I sighed as I leaned against the wall by the entrance to the gathering place of the Seven Lights. Come to think of it, I had no idea where the Seven Hills had their meetings. 

"Worried about your girlfriend?" Ryonoko asked, giving me a slight smile.

I lowered my gaze to the black and yellow diamond patterned floor. "Yeah."

"My aunt won't let anything bad happen to her."

I smiled. "Thanks, but she eventually has to come back."

"So, you're worried about her bein' alone? If so, I can go and check up on her. Uh, I would need a guide first, though," Takuya said, laughing nervously at the last part.

"I can show you around," Emile said, waving at him.

"Thanks!" Takuya said, smiling.

Emile laughed. "No need for gratitude! I'm curious about that girl too."

I took a deep breath as the peasant followed him. "Thank you, Takuya," I said.

He sighed before looking over his shoulder. "No need to thank me."

I watched as he followed after Emile. Takuya, he didn't seem like the vengeful type, but I could tell that he was holding back animosity for what I had done to his little brother.

"Wonder where my other uncles and aunts are," Ryonoko said, reclining his head back. He gasped and stood upright.

A short, pretty blond girl in a white dress walked toward us. Each step seemed full of poise and self-confidence. She certainly fit the image of a princess, unlike that gorilla of a crown princess back home.

"Hey, Auntie!" Ryonoko said, waving.

"Oh, Kumako! You've grown a lot since I last saw you."

Ryonoko laughed. "I sure have, haven't I?"

That guy's personality was an odd one. Initially, I thought he would be like Hyosetsu, but he was nothing like him.

I gasped. "Wait, Kumako?"

Ryonoko grinned. "That's my childhood nickname! It means bear child!"

"Oh, I see. Guess that Zyuuni was right when he said you loved bears."

His face flushed. "I-I won't deny it. Bears are the best."

"The Earth Mother is said to be able to turn into one," the girl said, smiling. 

"She can? That's news to me." Though, that explained why the killing of bears was illegal.

She turned to look at me and leaned forward. Her nose twitched as she sniffed me. "Interesting. Your scent has a hint of my dear Capi."

I blinked. Capi? Wait, did she mean Capitolinus? Ha, seemed that uptight guy had the same taste in girls as me. 

"Well, he is the heir of Raiyama. That means he's your descendant," Emile's great-grandfather said.

The girl stepped back. "True. If only he looked more like him, though."

"H-hey, for your information, I'm more handsome than him!"

She laughed. "You're not bad looking, but that's not what I meant. The way you carry yourself isn't like that of the first Grand Dukes. I sense a leisurely pace from you. " Her eyes narrowed. "But that is not the prime issue. I sense decadence from you. Just what were you thinking, getting close to Anestarte? Did you only think of the here and now and forget about the future of your soul?"

I gasped. She could tell? Well, she was an ancient angel, so of course she would be able to. "I..." She wasn't wrong.

Ryonoko took a deep breath. "Mom's chastised him already, so don't pile up on him too much, Auntie." He turned to look at me. "Everyone makes mistakes. And while that alone isn't justification enough, making amends for those errors is."

Ryonoko... was he saying that from experience?

My ancestor scoffed and smiled slightly at me as she opened the door. Did that convince her, or did she think I wasn't capable of changing?

The Celestial Crown Prince patted me on the back. "Let's go in and wait there for Indica and the others to arrive."

"Indica's not here yet? That's rare!" a voice called out. We turned around and saw a blue-green-haired boy with bright golden eyes.

"Naki!" Ryonoko said.

"Kumako!" Naki said, holding out his fist for Ryonoko to bump. "How have you been, Lil Cuz?"

"I've been well, apart from the constant training. Today's actually the first day that I've somewhat rested."

He gasped. "Really? That's kind of hard to imagine."

Ryonoko crossed his arms. "I'm not like you, Big Cuz."

"Nice of you to join us at this hour, Nakia," Kiyoka said, crossing his arms.

Nakia laughed. "What's with that tone, Uncle? Surprised that I made it on time?"

Uncle? So, he wasn't one of the Seven Light angels like the rest.

Kiyoka sighed. "You could say that, yes."

He chuckled. "Sorry. It's hard to juggle being a knight with my career as a star."

"Well, at least you made an effort this time."

Nakia smiled. "That reminds me, Verdana said that she and the others are heading here. Expected them to arrive before me. Hopefully, they didn't get caught up in trouble."

"No, we're fine," a voice called out.

The pop star knight smiled as a green-haired girl strode toward us. Behind her was a short red-haired girl with a flower on her head.

"Kiyoka!" the little girl said. I gasped as a red blur passed us.

"Rubella," Kiyoka said as the girl swung from his shoulders.

"I missed you, big brother."

Kiyoka smiled. "You still behave like a little girl."

"Wait, is she older than your mom?" I whispered.

Ryonoko nodded. "Yeah, by several centuries. She's a bit younger than Caelio."

So she was ancient!

"Wait, Yukari isn't with you?" Kiyoka asked, looking back at Rubella.

"Over here!" a black-haired man in black and purple robes said, waving as he stood on the other side of the doors. Since when was he there? Did he teleport? Also, he was Yukari? I expected a girl given the name.

"Great, looks like we're all here."

"Huh?" Nakia said, peering into the room. "I don't see Indica."

"She went to help my girlfriend who felt sick. She should be back soon," I said.

"Girlfriend who's sick, is she pregnant?" the green-haired girl asked.

I laughed. "No. Her head aches, is all." Though, there was a chance that she could be given what happened between us...

How would I do as a father? I wasn't very good at being a son or a brother. And I had no idea if I was a good boyfriend or not. If anything, I probably sucked at it, given all of my failed relationships. Not that I was trying to maintain them. I could've cared less if those faltered, given that finding a new girlfriend or boyfriend was easy for me. But this time was different. Yet, perhaps my reputation was why Sabine was scared to get any closer. These nagging thoughts had been poking at my head, and despite what happened days ago, I still couldn't push them away.

"You're okay?" Ryonoko asked, tilting his head.

I blinked. Was I making a strange face? Or could he read me like Serra sometimes could?

"I'm fine."

He crossed his arms and sighed. "I don't buy that. I can tell that something is on your mind. Whatever it is, try to deal with it now before it becomes an issue during the war."

I scoffed. "I'm a professional."

"You say that, but given what I've seen of you five, you all let your emotions control you. Even that jerk, Hyosetsu."

I thought back to what Kaliq said to Hideo at the start of our training in Munil. Emotions were indeed powerful things with both positive and negative results. One had to be mindful of them to keep the negative from occurring.

"I'm back!" Indica yelled, breaking me out of my thoughts. She had returned alone. Had Emile decided to stay with Takuya?

"Since everyone is here, we can finally start this meeting," Kiyoka said, smiling as he walked into the room. The other Seven Lights, Ryonoko, and I followed.

The knights took their seats on the seven white and gold thrones around the room while Ryonoko formed a pair of stone thrones for him and me using his ki. The result didn't seem all that different from what a prana or mana user would produce. Maybe Kaliq was right when he said that the three energies differed only in their source.

"So, what's this meeting for?' Rebella asked, leaning forward.

She didn't know? Kiyoka at least seemed aware. Perhaps not all of them were briefed beforehand.

"We require your aid to protect Zionia against the demons and the abysmals," Ryonoko said.

"Both?" my ancestor asked as she ran a hand through her long, blond hair.

"Well, yes. We can't lower our guard against Abyssia simply because Cianio's attacking."

Nakia scratched his head and sighed. "Great, balancing my schedule just got even tougher."

Verdana shook her head. "Nakia, you really have to get your priorities straight."

"What? I am! Plus, I don't want to fight my friends."

We all gasped.

"What do you mean?" Kiyoka asked, glaring at him.

Nakia sighed. "I know that Skah and Daiyu are helping them. I read the report that Lady Saya gave us."

Wait, was the schedule thing his attempt at forging an excuse?

"Well, based on what Rosa said, Skah feels the same way. He doesn't wish to fight," Ryonoko said.

Yet he still went and got Roa.

Nakia smiled. "Sounds like him." He sighed. "Wonder why he's still involved with them. I know that he cares for his father, but I've never known him to be one who does things solely to please his parents."

"Rosa said that it's because Skah fears what might happen if he goes against it. The guy seems to think that one can't go against fate without repercussions," the Celestial Prince responded.

The knight scoffed. "What is that guy thinking? He's really surrendered to the idea that one can't change the future? Hmph, if I see him, I'll give him a good talking to. If that fails, then I'll beat the sense into him."

"Hideo already called dibs on him," I said, laughing.

"Who?"

"Uh, one of my fellow knights." How had he not heard of him? Had he heard of the rest of us at least?

He tilted his head. "I see. You five an order without feats, aren't you?"

My left eye twitched. "What do you mean? We fought at Grand Crater, and we repelled the abysmals at Xeleria on more than one occasion!"

"You did? This is the first that I've heard of it."

I grumbled.

"Relax. Being a knight isn't about getting attention," a voice echoed in my head. It was my guardian angel, Carlos.

I know that, but still! Wait, why are you intervening? Shouldn't you have done that earlier when I felt terrible about my relationships?

Carlos sighed. "Want you to figure that out on your own. I will say that you have tried to improve said relationships. You don't treat Sabine like your past flings, and you've tried spending time with your younger siblings, especially Eita, whom you've resented for stealing your dad."

My face warmed up. On second thought, I was glad that he had kept quiet earlier.

Nakia gasped. "I know. How about we fight?"

"Huh? Fight?" Ryonoko asked.

His cousin nodded. "Yeah, Eiichi and me. I wish to see how strong the guardians that aunt Saya gathered are." A smirk crossed his face. "He should at least be able to defeat me. After all, I am the weakest of us seven. If I win, then the five knights should stay to defend Zionia while the seven of us go and fight the abysmal in the front lines."

He wanted the more demanding job? No, he had to have been doing it for his friends. The guy really did think that he could talk reason into them.

"Sounds good," Kiyoka said.

Yukari sighed. "I wanted to fight him, but fine, you can go first."

My ancestor smiled at me. "Don't disappoint me, Grand Duke of Raiyama."

Nakia jumped down and smirked as he landed on the sun-shaped imprint on the floor.

I scoffed and stood up. "Like I'll lose."

Kiyoka raised a hand up, causing the floor to rise into the vast whiteness above. It reminded me of the battlefield Zyuuni had made for the battle between Maki and Rosa. Had he based it on this ring?

Nakia cracked his fingers and smiled. "Let's begin. Show me that you're not just a nouveau."

I scoffed. A nouveau? I was a Kuroichi and a Raiyama! I was anything but nouveau!

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?**