The Diderot family rested high above the sea; their clothes soaked from the waves' friendly licks. The misty waters below the stage sang a quiet and calm melody, reflecting their queen's serene expression. Eila and Tomas sat on its edge, dangling their legs in the air. Ari rested beside them with her wings tucked to her belly and her head poking out to face the sea below. Her eyelids seemed heavy while her frills moved about, listening to the chatter behind her.

"When's Jo coming back?" asked Eila as she swung her legs back and forth.

Tomas gazed at a small group of people on the boardwalk, recognizing Joanne's bright red jacket among the figures around her. "I think she's gonna be talking with the police for a while."

Eila gave an absent-minded nod. She took a quick glance at her parents behind her, both huddled in the corner by the upstage wall. Her mother napped with her head resting on her father's shoulder. He too seemed just about ready to fall asleep, with his head drooping every few seconds. It brought Eila a sense of relief and calm, as if a heavy stone was lifted off her chest. And yet, she felt as though her parents could vanish again if she took her eyes off them.

"This has got to be one of the craziest mornings ever," Eila said, "at least we got our parents back like Jo promised. Oh! And Mr. Green's gonna get his gem from Suilah, right? They've been talking a lot too."

Tomas kept his gaze on the waves below, still mixed with sand from the cloaked ones' invasion. "I guess so." He frowned and said, "I still don't get it though... how did all those monsters just disappear like that? Like, their boss was right there with us, and then he went poof." He pulled his hands into fists and spread out his fingers to accompany his poof sound.

Eila leaned back and gestured at Suilah, who conversed with Mr. Green and Narciso's flower in the middle of the stage. Their voices were too low for the twins to make much of it, though Narciso's singsong voice occasionally cut in with flowery words that made little sense to the two. Her eyes sparkled as her imagination fired up. "Suilah has water magic, right? Maybe she summoned this huge wave and washed them all out. Or-or maybe she slapped them all away with those water beams she used in the concert."

Tomas tilted his head and said, "We should've heard something though, like, water flushing out like the toilet does. Or a loud woosh or splash."

A gust of wind blew in from their left, leaving them with a feeling of eyes looking down at them.

"Ah, children have such a powerful imagination, even across different species." Said a gentle and deep feminine voice.

The twins and Ari turned their heads in unison to face Suilah; her slender and regal figure towered over them, her crown shining above as if it dared to replace the sun. The sea guardian ran her fingers down a strand of her hair, which curled and slipped through them as if it had a life of its own. Her stare was as calm as it was commanding, certainly enough for the twins to remain quiet in her presence; its resemblance to their mother's stare whenever they made a mess of the house was uncanny.

"Your name is... Eila, yes? And you must be Tomas and Ari. The nobleman and the lily dryad have spoken about you." She kneeled close to them, placed her hands atop their heads and closed her eyes. "I'm terribly sorry for all that transpired here today. I shall make arrangements for an encore performance if time wills it."

Tomas glanced up at her, focusing on her crown. The intense rainbow glow it emitted earlier was absent. "Oh, uh, it's ok. You helped take out those monsters, so everyone's safe because of you, right?"

Eila gave her a grateful smile. "Plus, you helped get our parents back from those monsters."

Suilah stared at the two with a raised eyebrow but relented and grinned back. "It's merely a part of my duties as guardian and queen." She stood up and asked, "Will you accompany me for a moment? I wish to discuss certain matters, and I'd rather not disturb your parents as they rest. Worry not, it won't be too complicated for you to understand."

Eila opened her mouth and raised her hand. Suilah turned around, her dress swishing with her, and went on her merry way before Eila could ask. Eila squinted her eyes at Tomas, who simply shrugged in return and followed the queen. Ari remained downstage, craned her neck to keep watch on the two and softly growled.

Tomas leaned to the side and peeked at the man in green as they approached. He stood with his arms crossed, holding Narciso's flower as he stared at the floor. The boy's eyes widened as they caught a dark stain on the man's thigh, just above his boot. A thin, diagonal red line marked where the fabric tore off.

"Mr. Green!" Tomas blurted out, dashing past the ocean queen, "Y-you're hurt—"

The man eyed the cut, untroubled, and said, "It is nothing of concern, I assure you." His expression softened. "I am glad to see you and your parents are safe and sound, however. That, I feel is more important."

Tomas opened his mouth to protest. Eila sprinted to his side leaned over to his ear and whispered, "He looked worse when we first met him, remember? He'll be fine."

Still, the sight of blood made his stomach stir like a whirlpool.

Suilah clasped her hands together, gathering their attention, and summarized her discussion with the man and Narciso. The Nether Oracle's intentions with the guardians, the incident at the Isle of Trusa, Mr. Green's arrival in Cherub Woods, and their encounters with the cloaked creatures; all old news to the twins so far.

"About a year ago, one of my attendants spotted this rainbow-colored jewel shooting down the ocean like a meteor, just outside our palace walls. After news of Xybelios's fall and the demise of the Water Bird—"

"Wait, who?" asked Eila.

The man in green shot a glare at the girl for interrupting the queen. Suilah raised her hand and responded, "The Water Bird, a river guardian from the west. We weren't notified of her death until after we'd identified the shard's origin. I blame antiquated communication methods for such unforgivable delays, but... I suppose she was an old bird, and not just in age."

"Narciso never informed me of such," the man in green said in a low, solemn tone, "I'd taken the Nether Oracle for a ferocious, yet incompetent fool, but... my own experiences tell otherwise."

Narciso scoffed, "You rely too much on me, you know? The Water Bird's temple was too far west from my abode; none of the demons or sprites that passed through spoke of it." They muttered, "Must've been a rather weak guardian if she was felled that easily."

"Silence," the man growled. "Please continue, Your Majesty."

Suilah nodded. "After hearing of the incident on Xybelios's temple, I surmised the shard may be part of his orb. The sheer energy it radiated was as though I held a fierce thunderstorm in the palm of my hand, calling— no, roaring someone's name. It had to be Xybelios's essence."

The man in green took out the orb; Suilah's fragment showed its cracks for a few seconds before merging with the rest. The orb's rainbow light shone even brighter. Eila swore she even saw tiny lightning bolts swimming inside it.

"It's nearly complete," Tomas uttered, entranced by its glow.

The man in green quietly contemplated the sphere in his hand. "And the final piece is in my home. Is that correct, Narciso?"

"So I heard." They teased, "And if it isn't, it'll be great visiting it after a year. Right, my homesick friend?"

The man sighed and muttered, "I presume it will be a bittersweet reunion. Nevertheless, we cannot waste much more time, for today has shown us the fiends are relentless."

Suilah raised her palm once more. "If I may ask, I understand the children and the blue dragon here are heavily involved in this matter." She turned her gaze on the twins. They felt themselves being pulled away from the orb's lull and towards the queen.

"Uh-huh. They ruined our vacation, basically," Eila complained, putting her hands on her hips with a scowl. "We did see some really pretty places and amazing creatures, though. I even flew on Khiboreas! But...," she thought as she scowled and looked at her feet.

Suilah continued, "My sincere sympathies. Now, I must ask, do you plan on accompanying your friend to the Isle of Trusa? Due to the circumstances, I am willing to arrange passage to the island if it will aid us in combating the cloaked ones. Bringing Xybelios back to his full glory would help matters immensely."

Without a second thought, Eila opened her mouth to utter a resounding yes, but the man in green stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, pardon my interruption. I suggest we let the Diderots rest in this city, for they have suffered far enough." He looked past the twins, where their parents continued to sit upstage. "Narciso and I are capable of traveling to the Isle of Trusa on our own."

Tomas tugged Eila's sleeve and whispered, "Maybe we should stay this time. Mr. Green can handle it." Still, he felt his heart tug at him.

Suilah glided away from them and suggested, "I shall give you some space to think it over. I must speak with this city's council regarding today's events, and I suspect that will take time. You may tell me your final decision come nighttime, is that fair?"

The twins nodded and the man in green bowed. "We are ever grateful for your help, Your Majesty."

Suilah faced away from them. "It is I who should be grateful to be in your presence, jade one," she said with a small grin as she passed the twins.

♦♦♦♦♦

After lunch, a mid-afternoon snack at Marco's, and plenty of catching up with their parents, Eila approached her mother. Mrs. Diderot sat on a wooden futon in the hotel room's balcony, contemplating the beach with Nino purring at her feet. Eila rested her head on her mother's lap, who began stroking her hair. A simple action, yet it always calmed Eila.

"Mom?" Eila asked as her eyelids grew heavy, "Do you really think Mr. Green will be fine by himself?"

Mrs. Diderot stayed quiet for a moment. "Why do you ask, dear?"

Eila took a deep breath. "Tommy said we should stay back and let him handle things because it's dangerous. But I still want to help... somehow."

"That's perfectly understandable. After all, he's your friend, right? He's helped us so, so much... Believe me, I'm forever thankful to him for keeping you safe. Him and Joanne." Mrs. Diderot took a strand of Eila's hair and braided it. "It's always good to help your friends, but this is different. How do I put this... you've seen how the monsters are and what they want. Mr. Green is involved in things that might be more than you can handle."

"Because I'm just a kid?" Eila grumbled. Of course, she knew it was far more than that.

Mrs. Diderot moved on to braid another strand. "Well, not just that. You're also human, dear. I don't know about you, but ever since we left Mount Reilu, I felt there was something extraordinary about him."

Eila agreed; and Suilah's words only reinforced her suspicions. Still, even if Tomas was right, even if the mere thought of seeing the monsters again froze her with fear, something in her wanted to see more. To learn. To finish their adventure.

The cool ocean air and the sound of rustling palm trees lulled Eila to close her eyes. Her gaze stayed on the very cusp of the sea line, where the water touched the sky. The sun was far along its descent, painting the sky in orange and pink.

Her mother placed her hand on her head and sighed. "After everything he's done for us, however, I feel I owe him a favor. Perhaps... no, Tomas might not like the idea."

Eila perked up and opened her eyes wide. "What idea?"

"Well, we certainly don't need to get involved in this 'guardians versus monsters' business. But it might be nice to accompany him to the island, at least. Offer moral support before he heads off. Yes... we could go sightseeing while he does whatever he needs to do. Or rest at some inn. Surely the island must have a nice, relaxing, monster-free place to stay." Mrs. Diderot leaned closer and whispered into Eila's ear with a mischievous smile, "Plus, we need to make up for our lost vacation days, don't you think, dear?"

Eila felt her heart flutter with glee. "Mom, I love you!"