It was a day, like many others. Kain was wandering about Mysidia, in search for who knows what. Perhaps a sign? Maybe an answer to a question that tugged ruthlessly at him day and night? Perhaps...he searched for her. That beautiful elf that had came into his life so suddenly and departed the very same way. She had been his lifeline, his very meaning of existence. And now as the wind blew wisps of fallen hair into his eyes, the Dragoon could feel her very presence. She had not left, not truly, for as long as he could feel her, she would always be there.

Always be there? The hell she will, Kain grumbled within his mind.

He thought he had finally moved onto a better life, escaping the bombardment of needless regret from Baron. But now all he had gotten was a wave of untainted memories, scornful and mocking. I...loved her. Kain leaned his body against one of the brick walls of Mysidia’s houses. He loved her? Kain loved no one. He was cold, his emotions always under control.

Kain had had this conversation before with Valzer and Rydia and it always went in endless circles. Valzer. He was her best friend, her brother, her family. Rydia had grown so close to her... And with each word spoken, he could see quite well the pain that blistered within the Caller and Black Wizard. He wasn’t the only one who lost her. But that truth did little to ease his pain.

Kain looked apathetically about the village of wizards. They knew Decca was gone as well, after all, this was her home. Some wizards gave their sympathy to Kain, Valzer and Rydia, but they did not want it. Nor did the other wizards that were particularly close to the elf.

Rydia had chosen to stay with Valzer and Kain, giving a promise to find her guardian angel, wherever she may lie. Cecil went back to Baron, to his wife and to his people, wishing to help Kain further, but only being denied by the Dragoon. Kain did, however, say he would contact the king if something indeed happened. But that had been three months ago, and as the sun faded to the moon each night, so did their hope of finding Decca. Another day gone and another night to endure.

Kain began walking, his hands clasped behind his back, unaware that he was indeed walking; small strides and short glances around a world that had betrayed him more times than he wanted to know. His unconscious movements led him before the swinging pub doors of Mysidia’s tavern. The Dragoon Knight poked his well-tanned face in through the opening above the doors, surveying the saloon for Valzer (though there was no need to look very far). Valzer was usually always there in "their" spot; a small booth by the window.

“Drowning your sorrows away, eh, Valz?” Kain sat down across from his wizard friend, showing a smile that was obviously fake, but Valzer didn't bother to take note of it. Any attempt at a gesture of happiness from Kain looked to be false in these past months.

“I’m drowning enough sorrows for all of us.” He smiled, but it faded when Kain attempted to grin again. “Still have that?” Valzer nodded his head to Kain’s neck, raising his mug to his lips, but never bothering to drink. In fact, Kain noticed that Valzer’s cup was still full.

“Valzer, don’t ask that.” Kain wrapped his fingers about the blue stone. The collar of Kain’s gray shirt curled upward slightly as he moved the chain back and forth, his gaze another world away.

“The Light Crystal...” Valzer reached out as if to touch the blue stone, but recoiled upon painful memories, allowing his hand to fall limply upon the wooden table once more. “I thought the White Light was for good.”

“I’m sure she was...”

The wizard’s voice fell to a soft whisper, like he was afraid of the consequences of speaking this forbidden topic. “Then why is she gone?” Valzer’s brown eyes searched Kain’s for the longest time, wondering what was being thought within the Dragoon’s mind.

After a while Kain answered, his voice distant, but not without its warmth. “I don’t know.” Kain noticed that Valzer’s complexion seemed darker than usual when he wore casual clothes. In his wizard’s robe, he always seemed paler somehow. At any other time Kain might have found amusement in that.

“Don’t you want to know?”

He lowered his head, black hair falling back before his somber face. “Yes...I do.” Kain was sure to keep his gaze well away from Valzer. At this moment, whether it was out of some sort of bitter guilt or even misguided pity, he could not look upon his best ally's face without feeling a knot within himself.

Valzer wanted to tell Kain it was not his fault, that he himself was at blame, if any was to be given. But being stubborn was one of Kain's less pleasant qualities and no matter what Valzer could say, Kain would always blame himself.

Valzer formed his next words with caution, “Don’t you think it’s time we went back to Amyl?”

Kain glanced up at him; his expression was no longer masked and the wizard could see well the surprise upon his face. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” His head went down once more, his eyes now covered completely by hair, making it impossible for Valzer to see his friend's true feelings.

“It's better than staying here. Anything is better than staying here and waiting for a ghost.” The wizard finally placed his cup upon the table, some of the ale’s frost sliding slowly down the side, looking like white tears descending from a face of glass. “Maybe we can find something about her there. She was always drawn to that shrine as a kid. I found her there when we were little... It’s almost like a landmark, where two worlds come together as one.”

Two worlds... Kain hadn’t thought much about that other world. He was careful to keep it from his mind, fearful of what he might do if such thoughts were to stay within his head longer than a mere second. “When you found her, what did she say?”

Valzer shrugged slightly. “She was quiet. Just...silent. I thought she was mute at first. Even though I was a kid, I still was wary of bringing beautiful girls home.” He smiled a small, quiet grin. “The first thing she said was in elvish. Quad...quadir...” Valzer squinted, as he fumbled over the words in his mind, trying to remember a language that he never truly understood. “Quadirè. I think.”

“What does it mean?”

The wizard shrugged, finally taking his first sip of spirits. “I don’t know. Decca and my mother talked a lot then.” That last part caused another laugh from him, but it was sad and distant. “I wish I could ask her what they talked about, but it’s seven years too late, buddy.”

“What about your father then?”

Valzer snorted. “Him? That old man probably doesn’t remember who I am, yet alone what he talked about with Decca. I could ask him though, if you want me to... He did study languages. Perhaps he knows what Quadirè translates to.”

***

“Quadirè, you say?” Arkane peered up at his son and Kain from the pages of a leather bound book. Valzer had led his friend to the east side of town, where old buildings stood as a reminder of a time when magic was more valued and more powerful. Kain had met Valzer’s father before, but with each time the old man had a way about him, making you uncomfortable in his presence.

“Yes, I did.” Valzer glanced over at Kain, not bothering to smile on his face, only within his eyes. “Do you know what it means?”

“Decca’s first word?” Arkane's hands reached out before him, grabbing hold of a feathered pen and writing down the translations of the book he was reading. Valzer could tell his sentence was less than a question and more of a statement. “She spoke elvish fluently. I never met many elves, so I found it surprising she could speak her own native tongue.”

“Do you know what it means?” The wizard repeated, no frustration intended. As much as Valzer enjoyed reminiscing, his curiosity was more demanding.

“I don’t speak elvish, Valzer, you know that. I’ve met hardly a soul who can.” Now the old man looked up at his son, his soft gaze locking with Valzer’s. The son looked away, but the father continued to stare, and for the first time noting Kain was standing next to him. “Ah, Kain, good to see you again.” Arkane smiled wearily, his warm brown eyes similar to Valzer’s.

Kain would have voiced a hello or at least nodded in civility, but nothing came to mind at that moment, so he simply cast his gaze to the floor. Damn old man. He always has a way of making me feel guilt for everything. Does he do it intentionally?

“No, I don’t, Kain. Sorry if it seems that way. I do that to people. When you are as old as I am your own magic tends to show you things you would never bother yourself to see before.” He grinned again, amusement clearly on his face when Kain’s own faltered.

“I would thank you not to read my thoughts.”

“It comes and goes, boys,” he chuckled, finally closing his book. “You know I miss her, Valzer. When we lost Anastasia, at least we still had Decca. Now..." Arkane rested a hand over his son’s cheek as he rose from his seat. “It’s human ignorance, you see, not being able to know your love for something until it is no longer there.”

“It’s also human ignorance to keep someone waiting, old man.” Valzer grabbed for his father’s book, taking it from off his desk and paging carelessly through it.

The sage laughed again, his voice clearer than before. “Yes, yes, it is.” He made his way over to a small bookcase in the far corner of the basement. Only few torches lit the room, making it impossible to see everything with clarity, but somehow Arkane managed quite well. Folding back the tan sleeves of his cloak, so as not to get in his way, he chose a book from the topmost shelf. “Ah yes, this will do.” Taking his own book from his son’s hands, the sage replaced it with the hardback from the ledge.

“What’s this?”

“Elvish is not only a beautiful language, but an old one as well. It was thought to be dead.” With the book still in Valzer’s hands, he opened it to a particular passage. “When Decca first came here, I began to teach myself elvish, but to no prevail. I only know a few route words, that’s about it, son.”

“Why did you stop?” Valzer’s eyes carefully searched the pages spread out before him. It didn’t look a difficult language to learn. “It still would have been valued to know back then. And we know how much you love languages.”

The old man shrugged, sitting back down upon his chair. “Decca never spoke much elvish after that. Once she realized we were a different culture with a completely different language, I don’t think she saw the need to use it much. So I never bothered to learn it, though I think I would have enjoyed the opportunity. When you have two children it’s hard to get any work finished, yet alone a hobby.” He smiled, a gesture mirrored by Valzer.

With a slight sigh, the old man threw his book upon his desk. “Try the Mysidian Library. Perhaps you can find something there in the older portion of the building. Sorry I could only be of such little help.”

***

With Arkane's advice, Kain and Valzer had made way over to the Library of Mysidia, where Rydia had spent many a day searching. Valzer’s father and the young Caller had one thing in common, their fondness of books. Ever since their arrival back in Mysidia, three months prior, Rydia had spent most of her time searching old tomes for any indication of what the White Light could be. Was it indeed a person or simply a spirit? If someone had to be the one to look into the spiritual world, Rydia was their girl.

When the two men entered the building, only a few wizards inhabited it at this time of day. Some glanced over at the opening of the door; the rest were too busy with their faces jammed inside novels of magic, literature, science and philosophy. The library was indeed vast and reflected the air of Valzer’s basement. It was ghostly dim, torches illuminating the room and the large stain glass windows allowing only small shafts of colorful light passage. Above, upon the balconies, were walls of more books. And as the both of them stood before the doorway, only one thought crossed their minds.

This would take more than one day.

But soon the pair was greeted by a familiar face, bordered in jade hair, smiling with hands full with books and parchments. “I didn’t know you guys were coming here today. You should have told me. I would have waited for you.” Valzer helped Rydia as she dropped the assortment of tomes upon the desks.

Valzer searched the little space the bookshelves made around the tables. The wizard exchanged a glance with his Dragoon companion. It was a quick look, filled with remembrance and pain. Valzer, Decca and Kain had spent many afternoons here, paging carelessly through books, looking for lost spells and solutions to mysteries.

Their expression reflected in Rydia’s eyes, causing a knot of sorrow to wrench inside her, and with a sigh, the girl sat down near the table. Her smile was no more, now only a small frown. “I...I thought that if I looked hard enough, I could find something on the one who took her away.”

“I know you want to find her too, kid.” Valzer rested a hand upon her small shoulder, but only tears now came from Rydia’s eyes, in the remembrance of friend who was too long gone to save. He grinned, despite his own feelings. “We’ll find her. Decca’s strong. She’s out there somewhere, Rydia, waiting for us.” He placed the book his father gave him upon the desk, next to the other piles.

Once Rydia nodded, Valzer turned to regard Kain, and found nothing but the empty space where he had once been standing. For a moment the wizard simply watched that spot, wondering why Kain had wandered off. But as Valzer soon realized, Kain hadn't wandered off in the library. He went off in search of that nameless spot, to think of forgotten things.

Valzer's hand slipped away from Rydia and he spoke quietly as he left in search for his ally, “Stay here, Rydia.” And before he left, “go through that book.”

The setting sun glowed silently upon the world, its light bathing one particular spot in Mysidia, making it stand apart from the others. It was a hill, off in the distant west of town, where the homes and shops thinned out to grassy knolls and fields of dandelions. Part of the hill was showered in sunlight, causing its jade grass too look nearly gold. During this time of day the breeze was warm and the smell of the woodland, which surround the bottom of the hill like misty green fog, filled the air with its pleasant aroma. The vast mountains stood out beyond the forest, showing their snowcaps quite well against the hazy, ginger colored sky.

And there was Kain, sitting on top of the knoll, the wind blowing back his dark hair, combing through it with warm fingers, his eyes closed and his face solemn. Valzer sat down next to him, not bothering to speak, only staring into the great abyss beyond their village along with his friend. When Kain looked over to the wizard, his eyes were bright, but surprisingly peaceful.

The wizard grinned faintly. “It’s not over yet, Kain.”

“I know.” The Dragoon sighed, resting his arms upon his arched knees. “And I have this terrible feeling within me that tells me it may never be.”

“It has to end sometime.” Although the comment was meant in all certainty, Valzer’s smile faded as he spoke. “She’ll come back to us. I know she will. Have faith in her, Kain.”

The Dragoon Knight gazed up into the sky, squinting as the rays from the sun pierced his eyes. He was quiet for the longest time and Valzer thought he lost his friend in the memories of the past. He would have nudged him out of his dreamlike state, but it was the only time Kain seemed to be at peace. Even if it was not real, Valzer couldn’t take that away from him.

Finally, he spoke, his voice soft, sounding a long distance away, “I know she’ll come back. She promised me, didn’t she?” Kain’s hand held tight the gem around his neck, every painful memory flooding back with its cold touch.

Valzer bowed his head, the sun’s warmth feeling comforting as it covered the two warriors with its fading glow. “Yeah, she did.”