A young ten year old with bright red hair stood watching in horror as a copy of him tried to run between two maids. He saw his parents watching, both looking on concerned as their "son" seemed to be having trouble with the most basic of things. He couldn't hear their voices as they talked, but the fact that they had accepted this fake as him upset the TRUE Luke very much. Tears welled up in his eyes due to frustration and anger. The fact that he had come all the way home, struggling and fighting along the way, just to find this... DRECK posing as him. The small boy dropped the long blade he had been carrying as he started running towards those people he had been watching and without thinking, screamed at them.

"THAT'S NOT ME!"

"Dreck... Wake up...", Asch muttered as he stood beside the second bed in the bedroom he shared with his replica.

The room had been changed and expanded to fit both red haired boys into it. Two beds in opposite corners of the room, double the outfits, twice was everything in there that they would need.
Luke laid on his own bed, still sleeping as he was not needed by anyone this morning nor did he have much to do. Luke never woke up as early as Asch did. Asch couldn't believe Luke was still sleeping in this late and so his eyes were narrow as he looked down at his lazy replica.

"...Just five more minutes, Asch...", Luke groaned as he rolled over and slammed his face into the pillow.

"Tch I-", Asch he begun to yell but stopped.

Asch had stopped before raising his voice to Luke, not because he was trying not to yell at his lazy replica so much, but because he felt a small pain in his head. He twitched just slightly and tried to ignore it. He watched as Luke remainded laying in the same position, but had moved his hand over his head as if it had hurt as well. Asch frowned at that. However, as the pain soon passed so did too Asch's caring for his replica's laziness.

"Wake up, replica!", Asch barked, pulling the sheets off Luke as he was annoyed enough today by others matters.

"Alright alright, dammit! I'm up!", Luke whined as he shivered alittle from the sudden lack of warm sheets and moved to sit up, "What's the big deal?"

Luke frowned and rubbed his head as he yawned himself awake. Asch frowned more himself, if that were possible for him, and tried to show restraint in hitting his replica since he wasn't so low that he would hit someone with a headache.

"Your precious master Van is here today. They sent me to wake you while they hold a meeting.", Asch said with obvious contempt for Van.

"Master Van is here?! Why didn't you say so sooner?!", Luke exclaimed as he hopped right out of bed and tossed his white coat on.

Asch rolled his eyes as he heard Luke say such a thing. He watched as Luke put his shoes on and looked at Asch with such Van Enthusiasm, as Asch and Guy called it. Before anything else could be said there was a knock on the door.

"Master Asch? Master Luke?", called a maid from the other side of the door.

"Enter.", Asch said loud enough to be heard with his usual low tone.

The maid entered and immediately bowed to them both.

"They request the presence of you both in the drawing room.", the maid stated quickly.

"Alright, dismissed.", Luke said with a low noncaring tone since his Master Van high was ruined by annoying maids.

As Luke turned to walk away, he grabbed his head and seemed to be suffering from another severe and yet sudden headache. Asch saw this just as he felt his own head aching more and more by the second. Asch instinctively grabbed his forehead, not that it helped any pain his was feeling. Soon the pain passed and Asch lowered his hand, but not before Luke saw it.

"... Asch... Are you... Hearing voices still too?", Luke asked carefully.

"Humph. I'm not crazy like YOU, dreck.", Asch growled as he was choosing to ignore the voice he had heard.

"Geez. Fine. Be that way. I know you heard it too...", Luke pouted and walked out the door, leaving Asch alone for a moment.

Asch had heard the voice yet again, along with his replica, and not knowing who the voice belonged to bothered him. For years now he felt like someone was trying to reach him, ever since the kidnapping, but Asch knew neither him nor Luke knew who it was. He knew they would never be able to figure it out stuck inside Baticul's walls and so chose to ignore it. He had a feeling who it might be and yet felt it was impossible so he let it go.

Asch moved to walk out the door, but stopped just before reaching the doorway. He turned his head and glared darkly at the painting of Van that Luke hung up on "his side" of the room. Asch wanted to tear it down and burn it, but his mother had said Luke was allowed to hang it up there so he couldn't remove it without causing a fuss.

"Hurry up, Asch!"

Asch heard Luke yelling from outside the room. He sighed and shut his eyes before walking out. He knew they were requested together and so had to enter the drawing room together, something Asch found overly annoying about having a "twin". They were always expected as a set.

"Come on! Master Van is waiting!", Luke whined with that Van Enthusiasm returning quickly.

"Whatever, trash. He isn't going to go anywhere.", Asch replied sharply to that Van Enthusiasm he just wanted to slap off Luke's face.

His comment worked however and had caused Luke to frown.

"I don't see what your problem with Master Van is...", Luke muttered.

Asch watched as Luke shut his eyes and crossed his arms before walking off. Asch never cared to explain himself to his replica and felt he didn't need to.
Asch knew Luke would return to whine some more if he didn't head directly over to the drawing room entrance and so went straight there.

"Finally. I thought you'd never get here...", Luke said with such a bored and annoyed look even though Asch had only been seconds behind him.

"Tch. Shut up, replica.", Asch snapped back as he went and opened the door to the drawing room.

Once inside his bright green eyes locked onto his mother and father right away. Them and someone Asch hated very much. VAN.

"Luke?", Susanne had asked as she looked shocked to see another Luke standing before her.

"..."

The original refused to reply to that name, knowing they had called his replica that.

"Why are their two of you?!", Duke Fabre demanded to know in a louder tone, looking rather upset about this.

"I think I might be able to explain things, Duke Fabre.", Van said as he appeared behind them.

"Oh. Dorian General Grants. When did you arrive?", Duke Fabre questioned.

"Just now. I heard rumors of a Malkuth plot to replicate Luke and hurried here immediately. I had no idea they had already gone through with their plan and that they had succeeded. Had I known the original Luke had not yet been found I would have continued my search.", Van said smoothly.

The original glared as he listened to Van make up excuses for all of this. He watched as his father seemed to except that news and knew it was too late to explain. The original knew noone would listen to his side of the story now, not with Van here to explain away everything he said. The original wanted to laugh darkly when Van called it a "Malkuth plot", knowing Malkuth had nothing to do with it at all.

"Is this true, Luke?", Susanne asked the original, looking so worried about him.

"Don't call me that!", the original shouted at being called that again.

Everyone looked at him with shocked expressions, including the replica he was glaring at now, never knowing Luke to throw fits like this.

"I don't want that name anymore... HE can keep it...", the original said firmly, giving his name away.

He did not want to be called Luke ever again since his replica had ruined the name. He had been replaced and forgotten like the ashes of a flame long burnt out. Ashes.

"What should we call you then?", Van questioned to the young boy, seemingly trying to get in his good graces.

"... Asch.", the original said.

"You wanted to see us, father?", Luke asked as he was clearly wondering why Van was there and nothing else.

"Have a seat. Luke, Asch.", their father replied.

Asch sat down beside his mother, not even bothering to listen when he heard Luke's voice filled with Van Enthusiasm as he asked Van about training today. Seeing his mother smile towards him made his dark mood lessen slightly, though the sound of Van's voice did nothing to shift his expression from the scowl he wore. His ears did pick up Van saying that they had to talk about something, which captured his attention. Asch heard his father saying that Van was returning to Daath tomorrow and smirked, glad to be rid of the man for at least awhile.

"Huh?! Why?!", Luke asked loudly like a child.

Asch listened as Van explained his duties, which Luke probably needed to be reminded of. It was annoying to him to have to hear things repeated all the time just because his replica couldn't remember things. How many times Van had to say his job and title to Luke was something Asch didn't want to think about.

"What's a "Fon Master Ion"?", Luke asked, sounding like an uncultured idiot, so Asch thought.

"He's the leader of the Order of Lorelei.", Susanne, their mother, said calmly to Luke, "It's thanks to Ion that the truce between the Malkuth Empire and our Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear is in place."

"If Ion's predecessor, Evenos, is the hero who ended the Hod war, then the current Fon Master is a symbol of the peace that reigns today.", Van informed Luke.

"Unfortunately, Ion has gone missing.", Duke Fabre stated.

"Therefore, I must attend to my duty as an Oracle Knight and join the search for Fon Master Ion.", Van said.

"Hold on! You can't do that! If you go back home, who's gonna train me?!", Luke whined, being selfish as usual.

"Settle down. I'll have one of my men come here until I return to Kimlasca.", Van chuckled, making Asch twitch alittle in disgust.

Van's chuckle made Asch's stomach turn over. Anyone else would be a welcome change. Anyone was better than Van, to Asch anyways.

"But I want YOU to teach me!", Luke whined more.

"Don't be selfish, Luke. Dorian General Grants will return soon enough. It's high time you learned some patience.", their father scolded.

"Please dear, don't be so hard on him.", their mother said, making Asch look over at her with slightly narrowed eyes, "He does his best after all."

His mother always babied Luke like this. They treated Luke like their son even though he was nothing but a replica, a copy of him. Asch never got over them so easily accepting his replica as their son. Even his uncle, the king, had accepted Luke as a family member.

The two young matching red heads sat alone in a side room of the castle. Duke Fabre and Susanne, along with Van, had gone to speak with the king to discuss this replica business. Asch was hoping they'd simply get rid of this fake, this fake Luke, this replica. Asch thought Van could just take the fake for his schemes instead. Then Asch would never have to see the dreck again.

Asch sat on one side of the sofa while Luke sat on the other side. Luke kept glancing over at Asch with an interested look. Asch, however, as far to busy glaring at his knees to notice Luke looking at him. The fact that his parents had brought that copy of him here too had upset him. He felt the dreck should have been left at the manor or maybe tossed out.

It took longer than Asch expected for his parents and the bastard Van to return. Susanne smiled softly as Asch looked over at them all.

"With the approval of your uncle, we have decided to keep him. We will raise him as your brother.", Duke Fabre stated outright.

"Why?!", Asch asked as he stood up, not knowing why they still wanted this copy of him.

"Because, dear, we can't just leave him alone. He's like a newborn.", Susanne said, clearly having a better understanding of why Luke couldn't do the things Asch could.

"He's a part of you. Do you not want him around?", Van asked.

Asch glared at Van for that. Knowing if he said he didn't wat that thing near him he would look like a spoiled brat. How he just wanted to kill Van like the monsters he had fought to make it back home.

"...Do whatever you want... I just want to go home...", Asch muttered, knowing he had no voice in the matter anyways.

"Good. Let's return then.", Duke Fabre said as he turned along with Van to return to the manor.

"Come along, Luke, dear.", Susanne said to the wide eyed replica.

Luke smiled alittle and stood up, rushing over to her without tripping for once. She took Luke's hand to hold it and looked at Asch. Asch turned away from her gaze, not wanting to be treated like his already spoiled replica.

"Susanne. You spoil him.", their father said, which Asch silently agreed with.

"Still, a life locked inside a mansion like this is hardly easy.", Van said.

"Seriously... Why does uncle have to keep me trapped in here? Asch gets to go out into the town. It's not fair!", Luke whined more.

"Maybe it's because he knows you'd get lost.", Asch muttered with a smirk.

"Hey!", Luke pouted like a child as he cried out.

"Luke, my brother is merely concerned for your safety.", their mother said, not commenting on Asch's words.

Asch was allowed out into the city, but no further. There were even guards at all the city exits to stop Asch from leaving the city of light. Asch would often go into the city with Guy, who was like his personal guard while he was out of the manor, at his father's request. Luke, however, was forbidden from leaving the manor at all. The reasons behind this were never explained to either of the red heads, but they often questioned this. Asch found it especially odd that only he could go out into town as where Luke was stuck inside the manor.

"Just three more years, and you'll be free. Hold on a little longer, okay?", their mother requested.

"Cheer up, Luke. We'll train hard enough today to make up for the entire time I'm gone.", Van offered as he stood up, "Duke, Milady: by your leave. We must begin our training."

"Thank you, Dorian General.", Duke Fabre said with a nod of his head.

"I'll head out to the courtyard. Come join me as soon as you're ready.", Van said before bowing and walking off towards the courtyard.

"Luke, dear, please do be careful out there.", their worried mother wished to Luke.

"I know, I know. Don't worry so much, mother.", Luke said, smiling with confidence despite the arrogance in his tone.

Asch watched Luke leave the room and continued to sit there.

"Are you going to join them, Asch, dear?", their mother asked, looking alittle worried, "You used to be so close..."

Asch heard the worried tone in his mother's voice and nearly sighed. He knew well she meant close to Van. He hated Van for kidnapping him and putting him through so much. For locking him up in a cage and replicating him as if it were nothing. Worse still, trying to replace him with that idiot copy. Asch had never told anyone that Van was the one responsible for his kidnapping and replication. He had decided seven years ago that his parents would probably never listen to his side of the story, even now. It was Van's word against the story of a ten year old. Asch knew it would be bad for him if he accused Van and noone believed him. Van continuing to hang around and even going so far as to train his replica had caused Asch to become very bitter about things. Adding the fact that his family chose to keep Luke around had caused Asch to become alittle colder with each passing day.

"... Yes mother.", Asch said quietly as he stood up.

Asch saw his mother smile as he turned to leave out the door opposite of his replica. He could never upset his mother, not on purpose anyways. He never wanted to be the cause of her getting sicker ever again. Not since he heard his kidnapping had hurt her so.

Asch dreaded going out into the courtyard where Van and his idiot replica was. He thought about asking Guy to head into town with him, but thought Guy had chores and such to do this morning. Asch hoped Guy was finished with them already.

Once in the courtyard, Asch saw his replica heading over from the door on the otherside of the courtyard. Since Asch had taken the shorter route, they had ended up here at the same time. Asch also saw the rare sight of Guy speaking alone with Van.

"...The Duke, the King, and Luke's-"

Asch had managed to overhear Van saying before suddenly hearing the gardener, Pere, shouting.

"Ah, Master Asch! Master Luke!"

Asch pressed his frown further downwards as he would never know what Van was about to say to Guy. Was there something going on he didn't know about? Asch would have plenty of time to ask Guy about it later after Van was finally gone and so left it be for now.

"Guy? What's up?", Luke asked as he saw the same sight Asch did.

Seeing Luke equally surprised by the sight did nothing for Asch as Luke was usually stunned by things.

"Well, Van's a master swordsman, so I thought I'd ask for alittle instruction.", Guy said with a smile, sounding innocent enough yet something still bothered Asch about it.

"Really? That's not what it looked like to me.", Luke said.

Asch was surprised his replica noticed too. Asch suddenly had a bad feeling. His brow narrowed as he felt something was off. His eyes scanned the area and yet he saw nothing. The feeling was still there though, making Asch stay on guard.

"... Luke! Did you hear me?!", Van said, snapping both Asch and Luke back to the world.

Asch saw that his replica was bothered by this odd feeling too and knew for sure something was going on.

"Oh Um... Right...", Luke nodded and hurried over, drawing his wooden sword.

"Are you wanting to join us today, Asch?", Van asked, smiling in Asch's direction.

Asch glared at the man who dared smile at him like that, as if he hadn't tried to ruin his life.

"NO. I'm only out here for mother's sake.", Asch barked, since it was true enough, "She was worried you'd break the trash there."

"I see. Very well then. If you change your mind, please feel free to join us.", Van said with a chuckle.

"Heh. Don't worry about him, master. He's far too busy working on that permanent scowl of his.", Luke said, or maybe taunted, as he often did when called trash.

Asch watched Guy wave at him with a smile to acknowledge his presence before he moved away from the two who were about to start training. Asch chose to ignore the dreck's comment this time in order to get this useless training moment over with faster. If it was going to last all day, he'd leave to head into town after a short while. He didn't want to watch his replica's sad attempt at swordplay all day.

Guy sat down on the nearby bench and sounded happy to watch them. Asch was the total opposite and chose to stand there across the courtyard from Guy as Luke and Van were training in the center.
Asch watched for a short while as the copy of him ran around swinging his sword aimlessly at training dummies while Van explained the basics to him yet again. It was boring for Asch, who had learned all these skills already and trained now on his own.

"What's that?", Luke said, pausing his movements and looking around.

Asch too had an increased bad feeling as he suddenly heard the faint sound of a voice singing.

"That voice...!", Van said as he lowered to kneel on the ground.

"I... I can't move!", Luke gasped.

Asch felt his body was heavy and his mind felt worn out, as if he was tired. It took everything he had to keep himself standing. This was not a normal tiredness, with everyone else being effected by this, it had to be some sort of fonic arte!

"That's a fonic hymn! Has a Seventh Fonist invaded the manor?!", Pere said, confirming what Asch had thought.

"Damn it... It's putting me to sleep... What are the guards doing?!", Guy said as he looked like he could barely keep standing.

That was when Asch's eyes caught a glimpse of someone landing down in the courtyard from the rooftop. He was surprised to see it was a young female dressed in brown with long brunette hair. She seemed to know Van and Asch didn't recognize the name she called him by. Asch knew Van was a traitor and yet, to hear someone else call him such was strange to his ears.

"Tear! I knew it!", Van shouted as he was hardly able to turn to face her.

The thought of her killing Van as she had proclaimed was something Asch had no trouble in accepting. He held onto the handle of his blade which was resting at his side and thought only to defend himself if it came to that. The girl, this Tear, could kill Van as far as Asch was concerned.
Asch watched as Van aimed to attack this girl, but missed thanks to the arte keeping him slowed. The girl easily flipped back out of the way and landed in front the Luke.

"Who the hell are you?!", Luke asked loudly.

"NO! STOP!"

Asch heard Van yell as his green eyes watched his replica attack the girl who had remained in front of him for far too long. Luke's sword hit against the female's staff in an attempt to attack. However, something odd happened as their weapons connected and a sort of sparking cloud wave appeared between the girl and Luke.

"You idiot!", Asch yelled at Luke, knowing what it was.

Luke glanced at Asch for a mere second before looking back at the girl. Asch was going to move closer to try and stop it from happening, but a voice ringing out through his mind, from what he assumed was from Luke's connection to him, stopped him.

~Resound! The will of Lorelei shall reach you... And open the way!~

Asch heard before he could start moving.

"Not that weird voice again...", Luke muttered as he held his sword in place.

"The Seventh Fonon?!", the female named Tear gasped in surprise as she clearly had not expected Luke or another Seventh Fonist.

Asch finally rushed closer and reached out for Luke as soon as he was close enough. Luke looked worried since Asch did and in turn reached out for Asch as well, but before their hands could reach eachother's, the two locked in the fonon's cloudwave cried out in pain and were teleported away.

"Too late... The Seventh Fonons have reacted with eachother!", Van stated, looking up into the sky.

Asch stopped moving instantly and formed a fist with his outstretched hand before lowering it. He glared up at the sky and saw the brief line of fonons training behind where his replica and that girl had gone. Just as quickly as the line had been made it had disappeared.

Luke was gone.