December 31, 1912 AC

"Is something wrong Andre?" Lis asked. 

"Huh?" muttered Andre. 

He turned his attention to Lis, who was brushing Lena's hair. Radek sat beside them, reading a cook book. Andre replied "it was nothing." 

Lis nodded and resumed her combing. Meanwhile, Andre paced around the cavern. He turned his attention to Radek, who looked up from his book, smiled, and then resumed reading. Andre continued pacing, wondering what Gottfryd had in mind. The man had told him that they were about to initiate a plan that would permanently cripple the nobles, and yet, gave no details as to what that entailed. As one minute ticked by into another, Andre felt dizziness creep into his mind as he circled the room dozens upon dozens of times. 

At last, Gottfryd emerged from a nearby corridor. Beside him was what appeared to be a second Lis. Lis jolted upright and Radek dropped his book. Lena too widened her eyes. Andre exclaimed "what is that?" 

"This is a dog that I've turned into a facsimile of Lis via germination," Gottfryd replied. 

The second Lis licked her hands. Lis muttered "well that's just creepy." 

It was then that Gottfryd withdrew a revolver from within his coat. And then, he pressed the gun next to the second Lis's head and fired. A single shot reverberated around the cavern and the second Lis collapsed, a hole drilled into the side of her head. As blood soaked the ground, Radek exclaimed "why did you do that?" 

"This young lady said that the facsimile was creepy," Gottfryd replied, glancing at Lis. Lis said nothing. 

"But still..." 

"That's not all. This is part of the plan to cripple the nobles." 

"How so?" asked Andre. 

"It is all very simple," said Gottfryd, a slight smile creeping onto his face. "We are going to use this corpse as 'proof' that you have hunted down Krakor's Phantom Thief." 

"Me!?" exclaimed Andre. 

"Do you see any other nobles within our ranks? At best, we've got only two half-nobles, myself and Radek. You are the only pure noble, so you are the only one able to perform the next phase of the plan." 

"Which would be?" 

"You will take this corpse and present it to your father. This will serve as proof that you have accomplished your mission of hunting down the Phantom Thief. Meanwhile, myself and some of my men will play the part of travellers you've encountered and befriended on your voyage. We shall use this as the means by which we'll infiltrate Krakor." 

"I see." 

"Any questions?" 

"What will you do after you've infiltrated Krakor?" 

"We will hunt down the Zlotine trees." 

Andre froze. Gottfryd noticed. "You seem surprised, but why would you be? You know as well as I that the fruit of the Zlotine trees are the only means for nobles to gain the power of vernbinding. Without it, they would be no more different than the gadzina they so despise." 

Lis likewise froze. The name sounded familiar... And then, she widened her eyes and a single tear trickled down her right eye. The fruit of the Zlotine tree was the final gift her father presented to her before his demise. That fruit was what had allowed her to gain vernbinding. For that, she was grateful, and also, saddened. 

"Lis, I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Dominik's loss was a blow to me as well. When I heard from some of his men that he had stolen a Zlotine fruit, I could scarcely believe my ears. It was something I had never thought was possible given the heavy security that the fruits are placed under. And yet, he has proven that the impossible can become possible. We will follow in his wake with our own feat of impossibility." 

"But how will you get to the fruit?" asked Andre. "They are placed under even heavier security after that incident. Even I don't know exactly where they are being kept." 

"That is what we plan to find out. Me and my men shall play the part of businessmen hoping to establish a shop in Krakor. While some of us are in the midst of business dealings, the others shall scour the city for any clues that may indicate the whereabouts of the trees. That is the best we can hope for." 

"And what if this fails?" 

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that." 

Andre couldn't tell if those words were a jest. He decided to think no further into it and focus upon the coming mission. He followed Gottfryd as he carried the corpse towards his airship. Andre opened the door and Gottfryd set the corpse into one of the bedrooms. Then, six men came aboard the airship. They were all solemn and stern, their pale faces slightly obscured beneath their neat gold hair. And then, they exhaled. Swirls of blue light circled around them, dowsing their faces in light. And then, their faces twisted and morphed, their hair grew dark, and they took on the appearance of well-groomed nobles. 

Gottfryd emerged from his bedroom and nodded to the men. They said nothing but nodded in return and retreated into the lounge. Andre said nothing and readied the airship for takeoff. As he performed one final tour around the outside of the airship, he was startled by Radek's sudden appearance. His friend smiled at him and said "were you thinking of leaving without me?" 

"Did Gottfryd assign you to this mission as well?" 

"Sort of. I didn't want you to feel lonely so I asked Gottfryd if I could come. He agreed as I wouldn't attract much attention, being your friend and all." 

Andre nodded, grinning broadly. Having Radek with him certainly brightened his mood. As he finished his tour around the airship, he was surprised a second time by Lis and Lena. "What are you doing here?" he asked. 

"We're coming as well," said LIs. 

"What?" exclaimed Andre. "This is far too dangerous! If you're discovered to be gadzina, there's no telling what the nobles may do to you. Don't forget, I'm the disgraced son of one of the ruling council's members. I won't have the power to prevent anything bad from happening to you!" 

"That's fine," said Lis. "We understand the risk." 

"But why would you..." 

"At first, I hated you," she said. "I thought you were no different than the other nobles, always looking down on us just for some incident long ago. But I can see that you're different. You're kind and thoughtful, and you've never treated me or Lena with disdain. And so, I'm thankful." 

"Even if I've hunted you?" 

"That's no different than what some nobles have done to me and my father in the past. I don't care about that." 

"I see. But what about Lena? She..." 

"I'm fine," she muttered. "I don't care for joining the Nocswehr and Lis has been so kind to me. I don't wish to leave her side no matter the risks." 

"I see," said Andre. 

"Anyways, what are we waiting around here for? Let's go!" said Radek. 

"Right," said Andre. 

As he returned to the cockpit and piloted the ship, he glanced at Lis, who stood beside him. "What will you and Lena do? Will you search for the Zlotine trees as well?" 

"No. We shall play the part of your servants." 

"My servants!?" 

"Yes. Pretend that you've wanted us to be your servants. As for our appearance, Gottfryd agreed to disguise us with germination." 

Andre nodded. He returned his attention to the wheel as he piloted the airship around mountain peaks. The jagged grey stone and streaks of snow caught his eye each time he rounded each mountain peak. Mist crowded in the pine forests below and he observed the appearance of rabbits and deer weaving around the dark green bark. He observed the glistening blue waters of the Kryzat River as it reflected the glorious red rays of the sun. As he drew closer and closer to Krakor, he felt his stomach turn into knots. Sweat appeared on his forehead. If his father discovered his mission, he would do far worse to him than merely cut off his arm. 

Andre shuddered as he recalled the incident. He had spoken out of turn at a council gathering. He still remembered the vast white room whose walls were covered with golden engravings of leaves. A chandelier hung from the pure white ceiling, beaming down upon the dark brown table below. There were five men on the council, including his father. They all turned to him as he suggested that having a second Ofiary day would be unfair to the gadzina. His father's eyes lit ablaze and the other men glared at him. Andre felt small and powerless before the five individuals whose decisions affected the entirety of their country. Their eyes were full of undisguised malice as they towered over his frail little form. He cowered before them. His words caught in his throat. All he could do was scurry forward as his father dragged him by the arm. And then, his father snapped his finger and pain lanced through his arm. Andre had turned, his eyes clouded with tears, and watched as a chimera tore off his bloodied arm. 

The airship shuddered as turbulence surrounded her. Andre released his grip on the wheel. "Andre!" Lis exclaimed. 

Startled, Andre returned his thoughts to piloting the airship. He tightened his grip on the wheel and braced himself against the strain. The airship steadied herself and continued on her path to Krakor. Radek dashed into the room and exclaimed "Andre! Are you alright?" 

"Yeah," said Andre, fighting the urge to glance down upon his wooden arm. His friend would doubtlessly ask him about his feelings and he was not in the mood for more questions. He wanted nothing more than to erase those memories, to once more stand by his mother's side and enjoy his united family. 

As the trees of Krakor came onto the horizon, Andre gently landed the airship onto an open field. He led Lis and Lena out of the airship. Their appearances had changed. Now, they seemed older, more on the verge of adulthood. Their eyes were sunken deeper into her faces and their ragged gold hair no longer shone in the light. Gottfryd nodded to him as he led then through the city streets. They approached his father's house. 

Andre swallowed nervously as they ascended the spiralling stairs around the trunk of the tree. They stepped foot onto the balcony. And then, Andre knocked on the door. His heart sank as Crozius opened it. "Well if it isn't the worthless runt of the family!" 

"Greetings brother," Andre said with a gracious voice. 

"Why are you here now?" 

"I've caught the Phantom Thief." 

His brother froze. He watched as Crozius widened his eyes, barely managing to stop his face from twisting in shock. And then, his brother reached forward with a hand and grabbed the front of Andre's shirt. Andre stiffened as his brother yelled "that's impossible! The Phantom Thief has evaded our best detective for months! There's no way someone like you could ever hope to have succeeded!" 

Andre gathered his strength and spoke in as steady a voice as he could muster. "If you don't believe me, then perhaps you'll believe the evidence." 

"What evidence?" Crozius glared at him before turning his attention to Gottfryd and his men. "Who are they?" 

"They are fellow travellers I had met whilst hunting the Phantom Thief. They are an interesting group of merchants and businessmen who hope to establish a shop here in the capital." 

"As Mr. Nokowski has stated, we are hoping to establish a shop here in this fine capital," said Gottfryd. "Two of our stores had been taken over when the Nocswehr invaded Reichskor. After those accursed fiends took over the city, our business in Reichskor had all but disappeared. Since then, we've considered setting shop here, but we would like to discuss matters with a council member to gain permission. Would you permit us the honour?" 

Crozius examined Gottfryd before relenting. "Very well. I shall permit you to speak to my father. However, before we do so, where's this evidence that my idiot brother was rattling on about?" 

Gottfryd snapped his finger and one of his men stepped forward with an enormous burlap sack. The man opened the sack to reveal the corpse of the dog. The dog's eyes glanced sightlessly into the sky and its golden fell back from its pale snowy face. Crozius examined the corpse and muttered "so this is the infamous Phantom Thief? Well, I guess luck can grace anyone, even my brother." 

He stepped back and allowed Andre inside. Andre ascended the stairs to his father's study. Gottfryd followed him. Andre knocked twice on the door until his father shouted "come in." 

Andre opened the door and bowed to his father. Gottfryd stepped forward and introduced himself and his men, all under aliases. The burlap sack was shown to Klaudius as was the corpse that was 'Lis.' Klaudius nodded. "Fine work. You've redeemed yourself for your disgraceful behaviour years ago." 

"Thank you father," said Andre as daggers stabbed his heart. His father's voice was flat, devoid of any emotion. His eyes held not a speck of warmth and he quickly returned his attention to Gottfryd. Gottfryd engaged Klaudius in conversation, ending with the proposal to set up a store in Krakor. 

"I shall consider your offer Mr. Similowsky," said Klaudius. 

"Thank you sir," Gottfryd replied as he gently bowed. 

As Andre watched Gottfryd engage his father in conversation, he recalled his promise to his mother and then Radek's words. Was the promise to his mother really worth reconciling with a man like his father? Perhaps not Andre reluctantly thought.