Eldan sniffed against the cold wind shuffling around them. Their rides, Ixy and Sahili, played nearby. The krou, staying in her large form, lunged at Ixy. The parvade would evade and slap Sahili's face with her sweeping tail. It was enough to make Jona smile for a while.

"Why have you called me out here, Your Grace?" Eldan said, leaning against the tower's balustrade, observing the sweeping landscape of green, orange, and red canopies beyond them. In the horizon, silhouettes of mountains, more forests, and even the faint line of the sea greeted them. "We could have talked when you rested an ample amount."

Jona regarded the spy, noting how his khaki hair never really stayed put. He followed the direction of Eldan's gaze and crossed his arms over the balustrade. "I need to talk to you now," he said. "To apologize."

Eldan was silent, forcing Jona to continue. "I'm sorry for suspecting you and for implying the things I did."

A chuckle shook Eldan's shoulders. "It's nothing, Your Grace," he said. "I'm relieved you are okay, more than anything."

"I also want to propose a deal," Jona turned away from the view to face the spy fully. "Just between you and me."

Eldan raised an eyebrow but bobbed his head. "Let's hear it."

"I never told anyone about this but while I was passed out in Gandirk, I talked to this...entity called the Arbotro," Jona recounted. Judging from how fast Eldan whirled towards him, he figured the spy knew something about what's cooking underneath their feet. "They told me that the Decay was because the island couldn't sustain nature anymore because its magic is being depleted. War is inevitable."

Jona knitted his eyebrows, pausing for emphasis for the last item in his nonexistent list of grim reminders. "And we must find the Virtakios," he said. "If we are to survive this as a race and as an island."

Eldan's shoulders sagged. His elbows dug against the tower's balustrade. Behind them, something crashed. They turned to find Sahili pinning Ixy to the ground. The parvade cawed and swiped her talons near Sahili's snout.

"We have to break that up or else it could turn into a real fight," Jona said as he brought two fingers to his lips and whistled sharply. Ixy's crown feathers perked up just as Eldan extended his hand and calmed Sahili down. The krou yowled one last time before deflating to its smaller form. She slinked towards Eldan just as Ixy flapped her wings to find her balance on her two feet once more.

Sahili jumped to the balustrade with her incredible balance and tucked her legs together, curling her tail around her. Beside her, Eldan sighed. "I knew it was coming to this sooner than expected," he said, facing Jona once more. "The Virtakios is my daughter."

Jona blinked. Then blinked again. "Say what?" he blurted.

Then, it all came spilling out. Xanthiene Vivenca. Cardovia. Synketros. Their plans to influence the world and all that stuff. By the time Eldan finished, Sahili had gotten bored of sitting on the balustrade and had instead resorted to grooming herself on the tower's floor.

"And now, she's trapped in Cardina after we sealed her synnavaim," Eldan said. "The Grand Monarch said I should wait until she comes to me but, as a father, I worry."

Jona recalled the Grand Monarch's face when he woke up in Gandirk. It's the same for all fathers, it seemed like. "Tell you what," he said. "You relay to me all the information the espionage division comes up with and I'll figure out a way to overrule my father's order in keeping you here in Dwanzeig."

Eldan knitted his eyebrows. "Do you have the power to do that?"

"No," Jona admitted. "But I could get the Grand Monarch to listen to me as you may have witnessed by now. If there's anyone who could help you gain your freedom faster, it's me. At least...I'll try."

Eldan chuckled. "You drive a hard bargain, Your Grace," he tore away from the balustrade and extended his hand towards Jona. His smile was wide and his eyes twinkled. "It's a deal, then."

Jona took it and returned Eldan's smile with one of his own. "I'll look forward to it," he said. "Let's save the Virtakios."