[b]Chen![/b]

"Imagine something for me, Chen," said Ysel. "Imagine if every word you said came out as a command. Imagine if you could not ask without being obeyed. Imagine if you were the only one who stood tall in a world that bowed. Pressing your case becomes verbal assault, being excited for something translates to issuing an ultimatum. This is the only way I know how to speak and it has ruined every relationship I have been in. I step on people but do not know how to stop them from casting themselves beneath my feet."

She returns the hug. Stiff, awkward, but sincere.

"I always wanted you to be your own woman," she said. "And the only way I could thought to do that was command you to become strong and independent enough that you were beyond my commands. That day has come, and it is nowhere near as terrifying as I expected it to be."

[b]Rose![/b]

The Pyre of Inspiration has been Angry for an age. This is the lowest of the hells: the passion that causes cruelty where there should be kindness, rejection when there should be acceptance. That Anger makes itself known through the blade, through the dissection of mistake, through the destruction of the unworthy. It is not enough to know that a foe is wrong, anger declares that their flaws will live within you too. If there is love, what is its opposite but wrath? 

The Secrets of the Stance has taken all the flaws of the world into herself, drinking them like the ocean. Every time the world has failed her she became that failure. And now her blade recites that litany back at you, crushing blow after blow, striking to hurt, to shame, to humiliate, to give expression to the hurt, shame and humiliation that dwell within the Stance. 

But she cannot express her anger, not against that staff, not against that serenity. There is no way through for her blade, no hole in your conviction for her words. So instead she gives you the anger itself. The blade demon dissolves into the thrashing, red mist of pure wrath and surges through your defense to merge with you. It is a rush of suffering: every sin against her, every grudge, every failing of the world is poured into your shining heart. Can you endure it, Rose? Did you not, sleepless beneath the earth, swear vengeance upon humanity? How can you let pain like this go? Mark [b]Angry[/b], but with that, the Pyre of Inspiration's own Anger is undone.

As for your opportunity? Your ally? The Pyre of Inspiration does not act, does not rise from her throne. But she is watching with a strangely human curiosity, paying a new and focused attention to everything you do even as the Scales of Meaning moves to shield her from you.

[b]Yue![/b]

And in a moment you are alone on the walls of Ys. The stage is cleared around you. There is a distant audience on yon hilltop, watching everything, but they are too far in time and space to tell you what they think. And it'll be nice when they eventually do - but in this rare moment, that's all it will be. Nice. Not necessary. Because in this moment, your song, your dance, your victory is its own triumph. Without being told, you [i]know[/i] you did it.

From up here you can see the distant banners. You can see the colours of Ysel, of the Pyre, even of Princess Yin. You can see the flash and crack of the spooky powers of the Ghost Sun all about. But you also see, distant, almost apart from the battle the slowly moving flag of Princess Qiu.

It's a long way to get there, including your first time in the biggest city of them all! People always said that visiting Ys is like getting to visit every other city put together, and the operations of the city hasn't shut down just because there's a war on. In fact, this is more like a carnival atmosphere - people are out on the streets selling lunches and souvenirs, people pose for photographs with Assault Ribbons pretending to be strangled or bound up in knots, and large television screens and movie projectors all about show key moments from the battles across the entire city. At the same time, some people take up swords themselves and go out into the street to stand against demons or Radiant Knights. This battle belongs to everyone, after all, and everyone is invited.