First ever real fanfic I'm publishing! So please be gentle(ish) on correcting me. This is my thoughts on the travel to Ose Tower as well as the support between Riki and Dunban that talks about the spirits of the Monado expeditions travelers trapped in the tower.

Chill of the Past

"Come on we can rest as soon as we get there."

At 8 PM it was a very cold night on Valak Mountain. As the party moved on through the blizzard it became very clear that they couldn't go on much further. However going through a harsh blizzard is the least of their worries.

"Achoo!" a blond male sneezed.

This was Shulk the Heir to the Monado and the hope of Bionis. A strong willed teen with a pure heart who will do anything for his friends, even at the price of his own safety. As the wielder of the Monado, he is granted visions of the future that can be used to alter the passage of fate. It is thanks to this that the whole group is still alive as it is. However, despite his strength and agility, he is rather frail. He can withstand illnesses to a great degree, as he's survived several illness at once and still be able to live, but he can suffer so much at a time before he starts getting severely weak. Seeing as he is also the only one who can wield the Monado without suffering drawbacks, he must survive out of anyone in the group of seven.

"Alvis, are you sure it is close? Any more walking an' Shulk will get a cold! He can't take the chill as us, you know?" a redhead, Reyn, asked. As the childhood friend of Shulk he was the most concerned besides Dunban, Shulk's adopted father, to be concerned for the Monado boy.

The others in the group may not be voicing out their concerns but it was clear they were all not fairing as well either. Melia, princess of the High Entia, was standing next to another woman who was looking over Shulk using her ether controlling abilities to shield them both from the snow and anyone else who is in range of the small shield. Sharla. As a veteran field medic, she is the sole healer of the group upon joining Shulk and Reyn on their journey to get revenge and look for their friend, with the hope she might find her missing fiancé. Riki, a Nopon currently with the title of "Heropon", is being held in Shulk's arms seeing as he is too short to even waddle out in the snow. It is clear that out of everyone he is not as affected by the snow due to his thick fur so to help everyone, he cuddles up in their arms one at a time to provide warmth from his body. It seems to have a more positive effect on Shulk seeing as how if Riki didn't do this sooner the seer would've gotten hypothermia due to his condition.

"Hey what's that over there?" Reyn asks.

There out in the distance was a black and blue tower stretching up far up into the sky. It glowed and shimmered as the lights from the mountain crystals hit its exterior layer, creating a wondrous image of a regal tower yet dark in the snowy mountain slopes. When looked at more closely, it looked like it was shooting a signal beam into the heavens above. Yet to the more ether sensitive beings, it gave off an ominous aura, almost as if it was judging your soul.

"A tower in this place?" Dunban wonders. Strange there would be a place like that here.

"We can recover and rest for the upcoming night there. The tower will shelter us from the cold and it is safe from any creatures that might come near." Alvis explained.

After about two to three hours of walking and trudging through the snow the group finally made it to the mysterious tower. Though when they reached the entrance it was covered in ice and snow. Upon learning of a rock that can melt it, they heading back towards Lava Cave. By the time night fell the group was already back and safely unblocked the entrance. Surprisingly, the door opened with little to no effort at all upon Dunban just walking up to it. Upon walking in however Shulk gained an unusual feeling.

"This place…" Shulk had some weird feeling that he had been in the tower before, though it seems that his memory of it is a little out of reach had it not been for Alvis explaining the towers purpose and its connection with the Monado.

"This is Ose Tower. This is where the Ritual of Seers takes place. It was used to house and protect the Monado. It is also where the Homs first found the Monado."

Suddenly, Shulk remembered how he came to know the place. When he was only four, he was taken with his family on the Monado Expedition Team to recover the legendary weapon so that it could be used in the fight against the Mechon Invasions. He and the team arrived, and entered and then something happened after his father attempted to take the Monado off its pedestal. However, for some reason he can't remember what it was exactly. The only thing he knows was that after the events that took place at Ose Tower, he was at different place with strange people looking over him. Upon coming to, he managed to understand that whatever transpired in the tower had left him almost fatally ill with ether deficiency leading to conclusion that some kind of countermeasure was activated upon releasing the Monado. It was a sad and yet happy memory for him, because even though he lost his family he found a new one with people willing to help him recover and adjust to his new home.

Unbeknownst to the entire group, there were other people in the tower. However, they were transparent to the naked eye. Trapped after the Monado Expedition, the spirits of those who died still linger in the Tower creating a chilling sensation whenever they are near anyone or attempt to touch. Among them were Shulk's parents, Anson and Elinor, and to say they weren't shocked upon seeing their son who wasn't with them for fourteen years was an understatement of the century. Relieved to know that he was alive after all this time and was with a good group of people they watched him to see how much has changed since that fateful day.

"I'm so glad to finally know where he was. When we got trapped here I thought he would be too and to not see him… Oh Anson!" Elinor was so ecstatic she was crying tears of joy to her husband. Anson was a strong willed man who during the Expedition lead the team and yet his own joy was seen as clear as day.

"I know I know I am too and he has grown so much since the last time we saw him as well. He grew to resemble me to and from what I've managed to understand from his conversation with that silverette, Alvis I believe, he has your intellect and personality. I think he may have inherited some of your personal habits too!" Anson chuckled at the fact that so much has changed in all these years and yet he and Elinor were proud to see their son grow up. Though Elinor didn't find it all too funny when she saw something she was uncomfortable with.

"Honey is that…?" She looked on with wide eyes upon finally realizing what it was her son was wielding for a weapon.

"The Monado but how? I can't fathom the reason as to how Shulk can wield it and I must certainly hope nothing has happened to him during those times he has!"

"As much as I don't like the idea, he seems to be rather fine with it so maybe like in the legends, the Monado chose him? It is possible that it sensed some future potential within him though I dislike the fact that upon doing so it also killed us."

Upset, confused, and yet somewhat calm from this revelation, he told his wife that should anything bad have happened to him it would've been somewhat clear as to what and that he seems to be fine. While Elinor wasn't entirely convinced she let the matter slide and decided to just watch her son to see what else has changed.

The next day between morning and noontime, the party of seven, including Alvis, set out to Galahad Fortress. As they looked on, the spirits of those long gone watch their departure, sending a chill through the air, The Chill of the Past, of people long gone from the world and who linger to watch the world pass by. Happy to also see for possibly, the first and last time, one of their own knowing that with him comes the hope of the Bionis, the Heir to the Monado.

AN: This has an unusual amount of filler due to not knowing what to do if someone who skipped some quests or whatever finds this fic. Plus I tend to write alot of filler even if it is dumb. First fanfic = lots of mistakes and stuff. Hope you all liked the different viewpoint though. The point of this was to write out my perspective on the "dead people worry about Shulk" quote Riki mentioned in the heart-to-heart in Ose tower because no one looked into it.

Iscreamintotheabyss: Thank you for letting me use your names for Shulk's parents here! :)