The short walk to Lausane became longer from helping wounded Rovaneim to the town. Eventually, all of them were burdened with a limping man or assisted in pulling a litter. They were further delayed in Lausane because of the need for Zelenia's healing skills. There was such a need they had a day and a half furlough; as soon as Zelenia wasn't needed, they quickly boarded the train.

Taking the electric-powered train over to Kefa wasn't quite the experience Kalisa had imagined. Normally, the distance between the mainlands of Elemonsina and Kefalon would take two-and-a-half days by sea, but with the train, it took one hour. The most surprising was that she didn't feel any movement or shaking from the three-hundred miles per hour speed.

The patchwork frame of various sheets of metal welded together wasn't what she had pictured when she heard they were going on the train. Inside looked better but still appeared to be a work in progress—different textures of carpet supplied the floor, the seats had mismatched cushions, and the glass were various tints.

Kefalon wasn't precisely poor—like Volentia—the nation was primarily industrial and mechanical; the city of Kefa was nothing but a huge scrapyard city. A lot of swindlers came from Kefa; the people were known as being shifty, con-men, and having silver tongues.

But the fast trip probably would have been more enjoyable—at least to everyone else, she enjoyed the silence—if Aeris hadn't had been so silent and unresponsive in her mourning. She was mourning in her own way by not wailing over Heela's death like a weak-willed woman. Besides, Kalisa didn't like tears: they were a show put on for others to have pity for them.

Coming onto the train, Kalisa watched Aeris drift over to a seat distanced from the others like a ghost, not leaving any type of presence. Thinking back to the first meeting of her, as pretty as she was, Kalisa had expected her to be like every other beauty: snooty and selfish—someone who always craved attention from being so used to it. But Aeris had proven her wrong by being polite to everyone, but preferring Heela's company. She had wondered if they held feelings for each other, but no deep affection was ever passed back and forth, only a strong bond of friendship.

Kalisa had liked Heela—he had been very open and kind—so she felt for the woman losing someone very close to her. She felt no pity for her, but her admiration of Aeris had grown by her strength to keep it together. Though her posture betrayed nothing of her feelings, her eyes did: Aeris now looked to be lost, turned around by her own wind blowing in multiple directions and not having a clear headway.

Not much of a conversation took place in the hour ride and all filed out without adding words. As soon as they stepped out onto the platform, they were bombarded with men slinking up to them, advertising scratchy-looking clothing and dysfunctioning technology. With the rough brushing-off of two merchants on Geryon and the one worded order from Tegen, the charlatans abandoned them and went to snare other disembarking passengers. Once free, they actually got their first view of Kefa, which wasn't a sight to see.

The city, the atmosphere—even the skyline—belonged to another planet. The sky seemed to be stuck in evening of deep orange and black—dark because of the smoke constantly billowing out of the many smokestacks. Bland metal factories crowded one another, every single window in the multitude of buildings were on, more in-progress trains zipped here and there, and flying cars followed an invisible but orderly line. The noise was annoying with constant honks, buzzers, and hums of the factories, and the air was thick with smoke and the tangs of rust.

"Let us leave soon," Tegen said, arms crossing and face scowling in disgust.

"I hope we can," Helian said with the same amount of dislike, then began walking from the train station toward the city.

Zelenia turned to the Sun already heading out on the path in his head. "Where did you see Light?"

"I saw her in some scrapyard with an older man."

"Well, that surely narrows it down," Kalisa remarked.

Helian frowned at her, but before he could reply, Renuo hung his head. "This is going to take forever."

Zelenia stepped in to calm everyone's dispirited attitudes. "I do not believe it will be, Renuo. Light's aura will lead Helian to it or, if not, to where their presence lingers most; it has been the same with all of you."

She took a moment to look at everyone. "Once we find Light, we can begin attaining your true Elemental powers and our unity will begin to grow."

Helian grinned at everyone. "Until then, just have a bit more patience. We're almost there." He began following his path again.

Once everyone turned to follow, she rolled her eyes at the Sun's back; she really hated his peppy optimism. She had come to find with dread that he wasn't trying too hard; that was his natural self. The mood of the group was too gloomy—they didn't need him right now.

Or maybe they did, and he just couldn't supply enough pep to exceed the level of annoyance. They had it with Heela... Kalisa glanced over at Aeris' straight back, still not showing any signs of defeat. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but Kalisa hoped Light could replace the hole Heela had inflicted upon them. She felt bad for thinking in that way, but it would be the best for them. But would it be the same for Aeris? Or will she even let Light in?

***

Helian led them to one of the many scrapyards, smaller than the others and less junky, but more organized—the best organization piles of scrap metal could be.

They entered the barbwire fenced enclosure and headed toward the only stable structure in the area. As they neared it, a man—older than Geryon—approached them while wiping off grease on his hands with an already used rag. He was dressed as every other Rovaneim, but with white fur strapped over a shoulder.

He looked over their group curiously. "Quite an odd and large group you're traveling in, but how can I help you?"

"Interesting attire you have there yourself," Helian began in a friendly manner.

The man smirked and ran a clean hand through the fur. "My prized possession: the fur of a giswel. Not everyone can boast of that feat, and it helps to spot me in the crowds. That's why I'm called Furs, the only name I've liked."

Helian nodded in intrigue. "My name is Helian, but umm, is there someone else that stays with you? We need to talk with her."

Furs turned from being open and helpful to defensive as he eyed them all suspiciously now. "What do you have to say to Pica?"

"It's best if we talk with her about it."

His arms crossed, immovable. "No, you're going to tell me first and I'll decide if she needs to hear it."

Kalisa was impressed at Furs' protectiveness. Living in a city like Kefa, he was probably used to dealing with swindlers on a daily basis—he looked like he could be one too—so he wasn't going to be easily persuaded.

After a hesitant glance at Zelenia, Helian turned back to Furs. "Alright, well, your daughter—"

"Niece," he corrected.

"...Niece, is the Elemental of Light. I'm the Sun, she's the Moon, and they're all Elementals," Helian gestured at them.

Furs skewered them for a long time. "Well, that explains the change of color in her eyes, but she's always been bubbly and energetic; Light didn't do that." His eyes narrowed. "That's not enough to convince me, so how do I know you're telling the truth?"

"We're not here to convince you but her. She's the only one who can hear the truth in my words."

Kalisa looked at Helian—he had gone into the battle at Lausane, a naïve, overly optimistic boy; with Heela's death, he had grasped how serious their quest was.

Furs smirked. "I like you, boy. I like people who have a backbone—who can't be dissuaded.

"But Pica's not here. She's gone to Ollorne's dealing with some... traders. I'll write down the directions; outsiders quickly get lost here."

***

Furs' directions led them to a large, currently operating factory. He had also warned them to go there prepared for a fight. The associates Pica was meeting with weren't the cleanest in Rovaneim terms and weren't trigger-shy if surprised.

Kalisa had second thoughts on her impression of Furs as they snuck into the factory. He had portrayed the protective father-figure but then encouraged his niece to isolate herself here to conduct business with men who had no problem killing others if things didn't go their way.

The operations of the factory were entirely driven by robots, so they didn't have to worry about being spotted and raising an alarm. They headed past conveyer belts to the inner section to find Pica based on Furs' instructions. On approaching a doorway highlighted by a furnace within, they could hear human voices. Helian went first to check the layout of the room; he waved for them to follow him.

They stole into the large chamber—huge piles of twisted scrap metal dotted the room, armed Rovaneim patrolled the metal catwalks above them, and a burning furnace occupied the end of the room, providing enough light to fill the room. Even hidden behind one of the piles, they could feel the blazing heat of the furnace. They could hear the whirring of working robots and metal scraping against each other as they collected some from the piles.

"Oh, come on, Dyan! What is it now? Uncle Furs is waiting for me," a girl said.

"You know what it is," a man replied, voice growling in displeasure.

"Really? I know better than to steal from you! Do you think I want to die?"

"You steal from people, Pica; that's what you do best."

"Yeah, but only from people who are idiots and won't kill me!"

Kalisa peeked around the scrap metal. A petite girl with spiky pink hair cut extremely short—about Zelenia's height and age—squared off against four men triple her size. Two more men stood behind her.

She wore the skin-tight armor like every other Rovaneim but in mix-matching colors of orange, yellow, and bright green. She wore black fingerless gloves and combat boots. Multiple utility belts holding ammo and pouches wrapped around her waist and two long guns hung off either side.

The men were Rovaneim too, but were dressed in darker colors. Not only were they in different colors of armor, but all armed with larger guns strapped to their back along with pistols at their sides and much more muscular and intimidating. The leader—the one Kalisa presumed was Dyan—wore a long navy blue, almost black, duster coat.

Kalisa was astounded at Pica's bravery with hands on hips, looking amused as she rolled her eyes and shook her head as she listened to Dyan drone on. The gang did not daunt this little girl at all.

"You're not listening!" Pica interrupted, throwing her hands up. "I didn't do it!"

"I say you did," Dyan stated. The two men behind her quietly walked up.

"And your word is final, right?"

"Yes." The two men roughly grabbed an arm each.

The possibility of actual danger dawned on her. Kalisa glanced at Helian watching through a space in the scrap metal; he nodded for them to get ready.

Pica changed her tune. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay wait; what if I say that I know who took your medallion?"

"You? I already know that," Dyan said.

"No, no, no, no, no; I know who has it. I can get it back."

Dyan leaned down to her face. "I can too, once you tell me."

"No, only I can get it."

"So, you admit that you have it? Because the only way I wouldn't be able to get it is if you take it to the grave with you."

Pica's face blanched. "Did I?"

Helian stepped around the pile. "Let her go!"

The Rovaneim whipped around, somehow with their guns already out of the holsters, and fired at him. Helian ducked back down behind the pile as the bullets ricocheted.

Aeris threw a blast of air into the pile of scrap metal to explode pieces everywhere, drawing off fire as the men evaded the falling debris. Helian covered Geryon, Tegen, and Renuo as they charged by shooting at the men on the catwalks.

Pica had somehow escaped her captors. The three Elementals didn't have much trouble dealing with the Rovaneim on the ground, but those in the air firing on them kept pulling their offense into defense. Helian was still trying to snipe the survivors taking cover on the right, so Kalisa turned to the left.

Drawing power to her, she focused on the railings holding the catwalk above them and forced them to break. Snapping, the catwalk dropped with yelling men. The room was filled with the metal crashing to the ground but the rapid fire stopped; after one last gunshot, the room fell silent.

The semi-organized room was now a mess with the explosion of a metal pile, scrap pieces littering everything, robots dismembered and short circuiting, a collapsed catwalk, and bodies.

Pica appeared around a still-standing scrap pile with a smoking gun in hand. The girl had golden eyes—not quite like Helian's, just dimmer. She holstered her gun as she looked around.

She beamed at them. "Well, that was fun."

"Are you thick in the head?" Renuo asked. "We could've died; you could've died!"

"But we didn't." She looked at Helian. "Why'd you try to save me?"

"We gotta talk to you. Did you steal from them?"

She sighed dramatically as she put her hands on her hips and looked at the body of Dyan. "Yeah... but they've never caught me before; threw me off guard. But the medallion was so pretty!" Pica reached into a hidden compartment on her pants leg armor and pulled out a gold coin as big as her palm. "It'll bring Uncle Furs and me so much money."

This one is gutsy, Kalisa thought. She already liked her. Helian glanced at Zelenia, trying to hold back a smile.

"So what'cha got to say?" Pica asked.

"You're the Light Elemental. Your personality is your strength," Helian said.

Her golden eyes got big. "Really?" She started hopping up and down. "That is so cool!

"So, all of you are Elementals?" Her eyes scanned the group. "Awww, I'm the last one? Why am I the last—" She cut herself off and her eyes jumped back onto one person as recognition lit her eyes. "No... way... is this happening... Aeris?"

Everyone turned to stare at Aeris, still solemn, but her eyes tightened.

Pica's mouth popped open. "I never thought I would see you again! I definitely never thought I would ever see you in person!" She bounced up and down, squealing a little. "Aeris! Oh! I am so happy to meet you! I am your biggest fan in all of Kefalon! I know all of your songs, word by word!"

Aeris shut her eyes as a hand came up to hold her temples; she looked to be struggling as Pica continued to gush.

"I always wanted to go to one of your concerts, but Uncle Furs and I never could get enough money to afford the trip. Oh, I have so many questions! Why did you just disappear? What happened? Where did you go?" With every question, Pica inched closer.

Aeris' eyes snapped open, freezing the young girl in her hard stare. "Stop; just stop. Please."

"But—"

"I'm not her anymore." Aeris turned and left.

Stunned silence filled the room as everyone gaped at her abrupt disappearance.

"I'm... s-sorry. I didn't know she would..." Pica's shaky voice brought them out of their shock. Kalisa found the young girl to be shaken up about the confrontation. It was a tremendous difference from the fearless girl facing Dyan, but it reminded her that Pica was still a young girl, and her admired idol just crushed her spirits.

"We didn't know she would either," Renuo said.

"You must've touched on a sensitive subject," Kalisa added.

"You say she is famous?" Geryon asked.

Pica nodded. "Extremely famous! She—Wait. Don't tell me you don't know who she is..." Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she stared at them incredulously.

Helian crossed his arms. "I'll admit that she looks familiar, especially her voice, but I never thought she was actually famous."

She exaggerated her actions. "You actually got to hear her sing? You are SO LUCKY!"

"Can you tell us what she's known for?" Geryon's patience was wearing thin.

Pica shook her head. "I still can't believe none of you know her. She's the most wonderful-fantastic-angelic singer; the best there is! Her voice was so clear and pure that she would bring you to tears at the sound of it while her tunes were so jammed-packed that you would be on your feet trying to match her choreography!"

Her hands waved out of her excitement and her eyes were shining. "I heard her concerts were always sold out and the best EVER! She was a true performer: coming up with her own songs, choreographing every step she and all of her dancers would make, and even designing what her stage looked like. Ugh! I wish I could've gone to see her perform!"

"What happened for her to leave?" Helian asked.

Pica shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think anyone knows. She was at the top of her game, then disappeared. I wish she would say what happened..." Pica looked off to where Aeris left.

"It would be best if you don't ask so soon, though," Zelenia suggested.

"Why? Because of the way she acted?"

"Not only that, but she lost someone very close a few days ago."

Pica turned to her. "Who?"

"Heela."

Puzzlement washed over her face. "I don't know who that is."

"Still, I would wait." Zelenia turned to Helian. "I'll go try to talk to Aeris. We'll meet you at Furs'."

Kalisa watched her leave and wondered what had happened for Aeris to leave her high-profile and celebrity life. Her suddenly flipping to the defensive meant that she had wanted to remain unknown.

But now they had gained the final Elemental, and Kalisa already felt better with Pica's bubbling. Hopefully, whatever troubling Aeris wouldn't affect their drive to kill Fangril, but she had a sinking feeling in her soul that it would.