"There. That should take care of it."

Hikari sighed with relief as Castti's hands pulled away from his arm. A bandage had been left behind across each of the cuts that he had sustained during the fight. Once matters had been settled with the gladiators and Kazan for the night, Hikari had gone back to the inn alongside Castti to have his injuries examined. Temenos had run off to the library at some point over the last hour, and that left Castti as the only one who could help Hikari with the wounds that he had received from Bandelam. He felt better instantly once the blood was covered up and no long in his direct line of sight, and Hikari cast her a gentle smile when he was certain that looking at her was not going to run the risk of looking at the injuries that had nearly drawn out the shadow during the last two fights of the past twenty-four hours. "Thank you, Castti," Hikari smiled. "I greatly appreciate it."

"Of course," Castti replied with a shake of her head. "I wish you hadn't been injured that way at all, but I'm glad we were able to catch it before it could get too much worse. I'm certain Temenos will be able to help with healing the injuries as well, but I don't know where he ran off to." She sighed at those words, and Hikari could hardly blame her. He had been lucky to see Temenos dart off in the direction of the library, and he would have been shocked if Temenos had vanished without so much as a word otherwise too. 

"I think he went to the library," Hikari told her. "I believe he wanted to do a bit of research into the matters that he is traveling for." That was Hikari's best guess anyway, and he wasn't entirely certain if he would ever get a straight answer out of Temenos on the matter. Hikari certainly trusted all of the people he was traveling with, but Temenos was an enigma in a way very few others were. He was simply strange, and Hikari hoped he would one day be able to break through his evasive exterior to make it to the truth behind his behavior. 

"I understand," Castti hummed. She fell silent for a few long seconds before she fixed Hikari with a concerned frown. "Pardon me for asking this, Hikari, but... Are you alright?"

Hikari's eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"

"During the battle, it was like... Something in you changed," Castti commented, moving to pack up her various medical supplies by returning them to her satchel. "I'm not entirely sure of how to describe it. You started talking to someone who wasn't there before, and... The way you fought against Zeto and then Bandelam didn't seem like you at all."

Hikari hesitated for a long moment, and shame began to bloom in his heart. He shouldn't have been surprised that someone else in the travelers had taken note of it, but that didn't make it any easier to stomach or explain. The shadow had always been something of a rough subject for him, doubly so because the other people in his life who understood were more than happy to push his concerns away so they did not have to acknowledge the damage they could have been doing. Mugen and Jigo had both been influenced by similar bloodlust, and yet, Hikari had never been able to understand just where it came from or why it happened to them. All he really had were vague hints about them being part of an accursed clan, but since those words had been spoken by an enemy, Mugen refused to acknowledge them for longer than the few moments it took to dismiss Hikari's fears. 

"I... I'm not entirely sure of how to describe it," Hikari began. He wasn't sure if he was meant to be talking about it at all if he was being honest with himself. Somehow, it felt like he was doing something wrong. He shouldn't have been even entertaining the idea of talking to Castti about this, but now that she had asked, he couldn't seem to hold himself back. "Do you... Do you ever feel like you're not alone in your own mind?"

Castti was the one to hesitate next, and her eyes went wide. Hikari could see an entire storm of emotions rush through her face, but she couldn't seem to figure out how to put a voice to any of them. "I... I don't know," she said, and Hikari could see in real time as her eyes seemed to glass over with something foreign and impossible to describe or understand. "I'm not... I'm not sure."

Hikari felt heat rush into his cheeks. He shouldn't have brought this up, and he wished he had thought to recognize the weight of that shame before he said something to Castti. It was difficult for him to think about, and... He didn't want the rest of the travelers to think poorly of him for something that he didn't want to hurt them. Hikari knew that the darkness within his heart was dangerous, and he had seen as much through the ways other people looked at him when it began to take control of his mind and body. The last thing Hikari wanted was to end up pushing away his new group of friends because he was terrifying in ways they would never be able to describe. He wanted to be safe to them, and he knew he would never be safe or easy to be around as long as he was such a danger to everyone who dared to look in his direction. 

"I... I feel like there's someone else inside of me sometimes," Hikari somehow managed to choke out even as his mind screamed at him to not speak a word of this to anyone. "It's hard to describe. It's like there's a darker version of me, and... He seems to want to come out when I'm in the middle of a particularly dangerous fight. I can feel my vision start to waver when I'm truly in danger, and... I can't hold back. I can't do anything to make myself stop when I start fighting that way, and it's terrifying. I don't want to be like that, but it seems like all I can do is... Is fight."

Castti hummed and nodded, slowly processing each and every one of his words. There was still something distant and hazy about the look on her face, like her mind couldn't seem to fully understand what it was that she was hearing. "So... So you think there are two sides of you," she murmured, but her voice didn't feel like it was hers all of a sudden. Hikari couldn't quite describe it, but it seemed as if the words were growing distorted and out of reach. She was trying to make sense of what she was hearing, but her voice didn't sound much like her regular cadence anymore at all. There was something else at play, and Hikari didn't know what it was supposed to mean. 

"I guess you could say that," Hikari agreed, though that still didn't feel like it was enough of an explanation for how he had come to feel over the course of his struggles with the shadow. He wasn't supposed to be talking about this. Every instinct in his body was telling him to shut up and not even think of bringing this up again, but Hikari had started talking about it, and that made it difficult for him to fully shut it down. He shook his head even as his vision threatened to pulse at the corners from the influence of either the shadow or something else beyond his understanding. "I don't know. Maybe it's all in my head. I could simply be mistaken."

Hikari knew that wasn't true at all. If he was simply mistaken, then Mugen wouldn't have reacted so negatively to him saying there was a chance their clan was cursed by something horrible years prior. If Hikari was wrong about this, then he wouldn't feel his control begin to wane in the middle of a fight. He knew it was not a surge of strength or a desire to survive in the heat of a difficult battle. If it was simply his anxiety, then it would not speak to him in a voice that felt like a mockery of his own. If it was all in his head, then Hikari would not have frightened both Ritsu and Zeto by seemingly transforming into other people right before their eyes. 

No... There was something at play here, and Hikari didn't want to admit it to anyone. He didn't want to give other people a reason to be afraid of him. He wanted to be reliable. He wanted to be a friend that others could trust, but he knew he would not be considered such a thing if he was constantly worried about wrestling control out of the hands of some other entity he hated sharing a body with. Hikari wanted to stay with the rest of the travelers, and if he was honest about the fact that there was something wrong with him, then they would be afraid. He wouldn't be able to blame them either. If he had been in their positions, he wouldn't have known how to handle it either. 

Castti already seemed to not know what to say or do about Hikari's confession, and she was staring down at the ground just in front of her feet with a distance in her eyes that went far beyond simple confusion. It was like she was no longer a resident of her own body, like her soul had been torn out through some opening in the back of her neck and then left to wander the air just above her. Castti blinked a few times, but the motions were slow and lethargic. Hikari wasn't entirely sure of what about their conversation had frightened her so deeply, but he knew that he had to stop it as soon as possible. 

"I'm sure it's nothing," Hikari forced himself to say with a hurried shake of his head. "I could just be imagining it." He knew that wasn't true, but he was more than willing to bury the truth if that would make the others a bit more comfortable around him. Hikari had come to know such wonderful camaraderie over the course of his travels, and he wanted to keep his new friends in his life. If he had to lie a little bit in order to make sure they continued to feel safe around him, then... Then so be it. Hikari hated having to withhold the truth, but he hoped they would be willing to understand when he proved that he was someone they could trust without fear. 

Hikari would just have to get a better grip on himself. He would have to learn to control the shadow and make sure it did not hurt him or anyone else. surely he would be able to do such a thing. He had made it that far with the shadow only coming out once... But he and the rest of the travelers hadn't really dealt with any dangerous battles up to that point, had they? Hikari had helped to eliminate a few rogue monsters that came across their path on the road, and he had assisted during the battle against La'mani... But none of those opponents had truly tested him the way Zeto and Bandelam had. 

Hikari knew his foes were bound to get stronger with time too. Mugen was still out there, and Hikari had to find a way to grow strong enough to stop him. He couldn't let his brother continue his conquests of the deserts of Hinoeuma, and if he wanted to win the war, then Hikari would have to grow strong enough to keep the shadow in check. If he went up against stronger foes, then he would no doubt end up in greater danger, and the shadow would want to emerge. Hikari was only at the beginning of his journey, and it was all going to fall apart if he was forced to confront anyone who was too much stronger than he was. 

Then he would just have to grow stronger in return. If he could outmatch his opponents from the start, then he wouldn't have to worry about the shadow taking control in a moment of desperation and desire for bloodshed. Hikari could grow stronger than it was, and he would defeat it in his own way. He wouldn't let this be the end of it. The shadow would not best him. He had let his guard down during the battles at the arena, but that would not happen again. Hikari would make sure of it no matter what it took. 

"There you are!"

Zeto's voice cut through Hikari's thoughts. Beside him, Castti slowly blinked back to awareness, lethargically pulling her head up in something that vaguely resembled acknowledgement. "We were wondering where you had gone off to," Zeto went on. "We're going to enjoy a celebratory feast at the tavern tonight. You should join us. It's the least we can do for you after everything you did for us."

Hikari exchanged glances with Castti. Kazan had said they were going to enjoy a toast that night, but he had disappeared to work on preparations for the rest of the war before Hikari could ask him if he meant it. He should have known Kazan was serious about it; if there was one thing Kazan meant more than anything else, it was that he would enjoy a drink after a long, grueling fight. "Alright," Hikari agreed, pushing himself to his feet. He glanced over at Castti, finding her still a little bit disoriented. "How about you go and find the others? You can bring them to the tavern, and we can all enjoy the meal together."

Being given a task seemed to fully bring Castti back to the present, and she nodded. "I can do that. I'll see you later, Hikari." She brushed past Zeto on her way to the door, and Hikari frowned after her. Once again, he could have sworn something about her cadence had changed, but he wasn't entirely sure of how to describe it. He simply felt like something was different, and he had to wonder if she could see it too. 

Either way, Hikari would have to wait on receiving the answers he sought. Zeto was waiting for him, and the gladiator nodded before gesturing for him to follow him to the tavern. Hikari wasted no time in trailing after him, trying to press all thoughts of the shadow from his mind. Tonight was a night of celebration and enjoyment. He had a right to have fun. Everything was going to be alright. 

All he had to do was find a way to prove it to himself. 

~~~~~

"Alright. Thank you."

Temenos offered a nod to one of the scholars of the Montwise library once their conversation was finished, pulling away and redirecting his attention toward the door. He knew the rest of the party was bound to be concerned about him after he had run out seemingly out of nowhere, and Temenos wasn't in the business of worrying others on purpose. He would need to get back to them sooner rather than later to assure them that everything was alright with him. 

After the matter of the arena was settled, Temenos decided to chart a course for the library of Montwise. He asked around for anyone who happened to know about Lucian the theologian, and he had come up with quite a few useful tidbits over the course of his search. First and foremost, Lucian had studied at Montwise in the past. He was seemingly willing to put the silent argument between the clergy of Flamechurch and the scholars of Montwise to the side in the name of conducting his own research. Lucian wasn't there now though, having retreated to his home in the town of Canalbrine. That was more than fine with Temenos; the travelers would have to pass through Canalbrine to make it to Osvald's destination of Conning Creek anyway, so it would be fine for them to stop off there for Temenos to conduct his own investigation. 

Temenos was pleasantly surprised by how well his conversation with the scholars had gone. For as long as he could remember, there had been unspoken tension between members of the church and the scholars in Montwise. The church found some of the research conducted in Montwise to be blasphemous, and the scholars found the clergy to be letting go of the truth in the name of believing in their faith above all else. Temenos personally found the debate to be ridiculous. There was importance to be found on both sides of the spectrum, and there was no good in faith without a bit of doubt. He believe in the gods, but he also knew they were not perfect, so he was happy to conduct research that went beyond the limits of what the clergy would have liked for him to do. Every side of an argument was worth listening to, and Temenos wanted to hear every point before he was able to before he came to a conclusion. 

Now that his investigation for the day was done though, Temenos was going to return to the rest of the travelers. He would have to see to Hikari's wounds to ensure that he was as uninjured as possible in preparation for the group's next leg of their journey. They would be going to Clockbank from there to see about the old friend Partitio wanted to meet with regarding the age of steam. That meant Hikari would need to be in the best state possible so he could travel without issues. 

"There you are."

Temenos shouldn't have been shocked at all to find Throné tucked away between a few of the stacks of books at the Montwise library. She had her arms crossed, and her gaze followed Temenos with every step he took. If there was anyone who Temenos could trust to constantly have an eye on him, he knew it to be her. "Ah, Throné," Temenos greeted. "I do hope you weren't searching for me for too long."

"I wanted to ask you about something," Throné said, getting right down to business. Temenos knew the true reason for it; she was trying to make sure he didn't say anything potentially incriminating before she forced him into the heart of their conversation. Temenos was the only member of the group who had figured out that Throné was a Blacksnake, and she wanted to keep it that way. If she kept all conversation with him to an absolute minimum of necessity, then she ran less of a risk of him deciding to run his mouth. Temenos knew he was great at keeping secrets, but Throné had no such reasons to trust her after he had been so delighted to expose her to herself back in New Delsta. No one understood her quite like Temenos, and he was choosing to take it as a note of pride. 

"Oh?" Temenos asked, settling into place just beside her in between the towering shelves. Now that night was starting to fall, the library was beginning to empty out, and that left Temenos and Throné with all the space they could have wanted to have this conversation. "What is it?"

"I was wondering about Flamechurch," Throné explained. "I heard rumors of there being a treasure found within the cathedral, and I want to check it out on our way to Clockbank. We're going to have to pass through the area around Flamechurch on the way anyway, so I figured we might as well make a stop." After a moment of silence, Throné continued. "Besides, I think it would be better for Hikari to take a break instead of trying to push all the way to Clockbank in one shot."

There was something Temenos certainly couldn't deny. He hadn't known Hikari for long, but he could already tell the warrior had an awful habit of pushing himself beyond his limits. If Hikari decided it was more important to make it to Clockbank than it was to get his much-needed rest, then he would end up hurting himself, and that was the last thing any of the travelers wanted to see happen. "I suppose we can stop there," Temenos relented. "Though I would ask that we be careful so that I don't have to run into any familiar faces."

"Right. That was the reason you didn't want to linger last time we were there," Throné remembered with a small nod. Once again, silence fell between them, and Temenos could tell Throné was searching for any words of tact to fill the quiet. "Why don't you want to be seen back there right now?"

"I'm off on something of a trip of grief right now," Temenos explained, and his chest pulled itself tight. He still hadn't taken much time to think about the death of the pontiff even though he knew he should have. Grief would not grow any easier to deal with just because he was choosing to ignore it, and yet, he couldn't bring himself to sit in that misery for any longer than was absolutely necessary. "I declared that I would be taking bereavement leave, and if I returned to Flamechurch too soon, then there are some who would get suspicious. I want to ensure no one asks too many questions about what it is that I am really up to, especially since there are no doubt those who would like to keep me away from the truth of the pontiff's death."

Throné snorted, pressing a bit more of her weight against the heavy bookshelf just behind her. "For a member of the church, you sure are unpopular within it."

"You could certainly say that," Temenos agreed. For as long as he could remember, he had not been thought of highly within the church. He had grown used to the way others looked at him from a young age, and Temenos ultimately decided it was because of his relationship to the pontiff. There were many who had envied Jörg's position when he was still alive, and they were all too happy to take that dissatisfaction out on either one of his adopted sons. The Sacred Guard was perhaps the most egregious case of the hatred though, and Temenos had forced himself to cope with it the best he could. "There are many within the church who don't want much to do with me for some reason or another."

"Any reason why?" Throné asked with an arched eyebrow. "I would have thought that someone with a title as lofty as the one and only Inquisitor would have a bit more sway. More importantly, I would have thought the Sacred Guard wouldn't want to intentionally get in your way like you said they did during your initial investigation."

"The position of Inquisitor is something of a recent development within the church," Temenos replied. "The pontiff was the first one who decided to establish something of that nature so that someone could conduct independent investigations into matters related to the church. He thought it would be important. After the previous Inquisitor went missing many years ago, the position was passed down to me. It was not a popular position when it was first introduced, and it remains out of favor with many who work within the church even now. I suppose they don't like the idea of someone acting as a rogue element within their faction."

Throné hummed, but it was clear she was thinking about something far darker than that. She was trying to figure out just how deep the corruption in the church ran, and Temenos truly did not know how to answer her silent inquiries on the matter. He was no fool; he knew corruption ran rampant in all sorts of places, and anyone who was willing to search for it was going to find something dark when they finally struck gold with time. The church had its own pockets of misery too, and Temenos' job was in part to investigate them. The Sacred Guard had never liked him for a wide variety of reasons, and one of them was because he had power over them that went directly to the pontiff from an angle that he was more comfortable with confiding in than the military attached to the Sacred Flame. Throné was no stranger to darkness, and when she looked at Temenos, she was trying to uncover just how much of it he understood. 

Temenos, however, would not be yielding any information so easily. He had learned to keep his hand close to his chest years ago, and that extended to his new companions as well. Throné understood him well, and he understood her well in return. That was exactly what made them so dangerous to each other, and so, Temenos would have to be as careful around her as possible for the time being. 

"The church always seemed to position itself as a force acting in the name of what was right no matter what the rest of the world was doing," Throné went on, her gaze suddenly glassy and distant. Temenos was certain she was thinking about how the rumors about the church contrasted sharply with her own upbringing, but when he looked at her, he thought about how they truly weren't all that different after all. "I would expect an organization like that--one that establishes itself on being as righteous as possible--to put in a bit more effort to not seem so shady."

"There are all sorts of groups out there that hide their darkest sides, and you would be shocked at where those people find themselves," Temenos said, though he doubted any of it would ever surprise Throné. If there was anyone within the group who was going to know exactly what he was referring to, it would be someone who had come to know the darkness of the world as well as her own reflection. "I suppose you simply have to get used to it with time."

Throné shrugged loosely. "Perhaps that darkness will end up hiding that unknown treasure I heard about lurking within Flamechurch... And perhaps we can check it out whenever we have to pass through town soon." Her gaze was critical, and Temenos knew what she was truly searching for. She wanted to know if Temenos would be joining her in this silent investigation or if it was something she would be doing on her own. If he did not want to come, then she would ask no questions, but if he was interested, then she would be more than happy to have him. He was terrifying to her, but at the same time, he was strangely thrilling. They knew so much about each other just from a few glances, and that both drew them together and pushed them apart in entirely different ways. 

Temenos offered Throné a humored smile in the end, though he knew it was very little more than a mask that he could hide his greater secrets behind. "I can come with you... So long as we do our part to avoid running into a certain coworker of mine." He already knew Mindt was going to try and harass him into revealing everything he had learned. She loved nothing more than a bit of juicy gossip despite her best efforts to seem like a fine woman of the cloth when others were around. She hid it well around most people, but Temenos could see through her in all the right ways, and he knew that her interest in his travels was far deeper than simply the kind farewell of a friend. 

"Sounds good," Throné nodded. She fully detached herself from the bookcase she had been leaning against and started toward the exit of the library. "We should probably go and catch up with the others. They're bound to start wondering just where it is we got off to."

"Most likely," Temenos agreed. He was glad the group had decided to stay in Montwise for the remainder of the night. Not only had it won him quite a bit of valuable information in the search for Lucian's current location, but it had also given him a little bit of time to breathe on the heels of all that had happened that day. Temenos' life had been incredibly busy as of late, and every once in a while, he needed to take a step back and try to center himself once again. 

Throné gestured for Temenos to follow her as she started for the door, and Temenos trailed after her quietly. She was an interesting woman in many ways, and Temenos was glad to have been given the chance to meet her... Even if he would prefer it if she was honest with the rest of the party about her true nature as a Blacksnake. That was one secret she wouldn't be able to keep forever, and Temenos was certain she would have to rip the bandage off before they arrived at her first destination of Oresrush on the western continent. 

Temenos knew he had no reason to talk though. He and Throné knew each other well, and they both knew each other's secrets perfectly well too. Throné had not tried to press him in the wrong directions just yet, but he was certain that she knew he was keeping his fair share of secrets from the rest of the party as well. They had developed something of a truce, but Temenos was not certain how long it was going to hold in its current state. 

He would simply have to wait and see... And Temenos would adapt however he had to in the face of the truth coming to light. 

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This might be one of my favorite chapters I've written for this story so far. Wow.

I think this is a huge case of "that's a surprise tool that will help us later" in reference to both scenes. Those who have read my other Octopath II fics might know what I'm referring to here, but for those that don't know, it'll be a nice surprise. There's a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter that's all going to give way soon enough, but we've got a long way to go before then, so... You'll just have to be patient. I'm very much looking forward to hearing what your theories are for these conversations though if anyone is interested in sharing them. 

We've got two chapters left of Hikari's chapter two most likely. Next time, we'll be wrapping things up with the other four characters, and then we'll have a final scene to explore everyone together before we move to our next destination. In case you couldn't already tell by this chapter, we're breaking conventions a little bit by going to Flamechurch for Temenos and Throné's crossed paths part one after this. I know you can't technically do that in the game without completing one of their chapter twos, but... Well, I do what I want, and I had to do what made the most sense for travel routing here, so... You get what you get, I guess. Oops. 

Next time, we'll check out Agnea and Ochette's conversation and then flash over to Partitio and Osvald. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital