Chapter Five

Sora changes into plain clothes Gambria procured, uneasy about Gambria’s loyalties after a betrayal yet recognizing her help. She and Aeri check the bloodied, corpse-strewn rooms and try to prevent discovery, Sora burdened by the mounting death toll and fear of further mistakes with so much at stake.

In Mikail’s damaged suite, Sora confronts Gambria for speaking with soldiers. Gambria claims she was seeking news from Quu about King Joon and Queen Quilimar, her grief credible enough to stall judgment. The group, surrounded by six slain guards, argues over safety and options.

Mikail, scarred and grim, proposes fleeing to Cetil, a Yusan port across the Strait of Teeth, using the skiff and the Water Scepter. Aeri cautions that each use exacts a rising toll, but Mikail dismisses the risk, focused on speed and regrouping. Sora, seizing the chance, asks if they can detour to Gain to rescue Daysum; Mikail’s fleeting, haunted reaction suggests hidden complications.

Before Mikail can answer, heavy footsteps announce more king’s guards. Royo and Fallador swiftly kill one, while Mikail executes an acrobatic strike to the other’s neck. With two more bodies added to the count, Mikail orders an immediate departure. The group grabs weapons and races for the skiff, committed to the Cetil plan amid unresolved tensions about the scepter’s cost and Sora’s plea to reach Daysum.