Transformation Nelpha Maxi: ........... Eleu Coge: ........... Thecto Sis: ...Um, so. Nelpha Maxi: What’s up? Eleu Coge: Yes? Thecto Sis: Do you two not get along? Nelpha Maxi: Thecto. Thecto Sis: Yes? Nelpha Maxi: This man is a Federation soldier. He's your enemy too. Eleu Coge: I hate to break it to you, but Ecolina Village belongs to the Federation now since the Imperial army abandoned it. Nelpha Maxi: Tch...! Eleu Coge: Which means you are his enemy. Geopolitically speaking, that is. Nelpha Maxi: Thecto, is that true? Do you think of me as an enemy? Thecto Sis: I don't… I don't really understand the complicated stuff. Thecto Sis: I just wondered if you two knew each other before... even if you act like you hate each other... Eleu Coge: My subordinates were entirely wiped out because of him. Thecto Sis: Because of Nel...? Nelpha Maxi: Don’t say that in front of the children! Thecto Sis: I'm not a child. Eleu Coge: So he says. Nelpha Maxi: If we’re pointing fingers, then it's your fault that... Because of you, Lord Nuxma was...! Thecto Sis: Nuxma, I think I've heard that name before... Nelpha Maxi: He was my commanding officer. Brilliant, brave, thoughtful, trusted by superiors and subordinates alike... Eleu Coge: A ruthless man without an ounce of compassion in him. An unfeeling, calculating zealot of efficiency. Nelpha Maxi: ...Say that again. I'll send you straight to hell to join your precious subordinates. Thecto Sis: ...Which one of you is telling the truth? Nelpha Maxi: I am. Eleu Coge: Unfortunately, both of us probably are. People look different depending on the angle you view them from. Thecto Sis: Is that true for you, too? I always thought the Federation were savages devoid of humanity. Eleu Coge: And in reality? Thecto Sis: ...I don't know if "kind" is the right word, but you seem quieter than I expected. Eleu Coge: A calm, intelligent conclusion. That's what we call an observation. You’re confirming things with your own eyes. Nelpha Maxi: You scheming devil...! What are you trying to pull, sweet-talking Thecto like that?! Eleu Coge: His judgment's clouded by preconceptions. It can't be helped. He's deeply wounded, so he keeps his guard up. Thecto Sis: ...Is it different for you? Eleu Coge: I was the same way once. But now I think most of my misunderstandings have cleared up, more or less. Eleu Coge: I never imagined he was the kind of man who'd put his life on the line to protect children. Nelpha Maxi: ........... Thecto Sis: Nel is kind. Eleu Coge: From where you're standing, it certainly seems that way. Nelpha Maxi: Cut the crap. I haven't forgiven you. Nelpha Maxi: Because of you, the darkness took the most important person in the world from me! Eleu Coge: ........... Thecto Sis: Nel... Nelpha Maxi: Sorry, Thecto... But I'm asking you this just once, for the rest of your life. Don't open your heart to him. Nelpha Maxi: Don't get any closer to him than this. Eleu Coge: That's quite a menacing line. Nelpha Maxi: If you know that much, then keep your mouth shut. Thecto Sis: ...What’s all of this supposed to mean? Eleu Coge: It doesn't mean anything. Some things in this world just can't be helped. Eleu Coge: But thank you for caring. You are a kind child. I hope your journey is rewarded. Thecto Sis: ........... Thecto Sis: (Nel and this Eleu person have some kind of history together.) Thecto Sis: (Were they enemies, once? ...Is it really okay for them to be traveling together right now? It definitely doesn't look like they've forgiven each other.) Thecto Sis: (Is it even possible to forgive someone who was once your enemy?) Thecto Sis: (I used to think the Federation was the bad guy. That they were villains trying to invade the Empire.) Thecto Sis: (But it wasn't the Empire's Echo Knights who saved us from the darkness, it was the Federation's soldiers.) Thecto Sis: (And on top of that, Ecolina Village seems to be Federation territory now... I don't understand any of it...) Thecto Sis: (Everything just keeps shifting and changing. What even is our identity...?) Thecto Sis: (What's going to happen to Airio? He became an imperial Echo Knight, and now Ecolina Village is Federation territory...) Thecto Sis: (Will Airio think of me as an enemy too?) Thecto Sis: (...I don't know. Even the family I love is changing. Dad... Airio...) Thecto Sis: (Everything is drifting away like clouds.) To be continued...