"Evan," Elyana said, uncertainty coloring her voice. "Are you sure about this?"

Evan was currently taking a few tomes from the private library and shoving them into a bag. "Of course I am," he said with a smile. "I need to prepare Ardyn for the journey ahead. It's going to be a difficult one."

"You lied to your parents and protected that man instead," Elyana said in a hushed whisper. "I understand. I do. He seems nice. But… is it really worth it?"

"The other option would have been to leave him to his death. That's not what I want for him," Evan said quietly.

He grabbed one last book, one that was bigger and thicker than the rest, and shoved it inside the bag. After pressing a nearby button on the material, the bag shrunk to half its original size, and the weight was also reduced considerably.

Now, it looked like a small bag that could be placed inside a large backpack fit for traveling.

"Listen," Evan suddenly said as he turned to Elyana, his gaze serious and determined. "Father and Mother are a part of the majority who believe that the Otherworlders are a curse to this world and that they need to be eliminated."

"That's…"

"I am not saying that they had not caused the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, that they were completely pure and innocent. I am merely saying that there has to be a reason for their existence. A reason that the people are refusing to acknowledge because they're too wrapped up in their hatred, which I also understand completely."

Elyana was silent for a moment. "What are you saying?" she asked in a shaky voice.

She had always known that Evan held different ideals and morals compared to the others. He was kind, extremely so, but he could also be oddly logical at the same time. He tended to listen to both sides of a story as well as other outside influences, no matter how small.

Basically, he liked to evaluate something from all possible angles. He was meticulous and careful that way.

But right now, what he was saying might cause the people to turn their backs on him.

Only his Guardians, including Elyana, knew of his feelings towards the Otherworlders. Since they — the Guardians — were born several decades after Summoner Xanthe had sealed the border between the two worlds, they had never seen or lived in an era where the Otherworlders still existed. Their knowledge about them came solely from history books and, in Evan's case, the secret tomes in the royal family's private library.

Ever the curious soul, Evan started researching more about the Otherworlders. To Elyana's horror, he even began feeling sympathy towards them. She kept quiet about her own thoughts and respected his views, but she couldn't help feeling this sense of unease.

After all, they had grown up learning that the Otherworlders were the bane of everyone's existence, that they were now nothing more than a myth, a terrible piece of the world's history. Everyone, including her, believed that they would never return and bring back the terror that constantly plagued their lands unexpectedly.

Ever since the creation of the Calamity, people were not just staying still. They researched, explored, strategized, and did everything they could to at least mitigate the amount of lives lost. As the centuries passed, magic and technology evolved, and more and more people found ways to make a good counterattack.

Each country had its own way of creating a defense. Once the eight-year mark approached, every kingdom would be prepared with their shields, magic cannons, Guardians, and Summoners.

Everything was done in a streamlined process so that lesser lives would be lost. Since the big cannons needed tons of magic to be refilled, it usually took years to regenerate them to maximum capacity.

However, the return of an Otherworlder after 200 years of peace and order was alarming. The established process would be disrupted, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.

Now, they needed to make an urgent announcement to the people, just as they planned.

And it was a little scary to imagine what might happen next, hours later.

"Why else would they come to our world? Just to bring destruction? They have to have some kind of connection to the Calamity in some way, correct?" Evan reasoned. "They have a purpose. I know it. They just need to search for it themselves. As Guardians."

"What you're saying has no proof, however," Elyana said gently. "I will reiterate once more that I have nothing against Ardyn, but right now, he's going to be the reason why the Calamity will return much, much sooner than we anticipated. The citizens won't let this go so easily. They'll want someone to blame."

"And that's why we're hiding him and his identity," Evan responded calmly. "Elyana. This might be our chance to break the cycle once and for all. I'm not just doing this out of the goodness of my heart. There are many possibilities out there. What if we're all too blinded by our hatred to see what's really in front of us? We've been trapped in our traditional beliefs for too long, haven't we?"

"But…"

"Let me make it clear that I am not forcing you in any way," he said gently. "I want this all to end, too. But think about it. Has there ever been an Otherworlder Guardian in history who succeeded?"

Elyana swallowed as the implication of it slowly hit her. "No…"

Evan nodded. "Let's give him a chance, okay? Who knows. He might be the one who will finally break the cycle."

Elyana took a deep breath before nodding reluctantly. "I'm doing this partly because he seems like a good person, but also partly because of my trust in you, Evan."

Evan's features softened. He reached out and patted her on the head, a gentle smile curving his lips.

"You've already seen for yourself that he's not a threat to us at all. The appearance of the Calamity isn't really his fault. Let's put all our grievances aside and focus on what's important: protecting our city, and our people."

"Of course. I understand, my Prince."

A soft silence spread through the room, wrapping around them like a gentle embrace. None of them spoke, just cherishing this small moment before it all went downhill.

Meanwhile, the townspeople continued to celebrate outside.

Ardyn watched from his bedroom window as a myriad of orbs soared into the sky, leaving a trail of shimmering sparkles in their wake. Each sphere glowed a different color, several different shades blending together in a mesmerizing dance against the night sky, creating a stunning display.

Those must be the air spheres Evan mentioned, Ardyn thought, mixed feelings swirling in his heart.

They look beautiful.

He stayed there, staring blankly as the last sphere disappeared into the sky, never to be seen again.