Upon arrival at the station, he came across Claire, who had been waiting there for him.

Rean simply gave her the cold shoulder, however, not wanting anything to do with someone who was in league with Rufus and Osborne.

Rean regretted turning his back on someone he once called a friend, but all he could do now was continue walking and leave the station behind.

Once he did, a wave of nostalgia washed over him as he looked out at Trista once more.

The excitement he felt after he and his friends freed it from the Noble Alliance was something he could never forget.

And yet, despite all that...despite seeing the welcoming sight of the lino flowers blooming again...he couldn't help but feel cold.

Not long after, the rest of Class VII arrived to greet him.

Together, they made their way back to the academy.

They went through their studies and tests as usual, taking care to enjoy what time they still had together as a class.

Now and then, though, Rean couldn't help but think about Crow...

With their final free day around the corner, Rean dropped by the engineering building, where he found George and Angelica, who each told him about their plans to travel around Zemuria.

Sensing Rean still felt guilty over his role in the battle over Crossbell, they reassured him he had, in fact, played a key role in protecting its citizens.

Following this, he paid a visit to the student council room. There, he found Towa fast asleep at her desk, having just finished her final duties as president.

As he looked idly at her sleeping face, Rean heard her mumble Crow's name.

This caused him to let out a gasp, rousing Towa from her slumber. Though unhappy that she was caught sleeping, she could tell at a glance that Rean didn't seem okay.

She told him there was no need to endure everything that life threw at him, and that it was okay to sit and rest if things got too hard.

Hearing this, the feelings Rean had been holding back burst forth. He confessed his regret about losing Crow and breaking his promise to her. Towa reassured him he did everything he could.

On his way back to the dorms, Rean bumped into his classmates at the gate, and they all went home together, thinking back to their first day at the academy.

They knew their time left together was short, so they were determined to make the most of it.

Before they knew it, their final free day had dawned. Sensing an odd presence at the Old Schoolhouse, Rean made his way over to investigate.

There, he found Toval, Elise, and Alfin, who had come to visit Trista.

What's more, Claire was with them, having come as Alfin's escort. Both she and Rean took this opportunity to clear the air with one another, putting them on good terms once more.

As the group chatted away, a bell suddenly rang out, and the Old Schoolhouse began to glow.

The rest of the group rushed over to find out what was going on. They ventured inside to find not the schoolhouse they knew, but a boundless corridor swirling with energy.

Rean summoned Valimar, who explained a trial separate from the one they had faced during the school festival had now been activated.

Though the particulars of this new trial remained unclear, Rean and the others couldn't let this opportunity pass. They agreed to explore the strange, twisted space.

Eventually reaching the end of the massive area, they found a giant white shadow resembling a Divine Knight waiting for them there.

EIt claimed to govern the Shadow Trial, which was once sealed away, but brought back due to the Infernal Castle's destruction. Undeterred, Rean and the group gathered their strength.

EWorking together, they were able to triumph. Upon its defeat, the shadow dispersed into thousands of motes of light that fluttered down like lino petals.

As they celebrated their victory, it finally hit them that this would be the last time they would be able to do so.

To everyone's surprise, Millium was the first to cry. Alisa was next. She went to hug Millium, which in turn opened the floodgates for the rest of the class.

This was the first time the group had let out the emotions that had been building up in each of them: their sadness over having to split up.

The rest of the days before the end of the school year flew by all too quickly, and then, it was time for them to depart.

Though they were parting ways, they believed they would one day meet again.

With smiles on their faces as they headed for the campus gates, each had something he or she wished to accomplish.

As they all made their departure from Trista, only Rean remained.

He knew the challenges that lay ahead for him. He would be forced to accept the government's orders for him and Valimar.

But even so, he had made an important promise with his friends.

Filled with determination to keep that promise, he strode forward, towards his future.