They walked pass many priest and acolyte, even some knightly Echoes. By the end of their walk, small infrastructure caught their eye.
"...A confessional?" Rover voiced their collective thoughts.
Slowly, they made their way inside the confessional, which also works as an elevator.
Katsuri knows. Because this was also the exact same place her and Danjin had used to move around between the wilds and Ragunna.
She could be called an expert in this case.
"Just get in there, then some robotic voice should ask you a question or two. Don't mind him, probably just programmed like that, I'm not certain."
Maybe the voice was not Robotic, but to her, it sounded like it.
It doesn't feel... human, if she were to compare.
Just a lifeless voice.
The three of them stepped foot into the confessional as the door closed behind them.
Just then, two individual appeared where they had last stood.
It was the Priest that had thrown around his speech onto them and... Phrolova.
"Looks like they're slowly finding their way, that's nice. But there's no need to rush. I wonder what kind of face Rover would make once she realized her identity? As it turns out, the key to stop the Lament was right beside her all along?"
"...And what kind of face she'll make when that key is stripped away from her grasp."
"But no need to rush. I, too, am curious to see what truths await them."
"The Carnevale is now one step closer."
"I'll make sure to put on a grand show for the audience."
"...Perhaps make her come to me on her own."
[Wuthering Waves]
The confessional elevated to the higher ground, revealing their location inside the cave. A small fountain and an Echo greeted them.
They walked through the dark cave, only filled with candle as a light source.
At the end of the tunnel, a dark sky was revealed, alongside the Nexus.
'...So it turns out that was supposed to be a secret door?'
Sure don't seem like it at all.
After all, Danjin was the one that had led her to use this exact entrance every time they needed to go to the wild.
If this really was a secret passage, then wouldn't Danjin be a spy or something?
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Abby asked the listless Katsuri.
"...just the night sky. They're usually very beautiful but the clouds are ruining my experience." Katsuri pointed out the weather.
It's true, the sky is very cloudy. Due to that, barely any moonlight could leak nor could the stars be gazed upon.
Even so, it's still much brighter when compared to the lightless night on earth.
"Let's catch up with Zani, we still have a task to complete." Rover cut off their conversation.
"Let's go then!" Abby shouted excitedly.
Katsuri simply walked alongside them, still thinking of going back home.
They then reached a place which seemed to belong to a wreckage of a house, with boxes and empty vases placed all over the wooden board.
There, they heard Zani talking to someone.
Katsuri doesn't really care about them at this moment. Because of that, her attention was taken away by a sight, far, far away.
The floating islands, the floating pillars, and the fogs that surrounds them like paparazzi.
Those are things that can't happen back on earth, no matter how hard scientist tries to recreate them.
Not only are they extremely heavy, they're also trapped by the law of physics, one that's written as the law of the universe.
"...Not that I know what that means." Right, Katsuri dropped out of school.
"What are you talking about?" The now familiar voice of Abby asked her again.
"Nothing. I doubt an Echo would understand." She retorted.
"Hey! I did not say anything bad about you, why so suddenly?"
"You called me stinky."
"That's because you were!"
"My point still stands."
Suddenly, a hand landed on her head, alongside Abby's.
"There, there, stop fighting. We still have a lot to do before we could go home. The faster we finish, the faster we'll return." Rover smiled slightly at their childish banter.
Katsuri can't lie, that smile is extremely deadly.
Perhaps if she were a dude, she'd have fallen for Rover already...
Maybe it was fortunate that this is the Female Rover.
"Come, we need to figure out where Gilberto went." Zani began walking towards the plains as the rest followed, Katsuri at the farthest back.
As they kept walking, the traces disappeared.
"Strange... did Gilberto disappear into thin air? Ah, no wonder." For a moment, she sounded unsure until her gaze turned upwards.
The rest of the companion also followed her gaze as a flying stringray caught their eye.
"What's that?" Rover asked.
"It's a Wingray. It's the kind of Echoes people usually use to get to another location quickly. Since the sky is very much traffic free, it became easier for people to move using the Wingray." Zani explained.
"This one in particular was most probably used by Gilberto to reach a safer place faster. Perhaps if we follow it, we'd find more of his trace."
"Come on, use your grapple."
Rover responded, "Got it."
Then, as if it was a regular Thursday, both Zani and Rover hooked onto the Wingray, with Abby already hidden inside Rover's Tacet Marks.
'...Where'd they get that!? I want one too!' Katsuri's silent plea was not heard as she was grabbed by Zani, then carried like a sack of potato across the plains.
It would've been quite the view in the morning. Unfortunately, it's night time.
They arrived at a village where she could make out two children and an Echo playing around.
"Welcome to Whisperwind Haven, a place known for it's iconic windmills and flower field. A perfect place to rest your mind after a long day at work." Immediately after they landed, Zani started a basic explanation about the village.
"Legend has it that this place used to the home of the Blessed Maiden."
Katsuri's ears perked. Blessed Maiden?
...What a cool nickname. She wanted to have one of her own...!
As they got closer to the village, the voices of the children playing caught their attention.
It seemed like they were playing the role of the Blessed Maiden.
...Though it was unfortunate that she seemed to fit REALLY well with the children. They appeared to be almost at the same height after all.
'Wait no, I might be shorter...'
It was... extremely bull.