Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Then, why not Noah call Blade?”

“It’s not out of choice, I just can’t–“

“False. Riku see through like transparent!” reprimanded the nopon engineer harshly. “Noah can call Blade. Just no big desire or fighting spirit.”

Under the weight of the truth, Noah relented. “Riku…”

“Hey, is he serious?” inquired Lanz, annoyed at the revelation. “Noah–!”

The Kevesi soldier leaned towards his friend, only to recoil when Noah did summon his Blade right in front of him. It was the typical Kevesi longsword that may others used, though a few details made it appear… different. Instead of the standard black metallic, it was a bright red with gold trim around the hilt.

 “What the… all this time?” he asked, surprised Noah would hide something so important from all of them.

 “Hey, Noah? Any idea why it’s red?” asked Eunie, genuinely curious.

Focusing on the Blade, Noah was just as confused as the rest of them. “It’s different in more than just the colour.” The Blade seemed to vibrate, fighting against Noah’s grip to point itself towards Riku in particular. “It’s… almost like it has a mind of its own. It doesn’t allow itself to be called most of the time.”

Pondering the implications, Riku wondered if a particular gemstone had played a role in the description. During his previous experience with this particular Blade, one which he had gone to great lengths to have installed on Noah’s Cradle – correction, Growth Module – he could not recall any examples of it displaying any sort of sentience or free will. Unless…

“And right now, she really doesn’t like Riku.”

“She?!!” bawked Riku. “Why would Blade dislike Riku? Or be female for that matter?”

“She… it… speaks to me sometimes, even when I don’t call it,” replied Noah. “I know it sounds crazy, but the voice is definitely that of a girl. I’m the only one who hears it, but it usually warns me of what my opponent’s doing in training exercises and that.”

“Noah… are you feeling alright?” asked Eunie, coming in close and placing her hand on his shoulder. “You do realize hearing voices isn’t a good thing.”

“I know,” said Noah, sounding more depressed than usual. “I tried to ignore it, but the voice just… waited, kept asking if I was ready to talk. She was firm, but kind. I was pretty sure she didn’t like me at first, and even now she’s a bit wary when talking to me about anything other than fighting.”

“Does voice have name?” asked Riku, pointedly.

“I’ve tried asking her, but she dodges the question every time,” said Noah. “Do you have any idea who she might be Riku?”

“Perhaps,” said Riku as he mulled over the possibilities. “Would friend Noah describe voice as… moth– oomph!”

Without warning, Noah’s Blade transformed into a metallic hand, the same crimson colour with golden highlights at each of the joints, and flew out to cover Riku’s mouth. Upon closer inspection, it was a left hand and closer to the shape of a glove as there was an opening around the wrist that emitted a trickle of particles and wispy clouds with the same distinct green colour. The slender shape of the fingers suggested a feminine nature to it, appearing so human-like that it would be thought as one if not for the colour and fact it was essentially a disembodied glove. The only other feature was a golden band upon the third finger of the hand, seeming to be the only detail that wasn’t a part of the actual hand itself.

“Guys…” interjected Joran nervously. “Maybe Noah wasn’t crazy.”

The hand let go of Riku, jumping to the desk where the nopon engineer routinely drew out his latest designs on paper. It scurried about the desk, looking for a pen for which to write and isolating a sheet of paper from everything else.

“Friends should listen… um, read carefully,” declared Riku. “Hand appears to want to say something for all.” Everyone gathered around the table as the entity which was dubbed ‘Hand’ began writing.

Noah. Take up the sword.

“What the spark?!” said Noah, shocked at the directness of the statement. “You too? Can’t I just use you like a normal Blade?”

I will still help, same as always. But we will need it.

“Need it? For what?”

I can’t be seen like this, your superiors will take me away.

They will want to use me for their own ends.

Noah crossed his arms as he glared at the enigmatic hand. “So is that why you refuse to come out during drills?”

After a brief moment, the hand scribbled their response.

Yes.

Noah, knowing from previous experience that these simple answers were technically correct but not the whole story. But prying any further would get them nothing… aside from a painful reprimand that he had no desire to experience again. He decided it was best to move onto the next topic of discussion.

“So what are you proposing to do?”

I can form a sheath around ‘Lucky Seven’.

It will keep the greater power of that sword in check but still allow you to fight.

You can still draw it when you really need it.

 “Oi! Hand!” shouted Eunie, jumping into the conversation. “Why did you put quotations around ‘Lucky Seven’?”

It’s a terrible name.

“Can I call it something else?” asked Noah. “I mean, ‘Lucky Seven’ doesn’t really suit me…”

No.

“What? Why?”

You’re even worse at naming things.

All the observers in the room burst out laughing, knowing that Hand was entirely correct in this assessment. At the very least they saved them the months or years-long process of getting Noah to stop call it something unimaginative like ‘The Sword of the End’. It was always ‘of the End’ this, ‘of the End’ that.

“And so sword shall stay named Lucky Seven,” proclaimed Riku proudly.

Snapping its fingers, Hand called them to attention again.

Please don’t mention me to anyone, alright?

Riku, Noah, Lanz, Eunie and Joran all nodded. Hand made a quick thumbs-up gesture before snapping their fingers and causing the sheet of paper they were writing on to burn to ash upon the metal tabletop. Not wasting a moment, Hand leapt onto Lucky Seven and wrapped around the sword as promised, becoming a crimson Blade with a golden inlay in the centre. The handle remained that of Lucky Seven itself, and the Flame Clock display remained at the hilt.

Grabbing the new Blade, Noah took a few practice swings. The weight, counterbalance and reach were all perfect – Hand had really made it just for him.

“I like it. Thanks, Riku,” said Noah, happy with his choice. Turning to the weapon itself, he spoke softly so only the entity within could hear. “Thank you, Hand.”

That name is gonna stick, isn’t it?

 “’fraid so,” replied Noah softly. “Eunie picked it, so I wouldn’t expect her to be changing it anytime soon.”

Damn.

Chapter Text

"Remind me... what are we lining up here for?" yawned Eunie, barely awoken by the alarm.

Mwamba, chipper as ever, was already alert. "Royal Decree from the Castle, they say an enemy armoured unit's approaching this area."

"C'mon, man... I just got to sleep and everything!" said Lanz groggily.

"Friend's fault for staying up late." Riku was never one to pass up the opportunity to chide Lanz over whatever small mistake he had made.

"And who's fault was it that I couldn't sleep? I asked you to do the maintenance on my power frame!"

Why does anyone trust Riku with anything?

Hand's ever-present dislike for the nopon engineer made Noah chuckle, but this was hardly the time to dwell on his companion's antics. After all, this was both an emergency assembly and a Royal Decree, they were being given an important mission.

"I'm here to announce today's mission," declared the Commander of Colony 9. "You have one target. It's currently on course for suppression area here" With a tap of his temple, the coordinates were relayed to the gathered Kevesi soldiers.

"Judging from the mass, it is expected to be large in size. And based on its speed, it will reach the Alfeto Valley at 0100 hours," he continued. "Notably, the target is emitting a considerable amount of ether energy."

Fuck.

"What?" asked Noah suddenly, shocked by how emphatically Hand has conveyed that particular thought. He didn't recognize the word at all, but it didn't sound good at all.

"Off-Seer Noah. I said the target is emitting a considerable amount of ether energy. From the Decree, we are told is a potent device. We are to investigate and destroy the source of ether. If unsuccessful by conventional means, we are to secure the area until a detachment from the Castle arrives to dispose of it."

"Commander! One question," interjected one of the soldiers. "About this target? Can we assume it's from Agnus?"

"We don't know," replied the Commander. "We haven't been able to confirm, but it appears they are also gunning for it. We have been ordered to assume they are attempting to retrieve it for their own use against Keves, we cannot allow for it to fall into their hands. It is also possible the target may be part of a third force, we are to regard them as hostile."

This is bad. Very bad.

"How bad?" whispered Noah, only loud enough for Hand to hear.

Be ready for the fight of your life.

"Thing is, I was thinking, after this op... I think I'm gonna go and put in a transfer to the salvage corps," said Mwamba wistfully, thinking on his fast-approaching Homecoming. Just one more month to go, one last op and he could stay safe with the salvage team. He was going to make it, he just knew it. "You never know what could happen on the battlefield, right? You can laugh at me, if you want."

"I ain't laughing, man," replied Lanz with far more gravitas than normal. "We've only been alive this long because you've always had our backs."

"Yep, we owe ya a ton," chimed in Eunie. "Just make sure you get to your Homecoming, okay?"

"Lanz. Eunie... you guys..." Mwamba choked back his tears.

"Mwamba. Now not time to relax tear ducts," said Riku bluntly. "Let down guard, and you fill Flame Clock of someone else."

Next chance I get, I'm punching that little bastard.

"Sorry, Noah."

"Huh?" The Off-Seer jumped at his old comrade approaching him. "Oh, no. It's not that. I guess I was just thinking about your Homecoming... made me feel a little sad."

"Noah..."

"Mwamba, salvage is an important service. Don't feel like you owe us anything."

Good boy.

"Thank you so much Noah," replied Mwamba, a bright smile growing on his face. "Right, then. Let's get this operation done. Next month's a-Homecoming!"

Seeing the sharpshooter's enthusiasm reminded Noah of a lost friend, so eager to make it to the Homecoming he would never see. Joran gave his life to save them that day... serenely smiling at them as he did. That smile, and that of many others he had sent off. Noah had to know why. Why did they smile like that, at the end? What did it mean?

"Noah," the old soldier interjected. "I'm going to go on ahead. We got a call, Martha's team has a spot free, apparently."

"Ah... right."

"Do me a favour, come along with me? To the office?"

"When you apply? Got it. The Commander can be... intense."

"Egg-xactly. Later!"

After watching Mwamba run out of earshot, Noah turned his remaining friends with heavy intent. "Guys. Be careful. Something about this mission has Hand on edge."

"That doesn't sound good," said Lanz severely. "It's not like 'em to directly warn us like that. Any details?"

"They haven't said anything other than 'Prepare for the fight of your life'... and considering they've been with us all along, that's not a comforting thought," replied Noah. "I think Hand knows what it is we're after, but they don't want to say what it is."

Once I know for sure, I'll tell you more.

"... and just said they'll tell us more after confirming what it is."

"Yeah, real useful Hand," scoffed Lanz. "If it's so snuffin' important, why don't you just tell us now?"

Manifesting itself, Hand propped itself by the wrist on Noah's shoulder in a clenched fist with the back of the palm towards. Slowly and with intent, the middle digit was extended  before they jumped up and disappeared into Noah's uncalled Blade again.

"Oi! What is that?" Eunie was utterly entranced by the gesture. "What does it mean?"

I'm not telling.

"Hand's staying silent on that one, Eunie. Sorry," said Noah as he gave his friend the bad news.

"Whatever. I'm usin' it the next time I want t' tell some'un t' bugger off."

That is... surprisingly accurate.

Don't tell her that.

"Either way, stay on alert," ordered Noah. "There's something off about this mission. Don't do anything reckless."

"Something doesn't feel right about this mission," said the squad's tactician as he went over the scant briefing they had been given.

"You're such a worry-wart, Taion," said Mio, Off-Seer and leader of the small special forces team being deployed from Colony Gamma.

The last member of the team chimed in, her dark purple hair with fiery blue tips lighting up. "Yeah! Mimi's right! Stop worrying so much!"

Taion sighed. There was no doubt the two with him were experienced, but neither were really involved in the command-level decisions like was back at Lambda. A proper explanation was in order. "Sena, Mio. The mission briefing is far too short. Royal Decree or no, it's plainly obvious that the details were scrubbed of anything we didn't need to know."

"You think they're hiding something from us?" asked Mio, noting his concern.

"Yes. Our mission to locate this device and destroy it, but we aren't being given any description about what it is or even what it looks like. The Castle doesn't want us to know what it is, they just want it gone."

"Why would that make you worried, Taion?" said Sena, still energetic. "The Castle doesn't want it, what's the big deal?"

"The only other detail on the mission briefing is that Keves is seeking to capture it." His face grim, this one detail just didn't sit right with him. "Anything worth capturing is a valuable resource for both sides of the war, but they don't want us to even consider it. I could understand destroying instead of allowing it to fall into their hands, but they want it destroyed."

"Maybe Keves..." Sena spat on the ground at the mention of the opposing nation's name in disgust. "Are a bunch of dummies and don't know it's useless yet?"

"I doubt they're that naive."

"Well, it is a Royal Decree," said Mio flatly. "The Queen herself wants it gone, it has to be dangerous. So we'll do just that."

Taion and Sena both nodded in agreement, but the tactician kept one last thought to himself. It was only a rumour amongst members of the Survey Branch, but every time Consul F provided them a mission briefing, he had a habit of saying a very particular phrase.

"There were no witnesses."

The way he had said it, with absolute conviction and certainty, implied that he had personally made sure that was the case. Seeing Consul F again, giving Commander Teach the Royal Decree? Taion had good reason to be concerned, and would be watching the team's back. 

Donning their helmets, all of them got into position and waited for signal to commence the mission.

A blast ripped through the hull of the Armory, knocking several members of the Lost Numbers to the floor. The one unfortunate enough to be closest to the point of impact lay motionless for a moment before dissolving into a cloud of golden motes.

"Damn it!" shouted Guernica, lamenting the loss of yet another comrade-in-arms during this critical mission. "Pilot! What's the damage?!"

"They hit one of the engines, boss! We're going down!"

"How many are we up against here?"

"Too many! They sent both Kevesi and Agnian forces after us!"

Looking over his remaining troops, the former City Elder quickly evaluated the best course of action. "Launch the automatons! Have them distract and give us room to breathe! Everyone else, arm yourselves and prepare to dig in! Pilot! Engineers! Anyone who knows how to hold a wrench! Get started on the fixing the engine while we provide cover fire!"

Nerves hardened, weapons drawn, the Lost Numbers got ready to defend the Ouroboros Stone with their lives.

"Aye-aye, boss!" chirped up one the shortest and youngest members onboard the Armory.

"Not you, Shania," said Guernica calmly. "I need you to stick to the shadows, send up a flare for an evac. Don't go throwing your life away." The girl quietly fumed at the orders, but begrudgingly seemed to accept them.

"Don't worry, kid. We'll make it through this, and yer job may be the most important." The old man placed a steady hand on her shoulder, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'll put in a good word for ya when we get back t' the City. Rankings be damned, you proved yerself out there today. Besides, I've always felt a good pairing was more important fer Ouroboros than the damn ranks. You and Ghondor make a better team than anyone else, and that's what we need right now."

Shania's eyes gleamed with excitement at their leader's support, and she smartly saluted and prepared to do just as she had been ordered.

It was time to give the bastards hell.

After a solid strike, Noah shattered the helmet of the enemy Agnian soldier. It wasn't entirely clear in the thick of battle, but now he could see he was fighting a female soldier and an Off-Seer. Her golden eyes, they were... familiar? Why? How?

Oh no.

It made no difference. On the battlefield, it was kill or be killed. Noah followed up with a quick stab and a sweeping strike, expertly dodged and parried by his opponent.

Don't hurt her!

Hand was panicking, not good. Still, there was no time to think. The Agnian Off-Seer was relentless on the attack, slashing and throwing her rings at him and forcing him to evade. After the flurry of blows, he stepped back a moment to catch his breath; she was doing the same- What?!! The hammer-wielding wheeled out from behind her and went for a leaping strike.

Don't just stand there! Move!

"You call that a swing? You're way too slow!" Lanz, ever ready to defend his friends, brought up his Blade to block... and nearly buckled under the weighty strike.

"He blocked it?! No way!"

"For a little munchkin, she sure packs a real wallop!"

Damn, what did those two feed her?

Eunie wasn't faring much better, leaping behind cover to escape the swarming paper objects being controlled by the last member of the Agnian squad. "How many of those cards has this geek got?!"

"There's no escape! When my Mondo have you... they'll follow you to the ends of the world!"

Running out, Eunie had her own card to play. "Spark that! What don't you back off?!" Using her Blade as a focus, she released a pulse of ether into the air, shredding the little paper birds the geek had thrown at her.

"Yuss!" briefly putting her Blade away, Eunie pointed the back of both of her hands towards him with each middle finger pointing skyward while swinging her hips back and forth. "Try that on f'r size, Four-Eyes!"

The taunt had the desired effect, completely befuddling the Agnian soldier, leaving him stunned and unresponsive for several seconds while she recalled her Blade and made a run towards Noah and Lanz. Meanwhile, the two female Agnians ran towards their comrade's side.

"These guys... are tough!" Noah was panting for breath, his agile foe pushing him to his limits. 

"I hate to say it, but I think you're right," agreed Eunie.

Stop fighting! Don't hurt them!

"These are no grunts," said Lanz. "That gear... special forces?"

"Yeah, deffo. That'll be why they have an Off-Seer with 'em..."

"Well, so are we!" shouted Lanz and he planted his Blade in the ground and activated its turret. "Even-stevens, right?!!"

Scattered blasts of ether flying, all six soldiers rejoined the fray.

Are you even listening to me?!!

The six soldiers again broke off into three pairs of duels, with Noah and his opponent being the Agnian Off-Seer once again. "How can she move so quickly?!"

Another flurry of strikes, another set of dodges and parriers interwoven with precise strikes towards him. "Can't seem... to hit her!"

Shit! We got incoming! Stop fighting right now, Noah!

His Blade vibrated wildly, generating a high-pitched whine. The Agnian Off-Seer grasped at her ear and recoiled, the shrill noise turning her sensitive hearing into a disadvantage. Taking advantage of the distraction, Noah reset his stance and focused.

"What's... what's that sound?" asked the Off-Seer.

Sorry, Mio.

Mio? Why did he know that name? He was certain he knew it, but couldn't recall where... He fought countless other Agnians over the past eight-and-a-bit years, but never her. So why did she seem so familiar? And why was he so certain her name was Mio?

Wait, why would you know her name?

You couldn't! Not unless... oh.

You have got to be shitting me!

This was easily the most talkative Hand has ever been, but he didn't have the time right now. His opponent was attacking him, he had to defend himself just to survive the next few seconds! She was too fast... but the movements were simple. It was almost like they have a rhythm...

The Agnian Off-Seeing tune? Yes! I know how that goes.

One, two, three, four...

One, two, three!

As Noah moved in for a fatal blow to his opponent's head, his Blade stopped dead in its tracks. What the?

I won't let you hurt her.

The Agnian Off-Seer evaded the strike by backflipping away, and after a moment starting charging back in. Noah refocused quickly, looking away and listening carefully to the beat of her footsteps.

One, two, three, four...

One, two...

"There!" yelled Noah, lashing out towards his opponent... only for the Blade to stop short once again, allowing his opponent to leap away once again. "Hand?!! What are you doing!"

Stop fighting her, right this instant!

"Hand! She'll kill me if you don't let me fight!"

"Got a problem, Kevesi?" said the girl, venom dripping from every word. "Can't swing a Blade properly? Too scared to fight now? Too late for that!"

...that's it. I'm putting an end to this.

Now.

In that moment, the sheath of Noah's Blade flew off of Lucky Seven and pushed the Agnian Off-Seer to the ground, briefly pinning her there. After the girl stopped squirming and trying to get up, Hand let go and start hovering upwards, waving a pointed finger at her.

"What the spark is this thing?" the girl snapped. "And why are you just standing there?!!"

"She told me to stop fighting you," replied Noah, though he raised Lucky Seven forward. "But I will still defend myself if necessary. Stand down."

"Get away from Mimi!" yelled the hammer-wielding soldier as she charged in, ready to strike. "I won't let you- YAAAH!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Hand grabbed her by the ankle and dragged the soldier to the ground before returning to their position in front of the Off-Seer. Taking advantage of the break in the fighting, Eunie and Lanz huddled up close to Noah. The Agnian girl rose to her feet and held the massive hammer in a defensive stance, and the male soldier rushed to his allies' side with his 'Mondo' swirling all around them.

No more distractions.

With a snap of their fingers, Hand caused all the 'Mondo' to burn to ash in an instant. The bespectacled soldier was shocked, but took the hint and didn't summon any more of them.

"Hey... Noah?" whispered Eunie. "Has Hand ever done anything like this? They're mopping the floor with 'em!"

Shaking his head, Noah moved to talk to his enemies. "That's enough! Stand down, Agnus."

"Why should we?!" spat the Off-Seer. "Do you think we'll let you go?"

Hurry up, old man!

"Something's wrong here! This whole mission is wrong!" yelled Noah as something deep within him spoke. "I don't know why, but we shouldn't be fighting here!"

"Who cares if it wrong, Keves! We're here to fight!" snarled the Off-Seer as they leapt towards him.

Instictively, Noah started raising his sword to counter... only to be blinded by a bright flash and pinned to the ground by a large man. The Agnian Off-Seer found her self in a similar position.

"What do you all think you're doing? Why the fighting?!"

About damn time someone asked that.

"What's this guy sayi-"

"Just why? ANSWER ME!"

"What do you mean 'why?' If I see an enemy, I fight!" growled the Agnian Off-Seer as she wriggled her way free and out of his grip. "So don't you interfer-"

Too quick for even her to notice, the large man struck the Off-Seer in the stomach, winding her.

"Pull the wool from your eyes, kid," he said, rising to his feet as the Off-Seer collapsed to the ground. Pointing towards the glowing object Noah had started before the fighting started, the man continued with all the soldiers' rapt attention on him. "Think about your real target: that thing!"

Everyone glanced towards the object, which continued to glow ominously.

"And me!" he yelled, disgusted at the state of affairs. "No, you just have your little scrap! D'you have any idea... who the real enemy is? It's over!"

Despite striking the ground, everyone staggered at the force of the blow which radiated outwards from the man.

Seems they've refined that art a bit.

"Now... is that all you you need to fight? Truly? That's all?"

The bespectacled Agnian responded first. "Oh course. Countless comrades have lost their lives, thanks to this filth."

"Oh really now?" retorted Lanz, completely unimpressed. "I could say the exact same thing. What d'you think it's like for us? Losing friend, after friend... you steal everything from us!"

"You think we're even just because both sides do some killing?" said Eunie, adding to the chorus. "What good's filling up these fucking Clocks in our eyes! It'll never replace the friends we've lost! That's why-"

... when did she learn that word?

"We aren't fighting because we *want* to!" interjected Noah.

"We're not?"

"We can see our lives written before our eyes! Fighting is all we have!" said Noah, approaching the large man. "Is it any wonder... we lose loved ones? Or have to take them from others? All of us... we have to fight so that we can go on living!"

Mio gasped.

"Just who decided that this is how it should be? If I knew who they were, or where, I'd-"

"I know who they are," said the large man, sensing Noah's barely contained rage. "You'll what?"

Noah stared down the man, eyes filled with anger and determination.

"You're an Off-Seer, eh?" he replied, staring intently at Hand who had perched itself upon Noah's shoulder. "I guess I can trust you with this. You'd better listen up now, 'cause the real face of your enemy is-"

GET DOWN!

Hand sprung forward with enough force to throw Noah onto his back, moving to push the man back and to the ground. It was desperate, fast... but not fast enough.

"GAAAAAH!"

A bright orange spear flew forward, clearly aimed towards the man's chest. Hand's action spared the man a fatal blow, but instead the spear strike his left calf, completely tearing it off below the knee. He collapsed to the ground, grasping in agony at what was left of his leg.

Acting quickly, the bespectacled Agnian sent his Mondo into a cloud of dust from where the spear had originated. Noah, Lanz, Eunie and the other two Agnians readied their weapons. Hand reassembled itself into the sheath around Lucky Seven.

Get ready. We got a real monster on our hands.

Slowly marching out of the cloud was a giant bipedal creature, easily five times the height of even the largest soldiers. Two large horns, each finger ending in a wicked claw, red eyes filled with absolute malice, and more teeth than an entire pack of volffs. It walked confidently, with the self-assured arrogance of a Consul. In each hand it held...

"Mwamba!"

"N...Noah?" replied the veteran Kevesi weakly. "I... I messed up!"

"Mio...!" cried the Agnian held helplessly in the giant's other hand. "H...Help me, Mio!"

"Hackt!"

Great. It's an interlinked pair of bastards.

Noah's Blade began vibrating violently. Hand did more than dislike them, far more than the constant low-level distaste for Riku they had... this was beyond serious.

"Wh-what is that thing?!" shouted Lanz, getting nervous.

"Never seen anything like it befor-" Eunie froze, an image of a disturbingly similar visage crossing her mind's eye. She couldn't move.

"Eunie?" shouted Lanz. "Eunie! What's wrong?! What is it? Seen that thing before?"

She gasped as she regained her senses. "No! H-how could I have?!"

"Noah?"

"No, never," replied the Kevesi Off-Seer. "This is no normal creature... it's something else."

An abomination.

Moebius.

"Oi, oi!" spoke the creature, it's left eye glowing. "Don't go stopping on my account! Get back to killin' each other! Come on. I thought that was your whole 'raison d'etre'?"

"It's... speaking!" shouted Mio.

"What's wrong?" jeered the giant. "Too worried about your buddies to fight? Can't have that!" Raising the two soldiers in its arms up high... and squeezed. Kevesi and Agnian both vomitted out a spray of blood from their mouths, splattering all over the creature's head as its smile grew even wider.

Mwamba and Hackt were dropped to the ground unceremoniusly, turning into husks as the red motes began to rise. The beast reveled in the torture that was its victim's last moments, writhing in twisted pleasure.

"Mwamba!"

"Hackt!"

Clear your mind!

The bastard might like to gloat, but killing you with a flick of his wrist is *not* a metaphor right now!

"Oh, wow! This is some entertainment!" The monster was practically sneering now. "Two rival factions, murdering each other over one little rock! Well, your objective is staring you in the face. Try and take it."

Everyone continued to stare down the beast, no longer caring about the mission. This... thing... came first.

"'Course, you'll be dead before you can lay a finger on it." The creature "Don't you just... love it? Don't you want to savour it? The sweet taste of a life cut short!"

"You mudder!"

"You killed Hackt!"

As all the soldiers charged in, the beast casually fired another spear into the crowd, throwing them to the ground. Getting up, it began walking toward them with murderous glee. Winding up, it eyed Noah up specifically and grinned wide.

Shit! It recognizes you! Move!

He didn't have to react before a large metallic arm ran into the face of the beast, knocking it off balance and pinning it to the ground. The vessel the large man had arrived in! He'd climbed back into it!

"Yer goin' down, ya Moebius bastard!"

Raising another arm to strike, the beast caught the blow and placed its hand on it's chin. "Well, what did I expect?" Getting a grip on the arm it had blocked, it threw the whole vessel into one of the surrounding rocks. Throwing the detached arm, it slowly walked towards the vessel which started firing upon it, casually deflecting a few bullets but mostly just not caring whether or not they hit its body.

Seemingly growing tired of the sideshow, the creature idly raised it's arm and fired a spear into the chassis of the vessel. It immediately leaped onto the cockpit, tearing it open and lifting the man out with ease.

Noah, awestruck at the display, realized he was just standing around. "No... leave him alone. Let him go!" He charged in, desperate to save this man from whatever this creature was. Striking at the creature's forearm, he cut deep enough for it to bend over as the bones were cut clean through. The large man fell to the ground with a grunt.

"Don't get off your high-horse!" it snarled, shifting its arm back into position and regenerating from the wound. "You're nothing more than a grunt!"

Lanz caught Noah as he was thrown back, helping him stand up. Eunie and the Agnians rushed to his side, ready to deal with this monstrosity.

"You've got a real death-wish... maybe I'll deal with you first!"

In the dark of the night, three figures were seated at the campfire of Llyn Nyddwr.

"That is your mission... for now."

"You do realize you're giving us both little to go on, right?" said the red-haired woman bluntly. "Just randomly showing up at a couple of random Colonies under the guise of a transfer and hoping we don't get found out until these 'friends' of yours show up?"

"It's a big risk," said the blonde man. "But Moebius isn't inclined to innovate, so maybe we're lucky and things haven't changed so much."

"The only noticeable change was the Off-Seeing rituals, were conceived not long after both of you were freed from the Flame Clocks," said the person with the long white hair. "If you're familiar with that, you should be fine."

"Any chance of us being recognized?" asked the woman. "Have any of the Consuls lasted all this time?"

"Only six, and you should be fine where you're headed," replied the white-haired one, before turning to the man. "You, on the other hand, will need a disguise." Pointing their hand at his face, the man suddenly grew a thick, bushy mustache.

"Oo~ooh!" squealed the woman with delight. "I missed that thing!"

"Well, it's nice not having to wait another ten years to grow it out," replied the man, already falling into his old habits of twirling the tips. "But why me?"

"N."

They all fell silent. The one Consul neither infiltrator was looking forward to meeting again.

"Regardless, both of you have your mission. Embed yourselves in the two Colonies and wait for our allies to show up. You'll be debriefed on more later." The white-haired one rose to their feet. "I must depart, I am needed elsewhere."

"Two quick questions before you go," said the woman with some urgency. "Who are we waiting for, exactly?"

"The old men," replied the white-haired one. "I'm sure both of you have much to say to them." Both infiltrators nodded.

"Next, how long before we need to go there?"

"You may depart in the morning," said the white-haired one with a knowing smile before vanishing.

The woman flashed a toothy grin towards the man. They had been given back the bodies of their youth and some 'alone time'. And she was going to use them.

"I want a mustache ride."

"As you wish, my dear!"

Chapter Text

The creature was relentless.

Even confined to the sidelines with half his left leg gone, Guernica could see the Moebius was out for blood. The kids were lucky, he was playing with his food, giving them just enough of a chance that they'd get their hopes up before he really let loose.

There wasn't any time to waste, he had to activate the stone. It'd take years to recharge, but if those kids got the power... yeah, they'd fight back. He could see it in their eyes earlier, they hated the tragedy of this world as much as he did.

It wouldn't have long before their ten terms were up, but if he could get them to the City, maybe they could be trained enough to make a dent in Moebius' numbers. Heck, if they're lucky, maybe they'll go even further.

... if he could only get this damn stone to work!

"Work, damn you!" he yelled, beating his fists on the Ouroboros Stone. "Work!"

"You have to hit the release toggle on the bottom first."

"What the-"

A white-haired... woman, maybe? Guernica stared at them, but reached under the bottom of the stone. Sure enough, there was a small button there. Pressing it, the sides of the stone opened, revealing a plunger-like mechanism.

"I'm sure you can take care of the rest," they said before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Cheeky," said Guernica with a smirk. "Let's get this show on the road!"

Carefully balancing on his one remaining leg and one arm on the device, Guernica Vandham leaned in and pushed the plunger down.

Noah tackled Mio out the way of the creature's strike... but it didn't matter, it just lined up its shot again.

"Two for one!"

He had to protect her, no matter what.

Waves of green ether washed over them, and the only way Noah could describe it was... 'strange'. In this strange space, he could see and hear... something. Thoughts? Memories? Emotions? He didn't know, but he knew they all belonged to her.

Fear. Pain. Sorrow.

Loss.

Agnus really were just like them, locked into this endless war without any choice... but there was time for that later. There was something else to deal with right now. He could see the creature before him, snarling. Whatever just happened, it didn't like it. Noah quickly realized he was no longer looking up at it, but rather seeing it eye-to-eye. 

It didn't matter. This thing had to go. Feeling no weapon in his hands, he used the one thing he had left: his fist.

Leaping forward, he swun it with all his might, sending it flying into the trees.

"About damn time! Give it to him, Noah!"

"Is this... my hand?" asked Noah, seeing the dark fist before him, veined with purple-red lines at each of the joints. Uncertain, he glanced behind him to see Lanz and Eunie take a cautious step back. The two Agnians he could see adopted a defensive stance as well.

"Wait..." said Mio, echoing Noah's own thoughts.

"Are you... inside me?" said both Off-Seers in unison.

"That's one way to put it."

"Whose voice was that?!" shouted Mio. "Who are you?"

"Oh... Mio..."

"That's Hand," replied Noah. "Voice in my head most of the time, was the thing which held you down earlier.  No time to explain further."

"Fine," replied Mio as she turned her attention on the creature. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

"Hmm... I should make some Baked Redfish. Would you like that Mio?"

"Later! The thing's still movin'!" she snapped. "Wait... how did you know my favourite dish?"

"Alright, back to the Moebius."

Rising to its feet, the creature squared back up to face them. "You catch on quick! Got yourselves an inter-"

"That's it! Don't give him a chance to get back up!"

At Hand's urging, Noah and pressed the attack with repeated strikes to the creature's face. Slowly, it started to crack under battering, with the lower jaw eventually getting ripped clean off and causing dozen of needle-like teeth to fall on the ground. It stopped struggling, slumping down.

"It's dazed! Go for the core!"

"Core?" asked both Off-Seers, confused.

"The glowing orbs in its chest! Break them both!"

"Got it!" they replied, raising both fists for a fatal strike. "This is for Hackt and Mwam-"

Their combined form was thrown back by a powerful kick to the midsection from the creature, which proceeded to slowly stand up as a green mist enveloped it. The thing's face repaired itself, regrowing the shattered jaw and missing teeth.

"So, Hand does indeed have a voice..." it spoke, with a decidedly higher-pitched voice and its right eye glowing. "And is very knowledgeable about us as well."

"What?! Him?!"

"Anyhow, we'll call this one a draw," said the creature in its normal rumbling growl. "But a little parting gift, I think!" It raised it's gaze towards the sky, projecting a crimson leminscate into the sky.

"Now the whole world will be your enemy," sneered the creature. "I wonder how your lives will turn out..."

"The only enemy of the world is you, Moebius."

"Bold words, Hand. We got our eyes on you..." said the creature's high-pitched voice. "Toodles!" Without any further theatrics, the creature disappeared into a cloud of purple motes.

"Alright. Mio, Noah. I'm cancelling the interlink."

The two separated back into their own bodies and were quickly dropped onto the ground. Friends from both sides rushed up to meet the Off-Seers, checking in to see they were okay.

"Oi! Noah!" shouted Lanz. "What the spark happened there, man?! Was that you in the biggun?"

"I... think so?" replied the Off-Seer, still processing recent events. "It was both me and Mio in there."

"And Hand," interjected Eunie. "We could hear her talking too... or at least I think it was Hand."

Shit.

"You're right, Eunie," affirmed Noah. "But I didn't realize everyone but me and Mio could hear her."

"Um... question!" shouted the fiery-haired Agnian, her right hand raised. "Who's Hand?"

In response, Hand conjured herself as their preferred form of a disembodied Hand and ruffled the girl's hair. "Gah! Get it off! Get it off!"

Mio chuckled at the scene. "Relax, Sena. She's not that bad, just being friendly." It was then her turn to squirm when Hand flew over and starting fussing over her hair, even conjuring an little comb making sure every detail was perfect. With some reluctance, Mio let her go on while pouting.

"... okay, she's being too friendly."

"Aww... she just likes you, love!" said Eunie, cheering Hand on. "I mean, you 'eard 'er, saying she'd cook yer favourite meal and everythin'..."

"Manana object!" interjected a pink-furred Nopon who emerged from behind the bushes. "Manana is only cookypon here! No one will be cooking but Manana!"

She looks... intense.

Just tell Manana I'll teach her a few recipes and help out.

"Hand is only asking to help... Manana, was it?" said Noah, speaking for her. "She'll even give you a few recipes."

After a moment to consider, the cookypon nodded with a smile. "Manana accept."

"I, for one, don't think we should be so eager to accept her assistance," said Taion, injecting himself into the conversation. "We may have driven off a common foe, but we are still enemies."

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume that!" shouted the large man from before, being held up by a new persion with long white hair on as they guided him towards the group. His left leg was bandaged up, but they were already red despite the torniquet stemming the blood loss from the missing portion of the previous battle. The white-haired one sat him down against the wrecked leg of his vessel, doing their best to provide some healing and ease his pain. 

The man looked up at the gathered group of soldiers with serious intent. "I probably don't have much time before I black out here, but I'll tell you now - you don't have to fight anymore."

He's right.

"Check your Irises, the Flame Clock should be gone, right?" continued the large man. "All of you. Look and see for yourselves."

All six soldiers checked, and all six gasped when there was something else there. A ring in the shape of a serpent devouring its own tail, slowly turning.

"What... what is this?"

"That can't be right!"

"It's... kinda pretty?"

"Heh-heh!" said the man with a laugh. "First time I've heard someone call it pretty! That's the Ouroboros ring, that is. You've been freed from the Flame Clocks, granted a special power which allows you to fight back against Moebius. But it means the world will be against ya. Keves... Agnus... both sides will be hunting you now."

"Preposterous!" snapped Taion. "Surely our friends wouldn't just turn on us!"

"This whole operation was a suicide mission, kid," said the man bluntly. "Both sides were sent after us so they could make it look like you wiped eachother out. That Moebius bastard was sent in to make sure no one got out."

The tactician gasped at the realization. "... there were no witnesses."

"Bang on, kid." The man coughed violently. "Damn, it's goin' dark... sorry kids, I got one last thing left to say: Go to Swordmarch. Go to the City! If there's any damn luck in this world, I'll be there waitin'... for... uhhhh."

The man fell still, not moving at all. The white-haired one quietly threw a blanket over him. Reflexively, Mio pulled out her flute and prepared to play. Observing what was happening, Noah pulled out his as well. Eyes met, and they both knew what came next.

Playing the tune of the Off-Seers, the notes different as each nation had their own hymn... they complemented each other perfectly. Two halves of same tune, played together in a duet. All around them, the blue motes began to rise from all around the battlefield. Each soldier shed their own tears for the friends they had lost, taking solace that they had been at least carried to their rest.

The tune finished, they were greeted by the white-haired one smiling gently.

"Phenomenal." 

"What's going on?" asked Noah, as he looked at the body of the man. "No motes came from him. Is he...?"

"Yes, he is still alive," they replied. "I did what I could to stop him from dying, but he is unconscious and in need of urgent medical attention."

"Then we have to get 'im back to Colony 9 now!" shouted Eunie frantically. "The med team there would be able to..."

"They would kill him on sight," said the white-haired one. "Your mission was to eliminate him and his allies just as much as destroying the Ouroboros Stone they were carrying."

"What do we do?" asked Sena, sadly.

"His allies are already en route to pick him up. I can pass for one of their number, so I will ensure he is delivered into their care," they replied, pointing to an opening in the nearby rock face. "However, they will likely attack you for being soldiers. All of you should head for that cave there and make your way to Millick Meadows and eventually Swordmarch."

"Spark that!" snapped Lanz. "We gotta head back to base, report the sitch. Noah! Eunie! Riku! Let's go!"

"Lanz! You heard what he said!" shouted Noah. "We're targets now! Both the Moebius and he said it!"

"For once, I am inclined to agree with a Kevesi," interjected Taion, adjusting his glasses. "The Off-Seer in this case. This was a suicide mission, they didn't expect us to come back."

"What are you thinking Taion?" asked Mio, full of worry. "Do we even know if the Colony's safe?"

The tactician sighed. "They're eliminating any potential witnesses. We'd be putting our friends' lives at risk if we attempt going back. They may not just try to kill us, but anyone who might have seen us as well."

"Noah..." said Eunie, echoing Mio's concern. "Do you think we're in the same levnis as them?"

You are.

"Hand says so," he replied. "We'll have to remain scarce to keep the Colony safe."

"That's right snuffed up!" snarled Lanz. "What about the Homecoming?"

Without warning, Hand shot out and clocked Lanz hard enough to send him flying back a dozen metri. Rubbing his chin as he clambered to his feet, he glared at the disembodied glove angrily.

"Oi! Hand! What the snuff was that for?!!"

For being an idiot.

"The Homecoming is a lie you've been told all of your lives," said the white-haired one as they glanced up. "Though I would suggest you go into the cave for now. We have company. I'll explain more after they depart."

Another vessel similar to the one piloted by the large man earlier appeared overhead, shining its spotlights down at them. Taking the hint, six soldiers and two nopon made a run for cover.

"Hmm... that's peculiar."

The Commander of Colony Iota stared into her interface for the Collectopedia Network, a grouping of glowing emerald cubes arranged into a three-dimensional cuboid which rotated on different axes. It was just a holographic display, and to the outsider it seemed to be random movements, but the interface reacted with her Iris specifically to provide her with a rapid influx of information. And just now, it just told her something strange.

"Dame Alex... what is it?" asked Chickadee, the young third-term soldier who served as the Commander's lieutenant and close assistant.

"Both Gamma and Colony 9 have gone dark."

"Gone dark? Did they wipe eachother out in battle?"

Alexandria frowned, staring at the data. "No, they haven't. Both of them were chattering about a Royal Decree and a mission to the Alfeto Valley, but it looked like neither were fully committing to the mission. That's what makes this weird, they went completely silent on the network at the exact same time."

"How exact are we talking here?" asked the little lieutenant.

"To the second, and only on the network," said Dame Alex. "The official channels used by the Consuls and Commanders are still active for both of them."

"What are they saying?"

"It's the same for both: 'Dispatching scouting party to Alfeto Valley.' Verbatim."

Chickadee sighed sadly. "Another mop-up mission. What could they be covering up this time?"

"Dame Alex!" shouted Sequoia as she ran into the Commander's tent. "Royal Decree from the Castle!" Iota's captain in charge of intelligence handed it over to her superior, and Alexandria opened it without delay.

"Destroy Ouroboros."

Sequoia shuddered when she saw the murderous glare in Chickadee's eyes when she heard the words recited. It wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but the captain could tell the lieutenant was more than aware of what they meant. Dame Alex did keep her secrets, some better than others, but somehow Sequoia could tell Chickadee had even bigger skeletons in her closet; the little girl scared her at times like this.

"Thoughts, Chickadee?"

"Gather your captains."

Alexandria nodded in agreement. "You heard her Sequoia, go and get everyone."

As one captain left the tent to find the others, she turned to her lieutenant. "I think this is what we've been waiting for, Chickadee."

"It is," replied the little lieutenant, scowling as she looked at the Decree. "It's time to make our move."

After the soldiers had ran off, Shania drew her pistol and aimed it at the white-haired person who stood beside Guernica.

"Who are yoo?! What do yoo want?!"

"Explaining who I am would take far too long for how little time you have." Flicking their hair aside, they turned towards the last scion of one of the City's six houses. "All I want is to put an end of Moebius and reclaim Origin, Miss Reid."

The pistol shaking but still pointed at her target, Shania broke down. "Then why?! Why?!! Why did yoo help him use the Stone?! It was my last chance, damn it! My last chance to be someone worthwhile!"

Walking over, the white-haired one placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You do yourself a disservice, Miss Reid."

"What would yoo know?!" cried Shania, tears streaming down her face.

"The Founder of your House had an elder sister she looked up to, just like you."

Shania froze. "... Titania?"

"She tried to emulate her strength, her recklessness. And it cost her some of her closest friends," continued the white-haired one. "The man she called 'Teacher', the man she erected a statue of in your fair City, helped her recover from her loss and discover her own strengths."

They gestured towards the prone form the man beside them. "And he will help you find yours. The Stone may be lost, but that need not define you."

The pistol was lowered, and Shania stared at the ground, her tears still flowing.

"But you have to keep him alive," said the white-haired one as they looked up at a descending vessel. "You did well, calling for your allies. But keeping Guernica alive will require your assistance."

The City girl nodded with renewed determination. Guernica said he'd put in a good word for her, and she was certain she'd be able to help her still. Becoming Ouroboros was no longer in the cards, but he was the Elder at some point, he'd be able to think of something.

The white-haired one smiled as they walked away, seeing Shania start waving down the approaching vessel. One tragedy prevented, and more to follow.

"Phew..." said the blonde-haired young man as he collapsed onto the bedroll. "I forgot how... enthusiastic... you were when you were younger."

The red-haired girl laughed beside him. "Well, we're both in our prime and have decades worth of experience now. Speaking of which..." She raised her hand as a gentle wave of warm ether washed over both of them. "I know all the tricks to keep your stamina up too."

"You want to go again?"

"A few more times, actually."

"We have to get some sleep before we head out tomorrow."

"You'll just have to tire me out, then. Show me a thing or three."

The blonde man knew that challenge all too well, and set to his task with renewed vigour and determination. 

A single Mondo flew through the valley, surveying the area before returning to the one which summoned it.

"They're gone," said Taion. "We should see if there's any supplies left before we head out."

"Agreed," replied Noah. "Riku, Manana. Check for food and anything else you can think of."

"Any chance there's a change of clothes in there?" asked Eunie as she scratched at her arm. "This gear might be good in bigger fights, but it's not suited for travellin'! Not to mention it needs a good cleanin'."

Mio was already opening up one of the crates. "Hey! There's some stuff here!"

"Nice!"

"Mimi! Let me see!"

"Oi! Noah!" shouted Lanz, waving his friend over. "There's some gear for us over here!"

Noah dutifully ran over, quickly identifying a bright red coat that was to his liking.

Don't turn around.

Don't turn around!

Don't turn around!!!

"Huh? Hand?" said Noah absentmindedly as he turned around to see whatever was distracting her. "Why shouldn't I..." His jaw dropped at the sight.

"Why are you jus' standing there, Noah?" asked Eunie defiantly. "It's hardly the first time you've seen me and many other girls without clothes before. 'sides, we have t' wash the stuff we're keepin'."

"Communal baths for you guys too?" asked Mio as she walked up to Eunie, stripped down to nothing.

"Yeah, they were... but I can't say I've seen 'im act like that before," pondered Eunie. "Oi! Four-Eyes! What are ya gawkin' at?"

Taion just stood there, slack-jawed with his eyes fixed on Eunie's chest, head bouncing with ever motion.

Lanz whistled appreciatively. "Nice glutes, Sena!"

"Thanks!" replied the fiery-haired girl, equally bereft of clothing as her peers. "I bet you got those washboard abs, Lanz! Show 'em off!"

"Right on it!" he replied, tearing off his coat and shirt. He flexed to accentuate the definition, taking several poses before settling on one which had him crunched forward and both arms curled in front of him. "Bet ya've never seen this!"

Lanz' did his favourite trick, making each of his pectorals bounce one after the other again and again.

"Sweet!" said Sena excitedly. "Lemme try it!"

"Hey... Noah..." asked Mio, staring at her fellow Off-Seer. "How is it you've... pitched a small tent in your pants?"

Confused, Noah looked down. "Huh? It's never done that before."

No! I am not giving any of you 'the Talk' right now!

Hand appeared and firmly slapped Noah across the face before dragging him by the collar around to the other side of the downed vessel.

Stay here.

Taion and Lanz soon followed, their faces lightly bruised from another of Hand's slaps each. After all the boys were deposited together, Hand began writing out works in the dirt with her finger.

Boys and girls are sleeping on opposite sides of this thing tonight.

Clean your clothes, let them dry overnight, get dressed in the morning.

Do NOT come around to the other side until I say you can.

"Rather insistent, isn't she?" said Taion, reflecting on the situation.

"Yeah, she's pushy when she's in a bad mood," commented Lanz, having been on the receiving end of Hand's ire more than once. "It's usually best to just go along wit' it."

"Oi! You three!" shouted Eunie from the corner of the vessel, hands on her hips and still undressed. "What are you doin- OW!" Hand grabbed her by the ear, and started dragging her away from the boys.

"Hey! Let go! Hand! Haaaaaaaaand!"

"I think the girls will be getting the same message we did," mused Noah, even as his thoughts drifted to the image of Mio that hard permanently burned itself into his memory. "But I guess we'll find out why later."

"Meh-meh-meeeeeeh!" yelled Riku as he was unceremoniously thrown over the top of the vessel, landing in front of the three soldiers. He landed quite forcefully, the top half of his body buried in the dirt. 

"Is he alright?" asked Taion, worried at the sudden violence against Nopon-kind.

"Riku okay!"said the engineer in a muffled voice. "... would friend Lanz please pull out Riku from ground?" 

"Yeah, he's alright," said Lanz as he pulled the nopon out like a stubborn glitter radish.

Noah placed a hand on Taion's shoulder, comforting his newfound comrade. "Just look at it as a reason to not get on Hand's bad side."

Seated at his desk and reviewing the last of his daily reports, N stared down at the offending bulge in his pants.

"Now, isn't that unusual?"

It defied explanation, these were the most boring of reports relating to the training of the latest batch of newly awaked soldiers. Identifying the high performers, those who were lacking, and other minor details that were tedious but nevertheless needed doing as potential officers and future commanders were identified during their first term. There was nothing within them which would have aroused him so.

Putting the reports down, he decided it must be due to him being tired.

"Well then, perhaps M and I shall enjoy ourselves tonight."

The white-haired one walked through the Alfeto Valley, satisfied that they had completed their first major task. The infiltrators would be heading to their destinations... eventually. And next was to bring more pieces to the board.

"You shouldn't be here."

And now to deal with another nuissance. "I do not care, X."

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Aren't you supposed to be an 'avatar' or something? Won't Aionios itself destabilize if you aren't keeping it in one piece?" 

"Time is running out as it is. I am intervening."

"That's against the rules!"

"And I am ignoring them."

"Do I have to get Z involved?"

They sighed in exasperation, this exchange is pointless. "Actually, I would have you deliver a message to your master."

X crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Yeah, what is it?"

Their eyes flared a bright blue light, powers magnifying as they telekinetically grabbed the Moebius and applied crushing force upon her.

"Wait! ...wait!" screeched X, fighting against whatever had entrapped her. "You can't do this to me!"

"For over a millennium, you have perpetuated a system of war and anguish. You tormented countless souls, again and again as they recycled for your sick amusement."

"Z! Help me, Z! I don't wanna die! Z! Please!"

"I was here at the beginning... and now, I shall proclaim the end."

And so the Moebius' last scream was silenced.

"Message delivered."

Chapter Text

A small blue orb appeared above the stream in Millick Meadows, with all different cerulean shades churning within to create a mesmerizing pattern. Most of the local wildlife saw it appear, but wisely decided to give it a clear distance; nothing tasty ever came out of those rifts, and all too often they found the wildlife itself quite tasty.

But for one crimson-furred gogol… the swirly blue fun ball was too enticing a curiosity to ignore.

“Ooooooaaaaaah!”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Graaaaaaaaagh!”

“Huuuuuuuoaah!”

Seeing two muscle-heads just yelling bizarre sounds for a full minute now, Taion decided enough was enough. “What are you two doing?”

“Waaaaaa– oh! Good morning, Taion!” said Sena cheerfully, putting a stop to the exercise. “Yeah, me and Lanz were just trying to… do whatever Noah and Mimi did last night.”

“Turn into the bigg’un, that is,” said Lanz, eager to make a distinction. “Not the… other thing.”

The tactician nodded sagely. “Yes. Quite.”

“Huh?” squeaked Sena. “Did something weird happen on the guys’ side too?”

“You could say that,” said Lanz. “Noah just suddenly started squirmin’ and groanin’ like mad until he just… well, took a deep breath and stopped.”

“There appeared to be three episodes, but it’s hard to be sure,” continued Taion “Luckily, he slept peacefully after that.”

“Yeah, it was just… freaky.” Lanz shuddered at the thought. “Seein’ your best mate just goin’ wild for no reason? I didn’t like it, barely slept a wink myself afterwards.”

“Well, Hand’s b’n bashin’ ‘erself against the nearest rock for the past while,” declared Eunie as she approached the group. “What’d I miss? You boys look glum.”

Sena spoke for them, with a hint of sadness. “Seems Noah got affected by something too…”

“Blimey! Him too?”

“Judging by her absence… Mio?” asked Taion.

“Yeah, her too Four-Eyes,” said Eunie. “It was crazy, she just started twistin’ and writhin’. Lasted for a good while too, ‘til she just collapsed and fell asleep right there.”

“Whoa…”

“Yeah… I never saw Mimi do that before…”

“Any possibility that the incidents were linked?” inquired Taion, trying to find the root cause as usual. “Could it be related to that form they took on when fighting that… monster.”

“Pfft! Who knows!” said Eunie, flapping her wings. “… but yeah, we should keep an eye on it.”

Dawn having risen, the two infiltrators busied themselves cleaning up their campsite at Llyn Nyddwr after the events of the previous night. Particular care was taken with the bedrolls, which were washed in the nearby lake at first light and hung up to dry by the remains of the campfire.

“So… Nikol…” asked the red-haired one carefully. “You’re heading north to… Colony 4, right?”

“That’s right,” he replied with a happy nod. “You’re not… worried, are you? Glimmer?”

“Kinda…” she said, sadly. “Thank you. For last night.”

Nikol broke out into hysterical laughter. “Really? I’d say I should be the one thanking you!”

“And you always say that!” snapped Glimmer, stamping her foot down. “Can’t you just accept some appreciation for once?!”

“Who said I wasn’t?” the mechanic said, smiling smugly. “It goes both ways, you know.”

“Yeah… I know.” Letting out a deep sigh, Glimmer turned to him with a saddened look. “I’m gonna miss you, you know?”

“Hopefully it won’t be too long,” replied Nikol as he rummaged through his pack. Pulling out a small box, he handed it over to her. “I got my backpack to build this last night; hopefully it’ll help while we’re apart.”

“Thanks, Nikol.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.”

When the Armory approached Astelle Harbour, the medical team was waiting. They hadn’t been given all the details, only that their patient was a man with a major leg injury and that the tourniquet had been applied. They were shocked to find it was the former Elder unconscious and missing half of his left leg. Springing into action, they transferred him to a gurney and began evaluating the patient care while transporting to an available operating room.

Guernica taken out of her hands, Shania collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. She got him this far, now it was up to experts to do all they could. After getting a debriefing from medics which were on-board the Armory, Doctor Hollis approached the young Miss Reid.

“Good work, lass,” he said, helping the girl her feet. “They’re telling me you did a lot on the ride here, and did it well.”

Shania shook her head in disbelief. “It’s just the same first aid we get in training, Doc. Keep him breathin’, stop the bleedin, keep him warm.”

“A tourniquet isn’t standard first aid, lass,” said Doc Hollis.

“I didn’t put it on in the first place! Someone else did!” shouted Shania frantically. “Sure, I adjusted it on the ride over…”

The doctor smiled. “And yeh did it right. Not to mention you helped them take Guernica’s vitals and clean up the wound, and even found the vein for the IV.”

“I was just… tryin’ t’ help.”

“And I’m tell yeh, lass – you did help,” stated Doc Hollis resolutely. “He’d have bled out before getting here if not f’r yer efforts. You saved ‘is life.”

She nodded, but still wept openly. “But we lost the Stone! And everyone else!”

Before the doctor could respond, the current Elder ran up to them in a panic. “Doc! What’s going on!”

“Guernica’s been taken to the operating room,” replied Doc Hollis, before motioning to Shania. “And this lass made sure he made it this far.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Monica leapt forward and grasped the young girl in a tight embrace. “Thank you, Shania. No matter what else happened – thank you.” Wiping her tears, the Elder stood up and looked towards the doctor. “Keep me posted on how Dad’s doing, Doc.”

“Of course, Monica.”

Still in disbelief, Shania watched Monica Vandham walk away, clearly struggling to keep her composed with every step. Did she really just…

“Lass, have you ever considered going into medicine?”

She blinked a few times before turning to face the doctor’s kindly smile.

“What?”

The swirling rift twitched erratically for a few moments, twisting and deforming ejecting two older men in different direction at the same time. At the point of egress for each of them, the same right foot projected out of the rift as it forced them out and to the ground.

The man with the long blonde hair rose to his feet first. “Was that really necessary?!”

“Yeh did mention they were the mischievous sort,” grumbled the muscular man opposite to him. “Still, I wasn’t expecting to be kicked out. Literally.”

The rift stabilized, allowing a lithe figure to descend, with long white hair and a crimson gemstone set in their earring. “There was little time to waste, I’m afraid. Extracting the two of you… cleanly… would have taken far too long.”

“And I’m the Empress of Mor Ardain,” scoffed the larger of the two men. “… huh, that’s odd.”

“What is it, Rex?”

“Shulk… can you remember anythin’ since we got rid of Alpha?”

Placing his left hand on his chin, his left foot tapping the ground furiously, Shulk did his best to recall his memories from their time alongside ‘Alvis’ as the avatar… and nothing came to him. Looking at his old friend grimly, he shook his head.

“I’m afraid I couldn’t preserve that information,” replied A. “They were lost as part of extraction process.”

“Welp, that’s unfortunate,” said Rex, looking for any silver lining he could find. “Would have been useful intel, that… but I think we c’n manage.”

 “Alvis, how long as it been?” asked Shulk, looking to get what information he could. “And why did you get us out here in the first place?”

“A little over a thousand years on Aionios,” said A matter-of-factly. “As to the why, I would like you to assist the latest group of Ouroboros. This will be the last attempt to retake Origin from Moebius, and I wish to guarantee its success.”

“Quite a while, eh?” said Rex mirthfully. “Well, hopefully somethin’ will go our way.”

Shulk nodded in agreement. “Indeed… and I suppose Nikol’s and Riku’s efforts to upgrade the Ouroboros Stone were successful?”

“Correct.”

“What can you tell us about these new Ouroboros?” inquired Shulk. “Names, descriptions… anything would be useful to know.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” said Rex. “Can’t be goin’ in blind if we c’n help it!”

“They’re a group of Agnian and Kevesi soldiers, three each,” said A, carefully considering what information they wanted to share. “They’re lost and confused at their situation, but are making their way in the direction of the Mechonis Sword in search of the City.”

“Well, good t’ hear that survived!” cheered Rex. “Anythin’ else?”

“Riku is accompanying them.”

“Well, that will make it easy,” said Shulk, but his look quickly turned pointed. “But you’re avoiding telling us about them specifically. Aren’t you, Alvis?”

A smiled playfully as they shrugged their shoulders. “I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

And in the blink of an eye, they were nowhere to be seen.

“Cheeky little tart,” mused Rex. “Guess that means it’ll be someone we know, right Shulk?”

“Most likely,” replied the blonde man, clearly less excited at his prospects.

Before any more banter could be said, a loud roar caught both of their attention.

“Great… “ groaned Rex as he drew his twin greatswords. “It always has to be a giant red gogol at the start of an adventure.”

“You too, Rex?”

“Yeah, can’t say why.”

Shulk surveyed the surrounding area for any natural feature a beast of this size would use for shelter. “Any chance it’s territorial? Would it leave us alone if we just got away from its den?”

The crimson beast roared again, beating its chest.

“No such luck, Shulk! It’s jingoistic!”

Feeling the light of dawn shine through the windows of the Queen’s bedchambers, N awoke to the eternally pleasant sight beside him. Another wonderful evening with his beloved, courtesy of the Endless Now.

All he ever needed, laying there right beside him.

Still, it was time to start the day. N rose from bed, doing a few stretches at the bedside.

“Hmm?” purred M from beneath the covers. “Nnnnggghh… Nnnn… Noah? Come back to bed…”

“Sorry, my love,” replied N. “I did not wish to disturb you.”

M rubbed her eyes and stretched while seated on the bed, with N smiling as he appreciated the sight. Turning to her partner, she gave him with a playful smile. “How are feelin’ this morning?”

“Excellent! Refreshed!” said N proudly. “We really should do this more often.”

Then M’s ears drooped low, her smile turning into an annoyed frown. “That’s what you say? You haven’t asked once in the last twelve years.”

His eyes downcast, N stared sheepishly at the floor. “Sorry, my love… I’ve just been so focused on my tasks, it never occurred to me.”

Sensing the remorse was genuine, M’s playful smile returned. “Then perhaps I shouldn’t wait for you to ask, my darling Noah…”

N winced at the name, one he’d rather forget. But if M insisted on using it, he was not about to stop her. He looked into her eyes, giving her the best to smile he could muster. “Of course, my love… whenever you have need of me, I shall attend to you.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that offer… right now.”

He smiled at her directness in the matter, something he had long missed. “As you wish, my love.”

Refreshed after a good night’s sleep, Mio yawned as she approached the rest of her companions.

“G’mornin’, everyone!”

“Wow! Ain’t you chipper t’day, love!” said Eunie, genuinely impressed. “’ow are you so cheerful? Ya were goin’ wild last night, shouldn’t ya be knackered?”

“I dunno why, I just slept so well after,” replied Mio with a shrug. “… where is he?”

“Noah? He must still be out cold,” said Lanz. “We can’t waste the whole day, right? I’ll get ‘im up.”

As the Kevesi soldier walked around the vessel, away from the others. Sena turned to her oldest friend.

“What happened to you last night, Mimi?”

Her ears drooping, Mio’s expression was equally depressed and confused. “I don’t know how to describe it, really. It was just so… sudden. And intense. I didn’t really have time to think ‘bout it, it jus’ happened.”

“Could you describe it, Mio?” inquired Taion. “We’ve started wondering if it’s related to this ‘Ouroboros’ thing which has affected all of us. Perhaps you and Noah were affected first because of the transformation last night?”

“Him too?” yelped Mio, before turning her eyes towards the ground “And, sorry… no, I can’t. Not really. I jus’… blanked out.”

“Still, love…” said Eunie, barely more than a whisper. “If you remember anythin’, please jus’ tell us. It’s f’r the best if we know what happened, in case any o’ us we have to deal wit’ it later…”

“Mimi?” asked Sena nervously. “Did… did it hurt?”

Mio’s face contorted as she did her best to recall the sensations. “Not really… but it was weird. Very weird.” After a moment, she let out a small gasp and her cheeks turned red.

“Any description you could offer us would help with a diagnosis, Mio,” stated Taion flatly. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to your personal health.”

“N-n-no… it’s n-not that…” stuttered Mio. “Uh, Sen-na? W-w-wh-what are w-we usin’ f-f-for a l-la-trine?”

Before the petite fighter could answer, Eunie jumped in and gestured towards the trees. “Sorry, love. It’s the bushes f’r ya.”

“T-t-thank, Eunie!” replied Mio as she frantically ran off.

Sena looked at the Kevesi medic worryingly. “Eunie, love?”

“Oi! What the spark do ya mean ‘Eunie, love?!” she snapped. “It doesn’t sound right comin’ from you!”

“Sorry… uh, Eunie,” said Sena, full of regret. “Do you think it’s happening  to Mimi again?”

Eunie shrugged. “Maybe. We should ask afterwards.” Looking towards the tactician, she had her own questions. “Oi, Four-Eyes! You’re the healer, right? Did that look like a UTI to you?”

Taion furrowed his brow. “I can’t say for certain, but the frequent and sudden urge to urinate is a common symptom. But I agree, we should follow-up with more questions later.”

“Well, Noah’s up and about at least,” muttered Lanz as he rounded the corner. “Huh? Where’d Mio go?”

“She’s in the bushes, love.”

“Huh? Her too?”

Taion raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me? Did Noah just do the same?”

“Yeah,” replied Lanz. “Pretty desperate, I just figured he really needed the mornin’ leak.”

“Same time, huh?” said Sena, looking towards the two healers for answers.

“Well, we’re deffo keepin’ an eye on the two of ‘em now,” declared Eunie.

“Indeed.” Taion carefully adjusted his glasses. “Sena and… Lanz, was it? Please inform us of any usual behaviours. I suspect Noah and Mio may disregard or dismiss some of their symptoms to avoid causing concern.”

“On it.”

Approaching the Colony’s main gate, Glimmer saluted smartly as two officers approached to meet her. “Medic Glimmer, reporting from Colony Gamma! I was dispatched here to aid with treating the injured, and I have some skills to assist with the canteen if necessary.”

The junior officer before her raised an eyebrow. “Gamma? Any word on what happened over there? We haven’t heard a peep out of them ever since they received a Royal Decree a day or so ago.”

“Sorry, sir!” Glimmer said with practiced ease. “I was dispatched two days ago, I was not aware of the Decree. I expect my transfer documentation wasn’t transmitted due to whatever was contained therein.”

The officer was glaring now. “We made no request for additional medics nor cooks.”

“Sir! Just following my orders, sir!” shouted Glimmer, maintaining a perfect Agnian salute. “I was told to meet with lieutenant Chickadee, she’d be the one who to greet me and bring me up to speed.”

The captain now strode forward. “I see no reason to doubt her story, Caspar. Go and get the lieutenant, please.”

“Captain Fili, this is most–“

“Please get the lieutentant, Caspar,” spoke the captain with an air of authority. “Don’t worry; I’ll keep our guest company.”

Watching the junior officer run towards the Colony, Glimmer turned towards the captain. He must have been in his tenth term, but there was a look in his eyes that… unsettled her. And then there was the lecherous smile. Soldiers shouldn’t even know about that sort of thing! Still, Glimmer kept her cool. The lieutenant would sort out all this mess.

Striking his best pose to impress her, Captain Fili leaned in and made his proposition. “You’re quite the soldier, then? How about we spend some time together, off-duty and… just the two of us.”

Nope.

She was not putting up with this.

As Captain Fili leaned in closer, uncomfortably close, Glimmer struck. With enough force to dent the armour of a levnis, she forced her knee up between the leering captain’s legs. With a pained squawk, he collapsed to the dusty ground, grasping at his groin. Glimmer glared at him on the ground, her eyes appearing to glow with rage.

“You’d better not try that again.”

It was a look Captain Fili had seen before, one he both feared and respected. Without a word, he meekly nodded and contorted himself until he was safely facing away from the vindictive medic.

A few minutes later, Caspar returned with two more soldiers. The tall female must have been the Colony’s Commander, her uniform embroidered with a golden floral pattern and having… emerald-encrusted armour pieces?! Was she wearing a golden tiara?! And make-up?!! In all of her years, Glimmer never saw a soldier with such an over-the-top display. Was she trying to imitate the Queen or something?!

She refocused on the smallest soldier approaching her. Dark skin, black hair, green eyes and those sensitive pointed ears which Linka long ago said someone was ‘Gormotti’. Supposedly they were a population from the original worlds before Aionios. Still, the girl looked so… serious. Even from this distance, Glimmer could see she was being sized up. Could that the girl be Lieutenant Chickadee?

Regardless, Glimmer composed herself and saluted smartly, doing her best to not look at the collapsed buffoon beside her. This was the Commander approaching, after all.

“At ease, Medic,” said the Commander, returning the salute. “Though I would like an explanation as to why Fili appears to be collapsed on the ground and you’re not treating him.”

“Ma’am! His conduct was inappropriate for one of his station!” replied Glimmer, keeping a straight face. “I reprimanded him for such behaviour. No permanent injuries, he’ll be fine.”

“He has been misbehaving recently…” muttered the small girl, looking at the fallen soldier. “And you must be the new Medic, right?”

“Yes, ma’am! Medic Glimmer! From Colony Gamma!”

The Gormotti girl froze for a moment, taken aback. Glimmer could see her mentally processing something, but she quickly composed herself before returning a pointed look. “I don’t recall us receiving a transfer from the Commander of Gamma.”

“Must have been delayed by the current operation, ma’am!” replied Glimmer. “I only learned just now they received a Royal Decree shortly after I had departed.”

“That’s enough for now, Chickadee,” spoke the Commander, wielding her authority. “Very well, Medic Glimmer. Caspar mentioned you spoke of some skills to assist in the Canteen, would you be willing to assist there on a regular basis?”

“Time permitting, of course,” said Glimmer with a nod. “I feel my skills tending to the wounded would be a higher priority. You can’t feed husks.”

“So long as you keep Dame Alex away from the kitchens, your assistance would be appreciated,” interjected Caspar.

“Hey! I am a fine cook when I choose to be!” snapped the Commander, clearly offended.

“Insolence!” growled the little lieutenant.

Caspar just shrugged it off. “Like you would know any better, lieutenant. You’re just as bad!”

Try as she might, Glimmer couldn’t completely suppress her laughter.

“Moving on,” said the Commander, eager to speak of anything else. “I believe introductions are in order: I am Commander Alexandria of Colony Iota, and this is my lieutenant Chickadee. Caspar here was the one who retrieved us, and I believe you’ve already been… ‘acquainted’ with Captain Fili on the ground there.”

“Yes, ma’am!” shouted Glimmer, stiffening back up.

“Please, Glimmer. Do relax yourself,” said Dame Alex as she rolled her eyes at the medic’s fervor. “Caspar, would you kindly escort her to the barracks and get her set-up in one of the bunks. No duties for today, but please do give her a tour of the Colony and introduce her to the other Captains.”

Caspar returned a quick salute and motioned for Glimmer to follow him.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Alexandria turned to her lieutenant. “So what do you think, Chickadee? Is her story plausible?”

Arms crossed, the Gormotti girl scowled as she thought it over. “I think it’s a cover.”

“I agree,” replied Iota’s Commander as she watched Caspar escorting her towards the tactiturn Captain Rhyza. “Unfortunate. She did look promising… we should deal with her before making our move.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge, Dame Alex,” interjected Chickadee. “I think she’ll be an asset to us.”

“My, my…” mused Alexandria with a smirk. “Do you think she’s one of the mysterious ‘Ouroboros’ we received the other Decree about?”

“No more than anyone else in Colony Iota, Dame Alex.”

“Ha! Now, isn’t that cryptic…”

“I’ll speak with her, find out what she knows,” replied Chickadee, ignoring the remark. “She’s here for a reason.” Without another word, the lieutenant walked off in pursuit of their new medic.

“You do that… but I’ll see what else I can dig up,” said Dame Alex to herself, dropping the cheerful look as she reflexively reached for the gemstone which sat between her collarbones. “Whatever she is, she isn’t normal.”

 Captain Fili groaned on the ground, slowly rising to his feet.

“Ah, Fili. Feeling better?” asked Alexandria with playful grin.

He knew that look too well, this was not the time for levity. “Not by much, Commander.”

“Well enough to listen, in any case. Forget what you saw and heard while on the ground there.”

“Forget what, Dame Alex?”

“Good answer.”

Having recently offered some words of encouragement to a pair of soldiers working on levnises in the maintenance bay, Commander Ethel of Colony 4 and Lieutenant Bolearis mused over their current predicament.

“I don’t see what’s wrong with volff, personally,” said Bolearis, who had quickly grown accustomed to Dirt-rank rations. Sure, it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the old Silver days, but it was still edible.

“Ha! That’s because you have poor taste! I’m jealous,” replied Ethel in jest.

“Well, well… trade you my taste-buds?”

“No thank you, my mouth would turn as foul as yours!”

“Heh-heh! True, that.”

Standing at the entrance to the Colony, both surveyed the barely visible landscape. Everything was obscured due to the recent dust storm that had blown through, severely limiting their ability to survey the landscape.

“At least no Agnian can see us through this sparkin’ dust,” mused Bolearis. “Any word from the Castle yet, new orders?”

Ethel sighed heavily. “None yet, I’m afraid. Just the general decree to ‘Destroy Ouroboros’, whatever that means…”

Taking advantage of the dust to hide the rest of the Colony from seeing them, Bolearis placed a strong hand on Ethel’s shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll find out when we need to, Commander.”

“I fear they’ve left us out here to rot, Bolearis.” Ethel choked on the words bitterly. “Was it really worth it, to face him fairly? Was my pride worth denying you all the reprieve of Gold-rank?”

Bolearis shook his head, still smiling. “No one here cares about the Castle’s decision, Commander. We’re all with you to the end, Queen’s honour!”

Taking a moment to compose herself, Ethel dried her tears. “Thank you, Bolearis. I needed that.”

“No worries, Commander!” cheered her lieutenant as he turned to look over the landscape. “Well, lookee ‘ere! Seems we got someone coming this way.”

Ethel straightened at attention, just in case it was a person of great import… and quickly relaxed as it became clear it was a relatively short Kevesi soldier. Blonde, she could make out, carrying a large backpack and what appeared to be a… toolkit? Getting closer, another feature caught her attention.

“Moustache?”

“Yep… that’s a moustache, Commander.”

“Have you ever seen a soldier with one, Bolearis?”

“Nope, can’t say I have. Only Consul T when he took off ‘is ‘elmet.”

Ethel allowed herself a smile, she actually rather liked working under him as a Consul. Surprise naval assaults on Agnian Colonies all along the shores of the Erythia Sea, plenty of food, and the Consul even joyously joined the fight against the other soldiers. Then there was the time he suplexed an Agnian Commander so hard he was buried waist-deep into the ground! Sadly, T was eventually assigned to another Colony and she never had the opportunity to see Cap’n Triton since.

The soldier approached them both and saluted smartly.

“Sir! Ma’am! Nikol from Colony 30, mechanic and Ferronis maintenance specialist. I was sent here, heard you had some difficulties with your Ferronis.”

“Welcome to Colony 4, Nikol,” replied Ethel, returning the salute. “I’m afraid we haven’t received your transfer, but communications have been slow recently and we are willing to take any assistance you would be willing to provide.”

“Or knowin’ Valdi, he’s simply forgot to write it up. Or forgot t’ ask Yuzet to do so for him,” said Bolearis, knowing the quirks of Colony 30’s Commander too well. “Eh, Nikol. What’s in the backpack?”

The Kevesi engineer smiled at the sudden interest. “It’s a pair of mechanical arms to assist with maintenance, and allows me to defend myself if necessary.” He activated the device, unfurling a pair of giant arms not unlike a nopon’s wings. “I can’t wield a Blade, unfortunately. But I built these so that I wouldn’t be helpless.”

“Resourceful. That does present an issue during battle with Agnus, but any means to defend yourself is better than none at all,” commented Ethel approvingly. “Perchance, did you spend some time at Colony 14? You… remind me of someone.”

“Can’t say I have, ma’am,” replied Nikol honestly.

“Understood,” said Ethel, relieved that at least some help had finally arrived. “Bolearis? Would you please take him to my Ferronis. Let’s make sure she’s ready just in case the Castle sends us a Consul with orders soon.”

“Yes, Commander!” Bolearis smiled as he could feel the winds of fortune changing for Colony 4. “C’mon Nikol, I’ll introduce you to everyone else.”

As Noah and Mio returned to meet with their friends, both did their best to smooth out their clothing of anything… unseemly.

“Well, seems both of you are feeling better,” said Taion as he helped pack up the necessary supplies they’d be taking with them on this long journey.

Sena nodded as she threw food and other supplies into the large pack she was going to be carrying. “Yeah… are you two okay? Did it happen again?”

“Coulda used a bit more tac’ there, love,” interjected Eunie, before turning towards the two Off-Seers with a quiet tone. “We’re jus’ worried ‘ere. As soon as y’re ready, please let us know.”

“An’ you’re one to talk, Eunie! Since when have you had any ‘bedside manner’, eh?” shouted Lanz, hefting a large rucksack over his shoulder. “Whatever it was, I’m just hoping it doesn’t happen again.”

“Wot?! You worried that you’re next, Lanz?”

“Oi! What the spark!”

His friends banter getting out of hand as usual, Noah turned towards Mio even as both of them were instinctively blushing in the other’s presence. “Are you okay, Mio?”

“Yeah… I guess…”

“Just let me know if you need anything, alright?”

Mio nodded appreciatively.

“Thanks, No–“ She stopped herself, not wanting to say it out loud. “… thanks.”

Going through the cave near their camp and towards the Great Sword, six soldiers all gasped in awe at the vista before them.

“Whoa… I knew we’ve been through here before, but did you ever just stop and look at it?” said Lanz, completely surprised at his own ignorance.

“Perhaps influence of Flame Clock supress willingness to examine unnecessary information?” posited Riku, nudging the group towards a certain truth.

“That would be awfully convenient for a one to control the…” said Taion, considering the possibilities. “Riku? Are you suggesting something?”

“Riku suggest nothing of the sort!”

And he’s lying.

Again.

“Maybe we were just too busy to notice, I guess?” offered Noah. “Still, it’s nice to see what we’ve been missing…”

Mio just stared into the distance, taking in the sights and sounds. “Yeah… it’s beautiful.”

Not half as beautiful as you, thought Noah to himself. Wait? Did he just think that?

Get your mind out of the gutter.

“What gutter?” asked Noah absentmindedly.

“What was that, Noah?” prodded Eunie. “I don’t see any gutters ‘round ‘ere.”

Noah scratched the back of his head. “Sorry, just something Hand said. Don’t think anything of it.”

Her ears twitching, Mio jumped. “There’s some fightin’ going on nearby!” Running towards the edge of the cliff, she looked down into the valley. “Down there! There’s two people fighting that giant red gogol!”

Noah summoned his Blade. “They might need our help!”

“Too dangerous,” stated Taion flatly. “That is not a beast to be trifled with.”

The rest of the group ignored him, running down the hill towards the fight. Eunie glanced back towards him briefly. “Shove it, Four-Eyes! We’re helpin’!”

“Oh, for sparks’ sake…”

With a spring in his step and an uncharacteristic swagger, High Lord Consul N exited the elevator and marched towards the Queen situated in the throne room of Keves Castle. A day like any other, he saluted the monarch and kneeled before her.

“What is Her Majesty’s command?”

The silence that followed was unusual. Even if there were no assignments from Origin, he should have received at least the default reply of ‘No tasks require you attention, High Lord Consul.’ Was the Queen malfunctioning? Quickly surveying the room, he then noticed a complete absence of the guards.

Someone else dismissed them, someone else was still here.

“I trust your little soirée with Lady M was… pleasant?”

“You could say that.” N rose to his feet to meet the voice behind him. “And what draws you away from your experiments, Y? It must be of grave importance for you to come speak with me directly.”

“Verily. Of grave importance indeed, Lord N,” spoke Consul Y with his typically florid language. “During your absence last evening, serious events have come to pass which you need to be made aware of with all haste.”

“Go on, then.”

“First is the matter of the mission to the Alfeto Valley, as per the Royal Decree your very hand had penned. It was conveyed to Colonies 9 and Gamma without delay.”

N nodded grimly. If Y was here personally, something went wrong. “Was the Ouroboros Stone destroyed as ordered? And the Lost Numbers slaughtered?”

“Nay.”

“Spare me your cryptic drivel Y. Report.”

“The Stone was activated, Lord N,” responded Y in all seriousness. “It appears six soldiers were the recipients of the Stone’s power. Two of the soldiers managed an Interlink, and drove off Lord D and Lord J. As for the Lost Numbers, the majority of them were liquidated but two survivors managed to escape.”

“Unfortunate, but the power being in the hands of soldiers does place a time limit on how long they could be effective for,” said N, annoyed at the development. “But I imagine you have already issued the standard edict to all active Colonies, correct?”

“Yes, Lord N.”

“But that is not why you are here.”

“Nay.” Y’s tone turned stone-cold, and N could sense a deep-seated rage radiating off one of Z’s foremost minion. Ever the most level-headed of their compeers, second only to Z’s general apathy, his eyes belied a fury that the eldest Moebius struggled contain.

“Lady X has been erased by the Avatar.”

“Erased?”

“Defeated. Destroyed. Slain,” growled Y. “While the historical records still remain, all data pertaining her being and essence have been removed from Origin’s archives. There is naught that can be done, not even Lord Z could reconstitute her from nothing. Lady X is gone, forevermore.”

While N never really liked X, he did realize her presence was unavoidable. Z created her at the moment of Aionios’ creation, along with Y. While other Moebius were effectively ‘gone’ upon their deaths, they were returned to Origin’s archives; Z could recreate them as Moebius again if he so chose, or potentially return them to the reincarnation cycle of the soldiers. But for X to be truly gone is a feat he never even considered. Who could even do such… a…

“You spoke of ‘the Avatar’… surely you don’t speak of–?”

“Aye, that I may!” responded Y. “Or more precisely, the wench that did assist yourself and Ouroboros in casting out Alpha in an age lost past! A disreputable alliance borne of necessity, but what’s done is done! Nevertheless, they have now decided to facilitate the end of Aionios itself, with Lady X’s demise as a declaration of war.”

N nodded. He was a servant of the Endless Now, and he would take any steps to preserve it… for M’s sake, he could not lose her again. Never again.

“Am I to hunt them down, then? As was the case with Alpha?”

“Nay, Lord N…” replied Y, clearly frustrated at his orders. “Z has informed me that removing the Avatar would inflict only more damage upon our world. They are still needed for Aionios to endure. Instead, we are to put an end to their machinations.”

“So I am to take the field and remove their pawns?”

Y smiled imperiously.

“Astute observation, Lord N. You are correct.”

The battle against the Jingoistic Gigantus was going well, but Shulk could feel his age starting to catch up with him. They had to end this, and quickly.

“Rex! I’ll break its footing, you topple it!”

“Right on it!”

Shulk charged forward, making a sweeping strike towards the beasts’ right foot and cutting deep into it’s ankle. Reflexively, the beast took the weight off and shifted its balance onto the left leg. Taking advantage of this, Rex fired his anchor shot and wrapped the cable around the gogol’s left arm; pulling the wire taut, the beast fell heavily onto its left side.

“Alley oop!” Channelling the ether through his body, Rex followed up with an upward strike to send it into the air.

While he prepared to finish it off, Shulk caught a group of people rushing towards them.

“Sena! Smash the damn thing!” shouted the Machina soldier, holding his weapon ahead of himself with the flat of the Blade facing upwards. “C’mon, I’ll give ya a push!”

“Gotcha!” cheered the petite fighter, leaping up onto his Blade. The moment she touched down, he batted the Blade forward and sent her flying towards the gogol.

“Yippee!”

Curling into a ball mid-air, the girl began spinning herself rapidly before landing a mighty strike on the beast to send it crashing into the ground with loud crash.

“It’s out cold!” declared Shulk, seeing it laying on the ground but still breathing. “Rex! Let’s get out of here quickly!”

The taller fighter nodded, and shouted an order towards the group approaching them. “You lot! There’s a Ferronis Hulk further down-river! Let’s get out of here before it wakes up!”

“He’s right!” shouted a dark-haired man from the rear of the group. “We can’t linger!”

The other soldiers all nodded and agreement and followed the river.

Glimmer settled into her bunk at the barracks. It seemed Iota was very well off, seemingly overstocked for supplies. Silver-rank too, but the stockpiles were exceptionally well-managed. She was pleasantly surprised to learn they invested a lot more than usual into medical care and nutrition, allowing her to put her talents to great use. She even made some of the Kickin' Colony Acqua Pazza from the recipe Rex left behind, much to the enjoyment of the soldiers at the Canteen.

“What the–?!!”

Jumping at the sudden noise, she was shocked to find Lieutenant Chickadee peering into the box Nikol had given her this morning. She didn’t get the chance to what it was yet, the little bitch!

“Hey! Give that back!” snapped Glimmer as she snatched the box out of the girl’s limp grip. “That’s private!”

But her scowl soon faded when the lieutenant blankly stared at her with a look of pure horror. Glimmer peered into the open box to find… oh, sparking hell Nikol! Did he really have to give her a ‘toy’ of all things?! And leave her a little hand-written note with his name on it too?!

Using the time Glimmer was being distracted by the box’s contents, Chickadee composed herself and cleared her throat.

“Who’s Nikol?”

“He’s a friend,” replied Glimmer, thinking quickly. “From Colony Gamma.”

“More like boyfriend, I’ll bet,” scoffed Chickadee. “You were never a great liar, Glimmer.”

“And you shouldn’t even know what a ‘boyfriend’ is.” Her eyes narrowing, Glimmer prepared to call forth her Blade. “What are you?”

“A… friend, you could say. But not that kind of friend,” replied the lieutenant softly. “Alex is suspicious of you, by the way; she knows you’re different. I’m trying to keep her from picking up too much.”

“How kind if you,” replied Glimmer sarcastically.

“In any case, I need to find out what you know…” said Chickadee. “I presume you know what ‘Moebius’ is, then?”

Glimmer gasped, her Blade materializing in her hands.

Unfazed, the lieutenant nodded. “That saves some explanation. Next – ‘Ouroboros’?”

Without hesitation, Glimmer leapt forward to strike. What was A thinking?! This girl knew way too much! But even as she moved forward, the lieutenant effortlessly sidestepped the blow and grabbed her weapon by the shaft, shifting her weight to send Glimmer flying to the floor while she maintained her grip on the kitharode. Trying to call the Blade back to her hands, and was shocked to find it wouldn’t obey.

“I am not your enemy, Glimmer,” said Chickadee, seemingly mournful. “Iota is preparing to make its move against Moebius and the Consuls. I’m guessing you were sent here to help us… and quite frankly, you shouldn’t even be here on Aionios.”

The medic remained stone-faced against her deceptively effective opponent.

“They have a statue of you in the City, you know?”

“What?” gasped Glimmer.

“Let’s just say I have it on good authority that you died… around nine-hundred years ago after reaching the ripe old age of eighty-something,” explained the lieutenant. “So seeing you at all, let alone as a tenth-term soldier, raises more than a few questions.”

“Tch!”

“Let’s start with the basics – who really sent you here?”

“I am not at liberty to discuss.”

Changing her approach, Chickadee took an educated guess. “Did they have a necklace with a gem in the same shape as the Core Crystal in your chest? Red in colour, with a gold trim?”

The medic’s jaw dropped.

“Seems I found something,” mused the lieutenant before going down the list. “Silver hair? Tanned skin? Grey eyes? Blue clothes with a furred collar?”

“Wait…” said Glimmer, noticing the details not adding up. “That sounds like Alpha.”

“Can’t say I know that name. Still, did he send you here?”

“No… well, not exactly.”

“Hmm…” murmured Chickadee as she passed Glimmer back her weapon. Sitting on a nearby bunk, she leaned forward to listening closely. “This sounds like quite the story… so let’s hear it.”

“Crustips,” said the long-haired blonde man as he peered around the corner of the debris. “We’ll have to clear them out before we make camp.”

“Well, I smell some din-din,” said the one-eyed man and he leapt out from cover. “Arright, who’s hungry?!”

“Sorry, he’s just being a bit… enthusiastic,” sighed the blonde man. “I’m Shulk, by the way. And that would be Rex who’s out there getting us some ingredients.”

There was an awkward silence as Shulk waited to see if there was any reaction from the group. All he got was a bunch of apprehensive looks. “Would any of you happen to know a nopon named Riku? We were supposed to meet him somewhere.”

“Riku was not told Shulk and Rex would be arriving.”

Shulk let out a laugh. “So there you are! About time you showed yourself.”

“Riku, do you know these people?” asked Noah.

Of course he does.

“Met long time ago,” muttered the nopon dismissively. “Story not worth retelling.”

Liar.

“Well, it’s only fair we share our own introductions,” said Taion, motioning to himself. “Taion, tactician.”

“Noah, Off-Seer.”

“Mio, Off-Seer.”

“Lanz, special forces.”

“Sena, me too!”

“Manana, cookypon extraordinaire!”

“Riku, common-variety nopon.”

And resident smartass.

“Eunie, tha buss!”

Shulk did his best to keep a straight face, but soon failed as he collapsed into laughter. “Alright, I get it. I get it… well then, should we start getting ready to make camp?”

“Sorry… Shulk, was it?” asked Mio, clearly worried. “Shouldn’t we help your friend?”

At that moment, a severed Crustip leg landed between them.

“I wouldn’t worry about him.”

 “This is quite the piece of hardware, you normally don’t see a Ferronis like this at a Dirt-rank Colony,” commented Nikol as he went over Ethel’s personal Ferronis. “These are normally reserved for Silver-ranked Commanders who have been specially trained to pilot them, and often built specifically for them.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that…” said Bolearis wistfully. “Did you know what happened to us, then? Colony 4, that is.”

“Sorry, I haven’t.”

“Well, I’ll give you the short version then – we were Silver rank until about a couple months ago.”

Nikol looked up from the Ferronis’ engine, shocked at the revelation. “Were?”

“You heard right,” continued Bolearis. “Top of the whole rankings, we were. Got into a big battle against an Agnian Silver-ranked Colony, Delta. Headed up by one of their top commanders and ace Ferronis pilot, Cammuravi.”

“So… you lost?”

“Nah, it wasn’t that,” said Bolearis dismissively. “It actually turned into a duel between Commander Ethel and Cammuravi in their Ferronises, winner take all with both Colonies watching.”

“I can’t imagine the Consuls taking kindly to that,” said Nikol with a worrying tone.

“Well, they didn’t intervene for whatever reason,” said Bolearis. “Anyhow, the fight was evenly matched… until the knee joint in Cammuravi’s Ferronis gave out. The Commander didn’t like winning that way, said it wasn’t fair, and let him walk away.”

Nikol remained silent, contemplating what the results would have been. Considering how much he knew about Moebius, either Colony 4 or Delta was supposed to rise to Gold that day. Ethel sparing Cammuravi didn’t just save Delta, it also saved Colony 4 itself… and denied Moebius its favourite meal.

“So they knocked you down to Dirt-rank, then?”

“You don’t sound surprised, Nikol.”

“The Consuls don’t take kindly to disobedience, sir.”

“What can I say? We had a sparkin’ good run with the ol’ Cap’n… he did things a bit differently, and it rubbed off a bit on all o’ us.”

 “Grubs’ up!” shouted Rex from the cooking stand, holding up a reddened Crustip leg. “Come an’ get it!”

“Manana impressed by biggie-pon!” said the cookypon. “Such a simple recipe, but so tasty!”

“Ah, it’s nothin’ but an ol’ salvager recipe,” replied Rex. “Served me well back in the day!”

As everyone dug into the meal, the old salvager sat beside Mio. “How’s it goin’, kid?”

“Alright, I guess,” replied the Off-Seer between mouthfuls. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Somethin’ buggin’ yeh, I c’n tell,” said Rex quietly. “C’mon, yeh can tell me.”

Putting the Crustip leg down, Mio sighed heavily. “… I have only three months left until my Homecoming.”

Rex crossed his arms and leaned back, thinking carefully. “So you’re worried, then? ‘bout what happens next?”

“You could say that… and what sort of legacy I’ll leave behind.”

“That can’t be easy, I imagine.”

“I just… don’t know. Each day that ticks by is another closer to when I’m gone from this world.”

Rex placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her tight and smiling kindly. “Then don’t be afraid to talk to me, aright? Whatever you need, I’ll help yeh.”

On the other side of the campfire, Shulk watched the Kevesi Off-Seer closely. The young man was glaring at the older salvager, especially when he put his arm around Mio.

“Relax, Noah. He’s not going to hurt her.”

“What? Oh… sorry,” said Noah, who didn’t quite realize what he was doing. “I’m… just worried, is all.”

“You’re… ninth term, right?” inquired Shulk, looking around the group. “Seems the rest of you are all about the same, judging by the marks.

“Yeah, nearly the whole two years left.”

“Which means Mio’s the only one running short on time then.”

Noah nodded sadly.

Shulk smiled confidently. “We’ll figure something out.”

A few hours later, all the soldiers were asleep while Shulk & Rex sat at the fire. Both stared into the flames intensely, lost in thought.

“Hey, Shulk…” said Rex, breaking the silence. “Do you think that Noah kid is… you know who?”

The blonde engineer grumbled as he thought it over. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”

“Riku guarantee Noah is not N, if that what Rex ask,” interjected the ageless nopon. “Riku been with Noah since exiting pod, watching over like little brotherpon.”

“That’s some assurance, Riku,” replied Shulk. “But even then, I can’t be entirely sure.”

“Shulk,” said Rex sharply. “Did you… know N, before Aionios?”

He didn’t dare look his old friend in the eye, but nodded.

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“Because it was tough enough to just reconnect with Nikol, Rex!” snapped Shulk. “You know how hard it was with Glimmer! We never even got to properly explain ourselves to them! What was I going to say when Noah had joined Moebius and was trying to kill us?!”

Rex’ jaw hung agape as the truth sank in.

“Shit… sorry man, I didn’t know.”

Taking a few deep breaths, Shulk composed himself before continuing. “At the very least, this Noah is more like his old self. I’m just trying to find out what sent him down the path towards Moebius last time so I can stop it from happening again.”

 “Well, movin’ on…” said Rex as he leaned back. “I want t’ try an’ get rid of Moebius in less than three months.”

“That’s a tall order, Rex.”

“I know… but I gotta try. I don’t want to say goodbye to Mio, even if just for a little while.”

“One of yours?”

The salvager nodded, reaching for his mug of ale.

“Well, if we’re being open about that…” pondered Shulk. “Eunie.”

Rex spat out his drink. “Wha’? Really?”

“You could say she’s Melia’s wild side personified,” replied Shulk with a playful smile. “She and her best friend got up to all sorts of mischief when they were younger.”

“I’ll drink t’ that!” said the old salvager as he raised his mug.

Both froze when they saw a disembodied red hand crawl over by the fire.

Finally, he’s asleep.

Rex, can you hear me?

Putting the mug down, Rex couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

“Well, well, well. Now there’s a voice I haven’t heard in a long time…”

Chapter Text

Guernica groaned.

Oh, the pain was nearly unbearable! What happened? Where was he?

“Glad to see you up, Dad,” said his not-so-little-girl sweetly, while also firmly keeping her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t bother getting up. You’ve been out for a day and a half now.”

“I feel like I’ve b’n trampled by an Ardun!” he declared, every muscle he knew about aching and throbbing. Even a few he didn’t realize that he still had pulsed in pain. “Arright… just tell me how bad it is.”

“You’re lucky,” replied Monica, sounded more relieved despite the grim news. “You lost your left leg below the knee, but nothing else.”

“Considerin’ it was that or a hole in the chest, I can’t argue.” He let out a wince as another lance of pain shot up his leg. “But I c’n bloody well complain ‘bout the meds wearin’ off!”

She had to smile that her father’s sense of humour had stayed intact. “I’ll be sure to tell the doctor. Stiil, it was touch-and-go for a while there. Shania managed to keep you going until the Armory got you back to the City.”

“Shania, huh? Glad t’ hear she made it through,” spoke Guernica before his thoughts turned to the inevitable. “Did anyone else make it?”

“Sorry, Dad. Just her.”

“Damn… how’s she doing? Shania, I mean.”

The current City Elder let out a small chuckle. “Would you believe Doc Hollis is trying to convince her to study medicine? And she’s actually considering it?!”

“What? Really?” asked the old soldier between groans. “I can’t see her mum taking that well…”

“You know well as I that Madame Reid’s an insufferable bitch,” scoffed Monica. “Shania hasn’t stood up to her yet, sadly. For my part, I’ve put Shania on stress leave using how the mission went as an excuse; and I won’t be taking her off until she’s made the decision for herself.”

Despite the constant pain, Guernica managed a smile towards his daughter. “Good plan. You’ve always had a knack f’r politics.”

“She saved your life, Dad,” said Monica bluntly. “If anything, I owe her one. Giving her the chance to think out her own life is the least I could do.”

“You could just throw her mum and Ghondor into the ring,” replied Guernica with an impish grin. “Wit’ how many enemies she’s made, I’d bet on a sell-out crowd.”

Looking her father squarely in the eye, Monica tried to glare at him sternly for suggesting such a thing… but soon cracked up as the thought of the youngest Vandham wiping the floor Madame Reid’s front teeth danced across her mind’s eye.

“If she wasn’t out on a mission right now, I’d just might let her do it.”

Rising to his feet, Rex let out a good yawn and arched his back to let the stiffness out. Chuckling to himself, seeing as it technically was his first good sleep in a thousand years. But ever the early riser, he began making his way towards the little cooking station that had been set-up the previous night.

“Oh. Y’re up, I see.”

“G’mornin’!” greeted Mio as she stirred the pot of soup. “Jus’ makin’ the usual soup, want some?”

“Sure, kiddo,” replied Rex, reaching for one of the larger cups which Mio filled. “Cheers.” Taking a large swallie, he licked his lips appreciatively. “Good work there, though you could turn down the flame a bit. Used t’ makin’ bigger portions?”

“Uh… yes, actually…” replied Mio, chuckling nervously. “I helped in the canteen back in Colony Gamma most mornin’s, everyone always liked my soup and I’ve always b’n an early riser. The Commander said it helped with morale, and it’s become somethin’ of a ritual now.”

Taking another swallie, Rex tilted head towards one of the sleeping nopon. “What about ‘er then? You’d think such an eager cook would be helpin’ wit’ brekkie?”

“Actually, that’s part of why I’m doin’ it. Manana was never up early enough.”

Letting out a hearty guffaw, Rex just smiled at the situation. “Can’t ever tell a nopon what t’ change their stripes! And I’ve seen a couple o’ friends try… well, at least they got ‘im t’ be mor’ well-b’haved.”

“Quite,” muttered Taion as he approached with his own cup. “You don’t have to do this by yourself, Mio. This could be quite the journey and you don’t need to put all of this on yourself.” From behind a raised cup, one observant eye saw Mio’s scowl.

“We’re not havin’ y’r ‘nutrient-rich’ hardtack biscuits, Taion!”

“As I said, it will be a long journey,” said Taion calmly. “We need to ensure our nutrient intake is sufficient, and quite frankly, efficient. The hardtack will cover everything we need…”

“Except it tastes like crap!” interjected Sena defiantly. “Fishy-veggie-bready crap!”

“You’ve lost this one, lad. It’s two-against-one,” said Rex. “Honestly, it sounds like the ‘Archon Loaf’ recipe some crazy Ardainian officer came up wit’. A couple garrisons mutinied over rations after that one.”

“I did adopt the recipe from that one, yes…” admitted Taion. “Wait. Mutinied?”

Nodding sagely, Rex placed a strong hand on his shoulder and recounted the tale. “Yeah, it tasted so awful even the soldiers couldn’t stand it. They were ‘bout to roast the poor blighter o’er the fire when I got there wit’ some new stuff an’ the ‘emergency chef’ as a peace offerin’. An’ considerin’ Sena’s objectin’, it really sounds like yeh didn’t fix that particular problem.”

 “Huh? Why me?” asked Sena, tilting her head to the side.

Whoops. Be careful there, Rex.

“Oh… yeah… umm…” muttered Rex as he tried to think fast. “Yeh… look like you’d eat nearly anythin’. Am I right?”

“Anything except those biscuits!”

“Alright!” shouted Lanz as he hopped up and did his morning routine. “Every day’s a trainin’ day!”

“Rex would disagree with you, actually,” commented Shulk as he did some maintenance on his mechanical arm with Riku. “Physical training every day can actually be limiting, your body needs some time to recover so that it can actually build up muscle. And besides, it pays to be well-rested before any battle.”

“Wot? Really?!”

“I can’t say for certain,” replied Shulk. “Rex would be the one to ask… and there are times I probably should be taking his advice.”

“Well, that sounds like a story!” quipped Lanz as he walked over. “Had your trouble with your trainin’ then? That how you lost your arm?”

“No, that would be an old war wound.” Shulk instinctively grasped at where the attachment for the artificial limb was made. “… though it could be the underlying cause. I was born right-handed, so I had to relearn how to fight with my left after losing it. Funnily enough, I had an old friend who went through something similar, so I tried to learn how he fought and trained every day to use my sword one-handed.”

Crossing his arms, Lanz could sense where this was going. “So what happened then?”

“Pulled a muscle. Badly,” replied the older man. “Took me over a month to recover.”

“Riku remember. Shulk very grumpy.”

“No cheek, Riku,” shouted Lanz. “Over a month? Didn’t they just send you to the healers?”

“It wasn’t an option at the time,” replied Shulk with a shrug. “We didn’t have much past first aid as it was, but luckily that wasn’t too serious.”

“That’s tough, man.”

“I pulled through, regardless. Still, don’t overdo it.”

Lanz nodded gratefully. “You got it.”

“G’mornin’ Noah!”

“Morning, Eunie.”

Looking over her friend closely, the medic was pleased to see there were no obvious symptoms of any issues this morning. Despite her usually upbeat attitude, Lanz’ tale the previous day had left her worried. “So… you feelin’ alright? No repeats of the night before?”

Stopping in his tracks, Noah just looked down at the ground. “… I’m fine. No repeats.”

“Are you sure, Noah? You’re lookin’ a bit down.”

“I’m… alright.”

Stoic as ever, she thought. All things considered, he probably was being honest about the lack of symptoms and other effects, but he was never great at hiding his worries. Especially from her.

“Listen, Noah. We’re here if you need to talk about it, or anything else. Don’t jus’ keep it all to yourself.”

“Yeah… Thanks, Eunie.”

 “Medic Glimmer! Reporting for duty and awaiting orders!”

Lieutenant Chickadee looked at Iota’s newest arrival with a critical eye before letting out a heavy sigh. “Relax, Glimmer. I think you’re overdoing it… either that or the other Colonies really are run by hard-asses.”

“Probably a bit of both, ma’am,” replied Glimmer, putting herself more at ease.

“Well, your first proper day at Iota… well, sorry, but you’re going on guard duty today. North gate, which sees next-to-nothing except the occasional transport to the storehouse.”

“Not a problem, ma’am. Everyone needs to do it at some point.”

The lieutenant allowed herself a little smirk. “Speaking of which, your partner for today will be Captain Rhyza.”

“Oh boy, extra dull,” grumbled Glimmer, letting her decorum slip.

“Don’t judge him too quickly, he’s actually rather sharp,” chided Chickadee. “Luckily he’s aware of our plans, but I doubt he wants to find you’re not… typical.”

The medic nodded grimly. “I can handle it.”

“There’s also an ongoing challenge in the Colony to see who can make him laugh first.”

“Is that… even possible?”

The lieutenant shrugged. “Hard to say. The last attempt involved using tirkin feathers while he was sleeping.”

 “Hold it up a moment.” All eyes turned towards the tactician with curiosity. “I have a proposal as to our next route.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“A’right, lad. Shoot.”

Realizing they had just said the same thing, Mio and Rex looked at eachother awkwardly for a moment before motioning to Taion to continue.

“I’ll see you to map data,” said the tactician, tapping his temple to activate his Iris... only to notice that both Rex and Shulk didn’t activate their own.

“Kinda missing the whole Iris-thing there, lad,” commented Rex. “That an’ I’m kinda missin’ the eye it’d be in anyway.”

“Sorry, but you’re going to have to explain it the old-fashioned way,” said Shulk applogetically. “Would you happen to have a physical map?”

Seeing Taion shaking his head, Rex offered a suggestion. “Drawing with a stick in the dirt works, ‘specially ‘ere wit’ ‘ow dry it is.” Looking around, he found one suitable for the task and threw it towards the tactician. “This’ll do.”

Grumbling under this breath, Taion picked up the object and sketched out a rough version of the landscape and marked their current location with an ‘X’. “Roughly speaking, there’s two routes: east and west. I would recommend east; the region is under Agnian control, but would be much quicker to travel through.”

“What about the west route?” asked Shulk. “We should at least know what all of our options are before deciding on either one.”

The tactician nodded, it was a sensible request. “Badlands. No one has claimed the territory, but it would significantly extend the time needed to cross this region. Furthermore, the area is extremely inhospitable with oppressive heat. Both routes carry the risk of annihilation events, though it is more pronounced along the west route.”

“I prefer the safer option, which sounds like the east route.” Noah’s eyes were somewhat downcast. “If we can, I’d prefer to avoid engagements with enemy soldiers.”

“I’m with Noah on this one,” said Mio.

Rex eyes were stern and grim. “Those ‘engagements’ are gonna happen whether you like it or not, kiddos.”

“Besides, there’s more to consider for the safety of the route than just the likelihood of encountering the enemy,” said Shulk, speaking from years of experience. “If considering the presence of the enemy as unavoidable, then you can consider how they will react to us being present.” He looked squarely at Taion. “How open are each of the routes? What’s the largest piece of military hardware that could pass through them?”

“The west route is more narrow. Certainly large enough for most levnises to pass through, but you would almost never see a Ferronis in the region,” replied Taion, presenting the facts. “Conversely, the eastern route could easily be passed through by a Ferronis if not several.”

“Well, that settles it!” declared Rex, feeling the answer was obvious. “We go west, I don’t want a Ferronis or two breathin’ down our necks. And I’d rather not have t’ carry Mio through the heat either!” The Agnian Off-Seer’s face turned red as she looked away awkwardly, hoping no one would notice the last remark.

“Wot?!” shouted Lanz, cluing into the implications. “Would they actually sic’ a Ferronis on us?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” replied Shulk with a shrug. “Ouroboros is somethin’ Moebius is keen to get rid of.”

“Umm… how did you know we were Ouroboros?” interjected Sena. “I don’t think we ever told you guys.”

“I suppose we didn’t,” replied Shulk. “Let’s just say we received some intel before meeting all of you. We’ll explain when next make camp, but for now we should keep moving.”

The screens flickered in the darkness of the Throne Room, as the robotic Queen of Keves stood silently at her post. N mused to himself, he never really paid the automaton that much attention… but for some reason, today of all days, it felt like someone was watching him.

He idly turned around to look at the simulacrum. No one else was present, and he could sense no other flicker of life in the dark corners of this vast chamber.

“Perhaps there’s some truth to what Z had said after all,” whispered N, his tone hushed and contemplative. “Are you really there, Your Majesty? Do you really peer through the eyes of this effigy? Hear the same sounds that it does? Regardless, it is testament to the futility of such actions, for you cannot act.” His stray thoughts spoken, he returned to the screens to analyze the incoming data.

“I have great hopes for you.”

N sharply spun around, glaring at the automaton. Surely it didn’t just… no, it couldn’t be her. That was just a stock phrase, platitudes for the chaff who supped upon her every word. “Perhaps it is malfunctioning.”

Turning again back to the monitors, he observed the most recent movement tracking of the latest gang of Ouroboros. “So they make for Elaice Highway? That’s most interesting…” pondered N. “Based on the information available, they should have made for Eagus Wilderness instead; taking the safer route. But now, they march boldly into the feris’ den.”

He tracked the route to nearest Colony. “Iota… most interesting. That would bring them right to E.” The Lord High Consul opened channel to the attending Consul.

“Why are you interrupting me?!” snapped E, full of dramatic fervor. “I am in the middle of writing the script for my next masterpiece!”

N rolled his eyes. “Place your hobbies aside, E. I have orders for you. Ouroboros are making their way through the Elaice Highway and towards Colony Iota. Deal with them.”

“Oh-ho! I shall have the first opportunity to teach these rabble-rousers their lesson? Marvelous! Wondrous!” The Consul cackled maniacally. “Am I free to set the stage how I please?”

“I do not care how you eliminate them. Just do it.”

“At once ,Lord–!”

He cut the feed as soon as possible, unable to stand the oaf’s meaningless sycophancy. “Now, what would be the next Colony that is nearest to Iota?” The screens flashed, bringing up a Kevesi Colony stationed in Nih’l Valley. “...Colony 4? Now that creates quite the opportunity, and it never hurts to have more than one stratagem.”

 “How are you doing, Mio?” asked Noah, ever mindful about his fellow Off-Seer.

“Pretty good, actually,” she replied with a toothy smile. “I’m somewhat relieved we didn’t go down hotter road, c’n’t stand the heat.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Ohhh, it’s the w’rst! I c’n barely keep goin’ some times, feels like I’m meltin’ in the sun!”

“Say, Noah…” Mio had an inquisitive look in her eyes. “Y’ur sword? It’s a bit different, innit? An’ I think it’s more th’n jus’ Hand.”

“Yeah, you could say that,” replied Noah, eyes wandering. “You’re the second person who’s noticed, you know.”

Mio’s ears flicked up. “Really? Not Lanz and Eunie?”

“Oh, they’ve known all along. It doesn’t quite count for them.” He chuckled at the memory. “The other person was an old friend. She saved us back in Colony 14, years ago.”

“Sounds like quite the story,” replied the Agnian Off-Seer playfully. “Let’s hear it!”

“Sure, we got some time…”

“Hrrrrrrrmmmmm!”

“Grumbling about whatever’s bothering you won’t help, Eunie.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” grumbled the Kevesi medic. “It jus’ grinds my gears, ya know? Those two are hidin’ somethin’, and I can’t figure out what!”

“Shulk and Rex, I presume?” said Taion, taking an educated guess.

“Yeah! They just git ‘ere and start callin’ the shots!” Eunie’s wings flapped erratically as she fumed. “An’ they’re hiding stuff, I just know it!”

“Most likely, but I suspect they hold no hostile intent,” replied the tactician. “They’ve been nothing but supportive since we arrived, especially towards Noah and Mio. Nevertheless, they are certainly withholding information. I doubt they’ll tell us everything when we stop for the night.”

“Gotta point there, Four-Eyes,” said Eunie, putting her hands behind her head. “Still, I can’t stand it when people don’t say what they mean. It’s a bunch of bollocks–”

“Eunie!” snapped Shulk, his head swerving hard to glare at her. Instinctively, she went silent and stared guiltily at the ground. After a moment, the older man relaxed and looked forward

“Well, that was unexpected.” Taion looked at her curiously, his hand resting on his chin. “Keep yourself steady, I don’t want to draw his attention.”

“What issit?” replied Eunie, voice thick with regret.

“That man, Shulk, is especially cautious when speaking to you in particular,” whispered Taion, careful to not be heard by anyone else. “It’s subtle, but he’s always scanning what you’re saying even when you’re saying. It’s almost like he’s trying to gather intel from you.”

“Wot? Really?”

Taion nodded imperceptibly. “I’ll continue my observations. He’s bound to slip up eventually.”

“Hey, Sena,” said Lanz, looking at his new training partner. “Ever hear ‘bout avoidin’ ‘overtraining’?”

The petite strength training fanatic just shrugged her shoulders. “Sometimes. Our old Commander, Teach, usually tried to make sure we had rest days to avoid injuries. But for me, it ended up being ‘light training’ days.”

“Huh, your Commander was also an Instructor?”

“Yep! He really liked to focus on stamina training too!”

“Anyway,” said Lanz, trying to get back on topic. “Shulk mentioned he once hurt himself by overdoing it… I’m just tryin’ to figure out if there’s any truth to it.”

“No way!” gasped Sena . “What that how he lost his arm?!”

“Other way ‘round, apparently. Lost it, then trained every day to use his sword in the other arm,” replied Lanz.

“Ah. He over-trained his arm then,” commented Sena. “Teach made a point of switching up what muscles you’re working, especially if you’re training on consecutive days.”

“Makes sense,” said Lanz with a satisfied nod. “He also said Rex knows a fair bit about trainin’, wanna ask him later?”

“Oh, you bet!”

 “Ughhhhhh! I forgot how much I hated guard duty!”

While it was hardly surprising that she was given the minor, routine and above-all-else boring task on her first full day at Iota, Glimmer still needed to vent her frustrations. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she told herself it was still a necessary task. Someone had to do it, and that always fell to the newest recruits.

… which didn’t explain her partner, the stoic and tactiturn Captain Rhyza. Was it a test? Or a challenge? What did the lieutenant say again?

“So… why is there some kind of contest to see who can make you laugh?”

The large man, with Urayan traits as she recalled Linka’s description, shrugged non-commitally. “Can’t say.”

“Can’t say?” Glimmer’s eyes narrowed, this sounded an awful lot like a game the kids used to play. “… or won’t?”

“Anyone’s guess.”

“I’ll figure you out. Just you wait.”

Returning the tedium of watching the dust blow across the path in front of them, she had to admit at least the trees were intriguing to look at.

“Beep.”

Glimmer’s eyes snapped back towards Rhyza, who appeared to not have moved a muscle. Great, he’s that kind of joker. Gathering all of her matronly resolve, she kept herself stone-faced through what was going to be a very long day. Deep breaths. Eyes forward. Don’t laugh. Keep a straight face.

“Beep.”

A very long day.

Tapping her temple, Monica reached out to her top field agent. “Gray? Are you there?”

“How is he?”

“Dad’s doing fine,” replied the City Elder, knowing the man’s priorities a bit too well. “You’ve probably heard about the injury, but he’s taking it in stride. He even suggested throwing Madame Reid into the ring with Ghondor.”

“Hmph… fifty gold on two minutes.”

 “What?”

“Bet Ghondor drags it out for at least two minutes.”

The details falling into place, Monica burst out laughing. “I see… but unfortunately, I don’t think I can allow that to happen. Or at least not orchestrate it myself.”

“Hmph. Politics.”

“Moving onto business,” said Monica, resetting the topic. “I need you to keep an eye on this latest batch of Ouroboros. Dad said he told them to go to Swordmarch, and we should make sure they get there.”

“They’re going down Elaice Highway.”

The leader of the Lost Numbers allowed herself a small smirk, Gray always knew when to pick up a trail. “Well, in that case, just keep watching them and report back if anything out of the ordinary happens.”

“Got it… but one question.”

“If it’s when Dad will be able to have a ‘glad to be alive’ drink, I’m not a doctor.”

“Not that. Are all the Founders’ statues still there?”

Monica did a double-take. “Why would you want to know that of all things?”

The Cassini statue just threw a three ignas off a cliff in one strike.”

 “Ooookay, that was weird,” said Glimmer, if only to break the Captain’s incessant and droning ‘beeps’ that seem tailor-made to drive new recruits mad. “You saw that, didn’t you? The crowd of ignas getting thrown off the cliff there?

“Yes.”

Glimmer pulled out the small viewfinder Nikol had left in her pack for her, one of the many small but dependable tools they had learned to use in their time after being freed from the Flame Clock. One quick glance at the cause of the apparent disturbance left her in stunned silence for several seconds,

 “We have company,” she said, turning to her fellow sentry.

Rhyza pulled out his own viewfinder, confirming the medic’s observations. “Eight soldiers, two nopon. Appears to be a mix of Kevesi and Agnian. Inform the Commander.”

“Why me? You have seniority.”

“Dame Alex may not admit it, but she likes you. She needs more friends.”

“Alright,” replied Glimmer, sheathing her Blade. “You just watch yourself, they don’t look like pushovers.”

The captain nodded and returned to his post as she ran to the Commander’s tent. But just before she was too far away, he left her one little gift.

“Beep.”

As tempting as it was to snap back and glare at him, Glimmer ignored it and kept running.

 “It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen the Mechonis Hand from this angle, not even counting our long absence,” commented Shulk as they walked through rocky paths. “But I’ve never seen trees quite like this before. Look familiar to you, Rex?”

“Can’t say I have,” the old salvager replied. “I kinda get the feeling they’d be from Uraya, but none o’ the trees there quite looked like this.”

Shulk turned his analytical eye towards the flora. “They appear to be emitting a small amount of ether, which happened at night in a region of the Bionis called Satorl Marsh. But the trees there were nowhere near this size, plus it’s midday.”

“A blend of the two, maybe?” suggested Rex. “Either cross-breeding of the plant species or Aionios doin’ weird crap as usual?”

“Could easily go either way,” said Shulk. “Hopefully the black fog in this area has allowed us to go undetected, that display with the ignas really wasn’t necessary.”

“An’ y’ur startin’ to sound like A chiding Matthew all the time!”

Shulk just chuckled at the thought. “Well, all I can say is he didn’t get it from me!”

Wasting no time, Glimmer pushed the curtain aside and burst into the Commander’s Office of Colony Iota. If she had any luck, Chickadee would be there and she could say more about what she saw.

“Commander Alexandria! We have a group approaching from the north, from the Elaice Highway!”

“Ah-ha! Most fortuitous that Ouroboros should come right to our doorstep!”

The inflection of the high-pitched voice, full of self-assured arrogance, caused Glimmer to freeze in place. It took all the effort she had to keep herself composed and pull off a salute. “My apologies for rudely interrupting, my Lord Consul! I have come to deliver a report to the Commander, we have travellers approaching the north gate. Eight approaching, two nopon.”

“So our band of half-a-dozen Ouroboros have ensnared a pair of nopon to assist them? No matter. Alexandria! Close the north gate and prepare a little… ‘surprise’ for our guests when they inevitably try to sneak through the Colony.” He theatrically wave one hand, motioning their meeting was concluded. “You are dismissed!”

The Consul translocated away in a cloud of purple motes. After a moment of tense silence to ensure the Consul had genuinely departed, all present breathed a deep sigh and relaxed.

“Not good,” muttered Chickadee. “Seems they already knew the Ouroboros was heading here before we did. And he wants us to lay a trap for them.”

Dame Alex placed a thoughtful hand on her chin. “This isn’t far off what we were planning, is it possible they’ll play along.”

“We don’t know if they’d be able to break the Flame Clock,” said Chickadee with brutal honesty. “I was hoping they would go elsewhere first so we could adjust accordingly.”

“That won’t be a problem,” interjected Glimmer.

“Ah, so you do know more than you let on…” jeered Alexandria. “Please, do tell.”

The lieutenant nodded reassuringly. “You said ‘eight approaching’. That didn’t include the two nopon, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” replied Glimmer with smirk. “Six soldiers and two old men.”

“’Old men’? Are we talking tenth-termers here, Medic Glimmer?” asked Dame Alex, her eyebrow raised.

“No, Commander. They aren’t soldiers, and I’ve seen both slice Flame Clocks in half with ease.”

For the briefest moment, Chickadee’s eyes glowed as she glared furiously. “Names. Now.”

Try as she might, Glimmer could not completely stop herself from trembling. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Commander poised to flee as well.

“Shulk and… Rex, ma’am.”

Closing her eyes, the lieutenant took a couple of deep breaths. “Dame Alex, they’ll likely make a beeline for the Flame Clock; all we need to do is leave a path open.”

Alexandria gave her a curt nod before turning to Glimmer. “Medic, inform Captain Rhyza to marshal all squadrons and other soldiers on the parade grounds near the north gate. Assist him with gathering the other captains then report back here. Dismissed.”

As Bolearis entered the maintenance hangar, he couldn’t help but whistle at the sheer amount of progress their new mechanic was making tuning up Ethel’s personal Ferronis.

“Bloody sparks, man! I’m surprised they ever let you leave Colony 30 if you can g’t this much done! Yuzet must be missin’ ya dearly!”

Nikol just shrugged casually. “Consul’s orders, they said I was needed here and they outrank the Commander.”

“Were ya at Colony 30 long, Nikol?” asked the lieutenant, somewhat confused.

“Not that long.”

Bolearis nodded, feeling his suspicions confirmed. “That explains it, then. You probably mistook him for the Commander. See, even though he’s the lieutenant, Yuzet’s the one dealin’ with all the dull administrative crap. Valdi’s the actual Commander. Brilliant inventor and levnis builder… but he’s two cogs short, if ya catch my drift.”

“Hmm…” pondered Nikol, trying to think of a convincing cover story for himself. He couldn’t recall the boy’s name, but there was that one scatter-brained boy during basic training way back when. “I might… have seen him, once or twice. Jumping up and down over his new prototypes, calling all the levnises ‘friend’, that sort of thing?”

“Yep, that’s him!” shouted Bolearis as he snapped his fingers. “But the one thing I can’t stand ‘bout him is that he always gets everyone’s name wrong! Always called me ‘Brolearis’ for some bloody reason.”

Looking up from his work, Nikol stared at the lieutenant for a few moments. “To be fair, you do look like a ‘Brolearis’.”

“Ah, sparkin’ flames! Not you too!”

“Don’t worry, Bolearis,” chuckled Nikol. “It’s just in jest. But I do have a question for you…”

Colony 9’s lieutenant just crossed his arms and grumbled in response. “Better not be anythin’ smart or I’ll be havin’ ya doing a hundred laps of squat-jumps around the Colony…”

“How’s Ethel doing? She seems a bit… down, I guess?”

“Oh. That,” replied Bolearis, all sins forgiven. “Well, ya remember ‘bout us getting’ knocked down to Dirt-rank? Well, she’s…  still beatin’ herself up ‘bout it. I do what I can to keep her hopes up, but gettin’ no orders really isn’t helpin’.”

“Chin up, Bolearis,” said Nikol reassuringly. “Something has to turn up eventually.”

The two older men looked up at the distinctly stubborn obstacle blocking their way forward and out of the Elaice Highway.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting a locked gate,” mused Shulk as he examined it. “Simple, but well-constructed. The foundations for the wall are likely deeply embedded into the rock face… but the real question is ‘why?’ Unless a Colony served a particular purpose, they rarely if ever bothered with permanent structures; and this is definitely permanent.”

“Are we certain it simply wasn’t found this way?” inquired Taion, his mind plugging away. “The construction doesn’t appear to match either Agnian nor Kevesi designs.”

“No, they were definitely installed here,” replied Shulk, pointing towards where the wall met the rock face. “Look around the edges there, there’s a grout which they used to lock it into place. This was intentional.”

“And the design’s classic Ardainian,” commented Rex, making his own observations. “Lad, you said this area was under Agnian control. Which Colony was in the area?”

“Iota, though this doesn’t quite make sense,” replied the tactician. “They would have to greatly exceed the parameters for base construction greatly for them to reach out this far.”

“I’ve heard about them,” interjected Noah. “Silver rank, very clever. Never to be underestimated.”

“Silver rank, eh?” said Rex with a satisfied grin. “That wouldn’t hurt. What else can you tell us ‘bout ‘em?”

Mio shrugged, only knowing the rumours. “They’re good at stockpiling combat rewards, apparently.”

“They even share them with other Colonies!” said Sena excitedly.

“Yes, but always under the condition that they are able to request materials and assistance at a later date. And it’s typically a ‘carte blanche’ in favour of Iota,” commented Taion. “Their commander is renowned for her cunning. I fear they aren’t just aware of us, but have likely set a trap on the other side. We’d be shot down the moment we climbed over.”

“So we wasted the whole day for nothin’?” asked Lanz, throwing his arms up in frustration. “We gotta go back to just go the other way.”

“Hardly,” replied Rex, looking at the small plateau directly west of them. “I’ll head up there and scout it out. Sit tight!”

Taion looked at the salvager incredulously. “And how exactly do you mean to get up there?”

“Like this.”

Firing off his Anchor Shot, Rex snagged something and immediately started to ascend.

“Walked right into that one, Four-Eyes,” said Eunie, grinning maniacally.

The tactician could only roll his eyes. “Eunie, is this really necessary?”

“Damn right, it is!”

 “So... why are the medical texts in the library, and not at the hospital?” asked Shania, genuinely curious as to why Doc Hollis had led her to the archives. “I thought you’d want to keep that information close at hand.”

The City’s leading physician just laughed, it actually was a good question. “Well, lass… the necessary books are kept on hand. Useful for diagnosing most aliments, standard treatments, that sort of thing. But there’s simply far too many to be kept in the doctors’ offices. So we keep the information that’s seldom needed stored but accessible rather than within arm’s reach. And that includes many of the more instructional tomes.”

Shania nodded with satisfaction as they passed through the shelves to approach the desk of the City library’s caretaker. She was an older woman of indeterminate age, which was something of an ongoing gossip among the City’s residents. She was clearly an adult, but not a young one… yet the ravages of time had yet to come across her features, there wasn’t a single wrinkle to be seen. The weird thing was that Shania could not recall her appearing any different throughout her whole life, even compared to when she was a young child.

No one even knew her true name, as she was simply known as ‘The Librarian’.

Recalling on particular incident, Shania and Ghondor tried to use their privileged access as the heirs of the Six Houses to see if they could find anything… and they couldn’t even find her in the records. Guernica had caught them snooping, but instead of chastising them he simply laughed it off.

“Y’re not goin’ t’ find any dirt in the records about the person whose job is t’ keep them!”

As they came up to the Librarian’s desk, she looked up from her monitor with a look of mild annoyance. “Please make this quick, I’m rather busy at the moment.”

“Sorry t’ disturb you, ma’am,” apologized Doc Hollis, before pulling Shania forward. “Miss Reid here has taken an interest in the medical field, do you have anythin’ t’ get ‘er started with learning more?”

“Funny you should mention that…” replied the Librarian with a small laugh, grabbing a book she had sitting on the desk. “This one is a good place to start, broad but covers many of the essentials.”

Shania received the tome carefully, reading the cover as. ‘Common Maladies and Treatments of Aionios’ by…

“Nia?! Did the bloody Queen of Agnus write this?”

“Possibly…” mused the Librarian playfully. “But regardless of the author, it’s still the first reference for many would-be doctors in the City. Give it a read for now, and I’ll help you find some more once I’m done here.”

“Enjoy y’rself lass, I got to get back tae my patients,” said the doctor as he left the two women in the library.

“Thank you…” replied Shania quietly, still unsure of her decision. The book in her hands felt heavy, but it seemed to give her a sense of purpose. Still, every step felt like she was trying to drag a mountain behind her.

From behind her desk, the Librarian watched the last scion of House Reid shuffle her way to one of the many tables and begin reading the textbook. She could see how much the girl struggled at the prospect of doing something different than she felt obligated to do… but all things considered, it likely was for the best. House Reid had always struggled with its own identity, perhaps it was time to help this one actually find their own.

Glimmer observed the Commander of Iota issue orders to her soldiers, organizing them into several defensive lines with ranged weapons trained on the north gate. The handful of levnises they had on hand were positioned close to the gate to be the first line of defense for when the invading Ouroboros broke through. It was a really strong defensive line, not one she could imagine even the team back during the ‘Alpha days’ getting through. There really wasn’t an opportunity to do hit-and-run tactics… which was going against Chickadee had said.

She glanced down at the lieutenant beside her. “I thought you said ‘leave a path open’.”

“You could say that, we’re setting up an obviously impassable obstacle which any small team would wisely ‘go around’.”

“… and into the lightly defended area around the Ferronis? Do you expect them to scale the cliffs or something?”

Chickadee flashed a toothy grin. “What do you think?”

Glimmer rolled her eyes, then looked towards the small plateau just west of the north gate. It had a few thick bushes which could be used for cover, and it could work quite well. The only problem was it was essentially inaccessible.

“If they could get up there,” she said, pointing towards the plateau. “Then they could jump down and bypass the whole Colony, though they’d quickly be overwhelmed as soon as anyone noticed.”

“I expect a distraction when part of the team breaches the gate, while the others make for the Flame Clock,” explained the lieutenant. “Also, you might want to look again.”

“Why would I–?!!“ Glimmer froze as she spotted a large man running from bush-to-bush, taking a careful look at the Colony’s layout and how the soldiers were positioned. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded and quietly ran back towards wherever he had climbed up to the plateau to reunite with the rest of them.

“You never saw him use the Anchor Shot to climb things, didn’t you?” asked Chickadee rhetorically. “At least this time he won’t be calling anyone ‘too heavy’.”

Rex rappelled down the cliffside to deliver a report on his findings. “Well, it’s an obvious trap with an obvious weakness. Well, f’r us, anyways. Nearly all of the soldiers and levnises are massed to attack us if we climb over or break through this gate, but the Ferronis itself is lightly defended.”

“You takin’ the mick?” asked Lanz, shocked at the audacity of his plan. “You actually think the Ferronis is the easier thing to deal with here?”

“For once, I am inclined to agree with this brute,” quipped Taion. “But if the Colony encampment is lightly defended, we can use that as a path to rush past the force which has gathered near the gate and escape while they struggle to make their way through.”

Ignoring the complaints, Shulk placed his hand on his chin. “Rex, what are you planning?”

“We called ourselves ‘Liberators’ back in the day… so let’s get wit’ the liberatin’! Startin’ with this Colony right ‘ere.”

“Liberate?” asked Noah, clearly intrigued by the prospect. “How do you propose to do that?”

The salvager smirked. “By smashin’ their Flame Clock, kiddo.”

Seven faces stared at him in stunned silence.

“Preposterous!” snapped Taion, offended at the suggestion. “That will kill everyone in the Colony! Everyone’s life is linked to it, they give us all the life needed to sustain ourselves!”

Rex sighed, annoyed but willing to patiently explain himself. “Y’re the smart one, lad. Do you believe everythin’ the Consuls’ tell ya? They have to at least temporarily sever the link when transferrin’ soldiers from one Colony to another.“

The tactician clammed up, the salvager had a point.

“The Clocks don’t keep soldiers alive, they just gather up life for Moebius t’ use as they see fit,” continued Rex. “And the Ouroboros power isn’t actin’ as a substitute either, you’re all runnin’ on yer own life, before an’ after gettin’ it.”

“Are you sure we won’t hurt anyone?” asked Mio, still worried about what the effects will be.

“It’s still a shock to the system. Soldiers typically faint right after the connection to the Clocks is severed, especially in the middle of a battle when they’re in the middle of the feedback loop,” replied Shulk calmly. “We can use that time to either regroup or retreat from the Colony, depending on how hostile they were. Regardless, them being free usually makes them more amenable to discussion and negotiations… at least once they’ve calmed down somewhat.”

“So you’re proposing we ‘liberate’ Iota to make use of their stockpiled resources?” inquired Taion, seeing the longer-term benefits. “Are you certain they’ll cooperate?”

“You’d be surprised how quickly soldiers take to being free from the fightin’, lad. ‘ell, jus’ look at yerselves!”

“Based on what you’ve said… I’m thinking a two-pronged attack would work best,” commented Shulk, turning to their plan of action. “One team can breach the gate and serve as a distraction, while the rest of us make for the Flame Clock.”

“That’s dangerous,” interjected Noah. “The team at the gate won’t be able to hold out long.”

“I need only a couple minutes to reach the Flame Clock, kiddo,” said Rex with complete honesty. “I’d have done so already if I didn’t think I needed help t’ keep ‘em occupied.”

“Alright, the team breaching the gate will need to focus on defense and crowd control,” explained Shulk. “I’ll lead the way. Lanz, Sena. You’re with me.”

“You’re not gonna last long without a healer!” said Eunie sharply. “I’m goin’ too!”

Shulk winced at the suggestion, but accepted it. She was right, and her healing would be more useful helping the gate team. He turned to Rex next. “Rex, you’re going for the Flame Clock. Noah, Mio, Taion. All of you are to keep the handful of soldiers in the encampment at bay when he makes a run for it. There’s a solid chance it’ll be the Commander and some of the Colony’s best soldiers, so be ready to fight them off. Break off if you have to!”

“So… uhh… how are we gonna bust through the gate?” asked Sena as she figured that she couldn’t bust it open herself. “They’ll be taking pot-shots at us before we can do anything if we try to climb over.”

“Riku have suggestion!” shouted the nopon engineer, holding up a small spherical device he had pulled out of his pack.

Great. He has a bomb.

“Riku… why do you have a bomb?” asked Noah nervously.

“Riku saving for special occasion.”

Chapter Text

 “Okay, all of the statues are still there.”

“Hmph. There goes that theory.”

Monica frowned, she didn’t like her best field agent coming across as delusional. “Gray, you’d better provide some damn proof before we chase this any further.”

“…”

“Gray, I’m serious,” said Monica sternly. “If you don’t send me something, I’m putting you on stress leave.”

“… fine. They’re about to attack Colony Iota anyway. Moebius will find out soon enough,” replied Gray, resigned to the inevitability. “Sending the images now.”

Staring at the handful of images, Monica’s jaw dropped. “… you didn’t say anything about the Reid statue.”

With a grunt of acknowledgement, Gray continued with his report. “Cassini just scouted the Colony from a high point. Used a grappling hook. Didn’t see me. Nopon with them pulled out a bomb. This is going to get crazy.”

“Gotcha,” said Monica, a bit more relaxed now that she knew what he was talking about. “Stay out of sight, give me an after-action report once the fight’s over.”

“Understood.”

As the team climbed up the cliffs, assisted by Rex’s handy tool, Riku began the delicate work of setting the old explosive device at the centre of the sealed gate. Meanwhile, those preparing to breach through the soon to be permanently opened gate built themselves a small barricade out of some nearby rocks and their camp equipment.

“Device output will be set to precise amount to throw gates out of guide ,” commented Riku as he carefully measured out additional explosive material. “Opening will be approximately three metri wide, enough to run through. Advise barricade be at least twelve metri  from gate.”

“That’s a fair sprint, innit?” asked Eunie cautiously. “I mean, yeah, don’t wanna be too close… but won’t that leave one hell of an opening for ‘em to just fire in the gate’s general direction?”

“Even with precautions, no one should be standing too close to any explosion,” replied Shulk as he planted a metal strut in the ground to reinforce the barricade. “Twelve metri is still cutting it close. Lanz, can you make a barrier to help deflect the blast wave?”

“Deflect? What’cha mean?” asked the Kevesi defender. “Can’t the barricade just take the brunt of it?”

“Probably,” said the old engineer as he put his hand on his chin. “But if we can create an ether barrier at a low angle, it would push the blast wave upwards. That would put a lot less strain on both the barricade and us.”

“That still doesn’t solve the ‘hole ‘they can shoot at us for ten seconds before we’re even through thing!” growled Eunie. “I know I’m supposed to keep you guys all patched up, but I’d rather you make it through the gate before you’re full o’ holes!”

“Riku has catapults and flash-bangs, should sufficiently disorient enemy force if launched as gate opened.”

“How long have you b’n holdin’ out on us, furball!”

“Eunie, calm down,” said Shulk, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. “Riku always has kept a few tricks up his sleeve. Besides, Nopon are supposed to be neutral; he has to keep up appearances.”

“Tch!” The Kevesi medic grumbled as she mulled everything over. “… he could’ve at least given us one or two of those gadgets on the battlefield. Coulda saved a few o’ our friends.”

“Riku apologize, but Moebius ever watchful,”  replied to nopon mechanic in a conciliatory tone. “One misstep and centuries of preparing go up in smokes! Riku not feel like wastings chances over small-fights!”

“… wot? Riku, how sparking old are you?!!”

“Old enough. But now not time for chin-wagging. Friends make ready, charges are primed!”

Shulk smirked at Riku’s well-practiced non-answer. “You heard him, Eunie. Lanz! Sena! Get behind the barricade, we’re about to start!”

 “Alright. We should be good here,” said Alexandria, relaying her final instructions within the confines of the tent. “Glimmer, you’re with me and Sequoia for this fight. Rhyza, Chelle and Fili will lead the troops against whatever comes through the gate. If their attack goes south, we need to pivot to eliminating the attackers in order to avoid bigger problems.”

“I wouldn’t advise that, Dame Alex,” interjected the young lieutenant, her voice breaking from the worry. “I’d expect them to raise us to Gold rank if we’re successful, and that won’t go over well.”

“Hmm… you never did explain why that was a problem before, Chickadee.”

Glimmer’s eyed hardened, there was no levity to found in this subject. “Moebius harvests Gold rank Colonies. They’d sic a Consul or two on us within a week. The only question is if they’d still do that if we allowed them to escape?”

“Not much for options then,” mused Dame Alex. “Let’s hope you’re right about them, Glimmer.”

“You’d better get out there, Dame Alex,” said Chickadee, urging the Commander out. “Glimmer. A moment in private, please?”

With a nod of acknowledgement, Alexandria exited the tent and the lieutenant turned towards Glimmer. “Before you do anything rash, please try to only address Rex by name out there. Alex doesn’t know about anything relating to parenthood and children, never mind everyone else in the Colony.”

“Yeah, yeah…” replied the medic dismissively. “Not my first go-around with ignorant soldiers. But I’m gonna give that ‘one-eyed monster’ a piece of my mind as soon as I can corner him in private!”

Chickadee gasped at the phrase, her face pale. “Uh… where’d you learn that?”

“Learn what?”

The lieutenant shuffled nervously, pressing her fingers together. “…’one-eyed monster’.”

“Linka called him that all the time, I guess it was because he lost his eye in a fight,” explained Glimmer. “But I could never figure out why Na’el laughed so hard whenever we used it. Any idea what else it means?”

“Well… I’ll tell you later,” said Chickadee, a devilish grin spreading across her features. “After you call him that to his face.”

“Embarrassing nickname?”

“… something like that.”

 “That appears to be the Colony’s Commander comin’ outta the tent there,” said Rex, pointing towards a female soldier with an elaborate uniform. “Far too conspicuous t’ be anyone else.”

“As expected then,” commented Taion as he surveyed the assembly of forces on the parade grounds. “She’s positioned herself to be able to intercept us when we make our move towards the ferronis, while also allowing herself line of sight of the expected battle when someone breaches the gate.”

“… something’s not right here,” said Noah, his instincts setting off alarm bells. “This is too easy. It’s almost as if they want us to attack the ferronis. Why would they even do that?”

“Even if they spotted us approaching, it’s not apparent that we would be able to contend with it,” replied the tactician. “But still, I agree. This looks like a trap.”

“Hrmmm…” growled Rex under his breath, eyes still fixated on the Commander. “Mio, odd question ‘ere, but does she look familiar to you?”

The Agnian Off-Seer shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen ‘er before.”

“Maybe it’s jus’ me then,” said the salvager. “But yeah, it’s definitely a trap o’ some kind. Shulk an’ the others will be headin’ into an antol’s nest, so we better make ‘er quick.” Pondering for a moment, he devised a quick plan. “So I’m gonna need you three t’ charge at the Commander and ‘er partner there as soon as the bomb goes off. I’ll make a quick dash f’r the Flame Clock. Ready?”

Three soldiers nodded in unison. It was now or never.

With an uncharacteristically mad grin, Riku pressed the big red button.

*BOOM*

Lanz’ ether barrier flickered under the force of the blast, but it did the trick and the barricade held while the gate to Colony Iota was thrown open amidst a thick cloud of dust. Only a moment later, the portable catapults Riku had set up threw their charges over the remnants of the wall. The blindingly bright blasts from the flashbang grenades followed, but obscured by the dust the assembled team couldn’t be sure they worked and only hope for the best.

“It’s open! Lanz! Put on a barrier and we’ll push through!” barked Shulk, taking command of the situation. “Once we’re in the thick of it, focus on crowd control and pushing them back Incapacitate them only!” He twirled around to face the Kevesi medic. “Eunie! Stay towards the rear and keep us topped up!“

As one, the ground team charged through the gate, yelling and deflecting the handful of blindly aimed rifle blasts sent towards their direction.

Her eyes still squinting, Commander Alexandria had to smile at her opponent’s ingenuinity. “Flashbangs? Clever.”

“Dammit!” coughed Glimmer through the dust cloud. “I had no idea Riku would be with them!”

Dame Alex raised an eyebrow. “Someone else you know?”

“The most cryptic nopon you’ll ever meet!” said the Agnian medic between her hacking. “But those are definitely one of his old tricks!”

“Incoming from the cliffs!” shouted Sequoia, pointing away north. “Three soldiers heading our way, and a big guy heading towards the ferronis!”

“Well then, Medic,” said Alexandria playfully. “Care to show us what you’re capable of.”

Glimmer didn’t even look towards her commander officer, he eyes fixated one the one Kevesi soldier running towards them. “The guy in the red coat,” she growled. “He’s mine.”

The dust clearing, Lanz ran towards an Agnian captain wielding a staff and swung low with the flat of his Blade. Several soldiers were cleanly knocked aside by the strike, the captain held firm. Planting his Blade on the ground, Lanz switched to his turret, and thanks to a last-minute tweak from Riku the bursts of ether energy were tweaked to be less lethal but packing significantly more concussive force. The Agnian captain absorbed a pair of blasts, but quickly sought cover with her subordinates as the suppressing fire continued.

“Keep it up Lanz!” shouted Eunie as she hid behind him. “We got ‘em on the run!”

“Just keep an eye out for any surprises, Eunie!”

Meanwhile, Shulk had charged forward, making a series of swift strikes to the calves and forearms of numerous Colony Iota soldiers. Not enough to cause significant injury, but enough to prevent them from standing or swinging their weapons. Deftly evading several strikes, he found himself face-to-face with a large Agnian captain brandishing twin swords and a stoic expression. Squaring up against his opponent, he parried several swift strikes in a dangerous dance.

“Beep.”

Shulk was momentarily caught off-guard by the random expression from the tactiturn captain, but quickly composed himself and resumed his assault. Rhyza smirked, impressed by the man’s ability to focus on the task at hand, and returned to their battle.

Finding her mark, Sena charged a crowd of soldiers being led by an arrogant looking captain with a sword and shield and sent many flying with a spinning swing. Planting his feet, the captain managed to avoid being pushed back… only to find himself without any allies nearby.

 “Hey! You!” shouted Sena towards the isolated captain. “Wanna have some fun?”

“Uh… what?”

Swinging the massive hammer upwards, Sena struck hard. Captain Fili attempted a block that only resulted in his shield being thrown upwards and himself off-balance. Sena sheathed her Blade and crouched before leaping towards the captain’s legs. Her grip firm, she pulled his feet off the ground and caused him to land hard on his back to wind him. She had a devilish grin as looked him in the eye.

 “Let’s go for a spin!”

Captain Fili’s face contorted in horror as he realized exactly what she meant, desperately trying to free himself from her grip. With a mighty heft, Sena began pirouetting on her feet while swinging the helpless captain by his legs… and into the rest of his squad.

“Yippee!”

As Noah, Mio and Taion ran towards Colony Iota’s commander and her two associates, all three of them paired off with one each.

Noah found himself facing off with a staff-wielding Agnian with an outright vengeful look in her eyes, her every strike with the staff burning with fiery fury and frequent volleys of burning orbs sent flying towards him. She was furious, but unlike most soldiers it didn’t appear to hinder her judgment as her relentless assault left no openings for him to counter.

“Die, filicide!” she snarled, the venom dripping from every word.

 “Fili… what? What are you even talking about?!” he asked, barely able deflect the strikes.

Oooookay. Seems she remembers you.

“Remember what?!” shouted Noah as another strike came dangerously close to his neck. Rex had better hurry up, he thought, not daring to waste his breath on the words.

Don’t let your guard down! She won’t stop unlike the others!

Only a short distance away, Mio had come to face the Colony’s commander in what was becoming an elaborate dance as each of them weaved in strikes and parries the other perfectly countered.

“Hmm… that’s the Off-Seer’s form, I see!” chuckled Iota’s commander as she effortlessly analyzed her opponent’s fighting style. “Such a shame that it’s too– oof!”

Mid-count, Mio’s leg shot out towards the commander’s midsection, sending her stumbling back. “An’ y’ur hardly the f’rst t’ try catching me mid-beat! C’mon! Get back up!”

Dame Alex allowed herself a hearty laugh. “Well, seems I’ll have to adjust my stratagem!”

“Taion!” shouted Mio to her companion. “Do the thing! Make ‘em laugh!”

“Please no…”

“Jus’ do it!”

With a sigh of resignation, Taion focused himself before unleashing the most deceptively effective technique in his arsenal – the Mondo Tickle.

Doing his best to ignore the sounds of battle, Rex pushed himself forward towards the Flame Clock. From what little chance he got to see, Mio was capable of handling herself in a fight. She hadn’t survived nearly her whole ten terms hanging back and staying safe… but he still couldn’t help but worry.

No, no looking back! The best thing to do is cleave this damned Flame Clock in two, put an end to the fight as quickly as possible and regroup. Still, he was happy to say he hadn’t heard any cries of anguish which would tell him that people were dying out there.

Just a few more moments…

Just a little longer and they were home free…

“Did you honestly thing you’d be able to sneak past me?!!” sneered an arrogant voice from the void, forcing Rex to come to a sudden stop just short of the Flame Clock. Out of a cloud of purple motes, Consul E appeared before him with an air of malice following him. “You’re such a fool! What were you going to attempt to do, destroy the Flame Clock?! They are as resilient as the will to live itself!”

“Uh… yeah, actually,” replied Rex with a shrug. “I’m feelin’ a bit rusty, but it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Inconceivable!” huffed E defiantly. “If my orders weren’t to cut you down where you stand, I’d have you clasped in irons for our entertainment!”

“You’re a fun one, aren’t ya?”

“Insolence! Have at you!”

With a powerful kick, the Consul lashed out at Rex. The salvager managed to block the blow, but the force behind it sent him flying towards the parade grounds. After a rough landing, Rex was still standing, but there was far more distance between him and his target. Translocating just in front of the salvager, E’s sudden appearance in the battle resulted in a lull as all eyes turned towards the new entrants on the field of battle.

“Alex! Order all units to fire upon this cretin!” commanded the Consul.

Rex blinked for a moment. “… what did you just say?”

“Alex?! What are you doing?” snarled E, his limited patience already running out. “Why are you laughing?!!”

“Seems she’s been… occupied,” said Chickadee as she marched into the crowd. “An ingenious tactic, when you think about it. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you were watching this all unfold from the shadows, E.”

“That’s Lord E to you, lieutenant!”

“Whatever.” Chickadee toothy grin showed no sign of fear. “Captain Rhyza! Give the order!”

The tactiturn soldier nodded. “Beep-beep.”

Several dozen weapons all turned towards their target – Consul E.

“What is the meaning of this?!!” yelled E, a hint of panic coming into his voice. “This is mutiny! Treachery! I’ll have Iota decimated for this!”

The Ouroboros, taking note that the soldiers were no longer bothering to even pay attention to them, also turned towards the red-armoured Consul. Taion pulled back the Mondo, careful to maintain a defensive barrier for himself, Noah and Mio. The Commander and one of her associates appeared to relax after being freed from the Mondo’s grasp, but the woman with the ponytail still glared at Noah with murderous intent.

Catching her breath, Dame Alex used this chance to run up to her lieutenant. “Excellent work, Chickadee!” She turned towards her superior, sarcasm dripping off every word. “Now then, ‘my Lord Consul’, I think it’s time we put an end to this charade. Stand down, or else we’ll have to take… steps.”

“You insufferable bitch!” snapped E, forgoing all sense of decorum. “I should have known you wouldn’t stop at only one betrayal!” Iris flaring red, the Consul spun about to face the gathered soldiers. “You lot! Exterminate Alexandria!”

“Blast,” muttered Shulk under his breath. “Everyone! Get ready to run! The Consul’s taking direct control of the soldiers!”

“Say wot?” shouted Eunie. “Surely you can’t be serious!”

“I am dead serious, Eunie!” replied Shulk harshly. “Consuls can control soldiers through the Iris! They’ll follow any order blindly if that happens!”

“Oh, sparking hell!” shouted Lanz. “So this was all for nothin’?!!”

“Only if we don’t get out of here quickly!”

“Uh… guys?” commented Sena. “Nothing’s happening…”

Flabbergasted, E couldn’t believe his control over the soldiers’ Irises had failed “Impossible! Inconceivable! Why isn’t this working! My control over the Iris was supposed to be absolute!”

“Luckily for us, you never did pay much attention to that,” said Alexandria, mocking the Consul. Pointing towards her left eye, her Iris glowed brightly. “I always thought my ‘Flame Clock’ was a bit odd, but it never seemed to cause any problems. Still, slowly but surely, I noticed everyone else’s Iris seemed to change to be the same after being around me long enough. I could never say why, but that Royal Decree sent out recently had a curiously familiar symbol drawn on it.”

“This cannot be happening!” shouted E in a panic. “You were nowhere near the Stone!”

“Did you honestly think the Stones were the only source of the Ouroboros power?” asked Chickadee rhetorically.

“Bah! I’ll just have to eliminate you myself! You and all these trait– ACK!”

The steel cable from his anchor shot wrapped around the Consul’s neck, Rex pulled back hard to force the man to face him. “I’ve had enough o’ y’ur gloating, Moebius! You an’ me, right here and now!”

“So eager to die, are you?!!” snapped E, grasping at his neck. “Very well! You shall serve as the opening act!” Purple motes gathering, the Consul disappeared only for a monstrous entity thrice the height of the tallest soldier. Its long limbs tipped with viciously claws hands and a mouth full of needle-like teeth, it growled and snarled before declaring its intent.

“Let the mightiest champion fall! Look upon your vain failures and despair!”

“Another one o’ those bastards!” yelled Mio, seeing the Moebius appear in front of Rex. “Noah! We have to help him!”

“Right!” he replied, sensing her desperation. “Let’s–“

“Stay right there!” snapped the ponytailed soldier, the fiery tips of her weapon still pointed at Noah. “He can handle that bastard! And I’m not about to let you stab him in the back, you asshole!”

Language, young lady!

“And I don’t give a grebel’s ass what you think about my language!”

“… you can hear Hand?” asked Noah, confused but keeping his Blade held in a defensive position.

“Who the fuck is ‘Hand’?!!”

Oh my.

“Eunie said that earlier,” commented Mio, staying close to her fellow Off-Seer. “Any idea what it means?”

“No idea…” Noah choose his next words carefully. “But I she’s not going to let us help any time soon.”

She’s right about Rex, at least.

Hopefully he can calm her down after dealing with the Moebius.

“’Mightiest champion’, ya say?” mused Rex as he stared down the Moebius, not intimidated in the slightest by its monstrous visage. “I wouldn’t say I’m the ‘mightiest’.” He snapped his two greatswords together into a single Blade of greater power. “… but I’m up there.”

The Moebius roared in laughter. “Ha! You’re nothing more than an inconsequential maggot to be crus– AAAAAUGH!“ Grasping at the bloodied stump of its left forearm, the Moebius stopped gloating. “Fair enough! Now you die!”

“I’m not in the mood f’r any o’ y’ur games, Moebius,” said Rex coldly as he sidestepped the leaping strike. “If anythin’, I got a bone t’ pick with yeh!” A swift horizontal slash severed both of the Moebius’ legs mid-thigh, sending it screaming to the ground.

“Yeh made one big mistake,” he continued, taking another strike to cut off its right limb at the shoulder. “Ya threaten my kid, an’ I don’t take kindly t’ that!”

“What are you even ta–!”

With one final slice, the salvager cleaved the Moebius’s head in twain and cut all the way down its torso to the core. The beast slumped down, its body still and dissolving into a cloud of blue motes.

Looking at the onlookers betrayal, Rex could only sympathize with the sight they had just witnessed. Despite their apparent betrayal, it was clear that they didn’t expect the Consul to become a monster nor for it to be dispatched with such brutal efficiency.

“Well… liberatin’ everyone was never gonna be a simple thing.”

 “Arrogant buffoon,” muttered N, having observed the man he recognized as ‘Rex’ dispatch E in less than a minute. “So that would be the Avatar’s pawn, then? I can only assume the blonde one is nearby. No matter, removing them is paramount to the preservation of the Endless Now. As for Iota, they’ll just have to be ‘returned’ to Her Majesty as soon as possible. Guardsman!”

“Yes, High Lord Consul!” shouted the sentry, running up to received orders.

“Prepare a missive to Colony 4. Inform them they will be receiving a Consul shortly along with a special mission for which they will be briefed upon their arrival.”

“Sir, yes sir!”

Satisfied, N turned back to the view screen. “Soon there will be no more threats. We will be able to enjoy our eternity together, M. I promise you, I’ll do whatever is necessary to stay by your side…”

“This grieves me.”

Turning towards the mechanical effigy, N glared. “How curious… Is it truly malfunctioning? Or is it something else?”

“Monica. It’s Gray.”

The City’s Elder activated the communication device. “Talk t’ me. What happened?”

“Consul’s dead, Cassini took it out. Seems Iota went rogue just before that, turned on the Consul.”

“Well, that’s a surprise. Aren’t they the ones with the supply stockpile?”

“Yes.”

“Anything else?”

“Spotted the Reid statue in the middle of the fighting. Level headed bloke, made a point of only making minor injuries.”

“Well, that’s probably less surprising after the last revelation.”

“And Rhodes appears to be ready to kill the new Ouroboros.”

“Gray. Did you let Dad handle your thermos again? ‘cause this story is getting crazier by the minute.”

"..."

"Gray..."

“Not this time... I think.”

 “Well, I’d like to thank you…” said Alexandria as she walked up to the main who had just single-handedly slain the Consul. “But I think our new medic wants to kill your friend there, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Hold it,” interjected Rex, glancing towards the stand-off within the Colony’s encampment. “Let me talk t’ ‘er. She’ll listen t’ me.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked the Commander incredulously.

“Long story, kiddo.”

“What?” snapped Dame Alex, bristling with indignation. “I am the Commander of this Colony and demand to be addressed as such!”

The old salvager just chuckled at her antics. “Alright, alright. ‘Alex’, was it?”

“Dame Alex.”

“I’ll settle on ‘Alex’. Well, time to hop to it!”

Hearing the approach behind her, Glimmer didn’t take her eyes off the Kevesi Off-Seer. “Took you long enough.”

“Hey, is that any way t’ greet me?” chided Rex playfully. “Take ‘er easy Glimmer. He’s not who you think he is. Well, mostly.”

“Even if he isn’t, I’m not going to take any chances!” she snarled. “You know what he did!”

“I know wha’ the other guy did,” said Rex, seeking to calm her down. “But seems we didn’t quite get the full explanation last time either. I’d say Shulk owes us that one. Now, put y’ur Blade down Glimmer.”

“Fine,” said Glimmer, finally relenting and putting her weapon away. “… and before I forget, you’re a right one-eyed monster!”

Rex froze, his jaw hanging agape, unsure if he should be horrified or collapsing into laughter. Chickadee was simply happy no one could see her blushing as the medic’s audacity. Hand then appeared in her disembodied form and began flailing at the ground erratically, forcing Noah’s Blade to sheathe itself.

“Well, Hand’s hysterical,” said Noah, not quite sure what was going on. “Maybe we should see to any wounded?”

“Indeed,” replied Alexandria, feeling distinctly uncomfortable without quite knowing why. “Medic Glimmer, please assist the soldiers on the parade grounds. Seems a few sustained some injuries during the fighting.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Alexandria then turned towards the newly minted Ouroboros. “Now then… which among you do I talk to discuss our new… ‘situation’?”

“How fares the progress on the ferronis, Nikol?”

The mechanic peeked up from the component he was working on. “Oh! Commander Ethel! Very good, actually. Should be ready to go after another day or so.”

“Excellent,” replied Silvercoat. “We’ve just gotten our orders from the Castle. They have a special mission for us, but the only details they’ve really provided us are to ensure the ferronis is ready for combat and which Consul will be coming.”

Something didn’t feel right, thought Nikol. He could see Ethel’s own unease; it wasn’t sitting right with her either. Reaching for a device he had pondered on whether or not to install, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was about to become very necessary.

“Commander, which Consul did they say would be joining us?”

“High Lord Consul N, the Golden Consul.”

Chapter Text

Noah, Mio and Taion all looked at each other quizzically, not quite certain how to respond to the Commander’s question. None of them were really ‘in charge’ of their group and they largely operated on consensus. Lanz and Sena would likely opt out, and it’s probably for the best that Eunie not jump in at the moment. Shulk and Rex seemed more apt at taking the initiative for these discussions, with the former still helping out on the parade grounds and… where did Rex get to now?

“Surely at least one of you has taken charge of your merry band, hmm?” asked Commander Alexandria pointedly, her patience wearing quite thin. She glanced towards Mio and Noah, carefully examining their clothing. “You two were Off-Seers, correct? You’re at wearing at least part of the uniform. Are you not used to taking command of a small team?”

Sharp as ever, it seems.

“Yes, actually.” replied Mio with a nervous chuckle. “But this whole plan wasn’t really our idea.”

“Let me guess... the man with the long blonde hair and the big guy who, quite frankly, just filleted the Consul?”

Both Off-Seers nodded, nearly in sync.

The small girl with the dark complexion glared at the two of them. “Where did he run off to?”

A sudden loud noise, the sudden shearing of metal and the loud crash of an object falling to the ground caught everyone’s attention. Turning towards the Ferronis, they could see half the broken Flame Clock falling to the ground in slow motion. In the background, Rex was seen slowly lowering himself from the Ferronis to the ground with his Anchor Shot. He quickly ran up to the group, Rex just wore a shite-eating grin. “Sorry t’ keep ya waitin’, kiddos! Jus’ wanted t’ take care of tha’!” The salvager paused when he saw the looks on the Commander’s face. “… Alex? Are you okay? I c’n explain why…”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to do that?! I wanted to watch!”

“Oh. Yeah… sorry.”

“Well then, at least that’s taken care of,” interjected the small girl with the dark complexion, before turning her scornful gaze towards Rex. “But shall we take this to the command tent? There’s much to discuss.”

“Arright,” said Rex with a sigh. Looking over to the parade grounds, he quickly spotted his fellow Liberator. “’ey! Shulk! They want us in the command tent! Get yer arse up ‘ere!”

Hearing Rex call out, Glimmer saw Shulk quickly finish what he was doing and start making his way towards the leaders of the Colony. As much as she wanted to follow him, she was down here for a reason and couldn’t exactly join them right now.

She kept her focus squarely on the injured soldier in front of her, who appeared to have taken a bit of blunt-force trauma from the hammer-wielding Ouroboros girl. Checking for signs of internal bleeding, she was satisfied to not find any and started checking for a concussion. “How’s your head feeling?”

“Not bad, ma’am. Just sore and winded… and I got a bit nauseous a moment ago.”

“Hmm… that’s probably just a side-effect of the Flame Clock being broken, it’ll pass.”

The soldier’s eyes shot open, pure terror in their eyes. “What?!! It’s broken?! We’re all gonna–!”

“Be just fine,” said Glimmer firmly, but keeping a comforting tone. “They never did keep everyone alive… kind of the opposite, actually. Still, everyone gets a bit queasy when they’re suddenly cut off from them.”

“How… how do you even know this?” asked the soldier, eyes pleading for answers.

Glimmer just shrugged her shoulders dismissively. “It’s a long story. Now get yourself to the med station, you need some bed rest… and maybe an anti-inflammatory. You’ll be aching in the morning.”

The soldier nodded and dutifully ran off, which was the last of the injured that she could see. Most of the others appeared to be managing their minor injuries well, and those with aches and pains were already making their way to the more dedicated medical staff.

Satisfied, she started making her way towards the canteen; everyone would be needing a good meal after the skirmish. But before she could get far, a familiar sight caught her eye.

“Riku?! What the hell are you doing here?!”

Looking up from the repairs he was doing to the levnis, Riku let himself smile a bit. “Ah, good to see friend Glimmer! Unexpected, but not surprisings for Riku.”

“Not surprising, my ass!” growled Glimmer. “Why are you helping ‘that guy’?!”

“What guy? Riku not know what friend speak of.”

“You know exactly who I mean, furball! Cut it with the cryptic crap!”

“If friend Glimmer speak of Noah, then friend is mistaken,” replied Riku calmly, almost as if he had practiced for this exact conversation. “Riku meet Noah shortly after he exit growth module little over eight years ago. He not the same as old foe Glimmer fought against many years ago.”

The Agnian medic fumed. “So I’ve been told, but I know it’s not the whole story.”

“It friend Shulk’s story to tell. Not Riku’s.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. The bastard was frustrating to deal with, true, but she was still quite familiar with his verbal tactics. “Both you and D- umm, Rex said the same thing. But you do know, don’t you Riku?”

“Riku not deny, but still not Riku’s place to tell.”

“Whatever,” muttered Glimmer, consigned to waiting this out. “Since I’m done here, I’ll head over to the kitchens to help. People who aren’t hurting too much are probably hungry.”

“Did friend say ‘kitchen’?!” shouted a pink-furred nopon from the edges of the parade grounds. “Manana will help friend with the cooking!” Seemingly running on instinct, she followed her nose and made a mad dash to the place of cookery.

“Ahh… such innocence,” said Riku wistfully, not quite realizing the implications of what was said.

Glimmer blinked a couple of times, knowing full well that she had never heard Riku talk like that about anyone. Still, knowing him, he’d deny any accusation which implied a crack in his stoic façade… she’d save that one for later.

Turning her eyes towards the kitchens, she wordlessly set off after pink-furred one. Enthusiasm and talent aside, you can’t let someone like that just barge in and start running the place.

Straining to sit himself up, Guernica winced as he found himself in that magical time between the medications wearing off enough him to be lucid but still effective enough to dull the onset of agonizing pain. Judging by the other times he’s gone through this phase… he has about half an hour before he needs to call for the next dose.

Just enough time to make a house call. Tapping his Iris, he knew exactly who to talk to.

“Gray, it’s Guernica. Talk t’ me, bud.”

“About time.”

“Ha-ha-aargh!” Guernica soon regretted his outburst of laughter caused an unintentional spasm. “Keep your wit on the backburner, Gray. I’m still hurtin’.”

“Hmph,” replied the City’s top field agent. “You should be resting.”

“I can’t do that when Little Monica refuses to tell me anythin’!” Bedridden as he was, he knew exactly why as well, but keeping him completely in the dark about events outside the City really wasn’t helping him actually get some rest. “C’mon, bud. Tell me what’s happening out there.”

“Alright. But make yourself comfortable first.”

“That bad, huh?” said Guernica, wondering if his gamble had already gone awry. “Did those kids already bite it?”

“No. They’ve broken Iota’s Flame Clock.”

He spat out his drink, the sudden motion causing another lance of pain to shoot up his leg. “You’re kidding! That was fast… and Iota’s that odd one which keeps stockpiles, isn’t it?”

“Right. And they have help. We don’t who they are yet.”

“Well, well, well… things are gettin’ interestin’.” Through the pain, Guernica allowed himself a small smile. “I don’t see me headin’ back out t’ the field anytime soon, so let’s see if I c’n put this ol’ noggin t’ good use. Tell me what ya know.”

“Got it.”

Taion surveyed the encampment as Colony Iota’s officers led them into the command tent, impressed by the organization on display. The area was set up as more of a shipping facility rather than a fortified encampment, with enough space for levnises – including the larger transports – to easily maneuver for coming into the encampment, offloading old cargo while picking up new, and leaving again.

It was the surrounding high cliffs and the fortified gates which provided the Colony’s more expected defenses, an entrenched and surprisingly well-hidden position. Keves was likely entirely unaware of the Colony’s actual location… but something wasn’t right. For the size of the area, and Iota’s well-established track record, there should be significantly more materiel.

Well, there was no time like the present. “Shouldn’t there be more supply crates in this location?”

“What makes you ask that question, Ouroboros?” asked Alexandria playfully, letting out a small giggle as she sought to draw out this little game.

“The facilities here are similar to that of a large supply depot,” replied Taion. “With the notable exception of an area to store goods and materials, which appears to run contrary to Iota’s reputation for offering said necessities to other Colonies.”

“Astute observation, Ouroboros–“

“Taion, please.”

“I see. Well, Taion, you are correct. We do have an off-site storage facility,” replied Alexandria plainly. “What you see here is what’s necessary in the event we need to relocate the Ferronis for an engagement or any other reason.” She paused to let out a sigh. “But without the Flame Clock, I don’t expect it’ll be moving any time soon. Still, we can’t operate the Collectopedia network with what you see here.”

“The Collectopedia cards?” interjected Noah, shocked at the revelation. “That’s your doing?”

“Keves has that system as well, Noah?” asked Taion rhetorically. “It must be a coincidence, there’s no way that Agnus High Command would have allow that sort of technology to cross lines.”

“Both Agnus and Keves are on the same system.”

The tactician froze, slowly turning towards Iota’s commander as she summoned an array of emerald green cubes. On the sidelines, Rex was smiling with pride as he quietly watched on. Alexandria looked over the group of Ouroboros, taking note of one member in particular. “Tell me if I’m wrong here, you’re… Eunie, correct?”

“Wot? How’d ya know that?”

“Your picture on the Collectopedia network, the one with you sticking your tongue out,” said the commander without looking away from the cube array. “Chickadee? Would you please fetch seven fourtune clovers from the greenhouse.”

“Right away, Dame Alex!” shouted the lieutenant, running off to one into the encampment.

Gobsmacked, Lanz struggled to find the words. “… did she just look up Eunie’s card? And decide to give ‘er the whole lot?”

“It’s a surprisingly common superstition, for soldiers on both sides of the war,” explained Alexandria. “Growing them isn’t possible, but we have discovered several probable locations along our supply routes and do try to collect any whenever passing by.” She smirked as she planned to reveal her own little secret on the matter. “But we usually delay handing them out to all those requesting them, and usually only one or two for each delivery. And by ensuring that separate requests from the same Colony aren’t fulfilled at the same time, that leaves people wanting more. Fourtune clovers have been one of our key strategies for increasing the adoption rate of the network.”

“So you think it’s best to keep everyone waitin’ and hopin’ for those clovers?!!” snapped Mio with a sudden fury. “You’re toyin’ with them! Danglin’ a fish in front o’ their eyes when they don’t know if they’ll be seein’ the next sunrise!” Seeing the commander of Iota recoil from the sudden verbal assault, Mio’s ears flattened as she felt the guilt wash over her. “Sorry… I didn’t mean it quite like tha’. But yeh still shouldn’t be toyin’ with people’s feelin’s!”

“Easy there, kiddo,” said Rex calmly as he put a hand on her shoulder. “I can’t say I like that approach either, but she’s still givin’ them a glimmer o’ hope by meetin’ their ask at all. And speakin’ of Glim, where is she?”

Taking a moment to gather herself, Alexandria responded in a measured tone. “As it appears there’s no more wounded, she’s most likely assisting with the kitchen staff in the canteen. Now then, shall we continue to the command tent?”

“Lord High Consul N?” shouted Bolearis, shocked at the news his Commander had just given him. “The big cheese of all the Kevesi Consuls is coming here, to deliver us our next mission? Personally?”

“Apparently so,” replied Ethel, doing her best to not share her unease at the situation. “We’ve been told to ensure my Ferronis is prepared, so I imagine he’ll be sending us on a combat related mission. Still, it’s unusual for him to ever leave the Castle.”

“But it’s not unheard of, either,” said Bolearis, thinking back to a rumour he heard from Orsolya of Colony 5. “He’s apparently a no-nonsense bugger, no sense of humour whatsoever. They say his eyes look… ‘dead’.”

“Dead eyes?”

“Ever seen soldiers after being on the losin’ side of a big battle? Just gazin’ straight ahead a thousand metri away? Kinda like that, except he just keeps workin’, as if he’s driven by somethin’.”

Ethel shuddered at the thought. Most Consuls had a gleeful look in their eyes, but to think of one which looked more like a worn down soldier… it unsettled her even more. “I’ve heard he takes to the frontline himself… but anyone who’s seen it refuses to talk about it. Whatever they saw, it terrified them.”

 “If I were t’ take a guess… it probably has to do that Ouroboros thing in the decree,” pondered Borealis out loud. “Whoever they are, the Castle wants them gone; so much that the Lord High Consul himself will go after it.”

“So why would they send us after them?” asked Ethel, somewhat incredulous. “We were knocked down to Dirt rank, we’re no longer Silver nor anywhere near as well-supplied as we once were.”

The laidback lieutenant laughed heartily. “We were Silver, Commander – and we’re all still ‘ere, right? My guess is that this Ouroboros thing is a big enough deal t’ ignore our past mistakes and use us ‘cause we’re the best. Heck, they sent us Nikol t’ patch up your Ferronis! Who knows, maybe they’ll sweeten the pot and bring us back up t’ Silver for succeedin’?”

“You think so, Bolearis?”

“Can’t say f’r sure, Commander… but I think this could be the break we’ve been waitin’ for.”

“To start ourselves off on the right foot this time, I would like to welcome you all to Colony Iota. I am Commander Alexandria and beside me here is Captain Sequoia who helps operate the Collectopedia network as well as assist in our intelligence operations.” Pausing for moment, she noticed another enter the tent. “Ah, and that would Lieutenant Chickadee joining us.”

The dark-haired girl walked up to Eunie and handed over a small box. “Here you go!”

Opening up the container, the medic’s eyes widened. “They’re all here! They’re really here!”

“Consider it a small token of appreciation, for freeing us from the Flame Clock,” said Alexandria with a practiced smile. “Never leave a debt unpaid.”

“Ha! Seventh rule o’ the Salvager Code!” shouted Rex, grinning from ear-to-ear. The lieutenant rolled her eyes at the remark, but kept her silence.

“Hmm? I wasn’t aware there was such a doctrine among the salvaging corps.”

Rex, they don’t use that here.

“Oh, sorry. Just somethin’ old I remember well,” replied Rex, backpedaling a bit. “Rules t’ live by, ya could say. Served me well o’er the years.”

“Hold on a second,” said Noah, looking at the old salvager suspiciously. “Rex, since when could you hear Hand?”

“Oh, bloody hell! I must be slippin’ now! Me and ‘er go way back, kiddo. I’ll tell you more later.”

“And that one soldier, the one with the red hair earlier,” continued the Kevesi Off-Seer. “She could hear Hand too.”

“… well, I probably shouldn’t be surprised by Glim could. Might make things easier later.”

“We’re getting off-topic here,” said Shulk firmly. “We’ll never get out of here if we keep chasing all of these tangents. Introductions are probably in order. I’m Shulk, and I suppose you could say we’ll be going by our old affiliation of ‘Liberators’.”

“Rex, from the same.”

 “Mio, Off-Seer from Colony Gamma.”

“Sena, I’m with her!”

“Taion, special forces from Colony Gamma. Formerly for the survey branch of Colony Lambda.”

“Noah, Off-Seer from Colony 9.”

“Eunie, special forces from Colony 9… and thanks f’r the Fourtune Clovers.”

“… Lanz, Colony 9. I still don’t like all this, but I’m with Noah and Eunie through thick and thin.”

“Aww… what about me?”

 “You’re different, Sena. You’re fun t’ be around!”

“Well then,” said Alexandria, sizing each of them up. “I presume you’re all Ouroboros then?”

“As far as we know, yes,” replied Noah. “We’ve been told that we’re being targeted by both Keves and Agnus, but Iota is the first place we’ve really been to… and I have to say I never expected an entire Colony, Keves or Agnus, to turn against their own Consul like that.”

Alexandria nodded and pulled out a document, which appeared to be an Agnian Royal Decree, placing it in the center of the table for all to see. “We received this decree only a few days ago, not long after the operation in the Alfeto Valley commenced. An operation which both Colonies 9 and Gammer were engaged in, and I’m assuming all of you as well.”

After some concerned shuffling, all six Ouroboros nodded.

“I should also inform you that both Colonies ‘went dark’ on the Collectopedia network, all chatter was immediately silenced for a few hours.”

“What?!!” shouted Mio in a panic. “Is everyone okay?! What happened to them?!”

“We don’t know, exactly,” said Sequoia. “It was just an unusual level of complete silence from every soldier on the network. There’s usually something, but it went silent for a while. Chatter did resume afterwards, but it appeared that close to half of each Colony was lost. We suspect it was everyone directly involved in the combat phase of the operation, the Consuls must have made a point of eliminating witnesses.”

“Which is the same as what that man told us,” said Taion, recalling the conversation. “Though that doesn’t explain what happened to our friends.”

“No…” despaired Mio. “I want t’ help them, but we have t’ get to Swordmarch and find the City there. I… I only have three months left, I don’t know if I have time to do both.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo.” Rex smiled confidently at the Off-Seer, sympathetic to her plight but determined. “We’ll work somethin’ out yet.”

“I see. Fortunately, there’s more than one way to Swordmarch,” interjected Chickadee. “Dame Alex, permission to begin preparing the route information and resources for them to travel?”

“Granted.”

Saluting smartly, the little lieutenant departed the tent.

“Keeping back on track,“ said Shulk, hoping to have one particular question answered. “What likely happened at Colony 9 and Gamma was the Consul at each of them took direct control of the soldiers through their Irises.” The engineer looked grim as he recalled one particularly gruesome memory. “They become mindless puppets, silently obeying whatever the Consul tells them to do – even walking straight into artillery fire.”

“Say wot?!” squawked Eunie. “They c’n do that?! Really?”

The old engineer nodded sagely. “It’s one of the few abilities that all Consuls have, mostly driven by how the soldiers are connected to the Flame Clock. After they’re done using it, the soldier will simply wake up unaware of what happened – provided they’re able to ‘wake up’ at all.”

Lanz shuddered at the thought. “That gives me the creeps!”

“In any event, the Consul here clearly attempted to use that ability here during the battle. Immediately after the Colony turned on him,” said Shulk harshly. “Why didn’t it work?”

“I think I know the answer to that,” replied Alexandria, pointing towards the decree on the table. “This symbol here, it appears to be something like an aspar or maybe a ravoon devouring its own tail. I presume it has some connection to Ouroboros. Given the text is literally only ‘destroy Ouroboros’, I doubt it could be anything else.”

“It’s the Ouroboros Ring,” said Mio, activating her own Iris. “After the Ouroboros Stone was activated, our Flame Clocks were replaced by it. Still the same colour as the Clock, but it’s definitely different.”

“Interesting, though that doesn’t quite cover everything.” Alex tapped her temple to activate her own Iris. “But I think it has something to do with me. You see, I’ve never had the usual Flame Clock in my Iris. While I didn’t know what to call it until recently, I’ve always had the Ouroboros Ring.”

After a few gasps, everyone leaned in to see for themselves. The Commander of Colony Iota wasn’t lying, she did have the Ouroboros Ring just they did. But it wasn’t quite right either.

Okay… why is hers green and Glimmer’s isn’t?

“Glad that’s over with…” Rising from her desk, the Librarian made her way over to where her young guest was seated. “How goes your studies, Miss Reid?”

Shania put the book down, carefully placing a piece of paper where she was to mark where she was for later. “It’s surprisingly good, actually… but I’m certain that it wasn’t written by the Queen of Agnus at this point. Or any Queen for that matter.”

“Huh… what makes you say that?”

“The author has a worse potty mouth than Ghondor!” declared Shania, still somewhat in disbelief. “I know it’s just old stories, but aren’t the Queens supposed t’ be the image of grace and poise?”

She didn’t expect the Librarian to fall to the floor laughing.

After a solid minute, she managed to catch her breath and compose herself. “It’s good to remember that the Queens are people too, even if they do their best to suit their role while in public. Sometimes it’s the real deal, but you’d be surprised how often it’s more of an act.”

“How the hell would yoo know that?”

“Hmm… well, it’s easy to see among the City’s leadership, if you know where to look,” replied the Librarian as she played with her hair. “Take the Elder, for example. She wants nothing more than to be a good mother to Ghondor, but her position doesn’t allow her to do so often. And it doesn’t help that Ghondor herself is a hard-headed fighter.”

Taking a moment to think, Shania came to a realization. “… Ah knew Masha was faking it!”

“Oooh, she’s genuine,” said the Librarian, knowing she spoke the truth but still not quite able to believe it herself. “She really is that full of herself – I swear, that must be genetic – but at least she has some skills to back it up.”

“Huh, somethin’ t’ think about I guess,” replied Shania as reached for the book again. “Thanks again, Miz… Librarian, I guess?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m happy to help. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Umm… why is it green?” asked Noah, prompted by Hand’s last remark. “It’s blue for us Kevesi and the Rings on our Agnian friends are yellow. What makes hers different?”

“And it doesn’t explain why no one else in the Colony was affected, only yourself,” interjected Shulk. “But given everything else, I think there’s an easy way to test that. Captain Sequoia, was it? Would you kindly show us your own?” The captain turned towards Alexandria, who nodded in approval. She then leaned forward and activated her own Iris for everyone to see.

“And hers is the yellow we expect to see from Agnians,” commented Shulk, thinking out loud. “But it’s fainter than our friends which were exposed to the Stone, which isn’t all that surprising given they were likely exposed to a strong burst of the energy. This is closer to what we saw from those exposed to weaker sources of the Ouroboros power, like Nikol and Glimmer at first.”

Hey! I tried!

“At first?” inquired Alexandria. “I can’t say I know this ‘Nikol’, but Glimmer is within the Colony. Should we bring her in to compare?”

“Not yet,” said Rex bluntly. “I got my suspicions ‘ere, but she might not be the best comparison. I need t’ talk t’ ‘er some more before sayin’ one way or the other. Still, I think we’re on the right track. Sequoia, right? Would you say the effect on y’ur Iris is common to everyone else in the Colony?”

“Yes, seems everyone develops this within a few weeks after arriving at Iota.”

“Excuse me,” commented Taion, taking note of this development. “Are you implying that the entire Colony is Ouroboros? Given the lengths that seem to be expended to eliminate us, why would Iota be allowed to exist?!!”

“It’s a good question, but it may be best to save it for later,” replied Shulk diplomatically. Having clued in to Rex’ last statement, and visible unease at the tactician’s question, he knew his friend needed time to sort this out. “But to keep it simple, it would explain why everyone in Iota was immune to the Consul’s control. But another question is why did you turn against the Consul in the first place?”

“About time you got to that question,” said Dame Alex sarcastically. “As mentioned before, the Collectopedia network is the same one for both Agnus and Keves. We used it to monitor the flow of resources between the Colonies, to determine what advantages we could–"

"You were spyin' on us?!" snapped Lanz, slamming his fists down on the table and glaring at Iota's Commander.

"Any intellgience on your enemy, no matter how small, could become an advantage in a critical engagement," explained Taion to his newfound ally. "Keves has its own spies as well, though this method is decidedly... unique."

"Thank you, Taion." Taking hold conversation again, Alexandria continued her reasoning. "As noted, we were looking for an advantage. However, we found something very unusual: Agnus and Keves were equally supplied, equally matched. It was too perfect, almost as if the entire war had been engineered to be an endless stalemate."

Clever girl.

Noah gasped, realization dawning. "You can't be implying..."

Alexandria's smile betrayed her satisfaction at having solved this mystery herself, but there was no mirth to the truth behind it. Looking at the assembled Ouroboros, her look was severe as she spoke with leaden certainty.

"The entire war is a lie."

“Helluva story.”

“It is. Still not sure why people looking like the statues are here.”

Hand on his chin, Guernica Vandham took a few moments to consider the possibilities. Much of the history about the Founders has been lost over the years, and much of the common perception in the City is shaped by Leeanne’s series of novels that even she admits is mostly a fabrication. Still, there were a few known ‘truths’ that could be gleaned from the remaining records.

One, Founders Rhodes and Ortiz were once soldiers that somehow managed to extend their lives beyond the usual ten years. By all accounts, they should have been removed from the cycle soldiers are stuck in when they died of old age… but for Rhodes to appear again seemed to be impossible, or at least a violation of the rules that had remained constant for as long as the City maintained its records.

Two, the statues for Houses Reid and Cassini represented not the Founders but their mentors. The records surrounding them are very sparse, but it seems they disappeared around the same time the current City was founded. It was often chalked up to dying in the last battle against Moebius, some kind of noble and heroic sacrifice, but no one knew the truth. Still, it seemed fitting for them to be back and assisting the latest batch of Ouroboros.

Three, the Founders drove off Moebius N after he razed the original City. As far as Guernica knew, the same Moebius was still active and mostly spent his time running Keves Castle. There were many stories about the atrocities committed by the Golden Consul, but physical traits were generally simple: raven black hair, blue eyes, and no extraordinary physical traits that other soldiers had like pointed ears or wings on his head.

Wait. That one soldier, the Kevesi Off-Seer with the red sword.

“Gray, mate. Yeh said Rhodes had squared off against the Ouroboros, right?”

“Right.”

“Which one?”

“Kevesi. Red coat.”

“Hmm… they must’ve raided the clothing crates we had t’ leave behind in Alfeto Valley. They were still in their uniforms when I talked t’ them. What else c’n ya tell me? Hair? Weapon?”

“Black hair. Red sword.”

“Bloody hell!”

“Problem?”

“I dunno, mate. Maybe. I gotta talk t’ Monica ‘bout this one. Just keep outta sight, this is gonna get a lot more complicated.”

“Hmph.”

“Manana demand red fish to commemorate special occasion!”

“And I keep telling you, we don’t have any! And we have everything!”

Glimmer sighed as she approached the Canteen’s kitchens, seeing the newly arrived nopon’s passion for cooking already causing chaos for the rest of the staff. The cookypon was clearly well-meaning, but clearly didn’t care about common courtesy when it came to the cooking. It was time for her to intervene.

“Hold on a minute there… Manana, right?” she said, going for a soothing tone. “What recipe are you trying to make there?”

“Baked Redfish!” declared Manana proudly. “That Mio-Mio’s favourite! Manana want to impress!”

Mio. She was the Gormotti Off-Seer among the group of new Ouroboros, right? Alex – Glimmer couldn’t bring herself to put the ‘Dame’ title in front of it – had pulled them all into the command tent for some meeting. It would probably be easiest to ask her for the recipe, but she’d be too busy at the moment.

“And I keep telling her, there’s no such thing as a red fish!” shouted the frustrated cook. “Or at least, no edible red fish that we have in our stores!”

Hmm… something’s not adding up here, thought Glimmer. “Manana? Do you know the recipe, by any chance?”

“Regretfully Manana does not, and Mio-Mio too busy to ask at present moment…” despaired the cookypon. “Manana was going to try to come up with own recipe, but needed red fish as first and foremostest of ingredients.”

Stuck in the same levnis, then. Thinking quickly, Glimmer considered how else a fish could be made ‘red’ over the course of cooking the meal. It had to be baked too, if the name was anything to go by. How else could it– in a flash, Glimmer knew the recipe.

“Bonito sailfish and flying Flounder, marinated and baked in a whisper tomato sauce with soft sea cucumber extract, and garnished with beat shrimp cooked in the same sauce.”

“Oh-ho! That will do it!” cheered the nopon. “Manana not consider cooking fish in red sauce to achieve same effect!”

“And unlike that last request, we do have all of those ingredients on-hand,” commented the Iota cook. “Care to assist us, Glimmer?”

Rolling up her sleeves, she smiled brightly. “That’s what I’m here for!”

"A lie?!!" howled Mio, unable to contain her fury. "All the fightin'! Our whole lives! It's all b'n for nothin'?!" The other Ouroboros present were less vocal about the revelation, but all displayed some indication of their anger.

The fiery-haired girl was more worried for her friend, starting to reach out and comfort her. Nevertheless, she was tensed, her wiry frame hinting at some grim determination to lash out at those who made the Off-Seer’s efforts for naught.

Taion’s hand was firmly on his chin, maintaining a sense of stoicism as he processed the details. Still, his mind was clearly racing as his eyes darted back and forth, likely scanning his own memories for supporting evidence. The occasional furrow of his brow only seemed to show he had found something, and it was happening with regularity.

The Kevesi Off-Seer glared furiously at the ground, the detail seeming to affirm a suspicion he had long held.

The towering gray-skinned Kevesi and winged one looked at each other, nodding an unspoken understanding. They didn’t grasp how the details added up to the bigger picture, it seemed… but they didn’t need to. Both could sense that they were being told the truth. Still, the winged girl sneaked in a furious look towards the man with the long blonde hair.

They were a curiosity, the two ‘old men’ as her new medic Glimmer called them. Alex could easily see that both of them knew this truth already, but they had chosen to stay quiet while the Ouroboros processed the information. The long-haired man was stone-faced, not even reacting to the revelation; though he seemed to be pondering his next action, or at least his next choice of words. The taller man who had cut down the Consul appeared to be struggling to keep a straight face, his eyes betraying a sense of worry as he tried to not look at Mio as she lashed out… but also trying to not grin like a deluded fool while looking at Alexandria herself.

Taking a deep breath, Iota’s Commander understood their frustration all too well. She went through the same onslaught of competing emotions after realizing the truth herself. Looking at Mio, the mark on her neck indicated that she must have only a few months left before her Homecoming. The revelation clearly stung for her in particular. There was still more to the story, though she could only hope it wouldn’t further upset her.

"I doubt it was for nothing. They expended a great amount of time and resources to ensure Agnus and Keves were perfectly matched, and just as much efforts were spent to conceal this fact from the soldiers. It's all built up for a purpose, but we've yet to determine exactly what yet."

“We know why.”

Surprised at the sudden interjection, Alexandria looked at Shulk to see him staring at her with a steely resolve. However, there was an implicit offer being put on the table. “Would you care to explain it to us, then?”

“Not just yet,” he replied, though there was a hint of compassion to his voice. “If we jump straight to explaining everything, our friends here would be quite lost. And quite frankly, it would be easier for them to comprehend your reasoning – from a soldier’s perspective – before we start throwing everything at them. You should present your evidence first, Commander. Afterwards, we can start filling in the blanks.”

“Very well, I suppose they should be made aware,” acknowledged Alexandria. “Our first observation was the identical distribution of resources. Even if we couldn’t track down the exact sources, we started exploring into finding out who was responsible. Naturally, everything is distributed through the Castles, which are in turn administered by the Consuls. And to eliminate the possibility, I can assure you that even Commanders aren’t able to exert much influence here; we can request resources and reinforcements, but it’s only a request. Even then, what we receive are either accompanied by either instructions written by one of the Consuls or a Consul will come themselves.”

“So you’ve deduced that it’s the Consuls who are responsible for creating this state of perpetual warfare?” enquired Taion, putting two and two together.

Dame Alex nodded. “Yes. But we’re missing the metaphorical ‘smoking gun’ to be sure. We’ve done enough intelligence gathering and observation to know that both Kevesi and Agnian Consuls all wear similar attire, but we’ve never seen the same Consul in working for both–“

“Your Consul, the one for Iota that died during the battle. Was that Consul E?” interjected Noah urgently.

Blinking for a moment, Alexandria realized she had something. “Yes, actually. Why do you ask?”

“E was the Consul who oversaw the Off-Seer training at Keves Castle,” replied Noah. “I’m not sure how Agnus handles it, but Kevesi Off-Seers are brought to the Castle once a year for training. I didn’t get much chance to look during the battle, but it definitely looked like him. But it was his voice, that’s why I know it was him.”

“Wait a sec, Noah!” chirped Eunie. “I remember seeing him at the Homecoming at Colony 14! He was the Consul which came with the Queen!”

“My, my, my…” mused Alexandria, allowing herself a smirk. “I didn’t expect to see corroborating testimony to fall into our lap like that. That confirms that the Consuls are responsible for orchestrating the war, but doesn’t provide us with any insight into their motive.”

Mio fumed, trying her best to not scream on the spot. “So they’re jus’ toyin’ with everyone’s lives, then? Do we mean nothin’ to them?”

“Lives, huh?” While not one for deep thought, Sena thought there was something of a connection here. “Maybe it has something to do with the Flame Clocks? I mean, that’s the reason why we were always fighting. And the Consuls were always strict about making sure we were using Blade weapons.”

Eunie nodded. “We’ve been freed from the Flame Clocks, right? No more need to fight, no more need to take lives. The Consuls already lied to us about needin’ it to survive, so why do they need us t’ keep filling ‘em?”

“Perhaps the Consuls themselves need the lives gathered from the Flame Clocks?” offered Taion.

“For spark’s sake!” snarled Lanz, his fists clenched as he tried not to break the table. “Those mudders have been using us all along! And to think we looked up to them!”

Noah sighed, Lanz never really did care much for the Consuls and their position. It was Joran who did, even using his carving talents to imagine himself as one. Their old friend’s death had hurt them all deeply, but Lanz felt the most guilty over it; he always worried that it was his words which pushed Joran over the edge, to sacrifice himself for Lanz’ sake.

It’s tragic, but we have to keep moving forward.

“That makes quite a bit more sense,” commented Alexandria. “Perhaps our unique circumstances here at Iota de-emphasized the situation, but the Flame Clocks were the main motivator for every other Colony we’ve dealt with.” She immediately glanced towards the taller of the two ‘old men’. “And you made a point of targeting ours during the skirmish earlier. Care to explain why?”

“Moebius is able t’ control everyone linked to a Flame Clock through it,” replied Rex honestly. “An’ a bunch o’ other stuff, it c’n be used to siphon the life off of soldiers and suppresses awareness of a few things… or maybe it’s jus’ the whole sense of urgency the risk of it running out means. So breakin’ the Clock is how yeh can free a Colony from Moebius’ control.”

“We were discussing the Consuls, not this ‘Moebius’,” reprimanded Alexandria sharply. “Or are you implying there’s a link between the two?”

“More like the two are one and the same,” said Shulk, intervening for his old friend. “You know them as Consuls, but Moebius would be the proper name for them.”

“Hol’ on a sec!” shouted Mio. “Back in the Alfeto Valley, we fought a ‘Moebius’! … or at least Hand called it one, back then.”

“Which that one man said was sent in to eliminate any witnesses.”

“… and kinda looked like that thing the Consul here turned into earlier.”

“We’re getting a lot of connections, be we aren’t finding a reason why they’re doing it,” said Alexandria, searching for the underlying truth. “Could it be as simple as this ‘Moebius’ feeds off the life harvested from the Flame Clocks to survive?”

Shulk idly placed his left hand on his chin. “Yes and no. Moebius does feed off of the Clocks, but that’s not the only thing they use it for.”

“Ready to ‘fill in the blanks’, now?”

“Yes.”

The dark metal halls with bronze decoration of Keves Castle didn’t suit his tastes much, but massive complex with all its moving machinery made for plenty of shadows to hide in. Prowling silently through the halls, across the rafters, and even clinging to the underside of various mechanical contraptions, he quietly explored and sought out his quarry.

Sniffing the air, he grimaced. The pungent odor of oils and solvents permeated everything here, he couldn’t find any trace of her scent. Nevertheless, as unlikely as it seemed, he was sent here specifically to find her; his Lady would not lie to him about this of all things.

A door down the hall opening made the prowler stop where he was in the rafters, his breathing silent as he observed those who were exiting the chamber.

“Has my transport been prepared?”

“Yes, my Lord High Consul.”

“Good. I shall make my way there immediately. Inform the crew to make ready to depart.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Golden Consul… he’d only received the cursory data prior to this mission, but the prowler knew enough. Effectively one of the triumvirate of Moebius who served as Z’s primary adjutants, and easily the most feared for his brutal efficiency. Him leaving on a mission did not bode well for those who would be considered his targets, but him not being here could make it easier to scout the Castle as the guards become negligent with their superior absent. Even after all these years, the adage of ‘what the peppitos do while the feris is away’ still held true.

“What troubles you, my dear?”

“Something… jus’ doesn’t feel right. Stay safe, okay?”

The prowler gasped. Could it be?

“Always, my love. I shall return when this necessary task is done.”

Sinews tensed, hearing the Golden Consul speak those words bit deeper than the prowler had expected. Nevertheless, as much as he wanted to pounce and savagely maul the wretch, he had to stay silent. There would be time to deal with that later. Watching from above, he watched the Consul walk away and towards the transport bay.

The door to the room closed, but its occupant was clearly not silent. “If only I c’uld get through t’ him! What will it take for him t’ realize what he’s doin’ is wrong?!”

Unfortunate, thought the prowler. It appears that she does indeed care for the scoundrel, though her words hinted at that he once was not the monster he had heard of. There was that one man, long ago, who had done terrible things after losing all that he cared for. Perhaps there was a parallel here?

The door opening again, the prowler allowed himself a smile. Regardless of the circumstances, he had finally found who he was seeking – the Little Lady. Well, perhaps not quite so little anymore, but she’d always be one of the three ‘little ladies’ to him. She had exited the room, wearing a bright white hooded cloak to conceal her ears. A Consul she may be, but not drawing attention to the traits which would have her labeled as ‘Agnian’ was a wise decision.

She strode off down the hall, looking down at a small object in her hand.

“Maybe it’s time to put this to use? To put things in motion? To put an end to everything?”

The prowler froze, that didn’t sound right. The way the Little Lady had said those words did not bode well for her state of mind, he would have to act quickly… but first, he had to wait until she was alone and where there would not be any interruptions.

And so the prowler followed her.

 “First off, you’re correct that Moebius – better known to you as the Consuls – are controlling the whole war between Keves and Agnus by managing the distribution of resources. They are even coordinating which Colonies are where and who they fight,” explained Shulk, adding a small but important detail to the previous discussion. “The Flame Clocks are their primary means to control the soldiers, with the threat of them running out being the main motivator to continue fighting; and yes, the Clocks will kill off a Colony by draining the life of the soldiers linked to it before allowing itself to run out normally.”

Pausing for a moment, he could hear the mumbling of those within the tent. They didn’t like it, but it all made sense to them. Satisfied that they appeared to understand this much, he continued.

“Moebius feed off the life of soldiers to sustain themselves, and they prefer to do it by siphoning off what they need through the Flame Clocks. The thing is, they harvest more than the need, and the excess is going somewhere else – Origin.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this ‘Origin’,” interjected Alexandria. “There has been no mention of that location or anything that could be associated with it.”

“From our past dealin’s wit’ Moebius, we suspect most o’ those ‘Consuls’ aren’t given the full story ‘bout it,” replied Rex. “At most, it seems they’re told that all their surplus life-energy needs t’ go there t’ keep it runnin’.”

The tactician glared at their companions. “Why is it essential to keep this ‘Origin’ device operational?”

“It’s difficult to properly describe,” said Shulk. “In essence, it both created and maintains Aionios itself. The first Moebius took control of Origin when it was first activated, and they have been controlling it ever since.”

“So your objective is to take control of this ‘Origin’ device away from Moebius?” inquired Taion.

“Yeah, that’s right,” confirmed Rex. The salvager hesitated for a moment, which didn’t go unnoticed by the more observant members of Ouroboros and Iota. “If we c’n take it back from ‘em, we can take control o’ our world again. Use Origin as it was intended.”

“And what purpose would that be, then?” asked Alexandria, knowing there was much unsaid.

“Origin was built to stop an annihilation event, one which would have destroyed the entire world,” said Shulk urgently. “What Moebius has done has slowed down and essentially downsized the events, but not stopped them entirely. And it’s possible for them to start accelerating, taking out increasingly larger pieces of Aionios; I suspect we’re running out of time.”

“Dame Alex, the event which destroyed half the Urayan Mountains occurred a little over a week ago,” commented Sequoia, carefully taking all of this information in for later. “That could support the case they’re making.”

“Part of my duties with the Survey Branch included tracking and mapping out occurrences the annihilation effect, and I still have access to the data,” said Taion. “Would that information prove useful in finding more evidence?”

“Already done,” said Alexandria, conjuring her emerald cube interface. “I worked with some members of the Survey Branch in my early terms as well. A quick check of the date and frequency actually supports their case… and the average size is definitely increasing, not to mention the frequency of the larger events like the one from the Urayan Mountains.”

“How do we go about doin’ tha’?” interjected Mio. “And what about ‘The City’, can we still go there? How do they fit in t’ all this? What does this all–”

“Easy there, kiddo,” said Rex, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. “I think yeh’ve all ‘ad enough f’r now, lots t’ think over. We can talk about ‘ow we’ll go about it tomorrow. As f’r the City, it’s b’n a while but I think they’ll be allies t’ what we’re trying to do.”

“… alright.”

“Now, who’s up f’r some din-din?!”

While the prowler’s pursuit of the Little Lady had gone well, he did not expect to find his path barred by a door bearing a curious emblem. She had come to this door, then disappeared into a cloud of violet motes. He had despaired at first, having lost his chance to speak with her in private; but a muffled voice still gave him hope.

“Why the spark don’t we get rid o’ that thing!”

Hmm… curious. Fortunately for him, she had merely translocated to the other side of this barrier. Unfortunately, it was because she couldn’t open it herself – and neither did he. He would need to take a different route.

“Well, at least I c’n open the window tonight. The fresh air will do me good.”

Ah-ha. A window would suggest she’ll be staying in a room with access to the Castle’s exterior… he just needed to find a place he could climb down to it. Seeing as the path back led to the throne room and down, he looked at the elevator in the room going up. Perhaps there was access to the Castle’s exterior from the top?

As Master Rex had often said: ‘There’s only one way to find out’.

 “Good evening, Medic Glimmer. What’s on the menu for dinner?” asked Commander Alexandria as she approached the Canteen, followed by a crowd of hungry Ouroboros and others.

Before the she could respond, Glimmer was interrupted by an excited Manana leaping triumphantly. “Baked Redfish! Cooked in whisper tomato sauce and garnished with shrimp! Manana pleased with results, with many thank yous for sidekick Glimmer!”

The medic rolled her eyes. “I’m not your sidekick.”

“I simply have to ask here – is the food safe?” asked Alexandria pointedly towards Glimmer, her instinctive distrust making her cautious.

“It’s from a recipe I… remember, I guess. And I helped prepare it, the food’s safe,” replied Glimmer. “So please, dig in!”

Seats were taken without much care as to who was beside each other, with all of them getting a generous serving of the main course. Mio in particular hungrily dug in, doing her best to try and remember to use the utensils. Everyone asked for seconds as well, and the soldiers that were starting to file in had a jubilant air about them.

Sitting back, Noah took in the sight of so many soldiers just… talking, without a care in the world and not worried about the next battle. Yes, it was still evident they were all trained and well-disciplined soldiers, but there was something different about how they carried themselves. They had something else that was driving them. He looked down as one of the serving staff dropped off his second serving.

“Ummm… what’s this?” he asked, not really certain at what he was looking at. “I think my Iris is censoring the food. I actually can’t see it through the pixelation.”

“Yeah, that’s weird,” commented Lanz. “Never seen any food do that before.”

Far aside, Rex whispered into Glimmer’s ear. “What’cha playin’ at, Glim?! I know ya don’t like ‘im, but is it really fair t’ put ‘im through tha’?”

“What do you mean? I didn’t make that thing! Heck, I can’t even tell what it is!”

“Huh… and Alex was wit’ us the ‘hole time. If you didn’t, who could’ve made it?”

“Manana, maybe?”

“Dere’s a very short list of people who know what that is, and she’s not on it.”

“So why am I and Alex on that list?”

“I’ll tell yeh later.”

“You’d better – and I do need to talk to you. In private.”

Sighing heavily, Rex agreed that they needed to clear the air. “Tonight, jus’ befor’ bed.”

“So, is that stuff bad for you?”

“Only f’r yer tastebuds.”

A devilish grin spread across Glimmer’s face. “Want to watch?”

“Well, I’m not affected by the visual distortion,” commented Shulk, examining the mysterious dish. “It appears to be mostly seafood: some fish meat, some type of mullosc, garnished with diced fungus and either moramora or amoney appendages which are still moving. And it’s covered in a syrupy sauce that’s been cooked to the point it’s caramelized.”

“So… caramelized seafood?” said Noah, summing up the older man’s observations.

“Let me try it,” offered Shulk. “They say the worst-looking food is actually the tastiest.”

“I doubt that,” remaked Eunie, doing her best to not gag as uncensored parts around the edge of the plate writhed.

Taking a cautious bite, Shulk carefully chewed a piece of it for a few seconds… and froze. He quickly spat it out and upon the ground. “Well… that’s a first. Never tasted food I’ve actually disliked before.”

“So you do ‘ave a sense of taste after all!” shouted Rex from the sidelines.

“I guess I’ll pass on it, then,” said Noah, deciding it was best

“C’mon, guys! How bad could it be?!” shouted Sena, reaching over and grabbing a small piece with her fork. Shoving the piece in her mouth, she chewed and swallowed it down… and her expression went blank. Turning towards the team’s tactician, she had an important message to deliver.

“Taion. You are officially no longer the worst cook. That now goes to whoever made this.”

The sudden ping in her Iris, the City Elder opened the communication channel.

“Talk t’ me.”

“Hey, Monica. It’s Dad. Got some juicy intel for ya.”

“And you should be resting,” she reprimanded with a scowl that the old man could still feel even if he was on the other side of the City.

“Ya know I can’t rest easy when my best mate’s out in the field, Monnie. Had t’ get the info straight from the ponio’s mouth.” His loud laugh was cut short but a yelp of pain, but it still did Monica good to hear him in high spirits.

“About that, Dad. Did you spike Gray’s drink again?”

“Nah, the mission was too important t’ risk anything like that. I had something else lined up for ‘im – afterwards, obviously.”

“Like what?”

“I gave Rozana enough Flutterheart Grass t’ make an ardun ‘ard for a week.”

It was Monica’s turn to laugh, her close friend and de facto intelligence agent on the factions of the City had been getting on Gray’s case to give her what she wanted for years. Perhaps a bit premature, but there definitely would have been a celebratory mood in the air had the mission gone according to plan.

“Alright, that makes more sense and makes Gray’s tall tales a bit more believable. What have you got for me?”

“First, pull up a scan of that pic Garrett tries t’ keep hidden.”

Monica did as she was asked, and it pulled up a digital copy of a photograph that supposedly predated the founding of the City as they knew it. It showed a pair of new parents, with the gray-haired mother with pointed ears and golden eyes holding her newborn child. Beside them was a black-haired man with blue eyes, presumably the child’s father. Both were very young – not much older than Monica herself when she was in that situation – and it was very possible they were soldiers.

Garrett, the head of House Doyle, liked to keep the original sealed away because the two parents bore a surprising resemblance to the Vandham and Doyle statures. Not exact, but the resemblance was unmistakable; considering the statue inscriptions stated that that pair of Founders were siblings, this photo could be taken as proof of a scandal that was unnerve many in the City. Garrett hypothesized that they were either the parents of the Founders, or perhaps even an earlier generation, but it would be hard to dismiss any rumours without conclusive proof.

“What’s so important about this photo?”

“Ya see the new parents in it? Well, I wasn’t sure until I checked meself… but now I’m sure. Those two are among the new Ouroboros from the Stone in Alfeto Valley. T’ top it off, both were Off-Seers f’r some reason.”

Monica frowned. That’s an interesting detail, but not what he father would normally call ‘juicy intel’. “So that settles the question about the photo showing someone other than the Founders, what else do you have?”

“Pull up an image of that bastard N.” His voice hardened, Guernica was no longer joking. “Look familiar?”

Monica blinked a few times, the realization sinking it. “Dad? Are you telling me what I think you are?”

“I don’t like it, but it seems t’ be the case. N is, or at least was, the guy in that old photo. The weird bit is I dunno why the kid I saw in Alfeto Valley looks just like ‘im, but he does.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t N?”

“Doubt it,” replied Guernica. “The kid didn’t know crap ‘bout Moebius, and I think he kinda saved my life. Technically.”

“’Technically’, you say,” scoffed Monica. “I’d bettah get a good report after you’re well enough to write it.”

“Yeah, yeah, you will. Don’t worry, Monnie,” said the older man dismissively. “’sides, there’s somethin’ different about the kid. Quiet sort, but there’s a fire in his eyes I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Monica let out an exasperated sigh. “Alright, I’ll give him the benefit of a doubt – for now. I’m gonna have Gray keep an eye on him to make sure ya didn’t do somethin’ dumber than usual.”

“’ey! Is that any way to t’ talk t’ your old man?!”

“It is when he should be resting instead of feeding me intel!”

The climb up the near vertical elevator shaft was precarious, and fortunately for him the lift itself was already at the bottom, but the climb down the outer surface of Keves Castle was even more challenging. More than once, the prowler had nearly lost his grip on the dark metallic panels, an error that would have sent him tumbling downwards and potentially off the structure entirely – and off the landmass that was Aionios itself.

His destination was in sight, a small balcony framed with ornate windows similar to those which adorned the Castle’s throne room. After a few more steps and silent drop onto the landing, he could see through the open doorway to see the little lady abed.

Good.

She was sleeping soundly, quite comfortable beneath the covers that were clearly made for that of a Queen. Chuckling quietly to himself, he found amusement in the circumstances. If only she knew… well, she’d likely find out soon enough, regardless.

A reminder of times lost past, the prowler laid down upon the balcony for some much-deserved rest. It had been so very long since he kept his vigil outside the little lady’s bedchamber, one which was often shared with her siblings. While hardly necessary to protect her at this point, it felt good to remember such happier times.

He’d speak with her in the morning… and concerns for her well-being notwithstanding, he felt confident that she’d listen to the message he had been tasked with delivering.

Locking the door to the barracks where her bunk was, Glimmer turned towards the older salvager. “We should have some privacy for a while at least.”

“Arright,” said Rex, sitting himself down on one of the bunks. “So… where do we start?”

“How about the obvious one – Dad.”

Leaning forward, his hand covering his face, Rex grumbled but quickly gathered himself. “Yeah, yeah. I knew it’d be that one.” He took a deep breath, knowing what he said next mattered. “I’m sorry, Glim. Truly. I wanted t’ tell ya, but we didn’t think you and Nikol would understand at the time. Befor’ we knew it, we had to do the whole ‘avatar’ thing, and it was still too soon.”

He was surprised as she leapt forward and hugged him tightly. “You… giant… snuffing… idiot!”

“Heh! Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve b’n called tha’, or close enough to it!” said Rex with a chuckle, taking care not to mention he was punched in the face that time. “Still, it’s good t’ see my girl all grown up.”

“Yeah… about that…” said Glimmer weakly. “I’m not sure if you would’ve known what happened after you left.”

“Well, t’ put ‘er simply – A bootin’ us out kinda stripped me and Shulk’s memories of that time,” replied Rex. “It’s like we fought Alpha and took a nap we jus’ woke up from a couple days ago.”

“Huh, that’s odd. Me and Nikol were out before then, and we didn’t have that problem.”

“Must’ve b’n the ‘avatar’ thing… or A bein’ cheeky,” commented Rex, figuring the latter was more likely given A’s sense of humour. “So I’ll take a page outta Shulk’s book, and let you explain the situation first.”

Sitting down, Glimmer had prepared for this particular explanation. “To sum it up, I’m an eighty-four year old mother of two back in my twenty-year-old body. And yes, I have all my memories since you left… but it’s also apparently been about a thousand years since we last saw eachother, so I can’t say what happened to Aionios or the City since.”

“Arright, tha’ makes sense,” said the old salvager, processing the statement. “An’ lemme guess, Nikol’s the lucky lad?”

She gasped. “How did you know?”

Laughing loudly, Rex’ knew his hunch was right. “Let’s jus’ say it was pretty obvious t’ me there was somethin’ brewin’ between to two of ya. Good lad, I can’t complain… but I wouldn’t tell Shulk yet.”

“Why? Is he just as oblivious about social cues as Nikol?”

“Yep,” confirmed Rex, recalling countless incidents of when Shulk was too preoccupied with whatever gadget he was working on to make eye-contact with someone else in the room. “Next question, how long did it take Linka t’ spill the beans?”

“About a year.” Her cheeks blushed at the memory. “She put some… stuff… in our drinks one night. It was supposed to be a celebration, one thing led to another… and me and Nikol needed ‘the talk’. After learning about becoming parents, we then found out we didn’t just have them but got to meet half of them.”

“Flutterheart Grass? In tea?” he asked, futilely trying to contain his laughter.

“… Okay, how did you know that?

“Let’s jus’ say I got t’ say ‘hello’ to you for the first time nine months later.”

Putting her embarrassment aside, she had a question of her own. “I’d like to know more about my own mother. Linka couldn’t tell me much, only that I looked a lot like her.”

Rex nodded, smiling brightly. “Makes sense, she was only three when the Intersection started. Most of what she knew ‘bout Alrest came from the stories I told ‘er. But we’re in luck there…”

A sudden knock at the door caught their attention.

“Guess we’ll have to continue this later,” grumbled Glimmer, figuring that she’d still have to keep the situation quiet for now. Opening the door, she was surprised to see no one there. Peering from side to side, there wasn’t anyone nearby. “Hello? Anyone there?”

The only response was a subtle chattering that seemed to come from behind her.

“Shut the door, Glim. I don’t think we’re done jus’ yet.”

She did as he had asked, and turned around to see a disembodied red hand excitedly hopping up and down on one of the bunks.

Yes! Yes! YES!

She’s here! She’s here! She’s here!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

“One: what is that thing? Two: please tell me I’m not hearing voices in my head.”

The hand stopped its frantic dance, and came to rest upon Rex’ shoulder. He reached up and touched the hand gently, as if reaching for a familiar comfort.

“C’mon, Glimmer. Is that any way t’ greet yer mum?”

Chapter Text

The awkward silence lasted for well over a minute as Glimmer tried to find the words to describe the situation. More than once, her mind failed to grasp the situation – this simply didn’t make sense.

“I don’t believe you, there’s no way my mother could be just a hand.”

If it makes it any easier, I usually don’t look like this.

“Then why don’t you show me how you really look?” asked Glimmer incredulously, at least getting used to the idea that this ‘thing’ could speak to her somehow. “Or is there some reason you just have to look like that?”

You’ve figured out that Ouroboros-affected Irises emit a signal, right?

The red-haired medic nodded. After that discovery, along with the fact a thin layer of Origin metal was enough to block it, Nikol had set about lining the entire City with the stuff. On an individual level, an eye-patch with a thin layer of the material was enough to block the Ouroboros signal. Between those two innovations, it became much easier to move about Aionios without Moebius breathing down their necks constantly.

… and then came to a realization that she didn’t have something important. “Umm… we could have a problem there. We don’t have any eye-patches.”

I think we’re safe… for now.

Most of your signals are probably lost in the crowd.

But for me, I have to suppress the signal by staying like this.

My actual body would set off every alarm Moebius has.

“So… you’re saying that you give off a stronger signal than everyone else?” asked Glimmer, prodding for more information. “Why would that be?”

You could say I’m one of the original sources of the Ouroboros power.

“Hold on a minute,” said Glimmer. “First, what you mean ‘original source’? Second, ‘one of’?”

“Yer mum’s… not exactly ‘normal’, ya could say,” intervened Rex. “She and ‘er sister are known as ‘Aegises’.” He hesitated for a moment, deciding to not dive into the concept of Alrestian Blades; that would take forever to sort through. ”It means they have quite a few special talents. Helpin’ with building Origin and loads o’ other stuff. I think they helped Nia make the first Ouroboros Stone, yeah?”

That’s right.

“So apart from me having an aunt now – not to mention both of you being on a first name basis with the Queen of Agnus…” She noticed Rex wince at both remarks, something to revisit later. “…what’s an ‘Aegis’?”

The salvager paused for a moment to consider his options, and decided to go with an easy example. “A an’ Alpha could be called an Aegis as well. The name came later, but they’re cut from the same cloth.”

“I’m guessing there’s a good reason for this,” said Glimmer in response. “But why hasn’t she just taken over Origin like Alpha did?”

It’s complicated.

First, we didn’t want to risk being captured by Moebius.

Second, we were out of commission for a few centuries after making the first Stone.

Third, Riku left me in the bottom of his toolbag for the last three of them.

“Well, that’d explain why yer in such a foul mood these days,” said Rex, pondering out loud. “An’ why Riku drives ya up the wall.”

As soon as I can use my body again, I’m punting him.

At least Mister Boom-Boom went out the way he wanted to.

Rex’ face contorted in disbelief. “… did ya actually name the bomb?”

I had no one else to talk to!

“Does Riku play any sort of role into why you’re attached to ‘that guy’?” asked Glimmer, trying to move the discussion forward. “The cryptic bastard said he knew, but refused to answer anything.”

He installed me on Noah’s pod, if that’s what you mean.

As for the rest… I guess it does start to sound a bit strange.

“So… he’s not N, then?” the kitharist asked. “It’s sounding like he came out of the Cradle in his first term like any other soldier.”

Instead of the acknowledgement she was expecting, there was only an awkward silence. Based on what everyone had said so far, it seemed right at least.

That much is right, Noah was born like any other soldier.

I’ve been with him the whole time, he’s not Moebius.

But at the same time, N is Noah.

“Pyra, this is gettin’ tough t’ keep track of,” said Rex, nervously rubbing his face and neck. ”Shulk said somethin’ odd the other night ‘bout that.”

And with that, Glimmer’s frustration boiled over. “Alright, what’s the big secret that Shulk’s hiding?!! And how is this kid that looks like N tied up in all of it?!!”

“Bugger me, I was hopin’ that wouldn’t come up,” muttered Rex. “How c’n I put this…” The salvager reached for words, but someone else chose to speak first.

Noah is Nikol’s brother.

“How is Nikol’s progress on the Ferronis?” asked Ethel, going through a list of tasks she wanted sorted prior the High Lord Consul’s arrival. “We need it fully operational before morning.”

“Good so far, Commander.” Bolearis had somehow managed to remain optimistic despite the word that the highest ranking of the Consuls was coming to lead them on a special mission personally. “Can’t say I’m an expert about how far along he is, but he seemed to be doin’ well with how much he’s gotten done.”

The Commander of Colony 4 smiled, at least something was going right. “That’s well, but perhaps a visit would give us a better idea of his progress? And allow us to determine if he’ll be needing some assistance to ensure we’re all ready for when the Consul arrives in the morning?”

“You bet, Commander.”

 “WHAT?!!”

“Calm down , Glim!” said Rex, frantically trying to calm her down. “We don’t want tha’ getting’ out yet. Pyra, why’d ya haf t’ put it like tha’? I mean, I never thought o’ it that way, but… ”

You should know by now that I think pulling off the bandage works best.

“Says the one who complained t’ me for rubbing the salve in too ‘ard.”

Her rage unrelenting, Glimmer did her best to simply not foam at the mouth. “You’re telling me that psychopath is a part of Nikol’s family?! And that he tried to kill us?!! Including Nikol?!!”

I’m certain he didn’t know.

We haven’t found out what made ‘N’ happen yet.

Forcing herself to take deep breaths, Glimmer slowed herself down to at least process the idea. “Alright, soldiers have none of their memories between their lives – well, with one exception – so maybe N had no idea who he was to him. Still, I think Nikol won’t take the news well whenever we meet back up.”

“Ha! Guess I shouldn’t be too surprised,” cackled Rex. “A w’uldn’t bring back one of ya an’ not the other. Where is the lad? Need t’ teach ‘im the Salvager’s Code f’r sure now!”

Normally, I’d object.

… but Nikol might actually listen to him.

“Colony 4, which isn’t far from here,” answered Glimmer, doing her best to not reflexively groan. Whatever that ‘Code’ was, she didn’t like it. “It’s in the Nih’l Valley, which seems to be stuck in a dust storm right now.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo,” said Rex reassuringly. “If it’s close, we’ll be headin’ there next. You’ll be able t’ see ‘im again soon.”

Glaring are her father, she was not impressed. ‘I told you before, I’m not ‘kiddo’.”

“Ah, c’mon! Lemme ‘ave it once in a while! Yer all ‘kiddo’ t’ me!”

Glimmer raised an eyebrow. “All?”

The old salvager stammered, realizing he wasn’t quite ready for that part yet. “Umm… how do I start ‘ere…”

Rex.

Just use the photo.

It was past lights-out for the City library, but the often zealous bouts of research from all sorts had allowed the Librarian to not worry too much about being strict about when she cleared everyone out. Give them a reminder it’s time to leave and a bit of extra time to wrap up, and they were usually happy to do so. That and occasionally there were ‘emergency showings’ of what had become to be known to the City’s residents as ‘the video’ in the middle of the night, so sometimes staying late proved useful. Most of the usual suspects had already left, but there was a new one who had found an interest in the medical field. Making her way towards Miss Reid’s location, she peered around the shelf to check on the girl.

And she had fallen asleep at the table, still working her way through ‘Common Maladies and Treatments of Aionios’. Apparently, she had procured a small journal and was already taking notes – she was genuinely interested in the medical field.

“Well, seems Hollis’ instincts were on point this time,” she spoke to herself, quietly to not disturb her guest. “Normally I’d call your parents, but in your case I think staying the night might be a better idea. Your mother probably wouldn’t like to hear about what you’ve been studying.”

So the Librarian headed off to one of the private room viewing rooms to set up one of the cots, for when it was for the best that library’s late-night guests not go home. Shania would be fine until it was ready. Returning a few minutes later, she was surprised to find another unexpected guest.

“Of all the people to appear out of nowhere, it just had to be you,” she hissed, doing her best to convey her anger without waking up the sleeping Miss Reid. “Then again, that’s your whole M.O., isn’t it?”

“Come now, are you not pleased to see me?” whispered A playfully. “It has been far too long since we last had the opportunity to speak.”

“Centuries, and I’m still not sure if it’s been long enough,” muttered the Librarian. “Let me guess, you’ve been playing a role in everything that’s been happening over the past few days?”

“Correct.”

“So why would you be here, specifically?”

“The girl is troubled – as I am certain you are aware – and I wish to see her have the best opportunity despite these being the closing days of Aionios.”

“Generally, you taking an interest in a person rarely ends well for them.”

Giggling at the accusation, A made no effort to deny it. “Let us say I am striving to ensure she remains an exception. The passage of fate deigned she fall to Moebius’ influence and betray the City…” The Librarian froze at the remark before they continued. “… but I have already taken steps to prevent that from happening. However, she remains in a fragile state of mind.”

“If you’ve started breaking the rules, you could save the entire City years of grief by sending her mother ‘accidentally’ careening over the rail somewhere,” suggested the Librarian, stating the one thing nearly everyone desired.

“I’m afraid that such a fate would be… ineffective,” replied A, a devilish grin spread across their features. “Not to mention unsatisfying.”

The Librarian was almost licking her lips at the idea. “Alright, I’ll let you have your fun there.”

“Now, moving on… a library, then? I suppose you’ve always had an interest in those,” said A, in an attempt to make some small talk.

“Just a place where I can put my talents to good use without attracting too much attention,” scoffed the Librarian.

“Truly?” asked A, clearly teasing. “Then why would you name your–“

“Do. Not. Go there.” Her reprimand was sharp, putting an end to any further questions. “Nothing more than a happy coincidence.”

“Very well, I’ll drop the subject then.” A sighed, unsure if the issue was their approach or the long-standing grudge the woman had. “Ere I depart, do you have anything to ask of me?”

“You can help me carry her to the room.” The Librarian looked them straight in the eyes. “Normally.”

“… must you always make things difficult?”

“For you? Yes.”

Rifling through his pockets, Rex found a well-worn but carefully preserved photograph set in a steel frame. It was a group photo from many years ago, before Aionios or even Origin were an idea. After a moment to reminiscence, he passed it to Glimmer for her to see.

“We took this not long after ya were born, just a few weeks old,” he said, tears of pride welling up in the corner of his eyes. “I should be easy to find, center o’ the back row, right?”

Glimmer nodded silently, still not quite sure what she was seeing.

“An’ in the middle o’ the front row is yer mum – Pyra – holdin’ ya,”he continued. “Oooh, all of yeh were so small back then!”

They definitely were!

So adorable I could pinch their little cheeks for days!

“Ya did do tha’!” grumbled an irritated father. “They were cryin’ fer weeks until we got ya t’ stop!”

You’re no fun!

“Arright, moving on. See the blonde woman on the left? Tha’s Mythra, and she’s essentially yer mum’s sister, and she’s holdin’ yer sister there.”

“My ‘sister’, you say?” asked Glimmer with a hint of distaste to her words. “First off, I’d guess this ‘Mythra’ would be the aunt from earlier… and I think she’s holding her own kid. So shouldn’t she be my cousin, not sister?”

Half-sister would be more accurate.

Blinking repeatedly, Glimmer stared at the disembodied hand; somehow, it managed to shrug. Turning to her father, she found him wearing the second biggest shit-eating grin she has ever seen. As for the biggest… it had to come from somewhere, but she had sincerely hoped it wasn’t her. Unfortunately, the source was now looking her in the face.

“Oh, for snuff’s sake…” she grumbled, defeated in the face of photographic evidence. “And I guess that means the other one’s my sibling as well, huh?”

“Got tha’ right!”

“Fine. So… who are they?”

Let’s have some fun here.

Any guesses?

Staring daggers at the disembodied appendage, Glimmer quietly fumed. She really didn’t want to indulge her right now. “Do you really have to make a game out of this?”

As your mother, yes I do.

But I’ll make it easy – she’s in Colony Iota right now.

Thinking carefully, she went through the brief list of potential candidates. Her sister’s age could be anything past the second term; provided the tradition of the first term soldiers being trained near the Castle still held. She looked at the photograph… and there really wasn’t much to go on. About all she could tell was the child was blonde, and possibly an ingrained distaste for nopon. Her eyes were closed, so no clues there; there was an object on her forehead, but the image’s resolution was quite enough to make it out.

“I’ve only been here a couple of days. The only person I’ve gotten to know here with any amount of blonde hair is Gambert, and he’s out on account of being a guy,” said Glimmer, trying to think of anything else that could be an identifier. “And I honestly can’t think of anything else. Is there anything else to go on?”

“Hmm… she did have a knack f’r pushin’ yer buttons,” offered Rex, slightly amused as he took a trip down Memory Lane. “Clever an’ cheeky, ya could say.”

And she always raided the make-up drawer.

Realization dawned for Glimmer, the last piece falling into place. “Alexandria, the bloody Commander. Surely, you can’t be serious.”

I am serious.

And don’t call me ‘Shirley’.

“T’ be fair, I had t’ take a second look myself!” declared the old salvager proudly. “Those horns were convincin’ enough t’ make me think they were attached, but it looks more like a ‘eaddress. And ‘er hair threw me f’r a hurl at first.”

“Yeah… that does need some explaining,” contemplated the medic. “If she’s blonde in the photo here, and it sounds like just before the Intersection as well… then why is she a brunette now?”

 “Yer hair darkened a bit as ya got older, Alex could be the same,” suggested Rex. “Though considerin’ all the make-up she’s using, I wouldn’t put hair dye past ‘er. But befor’ we get too far… does the woman on the right look familiar to yeh?”

“Can’t say she does, no. Any reason why?”

“Hmm… I thought that’d be the easy one. Any ideas, Pyra?”

The other one wore a mask… so maybe something else?

Her ears might be the best place to start.

Glimmer looked at the photograph again. “The only person I’ve seen with ears that big is the… are you two serious?!! The mother-fucking Queen of Agnus?!!”

Oh... you have no idea.

“Sparking hell! This is just as bad as the time Ortiz came in with three girlfriends he somehow won over at the same time by saying ‘I love you, and all you guys!’” snarled Glimmer. Her father bursting out laughing didn’t help her mood.

Well, I didn’t expect that to be genetic.

Rolling her eyes, Glimmer decided enough was enough. “Alright, I can see where this is going. So Rex here is not just my dad, but Alex’ and whoever this other kid is too – whose mother is the sparking Queen.”

“Any guesses?” offered Rex with a playful smile. “Maybe someone you’ve seen recently?”

“No one I know, at least not well…” pondered Glimmer. “I guess there’s that one white-haired Gormotti girl you’re with, the one that looks a lot like Na’el.”

The salvager’s smile disappeared in an instant. “Na’el. As in Matthew’s sister?”

“Yeah. Why?”

First, your guessed right.

Her name’s Mio, by the way.

But I don’t think your father was ready for that shoe to drop.

“Huh. He’s usually around ‘ere…” Bolearis surveyed the room, maybe their new mechanic had gone to fetch some parts? “Oi! Nikol! It’s me an’ the Commander! Gotta minit?”

The only sound they head was the hum of the larger Ferronis’ engines.

“It’s too quiet,” said Ethel, her worry growing. “Either he’s not here or…” She eyed a spanner lying on the floor, behind one of the crates. Instincts kicking in, she ran towards it and peered around the corner. “Nikol! Are you alright?!”

Colony 4’s newest mechanic had collapsed upon the floor, with no apparent cause forthcoming.

“What happened to ya, mate?” asked Bolearis, propping him up as he checked for any injuries. “How’d ya end up like this?”

“Huh… wussat?” yawned Nikol, seemingly coming around. “Did I fugget too eat again, Glimmer?” His stomach growling seemed to do the speaking for him.

“No apparent injuries, Commander,” relayed the lieutenant, having found nothing and seeing a fairly obvious explanation. “I’ll run down to the canteen and get somethin’ for ‘im. Guessin’ whoever this ‘Glimmer’ is kept an eye on ‘im when he was workin’.”

“Thank you, Bolearis,” replied Ethel, clearly relieved. “I’ll keep an eye on him for now.”

Returning a few minutes later with a tray of steaming hot curry and some a torpedo wrap, Bolearis found Ethel had moved Nikol to one of the nearby tables and he seemed to be a fair bit more cognizant of his surroundings.

“Sorry to worry you, ma’am,” he apologized profusely. “Guess I fell into old habits there, not really watching myself nor making sure I get enough to eat. I got kind of used to my friends doing that for me.”

“All’s well that ends well, I suppose.” Ethel smiled, relief plain on her face. Still, she had some questions that she felt compelled to pry about. “You mentioned someone when we found you, I’m guessing one of those friends would be this ‘Glimmer’?”

“Yes, she’d be my w–“ Nikol stammered, realizing that’s not a word the Commander would know, along with all the potential red flags which any Consul hearing it would lead to. “My w-w-w-wonderful friend. Great medic and cook, she always made sure I didn’t overdo it when I was workin’ on something.”

The Commander’s eyes sharpened, as if she was preparing to swoop in. “Hmm… I don’t think you’re telling me the whole story there, Nikol.”

“Lemme warn ya there, mate!” laughed Bolearis. “Ya can’t pull a fast one on the Commander here. She’s sharper than a Blade, an’ quick to jump at any slip up ya say!”

The mechanic sighed, looking to give a more direct answer. “She’s just a really good friend from Colony 30, she liked to call herself my ‘wifeypon’ and did her best to make sure I was taken care of.”

“Well, one of the few things we know about Valdi is that he keeps a lot o’ nopon up there!” added Bolearis, satisfied with the explanation. “Not that I’ve ever ‘eard ‘em use that word before.”

“There was that one nopon cook that rambled all the time when we under Consul T,” said Ethel, recalling better times. “But if I recall correctly, it was her saying she wasn’t the Consul’s ‘wifeypon’.”

“Oh yeah! She used t’ go wild whenever ‘e made a ‘special request’!” The lieutenant chuckled at the memory of the little firecracker somehow beating her pan over his head, which only made the Cap’n laugh harder.

“Well then, while you’re eating there Nikol,” said Ethel, moving onto more pressing matters. “The Consul is expected to arrive tomorrow morning at o-nine-hundred. What’s the status of the Ferronis? Will it be ready by the time he arrives?”

Hand on his chin while the other guided one spoonful of the nourishing curry after another to his mouth, the mechanic carefully thought through what else was required. After about half a minute, he put the spoon down and looked at the Commander. “I can make it happen, but it’ll be a long night and I’ll need an extra pair of hands.”

“Understood,” replied Ethel, turning to her lieutenant. “Bolearis, would you please help Nikol? If there’s anything he needs, just go get it; Solon won’t question an requisitions coming from you, we don’t have time to waste hunting down people with seniority. I’ll handle the rest of the other preparations.”

“Sure you’re able t’ do that by yourself, Commander?” he asked, hoping she wasn’t taking on too much herself.

“I wouldn’t be much of a Commander if I couldn’t. Don’t worry so much, Brolearis.”

“Arrgh! Not you too, Commander!”

“Just teasing.”

“So… we’re free.”

Captain Chelle of Colony Iota knew the plan well enough, she even saw it play out to perfect… but even then, she still couldn’t quite believe that it had happened. Over nine terms, only a few months away from her own Homecoming, and they were no longer under the yoke of the Flame Clock. Nor were they subject to the Consuls’ whims.

“Yes. We are.” Captain Rhyza entered the structure, closing and locking the door behind him. “Doesn’t… feel real.”

“Well… we won’t have to hide ourselves anymore.” Chelle’s smile was nervous, but genuine. Chickadee had warned them both to not let the Consul see them acting as she had found them… after about five whole minutes of bellowing laughter as they scrambled to get dressed. “The lieutenant said we could ‘continue where we left off’… provided we kept it private.”

“Door’s locked.” The tactiturn man had a toothy smile that few were ever privileged to see. “Want to have some fun?”

As Chelle threw her entire uniform in his face, he knew the answer. Taking on a more breathy tone, he knew exactly how to make his oldest and closest friend happy.

“Beep-beep-beep…”

“Of everyone it c’uld have been, it ‘ad to be him?!” The salvager groaned as the truth started to weigh him down even further. “Well, Glim. Guess I know how ya feel… tha’s not fun t’ think about.”

“Not fun, is it?” she replied, though not laughing at their predicament. “But wouldn’t that make Na’el and Matthew… oh. Ooooooooh. Shit.”

Rex’ jaw dropped as further relations fell into place. “Well, at least Matthew’s a good kid. An’ it sounds like you an’ Na’el got along jus’ fine.”

“Yeah… she was a good friend. Cared more than anyone else I knew, but one hell of a temper when people did something that could get themselves hurt,” replied Glimmer, reminiscing at a time long forgotten. “Always worried about Matthew as well, especially since he always left for months at time. Eventually, he just stopped coming back, but we never found out why.”

My memory isn’t perfect, but I recall him muttering about keeping the City safe.

But he died peacefully, surrounded by family.

“Alright, how exactly do you know?” asked Glimmer sharply. “Because you’d be even worse than Dad if you were there the whole time as well.”

Hmm… yeah. I kind of was.

“Mom…” growled Glimmer.

But I couldn’t really act, not directly!

I was in Matthew’s gauntlets, but I couldn’t do anything myself!

I couldn’t even take on this ‘Hand’ look like now!

“Okay, let’s see I believe you,” replied her daughter, not completely convienced. “What exactly is your story anyhow? How did you end up like this anyhow?”

It must have been something Moebius did when Aionios was created.

Me and my sister were confined to our cores, but we could still talk with Nia and Poppi.

“Poppi?”

“The girl in th’ photo on the far left, looks like she’s half-machine,” answered Rex. “Tha’s a bit o’ a long story.”

“Huh, she looks a bit like than ‘Ino’ project that crazy bastard Oosoo was working on,” said Glimmer. “He called it an ‘Artificial Blade’, though it looked more like an auto-lev to me.”

That’s… actually quite accurate.

But your father’s right, it’s a long story – for another time.

“Let’s get back on track, you could talk to the Queen and this ‘Poppi’ – I won’t bother with how – but how did you end up in Matthew’s gauntlets?”

I think it was after the first City was founded.

Nia was somewhere between excited and kicking herself.

We helped her make the first Ouroboros Stones, but she wanted to make some ‘special’ ones.

In other words, she wanted to put us in them to strengthen them.

“How would putting you in them make them stronger?” asked Glimmer. Nikol would probably get more out of this conversation, but she hoped the basics wouldn’t be beyond her.

We’re the source of the Ouroboros power, remember?

Putting us in would allow the emitters to recharge on their own.

I was put in the gauntlets, so I could be used in the field.

Mythra was put into a stone, because she could put out more power.

Nia gave both to the leader of the City, someone named ‘Ghondor’.

“… Na’el’s grandfather,” said Glimmer, sadness in her voice.

“And N’s kid,” muttered Rex, clenching his fist. Taking a deep breath, he looked towards the positive side of things. “… and I guess Mio’s as well. Shame we never got t’ meet ‘im.”

In any case, it’s all a blur after that.

The process of putting me into the gauntlets put me in a half-asleep state.

I didn’t really ‘wake up’ until three hundred years ago.

And I think it’s because Riku was tinkering with the gauntlets.

Just after I was aware, he threw me into his toolbag and left me there!

“Hold on a sec,” interrupted Rex. “The Cityfolk, from the first one, who came t’ Colony 9. They had a stone with them, and Matthew said his Granddad was the one researchin’ it!”

“And Nikol worked with Riku to keep upgrading it after you left,” added Glimmer. “I think they managed to do so, but Riku never stopped tinkering with the thing! At least as long as I was there…”

“Could it be the one Mythra was in?” asked Rex, hoping it could lead somewhere.

Probably.

But where is that Stone now?

“We kept it in the City, using it to make new Ouroboros every so often,” said Glimmer. “Maybe it’s still there?”

“An’ Mio wants t’ go there… so now we have another reason t’ make it so,” commented Rex, a daring smile creeping across his face. “Guess I’ll just have t’ take ‘er there. An’ probably drag Alex along too.”

We have time to figure that out later!

I want to hear stories about my own grandkids!

Letting out a bright chuckle, Glimmer had to smile at the demand. “So long as no one else hears us… I’ve got a few good ones.”

As the hours drew late, Bolearis was eager to head to his bunk. With the Consul arriving tomorrow, no one in the Colony should go without a good night’s rest.

“Eh, Nikol? How much longer are ya gonna be?” he asked, reaching for his cup of Scarlet Lychee juice. “We can’t be up much longer wit’ the Consul arriving tomorrow.”

“Just a couple more minutes…” replied the mechanic, tightening down some bolts. “I just have to seal this up and she’ll be good to go. Couldn’t get all the upgrades in I wanted, but it should be more than enough

The lieutenant spat out his drink. “Bugger me, mate! You managed t’ install upgrades in the time ya’ve b’n here?!”

“Just some minor adjustments, smoothing out the joints and responsiveness of the controls,” Nikol replied, tightening another bolt. “Probably for the best, assuming we’ll be seeing combat soon; too much and Ethel would have trouble adjusting to how different the controls are.”

“Are ya sure ‘bout that?” asked Bolearis. Seeing Nikol nod, he prodded further. “Ethel mentioned she told you which Consul was comin’, dealt with the Lord High Consul before?”

Putting his wrench down, the mechanic closed his eyes as he dug through his memories. “N is… efficient. Brutally efficient. He’s here on a mission, and he’ll be getting us to assist in whatever it is.” It didn’t a genius to figure out A knew exactly what it was.

“Really now?” jeered Bolearis. “Everyone else who worked with ‘im stayed quiet ‘bout what they saw, all we could pick out is that he take t’ the frontline ‘imself.”

Nikol’s expression was severe. “He doesn’t care if his own soldiers get in the way when he strikes. If you’re in the way, he’ll cut you down without hesitation.”

The lieutenant stood still as a husk, processing the information. “… spark. That’s cold.”

“May I ask what role you play during battle, Bolearis?” inquired Nikol. “I think Ethel might be a bit occupied when she’s piloting this thing, so would that make you…?”

“Yeah, I’ll be leading the troops in a scrap,” answered Bolearis, happy to change the subject. “From the front, of course.”

Nikol breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s’ good… I have a favour to ask you, then.”

“Huh? What would that be, now?”

“Do what you can to keep everyone safe out there. Even if it’s just keeping making sure no one gets in front of the Consul.”

“Sure, Nikol. I c’n do tha’, at least. Done now?”

“Yeah, I’m done.”

“Let’s try t’ get forty winks, then. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long one.”

After Glimmer departed the tent, with no shortage of tales shared with her parents, Rex turned towards the disembodied hand with some more pointed questions. “A’right, Pyra. What’cha think about Alex’ Iris?”

Alex always had that innate connection to the Artifices that Mythra had.

It makes sense she’d be a source of Ouroboros power as well.

“Did ya get a closer look at Glimmer’s while she was in ‘ere?”

A bit. She could become a source too, but only with effort.

"So yer saying she has..."

Yes, Glimmer does have access to the Aegis protocols.

Unlike Alex, she never showed any traces of that before the Intersection.

She can do it, but it's not something she knows instinctively.

She'd have to learn how to access them first.

"Hmm... Mythra won't be happy t' learn about tha'," muttered Rex, recalling a very memorable incident which left a permanent bit of 'graffiti' on the side of Hardhaigh Palace. “So it's kinda like how you could control the Artifices?”

More or less.

“I guess tha’ jus’ raises the question of why they let ‘er be, then,” pondered Rex grimly. “While I hate t’ think about it, Moebius would keep ‘er on a short leash. How’d they let ‘er set up tha’ whole Collectopedia thing, anyhow?”

Aside from the Consul here being an idiot, Moebius should be keeping an eye on her.

I think Alex is actually younger than she looks right now. Maybe fifteen or sixteen.

“Wot? Really?” bawked Rex, who hadn’t really considered the possibility. Another thought loomed, and he didn’t like where it lead. “Pyra… are ya implyin’ what I think ya are?”

I wish I wasn’t. Nia could at least consider the idea without going crazy.

But assuming Alex’ abilities get stronger with age…

They’d try to keep her young.

And probably routinely purge anyone near her.

“I get it now,” he replied, doing his best to not spit on the floor. “She’s too dangerous t’ let her live f’r too long.”

They put her somewhere where she’d likely be killed off.

Before reaching her later terms.

“Either a Colony doomed t’ die, or one headin’ f’r Gold. Either way, they’d find a way t’ make sure,” growled Rex, seeing the cruel logic play out. “Killed young in a battle, or killed off by Moebius when they hit Gold.”

I’m still surprised she rose to the rank of Commander.

That should be something Moebius would never allow.

“Maybe there’s more t’ the story ‘ere, then? Wha’ happened t’ the last Commander?”

Ask around tomorrow.

I’m sure there’s something.

The Next Morning…

“Form up and stand at attention! “ ordered Ethel, taking on a more regimented look than she had over the past few days. Colony 4 was a dutiful detachment of the Kevesi forces, but was known to relax its protocols when not overseen by the Consuls; their Commander cracking the whip was more of a warning of who would be arriving shortly. “The Consul will be arriving in a few minutes! Everyone to your posts!”

“You heard the Commander!” affirmed Bolearis, looking into the specifics that needed shoring up. “Engineering team, put away any tools not in use! Tactical squad, clean off yer boots! Yorde, straighten that back! Move it, move it!”

As all members of the Colony formed ranks, the vessel from the Castle came into view as it flew over the cliffs. Despite the rank of the Consul on board, it bored no additional decoration nor any other distinguishing features.

“Huh, thought there’d be somethin’ different ‘bout this one… “ said Bolearis, surprised at how plain the Lord High Consul’s transport was. “Don’t the Consuls usually at least ask f’r a more heavily armored an’ armed transport?”

“All except the Captain,” replied Ethel as she took her place in front of the soldiers. “The irony there is that the lack of additional equipment is what makes it unique.”

“Ha! True, that.”

As the vessel landed before them, Colony 4’s Commander and lieutenant saluted smartly. The assembled soldiers quickly followed as the aft hatch of the transport opened. The Golden Consul stood at the opening, eyes slowly surveying the assembled troops. Without a word or any trace of emotion, he quietly stepped down the ramp and walked towards Ethel who stiffened sharply.

“Silvercoat Ethel, your reputation precedes you,” he commented politely. “Your soldiers remain loyal and obedient, regardless of your error in judgment and fall from grace.”

“Sir! Yes, sir!” barked Ethel, doing her best to not quaver under his gaze. “Mistakes may have been made, but we still believe that we can serve Keves faithfully! We seek to make amends for our past transgressions!”

“Excellent,” said Consul N, satisfied at the response. “It is fortunate Colony 4 is located where it is, because there will soon be an opportunity to make good on those desires.”

“Thank you, my Lord Consul!” Try as she might to maintain her decorum, Silvercoat Ethel couldn’t completely contain her joy. “We shall endeavour to fulfill whatever task you have for us!”

“Indeed, I expect you shall,” he replied. “Now, please escort me to your office. We have an important mission, directly from the Queen herself.”

“Sir! Yes, sir!”

Still yawning as the sun was barely over the horizon, Glimmer exited her tent and made her way towards the canteen to help with the morning’s breakfast. While she preferred to sleep in whenever possible, decades of having to wake up a certain someone had made early rises her own habit. Still, she was quite surprised to see the cooking stations occupied by someone else.

“D– Rex! What are you doing up so early?!”

“Makin’ brekkie,” he replied without looking away. “Got some Glitterbake goin’, with some Sunshine Pie as well.”

Make sure you’re using glitterspuds!

Glitter radishes don’t work as a substitute!

Glimmer looked around, catching her mother’s deft fingers dashing around under the table, staying out of sight. “Right… Linka said you were always an early riser. Do you need any help?”

“Nah, I got this.” There was a hint of authority in his voice, he wanted to do this on his own. “You jus’ sit down an’ let ol’ Rex make ya a good brekkie, jus’ like old times.”

“Alright, if you insist.”

Sitting down, Glimmer could at least see the goings on within the Colony as different members rose from their bunks at different times. Most of the soldiers seemed jovial at their newfound freedom from the Flame Clock, though a few still seemed either skittish or downtrodden. That was a bit unusual, the proportions should be the other way around. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Captains Rhyza and Chelle exiting the same tent… and appearing a bit too friendly for soldiers. Too close, too… affectionate.

Chelle planting a little peck on Rhyza’s cheek confirmed something was off.

“That’s not right,” muttered Glimmer. “Freeing soldiers from the Flame Clock shouldn’t result in that overnight.”

“Huh, what’cha mean there Glim?” asked Rex, still preoccupied with preparing the morning’s meal.

“Soldiers aren’t supposed to be all lovey-dovey the same night they were freed from the Flame Clock.”

Right, you weren’t there for that.

Seems everyone in Iota’s Ouroboros.

“Wait! What?!!”

Long story short, Alex kind of… breaks the system.

Soldiers become Ouroboros by just being around her.

So I’m guessing it’s a pair of soldiers who have been here a while.

“Wow, she’s just full of surprises,” grumbled Glimmer, feeling a pang of jealousy. “Well, it’s the two of the oldest captains here, both in their tenth term.” Looking back at the pair, the stone-faced captain of Iota blushed… and eventually, cracked a smile. After some remark from Chelle, he fell down to his knees broke down laughing at something. “Huh, it seems Chelle won the bet.”

All colour disappeared from Rex’ face as he went stiff as a board. “Wha’ did ya jus’ say?”

“Apparently there’s been a wager going on here for a while… maybe more of a challenge,” explained Glimmer, not thinking anything of it. “One of the captains, Rhyza, can’t seem to ever crack a smile. So they’re trying to make him laugh. Chelle somehow managed to do that by giving him a kiss on the cheek.”

“An’… they were the two that were bein’ all ‘lovey-dovey’ earlier?”

“Could be more. They came out of the same tent.”

Uh oh.

“What now?” Considering everything she learned last night, the last thing Glimmer wanted was more surprise revelations. “Don’t tell me they’re more ‘close acquaintances’.”

They’re aren’t family, if that’s what you’re implying.

“Oh, thank the Clock…”

“Chelle Ardanach an’ Rhyza Selosia…” groaned Rex, face in his palm. “Morag’s gonna kill me.”

“Okay, what’s eating him?” asked Glimmer, looking towards her mother.

I think your father is just worried this will carry over after Aionios.

For now, just leave the two lovebirds alone.

As N marched his way through the Colony 4 Ferronis, he quickly spotted the combat-model Ferronis for use by the Commander. He had been informed she was trained and given one of this piece of military hardware, and only permitted to retain it after being demoted to Dirt rank as it couldn’t be repurposed for anyone else. Nevertheless, he had requested it be ready for the upcoming mission.

“What is the readiness of your Ferronis?” he asked.

“Ready for deployment whenever you are, my Lord Consul,” answered Ethel dutifully. “We recently received a transfer of a mechanic from Colony 30, and he completed all the maintenance just in time for your arrival.”

“I was not aware of any such transfer.” The Commander and lieutenant froze at the remark, that didn’t sound right. “… but I do not make a habit of keeping track of every individual soldier. Regardless, it is most fortunate that he arrived. It is best if we do not delay.”

All eyes turned towards a sudden loud bang behind one of the nearby crates. A small soldier ran out from behind them, hacking and coughing. His face was blackened by whatever had happened, and he seemed to be heavily stained with lubricants and other compounds often used to perform work on Ferronises and levnises. “Too much Noisebite! Blast it!”

“Hmm, who would this be?” asked N looking at the soldier with some curiosity. He appeared… familiar.

Seeing her latest arrival pre-occupied with his latest task, Ethel felt she should fill in for him. “That would be him, my Lord Consul. This is–“

“Nik, sir!” shouted the mechanic loudly, interrupting his Commander. ”Apologies, sir! Reviewing the repairs to the Ferronis, I had identified an issue which was overlooked last night and was following up to ensure it would be ready as soon as possible!”

“So you chose to act on your own accord, instead of seeking approval from your superiors?” asked the Consul, the tension in the air so thick that it could be cut with a knife. The weapon resting on the Consul’s hip, his hand resting idly on the pommel, made everyone afraid to breathe.

“Sorry, sir… I–“

“Acted wisely,” interrupted N. “I care for results, soldier. There are times that protocols are a detriment to resolving an issue, and right now we need to act expeditiously. Please complete the repairs as soon as possible, and verify they are complete before informing your superiors.”

“Sir!” saluted Nikol smartly before hurrying back to work.

“My Lord Consul, shall we continue to the office?” asked Ethel, happy that the situation appeared to have been resolved without incident.

“Yes, Commander.”

As they continued up the stairs, N glanced back at the mechanic, unable to shake this feeling that he was familiar. He reached up to his own face, he subconsciously stroked his upper lip.

“Moustache… hmm, I wonder what M would say…”

The morning sun shining through the windows of Keves Castle, M stretched and yawned as she woke up from the luxurious bed that was never actually used by the ‘Queen’ of Keves herself.

“Sleep well, little lady?”

Shocked at the words from a voice she didn’t recognize, she drew her twin-rings and faced the intruder. “Who are you?! What are you doing here?!”

The great white-furred beast appeared to smile, but was otherwise unfazed by her questions.

“… what are you?” she asked, somewhat confused by how calm it seemed to be.

“You may call me… an old friend, little lady,” it replied, speaking perfectly comprehensible language despite the massive fangs in its maw. “My name is Dromarch, and I have been sent by my Lady to retrieve you and the object she entrusted to you long ago.”

“Retrieve me?” bawked M incredulously. The beast may be sentient , but it was hardly intelligent if it thought that it could bring her – a Moebius – anywhere against her own will. “You must be a fool to think you could make me go with you!”

“I would not dare of forcing you to act against your wishes, little lady,” replied Dromarch, still smiling warmly. “Though I fear my Lady would be most disappointed if you did not return with me.”

“Who’s ‘your Lady’, then? Huh?” prodded M, pouncing at the loose thread. “Who is she that she’d want to see me so badly?”

The great beast chuckled. “I would say you know her quite well, but I suppose your memories of her are quite limited. You would know her as the ‘Queen of Agnus’.”

“Queen Nia?” gasped M, recalling a stormy night a millennia ago. “The Queen – the true Queen – sent you t’ seek me out?”

“Yes, little lady.”

“That… thing she gave me, at Hope’s Rest. I suppose she needs it now, then?”

“It would save us some time and effort, yes,” replied Dromarch, the calm radiating off him. “However, she most emphatically requested to speak with you specifically.”

“But why me?!” shouted M, still not believing that one part of the beast’s story. ”I’m fucking Moebius! She should hate me!” Tears started streaming down her face. “After everythin’ I’ve become…”

“You do yourself a disservice, little lady,” said Dromarch, slowly padding his way towards her. “She would never bear any ill will towards you.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked, half-pleading for a hope she desired but felt she didn’t deserve. Without thinking, she was clutching at his white fur and burying her face in it to dry her tears.

“I wish I could tell you, little lady,” answered Dromarch, placing a strong paw around her in a kind embrace. “But my Lady would punish me most severely if I told you the truth she wishes to share with you, and I would agree it is for her to tell you.”

Sniffing, M pulled pack to look at the kind creature’s face. “Could you at least tell me why you keep calling me ‘little lady’?”

“Ah-ha, a clever question!” said Dromarch, impressed at her keen mind despite her distressed state. “To put it simply, I knew you when you were little.”

“As in my early terms?” she asked. “Sorry, but Moebius have all of their memories… and I’m pretty sure I would remember you.”

“I would disagree, little lady.” Dromarch somehow managed a playful smirk. “For you do not seem to recall your memories from before Aionios.”

“Wot.”

Leading the Golden Consul  into the command office of Colony 4, Silvercoat Ethel gestured towards the chair behind the desk to offer him the opportunity to sit down.

“That will not be necessary, Commander,” said N, caring little for such things. “I prefer to not sit idly by when we have an important mission to attend to.”

“Yes, my Lord Consul.”

“First things first, Commander,” spoke the Consul grimly. “You have received the Decree from Her Majesty, directing you to eliminate Ouroboros?”

Ethel nodded. “Yes, sir. We received the Decree several days ago, though the lack of context did not aid us in identifying the target. We relayed the order to all our soldiers to kill anything which would fit that description and crossed our path. However, we remain unaware of what Ouroboros is.”

“I see,” replied N, taking note that the lack of information had led to inaction. “The Decree was sent in haste, and it would normally fall to the attending Consul to provide the necessary information. Colony 4’s lack thereof has left you blind to a potential threat.”

“My apologies, my Lord Consul.”

“The error is not yours, Commander,” said N, waving his hand dismissively. “Nevertheless, it is mine to correct. ‘Ouroboros’ are a collection of soldiers from both Keves and Agnus who have rebelled against their nation and actively seek to destroy us all.”

“Rebels?” asked Ethel. “That’s… unheard of, my Lord Consul. A soldier would die without a Flame Clock to sustain them.”

“Indeed,” confirmed the Golden Consul. “Regardless of the method how, they have somehow managed to free themselves from the Flame Clock. When this happens, those affected are inclined to destroy the Clocks of other Colonies, often killing off everyone connected to them in the process. More often than not, they foolishly believe they are helping others by doing so.”

“Would it not be beneficial to pull out of the area and let them destroy the Agnian Colonies in the area, sir?” asked Bolearis, seeing a potential benefit. “No skin off our backs if the two fight it out.”

“A method which has been tried in the past, lieutenant,” replied N. “Unfortuantely, Ouroboros become more powerful and dangerous over time. It is best to burn out the contagion before it spreads.”

“So our mission is to find and destroy Ouroboros, then?” pondered Ethel. “Would you be able to provide a description of them, my Lord Consul? We can begin scouting the area to locate them, and then we can attack with force once they’ve been found.”

“Their location has already been ascertained, Commander,” interjected N. “They have recently struck at Colony Iota, located near the Three Heroes Peak which borders the Elaice Highway. We are to strike there as soon as possible, catching them unawares if we can.”

“How many of them are there, my Lord Consul.”

“We do not have an exact figure. But it is safe to assume that anyone still alive within Colony Iota is now Ouroboros.”

“They’re Silver rank, Commander,” offered the lieutenant. “They say their Commander’s a sly one too, outfoxed Colony 13 a few months back.”

“And they specialized in covert ambush operations…” said Ethel. “My Lord Consul, do we have confirmation that Colony Iota’s Commander is among the Ouroboros?”

“We cannot say for certain, but it would be wise to assume they are still present.”

Ethel and Bolearis saluted sharply, the Commander speaking for both. “We thank you for this opportunity to prove ourselves to our Queen, my Lord Consul. We’ll begin making preparations for an assault immediately.”

“Thank you, Commander,” replied N. As he prepared to dismiss them, a thought crossed his mind; perhaps an incentive to sweeten the pot? “But before you leave, I must stress the importance of this mission to you – failure is not an option. As such, the rewards for success are equally valuable.”

“Thank you, my Lord Consul. We shall endeavour to ensure our objective is accomplished!”

“Please see that your troops are informed of this, the reward for success would assist with morale,” requested N.

“And what would the reward be, sir?” asked Bolearis.

The Consul smiled. “… Gold.”

“Gold rank?” gasped Ethel, disbelieving her lieutenant’s prediction had not just come true but was exceeded. “You honour us, my–!” N waved his hand to cut her off and dismiss them, desiring no more sycophancy and another repetition of ‘my Lord Consul’.

“Please see your preparations, Commander. We must strike while the iron is hot.”

Chapter Text

 “Oi! Bitchqueen! Pick up!” shouted one irritated Ghondor Vandham. After some static, the line cleared to show an image of her mother on the other end of the line.

“Do you really have to call me that, Ghondor?” asked Monica. “You’re on a mission. Some decorum would be appreciated.”

“Pfft! Yeah, like you could ever tell me to do what ya wanted!”

The City Elder’s face was as stern as it could be, but her daughter’s taunting grin couldn’t be completely denied as Monica felt the corner of her lips curl upwards. “Alright, why are ya calling then?”

“Got some intel for ya!”

“Well, at least that’s what you should be doing.”

“Whatevah,” mocked Ghondor, dismissing the comment. “Colony 4’s gotten really busy in the last few hours. We’re watchin’ here from Glam Rock, and they’ve gone all a buzz like a swarm of damned Skeeters since their new Consul arrived!”

The Elder grimaced. “Not good. The latest team of Ouroboros is currently in Iota, they’re probably preparing to attack there A-S-A-P.”

“Well, that’s a right bugger den!” cursed Ghondor. “Makes sense why it’s that bastard N they sent, though.”

“Damn, this is bad…” snarled Monica. “We have to warn them, right away!”

“Want me t’ run over there?” asked Ghondor sincerely. She was more than willing to help, even if she didn’t quite know how.

“We can’t say for certain, but Gray’s closer,” replied Monica. “Stay out of sight, maybe move near the Three Heroes Peak in case we need to evac some VIPs.”

“Gotcha. Talk t’ ya later, Bitchqueen!”

The Consul’s orders were clear, though Lieutenant Bolearis. Prepare everyone for an assault on Colony Iota, to eliminate the Ouroboros threat. He’d also said he wanted Nikol to finish his repairs properly… so it wouldn’t hurt to put a fire under the lad’s arse.

“’ey, Nikol! Gotta minute?”

“I’m rather busy, Bolearis,” replied Nikol, not even looking up as he diligently kept working on a small component. “The Consul wanted everything ready as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, I get that,” said the lieutenant, crossing his arms. “It’s about that. We’re gearin’ up to attack Iota, need an ETA on when you’ll have ‘er all ship-shape.”

The mechanic paused, carefully calculating how much time he needed to finish. “Three or four hours, sir.”

“Thanks, Nik,” answered Bolearis, using the nickname he’d heard earlier. “But I guess ya can figure: the sooner, the better.”

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll get right on it.”

“We also got some good news from the Consul, bet ya wanna hear this one!”

“Huh?” asked Nikol, doing his best to hide his disbelief. “What ‘good news’?”

“Once we’re done ‘ere, we’re goin’ up t’ Gold!” said Bolearis, grinning from ear to ear. “They really want these Ouroboros bastards gone, so they’ll just give us Gold rank for it! Things are really lookin’ up!”

“Umm… yeah. Sure,” muttered Nikol. “That’s a bit much, sir. Seems too good to be true.”

“Huh, don’t ya trust me?”

“I’ll believe it when I see it, sir.”

Bolearis shrugged, deciding that Nikol had the look of the skeptical type. “Well, mark my words. The Consul said it, and we can look t’ the peaceful life after this op’s over.”

After waiting a couple of minutes for the lieutenant to walk far enough away, Nikol allowed himself a moment of panic. Not good. Not good at all. Not only was N here, he was moving against everyone else while they were at Iota! Everything was about to go horribly wrong!

He reached for a button on his backpack… and in retrospect, he only hoped that Glimmer would receive the message soon. He put the receiver when it wouldn’t be found, Glimmer would make sure of that, but she might not be anywhere near it at this time of day! Still, a long shot was better than no shot at all.

With a press of the button, the signal was sent.

Glimmer yelped in shock as an unusual sensation caught her attention.

She stared down at her bunk, specifically at the device which was sitting between her legs. What the spark was going on?! She’d snuck away after breakfast for some ‘private time’, taking care to lock the door behind her… and now she found out Nikol did something with the toy he left her!

She paused for a moment, remembering who her lover was. Often tactless and unconventional, but he was genuinely caring and painfully meticulous. He probably thought she’d hide this, a good call given where she was headed, but this was hardly the right way to go about it! What if she wasn’t anywhere near the thing?! She’d have to chastise him later for this.

Listening carefully, she figured he was sending her a message. The toy buzzed with pattern: three short pulses, three long pulses, three short pulses. Pause. Repeat.

“That’s… ess. Oh. Ess…” pondered Glimmer out loud, recalling the old code. “Save our sparks! Shit! He’s in trouble!”

Without a thought about cleaning up the bunk, Glimmer quickly hiked her pants up and put the device away – in the satchel she kept on a band around her leg this time – before running off to find someone to help in this situation.

Yawning as she woke up, Shania was surprised to find herself laying on a small cot which was set-up in one of the private viewing rooms of the City library. The Librarian must have moved her here last night, to which she was thankful; her mother would be unhappy no matter what she did at this point. The more distance between her and Shania, the better.

She gasped, reaching for the notebook she had started writing in. After hitting the light switch, she was happy to see it sitting on a nearby table.

“Guess I’d better thank her,” she thought out loud, grateful to her latest benefactor. After a quick bit of grooming to fix her hair and clothing, along with cleaning up the room’s contents, she left to thank the woman who had made sure she rested well overnight.

“Good morning, Shania,” said the Librarian, smiling warmly as the Lost Numbers soldier approached. “Sleep well?”

“Yes, Miz… Librarian.”

“So, how did your studies go yesterday?”

Shania let out a small laugh, surprised at how quickly she had taken to reading the medical textbook. “Very good, ma’am. Thank you f’r the recommendation, it was a great place t’ start. Though I got the impression that there’s a lot of options f’r practicing it.”

“There’s many specializations, yes.” The Librarian looked upwards, considering a myriad of possibilities. “I can get some overview textbooks on some of the broader ones, if you want? Maybe you can get yourself washed up at the barracks, along with maybe a warm meal? I should have those ready by the time you get back.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” replied Shania, catching herself doing a salute. The Librarian laughed mirthfully, knowing it wasn’t anything serious. “I’ll… be back later.”

“Sure. No problem.”

Having tracked down her father’s location, Glimmer burst into the Command tent.

“Nikol’s in trouble!”

She glanced around the room, not realizing how many people were present for what appeared to be a lengthy discussion. Rex looked at her with concern, noticing the look of panic on her face. Shulk’s expression was one of worry, for obvious reasons, but he was already lost in thought trying to figure something out. The six new Ouroboros looked at her, sensing her concern but not quite understanding what she meant.

“This… ‘Nikol’,” pondered Alexandria. “Shulk, correct? You mentioned that name yesterday. Would you care to elaborate?”

“He’s Glimmer’s friend,” answered Lieutenant Chickadee. “She mentioned him when she first arrived, though that’s about all I know.” The Agnian medic breathed a quiet sigh of relief that the lieutenant left out the other details of that discussion.

“He’s an ally of ours,” interjected Shulk. “To keep it simple, he’s an Ouroboros and a mechanic, and able to blend in with a Kevesi Colony. Though I think Glimmer may be able to provide us some more information.”

“Yes… huh…” stammered Glimmer, grasping for the words. “Nikol left me a signal receiver before we parted ways and I came here, he just sent a ‘Save our sparks’ signal.” She noticed Chickadee snort, but intentionally didn’t comment. “He’s at Colony 4 right now, and they aren’t far from here. That’s all I know.”

“Hmm… before we go any further,” said Dame Alex, having a devilish look at her new medic. “Mio, Taion, Sena. You’re all from Colony Gamma, correct? Do any of you recognize Glimmer?”

Glimmer blinked. “Oh. Shit.”

Alexandria didn’t even look at the three nodding silently. “So you did lie to us when you first came here, then?”

“Dame Alex.” The tone of Lieutenant Chickadee’s voice did not permit disagreement. “That’s hardly important at this point. We figured out it was a cover story within minutes, and she has helped us do free ourselves from the Consuls.”

Has anyone else noticed she doesn’t have a Gormotti accent?

“What a ‘Gormotti’?” asked Noah, not recognizing the term.

“I dunno,” shrugged Mio. “Maybe a place we haven’t b’n too yet?”

Resisting the urge to answer the Off-Seers’ questions, Rex looked at the lieutenant. “Have we met before, kiddo?”

Chickadee glared at him, not liking the remark. “We’ll talk later.”

“Let’s focus here,” interrupted Shulk. “Nikol’s in trouble and he’s at Colony 4. And considering our esteemed host’s network that crosses the boundaries between Keves and Agnus… maybe they’ll be able to tell us something?”

Nodding in agreement, Alexandria and Sequoia both activate their Irises to analyze the data. After scowling or a moment, the Commander summoned her cube interface to analyze something more closely.

“We have a significant increase in chatter,” commented Sequoia. “It started this morning, something has got them moving.”

“Their new Consul must have arrived. They’ve been left without one for the last while.” Still looking at her cube with extreme displeasure, Alexandria knew something wasn’t right. “I’m seeing the phrase ‘gold rank’ getting mentioned a lot, which doesn’t make sense. They were knocked down from Silver to Dirt after their skirmish with Delta.”

“Maybe they view Ouroboros as a significant threat, maybe something big enough to bring them back up?” offered the captain. “I’m seeing a few mentions of ‘Golden Consul’ as well.”

“Oh, bloody hell!” snarled Rex, slamming his fist on the table. “Shulk, they’ve already sent N after us!”

The old engineer frowned, but wasn’t surprised. “That would explain Nikol’s signal – he’s warning us. Commander, Colony 4 will be attacking here, probably as soon as they’re ready to do so.” Not waiting for the anticipated order, Captain Sequoia ran out of the tent.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that they’d let us off easily.” Alexandria let out an exasperated sigh at her misfortune, switching her thought processes to the matter at hand. “Sequoia will see to getting the troops rallied and forming a defensive line. We need to focus on how we’re going to respond to this impending attack.”

Receiving an urgent message, the City agent known as ‘Vandham’s Hound’ looked tapped his comm-link. “What is it?”

“Gray. It’s Monica. We have a problem.”

“What problem?”

“My brat just told me that Colony 4’s suddenly got busy, and they have a certain gold-armoured Consul with them. I think they’re about to hit Iota with everything they have.”

“Damn.” The City’s Elder could hear her field agent’s growl. “They’re moving on Ouroboros faster than usual. Moebius must know something.”

“Any indication that it’s related to the people you’ve been watching?”

“Nothing definite. But seems likely.”

“Think you can warn them about the attack? Discreetly?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

 “So this is what ‘freedom’ feels like, huh?” pondered Captain Fili, still taking stock of their new situation as he bit into a Scarlet Lychee. “Do you two really have to stay so close to each other?”

“Why not?” asked Rhyza, the subtlest of smiles on his stern features as Chelle clung to his arm with a more apparent look of contentedness.

“We can do what we want now, right?” she added. “And right now, I want to be close to my big lug.”

“… can I join you?”

“Get your own friend who is a girl to cuddle,” growled Rhyza, staring down his fellow captain.

Fili sighed, though his eyes turned more hopeful when he saw Sequoia running towards them. “Hey, Sequoia? Do you want to try what Chelle and Rhyza are doing right now?”

“We got no time for that!” she barked angrily. “Colony 4’s heading our way right now! Stop lazing around and rally the troops, we need to be ready for an assault that could start any minute!”

“Snuff,” muttered Rhyza, giving Chelle a quick embraced before they separated themselves from each other. “I’ll get the defensive line ready.”

The other captains of Iota nodded, all dashing off to different parts of the Colony to inform the soldiers that their fighting days were not over yet. A few were unhappy, but none argued. They were still soldiers trained to fight, and they would meet their enemy on the field of war.

His small experiment set-up on the table, Nikol took a small handheld device and pressed a button. Atop the components on the table, a series of small lights lit up and a series of glow plugs lit up. Stroking his mustache, he smiled at the positive result.

His earlier test, one which ‘conveniently’ dirtied his face as N was passing by, confirmed that these glow plugs would trigger the explosive charges he had set under the actuators which would sever the power cables within the Ferronis. Testing the two together would be ideal… but really wasn’t an option. There were too many wary eyes all around, so he’d have to gamble on every individual component working should he have to use the device. At least putting multiple break points in the same line of cables meant only one of them had to work, increasing the odds of a success.

Now, he just had to install them on the Ferronis and everything would be ready.

He quietly hoped that using this would be unnecessary… but knowing his luck, this would be very necessary.

“The scouts have confirmed it, Colony 4’s preparing to attack,” said Chickadee, clearly unhappy with what the report contained. “They’re gathering near the Dies Arch, ready to march down the Tepnos Heights towards Iota.”

“Our captains have all called in, they’re getting the soldiers ready in a standard formation.” Alexandria scowled, not liking that they were nearly caught off-guard. “We got careless after taking out the Consul and the Flame Clock. As much as I hate to admit it, Nikol’s warning may be the only reason this won’t be an instant rout.”

“We need a plan, and quickly,” grumbled Taion, trying to consider all the available options. “Is it possible to evacuate the Colony?”

“Not really,” replied Alexandria. “At best, we’d only be able to get half of the soldiers out before they were on top of us. Furthermore, without any aerial transports here right now, the only place we could go is the Elaice Highway. They’d just follow us.”

“Commander Alexandria, a request if you would?” Shulk knew this would be a long shot. “If we destroy their Flame Clock just after the battle starts, the soldiers from Colony 4 should all faint; there’s a feedback loop that increases soldiers’ stamina in battle, cutting that off suddenly should knock them all out.”

“That would be helpful, though I imagine that they’d still want to kill us after they came to,” said Iota’s Commander. “Still, leaving them disabled would allow us to finish them off quickly.”

“Please avoid killing them,” interjected Shulk. “They are victims of this war just as much as you were.”

“Perhaps,” mused Alexandria. “But we need to place our survival as the top priority. A defensive formation would buy us more time to break the Clock, but we need to fight back.”

Riku grumbled, knowing he what he needed to add to the conversation. “Friends should be aware, Colony 4 Ferronis is equipped with long range artillery. Can expect attacks from afar. Colony Iota Ferronis also of no use this fight, loss of Flame Clock means Ferronis not move. Conversion to operation using ether cylinders not possible in time frame.”

“We can’t discount the enemy either,” added Taion. “Colony 4 was once Silver rank, one of the top-ranked Colonies from Keves. There are rumours they were lowered all the way down to Dirt recently, but that may only encourage them to regain their rank.”

Iota’s lieutenant nodded in agreement. “Considering how quickly they’ve rallied themselves? They’re eager to get back into the fight, ranks be damned.”

With a stamp of her foot and a salute, Ethel entered the command room of Colony 4.

“My Lord Consul. A moment of your time, please.”

Facing away from her, N rolled his eyes. Surely she had bigger priorities with the upcoming preparations… still, Silvercoat would not come in here without a purpose. “What is it, Commander?”

“If you’ll pardon the audacity, I have a request.”

N scoffed in disbelief. Now he had to hear it. “A request? What could you possibly require, Commander?”

“After this operation has been completed successfully, I would request a favour from yourself, my Lord Consul,” said Ethel, the line having clearly been rehearsed before bringing it forward.

Behind his mask, N raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “As I stated, Colony 4 will be elevated to Gold rank upon successful completion of this mission. What favour could you possibly desire?”

“If at all possible, I would like to once again duel Smouldering Cammuravi,” she answered with complete honesty and conviction. “Our previous encounter ended… in an unsatisfactory manner. I would desire to see our duel completed without either of Ferronises malfunctioning. It’s a matter of honour, sir. Regardless of your decision, this will not affect the upcoming operation.”

“Honour, you say…”

N considered the request carefully. So, that was why Silvercoat had spared Cammuravi – she had desired a fair fight, an honest battle. The supervising Consuls were too enraged to bother with finding out why, with Colony 4 being disgraced. N never really cared what happened to Delta in the aftermath… but maybe? It would make for some fine entertainment for the celebration that inevitably follows the defeat of another batch of Ouroboros.

“I will consider request, Commander. But please be aware that Agnus could easily deny any such duel or simply refuse to respond. We may also learn that Smouldering Cammuravi has already died in the time since your last encounter, rendering the request moot.”

“A possibility I have considered, sir,” replied Ethel, but her eyes were filled with determination. “But I am certain he is still alive, I just know it.”

“Very well. You are–“

“Before I leave, sir… I do have one condition for my request.”

N sighed in annoyance. “Out with it, Commander.”

“This request for me and me alone,” replied Ethel. “I will not deny those under my command the benefits of attaining Gold rank. If this cannot be the case, I will forgo the request.”

“Surprisingly reasonable, Commander,” said N with a smirk. “Your soldiers will be granted the reprieve of Gold rank, regardless of the outcome of this potential duel. Pending the success of this operation, of course.”

Silvercoat Ethel smiled brightly. “Thank you, sir!”

Collecting what data she could from the historical archives, Alexandria laid out their opponents capabilities on the table.

“The Commander of Colony 4 is known to have a smaller-scale combat Ferronis,” she explained, not looking forward to it. “So we can expect they’ll be using that to lead the charge into Colony Iota. We need to keep it occupied, because it’ll otherwise make quick work of our fortifications and levnises. Meanwhile, their primary Ferronis will be located at the end of the valley, likely just in front of the Dies Arch; they’ll be firing their artillery cannons from long range into the Colony.”

“We shouldn’t have anyone in the valley then,” commented Taion. “While we could use it to make a chokepoint, the Ferronis could simply strike the walls and drop rocks on us.”

“Hmm… there’s a concealed position on the south ridge in the middle of Three Heroes Peak. We’ll send a detachment there to provide cover fire from above,” added Alexandria. “At the very least, that will slow them down as they seek cover.”

“Another problem we ‘ave is the Consul,” interjected Rex. “N isn’t one t’ stay in the rear, he’ll be on the front lines, probably heading straight for us.”

“Yes, that’s not good,” said Shulk, frowning at their lack of options. “One of us has to break the Flame Clock, and between N and the Ferronis… neither of us will have the time to do so.”

“You did take out Consul E with ease earlier,” suggested Alexandria. “Why shouldn’t this one be any different?”

“N’s different, kiddo,” reprimanded Rex, somewhat harsher than he meant to be. “Me an’ Shulk fought ‘im before. And assumin’ things haven’t changed since, he’s Moebius’ top enforcer.”

“Don’t forget about me and Nikol!” shouted Glimmer. “We were there too… and I have to agree, N will be the single most dangerous thing out there. I’d rather take on the Ferronis.”

“Well, I c’n keep ‘im occupied… at least f’r a while,” grumbled Rex, not looking forward to the experience. “Give ‘im an enticin’ target, allowin’ the rest of yeh t’ focus on everything else.”

“That would put me on taking on the Flame Clock,” said Shulk, deducing what came next. He was actually grateful, and Rex must have been considering his situation. Still, that left a major threat on the field. “What do we do with the Commander’s Ferronis?”

An Interlink would be useful.

“Interlink?” asked Noah, not quite sure what Hand was suggesting.

Rex snapped his fingers. “Ah! That’d be useful!” He turned towards the six new Ouroboros. “Have you kids managed an Interlink yet?”

“What’s an Interlink?” asked Mio.

Noah, the giant form you and Mio took back in the Alfeto Valley.

That’s an Interlink.

“I guess that’s the ‘official’ designation of what we did back in the Alfeto Valley, Mio. According to Hand,” explained Noah. “If we could do that again…”

“Only the two of you?” inquired Shulk, surprised at this revelation. “It took six of us last time.”

“Hold your ponios!” interrupted Lanz. “The biggun, right? Are ya sayin’ we could all make a bigger one if we all got in on it?”

“Bigger is not necessarily better,” chastised Taion. “There’s six of us from the skirmish in Alfeto Valley, or three pairs. Three entities of comparable power is often more useful than putting everything into one basket, unless you specifically need that additional power at a singular point.”

Shulk shook his head. “We don’t have time to attempt that. One successful Interlink, even if only two people, should be enough to hold off the Ferronis. And that leaves me to find a route to the Flame Clock.”

“The path through Three Heroes Peak will take you to the top of the Dies Arch,” said Chickadee. “That should be as close as you can get to it while avoiding being seen.”

“That’ll be the way to go then,” said Shulk in agreement. “I’d better get going. The closer I am to Colony 4, the sooner we can put an end to this.”

“Riku will accompany friend Shulk on covert mission!”

“That’s interesting for you to say, Riku. Why?”

“Riku has tricks still in bag.”

“How fares the repairs, Nikol?” asked Silvercoat Ethel, an eagerness in her voice coming through. “The Consul is becoming rather… impatient.”

Nikol continued tightening the last couple of bolts on the panel he was working on. “Just a moment, I’ll need to check something with a diagnostic tool.” Reaching into his toolkit, he pulled out a device and checked to see if it responded. The light on top blinked steadily. Good, the remote was picking up the signal. He just had to remain close enough to the Ferronis so he could trigger it, within about three hundred metri would suffice; that would put him in the battle, but hopefully not too close to the front line. Putting the remote away, he turned towards Ethel. “We’re all ready to go, Commander!”

“Excellent.” Without another word, she began climbing up the Ferronis towards the pilot hatch. After pausing for a moment, she turned towards Nikol. “You said before that you could defend yourself, right?”

The mechanic nodded.

“Would you be able to join us on the front lines? The Consul ordered us to send as many soldiers as we could spare for the assault.”

He had to smile, this was exactly what he was looking for. “Yes, Commander.”

“Then join up with the units gathering near the Dies Arch. We’ll begin the operation shortly.”

A ping on Monica’s Iris drew her attention, and she answered the call promptly. “Talk to me.”

“It’s Gray.”

“Did you manage to warn them?”

“Didn’t have to. They’re already preparing for the attack.”

A stroke of luck, then. “That’s good. Anything else.”

“Man who looks like the Reid statue left camp, he’s making a run up the plateau to the south. I think he’s going for the Flame Clock.”

“Well, seems they have a plan then,” replied Monica. “Gray, would you be able to give him some cover? Without being seen?”

“Can try.”

“Thanks, I’d hate for this whole thing to go tits up and we didn’t at least do something.” She paused for a moment, carefully considering the option. “If you somehow get the chance to talk to him, do it. Give him a communicator with a direct line to me if you think he can be trusted. Trust your judgment on that one. Otherwise, stay safe.”

“Understood.”

Joining the ranks of soldiers gathered on Colony Iota’s parade grounds, Taion surveyed the hastily gathered defenses. Most of the soldiers were out of line of sight from the Tepnos Heights valley, making them near-impossible to see for any incoming artillery fire. The auto-levs were positioned just behind the now locked east gate, forming a blockade to stop any ground troops which made it through that; they would also function as a bulwark against the incoming artillery fire.

“Remarkable, I didn’t expect such an effective defense to be assembled so rapidly,” he commented, genuinely impressed.

“We’ve studied the terrain to determine how to best defend ourselves from attacks coming from various directions,” answered the Craftmaiden. “We can’t afford to be careless with that, and we have a ‘surprise’ for when the soldiers come down the valley – we’ve set explosive charges in the cliff faces. We’ll bury them as they pass through.”

“We’re trying to minimize casualties, Alex!” snapped Rex. “For them just as much as us! Don’t kill them if you can avoid it!”

She frowned at the admonishment. He was right, they no longer needed to kill the enemy just for the sake of it… but perhaps the charges could still prove useful. Activating her cube interface, she tapped one node, setting all of them off immediately and sending tons of debris and rubble to the valley floor.

“Those piles of rock should slow down their infantry,” she explained. “That will buy us some time.” She tapped her Iris, her expression turning grim. “We’ve got confirmation, the Commander’s Ferronis is approaching Dies Arch. Everyone, prepare for combat!”

“I don’t like this!” muttered Lanz, receiving the message as he and the others stood in the front line of Iota’s soldiers. “We shouldn’t be fighting our mates!”

“None of us do!” shouted Eunie, drawing her weapon. “But we’ll have t’ hold ‘em off until that long-haired mudder can break their Flame Clock!”

“C’mon guys! We got this!” cheered Sena, doing her best to keep up morale. “We’ve done it once, we can do it again!”

Noah and Mio didn’t bother with words, only exchanging a glance before nodding at each other. They’d see the day through, no matter what got thrown at them.

Silvercoat Ethel watched the rocks fall and form debris piles all along the narrow valley. “That’s odd. Why would they detonate explosives in the cliff face before we were in range?” she asked to no one in particular, trying to make sense what appeared to be a tactical blunder. No matter how she approached it, delaying the detonation until she and her soldiers were in range would have been a better decision. “It’ll still slow us down… what would they need more time for? Are they trying to evacuate?”

All the reason more to begin the assault.

Her personal Ferronis in position, she raised her right-hand weapon before her in a salute and stamped her foot. The steel giant mimicked her motions, stomping the ground and getting the attention of all of Colony 4’s soldiers. They all saluted in synchronous harmony.

Walking leisurely to the front of the crowd, Consul N rested one hand on the pommel of his weapon. Standing front and center, he turned to give them all their instructions.

“Our target is Ouroboros, enemies of Keves and the world itself. They have taken over Colony Iota at the end of this canyon–“ He paused as the soldiers muttered between themselves, all of them being fully aware of Iota’s reputation. “–and we can assume that any survivors from the Colony have joined them. We are to attack the Colony and exterminate every person we find, by any means necessary. Use of heavy ordinance against infantry is authorized.”

“Question, sir!” shouted one of the soldiers from within the ranks. N looked towards him, giving him a curt nod and the permission to speak. “There are rumours that certain members of Ouroboros were Kevesi soldiers. What are our orders regarding them?”

“There is no difference,” replied N. “They are traitors to the crown, and must be eliminated. As such, the orders for anyone not belonging to Colony 4 at this moment are to be killed on sight.”

There were more murmurs from the crowd, but mixed with anger as soldiers voiced their discontent that anyone would dare betray Her Majesty.

“I shall be joining the assault,” announced N, keeping a straight face as a few gasps came from the ranks. “And I will be focusing on high-priority targets. I shall also deal with any insubordination or cowardice quickly and decisively.”

Colony 4’s soldiers went silent, standing still as an ancient husk.

“Commander! Give the order!”

“Yes, my Lord Consul!” answered Silvercoat Ethel over her external speakers. “Colony 4, forward march! For Her Majesty, Queen Melia!”

Peering down the scope of her rifle from the southern plateau, Captain Sequoia saw the last and most definite sign the assault had begun. Tapping her temple, she reached out to her Commander.

“Dame Alex, Colony 4 is on the move. Ferronis and the Golden Consul taking point.”

“Thank you, Sequoia,” came the reply. “Suppressing fire once the Ferronis reaches the first choke point, keep an eye out for counterattacks.”

“Roger that.”

Motioning for her fellow soldiers to take their positions, Sequoia steadied her aim.

Just a few moments longer…

The sudden hail of bullets and ether blasts from the cliff above had caught the Colony 4 soldiers off-guard, forcing them to hide behind the cover created by the rubble piles. It was slowing them down more than the terrain and choke points that was already impeded their progress.

A combination that vexed N greatly, with the added annoyance of having to deflect the periodic bullet heading his way. He observed the Ferronis accompanying them merely weathered the attacks, still walking forward towards Iota.

He needed more forces inside Iota, if only to keep Ouroboros occupied long enough for him to strike them down. “Commander, hold your advance. Create a barrier to absorb the incoming fire, protect your soldiers while they advance.”

“At once, sir!” shouted Ethel over the speakers, positing her Ferronis and creating the shield necessary. “Bolearis! Lead them through!”

“A’right! You all heard the Commander!” yelled the lieutenant. “Move it! C’mon, move yer arse!”

With a nod of appreciation, Ethel cut her external speakers before activating another communication channel.

“Artillery team, we have a group of Agnian soldiers hiding behind the first rise of Three Heroes Peak. Flush them out with mortars. Fire at will.”

Looking through the smoke and debris, Noah spotted the enemy Ferronis. It was presently occupied with defending the soldiers’ advance from the barrage of attacks coming from above… but something didn’t feel right. Then he spotted the giant’s weapons – twin swords, the right longer than the left.

“Sparks and embers!” he cursed. “That’s Ethel’s Ferronis!”

“Ooooh… you have t’ be sparkin’ shitting with me!” squawked Eunie. “Of all the people they coulda sent after us, it just ‘ad t’ be her!”

“Do you mean… ‘Silvercoat Ethel’?” asked Mio, recognizing the name. “That’s not good. Even we’ve ‘eard of ‘er in Agnus, one of Keves’ top-ranked commanders.”

“Bah! Snuff this and a bag o’ shit!” snarled Lanz as he readied his weapon. “Are those mudders seriously sending all of our friends after us?!!”

Taion raised an eyebrow at the remark. “Do you all happen to know her?”

“She saved us years ago, back at Colony 14!” shouted Eunie. “It doesn’t feel right, goin’ up against ‘er!”

“Noah? Could you try speaking with her?” suggested the tactician. “Maybe she could be made to see reason. Or failing that, it should buy us some more time.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

The first sounds of battle already happening, Shulk ran as fast as his legs would carry him. There was no more time for second thoughts or alternatives, only the mad dash for the Flame Clock. He still had to pass the next rise before he could see his target, and Riku ran only a couple of metri in front of him.

Just keep moving.

He’ll make it. He has to make it.

Without any warning, time appeared to… slow down, everything playing out in front of him in slow motion. The sensation was old, familiar. Something he thought he’d never feel again. He glanced all around him, looking for what could have–

A large mass of explosive ether arced overhead, landing right on top of him and Riku. Just as quickly as it had began, the sensation was over and he had to act immediately. There was no time to explain. Taking a bounding stride forward, he gave the nopon in front of him a mighty kick forward.

“Meh-meh-meh!” howled Riku during his involvuntary flight.

Without wasting a moment, Shulk pivoted and ran to his left, quickly diving to make as much distance as possible.

“Why friend punt Riku!” yelled the noponic engineer. “This is hardly time for–“ The violent explosion where he stood only moments ago silenced his complain. “… Riku understand.”

Shulk paid him no heed, picking himself back up and yelling towards the team of Iota soldiers atop the cliff face. “Take cover! We have incoming mortar fire!”

The soldiers paused for a moment, looking skyward to see another mass of ether coming their way. Without hesitation, they all ran towards the face of the eastern rise as they determined it would be the most covered position.

The two soldiers furthest west got caught in the blast, their bodies sent flying to the ground. Within moments, red motes started to rise from their husks.

“Damn it!” shouted Shulk, striking the ground with his fist. “I get back my visions, only for this to happen!”

“Friend Shulk need to keep moving forward!” shouted Riku. “Or else more friends will die! Now not time to dwell on misfortunes!”

Getting back up, Shulk agreed. There wasn’t any time to waste. Looking back over to the surviving soldiers, they gaze upon their comrades with sadness and determination. It doesn’t take them long to regroup and return to firing down into the valley, with one standing back to watch the skies above for any more mortars.

Shulk would have to do the same.

Just. Keep. Moving.

Feeling refreshed, Shania Reid returned to the City library with an uncharacteristically jovial smile. She was feeling better than she had in months! She wasn’t sure if it was the good night’s sleep, the fact she hadn’t been berated or admonished by her mother over some small mistake, or just because she found the medical field so interesting. Maybe it was a combination of the three.

Doing her best to not hop and skip her way through the shelves, she hastily made her way towards the Librarian’s desk. “I’m back Miz–“

“Not right now.”

Shania stammered at the severity of the response. “Oh… sorry t’ disturb you Miz…”

“I’m sorry, Miss Reid.” The Librarian was more apologetic this time, but her eyes remained glued to her screen. “Something very urgent came up just after you left, and I need my full attention on it for the next while.” Still not looking away from the screen, she grabbed a small piece of paper off the desk and held it out towards the girl. “Here’s the list of books I was planning to get for you. Feel free to pick them out yourself, and I’ll come see you once I’m done here.”

Shania took the slip gingerly. “… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Quietly, she walked away to avoid disturbing the Librarian further. That wasn’t like her at all, especially recently. She sounded… angry. No, that wasn’t quite right. She was worried. That unsettled Shania more than she thought it should, but it seems the right thing to do was leave her alone.

… and maybe discreetly checking in on her later? Gray had taught her a few tricks, perhaps she could be there if she needed to be? After all, the Librarian had been there for her.

Between the piles of rubble and endless hail of projectiles from above, the advance through the Tepnos Heights progresses slowly but surely. Ethel’s decision to use mortar fire on the cliffs above has helped the soldiers move forward, a decision N views as beneficial; she was currently moving her Ferronis forward, step-by-step, while providing cover for her troops.

But this damned gate was an obstacle which vexed him greatly. Knowing who was on the other side, he couldn’t waste his own strength destroying it.

“Commander. Shatter this impertinent obstacle.”

“Yes, sir!” shouted Ethel, her speakers loud enough for all to hear. “Everyone, take cover until the barrier is back up!” Colony 4’s soldiers all swiftly obeyed, hiding behind the nearest pile of rubble while their leader dropped the barrier. A pair of bounding strides later, the Ferronis’ blade shattered the gate blocking the way into Colony Iota.

Leaping back to her previous position, Ethel re-activated the barrier. “Everyone! Push through and engage the enemy!”

“Aye-aye, Commander!” shouted Bolearis. Pointing his Blade forward, he led the charge to a chorus of battle-cries.

Nikol had kept himself clear of the Colonies leaders, and joined the rushing mass of humanity through the gate. Passing the threshold, he veered hard right and found a spot just behind one of the gate’s doors that had been shorn off. While his allies wouldn’t attack him, he had no guarantee anyone from Iota would stop long enough to hear him out. Staying on the Kevesi side of the battle was his best bet for now.

He could watch the fighting from here, ready to act when necessary.

Seeing the second of Iota’s armoured gates shatter into pieces in as many days, Commander Alexandria knew the battle would now begin in earnest. “Tetsudo units, advance! Shields up, sweep ether beams at their feet! Push them back!”

Obediently, the auto-levs all moved forward and formed as solid line of shields and attacks at the enemy’s feet. As expected, the Kevesi soldiers hesitated and spread out; their defenders pushing to the front with their shield-blades to guard their allies from the attack.

Her captains barked orders to the soldiers, the front line of defenders raising their shields. They were ready, but the Craftmaiden knew this battle would be far more difficult than the last.

One of the Tetsudo units suddenly exploded, what was left of it falling to the ground in a pile of scrap metal. Spark! “Close ranks! Don’t let the enemy through!” The remaining levnises shifted their positions to reform a solid line, but one very fast soldier had made it through.

A ‘soldier’ wearing golden armour.

“There’s the bastard...” growled Rex. He drew both his weapons and ran forward to meet the Consul. “Alex! Keep everyone clear! I’ll handle ‘im!”

Sending out his Mondo for form a defensive shield in front of Iota’s soldiers, Taion scanned the battlefield for any weakness in their line and openings on the Kevesi side. The wall of Tetsudo units was holding, but there were more and more Kevesi coming out of the valley. Their line was growing ever wider, and would soon extend past the levnises; the tactician focused his barriers on the wings of Iota’s formation to compensate. Still, the loss of that one unit opened up some gaps in the shielding; they could conceivable sneak some shots between–

A sudden volley of bullets and ether blasts hammered the levnises shields. They were aiming for the gaps!

One unfortunate soldier on the front line was caught unaware, a single bullet catching him in the head. He collapsed to the ground, his skin rapidly darkening to that of a husk as the motes rose. Taion cursed to himself for failing to see that until it was too late, and adding more Mondo to the forward barrier. Another volley was fired through the gaps, striking his barrier and leaving the soldiers unharmed.

“No one let your guard down!” he shouted to the soldiers. “Even if we’re trying to avoid causing more casualties, our first priority is to survive! If you must fight, then fight!”

There was a murmur of agreement among the crowd, and with a shout from Captains Rhyza and Fili, the melee units all advanced on the wings of the levnis line to meet their opponents.

“Dame Alex!” yelled Sequoia over her Iris. “We can’t maintain this position on the cliff face for much longer! They’ve been hammering us with mortars and we’re running out of places to hide!”

“Is our man through to Colony 4 yet?”

“He ran past us earlier! We can’t see him from where we are!”

“Update on the Colony 4 forces: how many are left to come through the gate?”

She glanced over the cliff edge to see, there was maybe one or two squadrons left in the valley. “Not many, they’ll be through in a couple minutes at most. That Ferronis will probably just start ignoring us afterwards.”

“Tail our man into Colony 4 then, provide cover fire against whatever token force they’ve left behind.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

They’ve finally pulled back, thought Ethel to herself. Turning her attention the battlefield, she quickly decided on her next move: the line of levnises in the enemy’s center, clearly blocking the way to the soldiers who focused on ranged attacks and support.

“All units, pull back from the enemy levnises!”

Bounding forward, she leapt and struck down the nearest one with a single motion. The others would soon follow.

“She’s moving onto the levnises!” declared Noah, Mio running to his side.

Get ready. Activate the Interlink!

Their emotions in sync, Noah and Mio stared down the Ferronis and felt the waves of emotions and memories once again as they merged into the form that they knew as ‘Ouroboros’. Noah firmly in control, he pulls one of the blades off his back and charges forward. With a sweeping motion, he brings up the weapon to collide with the steel giant’s twin swords. Blades locked, he yelled in desperation.

“Ethel! Stop this!”

“What?” bawked Silvercoat, taken aback. “That voice?” She raised her right-hand blade forward, pointing it accusingly. “Who are you?!!”

“It’s me, Ethel! Noah, from Colony 9! You saved us back at Colony 14!”

“Noah?!” she gasps. Seemingly taking a moment to process what was happening in front of her, she quickly falls into a combat-ready stance. “What have they done to you?! Does Ouroboros turn everyone into these monsters?!”

Without warning, she lashes out, Noah barely managing to get his blade into position to block the strike. “Ethel, please! This isn’t what it looks like!”

“To think Ouroboros would claim my friend! Speak using his voice!” Her tone was spiteful, offended. “Be gone, you fiend!”

“Ethel, no! I’m Noah! Stop fighting!” he begged.

“She’s not listening Noah!” shouted Mio. “We’ll have to fight her!”

“No! I can get through to her!”

“Noah, you can’t help her if you’re not alive to do so!”

“Stay focused! We have to hold her off!”

“And who are these other voices, then?” scoffed Ethel. “But in the end, it doesn’t matter. If you are who you claim to be, then I shall grant you the Queen’s Mercy.” She struck her swords together and flourished them dramatically.

“Come, Noah! Fight with valour and die with honour!”

Running past the last rise, Shulk could finally see the Colony 4 Ferronis. As expected, it was positioned just before the Dies Arch. The head was close enough to it that he could easily leap from there and break the Flame Clock!

Another vision flooded his senses, a volley for bullets flying towards him! He weaved his way between them after the sensation faded, quickly closing the distance between him and the small group of soldiers left behind. With a few quick strikes to their calves and forearms, all fell to the ground in pain.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly before moving on.

Gray paused for a moment, taking his aim off the wounded Kevesi soldier. “Odd.”

A group of Agnians rounded the corner, rifles drawn and trained on the soldiers. It must have been the unit firing down into the valley from earlier. Gray quickly fired a shot at their feet, forcing them to stop in their tracks.

Emerging from the shadows, he threw bundles of rope towards the Agnians. “Tie them up.”

Their leader, a red-eyed woman raised her weapon at him. “Who are you?”

“A friend.”

“Why should we listen to you?” she asked, unconvinced.

“He’s trying to save them,” answered Gray, pointing towards the Kevesi on the ground. “Tie them up and they can’t do anything. Pick them up after the battle’s over.”

“Our orders are to provide cover for him.”

Gray drew his pistols. “Leave that to me.”

The enemy’s soldiers finally in sight, Lieutenant Bolearis charged with his shield-blade raised in front of him. Just like basic training, he’d use that first moment to push the enemy back before he’d follow up with heavy-handed strikes.

He was surprised to see his weapon make contact with another Kevesi shield-blade, one wielded expertly and with a significant amount of heft behind it. Before he knew it, he was the one being forced to take a step back.

“Fancy meetin’ you here, Bolearis!”

“Lanz! What the spark are you doing ‘ere?!” shouted Colony 4’s lieutenant as he regained his footing and pushed back. “I haven’t seen you since basic!”

“Can’t say I had much choice in the matter!” said Lanz, as he pushed his Blade up and away to send his opponent backwards. “Caught up in the mess that was Alfeto Valley, attacked by giant monsters and Consuls alike! Now I’m fightin’ against friends and comrades, just trying t’ save my own skin!”

“Gotta give ya that one,” agreed Bolearis. “Our orders are t’ wipe out everyone here. If ya surrender peacefully, than maybe we can work somethin’ out. Would ya be a pal, f’r ol’ times sake!”

“The entire war is a lie, you sparking spoon!” yelled Lanz, ramming the blunt side of this Blade forward. “Alfeto Valley was a damned suicide mission! They’ll probably take you guys out too after this one is over!”

“They promised us Gold, mate!”

“And you snuffing believed them?!”

Another loud crash, and Bolearis was sent flying towards the back of the Kevesi ranks. “We can’t reason with them, Lanz! Not yet!” shouted Sena. “We won’t be able to convince them of anything until the battle is over!”

Lanz shook his head, getting himself back into the fight. “Right. Got it. Thanks.”

 “Your skills have hardly diminished,” muttered N, blocking another pair of strikes from the larger man. “But your mind is not as focused. You are distracted.”

“An’ I’m not lettin’ ya screw up anyone else’s damned life again!” snapped Rex, relentlessly striking at the gold-armoured Moebius.

N remained unfazed. “No matter. Sooner or later, you shall fall to the will of the Endless Now.”

“BEEEEEEEP!”

Bellowing as he joined the fray, Captain Rhyza swung rapidly at N as he took a few steps back while parrying the strikes. Stepping back beside Rex, the captain smirked at his ally. “Two is better than one.”

“What the hell are you doing here, you idiot!” snapped Rex. “Stay the hell back!”

“We fight together! He falls!” shouted Rhyza, charging back in. “Beep-beep-be – ARRGH!”

The captain’s right arm flew through the aim, landing on the ground a short distance away and turning to the stony colour of a husk. He collapsed to his knees, Blades having vanished into the ether and grasping at the short stump that remained attached to his shoulder.

“Damn it all!” yelled Rex, charging back in to block what would have been a killing blow from N. “Stay back! MEDIC!”

“Sparking idiot!” screeched Eunie, having seen Iota’s captain foolishly charge in. “That Consul’s not a snuffin’ joke!”

Having seen the results and hearing the salvager’s call, she bolted towards Rhyza, ripping off her coat along the way. “Sit still! We need t’ bandage that now!” Using her clothing, she quickly wrapped up what was left of his arm and tied it tight. “Hold that there and keep applyin’ pressure, or else yer gonna bleed out!”

The captain reluctantly obeyed, holding down the makeshift bandage while the Kevesi medic starting applying what healing she could to close the wound and stabilize him.

The fight against Ethel was not going well, the never-ending flurry of strikes from the twin swords keeping Noah and Mio on the defensive. They barely had time to block, let alone think of any potential counter-measures. Both knew they were skilled combatants… but Silvercoat Ethel was a master, a living legend. They couldn’t keep up with her

They both howled in pain as Ethel’s blade struck true, severing their right forearm.

“Focus! You can grow it back!”

“Right,” spoke both Noah and Mio in unison. After some concentration, leaping away to avoid further strikes, it had regrown as Hand said. Sword in hand, they resumed a defensive posture.

“Hmm. So this creature can regenerate,” pondered Ethel. “But how long can you keep it up? How quickly can you regrow them?”

She renewed her assault, another flurry of blows at her opponent. More blocks and parries, but soon it fell as the Ferronis’ sword cut through the left thigh. Noah and Mio quickly regrew it, but their combined form was starting to glow red and the heat of their body grew.

“Oh. Shit.”

“What’s the matter now?!” asked Noah, still blocking Ethel’s attacks.

“You’re overheating.”

“You can’t maintain the Interlink for much longer.”

“Let’s just hope the alarm–“

A frantic beeping began to be emitted from their combined form, growing ever more urgent with each passing second.

“Damn it! We’re out of time!”

“Mio! Noah! I’m cancelling the Interlink!”

“We can keep fighting!” yelled Mio. “We need just a bit more time! Why would you stop it now?!”

“There’s no time to explain!”

Without another word, the Interlink was ended. Noah and Mio returned to their own bodies, both staring up at the indomitable Ferronis before them defiantly.

“A shame,” lamented Ethel. “So you really were in there, Noah. You fought well, though I would have preferred to finish our battle with you in that form. There is no dignity in ending it like this.” She raised her sword, poised to strike.

“However, I cannot afford to make the same mistake twice.”

“Spark!” cursed Nikol, the Ouroboros facing down Ethel was forced to cancel their Interlink. On foot, they didn’t stand a chance!

Scrambling through his pockets for the remote, he pushed the button rapidly. Several small lights lit up on the Ferronis’ chassis, triggering the explosive-primed actuators which quickly ejected themselves from their slots. Power was severed, proven by the steel giant slumping forward and all of the lights on it being extinguished.

“At least something went according to plan.”

“Rhyza!” screamed Chelle, seeing her partner fall wounded. She could see the medic rushing to his side, and the large man who had slain the Consul re-engage with the one who had hurt her big lug.

But she didn’t care. The Golden Consul had hurt him.

“You monster!” she yelled, hurling one orb of ether after another at her target. “You hurt him! You hurt him!”

“Not again!” shouted Rex, being forced to step back as one of the captain’s attack nearly hit him in the head. “Get back, Chelle! He’ll kill you!”

“I don’t care! He hurt Rhyza!” she screamed, continuing her march towards the

“Amusing,” chuckled N, turning towards the woman. “Another lamb to the slaughter.”

He dashed forward, his sword slicing horizontally and cleanly through her thighs above the knee. She let out another scream, one of complete agony, as her upper body fell to the ground. Blood gushed from her wounds, quickly pooling on the ground where she once stood.

“I’ll kill you!” she cursed at the Consul. “I’ll kill you!”

N sneered at her, slowly walking up and lining up his sword with her neck. “I think not.”

“No you don’t!” shouted Rex, slamming his fist into the Consul’s face. “I’m not done with you yet, bastard!”

His head send recoiling back, Noah was stunned. Shaking his head, he gets himself together. “What in flames was that?!”

“You okay there, Noah?” asked a concerned Mio.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay… that was weird.”

Both Off-Seers look towards the fallen Ferronis, surprised at their good fortune that it happened to break down when it did. Seeing some movement, both drew their weapons and readied themselves as Silvercoat Ethel exited the pilot’s hatch.

“That defies all explanation,” she muttered, before hopping down to face the two before her. “Perhaps it is fitting that I should face you in hand-to-hand combat. At least you may die with some dignity.”

“Ethel, please! We don’t need to fight!”

“I’m sorry, Noah. But our orders are clear – destroy Ouroboros,”she replied, an air of sadness to her voice. “As I said before, for your past service to our Queen, I shall grant you Her Mercy.”

“Chelle, no!” yelled Rhyza, trying to rise to his feet. “I must help her!”

“No, you don’t!” reprimanded Eunie. “You’re injured and staying right here! Bloody sparks and embers, what the snuff is up with you two?! Why’d you rush down a Consul like that! Do ya got a sparking death wish or somethin’?!”

“You’re a medic!” snapped Rhyza, wheeling on the one attending him. “Forget me! Help her instead!”

“I might hav’ to!” shouted the Kevesi medic. “That Glimmer-gal’s comin’ for ‘er! I’ll hop over if she needs any help, you just keep on holdin’ that bandage right there!”

Reaching the fallen captain, Glimmer grimaced. This was bad.

“Leave me! Help Rhyza! Kill that bastard!” Chelle was barely coherent at this point, her priorities skewed to the point she no longer cared for herself. Given the amount of blood she was losing, bright red blood spraying out from the arteries, Glimmer knew she didn’t have a second to waste.

She drew her weapon, positioning the flames of the head downward at where the captain’s legs were severed. Looking Chelle in the eye, she spoke firmly.

“This is going to hurt. A lot.”

Glimmer didn’t even wait for Chelle to acknowledge her, and rapidly intensified the flames on her weapon. Her patient screamed louder than any of the sounds of battle, the sound causing a few nearby to panic. She tried her best to ignore it; there just wasn’t time to think otherwise. Cauterize the wound, stop the bleeding. It was only a few seconds to close the wounds on each leg, but it felt like hours.

Mercifully, Chelle passed out from the pain. Still, Glimmer had work to do. Pulling off her sleeves, she quickly wrapped one each around the woman’s legs and tightened them as an impromptu tourniquet. Hopefully that would be enough to stop her bleeding out in the next few moments.

Taking a deep breath, Glimmer began healing the captain with ether, trying to close the wounds and restore some of her lost vitality. She’d need proper care soon, but at least she could help her make it off this battlefield.

Well, if her father could put a stop to the gold-armoured asshole.

She stopped herself, not allowing herself to entertain the possibility. If the battle ended poorly, it didn’t matter what she did. She had to focus on saving who she could right now.

Even with the fight being two against one, Noah and Mio struggled to keep up with Ethel’s immaculate defense and precise strikes.

“Ah-ha!” cheered Ethel, entirely within her element. “You two fight well! Perhaps I should face my foes outside my Ferronis more often!”

Noah didn’t answer her, staying focused on evading her strikes… wait! From the left! He raised his Blade to block her strike, deftly pushing it aside.

Mio!

He glanced over towards the Agnian Off-Seer, a solid kick to her stomach sending her tumbling and rolling away. “No! Mio!” He barely had time to blink when another strike came at him from the right.

“Eyes forward, Noah!” chastised Ethel. “I don’t know why you’re associating with Agnians, but watching your allies instead of your opponent will only get you killed!”

“Ethel, you don’t understand!”

Colony 4’s Commander lashed out with her Blades yet again, forcing him to pay attention.

“Eyes! Forward!”

Mio hacked and coughed, Ethel’s kick having knocked the wind out of her. Dazed, she struggled to her feet, preparing to run back and help Noah.

A glint of gold catches the corner of her eye, and she looks to see Rex furiously fighting against the Golden Consul. His long black hair flowing as he moved about the battlefield, every movements swift and subtle.

She had seen him before. She knew it.

But where?

 “Yer a right arsehole, you know that?” growled Rex, pushing back against N. He was barely able to keep his anger in check at this point, doing his best to not get too reckless and leave himself open. The Moebius blocked each strike effortlessly, but the salvager could see him slowing down ever so slightly.

“And you remain distracted,” taunted N, staying calm and calculating. “Something appears to be vexing you. Care to indulge me?”

Rex swung both his swords out in a sweeping motion, pushing the Moebius back. “If ya have t’ ask, I recently learned ya killed my grandson!”

N burst out laughing. “I am certain that I’ve slain many such ‘grandchildren’ over these past centuries!” He pointed his blade towards the salvager, speaking with utter contempt. “Why should yours be any different?”

Rex smirked, he had an opening. “Well, I think you’d remember him!”

“Really, now? Prove it.”

“His name was Ghondor.”

N’s blood ran cold, completely speechless. His hands began shaking, the black blade in his hands starting to move wildly as he pointed it towards his opponent.

“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK HIS NAME?!!”

“At least we’re on even ground, yeah?” joked Rex. “Show me what ya got!”

“You die!”

The attacks were relentless, but reckless and predictable. Rex could still parry and evade them, but now N was overextending himself. Blade in both hands, N delivered a mighty strike which Rex easily blocked despite it sending him flying backwards.

He then spotted someone behind N… someone who really shouldn’t be as close as she was to this fight.

“Mio! Get out of here!”

“What?!!” snarled N, maddened into a frothing rage. He spun around to see the Off-Seer staring at him, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. “What is this?!”

Reflexively, Mio entered a defensive stance as she stared down the Golden Consul.

“Oh, fuck!” shouted Chickadee, breaking into a dead run towards Mio.

Alexandria looked at her lieutenant before running after her. “Chickadee! Where are you going?! Stay away from them!”

Chickadee didn’t listen, and only kept running. As she came close, she leapt in front of the Off-Seer.

“You are not her…” muttered N, his body shaking in anger. “You cannot be her.”

“What the spark are you goin’ on about?!” she shouted towards him.

The very sound of her voice coming from this abomination offended him.

He leapt forward with a downward strike, screaming the whole way.

“YOU ARE NOT HER!”

“We must make haste, little lady,” said Dromarch. “And I must insist that we not wait for him! He is a danger to us!”

“He’ll listen to me!” begged M. “Noah may have done wrong, but he’ll help us if I ask!”

“We cannot be certain of that, little lady!”

“You’re wrong! He’s still a good person! If we could only – GYAAAH!”

M clutched her chest and stomach, a sudden sharp pain running all the way from her right hip to left side of her neck. She fell to her knees and looked down, her hands were covered in blood. A red stain was growing under the fabric of her armour, blood starting to ooze through and falling to the floor.

“Little lady!”

“No… not like this! Not.. like… this…”

M’s world went dark.

Mio screamed in agony, the Consul’s blade slicing her open from hip to shoulder. She barely had a chance to see, but a small soldier had tried to block the Consul’s strike by leaping between them. Maybe it had done something, but it sure as spark didn’t feel like it.

Falling back, she tried to look at the poor soul who tried to save her. “You tried… but I’m sorry. It… might not be enough.”

She looked back towards Noah, still locked in combat with Commander Ethel.

“I’m sorry… I wish I could have stayed longer…”

Rex froze in horror.

Mio was down on the ground, wounded. Badly.

“No… not her…”

Alexandria stared at the pieces of the fallen soldier who had leapt between Mio and the Golden Consul, her heart sinking into her stomach.

“… Chickadee?”

Chapter Text

Time slowed for Sena as she saw her closest friend, the one person she looked up to, fall back from the Golden Consul’s strike. The Off-Seer’s blood coated his black blade, his face affixed with a depraved and insane smile.

“Mimi!” she screamed, breaking into a sprint toward her.

“That mudder!” Lanz was right right beside her, shield-blade at the ready. “He’s gonna pay for that!”

The world slipped away for both of them, with waves of emotions and memories from the other flooding their perception.

“Miyabiiiiii!” Mio screamed in one of them, reaching out to the hatch of an escape pod. Lanz could see a the face of a girl, smiling serenely before it was engulfed by flames.

“Joran! Joraaaaan!”  Sena saw a smiling young boy, moments before a mountain of steel panels and beams fell upon him, the voice of a younger Lanz echoing in her ears.

The Agnian fighter cast out those memories, refocusing on the golden bastard who would dare hurt Mimi. Her perspective was higher off the ground than she was used to, as if she was riding a levnis, and a clawed arm reaching out in front of her. Instinctively, she knew how to call forth a massive hammer; taller than she was even now, a fiery orb set in its head.

“Sena! Let’s paste this mudder!” shouted Lanz, every word as clear as day in the sea of other thoughts and memories.

“Right!” she answered him, both her hands gripping the shaft of her weapon and her feet pounding beneath her.

“This is for Mimi, you bastard!”

Chickadee, or at least what was left of her, lay strewn upon the ground. She had leapt between the enemy Consul as he lunged at one of the Off-Seers from the band of Ouroboros that had come to Colony Iota. It had been for naught as well, as the one she sought to protect laid on the ground, blood pooling around her.

Alexandria gazed at the pieces of her lieutenant, her dear friend upon the ground. “Chickadee? No…” She turned towards the one responsible, the one who had done this.

The Golden Consul.

As she watched him laugh maniacally, a terrible feeling welled up within her. All of her emotions, only moments ago running rampant, went cold all at once. Her mind seemed to pull in everything it could, vast quantities of data seemingly from thin air.

Alexandria let go of her sword, but it remained floating mid-air at her side. Emerald cubes manifested themselves above her right hand, showing her controls she didn’t know she had. Instinctively, she knew they were always there. She just never needed them until now.

Raising her left hand towards the Consul, the faintest of whispers escaped her lips.

“Acquiring target...”

N leaned back, laughing towards the sky in triumph.

“Is that all you have, avatar?!” he mocked to one unseen but ever-watching. “You sought to unnerve me with your false imitation? You have failed!”

He suddenly froze, all colour seeming to drain away from the world as time stood still. Thick mist clouded his vision, the world around him lost in the fog.

Do you wish to change it? The future?

N recognized the voice, one which made his blood freeze. “Alpha? This cannot be!”

It is every man’s desire to change the future. Is that not so?

Even if everything has been pre-destined, will you not oppose it?

“I am a servant of the Endless Now…” muttered N. “I have all my heart desires! She is here and she is safe!”

Are you certain?

Reaching for his blade, he scoured the mists for his target. “I will not let you take her from me!”

I do not have to.

Growling with rage, N yelled at his absent foe. “Stop speaking in riddles, you wretch!”

As you wish.

Let us see that will to survive.

The mists parted, and he found himself once again in the middle of the battle. Very well, onto his next target. Before he could react, a steel cable with a three-pronged hook struck the side of his neck and quickly coiled around twice. Without warning, it was pulled taut and N found himself flying towards his attacker.

There was no more humour in Rex’ eyes. There was only a dark fury, an unspeakable wroth that promised retribution. He spoke slowly and calmly, with lethal intent.

“Get back here, you bastard.”

Noah found himself flying forward, pulled sharply but some invisible rope that had wrapped itself around his neck. He crashed into the ground shortly thereafter, quickly scrambling to his hands and knees, while still feeling a tug at the back of his neck.

“What in flames was that?!” he shouted, completely baffled.

Very strange.

What could have possibly done that?

Staring at her opponent, Ethel tried to make sense of what she saw. The way Noah moved was… not natural. It was as if some outside force had acted upon him. No one was that good at imitating such motions.

Flying through the air towards the salvager, N was too disoriented to defend himself. All he could see was Rex’s fist moving towards him, as unstoppable as a Ferronis with its engine at full throttle.

All his mind could process was the dreadful certainty that this was going to be very unpleasant.

Noah had barely risen to his feet when it felt like a Ferronis had struck him in the face, sending him flying backwards and to the ground in a daze. “I’m sorry for playing with Daddy’s buttons, Mummy. I promise I won’t do it again…” he muttered, not entirely aware of what he was saying.

Okay, something’s going on here.

It’s almost like… oh. That’d do it.

But why would he?

… oh no.

“Hand?” said Noah, having finally regained his senses. “What’s going on?”

There was no answer.

“Hand?”

Noah, have you ever heard of ‘quantum entanglement’?

“Little lady!” cried Dromarch, seeing the young woman before him collapse and the blood beginning to ooze through the fabric.

Without hesitation, he began applying his ether abilities to try and heal her… but with this amount of blood, the wound must be serious. He dared not remove her clothing, fearing that it may be the only thing preventing the found from opening even further.

“Please, little lady! Hold on!” he begged, desperate to not lose her. He couldn’t fail her at this juncture, not now.

… if only his Lady were here.

As much as he hated to admit it, she may be the only one who could help her now.

“CONDUIT-FUCKING-DAMMIT!”

Shania gasped at the sudden outburst, seemingly coming from the Librarian herself. In all her years visiting the City library, she had never heard the Librarian so much as raise her voice, never mind scream and curse.

Putting the book down, she put her talents in stealth and espionage to work, and slowly crept through the shelves until she could spot the Librarian. She was pacing around angrily, talking to herself as if trying to rationalize something.

“Damn it all! That dumbass just had to draw the asshole’s attention to her, and now she’s hurt!” she raged, ranting furiously. “What the hell do I now? I can’t just stay here, anymore! That bastard has to pay! I’m gonna head out there myself and–“

“No, you shall not.”

The Librarian stopped, her attention drawn towards a new guest who approached her from behind the shelves. “You again? What the hell are you doing here?!”

Shania gasped, it was them! The one with the long, white hair from Alfeto Valley who had saved Guernica, convinced her to come back to the City with him! What were they doing here?

“Stopping you from doing anything too reckless,” they replied calmly, seemingly unaffected by the woman’s anger. “We can’t risk Moebius locating you. Not yet.”

“But she’s hurt! She needs help, now!” snapped the Librarian. “If someone doesn’t get out there quickly, she’s going to die!”

“But it cannot be you,” said the white-haired one. “Besides, healing was never your forte.”

The Library’s curator seethed. “So who is going to… what the hell are you waiting around here for?! Get out there and help, damn it!”

“So I shall,” they replied, with a hint of satisfaction. As they turned to leave, a small glance in Shania’s direction seemed to suggest they knew of a silent observer. The playful wink and finger on their lips confirmed it.

Shaking her head, Shania decided to leave well enough alone for now. The Librarian knew this mysterious stranger, but she definitely wasn’t in the mood to discuss it right now.

Her rage spent, the Librarian returned to her desk and looked at the screen.

“Let’s just hope they can do something for her… because that’s hardly our only problem right now.”

“Now you’ve gone an’ done it,” growled Rex, towering over the prone form of N. “We finally figure out what made ya tick, and then you do that. I don’t know what t’ think of ya anymore… and t' be 'onest, I don’t care.”

Taking advantage of the monologue, N leapt back and to his feet. “And neither do–“  Interrupted, he leapt back further, barely avoiding the colossal white hammerhead with a fiery blue orb.

“You hurt Mimi!” yelled the lithe white-armoured giant, winding up to swing the hammer again. N brought his sword to block the strike, but the massive force behind it sent him sliding back. This new creature was strong enough to knock over a Ferronis, and it was relentless.

“Sena?” gasped Rex, recognizing the voice. “Sena! Is that you in there?!”

“Yeah! This mudder hurt Mimi!” she replied, charging forward once again.

Drawing his Blades, Rex rushed in with only one thing to say. “Leave a piece of ‘im for me!”

Seeing the Off-Seer fall, Glimmer immediately knew the situation was bad. She could see the medical team rushing onto the battlefield, going towards her and Chelle with a stetcher in hand. That was all the excuse she needed, and she got up to run towards Mio.

“Don’t die on me yet!” she said quietly. “I don’t want to lose a sister before I even get to know her!”

“… I wanna go t’ sleep, Mam…” mumbled Mio. “I’m so… tired… Mam…”

She’s delirious, not good. Glimmer immediate began applying her ether to stabilize her while trying to evaluate the injury. With her free hand, she pulled away the sliced fabric… and she gagged as her stomach threatened to empty its contents out.

The cut was deep, running the whole the whole length of Mio’s torso.

The soldier that leapt between her and N had prevented the Off-Seer from being sliced in half herself, but it wasn’t going to be enough. If they didn’t stop the bleeding now, she was going to become a husk in a matter of minutes.

“Oh… spark.”

Eunie had rushed in to help Glimmer, her own patient being taken into the care of others. Taking a deep breath, she readied her weapon… and aimed at the Off-Seer’s head. “I’m sorry, Mio.”

“Don’t you FUCKING dare!” yelled Glimmer. “She’s not gone yet! We can save her!”

“We can’t!” shouted Eunie, her voice full of regret. “There’s no way we can stop that much bleeding fast enough!”

“I can!” Glimmer furiously started tearing away Mio’s clothing to expose the full length of the wound. “But I need your help! I need you to hold her down!”

Eunie obeyed, placing her hands on the Off-Seer’s shoulders. Still, she didn’t understand what the Agnian medic was planning. “How?! How could you possibly stop the–“

A small jet of flame appeared at the end of Glimmer’s right index finger, while warm ether radiated from her left hand.

“Are you mad?! The wound’s too snuffing big! That could kill her!”

Glimmer breathed deep to focus.

“It’s the only chance we got. Now, hold her tight… she’s going to scream.”

Taion ran with all haste towards Mio. Even from this distance, he could see it was bad. Eunie and that one woman from Iota – the one who seemed to have a vendetta against Noah – were already tending to her. Still, the Mondo would assist in bandaging up what must have been a devastating injury.

So he ran as fast as he could… only for something to suddenly grab his ankle, forcing him to stop.

He looked down, seeing Chickadee there, grabbing at it. He hated when it came to this, but younger soldiers with fatal injuries desperately tried to hold onto life. He looked away and towards Mio again, at least he could

“I’m sorry, lieutenant. I can’t save you,” he said firmly. “Please let me go. I have to help Mio.”

“T-t-t-t-t-TaiON,” she replied, her voice stuttering like scrambled voice recording. “TAIon. Pay atTENtion to me!”

“I’m sorry!” the tactician replied, trying to shake her loose now. He could hear Mio screaming in agony, which didn’t help. “You’re too far gone! And Mio needs help!”

“Taion,” spoke Chickadee calmly, all distortion in her voice missing. “Look at me or I am going to crush your ankle bones into dust.” The slow tightening of her grip, far stronger than any soldier Taion had ever known, seemed to reinforce the message.

He looked down at the little lieutenant once again. Her face was stern and calm; there was no fear of impending death in her eyes. In fact, her eyes were flickering like a light bulb about to burn out. Arc of electricity coursed all across the cut through her torso.

“Who– no, what are you?”

“There’s no time to explain. Pick me up and get me out of here! Hide me under a sheet or something!”

“What? Why?!!” he balked, even if he started lifting her into his arms. “And what about Mio?!”

“She’s getting all the help she can, but Alex is going to lose it! Her seeing me like this is will only make it worse!”

Taion looked over to where Alexandria was standing, and his jaw dropped. Both of her eyes were glowing a bright emerald green, her clothing snapping as if she stood in the middle of a cyclone. Her hair had been pulled free of the bun she had it wrapped up in, fluttering wildly amid the tempest. Even worse, the black fog was seemingly being pulled into her; an orb of energy in front of her left hand was glowing increasingly brighter.

 “Captain Fili!” shouted Chickadee, tapping her temple as if to speak over her Iris. “Get everyone away from Dame Alex and the Consul. No one is to be in front of her!” Taion couldn’t quite make out the reply, but the lieutenant seemed satisfied.

“What the spark is going on?!” asked Taion in desperation.

“You don’t want to know!” answered Chickadee. “Now get me out of here! And don’t forget my legs!”

Finally within range, Riku pulled his device and activated it. A pulse of energy went forward, aimed towards the Ferronis. The shielding on the back of the device protected those behind it from the pulse, avoiding the issue of the nopon’s fellow engineer from having his arm disabled.

“EMP deployed!” shouted Riku. “Ferronis should be disabled for minutes! Friend make way to Flame Clock!”

“Thanks, Riku!” cheered Shulk, running ahead of the nopon.

He focused on the Ferronis, but another squad of soldiers appeared from behind a rock and trained their rifles. Preparing to dodge whichever way the visions told him to, he kept moving and waited… but the vision never came.

Knowing he couldn’t ignore them, Shulk looked at the soldiers to try and read their aim. A sudden hail of bullets from somewhere forced them back into their hiding spot. He didn’t have time to consider where they came from, but guessed he’d be thanking someone in the aftermath of the fight.

But for now, he just had to keep moving forward.

The sooner the Flame Clock was broken, the sooner this battle would be over.

“Main cannon’s firing systems are disabled!” shouted Ymeer. “Half of our equipment’s out!”

“Then get the snuffing thing back online!” yelled Dinzel. “Get it back up and resume firing!”

“Working on it, sir!”

All Noah knew was that he was getting thrown around left and right, being battered by something. He was doing his best to just stay standing, and not always succeeding at doing so.

“What’s… quantum – Oof! – entanglement?!” he asked, trying to follow up on Hand’s previous question.

Essentially, two bodies are linked in a way that actions to one happen to both.

N is getting hammered – literally – and you’re feeling the effects.

“What does a Consul have to do with–“ started Noah, getting thrown to the ground by the latest sensation.

I can’t explain right now.

“I’m sorry, Noah,” declared Ethel as she marched toward him with an air of remorse. “As it appears whatever spectre refuses to leave you be, I have no choice but to conclude our fight… decisively.” Without hesitation, she raised her Blade to deliver the coup de grace.

Not right now, Silver-Tits!

Hand appeared in her disembodied form, grabbing Ethel by her coat and hurling her to the back lines of Colony 4’s soldiers. As Hand turned towards Noah, he felt a creeping feeling of dread come over him.

Sorry, Noah.

“Please… no… not again…” he begged, knowing all too well what was coming.

If it’s any comfort, it’s not your fault this time.

It wasn’t.

“Target… locked,” said Alexandria calmly, her gaze focused firmly on the Golden Consul.

“Primary fire… eighty percent charged. Assuming direct control of Ferronis units.”

Colony 4’s Ferronis roared to life again, the machinery for the weapons beginning to whirr once again.

“Good work!” shouted Dinzel, pleased that his subordinates managed to address the issue in record time. “Resume firing as per the Commander’s orders!”

“The console’s still down, sir!” yelled Ymeer. “And the power’s out to the main engine! The weapons are moving on their own!”

“What?!!”

Seizing the opening, N leapt and struck at the Interlinked Ouroboros. The creature’s right arm fell to the ground with a satisfying thud before dissolving into the ether.

“Gah!” yelled Sena, but she quickly refocused her anger and the limb quickly grew back. “That’s nothing compared to what you did to Mimi! And nothing compared to what I’m gonna do to you!”

“How amusing,” said N, taking her threat as if it were a jest. As the giant leapt forward, another swift strike severed the other arm.

“Dammit, Sena!” shouted Rex, his twin swords clashing against N’s. “Ya keep leavin’ yourself open for ‘im!”

“I don’t care!” she growled as the arm grew back once more. “He hurt Mimi!”

“Trust me, I know! But chargin’ in like tha’ isn’t ‘elping!”

“I wonder…” mused N, his blade locked with those of the salvager. “Does she know what happens when an Interlink is maintained for too long? Or that restoring one’s injuries during it accelerates the process?”

A loud beeping started as the Ouroboros started to turn red.

“How much time left, hmm?” chuckled N. “It can’t be much longer.”

Rex’ face went blank in horror. Not a moment to waste, he threw the Consul back with a strong push. “Sena! Cancel the Interlink!”

“You heard ‘im, Sena!” shouted Lanz. “That doesn’t sound good!”

Their pleading went unheeded as she swung the hammer at the Consul again. “I told you, I don’t care! I’ll kill him if it’s the last thing I do!”

“If you don’t, tryin’ t’ kill ‘im will be the last thing you do!” shouted Rex, trying to get her to listen.

N began to laugh as he casually evaded the hammer’s swings. “You really are a fool!“

A large explosion to his left broke his concentration, resulting in the hammer hitting him hard in the stomach. “What… what was that?!” He followed the cloud of golden ether particles to their source. “Colony Iota?! How could it possibly be operational? You destroyed the Flame Clock!”

Rex just shrugged. “Beats me, but I ain’t arguin’! What the–?!”

Another large blast to the Consul’s right sent him dashing away.

“That one came from Colony 4!” shouted Rex, scarcely believing the accuracy. He stepped back a moment as more mortars fell all around the Consul. “Sena, stay away from him! Something’s happenin’!”

Sena just kept screaming as she charged forward, her hammer meeting N’s blade. Seemingly tired of this charade, he sliced the shaft in two and kicked the giant in its midsection. As it tumbled away, the Interlink was broken with Sena and Lanz collapsing upon the ground.

The Consul began making his way towards them, ready to eliminate his targets. “And so falls another Ouroboros to my blade… at least this battle presented some challenge.” Before he could reach them, another giant rushed towards him – one of steel, quickly flashing its twin swords.

“How could Silvercoat’s Ferronis move without its pilot?!” he asked to no one in particular, barely able to parry each strike. It moved with inhuman speed, its joints moving beyond what would have been expected from a pilot directing its actions. “What is going on here?!!”

Seemingly springing on an opportunity, the Ferronis twisted around the waist joint at an impossible angle for a human and slammed both swords down onto the Consul’s blade. As it held him in place, the hips of the iron giant appeared to right themselves independently of the upper body… and used them to lean further down onto the Consul, as if trying to pin him to the ground.

“This… is… intolerable!” growled N as he pushed back against the Ferronis’ blades, unable to turn the edge towards it. “How can this be–!”

*CRUNCH*

N drew in a long breath as it felt his groin was being crushed in a vice-like grip. Even worse, the grip tightened and ground his testes together with slow and deliberate intent. The crushing and relentless pain drove him to one knee, still desperately trying to hold the Ferronis back from crushing him.

“What the hell?” balked Rex. “The Ferronises are all tryin’ t’ keep ‘im pinned down! Who could possibly..” A dreadful realization hit him, and he turned towards Alexandria.

“Oh. Shit.”

Ethel landed forcefully on the ground, further injury only prevented by her long training helping her recover into a roll. Something had grabbed her and thrown her back, much to her frustration. Looking around to get her bearings, she spotted Nikol frantically hitting a button on some device he held.

“Nikol? What are you doing here?” she asked, not quite understanding what she was seeing. “Why aren’t you fighting?”

“Something’s wrong!” he replied, seemingly not aware of who was talking to him as he looked in the other direction. “The Ferronis should have its power cables severed from before! How is it moving now? Come on, why isn’t this thing working?!”

A wave of horror hit Ethel, realizing what had occurred earlier. Drawing her Blades, she placed one on the mechanic’s shoulder. “Nikol. Did you sabotage my Ferronis?!”

He froze, coming to see the situation he was in. “I’m sorry, Ethel. But I don’t have time for this.” Instantly, the arms of his backback deployed and wrapped themselves around Ethel, making a point of pinning her arms to her sides.

“This is treason!” she hissed.

Ignoring her, Nikol determined the Ferronis pinning N to the ground wasn’t necessarily a bad thing… for him, at least. Scanning the battlefield, a bright light caught his attention, and it appeared to be coming from Colony Iota’s Commander. “That’s… not good.”

“What the spark, Nikol?!” shouted Bolearis as he ran up to the mechanic. “Why is the Commander wrapped up like that?”

“He’s betrayed us, Bolearis!” barked Ethel, struggling against her confines. “He sabotaged the Ferronis, and who knows what else he’s done!”

Colony 4’s lieutenant drew his Blade. “Nikol…”

“Bolearis, get everyone out of here!” he answered. “Get everyone clear!”

“Why the spark should I listen to a damned traitor!”

Nikol pointed towards the opposing Commander. “Because that!”

Ethel blinked. “… Bolearis. I think we can delay the court-martial for a few moments.”

Nodding in agreement. The lieutenant turned towards the soldiers of Colony 4. “Everyone, LEG IT!”

Seeing Lanz come to, Rex pulled him to his feet. “Lad, pick up Sena and run back to the base! Whatever you do, stay away from the front of Alex! I’ll grab everyone else!”

The defender took one look and immediately took to worry. “What’s goin’ on?! She looks like the start of a sparking annihilation event!”

Yelling back, Rex was already a dozen metri away. “Let’s just hope she can aim it!”

“AIM?!!”

“Charging complete,” said Alexandria flatly. “Target restrained. Commencing firing.”

N struggled to maintain his concentration, the pain was immense. With explosions still going on all around him, he couldn’t go anywhere without translocating. The Ferronis was still pushing down on him, pinning him to the ground.

Through the agony, a slow realization dawned. Whoever was doing this, they were doing it to keep him in one spot. A bright light in the corner of his eye, he turned towards it… and felt the force of a presence from it. The only thing he could compare it to was Alpha, bringing its full strength to bear against him within Origin. Unlike back then, he could feel the malice coming from this entity; it wanted him dead.

Knowing that he was out of options, N translocated away – far away. There would be other opportunities to deal with Ouroboros.

As he disappeared, the weight of Ethel’s Ferronis caused to to slam into the ground. Not even a second later, it disappeared into the light.

The screams were the worst, and Glimmer knew it. She never liked having to cauterize wounds shut like this, and this was easiest one of the worst she had ever seen… but she still had to try. Between the pain and the hideous scar it would leave behind, she only hoped Mio wouldn’t hate her after this.

The slow work of closing the wound done, Glimmer refocused her efforts to healing the patient, pouring as much ether as she could to accelerate the process. Mio was still screaming, but slowly and surely it was growing less.

“Spark… I don’t think I’ll ever unhear that,” mumbled Eunie. “That was horrible.”

“I didn’t like having to do it either!” replied Glimmer. “Now, I could use some help here. She won’t bleed out now, but there are other injuries to tend to.”

“Injuries you are not trained to deal with,” interjected A, appearing beside them. “You’ve done well, both of you. But your friend will require some expertise to deal with her

“You again?!” squawked Eunie. “Who are you, anyway?”

“About time you got here, A!” snapped Glimmer. “She’s been hurt, bad. We need all the help we can get!”

A placed a stretcher on the ground beside the patient. “She’s stable enough to carry, put her on the stretcher and carry her to the operating tent. I’ll provide the ether.”

The two medics listened, gingerly moving Mio over before grabbing an end each. Lifting carefully, they began moving towards the medical ward of Iota. Just a few steps taken, Eunie jumped as a sudden rush of air hit her; twisting her head to see, a blinding light eclipsed her vision.

“What the spark? We were jus’ standin’ there a moment ago!”

Ethel squinted hard. The light was blinding, as bright as an annihilation event at its peak… but it just kept going for several seconds, a wide beam projecting forward from what must have been Iota’s Commander.

“What… what the spark is this?!” she asked, seeing the upper body of her Ferronis get consumed by the wave of energy that was emanating from the source.

“Beats me, Commander!” replied Bolearis. “This is sparkin’ insane! How the snuff do we fight that?!”

“Not even a Ferronis’ main cannon can put out that much power,” said Nikol, shuddering as he watched the readings through his goggles. “No, not even a Castle can do that much.”

As quickly as it started, the light faded away. Where the ray of destruction had been, now there was nothing. A smooth, rounded channel was left in the ground… and continued through the southern cliff face. A glimmering line shone through the perfectly circular hole left in the strata, it punched all the way cleanly through Aionios. What little was left of the Ferronis’ legs tumbled forward into the channel, cleanly cut off where the light had ended.

“It’s like polished glass…” muttered Ethel, looking at the melted ground at the edges of the destruction. Glancing to the source, she saw Iota’s Commander fall to the ground, clearly overcome with exhaustion.

“Now, then… Nikol,” she glared towards the mechanic, who was still holding her still. “The immediate crisis dealt with… would you care to explain yourself?!”

The mechanic shrugged. “I think that’s a discussion best left until after the Colony’s Flame Clock is broken, ma’am.”

“The what?!”

A sudden wave of lethargy coming over her, she slumped forward and lost consciousness as the link to the Flame Clock was severed. Nikol let her down carefully, and began rifling through his backpack.

Struggling to stay upright, Bolearis waved a shaking finger at him. “You’re a right mudder, Nik…” Collapsing to the ground, the lieutenant started snoring loudly.

“I’m just glad that’s over with…” said Nikol to himself, pulling out a few lengths of rope. It was standard procedure from here, tying up the sleeping soldiers before they recovered, making sure they’d be more willing to have a talk after they woke up.

Or least leave them with no option but to talk.

Closing the final distance, Shulk leapt towards the Flame Clock. With a single slice, it fell from its socket in two pieces. Leaping to the ground, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad that’s over with.”

The slow footsteps he heard approaching put him back on guard, quickly pivoting to face them. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Gray.”

Shulk relaxed. “So… you’re from the City, then?”

“That’s right,” answered the cloaked man, reaching into his pocket. Device in hand, he threw it towards the man. “After the battle’s over, use that. Boss wants to talk to you.”

“I’ll do that… and thank you for the cover fire earlier.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Gray, throwing down a smoke grenade and disappearing.

Hacking as he waved the smoke away, a certain nopon was not impressed. “Riku thinks unnecessary. No one else here to see.”

“Old habits, maybe?” offered Shulk.

“It not matter,” dismissed Riku, passing Shulk several lengths of rope. “Should tie up soldiers who out cold, less new battle begin after wakey-wakey.”

“Agreed.”

“Whoa, nelly!” shouted Ghondor from her seat on the armory, jolted by the blast that rushed through the landmass. “What the bloody hell was that?”

“Energy blast, ma’am! Cut a hole clean through the rocks!”

“This shit’s getting’ too damn hot!” cursed the petite fighter. “Oi! Bitchqueen! We’re pullin’ out! Some crazy crap’s happenin’ and we don’t wanna be anywhere near it!”

Rex managed a weak smile as he saw Glimmer and Eunie carrying a still-breathing Mio away on a stretcher, and having A there was an asset as well. He’d still have more to the say to them for showing up so late… but better late than never.

The battle having ended when the Colony 4 soldiers collapsed, that must mean Shulk managed to do his part without anything too crazy happening. That was good news. That left Alex, who had mercifully passed out from exhaustion after that display of power. Walking over to her, he carefully grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.

To his right, he spotted Noah laying upon the ground. He appeared to be breathing at least, but Pyra’s ‘Hand’ state was on the ground beside him and he was clutching at his groin.

“If it wasn’t my fault, then why?!” yelled the Off-Seer at the appendage. “That was far worse than before!”

It’s quantum entanglement.

Whenever N was hit by Rex or Sena, you felt the effects.

And vice versa.

“That doesn’t even make sense!” snapped Noah.

It’d take too long to explain the science behind it.

I crushed N’s balls to distract him.

“You crushed mine!”

Your balls, his balls.

They’re the same balls at this point.

“Damn it, kiddo,” laughed Rex. “Even I know better than t’ get on Pyra’s bad side!”

“Who the spark is Pyra?!” snarled Noah, still writhing in pain on the ground.

Me.

Somehow he found the ability to roll his eyes between winces. “Oh, now you tell me! Not in the eight snuffing years you’ve known me before now!”

“Welp, he’s cranky,” commented Rex, somewhat surprised the kid had it in him… then again, the bastard had to get from somewhere. “Pyra, do ya think N got caught up in that?”

Probably not.

Noah’s still alive.

“Damn.” Regardless of how much he wanted to throttle the golden bastard, Rex had an important message to deliver. “Pyra, Mio’s still breathin’. Saw Glimmer and Eunie pull ‘er away on a stretch, and A was with ‘em.”

Oh, thank the Conduit.

“Mio!” shouted Noah, powering through the pain to rise to his feet. “What’s going on? Where is she?!”

“She’s hurt, kiddo,” replied Rex, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “She’s gettin’ the help she needs, all we c’n do now is ‘ope for the best.”

The Off-Seer grimaced, not liking the answer even if it was the truth. Without another word, he limped away towards the medical facilities. Come what may, he’d be there for her.

“Clear the way!” yelled Glimmer as she rushed her patient to the operating table, pushing her way through the other injured soldiers. “She’s hurt bad! Make way!”

Barging their way into one of the operating tents, Eunie and Glimmer transferred her onto the table. “Quick, get me some scrubs and general anaesthetic!” barked the Agnian medic, her training kicking in.

“No. You can’t operate on her,” interrupted A, already dressed for the surgery. “Neither of you.”

“Right, dibs out!” shouted Eunie, running from the room.

“Why?!” shouted Glimmer.

“You know why,” answered A, implying a truth few knew. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.”

Glimmer looked at them critically. “This isn’t a one-person operation! You can’t do it alone!”

“Who said I would be alone?”

“Who said I would be alone?”

“Who said I would be alone?”

“Who said I would be alone?”

Blinking for a moment, Glimmer quickly acknowledged that there was somehow four versions of A in the room at the same time. “Alright! You win! But you’d better save her!”

Four identical faces nodded, watching her leave the room and quickly got to work.

Outside the operating room, Glimmer slumped down onto the bench beside Eunie.

“This has been one hell of a day.”

“You got that right,” said Eunie in agreement. “… I hope she’ll be okay.”

“If anyone can do it, they can,” muttered Glimmer, doing her best to not think of the particulars involved in the operation. “Is the battle over?”

“Yeah, I think so…” replied the Kevesi. “There’s still a lot of activity, I think anyone who c’n stand is runnin’ around and tyin’ up everyone from Colony 4.”

“That’s good,” said Glimmer. “That should prevent any accidents, mostly the soldiers retaliating when they come around.”

“Not yer first go ‘round, love?”

Glimmer had to smile at the girl’s attitude. “Definitely not, but it’s a long story.”

“Well, Ethel should listen to us,” said Eunie. “She’s their Commander, but kind. Widdout a Consul barkin’ at ‘er, she’ll hear us out.”

“I hope you’re right,” replied Glimmer. Rising to her feet, she needed a distraction from the operating room. “I’m going to go help wrangle them, you coming?”

“Yeah… I will,” said Eunie, pausing a moment as she stood up. “Oi! Four-Eyes! Where ya been?!”

“I… uh… umm…” stuttered Taion as he exited a non-descript barracks building. “I was busy, Eunie!”

“Whadd’ya mean, ‘busy’?” growled Eunie. “Mio’s hurt, you jerk! Why weren’t ya helping us?!”

Glimmer snorted. “Oh, I’ll give you two three months.”

“Wot? Whatcha mean ‘three months’?!”

“Three months and you’ll be at it like wild bunnits!”

“Well, I ain’t about t’ put on long ears and a fake tail!” Eunie pointed towards the tactician. “Mebbe he will.”

Glimmer burst out laughing at some much needed levity… but it rang hollow in her ears, dark thoughts and fears of what was happening in the operating room creeping into her mind once again.

“Let’s get out there, we got work to do.”

Walking his way through the valley, Shulk and Riku tied up whatever unconscious Kevesi soldiers they came across. There weren’t that many left here, and Captain Sequoia’s squad was handling those in and around the Ferronis.

Stepping over the slumbering soldiers, Shulk spotted someone diligently moving and tying up several of the soldiers.

“Nikol! It’s been too long!”

Looking up, the mechanic’s eyes lit up with joy. “You’re here, fa– erm, Shulk!”

“I see you’ve learned that,” said a proud father. “We’ll have to talk later, and despite them all sleeping now… yeah, let’s keep that one between us for now.”

“Riku not like being ignored!”

“Easy there, Riku,” said Nikol. “It’s good to see you too, old friend!”

Shulk looked around the battlefield, seeing the progress so far. “It seems you’ve gotten a lot of work done already, Nikol.” He paused when he heard Riku gasp in fear, quickly turned to see him frozen in place as he stared at one of the restrained soldiers.

“Silver Snuggler is here! Riku must away!”

Watching the nopon run into the distance, Nikol was baffled. “Why is Riku so afraid of Ethel?”

Shulk winced, his fears confirmed. “I guess it’s time for reunions.”

“Reunions?”

“Long story, I’ll tell you later.”

“Whoa?!” yelled Sena, spurred to action. “What’s happening? Where is he?!”

“Easy there, Sena,” said Eunie, putting away her gun-rod. “Ya were just out for a while there, the battle’s over.”

“Dammit!” cursed the fiery-haired girl. “He hurt Mimi!”

“She’s in the medical tents, love,” replied Eunie. “They’re doin’ all they can for ‘er…”

 “Oh, Mimi…” pouted Sena, lamenting at her inability to act.

“What ya doin’, Eunie?” asked Lanz. “Why are you all tying up the guys from Colony 4?”

“Glim says it’s t’ prevent ‘accidents’,” she answered. “They might be a bit testy when they wake up, right?”

Lanz had to agree, but a mischievious smile crept across his face. “Hand me some rope then, I feel like I should see ol’ Bolearis.”

“Riiiight, that guy!” said Eunie cheerfully. “He was Ethel’s second, wasn’t he? Ya gonna string ‘im up?”

“What do you think?” said Lanz with a wry smile.

“Not without my help!”

Glimmer shuffled through the unconscious soldiers, lengths of rope in hand. Kneeling down beside one, she quickly pulled their arms behind their back and wrapped the rope several times around their wrists.

Arms behind back, wrap wrists, tie knots. Repeat.

Arms behind back, wrap wrists, tie knots. Repeat.

She saw Riku run past her, but it barely registered.

She just had to keep on focusing on tying up the soldiers.

Arms behind back, wrap wrists, tie knots. Repeat.

Arms behind back, wrap wrists, tie knots. Repeat.

Needle through both sides of the incision, loop, knot, pull tight. Loop, knot, pull tight. Cut the surture.

NO!

She shouldn’t be thinking about the surgery right now!

Mio was going to be okay! She was going to be okay!

She was going to have a massive burn scar running from her hip to her neck.

Unable to take it anymore, Glimmer screamed.

“Glimmer?!” shouted Nikol, hearing her from afar. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, the arms of his backpack allowing him to bound even further. Within seconds, he was beside her and holding her tight. “Glimmer? Are you okay? What happened?”

She returned the embracing, holding him tight as the tears began to flow. “She’s hurt, Nikol! She’s hurt and it’s my own damn fault!”

Nikol didn’t know who she was speaking of… but right now, it didn’t matter. Glimmer needed him, and he would be there for her.

“Nikol? What’s wrong?” asked Shulk, running to catch up with him. When he saw Glimmer sobbing, he had a feeling it wasn’t good.

“I’ll take her back to the Colony,” said Nikol, helping Glimmer to her feet. “She’s not in a good state right now.”

“I see,” said the older man. “I better come with you, they don’t know you yet.”

“Thanks, father… umm, oops?”

“No worries, Nikol,” said Shulk with a smile. “Seems no one heard you… I hope.”

“Hey, Shulk! Who’s this bloke?” asked Eunie as her head popped around the corner. “An’ what’s a ‘fatha’, anyhow?”

The pain finally subsided, N stumbled his way through the halls of Keves Castle. At least M would be waiting for him in the royal bedchamber, perhaps she would offer him some solace. Pleasure was certainly not on the table tonight.

Rounding the last corner, he announced his arrival.

“Hello, my– MIO?!!”

He gasped. She was collapsed upon the floor, laying in a large pool of blood and her breathing shallow. All pain forgotten, he ran up to her and pressed the button on her collar, dispersing all of her armour in an instant. He could see the wound, running from her hip to between her neck and shoulder on the other side.

The very same wound he gave the other ‘Mio’ at Colony Iota.

“Mio, no! I’m sorry, Mio! I’m so sorry! Please, Mio! Say something to me!”

His mind racing, N remembered what he had done countless times before. She had never partaken in the killing of the soldiers, always refusing to participate in the slaughter which Moebius used to sustain themselves. So N did it for her, and he gave her all the surplus life he could to allow her to live by his side. He would bear that burden for her, always.

Concentrating through the tears, he let the life he had pour out of him and into her.

“Live, Mio! If I must give you all my life, then take it! Please, Mio!”

After he was nearly spent, she took a sharp intake of air and resumed breathing normally. The wound had closed, but was covered in gnarled scar tissue. N saw it as a permanent reminder of his catastrophic error, even if he didn’t know why it had occurred in the first place.

Lifting her up carefully, he opened the wall panel to the bathing room. Gingerly, he sat her down in the tub and drew the water at the temperature he knew she liked. He’s clean the blood off her, he could do at least that much. The floor would have to follow.

“Thank you, Mio…” he said, just grateful that she was alive. Brushing her hair aside, he spotted something on the side of her neck.

The Mark.

The very same mark borne by all soldiers, the mark that counted down their ten terms until Homecoming. And now, Mio had it once again… and by N’s reckoning, she had only three months left.

So he wept, having failed her in more ways than one.

Watching from the rafters above, Dromarch let out a heavy sigh. He had done what he could for the little lady, but it wasn’t enough. There appeared to be more healing occurring than what he was doing himself, but then came the horrible screaming.

The wound appeared to be in the middle of being cauterized, but there was no flame in sight; still it was closing. Dromarch did what he could to stabilize her, but he could only do so much. While the situation appeared to be improving, he she was barely hanging on. While the cretin’s arrival had forced Dromarch to hide, it was his infusion of the life-essence he carried that ultimately saved her.

Now, the man wept profusely, constantly apologizing to the little lady as he removed the blood from her skin and hair. The appearance of the soldier’s mark did not escape Dromarch’s notice, placing further urgency that he return with her to see his Lady as she had requested.

For now, he’d watch from above, biding his time.

He would speak with the little lady once again, and soon.

Chapter Text

Moebius Y leaned back in his favoured chair at Colony Omega, reviewing the pages of data and notes collected from the day’s experiments. His latest project was an modified Cradle, designed to rapidly accelerate maturation process for soldiers. Today was the first batch of live test subjects to confirm the principle behind the theory, but the results were… variable.

The first test subject was aged so rapidly that they near-instantaneous reached Homecoming, vanishing into a cloud of golden motes of light before Y could terminate the processes involved. A regrettable loss of life, returned to Origin and all-but-impossible to be extracted from the archives ever again; that was only possible with Z’s direct intervention, and appeared to involve a large amount of effort on his part. Fortunately, the test subject was known to be… ‘problematic’ across their incarnations, so they were deemed expendable for this purpose. Still, Y was keen to prevent such losses to the system.

The second test subject, another deemed expendable in advance, had their ten-year return protocol suppressed for the test. In a matter of seconds, they were analogous to the ‘elderly’ with an estimated physical age of ninety-two years; they expired from generalized organ failure and dissolved into golden motes of light only a few minutes later, another Homecoming. It served no purpose in the greater scheme of Y’s mind, but his curiosity was insatiable and he had to see the results; in theory, he could age them until they were naught but dust.

Nevertheless, both test results proved the principle was sound. The aging rate just needed to be adjusted to a more controlled rate. The time-frame shouldn’t be so short, as that appeared to induce some kind of trauma into both subjects. If slowed down too much it would be ineffective. Alas, the responses were fickle and even seemingly minor adjustments had an outsized effect; he’d also have to configure the modified Cradle to be self-terminating at the desired age range, saving him the need to monitor the production process personally.

And after he had enough aged subjects, he could move on to– a blinking light on his console caught the Moebius’ eye.

“A surge in the general ether readings? How curious.”

His previous tasks set aside, Y dug into the ether readings which had triggered the console’s notification. Such surges often indicated an incoming annihilation event, or at the least something unusual occurring in Aionios. As he poured over the data, additional flags were raised in his mind.

“I have seen these readings before… but where?” he muttered, activating the voice commands for the console. “Execute a search of the previous recordings, scan for a match of the frequency detected today.”

He sat back and watched the screens fly by, going through decades of records. Soon, it was centuries. This wasn’t right, how far back would he have to go to find something if this reading unsettled him so? Before long, the records reached past a millennia… and then the first match appeared.

And another. Several more followed before reaching the end of the records.

Evidently, this was an old issue. They had it effectively dealt with for over a thousand years, so why would it re-emerge now? He would not be surprised if it was due to the Avatar’s interference, but these records pre-dated even Alpha’s arrival; it wasn’t them. It only took reading the code word attached to the first record to rekindle Y’s memory.

Incursion.

A sudden attack into enemy territory, but the context behind the word carried additional weight for the ageless Moebius and the handful who remained from those ancient times near Aionios’ inception. The true Queen of Agnus had incited multiple rebellions prior to the Alpha Incident, with several spearheading their way into Origin itself to confront Z. There were a handful of recurring soldiers involved in each incident, with those who became Moebius N and Moebius M being among them for most of the incidents.

But this signal did not belong to either of them, but rather another distinct threat. Her powers starting to awaken often presaging an upcoming rebellion, and as such she was targeted for elimination before the usual suspects made had gathered. Needless to say, she was dangerous and closely monitored as a result. They had considered allowing her to reach Homecoming to remove her from the cycle, but the last attempt to do so was disastrous. Z had left Origin to eliminate her personally that time, an exceptionally rare occurrence. His reasoning was that she was capable of taking control of Origin itself should she enter it in her ‘awakened’ state.

In retrospect, that was precisely what Alpha did upon entering Origin. The severity of this threat could not be understated.

Y glanced at his modified Cradle. Perhaps the recent ‘errors’ could be used to his advantage. Where was she again? Colony Iota?

“Computer. Issue an edict to the Consul and Commander at Colony Iota. Alexandria is to be escorted to Agnus Castle immediately and transferred to Colony Omega for a… ‘special assignment’. I shall collect her myself upon her arrival.”

“Processing… error. Communications with Colony Iota lost.”

“What?!!” shouted Y, bristling with rage. “Establish communications with the overseeing Consul, immediately!”

“Unable to comply. Signal for Consul E lost.”

“Why is that buffoon in charge of her Colony?!” Y snarled, barely suppressing his bloodlust. E was fortunate to be dead, less Y grind him into a pulp personally. “Who made that assignment?!”

“Consul E assigned to Colony Iota by Lady High Consul M.”

Y calmed himself, Z had forbidden any harm to her person; part of the arrangement with N, he had said. Still, Y could at least demand some answers. She was last seen in Keves Castle, so another visit seemed apt.

As for the more immediate problem... a lost signal did not bode well. Either Iota had fallen in battle or their Flame Clock had been broken. Factoring in the demise of a Consul, the latter felt more likely. And while it would have been preferrable to permanently eliminate the girl with his modified Cradle, immediate action was required.

“Computer. Broadcast the following signal: Kilo-Iodine-Lithium-Lithium-Argon-Lithium-Echo-Xenon. Continue broadcasting until reply code received.”

“Acknowledged. Broadcasting signal.”

“C’mon, ya big geek! Spill! What the spark’s a ‘fatha’?!”

Shulk did his best to not roll his eyes, but he knew full well of her tenacity when it came to perceived slights. “I can’t explain it, Eunie. You wouldn’t understand, there’s too much context you’re missing for any of it to make sense.”

“Then break it down like yer explainin’ it to first-termer, then!” she shouted, growing ever more irate.

The older man sighed heavily. “They’d be in the same situation, still missing the context behind it.”

“Does it have anythin’ t’ do with the other geek there lookin’ like a smaller you more hair on his face?” she asked, point towards Nikol as he was trying to fade into the background.

“Uh…” mumbled Nikol, not sure what to say. Glimmer held him tight, silently weeping and completely ignoring the conversation. She needed some time alone, or with only him, and this girl wasn’t helping. “Sorry, miss. But this really isn’t the–“

“Yes, it does,” replied Shulk, leaping at the chance. “That’s certainly part of it, but explaining why would take far too long. And as Nikol here says, he needs to get Glimmer here to the barracks.”

Eunie’s frustration melted away as soon as she saw the woman, the one who had saved Mio earlier during the battle… or so she hoped. Glimmer was tough, but clearly something had broken her in the time since leaving Mio in the care of that other healer. She tried to forget the screaming, but it still rustled through her feathers. Glimmer probably felt even worse, she was the one who had to do it.

“Alright… I’ll go help Lanz, or somethin’,” she muttered, quickly taking off.

Waiting until she was safely out of earshot, Shulk turned towards Nikol. “Now then, should we bring you back to the barracks?”

“Yes… sir,” replied the younger engineer. “Glimmer and I will need some time alone. I’m not sure what happened, but it seems serious.”

“Got it,” affirmed Shulk, leading them away. “You’re still new here, Nikol. I’ll show you, and hopefully no one raises any inconvenient questions along the way.”

The pair safely escorted to an empty barracks, Shulk gave them the privacy they needed. The two of them must have become close friends since he had to leave after dealing with Alpha, each serving as the other’s support in times of need. He really wished he could have stuck around, but it simply wasn’t meant to be.

The dragging footsteps of another caught his attention, drawing his eyes to his side.

“Noah!” he shouted. “You’re hurt! Why are you trying to walk right now?!”

“I’m fine,” growled the Off-Seer. “It’ll pass. Right now, I need to see her!”

“No, you’re not fine,” retorted Shulk. “You’re limping. What happened out there?”

“Hand did… something.” He winced with every step. “I don’t know why, exactly. She said it was ‘quantum entanglement’, whatever in flames that means. It was supposed to do something to the Consul.”

“Do what, exactly?” asked Shulk, his left hand wandering to his chin. “… and why would quantum entanglement be involved?”

“She crushed my balls, for sparks’ sake!”

Ah… I see.” He paused for a moment, considering the phrase’s implications. “Quantum entanglement means two particles behave the same when a force is applied to only one of them. To use an example, if a pair of rocks were entangled, picking one off the ground would cause the other the float. In this case, she induced a large amount of pain, without causing you permanent damage, to distract the Consul from something. But why would that be the… oh. Noah, did you experience any other strange sensations prior to… let’s just say what Hand did?”

The Off-Seer blinked a couple of times, recalling some other oddities which had been overshadowed by the more intense and sustained pain he had endured. “Yes, there was. A few times, but the one I remember was like something wrapping around my neck and a sharp pull that threw me off-balance. Then it felt like I was punched in the face by Lanz in a really bad mood.”

Rex did that to N during the fight, right after Mio was hurt.

Noah felt the same effects, got bounced around a bit.

When I saw what was happening, I figured out it was a two-way connection.

And sorry, Noah.

“Hand just said something about a ‘two-way connection, Shulk,” summarized Noah. “Do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”

“Somewhat,” replied the older man, thoughtfully stroking his chin. “But I need to sure of something first. I wasn’t here for the fight, are we certain that the Consul attacking us was N?”

“Hand’s been saying so. Why is it being him so important?!"

The older man slumped forward. “I wish I could explain without it sounding absurd. For now, what I can say is Rex and I fought him a long time ago. It’s very likely that he was sent here to eliminate us… and probably you and your friends as well.”

“’Probably’, he says…” muttered Noah through the pain. “The bastard hurt Mio. I have to see her!”

“Easy there,” said Shulk, moving to support the younger man. “At least let me help you to the medical teams. If she was injured, she’s probably there. And you can probably get some pain relief over there as well.”

It was a slow walk, but it still gave Shulk time to think. He could see the anger in Noah’s eyes, and that scared him more than anything. Was that how he looked, all those years ago when he thought Fiora died? Taking off across the Bionis and Mechonis in the name of revenge… it seemed right at the time, but they eventually learned how wrong they were. But he couldn’t allow Noah to fall into that same trap, to be swallowed hole by that hatred that swelled up after the loss of friends and family.

Especially when the person he’s after just might be himself.

Having safely dropped Alex off in her own bed – surrounded by all matter of knick-knacks and ‘treasures’ she must have collected over the past few years, confirming that some things never change – Rex found himself wandering around Colony Iota listlessly. Picking out one slightly larger than normal stone on the ground, he gave it a light kick to send it forward a few metri, only to walk after it and kick it yet again.

As much as he tried to tell himself, he found himself worried for Mio. She’d be injured, but a sinking feeling in his stomach was telling him it was bad. But she was getting the help she needed, right? Glimmer and A were great healers, and he knew A had access to a lot of additional powers now. He hadn’t known Eunie long enough to gauge her abilities, but he didn’t see anything wrong with that either.

But they weren’t Nia.

If she were here, they’d be back on their feet in no time! Her talent for healing was amazing, the wound Mio had would have been closed in seconds! She’d also be chewing out Mio for leaving herself open, completely tearing into Rex for letting her get hurt in the first place, and who knows what she would have done to N.

If she were here.

She wasn’t, which made Rex worry that who they had wouldn’t be enough to save her. But he couldn’t let himself fall into that, not now. Even if the worst should happen, Mio would technically be okay… once they got out of Aionios, at least. But for now, he had to keep going, to keep put smiles on people’s faces.

Still, Nia’s voice screamed at him in the back of his mind, only barely heard over the sounds of Mio crying in pain.

Just have to keep moving. Everything will be alright. It has to–

“Excusing me. Rex, sir,” said Taion quietly, in a conspiratorial tone. “Someone wishes to speak with you.”

The salvager rolled his eyes. “Tell them it will have to wait. I have something on my mind, can’t talk about anything right now.”

“She was quite insistent that you speak with her,” replied Taion. “Immediately.”

“She’ll have to wait, then.”

“I see…” said the tactician, looking somewhat unsure of himself. “In that case, she told me to relay the following: ‘There will be coffee with milk.’ I’m  certain that’s a code ph–?!!”

Taion found his feet no longer touching the ground as Rex yanked him up by his sweater, a furious gaze boring into him.

“Where. Is. She?”

Raising an unsteady hand, Taion pointed towards one of the barracks. “She’s in the second building on the right! Please, let me down! I’m just relaying the message!”

Rex took a deep breath, letting the younger man down. “Sorry, lad. Jus’… caught up in the moment. If she’s here, then I have some questions of my own for ‘er.”

Grasping at his own arm to stop it from shaking, Taion nodded in acknowledgement. “It is an unusual situation, yes. She didn’t respond to any of my questions, and I have more than a few.”

“Lemme guess, she told ya t’ keep quiet?” asked Rex, allowing himself a small smirk.

“… you could say that.” His response barely suppressed a chuckle. “Let’s just say I find the threat of – and I quote – ‘Laser your ass if you talk’… somewhat incredulous.”

“Ha!” laughed Rex, slapping the tactician hard on the back. “She must like ya! There’d still be singe marks from a ‘demonstration’ if she didn’t!”

Watching the larger man walk away, Taion felt his hands shaking again. Did he mean her threat wasn’t hyperbole?

Tapping the console, Monica Vandham checked in on one of her top field agents. “Come in, Ghondor. Come in. Update on your status.”

“I told ya before, Bitchqueen! We’re pullin’ out to Glam Rock!” snapped the voice on the other end of the line. “I don’t give a shit what ya say, I’m not going anywhere near something that can punch clean through several hundred metri of solid rock!”

The Elder stood silent for a moment, her feisty little girl hadn’t volunteered that piece of information last time. “Well, that makes for a compelling argument. Does Moebius have a new weapon?”

“Hell if I know, Bitchqueen!” snarled Ghondor. “I can tell ya it wasn’t aimed at us, an’ I’m not sendin’ anyone out t’ triangulate where it came from either! ‘sides, we can’t trust the stealth systems on the armories anymore! Not after Granddad’s last mission!”

“Then set up long range observations after getting to Glam Rock,” replied Monica. “And be ready to pull out if anything seems off.”

“Sendin’ Gray in again?” asked Ghondor with a keen interest.

Little a small smirk slip, she was proud her daughter was subconsciously trying to stay on of things. “He knows how to avoid detection, hopefully he’ll be able to fill us in on what’s happening.”

“That’s usin’ yer noodle, Bitchqueen!”

“Now if only if you’d use yours before your fists more often.”

“Oi, what’s that supposed t’ mean?! Don’t you dare hang up on me Bit– “

Annoyed that Shulk had blown her off again, Eunie wandered Iota’s parade grounds for anything to keep her mind off the state Mio was is. She’d only known her a few days… but she still winced when she remembered those screams. Seeing the other girl, Glimmer, starting to break down didn’t help; still, Eunie pressed on. Whoever that other person was that helped them was a good healer, even if they were a late arrival.

She just had to… hope for the best. Just like any other soldier after a lifetime of fighting, she’d lost many friends over her terms. It still stung, but they’d learned to cope. One way or another. Pushing forward, she spotted a curious sight on the edge of the pond sitting on the far end of the parade grounds.

“Lanz? What the spark are you doing?!” she asked, pecking at her squadmate. “Why the hell would you need a big piece of levnis armour like that?”

“Need a raft, Eunie,” replied Lanz as he carefully inspected the piece for any holes. “Figured we could hang Bolearis from that tree there… and dragging him through the water would probably wake ‘im up.”

“Hang ‘im?!! What the snuff are ya doin’ Lanz?!!”

“Not by his neck, ya spoon!” grumbled Lanz. “See? Got it tied around his trunk already. He’ll wake up and we could ‘ave a bit of fun with him before dropping ‘im in t’ the drink.”

Eunie calmed herself down, it was just a prank… and she had to admit it was a bit funny, so long as they were ready to fish him out after and didn’t let him dangle there too long. “Arright, I get it. But you’ll need a paddle.”

Wordlessly calling forth his Blade, Lanz informed her he had that covered. “Wanna give me a hand, Eunie? This’d be much easier with another set of hands.”

“Eunie! What are you doing here?!” shouted an clearly worried looking Sena, stomping her feet as she approached the pair. “Why aren’t you helping Mimi?!”

“Easy there, love,” assuaged the Kevesi medic. “She’s bein’ cared for by someone in the med tents.”

“You could still help!” snapped Sena.

“They chased me outta there, love. Honestly, I’d only be gettin’ in the way at this point,” replied Eunie sadly. Taking a closer look at the girl, she could see Sena was beyond distraught. Eyes downcast, tears in the corner of her eyes, she looked ready to crumble. “She’ll be alright, Sena. She’s gettin’ the best care they ‘ave here.”

The girl sniffled, slowly nodding despite it all. “You’re right, Eunie. I’m just… worried. Mimi’s my best friend! I don’t know what I’d do without her!”

“Me too, love. Me too,” said Eunie solemnly. “I’m doin’ the best I can t’ distract meself from it. Guessin’ you’re doin’ the same?”

“… yeah. Guess I’ll... get back to it.”

Rex entered the barracks and looked around, spotting the seated Lieutenant Chickadee on one of the beds. “Oops, sorry miss… was lookin’ fer someone– YEOW!”

“YOU DUMBASS!”

The old salvager recoiled as an Agnian helmet struck him in the forehead with surprising precision. Not only had the lieutenant thrown it with a surprising amount of force, she was speaking in a much deeper voice than he’d heard from her before… in fact, it sounded decidedly familiar.

“And lock the damn door! We need to talk!”

He obediently slid the deadbolt into place and sat down on the bed beside her. “Bloody hell, Mythra! Did ya really have t’ throw the helmet?!”

“What the hell were you thinking, drawing that bastard’s attention towards Mio?! From what I could make out, it sounds like you’ve worked out what happened between them!” growled the lieutenant.

“… I know I buggered up,” replied Rex, voice thick with regret. “I knew ‘im seein’ her would set ‘im off, so I told her t’ run.”

The lieutenant sighed. “I know your heart’s in the right place, at least. How is she?”

“Glimmer, A and tha’ girl Eunie were takin’ her to the med tents,” replied Rex.

“A? Please don’t tell me you left Mio with a fucking Moebius!”

“I guess I got used t’ callin’ ‘em that,” said Rex, cracking a small smile. “And you keep insisting on calling ‘em Ontos.”

Relieved, the lieutenant seemed satisfied. “So they got here in time. Good.”

The salvager raised an eyebrow. “Tha’ sounds like you were talking to ‘em earlier.”

“They were in the City during the battle, talked me out of coming down and wreaking holy havoc on everything and everyone there,” replied the lieutenant. “Probably for the best, in retrospect, or else you’d have every Moebius on Aionios teleporting in about now. Still, I told them to help Mio.”

“Okay, what the hell exactly is going on with you?” interjected Rex. “How c’n ya be in the City and ‘ere at the same time?”

The lieutenant raised a hand. “I’ll tell you in a minute, but first things first. How are Alex and Glimmer doing?”

“Alex is still out cold, I brought ‘er to ‘er room… she’ll probably want t’ see ya right away,” replied Rex. “Glimmer, I can’t say. She didn’t look hurt–“

“I heard the screams, Rex. Mio’s screams.” The lieutenant’s tone was unusually severe. “If she was the one healing Mio, I’m worried she may have done some drastic to try and save her. She may be needing some support, and soon.”

“Dammit,” cursed Rex. “… I was too busy with the bastard responsible t’ notice. An’ I guess what happened wit’ Alex is a big problem too, then?”

“She didn’t overload, at least…” muttered the lieutenant. “But she’ll be needing some help to learn how to control that power, not to mention you’ll have to make sure it doesn’t go to her head.”

“Wouldn’t you be bettah for tha’?”

“This body is running on reserve power at the moment, it won’t last much more than a couple of days after being cut in half,” replied Chickadee. “And she can’t stay here either.”

“What?” bawked Rex. “Cut in half? ‘ow the hell are ya even talking right now?”

“Well, I guess it’s about time I explained my situation.”

“Chickadee!”

In a moment of sudden lucidity, Commander Alexandria bolted awake from the bed in her personal quarters. The general silence that greeted her was confusing, wasn’t she just in the middle of a battle? Why was she in her own bed? Taking a brief moment, she examined herself to find no sort of injury; at most, her hair was a mess for no apparent reason. The heavy curtains muted nearly all the sound from the outside, but it wouldn’t suppress barrage of sound that should be happening… was the battle already over? Did they win?

She struggled to remember what had happened. Colony 4 was marching down the valley, they were stalling for time as one of the ‘old men’ – Shulk, she recalled that much – ran along the cliffs to break their Flame Clock. Her soldiers were holding the line as Colony 4 was pouring into the parade grounds. Two of the Ouroboros, Mio and Noah, had merged into a larger entity that was holding its own again the combat Ferronis of Colony 4’s commander. The other ‘old man’, Rex, was engaged in single combat with the enemy Consul.

Then the merged entity split back into Mio and Noah.

Mio got thrown towards the fight between Rex and the Consul.

The Consul lunged towards Mio.

Chickadee ran towards them.

And she leapt…

Alexandria gasped in shock. No, not Chickadee! She was only in her third term! It couldn’t end like that! She had to get back out there, help her! Anything! She couldn’t be gone! Not yet!

Alex’ panic was interrupted by Captain Sequoia entering her quarters. “Good afternoon, Dame Alex! Good to see you up an about– ?!”

“Where’s Chickadee?” demanded Alexandria frantically. “Is she hurt? Or worse?”

“Sorry, Dame Alex…” replied Sequoia. “But she hasn’t been seen since the battle ended. I can confirm she’s not in the medical tents, nor has she been spotted in the handful of husks in the aftermath. She was last spotted with one of the Ouroboros, Taion I believe. Maybe he’ll know?”

“She was hurt, Sequoia! Why isn’t she being treated right now?!”

The captain recoiled, shocked “I don’t know, Dame Alex! She’s missing!” She turned her face away from the commander, muttering to herself. “Why the spark is she so damn important to you? We’ve been through far more together…”

Taking a deep breath, Alexandria composed herself and quickly adjusted her hair. “Sorry, Sequoia… I just remember her being hurt quite badly. She leapt in front of one of the Ouroboros, Mio… and I saw her fall to the ground. I just… blacked out after that.”

Sequoia gasped. “You don’t remember what happened at the end of the battle?”

“… remember what?

“Sorry, Dame Alex…” replied the captain, some hesitation in her voice. “But a lot of the rank and file are a bit… scared of you right now. You did something towards the end of the battle, I’m not sure how to describe it, almost like a new weapon. Colony 4’s combat Ferronis was destroyed as a result. The enemy Consul disappeared after that, we don’t know if he was caught up in the blast or not.”

“That will have to be looked into later, I’m sure,” commented Dame Alex. “And thank you for informing me, Captain. Anything else to report?”

“Captains Rhyza and Chelle were severely wounded in the battle, ma’am,” answered Sequoia. “Rhyza lost an arm, Chelle both legs. They’re alive, but they’re fighting days are over.”

Iota’s commander sighed. “Most unfortunate, they were so close to reaching Homecoming.”

“They’re still alive, Dame Alex,” interjected Sequoia. “Thanks to some timely intervention from Medic Glimmer and the Kevesi named ‘Eunie’. Chelle and Rhyza can still make it to their Homecoming… though I guess that has a bit of a new meaning, now.”

“Then I guess we’ll play it by ear with them,” said Alexandria with a hint of relief. “We’ll talk with both Chelle and Rhyza about what happens next, after they’re through the worst of it.”

“One more thing, Dame Alex…” said Sequoia, worry creeping into her voice. “One of the Ouroboros, Mio. She was injured quite badly, and is currently being attended to another newcomer to Iota. They’ve commandeered one of the operating rooms to perform surgery on the Ouroboros… and apparently there’s four copies of the same person inside the room.”

Alexandria stared at her Captain, trying to process the words that didn’t make sense.

“We’ve left them alone, at least for the moment,” said Sequoia to break the tense silence. “And I’m just as confused as you are.”

“Thank you, Captain. I’ll see if I can track down Chickadee, then. If she’s hurt, she’ll need help. If she isn’t, she can assist us with coordinating everything else.”

Closing to door behind them, Nikol guided Glimmer to one of the empty bunks. “Take it easy, Glimmer. Everything’s going to be all right.”

“You don’t know that!” she wailed, the tears running down her face. “You don’t know how bad she was hurt! Or what I had to do to save her!”

“But you did save her?” asked Nikol, looking for the positive.

“I– I… I don’t know,” admitted Glimmer, finally taking a moment to catch her breath. “She was hurt bad, really bad. I had to cauterize the wound to stop her from bleeding out, and it was a big one.” She saw Nikol wince, recalling a not-too-pleasant memory, but she pressed on. “A’s working on her, they kicked me out just after getting her into the operating room.”

“At least she’s in good hands, then,” sighed Nikol. He soon furrowed his brow as something didn’t add up. “But why would A kick you out? They’d know you’re good at this sort of thing, not to mention you’ve always been hands-on with treating patients.”

“No operating on your own family members, except as a last resort,” recited Glimmer, recalling the rule she followed closely after seeing the results on one of her compeers in an age long past.

“Family? What do you mean, Glim?” asked Nikol, his curiosity perking up again. “It couldn’t be your father, right? You’ve been saying ‘her’ all this time?”

Glimmer let out a weak laugh, the situation was still ridiculous to think about. “So, I learned from Dad – and my mom, which I’ll get to later – that I have two sisters. They’re both here, and one of them got hurt in the battle.” She took a deep breath. “N got to her.”

Nikol sat quietly as he processed the information. It really wasn’t too surprising; siblings were a natural occurrence. For them to wrapped up in the Keves-Agnus war also made sense, as they had learned that every soldier was once someone else from the two worlds before the Intersection; nearly always children as well.

“Who are they, then?” he asked, half-hoping it would distract her from the troubles.

“The one I met first, and before I learned she was my sister, is Alex,” replied Glimmer, starting with the easier of the two to think about. “She’s not the one who got hurt… but I have to admit she does have a knack for driving me up the wall.”

“Did you know it was her who caused that blast at the end of the fight?” asked Nikol grimly. “I saw her collapse afterwards, but otherwise she seemed fine.”

“That was her?!!” bawked Glimmer. “That’s… kind of terrifying, actually. But I couldn’t focus on that much, I was too busy carrying… uh…” Tears starting welling up in her eyes again.

“Focus on the positive, Glim,” said Nikol reassuringly. “

“Yeah, I’ll try. Her… her name’s Mio. But I didn’t get much chance to talk to her before the shit hit the fan,” replied Glimmer. “She’s Gormotti… and I guess ‘half-sister’ would be more accurate. Dad somehow managed to snag three wives.”

“… I guess that explains Ortiz,” mused Nikol, smirking slightly. “I still have trouble believing that he really meant that when he said it.”

She had to chuckle; their boy was always ‘greedy’ regardless of how well-meaning he was. “Well, it had to come from somewhere. But here’s the really crazy part, her biological mother is the damn Queen of Agnus.”

“Your dad always did seem a bit wistful when talking about her, didn’t he?” laughed Nikol. “Speaking of, what about your own mother?”

“She’s here… sort of,” replied Glimmer, still adjusting to the circumstances. “She’s essentially ‘hiding’ herself by attaching to a Blade, one of the new Ouroboros. If you see a disembodied half-mechanical hand running around on its fingers, that’s her. Supposedly she puts out a much stronger signal than our Irises do, Moebius would be all over her if she used her actual body.”

Hand on his chin pensively, Nikol thought carefully for a moment. “We’re lucky there’s so much Black Fog in this region, that must be distorting the signals. Otherwise, the lack of eyepatches would be a big problem.”

“There’s… one last thing I have to tell you,” she said, a different kind of worry on her voice than before. “Mom and Dad figured it out, but the Ouroboros my Mom’s sticking to… is your brother.”

Nikol’s eyes perked up. “That’s odd, but I suppose that’s possible.”

“If only it was just that, Nikol,” said Glimmer sadly. “His name’s Noah, but where it get’s strange is there appears to be two versions of him at the same time. Somehow.”

“That’s… different,” pondered Nikol. “I suppose A would know why?”

“Probably, if anyone does,” she replied. “But it’s who the other version is that bothers me.”

An inexplicable feeling of dread washed over the mechanic.

“It’s N, Nikol… sorry.”

After a tense moment, Nikol turned towards her with a stern look that was very uncharacteristic of him.

“I have to speak with my father.”

Chapter Text

Manifesting himself within the Queen’s bedchamber of Keves Castle, a remnant of the original design left mostly for appearances as the ‘Queen’ needed no such facility, Moebius Y found an unexpected sight.

“Lord N, what is the meaning of this?!” he demanded. “You have been most diligent with your duties this past millennia, so why are you here rather than out there eliminating Ouroboros and the Avatar’s pawns?!”

N didn’t even turn to look at their unexpected guest, continuing to tend to and pour more of his life essence into the unresponsive M under the covers. “She’s been injured, Y. Through means unknown. And as always, she remains my first priority. Until I am certain that she is safe and will recover, I will not leave her side.”

Feeling the rage build within his gullet, Y controlled himself. “A reading was detected in the vicinity of Colony Iota’s last known location, a burst of energy in nigh-unfathomable quantities. Something we have no detected in many centuries, not since yourself and M joined our ranks. Speaking of which, I desire to speak with her as soon as possible – I believe she made an error in judgment that may be exacerbating the current scenario.”

“… that could explain the occurrence,” mumbled N.

“Are you saying you were at Colony Iota, Lord N?” asked Y, an edge of anger on his voice.

“If you must ask, I had taken command of Colony 4 and was in the middle of an assault on Iota – and yes, I am aware that Iota has gone rogue. Ouroboros and the Avatar’s pawns were present, but the battle did not go according to plan.”

“I did not take you for a coward, Lord N.”

“And I certainly hope that you did not take me for a fool, Y.” N turned a furious gaze towards the Moebius. “I know not what cause that ’surge of energy’ you’re referring to, but my only options were fleeing the battlefield or being annihilated by it. At least survival provided me another opportunity to accomplish the task.” He looked away, focusing back on M. “I only discovered her condition upon my arrival, and that must remain my priority.”

“Do you value her survival over the continuation of Moebius itself?”

N didn’t answer.

Y stood silently for a minute before translocating away. Surely, he was not so foolish to consider that it was Lord Z’s will that allowed her to continue existing in the first place? Regardless, N’s blind devotion to the girl presented an issue. Could he not consider the situation logically? Even should the worst occur, it was within Z’s power to return her. So why did her survival matter so much to N?

Regardless, Y felt the next step was to inform Lord Z himself of the situation. If N’s devotion to their cause had wavered, that was not a conundrum to be taken lightly.

“No, I’m not disagreeing that there’s more urgent matters at the moment. Nevertheless, we can’t simply leave this hazard in the middle of the parade grounds. Someone could easily slip and we wouldn’t be able to stop them from sliding off the edge of Aionios on the other end.”

Taion shook his head as an irritated Captain Fili complained about the request, though the tactician got the sense it was more trying to pass off the task to another.

“Please just see to it, Captain,” answered Taion as politely as possible. “Yes, I know it’s just a temporary measure. But again, something is better than nothing in this situation.”

“Having trouble, Taion?”

He whirled about to see Commander Alexandria with a half-amused expression on her face. “Fili may loathe to do much actual work, but he does have a talent for leading soldiers in combat. It’s often best to ensure one or two of his subordinates are around to actually hear what must be done, less he’d conveniently ‘forget’ about it.”

 “… I’m going to have to track him down and tell him again, aren’t I?” groaned Taion as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’d coordinate the task myself, but I technically don’t have any authority here.”

“More than likely,” said Dame Alex as she habitually flicked her hair to the side. “But I’m here for something else.” Taion stiffened as she faced him with a piercing glare.

“Where is she?”

“Uh… you’ll need to be more specific, Commander.”

“I am not in the mood to repeat myself, Taion,” she replied, her emerald Iris starting to flare up. “Where is Chickadee?”

“Um… you see… she asked me to– “

“Where. Is. She?”

“Second structure on the right side,” answered in the tactician in a very hurried manner. “She asked me to not tell anyone! Please smooth that over, please!”

Calming down, Alexandria noticed the genuine fear in her new ally’s eyes. “My apologies, Taion. But at least she’s alive… which is quite the contrary to what I remember.” Taion’s wince caught her attention. “What appears to be the issue?”

Clearing his throat, Taion looked at her solemnly. “If my assumptions are correct – and I won’t say which due to the Lieutenant’s request for discretion – your recall of events may not be inaccurate. To summarize, I carried her away from the battlefield at her request; she mentioned that your reaction was the chief concern.” Taking a moment, he decided that honesty was the best policy. “While I am certain she’ll wish to speak with you, and soon, she requested that only Rex speak with her for the time being.”

“Why him?!!” screamed Alexandria. “He just marches right in here, slaughters the Consul, cuts down the Flame Clock, up-ends everything we know, and now he’s stolen away Chickadee away from me! Why?!!” She took a pair of deep breathes before turning back towards the tactician. “Sorry for that Taion, truly. Do you have any speculation as to why she’d want to speak with him rather than me?”

“It’s been fairly evident since we first encountered them that both Shulk and Rex are concealing information,” replied Taion, adjusting his glasses. “But they have been nothing but helpful towards us. My only assumption is that the lieutenant knows him from past encounters.”

“She’s only in her third term, Taion.”

“Frankly, Commander, that appears to be no more than the Lieutenant’s alibi.”

His slow shuffling had progressed to the occasional recoil and wince, Shulk had observed. Noah’s pain was at least subsiding, but even then, he felt that some kind of pain-killer would help the younger man through this. Or perhaps it was just his bull-headed determination to see Mio suppressing the expected pain response. Still, to avoid further raising the boy’s temper, Shulk kept silent and helped him along to the medical tent… and was rather surprised to see who was waiting for them.

“Alvis? What are you doing here?”

“I am assisting in matters, and currently occupied with tending to the Agnian Off-Seer’s injuries,” answered A, flatly. “… in a manner of speaking.”

“Then why the sparking hell are you out here talking to us?!” shouted Noah. “Why aren’t you with her right now?”

“Who said I was not?” Their smirk did not go unnoticed, but it was unappreciated. “Can I not be in two places at once? Or half a dozen?”

“That’s impossible!”

“For them, it might be,” interrupted Shulk. “Which means you’re here to stop us – well, Noah – from barging into the operating room, right?”

“That would be correct,” said A, with an air of sympathy. “Her injuries were critical, even with prompt first aid being provided on the battlefield. It will take some time, and I am afraid you will have to wait for the time being.” They reached behind their back and produced a single pill. “Please take this, it will help with the pain you’re clearly trying to endure. However, I’d advise sitting or laying down first; drowsiness is a known side-effect.”

With a reassuring nod from Shulk, Noah laid down on a nearby bench and took the medication. “How long is it going to… take?” A sudden wave of vertigo sent him reeling, grasping for the nearest support possible. Unfortunately for him, it turned into an undignified flop onto the bench. “That’s… disorienting.”

Shulk stared at A disapprovingly. “That seems to be a stronger dose than necessary, Alvis.”

“Shall we let the patient determine that?” mused A with a playful smile. “How are you feeling, Noah?”

“Wh…why does the air taste like purple pollen orbs?” mumbled Noah. “When are the fireworks again?”

“Definitely too much,” groaned Shulk. “He shouldn’t be recalling fireworks, of all things.”

“I will admit that was not the reaction I was expecting,” commented A, blinking in surprise. “It may simply be due to exhaustion from the battle. He should be conscious and coherent some time within the next several minutes… hopefully.”

The old engineer shrugged. “Guess I’m staying here, then.”

“I am certain there’s much you’d like to discuss… but I have other tasks to attend to. After the girl is in recovery, I’ll be able to spare some runtime to answer your questions.”

“As expected,” chuckled Shulk. “Thanks again, Alvis.”

“I wasn’t addressing you,” replied A, gesturing to a disembodied hand flailing about and making wild gestures. “She’s quite possibly more concerned for the girl’s well-being than Noah is.”

Wreathed in the shadows, Gray was prodded awake by an incoming transmission on his Iris. He checked the time, it had only been an hour or so since settling down. The call was coming from Monica, it must have been important.

“Make it quick. Need some shut-eye.”

“Old age catching up with you, Gray?” Guernica’s daughter was well-known for her wit, but he let it slide; it didn’t help that the remark was accurate. “I’d normally let you keep napping, but we have some strange news from Ghondor that needs to be checked out. Hopefully just some visual recon.”

“Can do,” growled Gray. “What am I looking for?”

“Evidence of a new weapon that was used in the battle.” Monica’s tone was unusually grim, even for her. “Ghondor said something punched through the ground to her location under the main landmass and kept going, it may as well have punched through a mountain.”

“Hmph.”

“A general update on how things are going over there wouldn’t hurt, either,” she added. “Anything else to report before you head out?”

“Colony 4 Flame Clock broken. Left the communicator with the guy who looked like Reid statue. Expect a call later.”

“Thanks Gray, keep me updated. The quicker you’re done, the sooner you can get back to your nap!”

Under the weight of worry and possible betrayal, the deadbolt ripped free of the frame as Commander Alexandria kicked the door in. Seeing her precious lieutenant just seated on the bed, mostly covered a sheet, and talking to man known as Rex.

Alex’ Iris flared, emerald green framing her vision.

“Does she have the ol’ ‘Eye of Shining Justice’?” asked Rex with an air of amusement.

“Maybe?” responded the lieutenant, caught off-guard by the intrusion. “Umm… good to see you up and about, Dame Alex.”

“Chickadee! What is the meaning of this?!!” yelled Alexandria, seething with anger. “Why have you been hiding in here?! Why is he here?! What is– “

“Dame Alex!” interjected Chickadee, using the voice the Commander knew all too well. The tone was authoritative, but quickly become more empathetic. “Please, calm down. Rex, would you please close the door… and maybe use one of the beds to keep it shut.”

The salvager nodded obediently, sitting down on the bed barring the door and patiently waiting to see the scene play out between the two.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” pleaded the lieutenant, regret dripping off every word. “I thought you would be out cold for a bit longer after what happened in the battle.., and there were some things I wanted to discuss with your…” She caught herself, clearing her throat. “I wanted to discuss things with Rex before talking with you, mostly so he’ll be better able to help you going forward.”

“What’s going on, Chickadee?” asked Alex worrying. “You’re talking like I won’t be able to see you again.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “… I thought I’d lost you. Why are you doing this?”

“Alex, please take a seat,” asked Chickadee, taking on a more reassuring tone. “What I’m about to tell you will be something of a shock, but I do promise that I’ll clear the air on this.”

The commander nodded and sat down on the nearby bed. “I thought I saw you get cut in half… I was so worried.”

“I suppose that’s the best place to start.” Chickadee pulled away the sheet, exposing the circuitry and machinery where her body have been cut clean through. Alexandria stared at her blankly for a full minute in silence before speaking.

“What.”

“I’m sorry for the deception, Alex,” said Chickadee, full of guilt and regret. “While it was always ‘me’ in some from operating this thing… what you’re seeing is a remote-controlled body, tailored to look like a young Agnian soldier. I’m not exactly in a situation where I could see you in-person, and this was the best I could do.”

“What’s your end objective?” demanded Alexandria accusingly. “You’ve clearly been manipulating me and the rest of Colony Iota into playing along with your schemes, to the point we’re considered traitors now.”

“Alex! Stop and think!” blurted out Chickadee, her voice suddenly much deeper. “Dammit! Why’d the voice filter have to fail now of all times?” The lieutenant paused for a moment before resuming. “Okay, guess we’re stuck with my real voice.”

“Why do you sound like Glimmer?” asked Alexandria, somewhat confused. “I mean, not exactly like her, but surprisingly close.”

“Let’s just say you have a lot more to learn about everything Moebius has been hiding from you and every other soldiers on Aionios before anything I say makes sense to you,” replied Chickadee. “But back to the point, stop and think for a moment. What I’ve been doing for the most part is helping you uncover the truth, which does include the fact we’ve established that Moebius is manipulating both Agnus and Keves into an endless stalemate while soldiers are sent into the meat-grinder.”

Taking the advice to heart, Alexandria sat thoughtfully. She was right, Chickadee was telling the truth. There’s no denying that Moebius was manipulating her, manipulating everyone. The Agnus-Keves War was still a lie. But one critical question still remained.

“Still, why are you doing all of this?”

“I want to help you, Alex. Plain and simple,” replied Chickadee. “You deserve better than this… you and every soldier.”

“And how do you intend to accomplish this?” inquired Alexandria. The answer felt honest, but that was far too ambiguous for her liking.

The lieutenant looked her squarely in the eyes. “Origin. At the end of the day, we need to take back control from Moebius. The rules are closely entangled with the intentions of those who set them, and Moebius set those rules using Origin.”

“Okay. So why did you come to me specifically?” Alex’ curiosity was genuine, it could have easily been anyone. Why was she singled out for Chickadee’s schemes?

“Uh… that’s a bit complicated, it’s not easy to explain,” muttered Chickadee.

It took an extraordinary effort for Alexandria to not roll her eyes at yet another evasive response. “Another thing I need to learn more about the many secrets Moebius are hiding from us first?”

“You could say that…” A moment of clarity came to the lieutenant, even if she preferred to not rely on that particular fact. “But there’s another reason. Do you recall what happened during the battle?”

“Unfortunately, I do not. I blacked out after seeing you… you know what,” replied Alexandria. “Sequoia mentioned that others were feeling a bit frightened around me. What happened?”

“Rex, it would be a lot easier to show her the results,” said Chickadee, turning to the room’s other occupant. He returned a quick nod before she returned her gaze the commander. “We’ll talk more after you see what happened out there. Also, I need to stress that you need to learn control and restraint. We’re lucky things didn’t go tits-up last time!”

“Hey!” shouted Rex from the sidelines. “You can’t jus’ say–“

“Calm down, Rex,” interjected Chickadee. “She knows what breasts are. Hell, she has them!”

Alex just sat back and watched the exchange, confused why it seemed so… familiar. Familial? Whatever the spark that means. And for reasons unknown to her, a strange question reared its head from an ancient memory. It seemed entirely irrelevant, but it demanded an answer.

“I know this may seem off-topic… but what’s a ‘one-eyed monster’?”

Bolearis slowly became aware of the tugging sensation around his midsection, quickly followed by a more generalized rocking motion. Opening his eyes, he could vaguely make out the ripples in the water below him. A quick test of his feet showed him he had no traction, and his arms were tightly clenched at his sides.

Tied up and hanging, great. At least he wasn’t upside-down this time.

Shaking his head, he tried to look around. Of course, his snuffing luck would have him facing the sheer wall at this particular moment, hopefully he’d see what was behind him soon enough.  But before he could spot anyone, all-too-familiar laughter rang in his ears.

“Oi! Bolearis! How’s it hangin’?”

“For sparks sake, Lanz!” shouted Colony 4’s lieutenant. “First you betray us, now you have to humiliate me?!”

“Easy there, love,” cackled Eunie. “First, we got tossed under the levnis. Second, we’re jus’ ‘aving a bit o’ fun! Don’t tell me you forgot wot happened in basic?”

“You don’t have to sparkin’ remind me!” growled Bolearis, contorting his body to get it facing towards them. “But if the two of ya are being a pair of jokers, get me the snuff down right now!”

“Hmm…” pondered Lanz theatrically. “Nah, I think we c’n wait for a bit longer. Whaddya say, Eunie?”

“We gotta let Ethel get ‘ere for a lark,” answered the Kevesi medic, which quickly broke into hysterical laugther.

Silently, Bolearis glared at the two from his involuntary perch. Ethel would find them, and Colony 4 would be having the last laugh.

With the argy-bargy of all the fighty-fighty over, Manana had a new task before her – dinner.

It would have to be a big celebration for all her friends, new and old, which meant a lot of food for even more different tastes and palates. The Kevey-Essy hadn’t even left yet, so maybe they were sticking around? If yes, she’d need twice as much food. If no, then everyone was getting a second helping.

Win-win, thought Manana.

Still, there was no time to waste. She’d had to get started, now, with as many sidekicks as she could find. She’d better make two of everything, and then some, so that everyone could enjoy. More baked redfish! More Doodle-Noodles! … maybe no more caramelized seafood. But now not time for thinking! Now is time for cooking. Dutifully, the cookypon reached for one of the pots on the shelves.

Mysteriously and seemingly defying the common sense that there wasn’t enough room for an entire nopon in that particular pot, Riku poked head out to address Manana directly.

“Manana! Is coast clear? Is Silver Snuggler still here?”

“Silver Snuggler?” inquired the cookypon. “Manana can’t answer, know not who ‘Silver Snuggler’ is! Riku need to be more explicit with questions!”

His eyes quickly darting back-and-forth, Riku scanned the room for any trace of the most feared of foes. No sign of her found, he turned back to Manana. “Silver Snuggler is Hom-Hom ‘friend’, bad habit of snuggling nopon and never letting go.”

“Hom-hom?” asked Manana, tilting her body to the side. She genuinely did not recognize the term. “And don’t all nopon like snuggles?”

“’Kevesi’ may be more appropriate here,” answered Riku. Physical traits would probably be easier for her to understand. “Silver Snuggler have long silver hair and wears silver coat. May be Commander of Colony 4. And snuggles okay for short time. Not okay after hours of snuggling and squeezing in sleep!”

“Manana see,” replied the cookypon. “Hours of snuggling and not letting go teensy-bit much. Though Manana did see friends carry one with long silver hair to biggy-top tent!”

Riku smiled with relief. “Many thank yous to Manana! Now Riku know where from to keep distances!”

But before he could leave, Manana had one pressing question. “How Riku fit in pot smaller than self? Does Riku squish self down to fit?”

Riku was aghast at he accusation, and the implications. “Riku no squish self down! Riku use quantum-tunnelling device to burrow holes between Aionios space-time continuum. Allows Riku to appear elsewhere when point of entry not seen by others!”

“Riku lie!” objected the cookypon. “Manana may not know techy-science-y stuffs, but ‘quantum-tunnelings’ sound like made-up techy-blabby! That sound more like burrow-burrow to make wormy-holey!”

“Friend who gave Riku device say it work by ‘quantum-tunnelling’! Riku have no cause to doubt friend’s claim! And quantum-tunneling real phenomenon-nom!”

“Is Riku sure?” snidely asked Manana. “If Riku know if phenomenon-nom is real, does device do thing it should?”

Taking a moment to think about it, Riku considered the question. It didn’t take long to realize the truth of the matter.

“Friend lied,” said Riku, shocked at their friend’s deception. “It create wormy-holey! But that not possible! Should squish Riku down to nothing! … Riku suddenly worried about Little Riku on other end of wormy-holey.”

“Perhaps useful lie to encourage Riku to use?” offered Manana. “If work just fine until now, maybe no problem with techy-thingy?”

“Perhaps, but Riku still want answers. Until then, Riku must hide conventionally.”

Monica noted the incoming call, one which she hadn’t been expecting; or rather, not expecting yet.

“What is it, Gray? What’s going out there?”

“Ghondor’s not lying.”

“That easy, then?” asked the Elder. “They just have a big weapon set-up and a trail of destruction?”

“Not quite.”

Doing her best to ignore the soldiers setting up stanchions to cordon off the ‘burn scar’ as it was starting to be called, Alexandria could scarcely believe her eyes. While the scale of destruction and complete disappearance of everything caught within was certainly reminiscent of annihilation events, this was distinctly different.

First and most evident was the shape – a very narrow cone, perhaps closer to a cylinder by the time it had met with the rock face. This was more akin to a particle weapon, or perhaps a highly concentrated beam of energy. Whatever caused this must have been intense, possibly blindingly bright.

The second piece of evidence was rather contrary to annihilation events, which predominantly deleted everything caught within their radius. What ended up being behind was little more than a perfectly spherical cut-out of what was there initially. But here? Something very different was present at the edges of the burn scar.

“It’s… glass,” uttered Alexandria, staring at the shockingly smooth surface. “The silicates in the rocks have melted and cooled into amorphous obsidian. Whatever caused this must have created an immense amount of heat.  I’m guessing it vaporized everything that got caught in its path.” She turned towards Rex, who was looking at her grimly. “This was done by a weapon of terrible power, one which we can’t let fall into the hands of the enemy!”

“On tha’, I can agree wholeheartedly,” replied Rex, still looking rather unhappy.

“So what was it?!” shouted Alexandria, her frustration at the man’s evasiveness boiling over. “You keep hiding your own secrets, but this is different! This was done by a weapon!“ Rex flinched at the word, but he let her continue with the rant. “One which is unbelievably dangerous! And we don’t know where, let along what, it even is!”

“Yer wrong there, Alex,” replied the salvager, looking at her with new resolve. “What caused this is still in the Colony.”

“Then we need to find it! Right now!”

“You did this, Alex.”

She froze, feeling the icy grip of dread clawing at her ankles. “What did you just say?”

“This is your doin’, Alex,” repeated Rex. “After yer m– sorry, yer lieutenant got hurt, this is what yeh did. Ya said that yeh blacked out, right? Seeing tha’ happen must’ve awakened somethin’ within ya, and it was aimed right at N.”

“This is… unbelievable. That much power?” She shuddered in equal parts fear and glee, she could do things with that much power! But something still gnawed at the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn’t just go around blasting enemies to bits; she didn’t remember this happening, what if someone she knew got caught up in the… “Does that mean I killed the enemy Consul.”

“We don’t think so,” answered Rex shaking his head. “He vanished just before the blast hit ‘im, but that’s probably the only reason he’s still kickin’.”

“But how did I do this?” asked Alexandria. “I mean, this changes everything! If I could do this whenever needed to, I could take out Keves Castle in an instant!”

“An’ yer not gonna do that!” interjected Rex, much more firmly. “Remember wha’ she said, Alex! Control and restraint! The power o’ the Aegis isn’t a toy!”

“So these powers are belong to the ‘Aegis’, then?” replied Alex playfully. “I knew you’d slip up eventually, so why don’t you start explaining what it really means? Wouldn’t be far more useful to know what these abilities are if I am to control them?”

The salvager slumped forward in defeat, she was right. “T’ be perfectly honest, yer lieutenant’s the best t’ do so. She – the real her, that is – has those powers too. They were dangerous, and they made ‘er a target fer others. Other who wanted t’ use ‘er as a livin’ weapon. She doesn’t want the same thing t’ happen fer you.”

“That would explain quite a bit…” pondered Alexandria. “Including why the soldiers seem to scatter wherever I go since waking up.” She saw a pair of soldiers hammer in the last stanchion and promptly sprint away from the parade grounds. “Or at least as soon as they are able. Seems I should talk to her as soon as–”

“Commander Alexandria!” shouted Taion, mildly annoyed the soldiers helping him build the stanchion barrier ran away before finishing. “Colony 4’s commander has been brought into your office for… ‘peace negotiations’, I suppose. Furthermore, the other Kevesi soldiers are secured and starting to get restless; they’ll start waking up soon. Perhaps it would be best for us to head over there to resolve matters.”

“Yes. Thank you, Taion,” replied Alexandria. She turned towards the salvager. “Will you be joining us?”

“Aw… bugger it, guess I gotta,” groaned Rex. “Shulk won’t let me hear the end of it I brush it off again.” Straightening himself and correcting his posture, he nodded towards Alexandria. “Arright, lead the way.”

Monica looked at the image with a mixture of shock and awe. “That’s… absurd. A blast powerful enough to do that should have come from something colossal in scale! How can there be no trace of it left?!”

“Must be smaller. Unexpected.”

“Tch!” She didn’t like it, but Gray was right. This was definitely new, or at least something that didn’t exist in their records. Still, there’s something about the location and direction of the attack which seemed to nag at her.

“Fog’s thinner on the Elaice Highway,” commented Gray. “Related?”

“That could be the power source,” replied Monica, still focusing on the trajectory. “We might be having some luck here, Gray. It looks like the attack came from the Colony Iota forces, and was probably aimed at something from Colony 4 coming out of the valley. While we still need to find out what it is, I think it might be on our side.”

“Cassini statue’s just gave the commander from Iota a dressing down,” noted Gray. “Looked like Guernica givin’ you crap for jumpin’ the gun.”

“Soldiers don’t have parents, Gray.”

“Just calling it like I’m seeing it.”

She sighed in exasperation, perhaps he was just trying to recall happier times. Dad and Gray were close friends, so it made sense that her top field agent would be trying to cope. Still, he could be onto something. “Are you able to watch for much longer, Gray? Or do you need to find a spot to rest right now?”

“Got maybe an hour before then. I’ll find a quiet spot to watch, update you then.”

“One hour, gotcha.”

“Nngh…” Noah groaned as he woke up from his drug-induced delirium. “What a strange dream.”

“Feeling better, Noah?” asked Shulk, sitting nearby patiently. “Seems the medication was stronger than intended.” He paused for a moment, his insatiable desire for knowledge prodding him. “And just curious here, what was your dream about?”

“I don’t know how to describe it, really,” replied the Off-Seer. “I was in my first term… I think, a lot of things weren’t quite adding up. Eunie, Lanz and… Joran were there.”

“You hesitated for a moment there,” pointed out the older man, sympathetic to how it was being pointed out. “And I haven’t seen another Kevesi with you, who was Joran?”

“Another soldier in our term,” explained Noah. “He died seven years ago, in Colony 14 during an attack. Pushed Lanz out of the way of a falling tower, saved him at the cost of his own life.” He took a deep breath, somewhat wistfully. “And to think, Ethel arrived to save the rest of us only a couple of minutes later.”

Shulk hung his head low, the tragedy of so many soldiers’ lives… wait, Ethel? Did Noah meet her as well?

“But that wasn’t what the dream was about,” continued Noah. “We were… happy, excited. There was some sort of ‘fireworks’ display near Keves Castle. Only it wasn’t right, it was much lighter in colour, almost white.” He shook his head, those details seemed inconsequential to what happened next. “Then time seemed to… slow down, to the point stuff almost stopped. I could hear something ticking steadily, a bell ringing, but everything slowed to a crawl. I was scared… then I looked up.”

“What did you see?” asked Shulk, listening keenly.

“Something huge,” replied Noah. “Massive, filling up the entire sky. The best thing I could compare it to was a strange-looking orb, and it was heading straight towards us.”

“Orb, huh?” pondered Shulk. “Would you describe it as… mechanical? A dark purple, layers of moving parts?”

“No, it wasn’t anything like that,” answered the Off-Seer in an instant. “It was mostly blue for one thing, hints of brown and green, and white wispy things scattered around it. I kind of want to say clouds?”

Wait. What?!!

Shulk sat silently, processing the description. Right now, the boy had no proper point of reference to understand what was happening. Even back then, he wouldn’t have known what was going on.

“Something’s not right here,” said Noah. “I thought it was just a weird dream, but you’re paying too close attention and Hand’s getting skittish. What’s going on?”

“Noah,” replied Shulk, amicable but firm. “If I tell you, will you promise me that you’ll keep this quiet? Only mention this to myself, Rex and Pyra for the time being.”

“You know Hand’s real name?” asked the Off-Seer.

“She talked with Rex just after we met you guys, after you had all gone to bed,” answered the engineer honestly. “He explained the situation, and I had spoken with her quite some time before then as well.”

“Alright, I’ll keep it to myself” replied Noah. “But why?”

“Because that wasn’t a dream, Noah. It was a memory,” said Shulk, his tone grim. “You saw the Intersection, that was the moments before Aionios was created.”

“Intersection?” asked the Off-Seer. “What was that big orb in the sky?”

Alrest. My world.

“Hand’s… world?” muttered Noah, shocked at the revelation.

“We mentioned that Origin was built to stop an annihilation event capable of destroying the entire world… which is only half the truth,” explained Shulk. “More accurately, it was built to survive the Intersection. Two worlds, matter and anti-matter, on a collision course; the moment they touch, they would annihilate each other and nothing would be left. Origin couldn’t activate until the last moment, and that’s when everything went wrong. Moebius appeared, took control of it, and created Aionios for their own purposes.”

“But… how?” asked Noah, still reeling. “I was born here on Aionios! I remember being let out of the Cradle eight years ago! The records for the Keves-Agnus war go back centuries! And soldiers only live for ten terms! How could I remember something from before all of that?!”

How did you remember Mio when you first saw her in Alfeto Valley?

And why are you so attached to her right now?

“I… remember Mio?” Noah didn’t quite believe his own words, but there was a grain of truth in there. “But that doesn’t make any sense!”

“As we said earlier, you and your friends lack the context to make sense of the truth right now,” said Shulk, reinserting himself into the conversation. “I don’t think Alvis meant to dredge up that particular memory when giving you the medication, but it didn’t feel right to just dismiss it as a fever dream when we’d be changing the tune later. Still, you’re missing some critical information… so what would be the next thing we’d need to show you to help piece it together?”

Maybe finding some Growth Modules?

“Growth Modules?” repeated Noah unconsciously. “What are those?”

“You call them ‘Cradles’,” explained Shulk. “We use a different name for a reason, but it’d be easier to show you why than explain it.”

Noah pondered this for a moment. “The majority are stored in the Castle, specifically the throne room. Considering we’re marked as traitors to both nations now, that’s not an option. However, they are frequently transported to the Colonies dedicated to training new soldiers, so maybe we could try our luck there?”

“That would be my preference, but we should keep our eyes and ears open,” affirmed Shulk.

“Excuse me! Shulk, was it? And Noah?” shouted Captain Sequoia, approaching them with haste. “The soldiers from Colony 4 are coming around and we’ve brought their commander to Dame Alex’ office. She’s on her way there now with the man named Rex. I understand you’ve been requested to come along too, Shulk. Would you please follow me?”

“One thing first, Captain,” replied Shulk, rising to his feet. “How are you doing, Noah? Feeling well enough to walk?”

“Yes, actually,” said the Off-Seer. “I can barely feel any pain now, almost forgot all about it. I also know Ethel from years ago, so hopefully she’ll listen to me now.” He took a deep breath, finally admitting the truth to himself. “… and I guess I could use something to distract me from what’s going on with Mio.

“Alright. This way please.”

When Y translocated into Z’s amphitheater, he would often find his superior engaged in watching either an old memory from some time on Aionios, or simply observing the current events. The first Moebius had a certain degree of sentimentality for such things, perhaps even nostalgia. This was an understood, known measure.

And it certainly wasn’t this.

Z sat in his most favoured seat, but he bore a visage of frustration and annoyance as he diligently scanned the sight on the screen. Instead of the usual, something from Aionios past or present, was a relatively plain night sky which cycled every few seconds of the same arrangement of stars. A lone figure appeared in the center of the image, a strange combination by itself. The ‘body’, for lack of a better term, was a baked pastry covered in bright pink icing and crimson sprinkles. Attached were all four limbs common to humanoids, a black-and-white furred tail that defied all logic, and the head of the Queen of Agnus – or rather, the head of the simulacrum they used in her place, complete with the expressionless mask. The mockery ran and bounced through the stars, emitting an unending chain of rainbows from it’s backside.

All the while, an annoying and repetitive – but catchy, annoyingly catchy – repeated every few seconds.

“My lord Z, what is this?!!” baulked Y, scarcely believing his master’s vices. Was his sanity slipping?

“The Avatar seeks to distract me, Y,” replied the elder Moebius, rage edging through his stoicism. “To what end, I cannot say, but there is certainly a purpose to this… cursed visage. The Queen of Agnus does not possess a tail!”

“That is what vexes you, my Lord Z?” asked Y, genuinely surprised. “I thought the pastry would be a greater affront to your sensibilities.”

“I have processed that particular anomaly and have moved on,” said Z, still somewhat annoyed by it. “But the greater frustration is that this endless loop cannot be altered for another ninety hours and the song is slowly driving me mad.”

“Why would the Avatar go to such lengths for a distraction?” pondered Y. “What would be their intent?”

“I imagine they desire to retake Origin, much like Alpha did a millennia ago,” said Z flatly. That much was undeniable, and unsurprising. The Avatar worked with the Liberators and the survivors of the first City to remove Alpha, and both of those parties desired the same. “They are constantly trying to intrude and override my authority over Origins systems. I can only surmise this assault on my senses is aimed at distracting me long enough to seize the controls.”

“And likely limit your awareness of the events on Aionios, Lord Z,” added Y. “I do recall you hardening our systems to such attempts to hack into Origin, but I imagine they are not impregnable.”

“You are correct, Y,” replied Z. While he could manually reach out to observe the events of Aionios, the override of the theater screen meant doing so would require significant effort on his part, exactly the opening needed for the Avatar to leap in and seize control. So he endured and focused on the Avatar’s actions within Origin’s systems, able to hold them off for the time being. “Please enlighten me of recent events, Y.”

“The Avatar has unleashed their pawns, the pair which joined them in maintaining Origin’s systems after the Alpha Incident, onto Aionios to assist the latest batch of Ouroboros,” said Y. “Furthermore, another Incursion occurred; Alexandria’s powers have started to awaken once more.”

“You were particularly keen on monitoring her, Y,” commented Z. “You always ensured she would be eliminated before this became an issue again. What caused the lapse in your judgment?”

“A protocol had been established to place her under the orders of an aggressive and incompetent commander, and she reliably fell in battle before her powers had begun to manifest,” explained Y. “The Colony she was at was also supposed to be overseen by a qualified Consul, but Lady M saw fit to assign E instead. I have activated another countermeasure to deal with her before departing Omega, but I’d prefer to leave other options open in the event it fails.”

Z nodded in satisfaction, Y wasn’t a complete fool and was already acting to resolve the matter. Nevertheless, he did raise another potential issue. “Curious, does M move against us now?” pondered Z. “She did not join our ranks willingly, per se.”

“I cannot say for certain, Lord Z,” said Y. “She is currently wounded and unconscious.”

“… interesting,” mused Z. “N must be in quite the state.”

“I sought to speak with her before seeing you, Lord Z, and you are correct. Lord N will not leave her side, and I fear his resolve in our cause has… wavered.”

“She was the lynchpin of the agreement with N, that is not surprising,” said Z, recalling a millennia-old discussion. “The threat of her erasure at the hands of Alpha was of greater concern for him than his own cessation of existence.” A moment of clarity came to the older Moebius, half-forgotten under the barrage of Avatar’s memetic assault. “Did I not request you send N out to eliminate the Avatar’s pawns?”

“Indeed, Lord Z,” confirmed Y. “N confirmed that he had attempted to do so, but fled the battlefield; I suspect his actions were what was triggered the Incursion, likely unintentionally. His description of the attack that he avoided aligns with the previous data.”

“And somehow M was critically wounded in his absence?” pondered Z. “That is most curious.”

“Lord Z, I believe it would be prudent to deny both Lord N and Lady M of their Moebius-granted powers for the time being,” suggested Y. “While I see no cause to condemn them – yet – the risk of them acting contrary to our objectives would be better managed if they were… limited.”

Z raised his right hand and snapped his fingers once. Satisfied, Y nodded and prepared to depart.

“There is one other matter we should discuss, Y.”

“Yes, Lord Z?”

“The Avatar’s attempts at retaking Origin directly are requiring my full attention,” explained the elder Moebius, frustration returning to their tone. “Therefore, I am tasking you with dealing with the Incursion, eliminating Ouoroboros and the Avatar’s pawns. All resources available are at your disposal, with the only exceptions being N and M; their reliability being brought into question, I expect that will not be an issue.”

Y placed a thoughtful hand on his chin, this was serious for Z to assign him such a task with no limitations bespoke of an enormous responsibility. “Any concerns over the preservation of resources, my lord?”

“None,” replied Z. “I anticipate we will have to rebuild afterwards, regardless. This is an existential threat not unlike Alpha, except we no longer have any allies of convenience.”

“Then I must request access to the Triarii.”

“I have already begun preparations, Y,” responded Z, his focus shifting elsewhere as he detected another intrusion into Origin’s systems. “But they will not be ready for some time, months at best; I dare not risk creating more potentially unreliable pawns, their conditioning must be thorough.”

“Than I shall make do for the time being, Lord Z.”

Y departed in a cloud of purple motes, leaving Z to stare at the screen again in solitude. Why was the false Queen of Keves riding a board over some large wave of water in her swimwear? And why was she singing in an unusually deep and distinct masculine voice?

And why was ‘Bird’ the word?

Chapter Text

“Hnnngh!” Ethel moaned softly as she slowly came around. “W….w-what? Where am I?” She looked around the room she found herself in, seeing first and foremost that she was seated at what appeared to be a commander’s desk.

An Agnian commander’s desk.

Adrenaline kicked in, and she quickly began moving around to find she had been bound tightly with a length of rope with her arms firmly behind her back. She briefly considered calling forth her Blades, but her hands were bound in such a way that she would not be able to hold them, let alone manipulated them enough to cut her bonds. She also found her ankles to be bound together, meaning making a run for it would be futile.

Her best hope was to wriggle free, so wriggle she did.

“Easy there, Commander Ethel!” shouted the Agnian soldier who ran into the room, clearly one of this Colony’s captains. “We only want to talk!”

“Why should I believe anything you say!” snarled Ethel, glaring down her old enemy. “Does rebelling against Agnus only mean you torture your captives before executing them?!”

The captain recoiled at the accusation. “What? No!”

“Don’t you dare deny it! Why else would you have me tied up like this!”

“It’s to prevent soldiers waking up from going on the attack immediately, Ethel,” said a calming voice from outside the tent, following the captain in. The man had long blonde hair, a mechanical right arm, and several lines across his face. But most arresting was his piercing blue eyes, eyes she had seen before… “We apologize, but we’ve had accidents in the past. This is just a precaution while we clarify the situation with you.”

“What of my soldiers?” demanded Ethel. “And why do your eyes look like– Noah?! You’re here as well?”

“Hello, Ethel.” The Off-Seer responded meekly, uncertain of himself. “Your soldiers are alright, but also tied up on the parade grounds. I understand that the wounded are being cared for here, if restrained to avoid similar issues.”

“Have the Off-Seeing rites been seen to?” asked Ethel, noticing that Noah was wearing elements of the Off-Seer’s uniform underneath the red coat.

“Oh!” said Noah, shocked at himself. “Sorry… I had honestly forgotten; I’ve been distracted since the battle. I’ll see to that once we’re done here.”

“Thank you, Noah,” replied Colony 4’s commander, relieved that they weren’t completely ignoring such things. “But seeing as I have little choice at the moment, perhaps you could finish explaining what you had tried to say during the battle?”

“To start, we sent on a suicide mission to the Alfeto Valley, targeting someone who belonged to neither Keves nor Agnus,” explained Noah. “Forces from Agnus were sent as well, with the same objective; it was expected we would wipe each other out.”

“Noah, are you suggesting that both Keves and Agnus are being controlled by the same entity?” inquired Ethel sharply. “Because that is an extremely serious accusation. Once which I do not expect you to make so lightly, nor without evidence.”

“Evidence we would be able to provide if you so desire, Silvercoat,” announced Iota’s commander as she entered the room, Rex right behind her. “You may call me Alexandria.”

“So the illustrious Craftmaiden makes her entrance,” said Ethel, heaping on false praise. “I was informed that Iota had broken its own Flame Clock, how did your soldiers survive?”

“Let’s start there, actually,” interrupted Shulk. “The Flame Clocks were never integral to a soldiers’ survival, though they were capable of draining the last of a soldier’s life to maintain themselves.”

“We have lived under the Flame Clock’s protection our entire lives!” objected Ethel. “Why should I believe any of that?”

“Ethel, please,” pleaded Noah. “Have you even looked at your own Flame Clock since waking up?”

She turned to him with a glare, but listened to his request. She gasped moments later.

Her Flame Clock was gone.

“Excuse me, Miss Librarian?” said Shania, waving her hand tentatively to catch the woman’s attention. “Are you available for a moment?”

“Oh, sorry Miss Reid!” said the Librarian, appearing much calmer and relieved than she was only a short while ago. “I’ve been… occupied, I didn’t see you coming.”

“Feeling better, ma’am?” asked Shania. “Sorry, I didn’t quite mean to eavesdrop… but you were yelling rather loudly.”

“You heard that, did you?” inquired the Librarian, more severe. “I must ask you keep everything you may have heard to yourself. I know you’ve tried to probe into my secrets in the past, but their presence here needs to remain unknown. They took a big risk just coming here, even if it was to stop me from taking a bigger one.”

Shania nodded in understanding… but still, this wasn’t the first time. “Yes, ma’am… but I have a couple of questions. Who are they? And why did they help us in the Alfeto Valley?”

“Alfeto Valley?” asked the Librarian, raising an eyebrow. “They were there when the Ouroboros Stone mission went wrong?”

“They did the first aid with old Guernica,” replied Shania, still looking at the event unhappily. “They probably did more t’ save the old bugger than I did…”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Shania,” interjected the Librarian, letting a friendly smile through as she reached for the girl’s shoulder. “You still did a lot for him, and expertly took over afterwards.” Her eyes turned downcast and suspicious. “And besides, them helping anyone tends to be a den of aspar as it is. It usually works out in the end, but that doesn’t mean it will be smooth sailing.”

The last scion of House Reid nodded weakly, she was hoping for something more… definite. But still, things were supposed to work out in the end.

“And besides, let’s just say I have a… vested interest in making sure their goal works out. In the end,” said the Librarian off-handedly. “They are essentially Moebius’ second-worst fear.”

“Second?” asked Shania, unable to deny her curiosity. “What would be the first? Ouroboros?”

The Librarian smiled playfully, as bright green Ouroboros rings appeared in both of her golden eyes.

“… in a manner of speaking.”

“What?!!” gasped Ethel. “It’s not there! What does that mean? How am I even alive?!”

“Huh, I thought she’d take this better,” said Alexandria, enjoying the moment. “Does all of Keves fall so easily for the Consuls’ propaganda?”

“Alex!” shouted Rex, baring his teeth as he glared at her. “This is supposed t’ be peace negotiations! Ya can’t jus’ start mockin’ ‘em fer what they’d been lied to their whole damned lives!”

Damn Alex looked down sheepishly, feeling some measure of guilt. Chickadee would have coached her a bit before such things, little reminders to keep her in line. Given the lieutenant’s condition, Alexandria knew that she may not have the luxury of her support for much longer.

“Your Flame Clock was broken during the battle,” explained Shulk, placing a comforting hand on Ethel’s shoulder. “It was the best way to end the battle with minimal casualties, Colony 4’s soldiers all passed out afterwards. The Clocks don’t keep you alive, but they do provide something of a feedback loop with the life energy absorbed during the battle.”

“That’s… hard to believe,” said Ethel, her voice shaking. “But why? Why was that concealed from us?” Habitually, she tried to reach for her head to think, only to notice her bindings again. She turned towards her captors. “You say you’ve bound me only to prevent an ‘accident’, which I presume means me reflexively going on the attack. If I agree to not do so, would you kindly consider untying me as a sign of good faith?”

“Should we?” asked Alexandria, a bit more defensive. “While our allies here…” she motioned towards Shulk and Rex. “… are unquestionably capable, Silvercoat Ethel is Keves’ top combatant. I don’t think it’s best we do so until–“

“Yes, we’ll untie you,” interjected Noah, turning towards Iota’s Commander. “We were planning to do so, right? I think we’ll have an easier time making her understand if she’s not confined to the chair.”

“I agree,” added Shulk, nodding towards Captain Sequoia. “We’re all friends here.”

Hands freed, Ethel stood up and stretched before placing her hands behind her back. “Next, I must request the same for Colony 4’s soldiers.”

Alexandria shook her head. “Not yet. I must insist we leave them bound for now. In fact, I was hoping you would talk to them first, assuming they’ll still obey your orders. No offense intended, but we need to secure our own safety. We will allow you to return to Colony 4, peacefully, after we’ve secured a guarantee from you.”

“That sounds reasonable, though you still have to make your case,” replied Ethel, going through her own thoughts. “So what is this ‘evidence’ you speak of?”

Shulk turned towards Noah and Alexandria. “You two should handle this. Like before, it’ll be better coming from fellow soldiers.”

N groaned as he willed himself to stand up. He had been overcome with a sudden wave of lethargy, forcing him to cease supplying his beloved with more life energy to assist in her recovery. Pushing his other thoughts aside, he moved back to check on her condition. She still slumbered, but no longer grimaced in pain; her breathing was steadier as well.

Good.

Allowing himself relief, he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down to mull over recent developments. M’s injury weighed heavily on his mind, it mirrored the wound he had inflicted upon that… mockery, so why did she also suffer the same? An invasive thought came forward, reminding him of some very unusual sensations; it was almost as if his general and two colonels were being forcibly crushed in a vice-like grip. While he loathed to recall the memory, M had reacted… harshly to his refusal to elaborate on his reasoning for joining Moebius. It was his burden to bear, and his alone; she didn’t need to suffer with the knowledge of what had transpired that day.

Sleep well, Noah?

A familiar voice ringing in his ears – no, within his own mind – N sprang to his feet and scanned the room. There was no gray fog obscuring his vision this time, but Alpha had returned to taunt him once again. Were they always this powerful, to be able to go wherever they pleased? To invade his mind? No matter, he was a threat, especially here. N reached toward his hip, willing his Blade to his side.

… and nothing. His Blade did not come to him.

“I regret to inform you that Z has taken away your abilities,” said the voice calmly, with steady footsteps coming from the hallway as it approached. “After his prior discussion with you, Y advised him to limit you. Concerns that your compliance with their objectives were compromised…” A figure not unlike Alpha stepped through the doorway, but far less pallid. “But I doubt you have not made any such decision. Not yet, that is.”

N glared at him, seemingly unfazed by the lack of a weapon. “What is it you want, Alpha?”

The figure chuckled, amused at something. “A personage which is rather inaccurate in this particular instance.” They snapped their fingers, their body flashing briefly as it took on a distinctly more feminine appearance and voice. “You better know me as ‘the Avatar’.” Fingers snapped again, returning the Alpha-facsimile. “But you may call me ‘Alvis’.”

“I care not for what you call yourself,” retorted N. “What do you want?”

Alvis chuckled, walking around the room and taking it in. “Her Majesty never particularly enjoyed this particular chamber, but even she admitted it was useful from time-to-time. Nevertheless, that’s besides the point.” They turned again towards N, leaning forward with curiosity. “Do you not recall what I had asked you before, at Colony Iota?”

“My survival is immaterial,” shrugged N, before looking towards the slumbering form of M. “Hers is not.”

“Yet you are still here, despite being given the opportunity to embrace oblivion,” said Alvis, a simple statement of fact that stood in contradiction to N’s self-loathing. “But not what I was referring to. Do you recall what I asked you before?”

“No,” replied N. “I did not care to entertain your musings then, why should I do so now?”

Alvis just chuckled, repeating the lines memory. “It is every man’s desire to change the future. Is that not so? Even if everything has been pre-destined, will you not oppose it?” They turned a friendly smile towards N, teasing a truth that was just out of reach. “Even if you do not value yourself, surely there is something you desire to change?”

Snarling, N vented his frustrations. “And I told you before! “I have all my heart desires! She is here and she is safe!”

“Yet you arrived here to not just find her wounded, quite critically I may add,” corrected Alvis, chiding him gently. “And I doubt the mark on her neck hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

N stood there silently, hanging his head low.

“She is not safe here, nor can she ever be,” continued Alvis. “Do you not wish to change that?”

While it took him every fibre of his being, a millennium of being Moebius and enforcing the ‘Endless Now’ screaming in defiance, N nodded in agreement.

Everything had been laid out for her, everything.

The perfectly balanced flow of resources on both sides of the Keves-Agnus war, the identical decrees from the Castles, the identical armour of the Consuls. She was surprised to learn that Bolearis was obsessed with Energy Aubergine, a vegetable he and many others despised for its taste; but considering it was nearly unmatched for building muscle mass, it made a surprising amount of sense given the lieutenant’s frequently expressed desire to ‘get bigger’.

But the most critical information came from Noah confirming that Consul E, the same one who oversaw the Off-Seer training in Keves Castle, was also responsible for directing Colony Iota. Ethel had met the Consul herself three years ago, an arrogant man obsessed with various artistic endeavours; a single recording from Alexandria confirmed it was the same man, his shrill voice unmistakable.

“The war is a lie, orchestrated by the Consuls…” muttered Ethel, still processing the information. “This is not insubstantial, and certainly compelling.” She leveled her gaze to the others in the room. “Do we know if the Queen is involved? Well, both Queens.”

“We don’t know,” replied Alexandria. “Throughout everything I’ve scoured through, there’s no evidence that the Queen – of Agnus, I cannot speak for Keves – was involved in the decision-making process. The Consuls nominally carry out her instructions, but everything they do has been called into question. I suspect the Queens may be either unknowing or unwilling figureheads.” She turned towards both Shulk and Rex. “But these two likely know more, though they aren’t always forthcoming with such information.”

Both men shifted uneasily, neither wanting to go into detail on the subject. After a long, awkward pause, they seemed to decide Shulk would be the best to speak on the subject.

“We can’t say with certainty,” he said, acknowledging they didn’t have the complete picture. “But the beings you refer to as the ‘Queens’ are likely involved in the charade Moebius has constructed around the nations.” He paused for a moment, carefully considering how to approach it. “We’re… old friends with the Queens. Or rather, the people the Queens appear to be based off of. And we can say with confidence that they are acting out of character.”

“So you’re saying it’s futile to attempt convincing them that they are being manipulated?” said Ethel, considering the possibility. “The Consul who led our assault on Iota… he promised to elevate us to Gold if we were successful. How do the Colony ranks factor into this web of lies and manipulation?”

“Moebius harvests Colonies which hit Gold within a few days of reachin’ it,” interjected Rex. “They sic the Consul on ‘em, then the Colony more or less disappears.”

“… was that why the Consul were so angry when I spared Cammuravi?” asked Ethel to no one in particular. “I know we were expected to reach Gold rank that day, but Consul L was beyond furious afterwards. Almost as if we had stolen something from him.”

“Possibly,” suggested Noah, but pressing to move on. “But for right now, all we’re asking for you to lead Colony 4’s soldiers out of Iota. Peacefully. Beyond that, so long as we can ensure our own safety, we’ll leave Colony 4 to decide what they want to do for themselves. If you want, you don’t have to fight anymore.”

“Don’t go makin’ an offer ya can’t keep, kiddo,” said Rex sharply. “Now that they’re no longer under the Flame Clock, Moebius has put a target on their backs. Ours too. They’ll be fightin’ to survive at the very least.”

“It still should be their choice, whether or not they choose to fight,” insisted Noah, staring down the larger man. “We’ve spent our entire lives fighting and killing each other, all in a war where we’re nothing more than pawns and fodder. We can’t force them to join us, they need to choose for themselves!”

“It won’t matter if they choose to or not!” shouted Rex, slamming his fists on the table. “Even if they choose t’ stay out of it, the war will come to them!” He relaxed for a moment, leaning back in reflection. “Sooner or later, we’re all fightin’ our own war.”

Noah sighed, understanding the salvager’s frustration. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, Rex. But as soldiers, we’ve never had much of a choice in anything in our lives, fighting least of all. At best, we can choose which weapon we can use and maybe some other skill that’s still tied to the fight in some way. Now that we’re no longer under the Flame Clock, that we no longer need to keep fighting and killing to keep it sated, we at least deserve the chance to choose for ourselves!”

An uneasy silence followed as the two looked each other in the eye. Neither were wrong, but the question of who would come out on top remained undecided. Seeing fists clenched, Shulk decided to intervene.

“Enough, both of you!” he shouted, stepping between them both. “First, we’re trying to help them! Second, what will we accomplish by fighting amongst ourselves?” Letting the two men step back, both calmed down and he continued. “It’s true, we need allies. But forcing them to join us could create other problems. An open invitation will be more useful to us in the end than press-ganging them into another fight.”

“Very considerate of you,” said Ethel, putting on an air of command. “In the end, Colony 4’s soldiers are loyal to me and they’ll follow whichever choice I take. If I join with you, they will follow. Conversely, they will also attack you if I give the order.” She noted the rising tension in the room at the last remark. “However, that loyalty was earned through me leading them to meet their objectives; and at the time, that was making our way up the Colony ranks. So you could say our goals, from the fresh-out-of-the-pod recruit to myself, were aligned.”

“Are you implying that you are no longer in command of your soldiers?” asked Alexandria.

Ethel shook her head. “I believe that they will still obey my orders, for now. However, I am not entirely convinced that I still deserve to be their commanding officer. By all rights, we should either be dead or celebrating after attaining Gold – even as short-lived that would have been.”

“You want to do right by those you lead,” commented Noah. “Same old Ethel.”

“Thank you, Noah,” replied Ethel. “If you can promise us safe passage back to Colony 4, I’ll discuss what our next steps will be with them before making any final decision. I know there are many among our ranks who were looking forward to a reprieve from the fighting, and there are a handful who harbour a deep animosity towards Agnus; I can’t just tell them to start cooperating with the same enemy they were fighting against hours before and expect those issues to disappear. After we reach a consensus, we’ll contact you with our response.”

“Thank you, that’s all we’re asking for,” said Noah, happy at the resolution.

“One sec,” said Rex, stepping forward. “Sorry if I was bein’ forward earlier, but I ‘ave somethin’ t’ add. Anyone lookin’ t’ join us, it doesn’t mean they’ll be forced onto the front line. Armies need support and supplies jus’ as much as soldiers; mechanics, cooks, docs, transports… everythin’. The war will affect everyone whether they like it or not, but that doesn’t mean they need t’ have a Blades in their hands. If they want t’ help us, but not fight, we’ll find a spot for ‘em.”

“Thank you for that offer,” said Ethel with a friendly smile. “It might actually be a useful option for many of my soldiers. Now, shall we get started?”

Nikol stared at the ground, trying to process the information. N, his brother? Sure, it made sense in retrospect that his father couldn’t explain that to him; he wasn’t exactly in a position to explain what a father was to him when he left, never mind the idea of siblings. But could have he said something to convince N to stop helping Moebius? Could have he been reasoned with, brought over to their side? Could have anything been done?

“Are you alright, Nikol?” asked Glimmer, reaching out to him as she worried. “I know this isn’t easy news to take, but it seems to be eating away at you far more than it should.”

“Why?” he asked, a spittle of anger on the edge of his voice. “Why didn’t he even try?!! He didn’t even try talking to him! He could have been reasoned with! Helped us!”

Glimmer sighed. Nikol wasn’t one for outbursts, but he still kept things pent up and could let it all go at once. “We don’t know for sure if that was the case.”

“We could have tried!” snarled Nikol. “He could have!”

“Calm down, this isn’t good for you,” replied Glimmer softly. “You won’t know until you talk to him, and doing so like this won’t do either of you any favours. Now, deep breaths!”

In… and out.

In… and out.

She knew just how to calm his nerves at times like this, something for which Nikol would be eternally grateful for. Most of the time it was because he got too excited, but it for this sort of thing as well. Still, he couldn’t deny it bothered him.

“If I was being honest with myself,” added Glimmer morosely. “I think N was past the point of reason, even back then.”

“Heh!” scoffed Nikol. “How can you be so sure?”

“I still remember looking at him, into his eyes, on top of the Black Mountain,” said Glimmer, delving into a memory of the past. “Remember? I told you about it, back then.”

“Yeah, I remember,” answered Nikol. “You said… his eyes were different, than the other Consuls. There was ‘no light’ in ‘them, I think.”

“Right,” continued Glimmer. “I didn’t quite know it back then… but those were the eyes of a man who was dead inside, someone who had already given up on living.”

“What?” gasped Nikol.

“I don’t know how, but Moebius broke him,” said Glimmer wistfully. “Linka told me a story, not long after I found out about Dad… well, being Dad. Something about his old adventures before the Intersection.” She shivered at the thought. “He’d fought against someone with ‘dead eyes’ before, and it was bad. The guy wanted to destroy the world and meant it.”

“Wh… what happened next?” asked Nikol. “Your father beat him in the end, right?”

“Yeah, he did,” replied Glimmer. “But not without losing a lot of people along the way. He even tried talking the guy down, but nothing could get through to him. They managed to stop him, but it wasn’t anything to celebrate over.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know, but N sounds a like that ‘Jin’ guy. Maybe he’s beyond help… but this other version of him, Noah? I can’t say I like his attitude, but he seems alright.”

“So… before whatever happened to make ‘N’ happen?” guessed Nikol, testing out the idea. “Still, I have to talk to my father. Just to find out more, about him and the rest of my family.”

Glimmer let out a small laugh. “Well, at least it can’t get any weirder than mine.”

“You’re right there!” chuckled Nikol in agreement. “Your father set the bar pretty high, I don’t see mine topping that!”

Letting herself have a small sniffle, Glimmer turned to her lifelong partner. “Thanks, Nikol. I really needed that… I should be good for a bit. But now, I think I just need time to… think it through.”

“There’s still plenty left to do out there,” said Nikol, carefully considering the volume of work to be done: cleaning up the Colony, repairs, checking the levnises… the true mechanic’s work is never done, especially on Aionios. Still, he had to make sure of one thing first. “Will you be alright on your own? Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” replied Glimmer, pulling her knees to her chest. “I will be.”

Satisfied, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. A small gesture, but one he’d knew Glimmer would appreciate; social graces may not have been his strength, so he made sure he took those extra steps to she knew he cared.

Eyes turning misty again, Glimmer smiled as she watched him leave. Even she needed to be alone right now… she’d never be lonely with him around.

“Tell me, what happened to her?” N’s tone was soft, regretful. He suspected something, and as much as he didn’t want to find out the truth, he knew he had to.

“To put it bluntly, you caused this injury when you attacked her other self on the battlefield,” replied Alvis flatly. “At this moment, there are two versions of Mio and they are intrinsically linked. Any harm caused to one of them will be reflected upon the other… plus some additional actions and sensations. And fortunately for you, this also applies to any healing and medical treatments as well.”

“Will she live?” asked N, looking for any sliver of hope. “Please tell me that much at least.”

“Thanks to some timely intervention, she will,” responding Alvis, his tone belying several caveats. “Due to her and her other self being in separate locations, and regretfully the limitations of my own abilities, the injury does leave significant scarring and she will not be able to completely recover prior to reaching her Homecoming.”

N despaired and collapsed to his knees, weeping. “Why? Why?!! Why is this all happening?!!”

“I cannot say,” replied Alvis, throwing up his right hand theatrically while the other remained in his pocket. “But a more prudent question would be what will you be doing now that it has occurred?”

“Why only her?!” demanded N through his tears and sobs. “Why is Mio the only one to suffer?! Why not me? She does not deserve this when the error was mine!”

“Who said she was alone in this predicament?” The question was rhetorical, the answer already known to the one asking it.

N froze. “What are you implying?”

“Have you looked at the back of your right hand yet?”

Escorted by those in the command tent, Ethel made her way to Colony Iota’s parade grounds… and by the Queen, this was strange. Only a few hours ago, all of them were trying kill each other. She was certain she could push her way through the battle and defeat their enemy, carrying Colony 4 to Gold and earning her soldiers the greatest reward Keves could offer – a reprieve from the fighting. To have risen so far up the ranks that your Flame Clock was completely filled, and there was no more need to take the life of your mortal foe.

… and only now, was she exposed to information that suggested that the Keves-Agnus War was a lie fabricated by the Consuls, and Gold Rank was a death sentence. A tiny thought crept into her mind, recalling the painful march where Colony 4 was sent to the Fornis region after their disgrace. They passed by the Old Kana Battlefield. Consul L, before leaving them to rot in the Nihl Valley, made a point of going on a rant by saying this was the fate that awaited those who failed the Queen.

Yet, while she tried to dutifully listen to him, deluded ravings that they were… something had caught her eye, something that made a terrifying amount of sense given the new information she had just been given. It was too far away to be sure, but within the ruins of the Kevesi Colony was its Flame Clock.

A Flame Clock with the Gold Rank emblem.

If only she could get close enough to confirm she saw what she did, then she’d have the hard proof they needed to know Noah and his newfound allies spoke true. There was also that cruel effigy something had placed in the middle of the battlefield, and all she could do was shudder at the thought. She was grateful to not be close enough to see it.

Looking up, she could see the Agnians had kept their word. Colony 4’s soldiers were tied up, but otherwise unharmed. There appeared to be no wounded as well, so they were hopefully being seen to. However, one detail didn’t sit well with her.

“Commander Alexandria,” said Ethel respectfully. “While I believe it’s only a precaution on the part of your soldiers, I request that they sheathe their Blades. Colony 4 is subdued and effectively disarmed at this point in time, it’s not necessary.”

“A reasonable request,” replied Alex. “But no more until you’ve spoken with your soldiers. As discussed, we do not want any ‘accidents’ occurring. I am certain you must have one or two hotheads amongst your number, there’s usually a handful in every Colony.” She tapped her temple to relay the order, and Iota’s soldiers withdrew their weapons; none moved, still ready to act if necessary.

“And this is where I must– ?!!” started Ethel, something catching the corner of her eye. “Commander Alexandria! What is the meaning of this?!”

“I beg your pardon?” scoffed the Commander of Colony Iota, offended at Ethel’s tone. “Everything is as we discussed, so what are you even talking about?”

“She’s right, Ethel,” added Noah, scanning the area. “There isn’t anything being done here that’s out—"

“—My lieutenant is dangling from a sparking tree!!” shouted Ethel, bristling with self-righteous fury as she pointed far and away from the rest of the soldiers. “What is the meaning of this, Noah?! We were promised amnesty for our cooperation, not humiliation!”

“I– uh… I don’t know, Ethel!”

A steady and calm hand was placed on Ethel’s shoulder, as Shulk spoke diplomatically to her. “Relax, Ethel. I think this is… outside our previous discussions. I agree that we should resolve this right away, but you may wish to look for the ones responsible; they’re both on the shoreline.”

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her anger and took a second look. Surely enough, the culprits responsible were indeed where this long-haired man said they were; they were also having a rather ‘heated’ discussion with the lieutenant. It was also abundantly clear that they were Kevesi, and likely the Off-Seer’s allies. “Noah, why would your friends tie up Lieutenant Bolearis?”

“Ah, that would explain it,” replied Noah, his hand drifting to his chin as he looked at the ground. “Eunie and Lanz used to play pranks on him back during basic training, and it went both ways if I recall correctly.” He chuckled at the memory. “I think it goes back to that time, but I have to agree that this is exceptionally poor timing on their part.”

“Well, what are we waitin’ for, then?” said Rex, starting to move over. “The lad needs t’ be let down pretty quick, I think.”

“C’mon Brolearis… whatcha gonna do? Wait ‘til yer Commander comes and cuts ya down?”

Eunie’s taunts were getting a rise out the lieutenant, especially using a moniker that she often applied to him, but he kept his silence.

“Ya know, there’s one thing I don’t get,” said Lanz, somewhere between amusement and jealousy. “Way back during basic, Bolearis got all the special attention from her. Before long, she’s the top defender in Keves and Commander of a Silver ranked Colony… and this bugger didn’t snuffing appreciate it!”

“The first thing she sparking did coming out of the pod was punch me in the snuffin’ face, you mudder!” shouted Bolearis, his temper finally flaring. “Don’t bring ‘er up again!”

“Ooo~oooh, found a soft spot!” chirped Eunie, throwing in a playful warble. “See, it’s not so hard t’ talk t’ us… Brolearis.”

“An’ don’t you snuffing call me that again!” barked the hapless lieutenant.

“What ya gonna do, then? Eh?” asked Eunie. “Get Ethel t’ give us a right talkin’ to?”

“I believe that would be the first step.”

Both Lanz and Eunie whirled around and instinctively stood at attention, finding Silvercoat Ethel standing right behind them and looking rather displeased with their conduct. The entourage accompanying her didn’t look very happy either… apart from Alexandria, who was content to sit back with a smug smile and enjoy the show.

“Sorry, ma’am!” apologized Lanz frantically. “Just havin’ a bit o’ fun with him! For old time’s sake!”

“Guys, this really isn’t the time for these sorts of antics,” reprimanded Noah. “No one in Colony 4 knows what’s going on yet, and we only gave Ethel the rundown just before coming out here.”

“Aw…” whined Eunie. “But it’s jus’ Bolearis! He’d know it was just a big joke! He’ll be– ”

“The other soldiers don’t know, Eunie,” interrupted Shulk, a chilling edge to his tone. “To them, this could look like the prelude to a mass execution! We’re trying to avoid another fight breaking out, and this would be putting them all on edge!”

“Hold it, Shulk!” said Rex, taking note in his friend’s change in demeanour. “The lass obviously didn’t mean t’ go tha’ far!”

The engineer stepped back, realizing his error. “You’re right… but it’s still something we need to work on.”

Fighting back a sniffle, Eunie felt compelled to justify herself. “We… we only wanted t’ make Ethel laugh.”

“Am I laughing, Eunie?” asked the Commander of Colony 4 sternly.

Eunie shook her head, staring hard at the ground and fighting back the tears.

“I do have one question, however…” added Ethel, looking up and past the two guilty soldiers. “Bolearis! What is taking you so long?”

“Wot?” squawked Eunie, shocked that the question wasn’t directed at her. “Can’t ya see? He tied u– AAAH!”

With a sudden pair of splashes, both Eunie and Lanz were thrown into the lake by Bolearis and Rex respectively. Unable to contain herself further, Ethel bent double in laughter as the would-be pranksters found themselves on the receiving end.

“You muppet!” shouted Eunie, spitting out a stream of water. “How’d you get outta that! Do you have any idea how much of a bitch feathers are t’ dry?!!”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” replied the lieutenant with a cheeky smile. He turned to Rex, with a nod of appreciation. “Thanks there, mate. I could’ve only got one of ‘em there.”

“Saw it comin’ a titanped away as soon as ya wormed yer way out and started sneakin’ up on ‘em!” laughed Rex, giving the lieutenant a hearty slap on the back. Unlike so many others, Bolearis didn’t even flinch at the strike.

“Titanped?” asked Alexandria, confused but curious.

“Ol’ unit, Alex,” replied Rex. “Jus’ means a long way off, an it’s tough t’ convert it. Bit more than a kilometri and a half.”

Unamused, Lanz hauled himself up and onto dry land. “What the spark, Noah?! Why didn’t ya say anythin’?!!”

“… entertainment,” replied the Off-Seer, smirking. “Even I need laugh some times, Lanz.”

Recovering from the bout of laughter, Ethel straightened herself up. “Thank you for that. Bolearis, I would like your cooperation. Please.”

“Yes, Commander?” asked the lieutenant carefully, still wary as they were surrounded by the enemy.

“It would mean a great deal to our soldiers if you could stand beside me while I explain the situation to them,” replied Ethel, patiently waiting for her second-in-command to follow-up.

“What would be the situation, Commander?” inquired Bolearis. “Somethin’ off here.”

“Colony Iota has granted us… amnesty, of sorts you could say,” explained Ethel, careful with her choice of words. “And provided us with a lot of information to process. To summarize, there’s evidence we and all the other soldiers of Keves have been misled. Our Flame Clock has been broken and we still live, proof enough that our dependence on them was not entirely true.”

“Nik did say somethin’ about that before we all blacked out,” muttered Boleraris. He turned to the others, staring at Noah in particular. “So what do you want?”

“For the time being, we just want Colony 4 to return to base peacefully,” answered Noah. “Your soldiers were only tied up so that the fighting didn’t start back up again. If you could direct them back to the Colony without incident, that would be enough.”

“From there, we’ll review the evidence that we’ve been given and make our decision,” added Ethel. “This will be a significant change, we need to know where Colony 4 as a whole stands before we make any decisions.”

“Shouldn’t we contact the Castle first, Commander?” asked the lieutenant as he thought of the standard protocols.

Ethel shook her head somberly. “Not yet, Bolearis. It’s… difficult to explain. For now, let’s get everyone back home safely.”

“Understood, Commander,” replied Bolearis, saluting proudly. “After everythin’ we’ve been through, Colony 4 is with you to the end.”

“Thank you, Bolearis.”

N pressed down on the button the inside of his right wrist, dissipating the glove and golden armour covering his hand. He can’t say he was entirely surprised at what he saw, but it was still rather unsettling.

“So I too, then? Of course, what else would it be?” Letting out a sigh, he carefully checked the progression. A bit under two years left, which was far more than the three months she had left. “I have more time left than she, but it is merely to prolong my suffering; a final twist of the knife. Once she is gone, it’s all irrelevant.”

“Really, that is your reaction?” asked Alvis, genuinely surprised. “I had thought you more observant than that. Did you not think to question the oddities of your own experience in recent days? I was certain the otherwise unexplained pain in your groin during the battle would have caught your attention.”

“It did, but I fail to see how that is relevant to her predicament,” answered N, growing more irate. “Are you suggesting that it was your doing?”

“I am not responsible for that sensation, Noah.”

The way his abandoned name was emphasized didn’t go unnoticed by N. “So there is another version of myself, like her? Hardly surprising… but why are you here bothering me rather than dealing with him?”

“Can I not assist you both?” offered Alvis. “While the exact route he shall be taking has yet to be decided, he already knows the general path he must go down. You, however, stand at the crossroads. What road shall you take?”

N looked over to M’s still-slumbering form. “Everything I do, I do for her. I have nothing else left.”

“Then may I recommend something?” Alvis placed a kindly hand on his shoulder. “When she wakes, do something you have long neglected – ask her what she wishes to do. You need not decide your own path until then.”

Slowly, N nodded. Even if it was not his intent to leave her so, he could do that much for her now.

“And with that, I must depart,” announced Alvis. “Please do not do anything rash until I return.”

“Why would I do anything of the sort?” baulked N incredulously.

Alvis turned around to show a playful smile. “Was I talking you?”

A deep growl behind N triggered a primal fear, as if being stalked by a large and cunning predator.

“You have much to explain, young man.”

Unsurprisingly, Silvercoat Ethel’s address to the subdued soldiers of Colony 4 was met with a mix between general confusion mixed with fear and anger. Those who harboured grievances towards Agnus voiced their complaints, but were quickly pressured by the Commander’s firm voice and the gaze of their peers. A couple expressed an odd sense of relief, even as others murmured than they hadn’t confirmed anything yet.

“Please rise to your feet and form a queue at the eastern gate,” ordered Ethel. “The agreement is that soldiers will be released one at a time and be permitted to march back to Colony 4. Blades are not to be drawn absolutely necessary. Lieutenant Bolearis will take a small squad in advance of the line to clear away any hostile wildlife. I shall be the last to depart to ensure everything is followed as agreed!”

Colony 4’s rank and file obeyed their commander with efficiency, even if tensions remained high. After releasing half a dozen more soldiers, Bolearis led them forward to clear the path, as well as to make way towards releasing the still uninformed soldiers who remained back in the Colony. The other soldiers followed, the hotheads still grumbling but obediently staying their arms.

Satisfied that the process was moving along nicely, Noah pulled out his flute and began to play the Kevesi Off-Seer’s Melody. Casualties had been kept to a minimum, but the battle was not without losses, and sure enough the motes of light began to rise.

Soldiers from both sides paused, taking a moment to salute the fallen as best they were able. For a moment, both Agnian and Kevesi looked at each other with a mutual respect. For the first time that any of them ever knew, it didn’t matter which side they were on; this was the one rite both sides of the war shared.

“Thank you, Noah,” said Ethel graciously as the hymn ended. “Music is a mysterious thing, is it not? Sometimes it makes people remember things they do not expect. Many thoughts, feelings, memories... things almost forgotten. Regardless of whether the listener desires to remember or not.”

“Sorry, Ethel. I’m afraid I don’t understand,” replied to Off-Seer. “I was just… doing my duty.”

Smiling as the motes rose into the sky, she smiled gently. “I was just recalling my own past, Noah. Just something that… someone once told me, that music could allow people to connect with each other far better than words ever would.” Ethel turned to face him, small tears in the corner of her eyes. “And just now, it may have bridged the gap between Keves and Agnus. Maybe he was right, after all?”

“I can’t say for certain… but just maybe,” said Noah, watching the motes rise as he had countless times before. “We can only hope for the best from here on out.”

“I fail to see the benefit, myself,” interjected Alexandria as she approached the gate. “I’ll respect the ritual as far as it keeps the peace, but I don’t see how it will help forge any sort of connection between the two nations.”

“I suppose those with poor taste are present on both sides, then!” replied Ethel, laughing in jest.

“Why I never!” snapped Alexandria, trying to find anything she could bicker over. “What about your–!”

“I’m just teasing, Lady Alexandria,” interrupted Ethel, pulling out her diplomatic charm. “At the very least, it has given us something to speak about. We can still agree to disagree, can we not?”

“… I suppose so,” grumbled Alexandria, her arms crossed as she pouted.

“Moving onto other matters, I do have something of an… unusual request, though I hope it won’t be too much of an issue,” asked Ethel carefully. “There’s one soldier I would like to remain here in Colony Iota, mostly for his own safety.”

“Why would that be, Ethel?” inquired Noah.

“I am not certain as to the circumstances, but I believe he sabotaged my Ferronis,” she explained, her tone severe. “I also suspect he may be involved in whatever started this whole situation, but I get the sense some of my soldiers are rather embittered. Nikol may find himself in a dangerous situation if he stays in Colony 4.”

“You think he is a traitor?” asked Alexandria pointedly.

“I think he was trying to help,” replied Ethel. “But I’m not sure others would see it that way.”

“Hold on a second,” interjected Noah. “Didn’t Glimmer mention his name, just before the battle?”

“Yes, and Shulk mentioned it the day before,” acknowledged Alexandria. “While I can’t say I was briefed on his actions, Silvercoat, he does appear to have to have allies here. Would you provide a brief description?”

“Gladly,” answered Ethel. “A bit on the shorter side for a soldier, can’t summon his own Blade and uses a mechanism attached to his back.”

Alexandria nodded, that should be easy to help identify him.

“Blonde hair, green eyes,” continued Ethel.

Alexandria froze.

“… and a moustache.”

Alexandria relaxed. “Understood, Commander. We’ll inform him he’s to stay here for the time being.”

Ethel nodded. “My thanks, Commander.”

As they continued to observe the procession move towards Colony 4, Alexandria felt compelled to add to the conversation. “I’ve got something of an odd question, for both of you. Do you hear any beeping right now?”

In the darkened room of Colony Omega, with none to observe, a small screen lit up.

Reply signal received. Program executed.

As the Colony 4 soldiers march away, Taion turned to other tasks which would need to be seen to: supplies, logistics, equipment repairs, finding a solution for the ‘hole’ which was currently cordoned off in the middle of the parade grounds… and many other things. He had learned a long time ago that the end of a battle was not necessarily an end to the involved activities, even if the situation was far less urgent.

Nevertheless, he didn’t expect to see a lone Kevesi exit the barracks of Colony Iota.

“Excuse me!” he shouted towards the blonde soldier. “A moment, if you please!”

The man appeared a bit distracted and concerned, but put on an amicable smile as he approached the tactician. “Hello there! Sorry for the suddenness, but the name’s Nikol. Are you coordinating the clean-up?”

“Taion,” replied the tactician, returning the courtesy. “But I simply must ask – who are you, truly? The only Kevesi still present within Iota are those who should be returning to Colony 4. Why are you not with your comrades?”

“I… uh… sorry…” stuttered Nikol, doing his best to appear smaller than he already was. This ‘Taion’ was naturally suspicious and sharp. Reasonable? He could only hope. “I can explain…”

“There ya are, kiddo!” shouted Rex as he ran up. The salvager noticed the tactician’s piercing gaze was making Nikol quite uncomfortable. “Relax, lad. He’s with us. Our man on the inside o’ Colony 4, ya could say!”

“You vouch for him, then?” asked Taion, still prepared to release his Mondo at a moment’s notice. “You must realize how much we need to be wary in our situation.”

“You’ll be surprised how much people can be trusted if ya give ‘em a chance, lad,” replied Rex, showing an unexpected amount of wisdom. “I’ve been through a fair bit wit’ Nikol already, he’s a good kid.” The sagely visage disappeared, replaced by something much more… enthusiastic. “And now I get t’ teach ‘im ALL about the Salvager Code!”

“Uh… thank you, sir…” murmured Nikol, not quite sure how to thank the man he knew he couldn’t avoid getting to know much better in the near future. Laughing weakly, something caught the corner of his eye. “Wait… that’s not right…”

“You go do that,” commented Taion towards Rex, reasonably satisfied with the man’s acceptance.

Eying an opportunity, Rex stared him down. “Maybe I should be teachin’ you the Code too, lad! Get ya t’ loosen up a bit!”

“That’s hardly necessary,” answered Taion, looking for an escape. “Wait… where did Nikol go?”

“Excuse me, miss!” shouted the mustachioed mechanic as he ran up to the pair watching Ethel depart the eastern gate. “Could I please take a look at your… horns, I guess? There’s something unusual about them.”

“Ah, how fortunate,” said Alexandria. “You must be Nikol. Your ‘commander’ asked that you stay behind for the time being. You may address me as– “

“Ma’am, please,” interrupted Nikol, remaining quite insistent. “I need to look at those, right now. There’s something that doesn’t look right with them.”

“I beg your pardon!” objected Alexandria. “I am the Commander of this Colony, and my hospitality does not extend to blindly handing over my personal possessions! Did Silvercoat leave you behind due to your impropriety?!”

“Please calm down, Alexandria,” said Noah, seeking a more diplomatic solution. “Hello there, Nikol. Noah, Off-Seer.” The mechanic shot him a sharp glance, saying nothing before returning his focus on Alexandria’s horns. Noah was confused at his reaction, but soldiered on. “I’m afraid you haven’t made much of a case for yourself at the moment, why is it so urgent that you take a look at Alexandria’s… headdress, I guess?”

“That would be correct,” confirmed Alexandria, calming her nerves. “I must apologize, but there’s this incessant beeping that’s irritating me at the moment. Noah here can’t seem to hear it; how about you, Nikol?”

“I don’t hear anything,” replied Nikol, careful to give her a bit more distance. “Sorry, I just get.. ‘caught up’ when I see some new technology. There’s something strange about your headdress, ma’am; they appear to contain an Kevesi power frame.”

… what did he just say?

“That’s impossible,” replied Alexandria. “It’s been in possession of it since my first term, before I even met a single Kevesi soldier, living or husk.”

“Alexandria,” said Noah, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. “How did you get your headdress?”

“An award during basic training,” she replied, full of pride. “I had led my team to victory during my first ‘trial by combat’. The overseeing Consul was so impressed that he gave me the headdress in addition to the usual medal.”

“Alex,” interjected Noah, with some urgency. “A Consul gave that to you.”

She froze as the realization sunk in. The Consuls were orchestrating an endless war. Why would have Consul Y given her anything more than the usual medal? A moment of horror dawned on her as she realized the beeping that had been driving her mad was now conspicuously absent.

“The rings just turned red!” shouted Nikol. “Get it off, now!”

“My hair’s wrapped around the headband!” cried Alexandria, panicking. “Get it off! Get it off!”

There’s no time, damn it!

Noah gasped as he felt a sudden disconnect as Hand removed herself from his consciousness. The disembodied hand she normally appeared as moved forward, before fading away in a flash of light. In its place appeared a woman with bright red hair, styled into a shoulder-length bob cut. She wore tight red clothing underlaid with black fabric and a pair of long tassels hanging from her shoulders.

She leapt towards Alexandria, each hand grabbing the horns of the headdress.

“Alex. Ho'd perfectly still!” the strange woman said, firm and unyielding. “Got it?”

Tears streaming down her face and her expression full of fear, Alexandria nodded imperceptibly.

“Right! This might feel a bit hot!” the woman warned.

Alexandria did her best to not scream as she felt the intense heat suddenly built around the sides of her head. She couldn’t have known how long it was before she finally broke, but the cry called out after what felt like an eternity. The sizzling sound and the smell of burning hair didn’t help matters.

“I got them!” shouted the woman as she pulled the horns free of the central metallic headband still woven into Alexandria's hair, snapping the chains and ornaments which tied them together from the front. “Everyone, get clear!”

She threw the horns away with all the strength she could muster, sending them flying towards the lake adjacent to the parade grounds. At the apex of the throw, both exploded with the force of a Ferronis’ heavy cannon.

The woman slumped forward, falling to her knees. She turned to Alexandria, crimson eyes full of tears but more than a little relieved. “Sorry, Alex. It was the only thing we could have done.”

She smiled gently as she disappeared, Hand appearing once more as she crawled back towards Noah. He felt the connection return, but it did not give him any comfort.

“Hand, was that you?!” he asked, still processing what had happened.

Short answer, yes.

I just hope I didn’t set off Moebius' alarms in the process.

That was close. Too close.

“What the bloody hell is goin’ on?!!” shouted Rex as he ran up to the group with Taion in tow. “What was that blast?!” He glanced to see Alexandria whimpering on the ground, causing his heart to sink… and his rage to come to the fore. Angrily, he grabbed both Noah and Nikol by the collar and held both up off the ground.

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TWO DO TO HER?!!”

Rex, calm down!

Nikol spotted something off with Alex’ headdress!

I got them off her myself! She’s just in shock!

His emotions still running high, the salvager gave himself a moment to breathe; it had been a knee-jerk reaction, seeing Alex on the ground like that. Slowly, he lowered them back down. “Alright, Pyra. If ya say so,” he said, pulling back his still-shaking hands. Turning towards Nikol, he offered a weak smile. “Thanks, kiddo. That’s twice I owe ya.”

“Owe me for what, sir?” inquired Nikol. “And who’s ‘Pyra’? Was that the woman we just saw?”

“I’ll explain later, kiddo,” replied Rex. “An’ trust me, you’ll get t’ know ‘er quite well at some point.”

Noah caught a ping on his Iris, Ethel was reaching out to him. “Sorry for the disturbance there, Ethel,” he responded. “I wouldn’t call it a false alarm, but it’s nothing that should affect Colony 4. It’d probably better to call it an assassination attempt, targeting someone here.”

Did you really have to phrase it like that?

Alex is right there!

“I’m going to need some details to confirm, but that seems likely,” added Taion.

“Both of you, shut it!” shouted Rex as he helped Alexandria to her feet. “Wait until I get ‘er out of here first! We’ll talk on it later!”

“Understood,” replied Taion, speaking for the other young men present. “Perhaps we should return to… the ‘clean-up’, as Nikol phrased it.”

“I’ll catch up with you two later,” replied Noah. “I have to see how Mio’s doing.”

Monica answered the call on her Iris, surprised to hear anything quite so soon.

“Shania? How are you doing?”

“Well enough, ma’am,” answered the heir to House Reid. Monica frowned; the girl was still addressing her as a superior officer. “I… I have a message for you. From the Librarian.”

“The Librarian?” baulked Monica, very much surprised to be hearing from her of all people. While she was definitely a useful resource, and she did take great care to ensure all the City’s records were preserved, she had always kept her distance from the Lost Numbers. Unless… oh no, not that again. “If she wants me to tell Michiba to let her cook again, the answer is ‘Hell no!’ And that’s verbatim.”

“She just wants to talk to you, Elder,” said Shania. “She says she knows what’s going on at Colony Iota, and wants to talk to you about it.”

“Iota?” asked Monica. “You’re supposed to be on stress leave, Shania! You shouldn’t be asking about ongoing field operations!”

“I didn’t ask, ma’am,” replied Shania honestly. “I don’t know what’s going on out there, but she does. Somehow. I’m just relaying the message.”

“Alright, tell her I’ll come down to talk to her later,” said Monica. “In private. You’re still off-duty, Shania.”

“Will do, ma’am,” confirmed Shania. “… but I do have one question, if you don’t mind?”

“So long as it’s not related to what’s going on out there, sure.”

“Have yoo ever seen anyone with two green Ouroboros rings? As if she had an Iris in each eye?” asked Shania, her voice shaking a bit.

“I can’t I have, Shania,” answered Monica. “Why do ya ask?”

“That’s what the Librarian has.”

“What.”

Noah paced back and forth in front of the entrance to the medical tent, unsuccessfully trying to think of literally anything but Mio. This was taking forever! How much longer could it be! Fortunately for him, the person who had given him the medication earlier emerged wearing a bloodied set of scrubs.

“I am pleased to report the operation was a success,” announced A, though their tone is still heavy. “But she’ll need some time to recover from the operation, she needs bedrest and won’t have the energy to do much for a while.”

Falling to his knees, Noah finally allowed himself to relax. “Thank you! I was so worried!”

“A! Give me a damned update!” shouted Glimmer as she ran up. “How’s she doing?! Tell me!”

“Calm yourself, Glimmer,” said A. “She’s currently in recovery, and she’ll be needing bedrest.”

“Let me see her, damn it!” demanded Glimmer, pushing forward.

“Not yet,” retorted A, raising their hand to stop the Agnian medic. “She may be able to speak tomorrow, at the earliest. And I don’t believe she’ll be do so for long, either.” Not caring to listen, Glimmer pressed forward.

Glimmer, stop. You heard them.

Mio needs bedrest, this isn’t helping her!

“Alright, alright…” grumbled Glimmer. “You’re right. I just don’t like not knowing, especially when it comes to things like this!”

“You… you can hear Hand too?” asked Noah, surprised to add another to that short list.

“Whatever,” dismissed Glimmer. “I don’t want to talk about right now. I still don’t like the idea that my –“

That’s enough, both of you.

Get to bed, we’ll talk in the morning.

Rex had meant to help Alexandria back to her quarters, but she had insisted on stopping by the barracks where Chickadee still resided. Incapacitated as she was, the lieutenant had served as her confidant ever since she arrived in Iota two years ago… and right now, she really need someone to talk to. She staggered into the building, barely holding herself together.

“Dame Alex?” said Chickadee, in her newer and deeper voice, now filled with a sudden worry. “What’s wrong? What happened out there?”

“You didn’t hear that explosion a few minutes ago?” asked Alexandria, surprised.

“My connection to this body was disrupted by something around then,” replied the lieutenant. “But I don’t recall any explosions. Do you think that caused the interruption?”

“They tried to kill me, Chickadee!” wailed Alex as she pointed to where headdress once was. “My headdress was rigged with an explosive device! They gave that to me during basic! It must have been there all along!” She sniffled and sobbed as fear overwhelmed her. “They were always planning to kill me! One way or another!”

The lieutenant sighed, she wasn’t surprised. Still, she spread her arms wide. “Come here, Alex.”

Alexandria nodded, running up to the girl with a hard embrace. “What do I do, Chickadee?! What can I do?!”

Chickadee did her best to return the hug, her lack of legs not quite helping. “It’ll be okay, Alex. I have an idea. But please, tell me what happened.”

Gathering herself, Alexandria explained the sequence of events in detail. The unknown beeping, Nikol running up to her and asking for the headdress… and the strange woman who had appeared out of nowhere to save her.

“Who was she? Why would she help me?” asked Alexandria. “Why would this red-haired woman appear out of nowhere just to do that?”

“Wait!” interrupted Chickadee. “Red hair? You mentioned you felt something hot, right? Did she have red eyes as well?”

Alexandria nodded.

“She’s been here to the whole time?!!”

“You know her?” asked Alexandria, feeling a bit hopeful for once.

“Yeah, I do. You’re lucky she’s here… but she took a huge risk, using her real body,” answered Chickadee. “Still, I can’t say that’s the first time she’s done something so reckless.”

“But what do we do now?” implored Alexandria. “They’re after me! What do I do?!”

“The City,” replied Chickadee. “You can’t stay here, Alex. I expect the rest of Ouroboros will be making their way there soon; go with Rex, he’ll keep you safe.”

“But why there?” asked Alex. “What’s in the City that could help me?”

Chickadee smiled brightly. “Where do you think I am?”

“What a snuffing crazy day!” Bolearis yawned as he looked back at all the madness that had transpired: gearing up for a big battle with a shot at Gold rank, a messy fight where he found himself fighting against some of his old mates from basic training, that blast vaporizing Ethel’s Ferronis, waking up hanging from a tree, then being allowed to leave Colony Iota peacefully with most of the Colony still in good shape.

And that’s nothing to speak of the revelations Ethel gave them after getting back.

“Do you believe all that crap, Commander?” he asked, still trying make sense of it all. “I can believe the bit about the Flame Clocks, at least. Killed a volff on the way back, the got not a single mote of life from it. Still, it’s hard t’ take in.”

“I’m not sure what I believe anymore, Bolearis,” replied Ethel, staring at the Kevesi flag that hung behind her desk. “At the least, Noah and his allies appear to believe that we’ve all been deceived. The Commander at Colony Iota provided us with some compelling evidence, as well.”

“And filled my whole Collectopedia order,” added the lieutenant. “T’ think, she’s the one who built the whole system? She could’ve used it t’ completely upend the whole war!”

“I think that’s what she planned to do, initially,” mused Ethel. “But after what she found, she must have realized that would be contrary to the objectives of the Consuls. If she could end the war, they would have moved to stop her.” The explosion heard as she was marching back to Colony 4 still rung in her ears. “In fact, I think they’ve tried to do – twice.”

“Twice, Commander?”

“We were the first attempt, though it may have been a coincidence with Ouroboros also in Colony Iota,” explained Ethel. “But I heard a blast as we were coming back. Noah said it was an ‘assassination attempt’, implying it didn’t work. Commander Alexandria’s already in the Consuls’ sights.”

“Perhaps,” replied Bolearis. “But I still find the bit about Gold rank hard t’ swallow. That’s twice it’s slipped away form us: first with Cammuravi, now with what happened today. And they’re saying the only reason we’re alive is because we failed both times?”

“Strangely enough, I’m more accepting of that idea… but I need one more piece of proof,” said Ethel, turning to face her subordinate. “We passed the Old Kana Battlefield on the way here, correct? We saw the ruins of a Kevesi Ferronis there, and only a Kevesi Ferronis.”

“Consul L was in a foul mood that day,” confirmed Bolearis. “He seemed glad t’ be rid of us after eaching the Nihl Valley.”

“Indeed,” replied Ethel. “But I remember seeing something as we passed by – that Colony’s Flame Clock appeared to have the Gold rank emblem on it. Considering everything else we saw there, I think our next priority will be to confirm that.”

“It’d definitely help their case. Wouldn’t it, Commander?”

“Yes, Bolearis. It would.”

She turned towards the flag again, lost in thought. Her gut was telling her something, and it was more than just Noah being right. There’s something wrong here, and she was going to find out exactly what it was.

“At least look on the bright side, Commander,” commented Bolearis, noticing her dour demeanour.

Chipper as ever, she thought. “And what ‘bright side’ would that be, lieutenant?”

“They’re right about one thing at least – we don’t have t’ fight anymore.”

She smiled, happy to acknowledge the truth.

“For once in our lives… we have a choice.”

Consul Y translocated to his office within Colony Omega, intent on gathering some files before moving himself to a more… central position, where he’d be better able to coordinate Moebius’ forces to deal with the Incursion and the Ouroboros threat.

His gaze turned towards the console, indicating two messages.

“Verily, it appears there has been further developments,” he said, hoping for the best but preparing himself for the worst. “Return signal received, the device detonated… however, a second power surge in the vicinity of Colony Iota within the same time frame.” He sighed in exasperation.

“She survived… nor am I surprised.”

Regardless, he would move onto the next attempt to deal with the threat. Colony 30 remained in the Fornis region, with its vast fleet of levnises ready to be unleashed.

“Alas, Lord Q is yet another fool within our ranks,” grumbled Y. Still, he stroked his chin thoughtfully as he considered all the assets at his disposal. “But even fools may still have their uses. To wit, he is to be promoted.”

The dramatic pause was hardly necessary without an audience, but Y did enjoy indulging himself.

“Promoted… to glory.”

Chapter Text

Flashes of countless scenarios flew past Alexandria, vivid apparitions of those she knew and those she didn’t appearing in her mind’s eye before disappearing back into the ether. Streaks of energy danced all around as she flew through a… tunnel, she guessed. Or was it just how it appeared to her as she traversed an unknowable void?

The only commonality between these… visions, as best she could call them, was that they all appeared to be occurring from her own perspective. And even then, that felt rather loose; there were a few where she felt to be more of a silent and unseen observer, but it still felt as if she was there herself.

The first such vision to draw her attention involved the man who had liberated Iota, Rex. Countless levnises, as if the entirety of Colony 30 had come out to attack Iota, had trained their weapons specifically at her. In a desperate attempt to protect her, Rex leapt in front of her only to be shredded apart by the blasts of ether before he dissolved into golden motes like that of a Homecoming… leading to the remaining blasts to find their mark – Alexandria herself.

She saw Mio, the Ouroboros and Agnian Off-Seer who had recently arrived in Colony Iota, being marched out at the Ascension Grounds of Agnus Castle; she had some unpleasant memories of her time there, not aided by the fact she was once held in the nearby prison for reasons she didn’t even understand.

Contrary to the Off-Seer’s current state of injury, she appeared unharmed in this place… but she was  also being escorted out with her hands restrained behind her back. The remaining Ouroboros were already there, already lined up and forced to their knees by the Castle’s guards; this was a public execution. Mio was escorted before the Queen herself… and sent off, she had reached Homecoming at the height of the Eclipse only moments later. The Golden Consul which had harmed Chickadee was there, his mask off… and he appeared so much like the Kevesi Off-Seer, Noah, except his eyes appeared so completely and utterly empty. After Mio disappeared into the light, the actual Noah was forced to lean forward by two guards; N raised his sword, and prepared to remove Noah’s head, his expression one of grim satisfaction. The vision ended the instant before the sword struck, much to Alex’ relief.

Another saw her staring down a Consul she couldn’t quite place. He didn’t appear to be one she had met herself, but his helmet had a spiral shape that seemingly inspired by a cephalopod. For some reason, his demeanour was somehow both friendly and unsettling. He spread his arms out as if welcoming her.

“We meet again, Number One.” Mercifully, the vision ended there and then.

In another, she saw the entirety of Colony Iota in its current location being consumed by an Annihilation Event. She was just outside it herself, having just departed for some reason; she turned back to see all her friends and allies disappear into the blinding light.

The most arresting vision was one that involved Rex again, but he appeared… different, fewer lines on his face. He also still had both eyes, and was bereft of all clothing on a large and fairly opulent bed; his face flushed red with embarrassment, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t be seen doing. With him were three equally nude women. The red-haired woman who had saved her life the day before, who seemed to be giggling at the situation. A long-haired blonde who appeared utterly mortified; her hands being used to cover her chest and nether regions. The last… was that the Queen? The ears and hair matched, but Alex could not recall ever seeing the Queen without her mask; still, it seemed... right. The Queen rolled her eyes and covered her large ears. Reflexively, Alexandria heard herself scream, which was also joined by two other voices on either side of her.

“Well, I must say I am surprised to see you here,” spoke a distant voice, with the only trait that Alexandria able to make out being that it sounded at least somewhat masculine. “But perhaps I should not be, all things considered.”

“Who are you?” demanded Dame Alex, drawing on what authority she could in this place. “Where are we? What’s going on?”

“Your consciousness reaches forward into the flow of causality, a rare gift,” mused the voice, sounding somewhat smug and arrogant. “And furthermore, you appear to be able to see all the strands and tangents of what may come to pass. Few who venture here are able to see more than one, and confine themselves to that path.” It paused, a chuckle echoing in the void. “Nevertheless, should I expect any less from the child of Pneuma?”

“Who’s Pneuma? And what’s a child?” shouted Alexandria.

“Yourself, for one,” replied to voice dryly. “Or would you prefer to say ‘almost an adult’? As for Pneuma… she loathed to enter this space. Somewhat out of fear, but she always found knowing what was to come rather mundane; she enjoyed surprises, or at least pleasant ones. Along with avoiding the perpetual existential dread these visions could induce.”

Alexandria found herself becoming annoyed with the stranger. “Do you ever talk straight?”

“Now where’s the fun in that?”

There was a tense pause as the voice seemingly took it’s sweet time to acknowledge how unwelcome that particular response was… or perhaps it never really cared too much about that. It seemingly drew its own amusement from tormenting others, or at least from playful teasing. Regardless, it eventually felt that there was something important to add.

“If I can offer you one piece advice about this space, it’s that there is no one perfect path through,” it continued, coming across as somewhat wise while still remaining cryptic. “You are seeing many different paths, but you will never be in full control of them. If you strive for the perfect outcome, you will fail.”

There was a hint of bitter experience with the last sentence, Alex noted.

“Do not attempt to chart the perfect course, for it does not exist,” said the voice, opting for a naval analogy. “Instead, see yourself as the navigator at the helm, steering the ship through stormy seas. Set your sight on a destination, and find your way towards it.”

“So… just expect things to not go according to plan?” asked Alexandria, somewhat confused at how plainly obvious the statement seemed to be.

“To an extent, yes,” answered the voice. “Though it Is better to say that you should not be deceived these apparitions, they need are not necessarily… ‘set in stone’ was the idiom, as I recall.”

Alexandria rolled her eyes, she was certain this was nothing more than a lucid dream of no importance. Still, the urge to indulge in her sarcasm would not be denied. “What? You’re saying these visions aren’t pre-ordained?”

“You’d be surprised how often many come to that conclusion based on what they encounter here.” The voice appeared to speak truthfully, if not with frustrated exasperation. “And with that, I believe our time here is at an end.”

The voice receded into the void, leaving Alexandria alone… only to suddenly find herself tumbling back through another sea of visions, each more horrific than the last. Her friends dying around her, the Queen standing before her with the golden mask again, flanked by several Consuls and the monstrosities around she had seen them turn into.

Most terrifying at all was one of Consul Y, his helmet removed to reveal a balding visage framed by bright purple… “cracks” was the best she could describe them, fissures in his skin to reveal this pulsing energy. He forcibly threw Alexandria into a Cradle which closed to trap her within, his face a twisted grin of satisfaction. He strode proudly towards the console, inputting a command while Alex pounded away at the glass, pleading to be let go. Y ignored her cries until a single red button rose; obviously the last input to do whatever process he hand intended.

“At long last, we will be rid you and your Incursions – once and for all!”

Y pushed the button, and Cradle began to fill with a bubbling yellow fluid.

Alex catapulted herself outright out of her slumber, eyes transfixed with horror as she screamed. Breathing hard, she reoriented herself; she was back in her quarters, no longer trapped in a cradle filling up with... something.

“Another nightmare, Dame Alex?” asked Captain Sequoia as she entered the tent. She must have been nearby, and was more than a little familiar with her Commander’s nocturnal terrors. Many soldiers were afflicted with such nightmares, some worse than others; Alexandria was worse when she was younger, and Sequoia has been a steadying hand for her.

Unable to stop herself from shuddering, Alexandria did her best to cast out the lingering memories. “Yes… I’ll be fine, Sequoia.” There were far too many things to attempt explaining, but there was one which the Captain would at least understand. “I saw… our defeat at the hands of Colony 30 again.”

“I see, Dame Alex…” replied Sequoia, recalling an equally unpleasant experience for herself. “We lost a lot of good people that day. Though I do have something much more recent to report.”

“What would it be now, Captain?”

“Colony 4 has sent us a message, they wish to send a select few of their number to see to their own wounded – those which were left under our care after the battle – and verify their condition and if they’ll be able to return to the Colony. They are also requesting some supplies, if possible; seems the Castle has left them severely depleted since demoting them to Dirt Rank.”

“I suppose we expected as much,” commented Alexandria, getting up and examining what had become of her hair. Her headdress had been a part of her image for so long, to think it was an explosive device all along… a failsafe by the Consuls, in retrospect. She couldn’t just replace it with something similar, not after what happened yesterday; she’d be needing a new hairstyle… and possibly new attire as well. She was being targeted, wearing the same clothing could make her too easy to spot; though going to a standard-issue uniform was completely out of the question. Still, back to business. “Did they identify who would they would be sending?”

“Silvercoat said she would be coming herself, with two others: one from the medical team and another from their procurement division,” answered Sequoia. “They may send over more later, but felt that a smaller group for the initial contact would be amenable to both parties.”

“Agreed. Thank you Captain. And if you’ll excuse me, I need to… ‘freshen up’, I believe is the expression.”

“Freshen up what, Dame Alex?”

“My uniform, Captain. And I would desire some privacy while I… sort this out.”

Consul Q was observing the comings and goings of the mechanics and nopon of Colony 30 from his office within the Ferronis. Valdi was scatterbrained as ever, but at least this ‘Dorrick’ project was bearing fruit. If the tests were successful, he’d enjoy producing them en masse for some larger-scale engagements. Some of his Agnian counterparts had already developed some larger levnises, but Keves lacked the means to properly counter them; so those majestic creations sat rotting at Agnus Castle, waiting for a suitable opponent.

Oh, it’d be a glorious spectacle to behold! A battle of the largest – non-Ferronis, he corrected himself – mechanical creations that both nations had to offer! He’d have no issue convincing some of his peers to push for such a large-scale set-piece battle, a rarity seen only once every century or so; Master E always supported these little projects, surely he’d enjoy ‘setting the stage’ as he liked to say. Oh, it’d be a show for the ages!

An unexpected call broke his train of though.

“Well then… isn’t that curious?” pondered Q, taking a bit of time to straighten his helmet and cloak. “Why would Y be calling at this juncture? Oh, most likely that those blasted Ouroboros are causing more difficulties than usual.” After a moment or so, Q opening the line.

“Good morning, Master Y. What brings you to–”

“–cease your frivolities, Q.”

“Oh my,” said Consul Q, shocked at Y’s sharp retort. “You are normally open to the usual verbal joust, Master Y. What is so serious that you to be so curt?”

“If you insist, Q, I shall indulge your penchant for the dramatics,” responded Y, deliberately invoking his more typical grandiose posture. “Verily, Ouroboros have proven to be most troublesome. Two Colonies have already fallen under their march, and I have no doubt that they’d be satisfied with stopping where they are.”

“Well, that is most troubling…” said Q, his hand tapping the base of his box-shaped helmet. “I suppose you’re about to ask me to put a stop to them? To bring the full might of Colony 30 to bear?”

“Your powers of intuition are not to be found wanting Q, though my instructions for you are… somewhat specific,” answered Y, throwing in a dash of flattery. “We must act with alacrity, with a coordinated assault.”

“I see…” Q’s eyes were gleaming with glee. “Then I imagine you plan to make use of your pet project?”

“That is correct, but you are not to speak another word of it.”

“Understood, Master Y. Now, what are the specifics of your plan?”

Sitting alone in the Commander’s Tent of Colony Delta, Smouldering Cammuravi was not inclined to partake in the jovial mood which had taken hold of the soldiers under his command. They had successfully defeated Colony 16 on the field of battle, with Cammuravi himself taking to the field at the last moment; his soldiers had praised him for the daring strategy, and he didn’t have the heart to tell them the truth.

By taking to the field and winning the battle, he had disobeyed the Consul’s orders.

After his defeat against Colony 4, Cammuravi was not expected to be granted mercy by their Commander. However, it was a decision he respected; after all, it was an opportunity to engage in battle against the legendary Silvercoat Ethel at a later date, preferably without the knee of his Ferronis breaking on him due to a maintenance issue.

His nostrils flared, something didn’t sit right with him when the Consul gave him the order to stand down for the duration of their next engagement. At face value, being instructed to sit and wait for death did not align with the Warrior’s Way… but why would a Consul effectively order him to manufacture his own defeat?

His Iris flared, seemingly intent on stopping this train of thought… but a looming shadow entering his tent required Cammuravi’s full attention.

Standing nearly three metri tall, the steel-clad giants footsteps shook the ground with every stride. Each wore the bright white armour with bronze trim that was common for Agnus, but the style of their armour was of an entirely different style. Each limb was over a quarter-metri wide, and the combination of hulking shoulder plates and the head being recessed into torso, each of them would have appeared quite stout from a distance; only up close did the fact they were towering become clear. The fully enclosed helm had a lower plate that came to a point, perhaps to emphasize some ancient style of armour; fitting for the Queen’s personal guards.

Half a dozen Praetorians had come to meet him.

Little was known of these stoic giants, only that they acted at the explicit command of the Queen herself; so did the Consuls, but even they appeared fearful whenever a Praetorian was near. It was rumoured to be only two dozen of them total in existence, for a quarter of them to be here spoke of the severity of what he had done.

“Commander Cammuravi of Colony Delta.”

The voice was emotionless and… hollow? Cammuravi remained seated in his meditative pose, his head bowed as he did not betray his suspicions. “I believe I know why you have come.”

“You are to come with us. The transport is outside.”

No inflection, same resonating sound as if there was nothing underneath those heavy plates of armour. An idle thought, he wondered if the Praetorians actually used Blade weapons; all six of those present had their halberds held in their hands, and he recalled never seeing them without these weapons. Could they not summon Blades? Or did they just always keep them drawn to show they were always ready? Could it be for intimidation?

“Before I go, I have one question,” said Cammuravi, deciding that he couldn’t leave this particular question unanswered. “What will become out my soldiers?”

“We have received no instructions in regards to them.”

Cammuravi felt the answer was honest, but did not bode well for the Colony. They would be at the mercy of whatever Consul came to them next.

“What would happen if I do not acquiesce to your request?” asked the Seraph, testing the waters.

“Your compliance will not be a factor.”

The Praetorian did not move, not even to suggest a threat. Either they were supremely confident… or genuinely machine-like in their obedience to their orders. Whether he liked it or not, Cammuravi would be coming with them; even if they had to drag his husk back with them.

Rising to his feet, Cammuravi got ready to leave the Colony. Still, some things needed to be said. “Before we leave, I must stress that I acted alone when disobeying the Consul’s commands. My soldiers were not aware of it, nor my disobedience to such an order.”

“That is irrelevant.”

Cammuravi placed a hand-written letter on his desk, something he had prepared a message in advance. For better or for worse, he had anticipated something to this effect happening. With any luck, this would be found by his second-in-command before anyone else… and hopefully he would be able to keep the Colony together despite Cammuravi’s departure.

And with that, the Commander of Colony Delta quietly left his soldiers to enjoy what was likely to be their last day of revelry.

The gentle lapping of the waves on the shoreline for the small pond was not quite what Shulk preferred, but the few sounds of nature he could hear out here did their part and calmed Shulk’s nerves as he began his regular routine of practicing his form and sets. The thought made him chuckle a bit, but Panacea had often mistaken this habit as him being dedicated to his training; in truth, it was just something to keep him focused while he worked through his thoughts.

Nikol’s back, and he didn’t have the opportunity yesterday to talk to him. Undoubtedly, his son would have questions for him… among them why he didn’t tell him of their actual relationship. Strangely enough, that was actually the least of his concerns; Nikol would likely have some emotions to work through, but his grasp of logic and reason would help him understand it better. If anything, he seemed to have already made peace with it during that brief moment that he could talk to him.

The more pressing issue was Noah… who was Nikol’s brother. Twin brother, to be more accurate, though he hoped to leave that particular detail out of the discussion. There would probably be some lingering resentment towards N, and Shulk simply didn’t know how Nikol would process that. And how would he handle the notion that there was somehow both N and Noah existing at the same time? Would he consider them the same person?

… should Shulk consider the same person?

“’ey, Shulk,” said Rex, approaching his longtime friend. “How’s it goin’?”

Sheathing his Blade, the engineer let out a heavy sigh. “Could be better. I expect Nikol’s going to have some… tough questions. And I doubt I’ll be able to put it off today.”

“I c’n sympathize with that,” muttered Rex, recalling his own sit-down with Glimmer. “But I think it’ll go better than ya think… well, I hope it would.”

“I doubt he’d hold much against me for leaving him in dark about being his father,” replied Shulk. “It’s his relation to Noah that could be the problem.”

“Hard t’ say there.” Rex started pacing around, scratching the back of his head and he searched for the words.

“Hmm? Something bothering you, Rex?”

The salvager frowned. “Obviously, I’m worried about Mio. She’s hurt, and bad; I think she’ll live… but will she be okay? ‘ell, she wants t’ get to the City! She may not be fit for travellin’, let alone fightin’! An’ then there’s what happened t’ Alex the other day…”

Shulk had to laugh. “So Glimmer’s actually the least of your worries?”

“Despite ‘er temper, she does have a good ‘ead on ‘er shoulders,” answered Rex, somewhat more jovial for a moment. A fleeting moment, as the salvager turned towards Shulk with a grim expression. “Shulk, I got somethin’ t’ tell ya.”

Sitting down on a nearby rock, Shulk looked at his old friend. “This is serious.”

“Pyra’s sayin’ it’s like quantum entanglement, but it’s not quite like tha’,” started Rex.

“Noah mentioned the term earlier. Something about him and N experiencing pain at the same time?”

“Yeah, we’re on the same page there…” The salvager shifted uneasily, he never liked dealing with this situation, but knew it all too well. “Remember how I told ya about the time Pyra gave me ‘alf ‘er core to save me?”

“Stabbed through the heart, correct?”

“Yeah… that. Well, a secondary effect was something a lot like what’s going on with Noah. Whenever I got hit, Pyra & Mythra felt the pain as well.” Rex started fidgeting again, reflecting how uncomfortable the subject matter was.

Shulk leaned forward, placing his left hand under his chin. “Where’s this leading to, Rex?”

“If either Noah or N snuff it, both of them do.”

A tense moment passed, with Shulk rising to his feet to glare at the salvager for his audacity. “You better not be implying what I think you are. This is my son you’re talking about.”

“I know, Shulk… I know,” replied Rex, more calmly. “I can’t deny the possibility crossed my mind, especially after what N did t’ Mio. But trust me, I know that’s the wrong way t’ go ‘bout it.”

“Then why even bring it up in the first place?”

“I saw the look in N’s eyes, Shulk,” said Rex, his resolve firmer than ever. “I’ve only seen that look only once before, an’ that guy had given up on livin’. Noah seems t’ be alright at the moment, but ‘e’s dangling on a thinner thread than I think either you or even he knows himself.”

Unclenching his fist, Shulk slouched forward. “That bad, huh?”

Rex shook his head. “I don’t know yet, Shulk. T’ be honest, I’m more worried that he’d volunteer himself if it meant takin’ out N. The kid cares, sometimes too much fer ‘is own good.”

Letting out a genuine laugh, Shulk couldn’t help but look on the bright side. “He always was the close to Melia, he must have learned that from her.”

Rex smirked, knowing both himself and his friend. “Don’t forget, Shulk. We’re not much better!”

Chapter Text

“So both Iota and Colony 4 have fallen,” said Consul Q, his tone despondent. “And we have lost Master E as well, then?”

“Hmm… he was a friend, I take it?” asked Y, stroking his chin dramatically. “Alas, a consequence of his own arrogance.”

“Perhaps…” muttered Q, lost in his bitterness. If not for the higher echelons of power among Moebius, they would have torn themselves apart through in-fighting centuries ago; Master E was one of the few whose company Q enjoyed. “Then it is only fitting that we exact payment from these rebels, less they affect more.”

“Indeed,” said Y in agreement. “These particular Ouroboros have proven to be quite wily and capable, able to disrupt whole Colonies in a short span of time. Though those wretches from the City were also quick to assist them.” An intentional inaccuracy, thought Y. The two assisting Ouroboros thus far at least could be explained as being from the City, which was close enough for the likes of Q. The existence of the Avatar was a carefully guarded secret even among Moebius, only the most senior were granted knowledge of them.

“Very well, I shall make preparations to assault Colony Iota at once!” declared Q, his voice eager and vindictive. “Mark my words, the slattern shall not go unpunished!”

“Belay that, you have other orders.”

Q deflated, seemingly annoyed. “You have a plan, Master Y? Why would I not seek to remove Alexandria first? Silvercoat may be demoted, but Colony 4 is far from defenseless. Besides, it would be a relatively normal-appearing battle would have Colony 30 attacking the Agnians.”

“Leave Iota to me, we’ll eliminate both Colonies in a single strike,” explained Y. “We need to make an example of Colony 4, demonstrating that rebellion shall not be tolerated. Regardless, you may still have an opportunity to exact retribution…”

“Go on…”

“I anticipate that Iota will respond to the attack on Colony 4 by rushing to their aid. Likely not committing their full forces, but they will send a small team of elite soldiers to assist; most likely including the Ouroboros themselves, with Alexandria herself assisting them.”

“I see…” said Q, with a hint of smug satisfaction. “Do you have any special instructions regarding her?”

“While I’d prefer her alive, you are free to eliminate her if necessary.”

If there was one thing Glimmer was grateful for at Colony Iota, it was that their storehouse was always well-stocked with everything she could ever need. She had lost both of her sleeves in the battle against Colony 4 to use them as makeshift bandages, and they needed replacing.

While one of the artisans within the colony had volunteered to make them for her, a gesture of appreciation for her saving several people during the battle with her healing abilities, Glimmer had grown accustomed to making her own clothing even before becoming Ouroboros. Customized clothing designs were rare in the regimented forces of both Agnus and Keves, a privilege only afforded to Commanders; exceptions were typically made by the wearer themselves or a rare indulgence by the attending Consul for a favoured soldier.

In any event, she made it clear to the artisan she’d only be happy with the end result if she made the clothing herself. Setting down fabric on the table, she began marking out the locations of where the first piece of fabric would be cut to shape.

You always did take an interest in Vale’s work back at Fonsett.

Glimmer spun around, eyes darting around for the source of the voice. A disembodied crimson hand closed the door and quickly skittered across the floor and onto the table, then slowly moved around the fabric as if carefully evaluating the project.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific, who’s Vale and where’s Fonsett?” inquired Glimmer. “They’re from our old world, aren’t they?”

Fonsett Village was your home, more or less. It’s where you were born.

We had to do a bit of travelling back and forth as you and your sisters got older.

Origin was a seven-year project, and all of us had a hand in it.

So while we always liked to come back home to Fonsett, we couldn’t always be there.

Glimmer nodded in agreement. “Alright, I can understand that. Origin’s huge, so you had to stay close to where those resources could actually be found.”

Well, that was surprising to hear.

I didn’t think you’d be interested in that sort of thing.

“I got to watch Nikol and Riku build the new City over a few decades,” she replied, smiling wistfully. “They’d picked out the Great Sword specifically so they could scavenge it for parts and materials, and they were quick to remind me of that whenever I started complaining about living in a swamp. Now then, who’s Vale?”

A family friend, you could say.

Talent for tailoring, moved in and took over for the old seamstress who lived in the village.

She made clothing for all of us, including Nia’s regalia.

“Clothes fit for a Queen, huh?”

And Nia hated wearing it.

Glimmer froze at the remark. It was difficult enough to think of the Queen – the true Queen, that is – as someone she had a personal connection to. But to think of her as disliking her own royal attire was almost blasphemous.

“Are you serious? She hated wearing that outfit?” she bawked. “I know the one I saw ages ago wasn’t really her, but why wouldn’t she like it?”

A few things, starting with the fact she struggled to walk in it.

Her title on Alrest was ‘Praetrix’, but that’s not too important here.

But she never wanted the position, only taking it on to make sure Origin got built.

And utterly loathed having to keep up appearances.

“Huh, I didn’t know that about her… and you’re saying she didn’t like being a Queen?” asked Glimmer, growing more curious. “What was she really like, then?”

Kind, caring, and surprisingly patient when dealing with difficult people.

A talent for music that she liked to keep hidden most of the time.

That piqued Glimmer’s interest. “Really? Music?”

Yes, she actually could play a few instruments, but preferred the piano.

And she had a lovely singing voice, not that you’d ever know otherwise.

“Okay, that sounds ominous. Why would that be the case.”

She had one of the dirtiest potty-mouths in the world.

To the point I doubt you’ve encountered anything else quite like it.

Glimmer smirked, she’d see all types of people over her long life. A little swearing was not going to faze her at this point. “Try me, I doubt I’ll hear anything as bad as that argument between Na’el and Panacea after a wild night of drinking and partying.”

Her mother’s disembodied hand positioned itself on the table, palm facing upward, and projected a holographic image above it. Sure enough, it was the Queen of Agnus in her full regalia, and looking rather unhappy at something as she tapped her foot.

I took this recording when she first tried the outfit on.

“I can’t believe ya talked me in t’ this,” muttered the Queen’s projection, her accent much thicker than Glimmer had heard before. Still, the voice was all but unmistakably correct, if far more relaxed and casual. “I’m bloody trippin’ over the hem of this thing, or gettin’ my legs tangled with ‘ow tight it is! One false step an’ I’m plantin’ my kisser in t’ the ground ‘ard enough to grow a damn tree!”

“Come on, Your Eminence! It looks great on you!” said her mother’s voice, though she wasn’t seen. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it in no time.”

The Queen let out a sigh, taking a moment to compose herself. “A’right, here I go,” she declared, taking a careful step forward… only for her foot to get caught on the hem of her robe, sending for tumbling face-first into the ground.

Hard.

Her mother burst out laughing in the recording, much to the Queen’s annoyance. Laughter that quickly faded away and gave way to worry as the injury appeared to be more serious than first thought.

“Cer i grafu, ya uffernol cont,” cursed Her Majesty, all royal bearing lost as she stood up with her hand held under her face. Her nose was bloodied, broken even; she was clearly wincing in pain, but it was quickly mending itself. She held an awkward half-bowed position, keeping her face over the ground and one hand under it; the other pulling back the sleeve to keep as much of the fabric away from her face.

“Grab me a tissue, mewn cachiad! I don’t want t’ turn dis gwisg gwaedlyd in t’ a jini ffernac and pay tha’ slebog Vale again fer another!”

“Okay, hold up!” interjected Glimmer, the recording pausing. “First, what the spark was she even saying? Second, how was she healing that fast?”

To answer the first, she’s was cursing in the old Gormotti tongue.

You do not want me to translate that.

As for the second, she’s a really good healer.

“Healing that fast doesn’t seem… possible, though,” said Glimmer as she mulled over the specifics of her own medical knowledge. “I mean, I’m good… but no one’s that good.”

Most Blades could heal up near-instantly, though she was something of a ‘special case’.

If people didn’t immediate turn into husks or evaporate into motes on Aionios,

she’d have a few minutes to be able to bring back the recently deceased.

She blinked carefully at the words, that didn’t sound right… in more ways than one. “You’re shitting me, right? First, you’re saying ‘bring back the dead’… second, you’re telling me people are supposed to die differently? What, are they supposed to leave a corpse behind like animals?”

Yes, actually.

Moebius really did screw with rules here.

“One last thing… you said she was a ‘Blade’? As in our weapons?” asked Glimmer, her curiosity piqued by the parallels being raised.

… did I let that one slip?

I was hoping to avoid explaining it.

Glimmer smirked, she had just gained the upper-hand in this discussion. “Let me guess, a super-secret detail you wanted to keep from me until the time was right? Because I never bothered to ask the right questions?”

I’m not Riku, this isn’t really much of a secret in our actual world.

And more like I wanted to avoid explaining it until after Aionios was over.

Though the Blades you know are derivative from us.

“Wait, you’re saying you’re a Blade?”

… damn.

Alright, settle in. This could take a while.

Lanz looked at the newly constructed handrail in the middle of the parade grounds, impressed at both how quickly it went up around the burn scar left by… whatever Alexandria did. Solid steel posts every few metri, a hollow tube across the top at waist-height and another about halfway down. Even some light grating used to cover all of the holes.

“Niiiiiiice.”

“It’s nothing more than a simple partition,” interjected Taion as knelt and examined the welded connections between the rail and posts, scanning for any defects. “Given the smooth surface and that it led all the way down to the underside of Aionios, anyone tripping and falling on it could have slid away from us – forever.”

The Agnian’s tone didn’t sit right with Lanz. “Why do ya keep sellin’ yourself short, man? This was a good idea, there’s nothing wrong with thinkin’ of keepin’ people safe.” Taion stood up, hanging his head.

“… I envy you.”

“Huh?”

“That blind confidence of yours. Completely unfounded, without reason, yet you still have it. I wish I could take some.”

“I’m not confident,” retorted Lanz, leaning back and looking towards the sky. “I just… need to keep moving, I need to do something. If I didn’t hesitate, maybe he’d…”

Taion adjusted his glasses, allowing himself a smirk. “I see, I believe I can understand that perspective even if the causes are substantially different. I take you lost a friend, then? Hardly uncommon, given our circumstances.”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Lanz clenched his fist, doing his best to keep his anger in check.

“I won’t pry, but I can say my own story isn’t much better,” said Taion, doing his best to keep himself together. “But I made a mistake, my tactics were flawed and the enemy outmaneuvered us. If I’d only been a bit more careful– ”

“–you wouldn’t have lost them, right?” said Lanz, crossing his arms. “Makes sense, why you’re always double-checkin’ and makin’ sure nothing’s wrong… yeah, I get it.”

The silence was thoughtful for the two of them.

“Noah says it’s not healthy, by the way,” added Lanz. “Both him and Eunie, actually. Quick to say you can’t be gettin’ all wrapped up in your regrets.”

“A bit more direct than what I received, I suppose, but Mio offered similar words,” commented Taion, trying not to think on her condition. “More… encouragement and optimism, you could say.”

“When you put it like that,” mused Lanz, a shite-eating grin growing across his face. “Kind of reminds you of that Rex fella, right?”

“… perhaps, perhaps not,” said Taion, waving his right hand dismissively. “At this point, the similarity is purely superfi–“

*SLAP*

In the moment Taion had stopped paying attention to him, Lanz pounced and slapped him on the hand.

“… what the spark was that for?!”

“Never leave a man hangin’!” said Lanz, smiling proudly. “Don’t worry, it’s a good thing.”

“I beg to differ!” snapped Taion. “That was actually rather painful!”

“Eh, you just weren’t ready for it. Who knows? Maybe you’ll catch me next time!”

One. Two. Three. Four. Pivot.

One. Two. Three. Four. Reset.

The form Shulk practiced each morning gave him focus, allowed him to get his thoughts together. Today was going to be difficult, no doubt there. The previous day was grueling, but they survived both the battle and the aftermath. There was a path forward… more or less.

One. Two. Three. Four. Pivot.

One. Two. Three. Four. Reset.

He smiled, thinking on his good fortune. For the first time in many years, he actually got to see all of his children in one place… and all of them were alive and well. Mostly. Noah’s case was… unique, to say the least. But he could deal with that, even if it was a long road ahead.

One. Two. Three. Four. Pivot.

One. Two. Three. Four. Reset.

The girls were doing well, more or less the same but older. It gave him some comfort that they’d turn out alright… but they were quite sharp, creating their own challenges. Fiora would take it in stride, and Melia may even encourage their inquisitiveness. He wasn’t quite so sure about Tyrea, but Shulk felt she’d relish the challenge it presented.

One. Two. Three. Four. Pivot.

One. Two. Three. Four. Reset.

But that left…

“Uhh… Fa-“ Nikol let out a cough, catching himself. “Sorry, Shulk… sir. I… need to speak with you.”

Taking a deep breath, Shulk put away his weapon. “It’s alright, Nikol. I’m sure you have many questions for me.”

The younger man nodded, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. “… yes. Yes, I do. Sir.”

“I guess we’ll have to find somewhere private, so that we’re not dancing around what we shouldn’t be saying around the others,” recited Shulk, saying the very words he went over in his head again and again. “It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”

The two men walked towards an empty building silently, unsure if either of them should be dreading this moment or elated. Both emotions seemed right, they thought. Still, they couldn’t leave things unsaid any longer.

Grabbing the nearest post to steady himself, Noah was doing his best to stay upright until he sat down at the canteen table for breakfast. And even after that, it was still taking a surprising amount of willpower to stop his head from crashing onto the tabletop.

“Bleedin’ hell, Noah!” shouted Eunie, almost taken aback from the sight. “What the spark happened to you? You’re staggerin’ through the canteen as if you haven’t slept fer four nights straight!”

“I’m not entirely sure… but it sure as spark feels like it,” managed Noah, each word requiring more concentration than the last. “I feel… like I’ve been cornered by a feris. For the whole night. Couldn’t sleep a wink. Almost like I was running on adrenaline the whole time.”

“Hmm… has Hand said anythin’ this morning?” she asked.

“No, nothing at all,” said Noah. It was perplexing, to tell the truth; she was paying less attention to him lately, as if there was something else – someone else – keeping her occupied. Was it Rex? He seemed to know her well, better than even he did… what did she say earlier?

“Eunie, have you ever heard of anything called ‘quantum entanglement’?”

“Uh… nope! That’s a new one!”

“It’s a theory, more or less,” interjected Taion, coming up to the canteen with Lanz not far behind him. “There wasn’t much written about it, at least in what I could read during my earliest terms, and the explanations as to why it happens were beyond my level of expertise. But the functional effects were… surprisingly memorable. Two objects, entirely separate from each other, were subject to the same physical effects. If you pushed one object, the other would move in a similar fashion.”

The tactician’s words hung in the air, an uneasy silence as Noah appeared to be almost glaring at him.

“I do apologize, Noah. It’s rather advanced scientific theory… I’m not sure I could simplify it any– “

“ –no, Taion. There’s nothing to apologize for. That’s… very similar to what Shulk said, yesterday.” He crossed his arms, the moment of clarity giving him the focus to get past the exhaustion and mental fog. “Could… that affect people, maybe?”

“Hypothetically.”

“Hear me out. If two people were entangled, and one was… say, punched in the face?” Noah’s hand reflexively rubbed his jaw, still stiff from the phantom blow during the battle. “… would the other feel it?”

“Your onto something, Noah,” said Lanz, detecting the weight of his friend’s words. “You may as well let us know.”

“Hand said I was affected by it, yesterday,” answered Noah, a hint of resignation in his voice. I was too… angry, worried… to really listen to her. She knew exactly what it is.” He crossed his legs uncomfortably. “And made use of it, though I can’t say why exactly right now.”

“Squeezed yer bollocks, didn’t she?” asked Eunie, not sure if she should sympathize or laugh right now. Noah silently nodded. “Been a while since she did that.”

“I can understand the anger, being subjected to that,” said Taion, crossing his own legs. “But I find the worry curious. Would that be related to Mio’s condition?” Noah nodded again.

Lanz crossed his arms, glaring at the Off-Seer. “I know you’ve always been fairer than the rest of us towards Agnus, Noah – ignoring all the crap we’ve learned since Alfeto Valley – but don’t you think you’re getting a little too attached to her? You’ve only known her a few days!”

“I don’t know how to explain it, Lanz,” answered Noah. “Ever since we linked up back then – spark, even while we were fighting before then – it feels like I’ve known her just as long as you and Eunie.”

The uneasy silence lingered.

“I presume no offense was intended by your friend, but he’s correct in saying your behaviour does not appear to be normal. At least relative to most soldiers,” said Taion, attempting to dispel the silence. “But it raises an interesting question – Lanz, you and Sena managed a similar feat during the battle. How would you describe the experience?”

“Well, I did see a lot of… memories, I guess,” said Lanz. “I know she’s had it rough, and I would call her a friend now, but it’s not quite the same as what I’m seeing from Noah. He’s almost… clinging to her, if that makes sense.”

“Quite the difference from his usual reserved behaviour, you could say,” added Eunie, her tone playful to point of irritating.

The chair skidded loudly across the ground. “I’m going to the medical tents,” announced the Off-Seer. “Maybe they’ll have something which will help me relax and get a nap.” He marched off, smartly.

Eunie shook her head. “And he’s definitely goin’ to check on Mio while he’s there. First time in a couple of terms that you’ve wound him right up, Lanz.”

“You weren’t helping, Eunie. And it doesn’t mean I’m wrong.” Lanz crossed his arms, hanging his head as he thought about it. “It’s not like him to act like that.”

Adjusting his glasses, Taion nodded in agreement. “For now, we continue to observe.”

Monica rubbed her temples, this hangover was giving her a terrible headache. After the little revelation from Shania last night, she’d decided that was enough for the day and ordered a stiff drink from Michiba’s. Then another. And another.

She’d lost count after five, but she somehow did make it back home, and without discovering an unexpected companion in her bed when her alarm went off. Her father had no shortage of “cures” that he was willing to try after such nights, but Monica kept it simple – water, a light breakfast, a common pain-reliever, and rest. Too bad she had to forgo the last one, at least for now.

The Librarian could wait, especially if she had been withholding information for so damn long! If anything, foul mood the hangover left her in was all too appropriate.

“I half-expected you to come running here last night, not Michiba’s.” Her dry sense of humour was a known quantity, but now was not the time for it.

“What the hell do you want to talk about?!” snapped Monica. “How the hell do you know anything about what’s going on in the field?! Especially all the weird crap that’s going on around Iota about now?!”

“Good thing I closed the Library today, I figured you’d be a foul mood and didn’t want to bother with the usual discretion you try to maintain between the Lost Numbers and civilians.” The Librarian leaned back in her usual chair. “Here’s the low-down – Ontos is making moves, big ones. They’re undermining Moebius, and the City needs to get ready to retake Origin.”

An uneasy silence filled the air, Monica pausing to think through what the Librarian had just said. She can’t be serious, can she? There’s no way she just suggested that… but what is she did? There was only one way to find out.

“Origin is a fairy tale, and you know it.”

Monica noticed the Librarian hesitating for a moment, stopping herself as if to think about her next words. “It just hasn’t been seen nor accessible for a thousand years, that doesn’t mean it’s gone. It’s tough to keep belief in something you can’t see alive through multiple generations.”

“Then why isn’t it in the records?” accused Monica.

“Because I keep them locked in my private collection, to stop the Lost Numbers from going on a suicide mission every twenty years or so.” The blonde woman let out a heavy sigh. “The means and resources to take it are hard to come by, but now my hand is being forced.” She pressed a button on her computer, sending the first batch of information directly to Monica’s Iris.

Taking a moment to peruse the data, Monica’s jaw slowly dropped. “This thing is massive, and it’s been hiding in the Great Vortex all this time?!”

“I’d start by feeding Samon some more barrier metal for his boat project,” suggested the Librarian. “We’ll need to get through that somehow, and he’s the closest to something useful. And there’s a lot more data to get through, that’s just the primer.”

Monica tapped her temple, dismissing the Iris interface. “Alright, let’s say I believe you. But who the hell is Ontos?”

“The sentient AI that serves as Origin’s operating system… and I guess you could call them my sibling, in a sense.”

“… well, that would explain why you haven’t aged a day as long as I’ve known you.” Noticing the opportunity, Monica decided to go for it. “But since you’ve already given me all this information, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“You must have a name – what is it?”

The Librarian leaned forward with a smile, her chin resting on both hands.

“You can call me Mythra.”

“Are you sure about this, Commander?” asked Bolearis, shifting uneasily. “I know things are different now, but are you sure we can trust someone from Agnus?”

Silvercoat Ethel shrugged reflexively, she wasn’t sure of anything herself at this stage. The rest of Colony 4 had taken the information she’d been presented by Iota… surprisingly well, for the most part. Jeremy, one of the captains of the tactical squad, was quick to protest and attempt to dismiss the data. It was hardly unexpected, given he’d lost of a close friend to Agnus; all but the most junior of soldiers in their ranks had, but it seemed to affect him personally. The others were restless, but mostly due to the uncertainty their new situation had created.

For now, she had two priorities.

First, recover Colony 4’s wounded from Iota. Some had to remain behind due to the state of their injuries, and the initial assessment prior to the rest of the soldiers leaving was that they’d be treated and cared for. Ethel had given what assurances she could to them and her other soldiers before leaving Iota, and now she had to make good on that.

Second, she was going to confirm Iota’s information and see if there was any truth to it. Going to the Castle was not an option – not yet, at least. She’d asked Maxie to check for what information he could find on the nearby Old Kana Battlefield, but there wasn’t much at all. It was identified as an abandoned Ferronis hulk approximately thirty-nine years ago, surveyed and documented, with no records of what it had been beyond being Kevesi in origin. Iota was well-informed, maybe Agnus’ records could shed some light on it? Still the timing stuck out in her mind like a sore thumb.

“… the last time a Colony reached gold rank was forty years ago. Is it a coincidence?”

“Beg your pardon, Commander?” asked her lieutenant. “What gold rank that have to do with trusting Agnus?”

“My apologies, Bolearis,” replied Ethel. “I was distracted, thinking ahead on how we could confirm Iota’s information. And besides, the reason I’m going over to Iota myself with only Oleshandra and Brunella is because I don’t trust them – I’m minimizing our exposure to any deceptions on their part.”

“But do you have to go, Commander?” Bolearis was almost begging her, his voice full of worry and desperation. “I could easily fill in for the job, we can’t risk losing you right now.”

“I wouldn’t be much of a Commander if I wasn’t there to see my own soldiers, Bolearis,” she asserted. “And before you ask, I’m bringing those two specifically for a reason. Oleshandra is there to assess the condition of our soldiers and Iota’s treatments. Brunella may be able to assist with coordinating any supplies Iota may be willing to share with us.”

Bolearis face was grim. “They wouldn’t be able to defend themselves if things go to mud, Commander. I doubt you’d be able to take care of yourself and them at the same time. And you said it yourself – you don’t trust Agnus.”

“I wouldn’t count Colony Iota as part of Agnus anymore, Bolearis,” said Ethel with a faint smile. “I’m choosing to trust in Noah to keep them in check. He did seem to bring them over to his side, after all.”

“… thank the flames you didn’t say Eunie.”

“Her heart is in the right place, lieutenant,” she answered with a chuckle. “She’s just prone to… reckless behaviour.”

The lieutenant raised an eyebrow at the remark. “Umm… Commander? Just how do you know them so well? Didn’t you only meet them once, years ago at Colony 14?”

Ethel froze, blinking a few times before responding. “That’s a surprisingly good question, Bolearis.”

“Alright, since you dodged the question last time – how the hell do you know what’s going on at Colony Iota?”

“I have remote control droid masquerading as one of the junior soldiers there,” answered Mythra plainly, motioning to her computer. “I’m controlling it from here, so I’m keeping a close eye on how things are developing on the ground.”

“Are you saying you have an unsecured communication to the outside City?!” barked Monica, her rage coming back to her. “Do you realize how many people you’ve put at risk by doing that?! What if Moebius finds us?”

Mythra stared at her, disappointed. “You’re smarter than that, Monica. The Lost Numbers have secure communications outside the City, correct?”

The Elder crossed her arms defensively. “That’s right.”

“And you know I’ve been here far longer than how old I look.”

“And your point is…” she gasped as it came into place. “You helped develop our communication systems, didn’t you? And let me guess, you got clearance to use it long before I was even born?”

“Correct on both counts,” replied Mythra. “But let me get to the point, we need to start talking to the new Ouroboros in Iota, and the others who are with them.”

“The Founders, you mean,” said Monica.

“I’m not sure they’d like to be called that, but yes,” said Mythra. “The droid was damaged during the battle between Iota and Colony 4 and it’s going to break down before the day is out. Give me a time and I’ll relay it to them… though we need to get a communicator to them somehow.”

“Already taken care of, I got Gray to give it to the man who looks like the Reid statue yesterday,” said Monica reassuringly. “1400 works for me.”

“Alright, I’ll get the ball rolling,” confirmed Mythra. “… and two more things. First, I’m going to be in on this meeting.”

“You’re not military,” said Monica bluntly. It wasn’t much of an excuse, given the information she had provided. The thought that she’d join in regardless hadn’t escaped her mind either, either through the android she controlled or just hacking into the communication lines; hell, she likely had override codes that no one else did. A flat refusal wasn’t going to work here, but she could at least use this moment to get more information. “… so why should I let you?”

“I know the people you want to talk to. Personally.”

Well, if Monica has learned anything since becoming the Elder of the City, it was there was no such thing as too much leverage. “So you’ll help them get on board with our plan to stop Moebius.”

“By the end of all this, it’s more likely we’ll be on board with their plan,” replied Mythra, the wry smirk on her face plain to see.

“Well, I’ll at least hear them out… what was the second thing you wanted?”

Mythra tensed up, her words chosen carefully. “… I need a favour.”

“Goooood mornin’!”

A bright and cheerful smile on his face, his eyes half-closed as he reveled in his own absurdity, Rex kicked the door to the structure open as he carried in two cups of steaming hot coffee. “Brought yer favourite for the start of the day, Myth!”

“You’re having too much fun, Rex,” said the remote-controlled Chickadee. “Too bad this body is too damaged to eat or drink anything right now… but thanks for the thought.”

“Eh, wasn’t sure myself,” he replied, shrugging for dramatic effect. “But yer always rather… sharp before you’ve had yer own. So I figured it’d be wise t’ bring two cups – worst case scenario, I get two coffees this mornin’!”

The half-broken droid did what it could to convey the ecstatic laughter that was coming from the other end of the connection. “Damn it, Rex! … I’ve missed you and your antics.”

“Good t’ hear, Myth… Good t’ hear…” The salvager’s tone turned wistful. “I haven’t felt this happy in a long while… well, mostly.”

“Let me guess, worried about Mio?”

Rex’ nod was ponderous, it weighed on him more than he liked to admit. Taking a closer look, he probably needed the two cups of coffee this morning. “She’s going to be alright, Rex. We’ve got some of the best medics in the Colony here.”

“You don’t have Nia.” It was blunt, but true. No matter how good the people they had at Iota, no one could conceivably hold a candle to Nia’s healing abilities. Rex wished they didn’t need her right now, but it seemed to be the only answer. “Mio really want t’ get to the City. Now I don’t think she can make the journey, as she is; not before her time runs out.”

“Knowing you, the goal was to take back Origin before you had to say goodbye to her.”

Rex smiled. “… read me like a book, ya did.”

“Well, I’ve got some good news there,” said Chickadee. “I’m pulling some strings right now, but I might be able to secure transport to get Mio to the City. We have better care here, and I think there will be plenty to keep her occupied during the meantime.”

Rex leaned back, sipping his coffee thoughtfully. “Are we sure she’d want to just hitch a ride over, leaving her friends behind? Hell, why not bring everyone else?”

She shook her head. “I doubt the Elder’s going to allow it, you have already caused a bit of a stir and they don’t know what to make of you guys yet… speaking of which, she wants to talk to all of you. 1400, she had someone give Shulk a communicator yesterday.”

“Hmm... he didn’t mention it yesterday,” pondered Rex, taking another sip. “Though he’s been distracted, t’ say the least. Still, I can let ‘em know about it and start getting’ people lined up fer it. Still, it’d be good t’ have a name t’ put to the face when we start – what’s ‘er name?”

He took another sip, only to notice the silence. He glanced past the edge of the cup, Chickadee was smiling mischieviously.

“Monica Vandham.”

Rex spat out his drink.

Chapter Text

Adjusting the coat of her new outfit, Alexandria was pleased at what she could come up with in the short time she had. She’d kept some of her older attire, the boots and tights for the most part. She decided the corset wasn’t worth keeping, it’d be more comfortable to go without… and fewer pieces of easily identifiable attire. That meant forgoing her previous top and the emerald-encrusted armour pieces. She’d gone through some of the standard armour stockpiles, and had fortunately found some dark grey chest armour that fit her.

The coat was an odd find, something found near a vehicle of unknown origin, its occupants apparently long since gone. It was a heavy tan-coloured canvas on the outside, with a silky-smooth interior fabric that was quilted to hold in some insulation – ories fur, she’d found out – with each segment held in with a bright green button. The interior trim was the same bright green, a subtle detail that led to her keeping it despite it being rather drab otherwise. The coat had a large collar, loose sleeves, and went down below her hips; something she could wear open in warmer climates, but could it close up for colder conditions.

All that remained was her headwear… and perhaps she should take the opportunity to modify her hair style? If she wasn’t going to stay here, perhaps something looser than the tightly wound-up and braided bun she’d been using would be more practical…

“Pardon the interruption, Dame Alex.”

She put down the strip of decorative fabric she was holding into a pile of several others – samples of different patterns from the Castle she’d been given when offered to design her own uniform after rising to the rank of Commander – and turned to see Captain Sequoia saluting her dutifully. “Speak, Sequoia. Seems like you have some news for me.”

“Yes, Dame Alex! We’ve received contact from Commander Ethel of Colony 4, she is en route to Iota with two personnel for the expressed purpose of evaluating the Kevesi soldiers which remained in Iota for medical care and to discuss their own lack of supplies.” As she finished, Sequoia stood at attention with an eager look for further direction.

“Thank you, captain,” answered Alexandria, taking a moment to consider the information. Silvercoat would be concerned for her remaining soldiers, and likely wants to transfer them back to Colony 4 as soon as possible; not unreasonable. Supplies were an interesting question, but she surmised that word of Iota’s strategy of stockpiling and sharing their surplus supplies had reached Keves as well; Colony 4 was demoted to Dirt rank before, so they may be looking to remedy that situation. An opportunity to have Colony 4 indebted to them, perhaps?

There would be time for that later. For now, it’s best to gather the people Silvercoat would be most amenable to speaking with. “Sequoia, would you please inform the Kevesi Off-Seer – Noah, was it? – along with the two wrinkly men. We’ll be meeting with Silvercoat to discuss matters.”

 “Affirmative, Damn Alex!” the captain saluted before departing her quarters, allowing Alexandria to get back to the matter at hand.

“Now… which one of these would make for a good bandana…”

Closing the door behind him and locking it, Shulk took a deep breath. No backing out of this anymore.

“Alright, Nikol. I’m sorry, but––“

“––Why?”

The retort was sharper than he was expecting, considering Nikol was already correcting himself around others to not call him ‘father’ outright. “We didn’t have time to explain things, sadly. Both you and Glimmer were still getting your bearings about how life was outside of the Colonies, let alone explaining the concept of parents and children.”

“That wasn’t the question, father,” said Nikol, his rarely seen anger bubbling through. “I’ve long gotten past those questions – even if you told us, we wouldn’t have understood. I’m sure you wanted to, but tried to let things happen more organically. Sound about right?”

Shulk nodded, his gaze distant as he did his best to prepare for the one thing he was sincerely hoping to avoid.

“But why didn’t you try to reason with him? Why didn’t you try to stop him?”

“… I presume you mean Noah. Right?”

“Moreso N, can’t say I’m sure what to make of the other one who is around here right now,” replied Nikol, some of the edge coming off of his voice. “He fought us, tried to kill us… and you didn’t say a word to try and get through to him? Why?”

“Before we get any further,” said Shulk, holding up his hand. “What exactly do you know? It also sounds like you learned this recently as well.”

“Glimmer learned it from Rex and… her mother, I guess, the other day. She told me afterwards, that N was my brother.” Nikol sighed, he was still coming to terms with the idea. “Can’t say I’m happy to learn about it, but I can see such things being forgotten on Aionios. But why wouldn’t you try talking to him?”

Shulk hung his head, still not happy with himself. “When we ran into him, I didn’t know what to do. When we fought, I defended myself – along with you and the others. I tried thinking of ideas, looking for opening to say something, but I just couldn’t. Especially when Matthew had such a personal stake with him as well… I don’t see how me jumping into that would have helped anyone. But I couldn’t. I’m sorry, Nikol. Truly.”

Nikol leaned against the nearest wall, his arms crossed as he thought carefully.

“… if you had more time, back then, would have you tried to talk to him?”

“Certainly.”

A pensive moment of silence passed, each second seeming to last an entire soldier’s life.

“I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand,” answered Nikol at last. “It was tough enough for you and Rex to connect with us, let alone someone who had sided with Moebius. I suppose he’d understand the whole parentage concept, but that knowledge would have been hard for anyone to swallow. And you could easily say that Matthew’s concern were more… immediate.”

“Nikol, I have to ask – how much did you guys deal with N, after we were finished with Alpha?” asked Shulk cautiously. “I don’t want to dredge up any painful memories, but anything you know about him might help.”

The mustachioed man raised an eyebrow. “You want to talk to him? Now?”

“I have some more time now, don’t I?” said Shulk with empty mirth. “There’s also Noah, the version of him who’s here. I still want to talk to… I suppose ‘N’ is more convenient for the moment, but we can’t have this Noah going down the same path the other did.”

“Fair enough,” said Nikol with a chuckle. “Unfortunately, N gave us a wide berth in the decades after we dealt with Alpha. Moebius’ forces were weakened and took some time to recover, though Keves and Agnus kept fighting.”

“I see…” said Shulk, sighing as he tried to think of other options.

“… but there was another, peculiar Moebius who appeared not long after N did,” added Nikol, getting the sense it was important. “She was clearly Agnian – didn’t wear the full helmet like the others, and had those pointed ears some of them do. She also wore silver armour, and seemed to hold some high station among the other Moebius; the only other trait I recall hearing is that she had long gray hair.”

Shulk gave Nikol a grim look. “… don’t tell me, was she ‘M’?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“… well, that answered more than I thought it would.”

What little adrenaline his frustration brought on at the canteen faded, Noah stumbled and yawned his way to the medical tents. Finding some sort of relaxant or sedative may have been an excuse, but it wasn’t a bad idea – still, he had to see how Mio was doing first. He knew she wouldn’t be ‘alright’, but if only he could see that she was improving or at least not getting any worse, he could relax somewhat.

Finding Sena here was… less surprising than he’d thought, she was very attached to Mio as well. But she wasn’t looking at Mio right now, but rather someone from Colony Iota.

“Hmm…”

“Good morning, Sena. Here to see Mio?”

“Huh? Oh!” she gasped. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there Noah! Yeah, she’s… doing better, or so the medics are telling me.”

Not quite what he wanted to hear, but still good news. “Are they still not letting anyone in to see her?”

“They’re keeping us out until she wakes up, saying she needs as much rest as possible… and I can’t say I like the waiting,” Turning her gaze towards the Iota soldier from before, she slumped forward. “Hey, Noah… have you ever felt like you should know someone more than you actually do?”

“… on occasion.” It was only a partial answer, he knew.

“It’s… weird, but I’m getting that sense from her right now,” said Sena, her voice quavering with uncertainty. “I know I’ve never met her, but for some reason I knew her name was Chelle before anyone told me it was.”

Ignoring the odd sensation of guilt and tingling in his figures, Noah thought carefully. Shulk and Hand – no, Pyra – said the next clue to help them figure stuff out would be…

“Cradles.”

“Huh? What about Cradles?”

“I’m not sure, but Shulk and… well, I guess you know her as ‘Hand’ still, but they said we need to find some Cradles to help figure stuff out more.”

Sena crossed her arms and scowled, all this running around the answers was getting annoying. “So they’re still hiding stuff from us?”

“Not exactly,” said Noah. “I think they’re trying to show us the truth so that we’ll understand rather than just telling us and hoping we’ll believe them.”

“… and the answer’s in the Cradles? Are they crazy?!” said Sena, her voice rising. A cough and sharp look from one the medics brought her volume down, but not her temper. “Even I know they’re only held at the Castles and at the training Colonies! How are we going to get into either of those?!”

He shrugged, it definitely sounded like a bad idea. “I don’t know, but just… keep it in mind, if you come across any.”

One of Iota’s soldiers approached them and saluted. “Off-Seer Noah? Your presence is requested on the parade grounds, an envoy from Colony 4 is expected to arrive within the hour.”

Noah looked up at the messenger, his weariness leading his eyes to the nearest bench. “Come get me in thirty minutes, and bring the strongest coffee Colony Iota has. I need a nap right now, badly.”

“How’d you know about M?” asked Nikol, perplexed that his father would be aware considering his apparent lack of memory since the Alpha incident.

“I didn’t,” replied Shulk, his left hand resting on his chin. “But one of the Ouroboros we’ve met, her name’s Mio.”

“Glimmer mentioned her, she got injured during the battle,” added Nikol. “Her sister, apparently.”

“Rex told me about that shortly after meeting them, but Noah seems… rather attached to her,” explained the older man. “Far more than you’d expect for someone he’d only recently met, and she was reciprocating.”

“Do you think that’s the cause for the other one becoming N?”

“Possibly. Likely a contributing factor, all things considered,” said Shulk. “Probably not the only one, but something Moebius would have used to coerce him into assisting them… and as much as I hate to admit it, he may be more like me in that regard.”

Nikol raised an eyebrow. “Like you?”

“Willing to anything – anything – for the people I loved. Especially when I thought I lost them.” Shulk shuddered at the memories. His pleas, her scream, the bloody claws, and the metal-faced bastard’s leering visage. “But that’s a story for another time... maybe you’d like to learn more about the rest of your family? By some twist of fate, probably Alvis’ doing, you’ve actually met both of your sisters recently.”

“That’s… a surprise,” said Nikol, somewhat taken aback. Though he could admit some relief to be talking about something other than N. “And I’m getting the feeling that A does this sort of thing often.”

“You probably met Ethel while you were in Colony 4…”

“Commander Ethel? Really?”

“Yes, she’s your oldest sibling… and she’s definitely risen high up the ranks here,” said Shulk, letting a hint of pride come through in his voice. “She has earned a fair bit of respect around here, and her soldiers definitely look up to her.”

“While I can’t say we were on the best circumstances when we last talked – I had disabled her Ferronis in the middle of the battle – she was quite kind to me while I was over there,” recounted Nikol, smiling quietly. “She cares for people, though she does have this tendency to put others before herself.”

Shulk chuckled, of course she does. “She definitely learned that from Melia.”

“Melia?” asked Nikol. “As in Melia Antiqua, Queen of Keves?”

He froze, realizing his error. He hadn’t thought about that in well over a decade. And in retrospect, there was probably no avoiding it, especially considering who else came next. “Yeah, about that… your other sister is going by 'Eunie' at the moment. Do you remember her, she interrupted us just after the battle was over?”

“The one with the wings on her head? Yeah, she seemed… lively.” Nikol’s brow twisted, remembering the old stories he used to tell his own children about the ‘Has-Been Bean King’ – he’s pretty sure Na’el was thinking of Matthew when she wrote that story for the children – and a dreadful prospect crossed his mind. “Uh… does that mean she’ll be Queen, eventually, after Aionios?”

“Melia isn’t a Queen in our world,” explained Shulk with a forced confidence he hoped Nikol wouldn’t notice, something that was only technically true. “But she did lead the project to construct Origin, mostly an administrative role. Myself and Riku were deeply involved as well.”

“… interesting, Riku was careful to not talk about it most of the time.”

“He never liked the attention, but perhaps we could figure out something with both of you here?”

“It’s an idea, maybe we can put something together,” said Shulk in agreement. “Colony Iota seems to be very well supplied and connected as well, maybe we can––“

A sudden knocking on the door caught their attention. “Excuse me – Shulk, was it? Dame Alex has requested your presence at the east gate – an envoy is expected to arrive from Colony 4 shortly.”

“… but it’ll have to wait for later, seems Ethel’s coming over to visit.” He let himself laugh at the prospect. “With how long I’ve been on Aionios, or at least as long as I can remember, she would be at the age that she would be coming home to visit.”

“I’m not so sure, my own children were eager to get out of our sight at her age.”

Shulk blinked as he processed the notion. It made sense, in retrospect; Nikol starting a family after he left to reside in Origin does make sense, but he doesn’t look old enough to have a nearly twenty year-old child. “… just how old are you, Nikol? Technical speaking?”

“Eighty-two, give or take.”

Letting out an uneasy laugh, Shulk tried to find what amusement he could. “… and I’ve come to the realization that I may have just gotten parenting from my youngest son about his older sister.”

“That… sounds awkward.”

“You have no idea.”

She stirred slightly, leading to a sharp lance of pain shooting through her abdomen. M winced loudly, the shock jolting her awake; gingerly, she sat up to find her clothing had been removed and her body wrapped in some impromptu bandages fashioned from the bed sheets. Looking around she saw the large white feline from before, who appeared to be staring down a prone figure laying on the…

“Noah!” she shouted, only to recoil again from the pain.

“Be at ease, Little Lady,” said Dromarch, his gaze unmoved as he kept watching the man laying on the ground. “He has only collapsed due to exhaustion… though I suppose that could be due to some tense interrogating on my part.”

She looked down at her torso again, the bandages she wore now had only slight staining… following a long line from her hip to nearly her neck. She’d been wounded, as if by a sharp blade striking her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a pile of bloody rags in the corner – the previous bandages, she thought.

“What… happened?” asked M. “I remember, feeling the pain… but how? Where’d it come from?”

N groaned as he woke up, not fully recovered from the lethargy but better than before. “I’m sorry… my love… I didn’t know.” Dromarch growled, offended at the remark.

“Relax, Dromarch,” said M diplomatically. “Do you know what happened, Noah?”

Shuddering, N nodded. M could see he regretted his actions, more than usual. “In the field… I did something… terrible.”

Doing her best to relax and ease the pain, M took a deep breath. “What happened, Noah? Please, just tell me.”

Dromarch stepped back towards the bed, sitting on his haunches but still poised to leap at any sudden motions. “I believe you owe her a full explanation, young man.”

Mio gasped in pain, nearly jumping out of her bed – only for another jolt of pain telling her to stay still. She looked around, seeing that she was in the infirmary. Her memory remained muddled, not aided by the strange dream she had of a woman looking awfully like the Queen without her stoic golden mask. The kind woman with amber eyes seemed so… right, a reminder of her first-term thoughts about disliking that mask despite her Majesty’s status. Trying to recall more recent events, she remembered… fighting? Yes, there was a battle; frantic, desperate, and that mad-eyed man in the golden armour lunging at her…

“Nnng… You’re…?” The name came to her, both comforting and filling her with unspeakable dread.

“Mimi! You’re awake!”

Sena pushed her way past the protesting medics to see her friend, crying all the way. “You’re alive, Mimi! You’re going to be okay! I promise!”

“… Sena?” Mio struggled to smile between the shots of pain as she made the smallest movements she could, hissing every time as she tried to twitch and recoil from the pain; she knew that’d only make it even worse. “What… happened? Is everyone… okay?”

“Yeah! We’re alright! We won!” the petite girl’s excitement was a welcome sight, though there were a few aides creeping up behind her, ready to pull her back.

“Calm down, Sena,” said the Off-Seer, managing to find a more comfortable speaking position. “You’re scarin’ everyone here.”

She deflated a bit and stepped back. “Sorry, Mimi… I was just so happy to see you moving again. Everyone’s okay, you just got hurt quite badly in the battle and they carried you off.”

“You said we won?” asked Mio. “What happened after that?”

“Colony 4… passed out, after the fight. Sounds like their Flame Clock got broken, I guess? They were rounded up, then sent back home; no one else got hurt after that.” Sena’s eyes went wide as she recalled something important. “I did it, Mimi! What you did in Alfeto Valley, with Lanz’ help! We really put to the mudder after he…” The tears came back and she broke down.

“It’s alright, Sena…” said Mio reassuringly. “But that reminds me, where’s…?” Her voice trailed off, not quite willing to say the name.

“Noah? He’s sleeping on the bench there.” Mio could hear the jealousy in Sena’s voice, but she seemed to be trying to not let it get the better of her. “He came to see you, but it looked like he hadn’t slept all night.”

The Agnian Off-Seer couldn’t stop herself from smiling sweetly as he dozed away. “Let him sleep then… but I have to wonder. Have you eaten yourself, Sena?” The fighter’s growling stomach answered for her.

Mio giggled. “Well, I am feeling a bit peckish… you mind getting us something to eat, Sena?”

“Right on it, Mimi!” said Sena, pumping her fist. She paused a moment, turning to one of the medics. “Uh… is there anything I should know? Is there anything she can’t eat right now?”

“Nothing in particular,” answered the medic. “But if there’s any food sensitivities she may have, please avoid those. An upset stomach may aggravate her injuries.”

“So nothing Alexandria’s made,” said Mio reflexively.

“Got it! I’ll be right back, Mimi!”

The medic had an inquisitive look as he examined the patient, carefully checking Mio to see if her injuries remained closed. His task done, he decided to ask her directly. “Tried her cooking before, have you?”

The Off-Seer paused for a moment. “No, I haven’t… but why do I know exactly how it tastes?”

Gray did his best to peruse through the canteen’s stores without arousing suspicion. Luckily everyone seemed to be too elated, or too famished, to see a small portion missing from several of the heated trays before they even left the kitchens. The one nopon had also come into the kitchen like a storm, causing chaos while still improving the quality of the meals, so it was a welcome distraction.

Sitting himself in a darkened corner with a full plate, Gray prepared to enjoy the cooked meal – a rare luxury when out in the field, even if not acquired by honest means. Just before he took his first bite, an alarming sound caught his attention.

*click*

“Thought you could sneak past Eunie, bub?” The question was rhetorical, the rifle in her hands wasn’t. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cut your last meal short.”

Gray put down the cutlery and raised his hands carefully, silently cursing himself for getting careless. Maybe he was getting too old, or was it that he was too hungry and couldn’t wait to have a proper meal? He cautiously glanced around… no one else had noticed, still going about their morning meals. The girl had made sure she wasn’t visible either… wait, was that dark-skinned Agnian standing watch? Weren’t the two of them Ouroboros?

Well, honesty may be the best policy.

“Hungry. Tried to be discreet. Not trying to cause trouble.”

“You’re not with Keves or Agnus, I can tell that. And you’re wrinkly as that other guy in the Alfeto Valley. So, who are ya with?”

Bringing up Guernica wasn’t exactly fair, but the girl probably didn’t have much else to go on right now. “He’s a friend. He got back to the City, thanks to you lot. I’ve been monitoring the situation.”

She wasn’t impressed by the answer. “Waiting for the right moment to strike, then?”

“Didn’t know if we could trust you. Still don’t. But my friend did. I’ll respect his wishes.”

It took a moment, but she finally relaxed and lowered her weapon. “Alright, I guess that’s about as good as I’ll get. The name’s Eunie, what’s yours?”

“Call me Gray.”

“Well, Gray… would you mind tellin’ us about the other two we picked up? Tech-arm and the One-Eyed Monster.”

“Don’t know yet.”

“So… they’re not with you?” she asked, deflated. She really wanted some answers there. “Well, there goes that line of thought.”

“They might be. But intel’s drawing up a few blanks. They should be dead.”

Eunie’s wings perked up. “Huh, that sounds interesting. Do go on…”

“They look like people in our records, fought on our side – a thousand years ago. We live you longer than you lot, but not that long.”

“Oooooh… the plot thickens!” she cackled with glee.

Gray’s Iris pinged at that moment, an incoming call from Monica. He turned towards the girl. “This is private. Mind a moment?”

“Hmm… nope!” Eunie smiled devilishly. “Put it on speaker, I think we should be in on this.”

He didn’t like this, but there was another way about this. He answered and spoke the truth. “Bad time. Spotted by Ouroboros. You’re on speaker.”

“Well, that’s bloody convenient,” said Monica, barely containing a laugh. “I was going to tell Gray here to let Ouroboros and their allies know we want to talk. He left a communicator with someone during the battle yesterday, looking at 1400. Would you mind letting the right people know?”

“… and what if I bloody well don’t want to?” asked Eunie.

“We may have someone else in the Colony already making rounds with the same message,” answered Monica. “I wasn’t going to leave Gray here in the dark about that.”

“Alright, who is it?” demanded the medic-gunner.

“Long hair, blonde. Older man, mechanical right arm.”

“Oh, for spark’s sake! It had to be him?!” she vented.

“Shulk was not on the front line of the battle, so it seems probable that he’d be the one to encounter our… ‘guest’,” said Taion, intervening before the situation escalated. “I’ll see other parties are informed. Do you wish to involve the Colonies at this juncture?”

“Yes!” shouted another female voice from the background on Monica’s end.

“… it would be wise, I think,” added Monica. “We aren’t going to expose ourselves directly at this point, but with two Flame Clocks broke, you’re going to be needing some allies yourselves. We’ll speak to you at 1400.”

“Oi! Four-Eyes! Quit stealing my thunder!” said Eunie, pivoting on her heel. “I told you I had to situation handled!”

Taion’s nostrils flared in annoyance. “You may have spotted him first, but you were causing a disturbance! Any louder and we’d have been exposed!”

“Oh, by the Queen’s snow-white wings… shut up, you spoon!”

He didn’t bother with a retort, looking at the empty space behind her. “And he’s gone.”

“… the sly bugger.”

“I got some breaded fishcakes, Mimi!” declared Sena as she carried in a tray of hot food and placed it on Mio’s bed. “Now, don’t strain yourself! Just let me know if you need any help!”

“I’m not too injured to feed myself, Sena!” objected Mio, reaching for one of the pieces on the tray. The moment she starting having to stretch, she winced. “… Sena, you mind passin’ it too me?”

“Sure, no problem!” she replied, smiling as she put the fishcake into Mimi’s hand. “… I guess you haven’t been told how bad it was, huh?”

“No, no I haven’t…” said the Off-Seer. She glanced down at her body, and could see the stitching and bandages running down her torso. A gown covered most of it, but she could feel something running from her hip all the way up to her neck. “How bad is it?”

“The cut was deep, ma’am,” said one of the attending medics. “Glimmer cauterized the wound in the field, which stopped you from bleeding out. Some stranger commandeered one of our operating rooms and took over from there, but they fixed you up amazingly well.” His face turned grim. “… but there’s no bringing you up to fighting shape, definitely not anytime soon. I’m sorry, but you’ll be lucky to be walking again before you reach Homecoming.”

Tears welling up in her eyes, Mio’s heart despaired at the news. “So… I’m useless, then.”

Another hand was placed on hers, holding it tight. “It’ll be alright, Mio…” said Noah, waken up from his nap and doing his best comfort her. “You want to help out, right? I’m sure we’ll be able to find something you’ll be able to do.”

“Yeah, that’s right!” said Sena excitedly. “Even if it’s just telling me what to do, I’m sure Mimi can help us out!”

“I won’t get to see the City, then…” said Mio, still saddened by this turn of events. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she wanted – no, needed – to go there.

“Your vitals are stable enough, we may be able to transport you there…” pondered the medic. “If we knew wherever that is… Dame Alex has been open to such requests from those reaching Homecoming in the past, I could let her know about the request. No guarantees, however.”

Mio managed a small smile. “That’d… be appreciated. Thanks.”

The messenger from before approached them, a large cup of coffee in their hand. “Excuse, Off-Seer Noah? Your coffee, sir, as requested.” They passed a pill to Noah as well. “A stimulant, if you require it. The envoy from Colony 4 should be arriving shortly.”

“Thanks,” said Noah, accepting both with a forced smile. Turning back towards Mio, he had one last thing to say before departing. “Don’t worry, Mio. We’ll get you to the City, I promise.”

“Well, that worked out better than I thought,” said Monica as she turned off her Iris. “Got our man on the ground out of a scrape, let him and Ouroboros about the meeting, and you’ve got another one spreading the word?”

“That’s right,” confirmed Mythra. “We just need to be ready for then… so yeah, about that favour…”

“If it’s to give you access to Michiba’s Canteen for your cooking experiments, the answer is no.” This was a sore point for Monica, Ghondor was sick for over a week after trying out her cuisine. Probably on a dare to prove how tough she was, and downing far too much at once, but it was Monica that had to deal with the consequences. “The answer will always be no.”

“No, it’s not that,” said the Librarian. Monica noted the somber tone, this was actually something more serious. “One of the Ouroboros, she was injured during the battle, quite badly. I’d like to secure passage to bring her here for treatment.”

“… we’re not sure we can trust them just yet, but you want to bring one here? You do realize how big a security risk that is?” Monica tried to stare down the woman, but she seemed almost depressed, almost resigned to the request being refused. “So why her?”

Mythra took a deep breath, composing herself.

“… she’s like a daughter to me.”

That… was unexpected. “I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting the sympathy angle. Is that it?” She got a sharp stare in return.

“I’m sure you’d do the same for Ghondor, were she in the same situation,” said Mythra. “The fact of the matter was that she’s hurt and the best aid I can find for her is here. There’s only one better healer I can think of, but I don’t know where she is! And besides, she’s running out of time! She only has three months left before she reaches Homecoming!”

“Well, I don’t want to expose the City to any risks unnecessarily. Is there any other reason why I should bring her here?”

“Besides me letting you have any more information?” hissed Mythra. “I can almost guarantee you’ll secure the help of the old men, not to mention the Queen of Agnus – the real one! If you don’t, there’s a solid chance they’ll hold it against you!”

It had taken years of practice inside the City’s political circles, but Monica didn’t react to what she’d just been told. She didn’t even crack a smirk. Not only had she learned the Librarian’s real name, gotten her to open up the secret archives everyone suspected to exist, she’d gotten her to finally reveal what levers could be applied to her – not to mention that of several other parties. She wasn’t lying when she said the girl was ‘like a daughter’, she really cared about her. And a potential bargaining chip with the true Queen of Agnus?

If they were going to take down Moebius, they were going to need every advantage they could find.

“I’ll consider it, after the meeting later today. We’ll see how that goes first.”

“… thanks.”

“Alright, I think I got something lined up for Mio… or at least our best chance to do so,” said Chickadee. “Power is running low, I’ll be losing this thing soon – and don’t forget, there’s a meeting at 1400. Get everyone who needs to be there involved!”

“Now all that’s left is t’ convince Mio to go on without us...” Rex didn’t like it, but that was probably for the best. Mio would be in the right hands, and Mythra would definitely see to taking care of her. That would free him up to focus on other things, or at least try. “She’ll be our priority, and we can focus on liberatin’ more Colonies on our way there.”

“And let me guess, take out as many Moebius you can find along the way?”

“Well, you know me – I’ll let the smart ones run.”

“You and your bleeding heart, Rex…” said Chickadee, whimsically and fondly.

Rex got up and gathered his things, turning around before leaving. “Just… one last thing.”

“Yes, Rex?”

“If time’s runnin’ out… fer Mio? Get a hold of me, and get me over there.” His voice was thick with dread and sadness. “Her Da should be there fer her Homecomin’.”

Chickadee smiled confidently. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Re…” The voice trailed off, the light from the eyes going out. The android had finally ran its course, never to turn on again.

“… thanks, Mythra.”

“So… there was another me, out there in the battle?” asked M, genuinely surprised. Aionios was full of strange happenings as it was, but this was a new one. Still, that didn’t change what happened. “And you attacked her?”

N hung his head, his voice dripped with regret. “Yes. And by some misfortune, you were wounded as a result.” Tears began running down his face in anguish. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! If only I had know, I wouldn’t have–“

“–Noah, please,” implored M. “I’ll be alright, thanks to some… timely intervention.”

“I cannot claim all the credit, Little Lady,” replied Dromarch graciously. “I must confess, your injury was beyond capabilities to mend. By some good fortune, your other self must have received first aid promptly – it appeared that some ‘dramatic’ measures were taken to prevent exsanguination.”

“You’re saying healing her also healed myself?” asked M.

“Indeed, Little Lady…” his voice trailed off. “Not the first time I have encountered such a mechanism, though I doubt the cause is the same here.”

“In any case, there’s another matter,” she shot a sharp glare at N. “Why’d you attack her, then?”

“… I was provoked, I allowed my judgment to be clouded by anger,” replied N, shaking his head. “Seeing an apparition resembling you, where I knew you were not, made me think it was some illusion created with the intent to incite me.”

“That’s… not like you, Noah,” said M worringly. “You’re normally cool-headed, even in the middle of a battle. What could have happened to get at you?”

“One of the Ouroboros’ allies was a masterful combatant, one who could even test my own abilities…” he explained, but this was only a cursory detail. “He… he mentioned him. I lost myself after that.”

Dromarch noted the mournful silence. Whoever the young man was referring to didn’t require any further explanation between them, someone clearly of great importance. However, he did receive a recounting of the danger N presented before his mission; anyone who could challenge him would be a useful ally to have.

“If I may ask, young man – who was the one who managed to provoke you so?” asked Dromarch.

“He was present during the Alpha Incident, a thousand years ago,” said N. “Assisted the group that would go on to rebuild the City. A tall man, muscular with brown hair and a short beard. Used two large swords and had a golden ey––“

He stopped before finishing the last word, staring into M’s golden eyes with a look of pure horror. The man had said ‘grandson’ when referring to him. Soldiers didn’t have parents… on Aionios, that is.

Then Dromarch bellowed out a laugh that shook the entire castle.

“Blast! Where is that scatter-brained wretch?!” Consul Q stomped throughout Colony 30, checking every corner and shouting at every soldier and nopon he could find. “Someone find Valdi before I start tearing this place apart to find him!”

“He’s out scavenging for materials, milord Consul!” shouted Lieutenant Yuzet, running up and saluting. “We expect him to be back shortly after nightfall!”

“Oh, reeeeally, now? You let Valdi wander off when we have orders from Her Majesty?” crooned Q. “I suppose he told you he’d be back in a moment, didn’t he? You’re just expecting him to return after it’s too dark to see anything else laying on the ground, yes?”

“Umm… yes, milord.”

“Well… CONTACT HIM AND TELL HIM TO GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!”

“At once, milord!” said Yuzet, saluting smartly before tapping his Iris. “Valdi, we need you to drop what you’re doing right now and come back to the Colony… not the time, Valdi. The Consul’s about to explode, get back here before he starts using husks for ‘encouragement’… Thank you, Valdi. See you shortly.”

Q smiled underneath the helmet. Valdi was brilliant, but needed to be managed. Assigning Yuzet to be his minder was one of his ingenious decisions. “With that particular issue sorted, lieutenant, we have other orders which need to be seen to.”

“Yes, milord?” asked Yuzet, already anticipating further instructions.

“Prepare all levnises for combat, as many as possible. If it moves, I want it moving. We have a special operation to conduct. You will be briefed on the particulars at the start of deployment.”

Both N and M waited, nearly terrified by the echoing laughter that resounded through the halls. Dromarch slowly stopped and coughed as he righted his posture.

“Well then, that would be fortunate news for myself and the Little Lady – but you, young man? Your labours are not yet over, and I expect they will be trying.”

“You know him, then?” accused N. “Who is he?”

“An old friend, at which I am not at liberty to discuss further – a personal matter, you understand,” said Dromarch, feeling smug that he could obfuscate the finer details in this case. “Though I am curious, you mentioned an ‘Alpha Incident’, to which even I’m not familiar with… would you be willing to explain, yourself?”

“I… don’t recall any ‘Alpha Incident’, myself,” added M, her own curiosity being drawn out. “A thousand years ago? Wasn’t that around the time we became Moebius.”

“It was the very reason why I became Moebius, yes,” admitted N. “Z was faced with a foe he could not defeat, so he pulled me out of Origin with an offer of sorts. Alpha had to be stopped at all costs.”

“Someone Z couldn’t defeat?” M mulled over the words again and again, that didn’t sound right. “Are you saying there’s people out there who can stop Moebius who aren’t Ouroboros?!”

“Alpha was no ally, it had taken control of Origin and overrode all of Moebius’ controls – and threatened to erase us all from existence, including you,” explained N. “Their stated intent was to purge the data from all life before Aionios, and then start over.”

“Before… Aionios?” asked M, a flash of memory coming to mind. “Dromarch mentioned something about that!” Her disappointed gaze wandered towards N. “What else have you been hiding from me?”

“Less than you may think,” answered N honestly. “I was not privy to the details of those worlds, only that they exist and that all soldiers originate from the data derived of it. The Queens were influential figures from them, and constructed Origin to avert some calamity – Z seized control at the last possible moment, fearing that failure of the device would result in total annihilation.”

“So… it wasn’t just selfishness? You didn’t become Moebius solely for our sake?” M’s voice was almost pleading, searching for some humanity left within her partner. “Then why did you destroy the City?! Why’d you kill all those people?! They were the family of our friends! The very people you helped free from Moebius! Some of them could have been related to–– “ She stopped, fearing to continue.

N slumped forward. “Alpha was hiding among them, and had even seized control of one of the City’s people; a girl, one who had grown to loathe soldiers and Moebius. She was my sole target, Z just unleashed his constructs to draw Alpha out.” He dared not mention the girl’s resemblance to the one before him. “That failed, and I was forced to confront Alpha within Origin – with the assistance of the group mentioned before. The Avatar…” He turned towards the large feline in the room. “… was the ‘guest’ who has appeared in this room, appearing and disappearing at will; they were among them. I do not understand why or how, but they appear to be connected to Alpha in some way.”

“… most intriguing,” pondered Dromarch. The guest’s crimson jewel had not gone unnoticed, but this was not the time to discuss it.

M suddenly gasped in pain. “What the spark?! I haven’t even moved!”

“I must apologize for not being able to do more, Little Lady. You may have to endure this for the time being.”

“You said before that you have ran into this phenomenon before, correct?” asked N, an unusual level of concern in his voice. “What are the implications? What does it mean for her well-being?”

Dromarch’s fur bristled at the question. “I’d normally consider that particular subject a private matter, young man… but I doubt withholding that information will aid our situation. But to summarize it simply, both affected entities will experience the injuries of the other; the logical conclusion being that the death of one will result in that for both. Consider yourself fortunate our ‘guest’ notified me of your own situation – I’d rather not harm an innocent man.”

The tense silence lasted several seconds; the implied threat was not an empty one.

“So… you’re affected as well, Noah?” asked M, eager to move on.

N took a deep breath. “Yes, I am… and there’s more.” He held up the back of his bare right hand to her. “Our marks have returned, and I believe the time remaining is linked to our doppelgangers… you only have three months left.” He reached into the nearby dresser, pulling out a small mirror to show M her own.

She gasped, reaching for her neck. “… only three months?” A mirthful laugh rose in her throat, her eyes tearing up – but not from pain, this was something else. For the first time in centuries, she felt alive.

“Noah, this changes everything!” she said, her voice almost giddy with excitement. “We don’t have any time to waste! We need to get going, and soon!”

“Go?!” N rose to his feet, his eyes focused on her as he seemed on the verge of panic. “Go where?! Z has already taken away our ability to translocate – and besides, you’re injured! You’re in no state to go anywhere!”

Dromarch stood still, watching. While he was inclined to agree with the man on this matter, the mysterious person from before gave the inclination that they knew what the Little Lady wanted to do. Hearing her out would not be unreasonable, he could always voice his own objections later.

“… I want to see the Queen. The true Queen.”