Call to Action

[Within Cairn's bedroom at the Rainy Day Inn]

With two weeks passing since their return from the Subterranean Spire, Cairn was practicing his knitting under the watchful eyes of Kaia when his Omni-comm began to vibrate.

*vrrrrrrrrr* *vrrrrrrrrr* *vrrrrrrrrrr*

Without needing to be asked, Kaia rolled over and crawled to the side of the bed to retrieve Cairn's Omni-comm, deliberately moving in a way that provided a tantalizing view of her ass. When she returned, Cairn set aside the scarf he was working on to reciprocate her nose bump before petting her head as she lay down, using his thigh as a pillow.

"Let's see, now..." said Cairn, unlocking his Omni-comm's screen to see who had messaged him. He had received a message from Elizabeth a few days prior, but since he had told her he was busy, she wisely didn't press him further.

"Oh, it's from Zarah," Cairn revealed, a smile developing across his face before he read the message's contents. It revealed that one of the most well-known Dungeons on the Continent, The Abyss, had been assailed by a flight of Dragons. As a result, countless beasts had been displaced from their natural habitats, leading to a large-scale migration that was currently sweeping across the Frontier like a wildfire.

"What's wrong?" asked Kaia.

Shaking his head, Cairn handed Kaia his Omni-comm so she could read the message herself. Once she had, the contented lethargy she had been exhibiting vanished, replaced by an expression of grim severity as she sat up and muttered, "This is terrible..."

Getting straight to the point, Cairn asked, "What do you want to do? We can always seek allies later. If you're worried about your family, we should check on them."

Though she was more than a little worried, Kaia eventually shook her head and asserted, "They should be fine...more pertinently, we wouldn't be able to offer much assistance even if we were to depart. My tribe will have resettled at least once since I set out on my pilgrimage, so even the act of locating them would be difficult..."

Regaining his smile, Cairn gestured for Kaia to come closer, hugging her once she did. Then, in a faint but convincing tone, he whispered, "But you would regret it if we didn't at least try. Am I wrong...?"

"..."

Unable to refute Cairn's words, Kaia buried her face into his chest and allowed herself to be held. She didn't want to become a burden to him, but if she later learned that her family and tribe had been wiped out while she was lounging about in the Capital, Kaia was certain it would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Fortunately for Kaia, Cairn didn't need convincing to want to help her. She and Elle had become two of the most important people in his life, so after several seconds of caressing her back in silence, he took the initiative to say, "Let's head down to the kitchen. There's no knowing how long we'll be on the road or how many people we'll encounter seeking refuge. Once we've ransacked the pantry and stocked up on supplies, we'll head for the nearest Warp Portal."

Raising her face from Cairn's chest, Kaia's eyes glistened with moisture as she gazed up at him with drooping ears. However, before she could agree or attempt to argue, Cairn brought her forehead to his with closed eyes, his voice faint but sober as he expressed, "We're family, Kaia. Your people are my people..."

"Thank you..." muttered Kaia, her rabbit-like tail wagging behind her. In truth, Cairn's decision didn't surprise her, but that didn't make it any less relieving. Her path may have split from her tribe's when she became a Neophyte, but everything she did was to secure their future. She might not forsake her duty if they were lost, but her conviction and faith would invariably suffer a massive blow...

...

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After explaining the situation to everyone who was home, Kaia stayed behind to help Elle and Mari move some of their tools and equipment into the Interspatial Pouch while Cairn went shopping with Reine. She was sad to learn he was leaving and might not return for several months, but since his goal was to save Kaia's family, she did her best to maintain a smile and enjoy their impromptu date until its end.

"You could always come with us..." said Cairn, breaking the long silence that had formed between him and Reine as they made their way back to the Rainy Day Inn, hand in hand.

"There are few things I want more, but this is my home, and I've Fleur to consider..." replied Reine, having anticipated Cairn's words well in advance and steeled herself to refuse him. She 'wanted' to go with him, but even if the Rainy Day Inn would be okay without her oversight, especially with its recent renovations and upgrades, she didn't want to derail her daughter's life or place them in jeopardy as a result of her selfishness.

Squeezing Reine's hand, Cairn surprised her immensely by stating, "Fleur is half the reason I'm asking you to come with us. Studying day in and day out is bound to burn her out, especially if she doesn't achieve the results she desires. Enrollment in the Royal Academy commences at twelve, so it would be good for her to take a break and experience the world she's only read about thus far."

"But...won't it be dangerous...?" asked Reine, already half-convinced but feeling obligated to offer at least some resistance.

"The two of you would spend most of the trip in the safety and comfort of the Interspatial Pouch," said Cairn. "As for your safety outside...I planned to stop by the Cathedral of Light before I set out. We'll pick up Statuettes of the Goddess for you and Fleur while we're there, but I doubt we'll need them..." 

Though she should have felt surprised hearing Cairn mention spending 20,000 Granis on her and her daughter, Reine had just witnessed him spend nearly ten times that amount procuring food and supplies. Thus, after hanging her head for several seconds, her steps gradually slowing to a stop, Reine caused Cairn to feel flustered as she abruptly collapsed and broke into a fit of relieved, child-like bawling...

...

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[Onboard a trolley headed for the Cathedral of Light]

"Hey, go easy on the hair. I'm too young to start balding..." said Cairn, doing his best to maintain a smile even as Fleur gripped his hair tighter. The distance between the Rainy Day Inn and the Cathedral of Light was too far for an ordinary child to walk, so Cairn was letting the grumpy, ill-tempered lass a ride on his shoulders at her mother's behest.

Unsurprisingly, Fleur had been against leaving the city and taking a break from her studies. Fortunately, as the cottage within the Interspatial Pouch belonged to Vira, there were hundreds of rare texts and grimoires for her to peruse. More importantly, Cairn had convinced Zarah, who decided to accompany them, to be her mentor. 

Being the forward-thinker she was, there was no way Fleur could pass on the opportunity to have a literal genius Professor as a private tutor. Thus, even though she still didn't trust Cairn, Fleur eventually relented and was even tempted to give him the benefit of the doubt in the future. After all, it would have cost him nothing to abandon them. Instead, he was spending a small fortune to let them accompany him and guarantee their safety. For that reason, Cairn had garnered at least a modicum of Fleur's esteem and approval...

"Why is your hair so soft?" asked Fleur. "Aren't boys supposed to have rough hair?"

"I wash and condition it thoroughly," Cairn replied.

"But why?" asked Fleur. "Is it so you don't go bald?"

"That's one of the reasons..." Cairn replied.

"And what about the others?" asked Fleur.

"Because it's better to have clean hair and a healthy scalp than one scarred by lice and bacterial infection..." Cairn replied.

"What's bacteria...?" asked Fleur.

"They're tiny, microscopic organisms that can make you sick. That's why it's important to wash your hands before meals..." Cairn replied, prompting yet another barrage of questions.

Seeing the interaction between her daughter and Cairn, Reine couldn't help smiling affectionately. Her eyes were still a little red from how much she had been crying, but this was actually a good thing as they had been tears of joy and relief. The past eight years of her life had been filled with far more struggles than happy moments. Now that Cairn had asked them to come with him, Reine was almost certain her days of misery and heart-wrenching loneliness were behind her...

"Please use this..." muttered Kaia, handing Reine a handkerchief as her eyes began swelling with tears. Reine accepted it with a meek "Thank you..." but while her eyes continued to gather moisture, she managed to avoid drawing even more attention to themselves by crying outright...

...

..

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While Kaia accompanied Reine and Fleur to pray and receive their statuettes, Cairn, escorted by the taciturn Andromeda, made his way to one of the most secure regions of the Cathedral of Light's inner sanctum, an underground residence and garden known, somewhat creepily, as The Cradle.

Though no monsters were present, only a bunch of ivory-white-and-gold statues, The Cradle was a Dungeon created by Solosaxian to safeguard the Church's secrets. More accurately, it was where the progeny of high-ranking clergymen and women, born despite their parents making a vow that made them sterile, were kept and reared as Paladins, Crusaders, and high-ranking members of the Inquisition.

Contrasting expectations, Cairn's trip through The Cradle wasn't marred by troves of children being brainwashed to become the most efficient and relentless upholders of the Church's Tenets. Instead, he saw a bunch of blonde and silvery-haired children sitting or walking around in white robes similar to Solosaxians, some accompanied by green-furred deer and other animals while others relaxed in the shade of trees, either reading books or simply napping. 

"It's more peaceful here than I expected..." Cairn remarked, expecting his words to provoke a response, but Andromeda completely ignored him. As a result, he was left to awkwardly trail behind her down a well-packed dirt road as she led him to a strangely modern-looking building constructed of white stone overgrown with ivy. There was even a massive tree growing from one of the annexes, but rather than appearing rundown, it was like a well-maintained temple preserved since antiquity.

Stopping at the building's entrance, Andromeda broke her silence by stating, "I am regretfully unable to guide you any further, but I shall wait here until your return."

"What is this place...?" asked Cairn, feeling a peculiar sense of familiarity as he observed the building's exterior. He had never seen such a structure in person, but he thought it looked remarkably similar to an old-fashioned Japanese school building.

Joining Cairn in staring up at the building, Andromeda remained silent for nearly a full minute before revealing, "This is where your predecessor, the first Champion, arrived in our world alongside twenty-seven others..."

'So he was a Japanese high-school student that isekai'd here with his classmates...' Cairn concluded, less surprised than he expected. He could be jumping to conclusions, but while reading up on Alfred's exploits, Cairn got the impression he and the first Champion originated from similar, if not the same, worlds. 

"What happened to the people that arrived with the Champion...?" asked Cairn, mostly out of curiosity.

"Their fates aren't as well-documented as Alfred's, but I read that most of them died in action, fighting to repel the monster hordes and to secure Cliabhaan's future," answered Andromeda, her voice an icy monotone as she subsequently revealed, "If you go behind this build, you'll discover a small cemetery built upon the land that arrived with this building. Most of the graves are empty, but a few contain the remains of those who fought alongside Alfred before he gained recognition as Lady Restia's Champion and the First King of Man. His Holiness went to great lengths to ensure as many of Alfred's companions as possible were laid to rest on their native soil..."

"How thoughtful..." muttered Cairn, staring at the entrance to the building with growing trepidation. A part of him was tempted to ask how Alfred's classmates had died while under Restia's protection, but his intuition told him that Andromeda wouldn't be able to provide an answer. Vira would be able to, but until he was strong enough to fend for himself in the present, Cairn concluded it was best to let matters of the past lie...

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