bridge.

Out of precaution, I asked Kazuna, "Are you able to sense anything... malicious?"

She shook her head and proceeded across the bridge behind Midnight, "No. Nothing."

I was hesitant to cross, repeating myself, "Did you wanna maybe check again?"

No response.

I stood at the base of the bridge watching Kazuna and Midnight cross to the other side. As I hefted Luna up and prepared to walk on, Marth had caught up. He stood beside me. I felt the tension build as he held onto the covered remains of Karma.

Without any change in tone or inflection, the Shogun stated flatly, "With your permission, I shall scout a suitable burial plot, and make preparations for the ceremony."

I was caught off guard by Marth asking for anything, let alone my permission to bury Karma. Without drawing attention to the demon lord's shift in tone, I simply replied, "Sure." Marth nodded and somberly marched across the zig-zag bridge. Before crossing over, I called out to the Samurai, "Come find us when you're ready. We'll give Karma a proper farewell."

Again, Marth offered only a nod and walked on.

With Luna cradled in my arms, I too made my way across the wooden bridge. I wasn't going to make the mistake of looking down. The rushing rapids were loud enough to engage my imagination and envision a terrible if even the slightest misstep were made. Another part of me considered weighing the inherent awfulness of our current situation compared to falling off a bridge and swiftly drowning in the perilous waters below. It was a pointless thought exercise. After all, my death was not in my own hands. It was Luna's call. Right now, it was my responsibility to revive her.

Within the temple complex were four main buildings; three at each of the cardinal directions closed in by a stone wall, and one in the center. The wall itself was missing several sections, but a clear border was easily describable. To the West, a two story stone and wooden building was pressed up against the length of the wall. The western building, as overgrown as the rest, appeared to be dormitories or living quarters for whomever used to occupy this temple. Upon the Eastern Wall, a slimmer building that stood at least three stories tall remained mostly intact. Although most of the glass windows had either been broken or missing altogether.

In the center of the temple grounds, an air pavilion surrounded by moot of white sand and rocks circled a smooth black slab of stone. Compared to most everything else, that stone was surprisingly well maintained. Even the wooden lattice roof of the pavilion was in shambles. The black slab was meticulously clean, absent of any dirt or debris. A pit of uneasiness and caution sank in my gut, but my devotion to Luna proved to be more urgent.

I followed Kazuna and Midnight into the Northern building. Larger, architecturally more ornate than the rest, it appeared to be the main gathering space of the temple. Stepping through the archway where two massive doors would have hung, an aisle split two equal rows of wooden pews. The pews themselves sank into the grass covered floor, or had been dissolved altogether. At the head of the aisle, a large stone table appeared. An altar? Unclear. What was clear was what lie beyond the intricately designed wooden wall, an impressive nautilus shell like design, spirals within ever shrinking spirals. That spiral wood and glass work would have provided a perfect view to the natural hot springs just outside the backdoor of the chapel.

"There," Kazuna pointed in the direction of the springs, "I should be able to heal Luna using the spiritual energy from the springs."

Midnight was looking up through the hole in the roof at a flock of passing winged creatures passive overhead. She snorted and mocked, "Gotta heal Luna first, she's too important to Gene." She stomped out of the chapel through the main entrance.

Kazuna suggested to me, "Perhaps you should speak to her?" Offering out her hands, the Monk offered, "I'll take care of Luna. Go and tend to the rest of the team." Before I could protest, she insisted, "Go. See what other connections you can make between trees."

Carefully handing an unconscious Luna over to Kazuna, I watched long enough to witness Kazuna carry Luna down a set of stone steps towards the path to the hot springs within shouting distance of the chapel. Confident in the Warrior Monk's abilities, I made my exit in pursuit of an irate Midnight.

In all honesty, I left the main sanctuary on the heels of Midnight knowing that if I had stayed, Kazuna would speak in increasingly infuriating riddles. That's not what I needed right now. Mysteries would not ease my anxiety which had already risen well beyond what I'd previously concluded was its peak. Mysteries were not my friend. In fact, I just realized my nerves were so on edge, I'd automatically assumed that the easiest part of my day wasn't deciphering Kazuna's cryptic advice, but consoling a teenage Drakon girl with an attitude.

Content on ignoring me while I followed after, Midnight quickened her pace and turned into the Eastern Building. She shouted over her shoulder, "Stop following me, Gene. Why don't you go check up on Luna?"

"This whole team is my responsibility, Midnight," I countered. "That includes you too."

She stopped, turned, both hands on her hips, "Oh yeah? I'm your responsibility?"

"That's right," I insisted.

With an accusatory bite, Midnight asked, "You care about each one of us equally, do you?"

I hid my uncertainty to the best of my ability and lied, "Yes. Of course."

"THEN WHAT'S MY REAL NAME, GENE?" She caught me. At least it felt like I'd been caught doing something I wasn't supposed to. Between my stolen memories and the known amount of time associating with this group, it felt as though I should care for everyone equally. The truth was apparently obvious to everyone. My deepest affections were reserved for Luna.

Midnight did not wait for a confession. She spun on her heels and stormed off toward the tall Eastern building. With her one remaining good wing, she sliced one of the remaining exterior wooden pillars in half. Her warpath didn't cease as Midnight entered the building. Without considering the scope of the Drakon girl's anger, I followed in after her.

I'd ducked just in time as a wooden bench flew towards me, shattering against the adjacent wall. Midnight hadn't been aiming for me. Nor did she apologise either. With her right wing still thrashing about, and the makeshift bandages on her left beginning to bleed, it appeared as if Midnight simply wanted to destroy in order to feel something, or anything at all.

The desks...

The chairs...

Even the whole Southern wall of the thin building was smashed to rubble and splinters. Midnight released another scream as she asked aloud, "You know what's worse than lying?" I didn't know if she was expecting an answer, or she'd had one prepared. In response to my sadness, Midnight's partially transformed hand, covered in black and blue diamond plated scales punched another square meter hole in the remaining wall. Breathing heavy, she replied to her own question; "When you trick other people into believing the lie is true, that's worse!"

Midnight kicked a hole in the wall, "When you lie about always having a place to call home!!"

With a single punch, a standing cabinet was decimated, "When you lie about being a family!"

Whipping her tail through a moss covered chest of drawers, the entire rotted wood splintered in half, "When you lie about Storge!" Hyperventilating, the Drakon girl collapsed on the floor. Her hands covered her face. Her tail continued to whip the ground, the air, and anything within reach indiscriminately. Her missing wing continued to bleed.

It seemed like a death wish to get anywhere near her, but I was tired of lying. I had more than an obligation to take care of my team. It was the right thing to do.

Cautiously reaching out, I placed a hand on Midnight's shoulder. Immediately, her scale covered, whip like tail with the razor sharp spade on the end wrapped around my wrist. I didn't resist. I held my ground and waited. To my surprise, I wasn't tossed aside into a stone wall or disemboweled. Midnight simply held on to my hand as I stood beside her.

After a moment's silence, I knelt down beside the girl. Tying to redirect the conversation, I asked about the unfamiliar term she'd used; "What is Storge?"

Releasing a mild fit of laughter through her tears of rage, Midnight chided, "Of course you wouldn't know." She waited for an equally sarcastic rebuke, but when none came she explained; "On my home world, my kingdom, Storge was one of the five tenants of House Fyrebrand. I'd always hear someone taut, 'Family bond between father and son, mother and daughter, parent and child was paramount to a prosperous empire." Midnight looked up from the floor to look me right in the eyes. She scoffed, "Truth was, those in power loved having power more than anyone else. It was a bad joke." She threw another piece of stone into a nearby wall, "They were liars."

With a bittersweet smile, Midnight feigned a yawn and stood to her feet. She dusted herself off as she passed me by. About halfway through the entrance we came in through, the Dragon Maiden called me out over her shoulder, "You know, there was a minute back on Heimdall Station that I thought it'd be nice to have had a father that cared about me as much as you love Luna. If I believed that were possible, I'd be a liar too."

Like an idiot, I tried to correct Midnight saying, "I don't love Luna like a father though. I mean, I don't know what it's like, but it's... Different."

Midnight kept walking and scoffed, "Yeah. I suppose it is."

Why did I feel this way? Wasn't I a machine? I'm not supposed to feel anything. Except, it was as if everything within the chassis of this false body were exploding, and reassembling itself only to explode again. I felt an elevated fever whenever I'd get close to her despite all my systems registering normal. How could I be this torn up inside despite everything within me was nothing more than nuts, bolts, circuits, and wires?

In my confusion and frustration. I grabbed a moldy book from off the floor and sent it sailing across the room. It landed on some instrument akin to a pipe organ. As the weight of the book toppled onto the ivory keys, a note in the upper scale resounded throughout the lobby of the tall building. Beneath the spiral staircase, another set of stairs opened to the tune of rusty machinery and mechanisms revealing the trap door.

So many questions.

So little interest.

I HATE mysteries.