“I thought the Express would be late?” Xuanquan observed with a hint of snark, thoroughly intrigued by the replica of Moundfish Avenue’s construction. As though the structure was present before the war, it depicted the avenue being built within the Palace of Mortal World, with mirage echoes symbolising the Vidyadharans and the previous High Elder figures going about their endless and thankless task. You wondered how much of the East Sea Delve was destroyed by THEIR arrows, while the tiny IPC-speakers on either side spouted information at you.

So far, despite Reignbow’s Road Museum being moderately populated, you were finding it a little easier to navigate around the area. Bored of the replica, the two of you moved over to the top-left corner of the pure white room, separated by a free wall upon which displayed a hologram of a Vidyadhara in their full military garb, one hand cradling Fanghu citizens while the other crushed its enemies. Marastruck soldiers, Sanctus Medicus members, it wasn’t clear who the enemies were...just that there was red seeping between their clenched fingers.

As you walked with her, your eyes lingered upon the holographic footage of a real-time battle in what you assumed to be Fanghu territory, and watched as small renderings of Pearlkeepers engaged with the Abundance Axis in a bird’s eye view of a landscape, filled with skeletal impressions of overturned Starskiffs, rubble and bodies. Some took cover and suppressed the enemy with their weapons while another carefully peeled off to flank them, while trying not to be flanked themselves.

Generally, that was Fanghu’s tactic. Engage and flank. Engage and flank. You watched as the Abundance Axis succeeded in dislodging the Pearlkeepers from their defensive positions and summarily vanquished them, paving the way for the Abundance Axis to travel through the East Sea Delve…only for the Reignbow Arbiter’s arrows to swoop down and effortlessly wipe them. As a result, hundreds of lives were astray from both sides; the remaining Pearlkeepers who were already engaged in a fierce battle in the far end of East Sea Delve had no other choice, and were forced back into the main area of Fanghu to report to Marshal Hua.

“Same old…” she murmured as her expression fell, shooting a glance at the floor as the two of you approached the back of the museum, staring at a holographic representation of a Fanghu Starskiff. Painted light blue and designed with a seahorse in mind, it featured elegantly curved wings that arched around to point forward, with the fuselage beginning in the centre of both wings and curving downwards to resemble a tube-like ‘snout’.

“The war left many scars for the Fanghu,” she said numbly, her chest full of incensed heat and her mind full of thoughts. Having been silent for the past minute, you see no reason to do anything other than listen, and simply gaze thoughtfully at her while she talks, “but history taught us a valuable lesson. That we learn from our past mistakes, and make peace with it. People won’t forgive us, but who will?”

“The Alliance has a history of being dogmatic with eradicating evil. We lost many…so many people. They were once knights, family, friends, and citizens. I vow that it never happens again. That the Fanghu remains victorious against the Aeonic War. No more bloodshed. No more of our fallen brethrens being sent across the horizon. No more destruction.”

Xuanquan continued with her voice firm — and you decided not to respond to her resolve. As the two of you drew up on either side of the next hologram, she silently — and a little methodically — stepped back and moved over to the top right of the room, choosing instead to stare at the cloudhymn magic of a burning East Sea Delve, with flames that reached so high that they kissed the heavens, while THEIR arrows swooped down to rain death and destruction upon its believers and enemies alike.

“I will clear the evil in this universe until my very last breath is drawn,” Xuanquan pauses, and looks at you, “care to continue this museum walk, {{user}}?”