"Any clue on what Miss Koyote's searching for?" Ingo asked, scratching his ear, following Genni through the streets of Oldenklow. "She was supposed to help us with preparations."

"You've heard what Olala said a few days back, right?"

"Still no clue about who sent those letters," Ingo muttered. "I'd be more inclined to leave those questions to fate and all that. We were there for a reason and we shouldn't dwell on it, because otherwise, things have been pretty calm as of recently."

She chuckled. "You reckon they won't be from now on?"

"Don't quote me when I get my hands near Morio again. Bastard's had his leisure for almost three seasons at this point. Have to whoop him back into shape myself!"

"Expected." she chuckled. "I agree with what you said, though. I enjoy the quiet moments, but they can't last for too long."

The two stopped in front of a library in Oldenklow. Much like the one in Willia, which Rowan frequented for various reasons, public and the biggest out there.

It had a different street named after itself and a few pillars spouted of its presence, with stairs following up towards a few signs written atop.

It wouldn't take a genius to guess that the structure stood there for hundreds of years. It was, supposedly, one of the first things built for Osmania's sake, after the second war, with a few more words spouting about its connection to another place such as this, much further away.

Anything that recalled history, even with how little there was, could've been found here.

Genni took the first step, and Ingo folded his arms.

"Think it might be just that, then." she continued.

"Probably. I know the only person I'd ask, but I doubt I'd find them."

"Hm?"

"That Tributal I fought with. Besides, it's something you told me about. Outer Errarion medicine. It's not just normal Tributal stuff."

"That's what I'm hoping to find in the library."

"Really?"

"Atop... some closure for myself. If we have the time." she sighed. "I told you about this earlier."

"Ah." Ingo scratched his head. "That."

"I'm surprised you didn't laugh it off like two years ago."

"Because we're older now, obviously." he breathed out, rolling his eyes and leaning against the masonry that marked the entrance gates. "...and the bastard Jyuzou's instilled the idea that everything must be supported in books."

"Not instilled." she chuckled. "It's just reassuring to see."

"Yeah, yeah. Try not to get too lost in the sauce. I'm still trying to get my hands on those last few tasty ink sacks."

"Each to their own I guess." Genni chuckled.

Ingo slid down the wall and waited, while Genni trod up the stairs towards the Polycule Library, as the letters atop suggested.

The pillars that supported the roofs and everything from thereon were a white, worn-out marble, with vines sprawling in and out the open, dusty windows. The entrance doors were made out of wood, to break that pattern, seemingly, and everything from thereon was the same.

Floors extended to the fifth, with the ceiling presenting a massive, old chandelier, with vines crawling towards the tops and painting the sides of the ladders that quietly led up to the hundred other people there.

Mostly older Paladians, as she expected, but there were also a few individuals coated in hoods, clearly taking a keen interest in something that made them unique.

Genni stood still and enjoyed the moment for a few seconds, pondering over those same thoughts. She was here to see something, first things first.

She began scanning through the books down there, gazing at the categories with the old signs having both the old and modern Manjuno present.

She followed up, passing by more of those dusty windows, with light invading almost every corner. Finally, after a few more tries, her eyes landed on one section where everything started to make more sense.

Irregularities, as they were labelled. It was more than that, seemingly. Zooming through, letter by letter, she finally found it, a light blue book with a symbol on its cover.

Sliding against the bookshelf, she opened it, with a tight smile. Well, she knew most of the first words either way.

"I'd take more than that for the sky to fall."

One of the books found in Dakarai's library after his death was an excerpt from this one, seemingly. Much like every other book, Olala recalled reading one about a story that reminded her of Genni's.

It took a lot of the Haran to gain the courage to explain the odds of joining Swannes, but it turned out to be met with understanding, and a lowly nod from Koyote.

Swannes gained people by exploiting their weakness, promising them it'd fade away once they achieved their perfection. Putting things into perspective, though, it didn't make sense.

Genni being born a boy wasn't a weakness. Likewise, the same happened with the book. It wasn't fiction, but rather facts. It talked of an Eran woman vowing to become a man to fight against the demons as a proud Demonear.

Maybe it wasn't the same thing Genni struggled with, but the few stories there brought her closer to the answer.

She had to fight for what she was, and... everyone did. Everyone fought their fight. Maybe Dakarai knew what she was fighting and wanted to exploit that.

A feeling of being inadequate, not in the right body. Maybe that's why this book was there, along with others stitched together about similar tales.

Reading through the rest, it was all triumph in the end. The Eran changed their name, and even though they died on the Empty Fields, they were one of the reasons why the Duke pushed through and managed to run for Shimori.

An irregularity painting the regular tale all knew.

Moving through the pages left reassured her to love herself the way she was. For if love is kept, all makes sense in the end.

"...and the sky only fell afterwards." Genni read the last few words, before sliding the short story under her arm and breathing out.

When she opened her eyes, they didn't land on everything that made the moment a stunning place. The pinks did come flying in through the last bits of sunshine, before clouds obscured it, with the dust then swapping out for another figure standing on the other side, skimming through some books.

Genni blinked twice, as she focused on the man who turned around, almost accordingly. He raised his eyebrows, in slight shock, before furrowing them and popping a small smile.

"Are you..." she muttered, raising herself to stand up.

"I thought I recognized you." Kania chuckled. "You're that girl that helped us out in the desert."

Genni tightened her grasp around the book. "Helped you out? I'd rather say it was mutual, to be honest." she gulped. "...and I still haven't really thought about it."

"About what?" Kania asked, reaching his one working hand up towards the higher shelves. Genni scanned his moves, before breathing out.

"You can hate me all you want. It doesn't change the fact that the three of us..." he looked down. "The four of us, deserve to live and see the next day."

"That day," she uttered.

Kania's gaze shifted, and his expression changed accordingly. The smile was gone, replaced with a more serious stance.

"I know what I saw." she continued. "You sided with that man until it seemed convenient enough to stick with the stronger ones. The people you were supposed to kill."

"I don't want to dwell on that anymore."

"That Paladian guy had a few more to say about that." she pointed.

"Me and Ranpa are a thing of the past, quite frankly, and I have more important things to focus on, as you can see. We're both in the same part of this damn library which I never visit." he rolled his eyes. "So don't we focus on that instead?"

"No." Genni slowly shook her head. "I closed an eye to it b-back then because we needed to survive. Then you ran away on the first occasion. As if it was convenient enough for you."

Kania sighed, glancing up at the chandelier or anything that separated the sky from the ground. Both hands up on the shelves, he waited, much to Genni's annoyance.

Ingo played with a couple of stones outside, before he and a few other passersby glimpsed up, feeling something dropping out of the sky.

Not Kania, though. He couldn't see it here.

"What book is in your hand?"

Genni blinked a couple of times. "It's none of your business."

"I'm assuming it's nothing about people trying to desperately come back to life, is it?" he asked.

Genni's eyes twitched, with furrowed brows further accenting that. "You're trying to stray off topic again."

"I'm not trying anything and I'm not smart enough to do it willingly!" he raised his voice, turning and slamming one hand against the shelves. "If you think that justice needs to be served, the whole world speaks the same. Broken hand, scars across my body and this stupid bandage over my eyebrow were caused by the thing you keep talking about. I'd rather move past it, honestly, but I can't."

Both Harans breathed out, with Genni loosening her grip on the book, sliding it into her handbag.

"It must be the same for you, but I won't question it. Just answer me this." he raised a finger, looking at her once more. "You're sure you saw the same thing as me back then, right?"

Genni slightly shook her head. "Many things. Shi Hon, that other demon, um-"

"I'm talking about that wretched fool. Hakate. You saw him die too, didn't you? Buried under so much rubble, blood oozing out of every wound there must've been no way for him to make it out alive."

"Yes."

The raindrops slowly made their presence known, dripping on the outside windowsill. They poured evenly at first before a few came storming in and away.

"That's me taking responsibility, then. It can't be any other way."

Kania straightened up, before putting one unsure footstep ahead, leaving the area. Genni traced his moves for a while, before shaking her head, and eventually coming to the same after a few minutes.

Treading down the steps, Ingo put both hands up to catch some of the drops before spotting the girl.

Ingo blinked a few times. "You found it?"

Genni blinked, before meeting the other Haran right near the gate. A quick nod followed, with her popping a tiny smile to follow. Ingo tilted his head, unsurely.

"Anything about the letters...?" he crouched, strangely enough.

"I skimmed through, but I think that'd be elsewhere. Let's hurry up, Ingo." she breathed in. "It's gonna start pouring in a few."