The trio emerged 9 metres in the air over the grassy field of Ulmstadt Park. They somersaulted and landed on their feet. Taryn had reverted back into her human form. Upon landing on the ground, Remy glared at Aoki. He shouted "what was that hesitation all about? Do you seriously believe that mankind will wipe itself out just as that madman says?"

"No matter how I try to respond, I can never quite get past the idea that he may just be telling the truth," Aoki replied, his voice cold. "Mankind truly does fight amongst itself over the pettiest of reasons and never seems to be able to reach any agreements of peace. It seems as if we are destined to be at war with our own kind, destined to one day wipe ourselves off the face of this planet."

"How can you say that?" muttered Remy, his voice ragged from the shock of Aoki's words.

"Enough both of you!" shouted Taryn. "This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves!"

Upon saying that, Taryn collapsed onto the ground, clutching her side in pain. She was not wounded but excruciating pain lanced through her body until it filled her very being. She felt as if her heart would burst at any moment and her innards felt as if they were lit ablaze.

"Taryn! What's wrong?" shouted Remy. He dashed to her side and knelt down beside her. Aoki did the same. Taryn held up a hand towards them and stood upright once more. She took a deep breath upon rising to her feet. She felt the pain slowly disappear.

"Anyways," she said, turning towards Aoki. "Why do you think mankind will wipe itself out?"

"It was that way throughout history," Aoki replied. "Mankind has always fought each other in a seemingly eternal cycle of warfare. I've heard many try to justify the wars they wage. They say they did it for economic reasons, or under political pressure, or because it was for justice. But is that really the case? What justice could be worth starting a conflict that will cost thousands, if not millions their lives? What economic reasons would be worth the devastation to one's homeland that will follow? And political pressure? Don't make me laugh! The truth is, there is no physical, logical reason for mankind to wage war with each other. There's no one holding guns at our leaders' heads! There's no greater entity forcing the populace to demand war from the leaders! And yet, we always fight each other as if we are destined to remain in a state of war!"

"You don't really believe that do you?" Remy asked.

"I find it difficult not to believe," Aoki replied. "I've seen many things in my time as general and that is the one truth I was never able to avoid. Why do you think I left the military in the first place? I despised the utter waste of soldiers' lives! They served their country in hopes of creating a better future. Many sacrificed their lives for the sake of a better tomorrow. And how were their efforts rewarded? With true peace in the world and a truly great future ahead? No! They merely caused a lull before the storm of war began yet again! Their efforts were in vain! They always were!"

"What about your friends and family? Surely you can fight to protect them?" Taryn suggested. Remy nodded in agreement.

"I don't anymore," Aoki replied.

"What do you mean?" asked Remy.

"My parents perished before the war even began, their lives forfeit to disease," Aoki replied. "I did have a fiancé, but she's dead as well. Her name was Misaka Hinolan and she was an inventor and airship pilot just as you are Remy. After my parents died, she was the closest one to my heart. We spent two years enjoying our lives in Runashi until the war between us and Luthadria began. I joined the military and she attempted to chart the far north. I never heard from her again. Her airship simply vanished."

"So that's why you hate airships so much," remarked Remy.

"Indeed," Aoki replied. "However, I had not the time to search for her. The war was reaching its pinnacle of ferocity and I was needed by my countrymen to fight. When the war was over, I scoured the papers for any news of her. I heard that a village to the north of Renche saw someone matching her description. When negotiations of peace began between Luthadria and Valtassia, I took the opportunity to visit that village and look for her. She was not there. All I found was a senile old man who claimed to have seen her. I was a fool to let my hopes soar for even a moment."

Aoki paused before saying "that is why I believe that madman to be speaking the truth. I had given up the search for my fiancé to fight for my country. I saw thousands of my fellow soldiers, each of them brave souls who've sacrificed their livelihoods, and often their lives, for the sake of their country. They fought to achieve true peace! They fought for a better tomorrow! And yet, when the war at last stopped, our two empires seemed ready to fight each other again at the slightest provocation! It felt like an insult to those who've died, to let their efforts go to waste and fight once more the moment the smallest reason comes along! That is why I quit the military! They call me a disgraceful fool for doing so, but I disagree entirely. That being said, I don't know why I won't give up the fight for peace even though I know it's pointless. I also don't know why I'm drawn to Luthadria! It's probably the hopes of my fiancé resting with me now."

"Is that why you yelled at me onboard the liner?" Remy asked. "You feared that I would also make the mistake of losing a loved one."

"Of course," Aoki replied. "Speaking of which, I think it would be a fine idea for you to try and reconnect with your family."

"I wish," Remy muttered.

"What reasons do you have that makes you decline the chance to see them again?" Aoki asked.

"Stupid reasons," Remy replied with a smile. "If you're expecting a compelling story about a sorrowful past, then you must look elsewhere. My childhood was excellent when judged fairly. I was born to the rich family and had lots of books, toys, and anything else a child might ask for. I suppose I could complain about how my father all but abandoned me at the age of five and when he returned, was more like a dictator than a parent."

Remy shifted his gaze towards his hangar, as if marvelling at the objects inside despite having been the one to create them. "My own father showed me not the slightest bit of care. He would always compare me to my talented elder brother or cast me aside in favour of my equally talented younger brother. All I needed was a word of encouragement every now and then, but I was not fit for that. Every mistake I made was seized upon as the grounds for a lecture whilst the mistakes my brothers made were ignored. I would receive the blame for any wrong my brothers committed. I never could measure up to his standards. I remember one night when I had a high fever and asked for a glass of water only for my father to drag me out of bed and leave me on the balcony in the freezing night. It was after that that I realized that I never will measure up to whatever twisted standards he had and instead, I focused on airships."

Remy then returned his attention to Taryn and Aoki before saying "and it was the right decision! I have more freedom than I could ever dream of in the air. I could see so many sights that may otherwise have been hidden from me. I was able to work with crewmen that cared about me just as I did them! That's how it should have been in my household but never was."

"It seems you're simply running away from your past," said Aoki.

"What?" asked Remy.

"You say you love the freedom of flight and the skies but really, you are running away from the torments you received in the past," Aoki replied. "I have made decisions I have regretted to this day whilst you are running away from the torments you received as a child. How's about we make a promise to each other to never again repeat the mistakes we made in the past?"

"That sounds great!" Remy replied with a smile. "What about you Taryn? Do you feel any regret having to fight against your own people, especially after seeing the miserable state the neerynd realm is in right now?"

"It may not have to come to a battle," Taryn replied. "I only wish to finish the task that my mother started and restore peace to my former homeland. Neerynds and humans were never meant to have come in contact with each other. We are simply too different and are meant to stay within our respective realms. But with the Shadow Forgeries, we may be able to seal the gateways between our worlds forever!"

"Won't you miss your former homeland?" Remy asked.

"No," Taryn replied. "I've long since given up on dreams of returning there. My mother was murdered by my own uncle, the madman you were just speaking about. It was on the day that she sent me to live with my father in the human world. My mother was giving me a tearful goodbye and gifting me with a gauntlet. She then cut a rift open in the air with that sword. It was then that my uncle Garlan came. He slaughtered my mother before my very eyes. I was barely able to escape into the gateway before he was able to attack me as well. Since that day, I've lived with my father in the human world and I quite enjoy it here if not for the fact that humans are constantly warring with each other. So let us end the conflict between humans and seal all gateways between our two worlds!"

"But can we stop war now?" Remy asked. "Don't forget, the esteemed ambassador Kiamaru Zhou was murdered on Luthadrian soil before our king was supposedly murdered by Valtassian assassins. Between these two incidents, it no longer looks as if war can be avoided. I'm sure the prince, now the king, will be certain to crave revenge on Valtassia and I assume that Valtassia would want the same done to us!"

Aoki listened in silence, lost in thought. As Taryn and Remy discussed possible solutions, Aoki thought about means by which to unite the two empires. The only time that has ever occurred was the previous war with the neerynds a century ago. Mankind will not unite without a common enemy facing them. It was this thought that gave Aoki an idea that just might stop the impending war.

"Taryn," said Aoki.

"Is something wrong sir?" Taryn asked.

"Where does Luthadria keep corpses belonging to assassins that have tried to murder the king?"

"The bodies are to be cremated to deny them a proper burial."

"And where might the crematorium be?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

Aoki whispered his answer to Taryn. Taryn listened with eyes wide and Remy was likewise shocked. She and Remy glanced at each other. They both agreed that it was a dreadful plan but given the circumstances, there didn't seem to be any other option. They would have to undertake Aoki's suggested endeavour.

"Follow me," said Taryn.

She led the duo towards the northern end of the city. To avoid detection, they leapt from rooftop to rooftop on their way to the crematorium. Below them, the streets were still filled with buses, carriages, and people travelling to their destinations. Night had fallen and the streetlamps were all turned on. They seemed to make little difference. The skies overhead and the very air seemed filled with darkness. Thick BioUmbra permeated the air, which had somehow grown even thicker.

Taryn slowed down and stopped at the edge of a roof overlooking the crematorium. The building was large and sprawling with sides of pale yellow stone and an arched roof covered with dark grey tiles. It had two funnels to channel smoke from the flames into the sky. Taryn scanned the ground. Satisfied with what she saw, she landed lightly on the ground below. She fused with the shadows and kept one eye open. She followed the path of shadows into the crematorium.

Inside, she moved through a network of corridors lit by pale orange lamps on either side until she reached the inner chambers of the building. She could see the flames flickering from the brick–clad incinerator in front of her. Corpses were about to be sent into it. She scanned the room. There were five workers present in the crematorium. All had their backs turned towards her as they moved the corpses closer to the flames. Amongst the corpses, she saw the bodies of the Valtassian ambassadors that had met with the king.

Through one of their open wounds, she entered the body. If she hadn't been fused with the shadows, she would have shuddered upon entering. She pushed aside the disgust rising from within herself and focused on controlling the corpse. She caused its fingers to twitch followed by its toes. Satisfied with the amount of control she had, she propped herself up on one arm. She tried to make the corpse merge with the shadows of the room. It failed. The corpse refused to fuse with the shadows. Keeping as silent as possible, Taryn switched tactics and stood upright.

She carefully snuck away from the corpses and towards the door that led into the corridors. She opened the door and ran into the hallway, hearing the commotion behind her as the cremators found one of their corpses to be missing. She dashed down the hallways as quickly as she could. She at last reached the door leading outside and burst through it. She ran out of the crematorium and into the nearest alleyway beside it. Aoki and Remy were waiting for her there.

Taryn exited the corpse and emerged from the shadows. Aoki nodded in approval. They wrapped the corpse in bands of shadow and leapt onto the rooftops once more. They retraced their steps back to Ulmstadt Park and Remy's hangar. Once there, they deposited the corpse in Remy's office. The corpse did not have any detectable odours for it was covered with preservatives, making its skin look slightly orange in the light of the office.

Aoki returned outside of the office and asked the nearest airship crewman for the current newspapers. He skimmed through the pages until he saw what he was looking for. It was just as he had suspected. The new Luthadrian king viewed the palace as too insecure and has instead decided to move to Renche to deliver the official declaration of war to Valtassia. The location of the declaration was decided to be the Embassy building.

June 6 - 8, 1901

Taryn waited in her room as Remy's airship weaved between the towering grey peaks of the Valyra Mountains towards Renche. Remy meanwhile had decided to give the duties of pilot to one of his crewmates and has instead decided to practice syndomancy with Aoki. Their gruesome prize was kept in the storage area in the airship's hull, which was a little room that was just up the set of stairs from the cockpit.

The mountains hurtled by as Remy's crew pushed the airship as fast as she could go. Every now and then, Taryn glanced out of the windows for any signs of approaching dangers. There were none. The skies were as dark and empty as they had been on the night of their discovery of the Belformine. To pass the time, Taryn would play the piano or practice syndomancy alongside Remy and Aoki. They waited in grim silence as the days passed and Renche finally came into view once more.

The plumes of smoke coming from the city's steam generators were now barely visible. They were just barely blacker than the surrounding skies. As the airship descended onto the platform below, Taryn saw numerous soldiers in the streets. They wore black uniforms and carried rifles alongside them. The ones that did not have rifles were ones which Taryn was worried about the most. They were surely syndomancers. She noted the locations of as many of the syndomancer soldiers as possible, trying to plot a course around them if possible. They could easily ruin Aoki's plan.

Aoki also noted the locations of the syndomancer soldiers as did Remy. Remy frowned in worry. He whispered to Aoki "how do you propose sneaking past them?"

"I can sneak past them through fusion and inauguration but the corpse..."

Aoki glanced around the street. The easiest means of sneaking the corpse to the Embassy building was to transport it by steam carriage. However, any bags they possessed would surely be checked by the guards inside. The corpse would surely be discovered. After thinking about the problem, Aoki beckoned to Taryn.

He said "is there any place in the neerynd realm that your uncle is not aware of? The only way I can think of to sneak the corpse inside would be to use the sword and send it into the neerynd world first."

"I can choose one of the most remote cities in the neerynd realm. I've only visited it twice with my mother but I still remember it well enough to open a gateway there," Taryn replied.

"Actually, you might not need to," said Remy.

"What do you mean?" asked Taryn.

"What about hiding Aoki and the corpse in plain sight?" Remy asked. "We can shave the corpse so that it looks just different enough to avoid raising suspicion. Then, you can control the corpse from inside in your neerynd form and walk alongside me and Aoki. You and Aoki pretend that you are ambassadors trying to make one last attempt to make peace with Luthadria."

"It's worth a try," said Taryn.

Aoki nodded in agreement. He then shaved the corpse's hair until it was bald and Taryn took on her neerynd form once more. She activated the attribute of fusion and entered the corpse. She stood up and followed Aoki and Remy outside. Taryn kept the sword hidden with a cape of shadow she wore on her back shrouded through inauguration. Remy hailed a steam carriage and the trio entered. They rode the carriage to the Embassy building. At the steps leading up to the Embassy building, they were stopped by a pair of guards. They looked at the two Valtassians suspiciously and said "what are they doing here? Don't they know that their kind is not welcome in our Embassy building?"

"With all due respect sir," said Remy. "They are here to try one final time to make peace with Luthadria."

"There's no more peace talks to be had with them!" the guard snapped back.

"With all due respect sir," said Aoki, raising both hands in a sign of peace, "the assassination of Luthadria's most excellent king was not the fault of my ambassadors. They were the fault of the neerynds."

"Oh this excuse again," said the second guard. "Those creatures were sent back to their own world a century ago! They don't exist on Umbreus anymore!"

"And even if they did, they can be easily repulsed. Judging by the number of golems that attacked the Belformine, there can't be more than a handful of neerynds here anyways," said the first guard.

"That is what I thought as well," said Aoki. "But that changed when further discoveries were made regarding them. I learned that they are able to control the corpses of the dead."

The two guards laughed. The first guard said in a mocking voice "right, and I can control the sun!"

"It is true sir," Aoki said, placing his open left hand over his heart in a Valtassian gesture of honesty. "Monsieur Nacuna and I saw this happen to Lord Garamonte."

At the sound of his name, the guards stopped laughing. "I always did wonder what happened to him," said the first guard.

"Yeah," agreed the second guard. "He's been missing for days now."

The guards' eyes flickered with uncertainty. Then, the first guard whispered "well, it wouldn't hurt to let these Valtassians try one last time at peace talks. They're certain to fail anyways, so why not humour them."

The second guard nodded before saying "alright. You may pass."

They stood aside as Remy led the way into the building in front of Taryn and Aoki. They rode the elevator up to the eighth floor where the conference room was. They then marched through the open elevator doors and down another corridor framed by pale orange lights and a blue carpet to where the conference room was. There were two more guards waiting beside the oaken double doors leading into the room. Remy quickly explained the intentions of the two Valtassians and the guards reluctantly allowed them to pass. They pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

They were greeted by the sights of the bright orange lights and the dark elliptical table that adored the room. At the head of the table was the new king of Valtassia. He watched the new visitors through icy blue eyes. He was framed by four guards who also watched the visitors as they entered the room. One of them said "Monsieur Nacuna, why have two Valtassians entered the room alongside you?"

"They are ambassadors sent by Valtassia as one final attempt at peace," Remy replied.

"We are not interested," the guard said.

"Tell them to go back to their own lands!" said another guard.

The king raised a hand for silence. He said "I'd like to hear what you have to say. What reasons do you have for coming here when war is imminent between our empires?"

"We have come on behalf of Valtassia as ambassadors of peace," Aoki announced. "I understand that some ambassadors of ours have murdered the previous king of your empire. However, I would like to say that they are not truly ambassadors of ours."

"Of course. They were assassins," muttered one of the guards.

"Of course not sir!" Aoki insisted. "They were actually neerynds disguised with the corpses of some of our beloved ambassadors."

The guards all laughed whilst the king listened in silence. The guards chatted amongst themselves at what they viewed as outlandish.

"Neerynds?"

"They've been gone for a century already!"

"Indeed. These Valtassians are obviously lying to make us lower our guard!"

The king again raised his hand for silence. He said "what proof do you have that your assertions are true?"

"We have seen these neerynds before as had Monsieur Nacuna. In fact, one of these neerynds have caused the death of Lord Garamonte," announced Aoki.

The guards froze and were silent. The king also froze. Aoki seized the opportunity and said "you can visit the site of the battle yourself. Monsieur Nacuna noticed that Lord Garamonte was acting quite suspiciously and followed him. In a little square framed by windowless buildings, we saw him speak to a neerynd. When we confronted him, he revealed his true face to us and a battle broke out. The aftermath, well, you can see for yourselves if ever you are to visit that site. What I truly wish to say is that a war between our empires is meaningless! All it will cause is suffering and misery, poverty amongst the civilians, and millions of brave soldiers sacrificing their lives for nothing! We have a common enemy once more, so let us unite as we did a hundred years ago!"

The king listened in silence. Taryn fidgeted in place. The guards whispered amongst themselves. The room was deathly silent for five whole minutes. At last, the king said "I will require more proof than that."

"Please think of it this way your highness," said Aoki. "Our most esteemed ambassador, Kimaru Zhou, has died on Luthadrian soil under your supposedly finest guards just after your gift of peace, the Belformine, disappeared on its journey to us. All of my countrymen were most upset by these losses. However, why would the assassination of the Luthadrian king benefit us when all it would cause is another war between our empires? Why would we risk a pointless battle when we could have asked for reparations instead?"

The moment Aoki fell silent, Taryn seized her opportunity. The lights overhead cast large shadows at the feet of the guards. She unleashed her power and sent the guards careening at the walls. She kept them pinned in place while she launched another shadowy spike at the king. Aoki leapt away from Taryn and intercepted the spike with shadows shrouding his torso.

"What's wrong with you Kadashi?" Aoki shouted.

"Sir! I think he's actually a neerynd disguised as your ambassador!" shouted Remy.

"Is that so?" demanded Aoki. He launched his own spikes of shadow at Taryn.

Taryn leapt out of the corpse in full view of the king, taking her shadowy cape with her. The king's eyes widened in horror upon seeing a neerynd. Taryn smashed through the wall of the room and leapt into the neighbouring room, surprising all of the occupants inside. She then leapt out of the window and dashed away from the Embassy building along the rooftops. She kept a watchful eye for any sign of pursuers. Satisfied that there were none, she landed in a nearby alleyway and morphed back into her human form. She then cut a gateway into the neerynd world to the most remote city that she knew of. Once there, she cut another gateway back into the alleyway next to Renche's hangar. She stepped out of the alleyway and returned to the airship, her mission completed.

Back at the Embassy building, Aoki shouted "are you alright your highness?"

"I am," said the king. "I..." he trailed off. "It's quite difficult to believe that the neerynds have returned after so long."

"If I may say the following your highness," said Aoki, awaiting permission.

"Yes?" said the king.

"I believe that your guards are speaking the truth when they said that there are only a small number of neerynds invading the human realm this time," said Aoki. "However, that small number may be all they need. Think about all of the deaths of government officials this past year. What did they all have in common? They were all officials attempting to forge peace between our empires! I think that the neerynds this time are attempting to trick us into wiping ourselves off the face of this planet."

The king nodded. He said "I see your point."

"That is why your highness, I wish to propose peace between our empires," said Aoki. "I have spoken to my emperor and he has suggested that we begin by forming new trade routes between our empires. He has suggested that your airships take the nightly convoy, the more dangerous shift, as a means of proving your sincerity. Would this be acceptable to Luthadria?"

"I owe you my life Mister Lang," said the king. "And my empire owes you a debt for this information. If the nightly shift is what you require of us, then it shall be done."

Taryn waited in the airship for Remy and Aoki to return. They returned only after three hours have passed. When they entered the airship, they were elated. The plan had been successful. The king has agreed to telephone the emperor in regards to peace and the new trading convoys between their two empires. Taryn allowed a sigh of relief to escape her. It was just what she had been hoping would occur. After relief came happiness, one so overpowering that she hadn't felt so elated since her early days with her mother in the neerynd realm or her early years living with her father in the human world.

"So what now?" Taryn asked.

"We have to hunt down the last supporters of Garlan that remain in this world," Aoki replied.

"Indeed," said Remy.

Taryn smiled as she returned to the window of the airship. The skies ahead were growing increasingly darker, darker than she had ever remembered them being in her entire life in the human world. Thick BioUmbra permeated the air as far as she could feel throughout Renche. She thought back to the starving neerynds in her former world and how desperate they must be for BioUmbra to return to their own world. Why does BioUmbra leak into the human world anyways? Taryn wondered.

She glanced across the dark fields and was stunned by what she saw. It was Remy's father crossing the field. He still wore his gauntlet on his left arm and his eyes were wide with fear. She beckoned Remy towards the window. He frowned at the sight of his father.

"Should we see what he's up to?" Taryn asked.

Remy sighed in resignation before saying "why not?"