Everyone was awestruck by the glimmer of the moonflower. More so, Neoma, showed a wistful smile as one last stream of tears escaped her tired eyes. She whispered her mother's name with her final goodbye.
Aeneas heard her and remembered that they had forgotten to place a tombstone. He asked Tereus to cast earth magic; with his Zeal glowing and a wave of his hand, a slab of stone formed at the end of the grave.
Engraved in the stone was her name, "Nasaea." Aeneas asked Neoma what she wanted to write below as an epitaph. The girl shook her head. In her way, she told Aeneas that she's not good with words. So, Aeneas told Tereus what to engrave.
"Loving mother of Neoma."
***
The next day in the early morning, Konon returned to the Caspius manor. He said that the lord of Arsida had requested for Arsen to bring the girl with him in his place. And so, he did.
Minutes after having breakfast, Arsen and the others prepared to go to the Chronis manor. Neoma wouldn't come if Aeneas didn't, so the boy accompanied them. Arsen also wanted Lyra and his uncle Donos to come with him since they knew about Neoma's Zeal.
Before leaving, Lyra dyed Neoma's silver hair and turned it black. The girl was rejecting it at first, but Aeneas convinced her to do it. People of the manor were also curious as to why Lyra did it. They thought that the girl was originally from the kingdom of Akrisia, where white-haired people live. There were some variations in their hair color, and Crisa and the others thought that Neoma was one. In response, Lyra said that Neoma's hair might catch unwanted attention and people from Aakdan might recognize her immediately.
They decided to walk on the way to the Chronis manor. People were gawking at them, curious to know who the new black-haired girl they were with.
"That's the toy shop. That's the blacksmith's shop," Tiriara kept babbling about places to Neoma. She was walking beside Aeneas still clinging on his shirt.
Neoma's face lit up every time Tiriara introduced her to something. She couldn't remember the last time she was outside. And the feeling of freedom slowly seeps into her mind. Tiriara told everyone to take a stop at the local bakery to buy something to munch on. It was when Neoma showed a wide smile, looking at pastries on the display. Lyra was the one who bought a snack for everyone who wanted one.
When they arrived at the Chronis manor, Nireus and Theresa welcomed them.
"So, this is the child," Nireus said when he saw Neoma. He was a bit confused since Konon reported her as someone having silver-like hair. But, he realized that they must've dyed it to minimize attention.
Nireus asked Tiriara to show their manor to Neoma and Aeneas while the adults had their conversation. With a big smile, the girl was more than happy to do the honors. Neoma still held on to Aeneas's shirt, afraid of him disappearing in the blink of an eye.
To have privacy, Nireus told everyone to come to his spacious office. With him were his daughter, Theresa, the knight, Konon, and the three visitors, Arsen, Donos, and Lyra.
Soon as everyone sat down, Nireus spoke, "Why would the soldiers of Aakdan cross borders in pursuit of some prisoners?"
There have been cases where criminals from Aakdan have trespassed Pantera. But, due to fear of being on the bad side of Pantera, Aakdan has never sent soldiers to chase after them by trespassing. Instead, they would send letters to Pantera asking permission to allow their soldiers entrance to their land to search for the escaped criminals. Panteran knights always accompanied the Aakdani soldiers while they asked around.
The lord of Arsida knew that there was something more with the girl since two Aakdani soldiers tried to sneak into their land to bring her back. He also received a letter hours ago, from an Aakdani noble of duke rank named Geleon Alexeas. He stated in the letter that he would come to visit the lord of Arsida as an envoy of his king, and as soon as possible. It is mentioned in his letter that he was with a request from the Aakdani king to return the escaped prisoner to him and in exchange, they would shower him with gifts. The wording of the letter sounded almost too demanding as if it wasn't a request but a command.
Unlike Pantera, where there is no clear system of hierarchy and the king could be anyone with the Proud Lion's Zeal, crowned through a brutal process of enthronement, Aakdan is a typical kingdom where a monarch family rules the land, and the throne is bound by blood.
Nireus showed them the letter, and once again asked if they knew something about the girl that would make the kingdom of Aakdan do such things to get her back.
Lyra stood up. She walked closer to Nireus and whispered something in his ears.
"I see. It's as I predicted," Nireus muttered. Then, he took out a piece of paper from a drawer and began writing with his pen and ink.
Konon was confused, "What is it, my lord?" he asked.
"Swear to the Proud Lion that you won't tell anyone."
As Nireus asked, Konon swore to the Proud Lion that he would remain in confidentiality what he would learn from him. Briefly, Nireus told him the same story Lyra told Arsen. About the Moonlord and his people living in a part of the Great Verdant forest away from everyone, and their great aid at Pantera's greatest time of need. Like everyone who's heard the tale, Konon was moved. Theresa already knew about it. Her father told her when she became a knight.
"So, you're saying that the girl has the Zeal of the Great Wolf, my lord?"
Nireus nods, "It is our duty, not just as knights, but as Panterans, to see the girl back to her people," he pauses, his gaze towards Arsen, "What do you think, Sir Arsen?"
"I agree," Arsen replied.
"Did you bury the girl's mother?" Nireus asked.
Lyra answered him. She described the night funeral they had and the rare moonflower that was planted atop the soil where the girl's mother rests.
"Her name was Nasaea."
Nireus enjoyed listening to her, but he felt awkward when he saw the others staring at him while he had a silly smile. He cleared his throat aloud.
"How's the girl doing?"
"She cried until she couldn't," Lyra said.
Theresa was curious as to what her father was writing, so she decided to ask him about it.
"Oh, I'm writing a letter to our king."
Meanwhile, the three kids rested in the backyard of the main residence after Tiriara showed Neoma every nook and cranny of their manor. Tiriara was sitting at the grassy center, basking in the sunlight, while the other two took shade from under a tree.
"You two should join me, the sun feels great," Tiriara said with glee.
"We won't feel the same. We don't have the Proud Lion's Zeal," answered Aeneas.
Tiriara gasped, "Oh, right. I forgot!" The girl exclaimed before laughing.
Neoma watched the two talk to each other. She wanted to join them, to feel that she was included in the conversation.
"I have Zeal."
Aeneas was quite startled, and Tiriara was enthusiastic enough to stand up and go closer to them with a grin on her face.
"Really? What's your Zeal?" Tiriara asked.
Neoma stared at her, "Look," she said as she tried to raise her clothes. Both Tiriara and Aeneas stopped the girl for different reasons. But they do so because they care for Neoma.
"Aenie! Stop looking, you pervert!"
All there was in Aeneas's head was to stop Neoma from showing other people her unknown Zeal, he didn't realize that he would appear as Tiriara described him. His mouth kept opening, but words wouldn't come out.
After a while, "No, it's not that. I'm not even looking," he said.
Tiriara was unamused. Her expression showed great disappointment.
They were about to start their bickering when all of a sudden, Neoma freaked out. She pulled her clothes down from the neck as she didn't see her Zeal.
"Gone! Gone! Mother gift gone!"
"Aenie, look away!"
Tiriara tried to help calm Neoma who kept on looking and tapping around her upper right chest, while Aeneas looked away from them as Tiriara told him.
Upon looking closer and feeling the skin where Neoma kept looking, Tiriara noticed that there was something artificial in her skin. She tried to scratch it and asked Neoma if it hurt her. Neoma shook her head, her confusion was apparent.
"What is this?" Tiriara muttered as she peeled the fake skin that Lyra applied on Neoma. The clearskin made from an octomeleon would disguise itself as part of the skin when applied.
Tiriara took off the cover and a symbol appeared. A triangle pointing downwards with its left edge extending past its left vertex. Confused, Tiriara stared at it, she thought that the Zeal looked familiar and who among the twelve Zodiac Gods the Zeal she was looking at belonged.
Aeneas turned to them. He told Tiriara that it was the Zeal of the Great Wolf. A forgotten God that isn't part of the Zodiac. He thought that the girl had figured it out herself.
"Oh, I thought it was the Zeal of the Fair Maiden," Tiriara said with a chuckle.
The boy slapped his face with his palm. He thought that he should've figured that Tiriara didn't know how all the Zeals looked and the specific location of the body each Zeal appeared.
With a serious expression, Aeneas stared at Tiriara, "Don't tell anyone about it," he said.
Tiriara responded with successive nods. Then, Aeneas turned to Neoma, he grabbed her in the arms and told her to not tell anyone that she had that Zeal, and that it might've been the reason why she was being chased by those soldiers.
The poor child was filled with dread when she heard Aeneas's words. She only realized then that what happened to her and her mother must've been because of her Zeal.
Seeing Neoma stare into the ground, Tiriara decided to hug her, "It's their fault, they're bad people!" she exclaimed.
Then, from the gates of the Chronis manor, arrived two harions pulling a luxurious carriage assisted by two mounted soldiers from the kingdom of Aakdan.