The Last Accord

Location: Gaia HQ – Council Chamber of the Octagram

Thea stood before Gaia's inner council—the Octagram—a table of eight where decisions that shaped continents were made. A hologram of Irene's corrupted form hovered at the center, flickering, pulsing red.

To her right, King Leonardo Serfort Granhart XI, sovereign of Gaia, watched with grave focus.

"You're saying the Abyss Emperor's soul... still clings to the lost Integral Knights?" he asked.

"Not just clings," Thea replied. "He's repurposing them. Reforming a throne of war."

Julius leaned forward, brow furrowed.

"Then what's our plan? We can't keep reacting after we lose one of our own."

Leonardo's fingers steepled.

"I will not send any more of you into his shadow without unity. We must convene the Octagon and form the Accord."

"The Accord?" echoed Wang Han.

"A formal alliance between the strongest Integral Knights—all of you," Leonardo clarified. "Your loyalties, your secrets, your scars... must be placed on the table. Only then can we resist what's coming."

A beat passed.

Then Thea nodded.

"So be it. The Octagon meets tonight. Everything comes out."

Location: Gaia HQ – Southern Gardens, Evening

The Octagon gathered beneath the glowing trees of Gaia's sacred gardens—Cyg, Eun-Ha, Hikari, Charlotte, Mia, Sylvia, Harriet, and Elaine. The tension was different tonight—not battle, but vulnerability.

They sat in a circle, and for once, without armor.

Elaine smiled softly.

"Feels like a sleepover before the world ends."

Harriet snorted.

"Or the world already ended and this is just what's left."

Cyg remained quiet, arms crossed, until Thea arrived.

"This is the Last Accord," she said. "Tonight, no ranks. No secrets."

Eun-Ha was the first to speak.

"I lost my faith when I awakened the Divinity within me. Solmaria showed me the stars… but I stopped seeing people. That ends tonight."

Mia followed.

"I created beauty to escape the ugliness of my past. But now… creation without connection is just a hollow spell."

Charlotte pushed up her glasses.

"I act like I always have a plan, but I don't. My brilliance was always just a shield for how alone I felt. I want to build things… not walls."

Hikari, voice soft as ever, nodded.

"I wanted to disappear after hurting people I loved. But maybe… maybe I was meant to shine for someone else."

Sylvia stood next.

"I used my voice for justice. But the more I sang, the more I forgot what it meant to be heard. I want to listen… to all of you."

Elaine chimed in with tears and laughter.

"I never stopped smiling. But I've been scared for so long. Scared that joy is weakness. I don't want to be brave alone anymore."

Harriet clapped a hand to her chest.

"I lost too much to fire. I became fire to survive. But you all made me realize… warmth doesn't always burn."

They turned to Cyg.

The strategist looked down at his gauntlets… then finally met their eyes.

"I was made to think, not feel. Trained to win, not understand. But I don't want to just lead you. I want to walk with you."

Thea smiled.

"Then the Accord is sealed. Not in signatures. In truth."

And above them, the stars flickered in silent approval.

Location: Gaia HQ – Training Arena, Night

Later that evening, they trained. But not to fight—to trust.

Paired exercises tested their instincts, their limits, and their bonds.

Sylvia and Mia danced to harmonize spell and song.

Cyg and Charlotte practiced synchronized combat coding—his strikes, her boosts.

Hikari and Eun-Ha trained in ether control—vampiric red threading through divine gold.

Harriet and Elaine fought with heat and wind—rivals and sisters both.

From the walls above, the rest of the Integral Knights watched, quietly proud.

Julius turned to Irene's old room, now sealed in black cloth.

"We'll bring you back. One way or another."

Location: Abyss Throne – Shadow Court

Within Nyroth's emerging throne, Irene stood still. Her hands trembled.

Miruis Nevan, Prideful Star of Orion, approached her.

"You still dream of them, don't you?"

"They… they reached me," Irene murmured.

Miruis smiled without kindness.

"Good. Then you will hurt them more when you fall."

Behind her, other corrupted Knights stirred—names once sacred now stolen: Veyl Synthesis 8, Kaien Synthesis 14, Morren Synthesis 17.

And in the heart of the throne…

Nyroth's eye opened.

Final Scene: Gaia HQ – The Accord's Afterglow

Back in the garden, silence lingered.

Eun-Ha sat beside Cyg.

"When this is over… what will you do?"

Cyg didn't answer for a while. Then:

"I don't know. Maybe… look at the sky and feel human."

She smiled.

"Then I'll look with you."