We followed the man who claimed to be my deceased father through the frosty terrain. The man acted as if he knew exactly where we were. However, there was nothing but white for miles and miles. One could barely tell if we were making progress or walking around in circles. I couldn't help but feel my heart sink with each second that passed.

"She'll be fine," Rosalba assured, tapping my shoulder.

I smiled a bit. My old-self wanted to believe that we could go back to the way we were when we first met. But at the same time, that prospective seemed dim. It would never go back to the way it was, at least not fully.

The snow made the princess' blush look even redder. It was rather cute.

"Thanks," I said, ignoring my cynical side.

Ha... walking together like this brings back memories. If only it were possible to go back to those days. Those days we spent in Kuroyuki, walking through the cold and watching the snowflakes fall around us. Is she also thinking of that time?

I glanced over at Rosalba. She fiddled around with a ruby bead bracelet as she avoided looking me directly in the eyes. I recognized that face, it was the look of guilt.

Rosalba raised her arm. "Looking at this?"

I felt my face warm as I remembered our battle against Satoru. It was a hard fight, but in hindsight it was a nice memory. After all, it was that battle which made me stop denying my feeling for her.

"I can't use Caelio any more," she said. "Well, transform it."

I stared at my shield. Was Agnes returning to its base form tied to it?

"Guess it was due to the heat of battle," I said, staring at Yuko. Luckily she was still holding on. I looked up and watched as the Kuroyuki no San brothers pushed the snow aside to speed up our pace. It was a good thing that they were doing that as there were enormous snow dunes around the place.

Tiny lizard like creatures glanced around at the cleared rock and ran upon seeing us. They dug deep into the snow with their tiny claws until they were well beyond sight.

Were those things just now dragons? They're so tiny... Must be babies.

I turned my eyes back toward Rosalba. Her golden-brown eyes were focused on the falling snow. The stuff glittered in the limited sunlight that managed to break past the light gray clouds.

"Caelio hadn't been transformed since her mom died, except for that battle against the Abyssmals," Kuroshi said, a sad look on his face.

"I've been meaning to ask you," I said, picking up my pace. "What exactly is your relationship with the king?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, as you likely already heard, we were love rivals for Sofia. It was began before I met your Ma. Well, Anis was also involved in it soon after we met. I guess once could call it a love square," he answered as if he had read my mind. "Actually, that's likely why Osamu had you signaled out as the rapist over the other guys in the castle."

"So you think the same as I do," I said, sighing.

"I overheard your conversation. Actually, a lot of us did. Anyway, as I was saying, the king holds a grudge against me. If it weren't for him needing my help to save his kingdom, then he probably would've had you killed."

Was that the reason behind that smile back in the dungeon? The hateful king couldn't vent out his anger on my father so he did so on me?

"Why would the king hate you for a love triangle that he won?" I questioned,, narrowing my eyes.

Rosalba caught up to us. "I'll like to ask you something. My sister and I read your name in some letters we found in the attic. What was your relationship with our mom?

Wait, the castle had an attic? Well, the royals were known for being materialistic. They must've accumulated a lot of trash over the years.

"She referred to you as her first love," Rosalba continued, following him close behind.

Father's face flushed a little. "Did she?" He chuckled. "If she truly loved me then..."

"That's why I want to know, what exactly happened between you two," Rosa said.

"Enough gossiping about stuff that don't matter," snapped Hyosetsu as he and Kohri continued to plow the snow away. "Are we even making progress to the next town?"

"We should be arriving soon," Kuroshi responded. He put back on the hood of his cloak which he had removed to get a better view in the winter wonderland we found ourselves stuck in.

What was he going to say? And, did mother know about this? That P... Kuroshi, that Kuroshi was receiving letters from Queen Sofia?

"I see it!" Kohri yelled, bringing me back to reality. He pointed at a small town which consisted of approximately four dozen buildings made out of stone. The roofs of the houses were covered in a coat of ice and snow while icicles dangled from the edges.

"Looks empty," I said, hugging Yuko. I could no longer feel her breathing against my clothes. I touched her arm to get her pulse. It was weak...

A white haired young man stepped out of one of the houses and stared us down with a bored expression.

"Who are you?" I asked as I stepped toward him. "No, better yet, do you know where I can find a doctor? This girl, she's..."

"Leave at once," the boy said with narrowed eyes.

"I wasn't aware that this town had security," Hyosetsu remarked as he continued onward.

"Hey, don't start a fight! We need to get Yuko treated as soon as possible," I warned, sighing.

These guys never learn... Though this guy doesn't seem like he'll help us.

"Relax," Hyosetsu said as he waved his hand dismissively. He returned his gaze to the strange young man. "Listen here, we don't plan to stay the night in your shoddy little village. We just want to see a doctor. One of our colleagues became inflicted with an unknown illness. Once she's healed then we will leave."

The young man's icy blue-green eyes shifted toward Yuko. "That's the girl? Bring her in, I'll attend her. However, I want the rest of you to stay out here. I don't trust angels."

Hyosetsu's hands curled around the hilt of his sword. The first Kuroyuki no San prince's eyes landed on me. "Do as he says, plebian. If you desire to save the girl that is."

I didn't need him to tell me. I gently, but quickly, handed Yuko over to the strange boy.

"Please, save her," I said, keeping my head low.

The young man sighed. "No need to lower your head before me. I am not some king. I'll inform you once I've figured out what's inflicting her. As for healing her, that'll depend on her affliction. Hopefully I'll have the resources to heal her here. If not then she likely won't be able to make it past the night." The stranger slammed the door of his house shut, causing icicles to stab the two feet of snow in front of us.

A thin wall of ice formed between us and the rest of the town.

How kind of him to do so, not! First the people of Xeleria and now the people of this realm. Did we angels do something to make everyone else hate us so much?

I shook my head. That wasn't important, though. What truly mattered was Yuko's health. I just hoped that the boy knew what he was doing and that he was a trustworthy person. Normally I wouldn't have handed her over to a stranger but I could tell that the town wasn't big enough to have more than one doctor.

"Is that guy even a doctor?" Rosalba asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"It seems that he is," Kohri said, looking into the house. On the ice wall was a large hole.

I ran up to him and looked in. It was hard to see past the frilly white curtains but I could make out the guy listening to Yuko's pulse.

The stranger glanced over at us and rose his hand.

"Look out!" Rosalba yelled as she kept her distance.

I glanced up and saw icicles crack off from their source. Raising my broken shield, I ducked. Kohri though moved the ice away from us.

I peered in and saw that the boy had returned to attending Yuko.

"Let's go and wait," I said, taking in a deep breath. "I rather avoid upsetting him."

Kohri shattered the icicles and followed me out of the town. The wall behind us closed as the clouds overhead completely blocked out the sun.

"I think that you unsettled the guy," Rosalba said as she crouched by the wall. Hail was raining down rapidly.

"Kohri, could you stay here and wait for the boy to finish treating Yuko?" Kuroshi asked.

"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, giving him the stink eye.

"To find you a dragon, remember?" he responded with a devious grin. He marched on ahead, as joyful as a child on an adventure.

"Kohri, stay here and watch over Yuko's recovery," I said.

Kohri raised an eyebrow and said, "You sure?"

I nodded. "I trust you to keep her safe. And not to start a fight with that white-haired jerk."

He flashed me a wide grin. "Got it! I shall do what you order, captain!"

Somehow that managed to get a chuckle out of me, despite the situation.

I put my hands on my hips. "Don't go and call me that! Like I keep saying, Tetsuya is fine."

"Okay, Tetsu!" Kohri said, still saluting me as if I were some army general.

"Are you coming or not?" Hyosetsu yelled, glaring at us.

I turned around and waved goodbye to the younger brother. "See you later. Hopefully with an upgraded shield on my arm!"

Kohri pouted. "I hope not. I want to see how your father repairs it!" he yelled with a grin on his face.

Rosa suddenly gasped.

"Is something the matter?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

"I just remembered something. Kohri, did you finish the weapon I asked for?"

I glanced back and forth between the two. "A weapon?"

Rosa swung her hands behind her back and nodded. "Though, I think it'll be better to show you."

Kohri glanced over at Kuroshi. "I actually gave it to him to finish. I feared the umbra within would escape."

"The umbra?" I gasped. Were they talking about the one the girls and I sealed back in the palace?

Kuroshi grinned. "Oh right, I had forgotten about it. Good thinking, princess." A tear in space opened up behind him. He reached his left hand into the darkness and pulled out a pitch-black crystalline double-edged sword with a red and gold hilt. "Here ya go son, your own sword! Courtesy of your girlfriend, the princess!"

Rosalba's face reddened a bit.

I smiled at the princess. I wasn't sure if it was right to say that we were dating, but at least we were now closer to the path we were in when we first kissed.

I took the sword from my father's hands. I could tell right away with a single touch that it was indeed made for me.

"I made the hilt with the Seraphium we found when you were little," Kuroshi said, grinning. "Hope you don't mind me taking it back. It is harder to come by these days after having created those five angel tools."

So he remembered about it. "It's fine," I said, averting my eyes.

"How's the sword?" Rosa asked.

"It fits like a glove!" I said.

"Even though you already got gloves on!" Kohri said, chuckling.

"I did make it with that in mind," Kuroshi said. "The hilt adjust to its wielder's grip. Though I will warn you, this weapon must not be wield by someone who isn't able to control darkness. The umbra might attempt to possess them if so."

"Strange, I don't feel like it's restless when I'm holding it," I said, raising it toward the sky.

"That's because you defeated it. The umbra has accepted you as someone powerful enough to control it."

"I see," I said, grinning.

"Oh right, here's its sheath!" Kohri said, tossing me a black sheath he had summoned from his hyper ring.

I strapped the sheath to my belt and slide the sword into it. After years of fighting with wooden swords, I finally had an actual sword to call my own. And it was all thanks to Rosa. 

I lowered my head and gripped the sheath tightly. Rosa... I might not be able to claim that which is lost, but I will claim justice. With this sword I will pave my path, a path that will be known to the ages as The Shadow of Justice. 

I was going to move forward and find out who or what conspired against Rosalba and me. That was what now drove my knighthood. Not idealism to become like my father, well the image I was raised with of him. No, rather it was now the desire for revenge which now burned deeper than before! A desire which if not for my comrades, would likely have consumed me right then and there, rendering me but a mindless shadow dragon.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter :3. Thoughts on Tetsuya continuing desire for revenge?**