DISCLAIMER: Food Fantasy is the intellectual property of Elex Funtoy Games. I own nothing but any non-canon characters that may appear later on.

Chapter 1

As Always

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Enclose your heart in times of need with the steel of your determination and your strength. In doing this, all things will be bearable. – Lora Leigh

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In Mika's profession, one must always be accustomed to the teeth-clenching feeling of being relentlessly dragged around by many things, yet be ready for more.

For one common case: being dead on her feet and out of bed on such a wonderful morning with protesting muscles, and the headache the size of the Midgar's towers. Joy.

With a stiff shake of her head, Mika blinked the foggy remains out of her eyes. She had about ten minutes before she needed to go out to the Market District, and maybe grab some cheesecakes while she's at it, the sweets shop down a few blocks was having a special promo. It depended on whether or not the line was long though, since she had to head over to the Guild HQ before noon.

Basket of carrots in hand, she stepped into the kitchen where the staff hurriedly prepped for the breakfast rush. She dumped the ingredients down the nearby station and banged her boot against a nearby trash bin.

All eyes turned to her, activity halting hesitantly. Mika gave them a glare, and they subconsciously straightened. Knives, spatulas and ladles were loose in their grasp, and luckily the gas hadn't been turned on.

A grin broke through. "Let's give our guests a great, satisfying time, you hear me?"

The staff raised their hands and gave a very loud battle cry. "Hear, hear!"

Pots and skillets clanged, and with a hearty laugh, she turned to approach the nearest staff member, namely a grinning Pancake. He had one hand stuck in a pouch hanging on his red sash, and the other carrying a plate of sandwiches. His long black hair appeared a lot more untamed than usual, and he'd foregone the sleeveless shirt under his open black kimono, exposing his torso.

Mika raised an eyebrow. "While I don't mind, our customers may get the wrong idea."

Pancake grinned even wider. "And we ain't open for business yet. Here ya go!"

The plate was thrust into her arms, nearly knocking against her leather breastplate. She fought the urge to snort, shoveling a sandwich into her mouth instead. "… Pweffy guwd."

"Be worried if it wasn't," he chuckled. "Anyhow, ya hafta go soon, right?"

Mika swallowed, licking the mayonnaise on her lip away before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Pretty much, so as usual, keep the place up and running for me Mr. Supervisor."

Pancake nodded vigorously, and as the sounds faded behind her, she sighed under her scarf. Some medicine later would be nice, as bitter they could be. She double-checked her gear by the door. Her weapons were stashed under her brown fur hooded coat, and the belt pouches containing her supplies were full. Good, nothing seemed to be missing.

Nodding to herself, she tied her chocolate brown hair back into a high ponytail and stepped out of the restaurant.

The sun rose slowly, highlighting the dark windows of the tall white brick homes and shops along the cobblestone road and the red hues of the spiral roofs, shadows fading as even the lampposts dimmed. The ever-present faint smell of salt and presence of the early morning busybodies breathed life into this small corner of the city.

"Master," a soft voice called out.

Icy blue eyes stared down at her. Foie Gras stood there in her flattering top, layered skirt, stockings, and blue slippers that made more than a few heads turn their way. The soft blues and whites complimented her platinum blonde hair, pinned back in an up-do and ruby-encrusted tiara. The most eye-catching thing about her, however, was the faintly glowing scepter in her hands.

Mika smiled as she tugged her coat closer. Her skirt and thigh-high fishnet stockings weren't doing wonders for the early morning chill. "Shall we go then?"

Foie simply nodded, and they moseyed on down the street. She waved to each one of her neighbors, stopping to chat every so often while her Food Soul drifted in the sidelines (yes, she'd love to stop by and bake cookies together. Oh and sure, she could teach some brats a thing or two, next week sounds alright. Huh? No, no, it's not a problem! Oh, heya Gramps—gah! Please, have mercy! The meeting was set for tomorrow, wasn't it?!).

By the time they arrived at the Market District, the sun roasted everybody's scalp, and the plaza was filling up with people from every Street. Children splashed about in the grandiose fountain where a group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood despite a few protests from their mothers or the unfortunately doused passerby. The shade the figures provided and the glittering jets of water flying about in the pool was a tempting sight, but Mika forced herself to march on.

The clock tower rung past eleven, and Mika briefly glanced towards her companion before racing towards the shop—Confectionary Most Divine—and frowning. The line spanned halfway down Joray Street and didn't seem to stop growing, despite the number of people leaving the shop with their purchases.

"Aw, darnit… guess I'll just see if the cafeteria has something good to tide me over. Maybe I can see if there's anything interesting." It was food for thought, heh. "Come on Foie."

They continued their walk down the other Streets of the Market District, stopping by each stall. Mika noted down the retail prices of the ingredients, internally wincing at a couple of them.

'We'll have to do a couple of sweeps this week, our vegetables are running low. Good thing meat and dairy products are at a stable place at the moment, we can swing by the ranch in a few days. Seafood and every other import product from Nevras have climbed up, and it looks like they aren't going to stop any time soon. Shipments are going to be our best bet for any fruits and wine.'

"Flour's gone up again? It just went down two weeks ago, didn't it?" Mika questioned the shopkeeper.

"Yes miss." The man raised his clipboard and flipped a page. "Most wheat-based products have gone up between a hundred to two hundred gold coins."

Mika lowered her basket. "Have the Fallen attacked the fields again?"

The shopkeeper scratched his beard. "Likely, miss. There's been a lot of trouble in Light Kingdom too, so there's been talk that import tax may go up."

"Trouble?" she parroted. She had a sinking feeling of what it was.

"Now I'm not entirely sure about it, but there have been rumors of Attendants and their companions disappearing or turning up dead the past couple of months." He leaned forward and briefly stared at Foie, who had been silently perusing the frozen aisle a few steps away. "Now I don't mean to alarm you miss. Most claim its Fallen, but there are some who believe it could either be bandits or a rogue Food Soul who caused it."

Mika's jaw clenched. "… What about the official statement?"

He shook his head. "Nothing yet, but I have a feeling that if the rumors continue to blow up, they'll cave in."

"Noted," she muttered tiredly. "… Thanks Gerard."

Gerard gave her a small, apologetic smile. "It's the least I could do."

They soon left the shop, a bag of flour and milk purchased as courtesy tucked into her pouch. Something caught her eye however, and she halted in front of a sign board down the intersection and a familiar notice. It depicted of a crowd of people with weapons raised against a sinister-looking Food Soul atop bodies of Fallen in the background, and the bold calligraphy was simply icing on the cake.

REMOVE THE FOOD SOUL SCOURGE!

She didn't bother to read the rest.

Mika tore the sign down even when a few glances were thrown her way, and fought the urge to shred it, shoving it into her pocket instead. A futile effort, since there were more plastered around the city, and she spotted a few handing out leaflets like it was some sort of brochure for a new resort.

Something inside her gut twisted, and she took a few deep breaths.

It wouldn't do any good to punch anyone.

She did get it, she really did. The rumors and stories did not paint some Souls in a good light. Still though! With the Fallen Angels coming in droves, worrying about rogue Food Souls was so damn stupid and ignorant, but people seemed to believe what they want to believe.

"Are you okay, Master?" Foie hovered beside her, face unusually blank.

Mika unclenched her fists. "… Just a little heated is all."

Foie's gaze lowered, and her lips pursed for a moment. "It's… a fate most unfavorable."

"If I were to compare this to the ruined lands beyond Karen Forest, the amount of toxicity would pale," she said under her breath. "Kowtowing to demands like these would end miserably for everyone involved."

Foie shook her head before patting her on the shoulder, and Mika let out an audible sigh. There wasn't really much she could do about it, continue to protect her friends as best she could, yeah. To tackle an issue that'd been present for centuries would be stumbling across mountains upon mountains.

The cool aura that caressed her cheeks let her muscles loosen. "… Thank you."

No other words were exchanged as they briskly walked past several other streets into the heart of Hilena, where the looming structure of the Royal Chef's Guild lay nestled between the city walls and a watchtower. Banners adorned the sides of the three-story building, pots of various herbs and plants stacked across the balconies and vines crawled along the shingled roofs.

Mika momentarily took a breath before pushing the ornate front doors to reveal a large lobby with overhanging lanterns, a lounge, crates and boxes stacked in the corners, and the mission desk. There were a few other Attendants who glanced at her entrance from between their idle chatter, and Mika waved at them.

"Good afternoon~!" she chirped.

The nearest one to her, a black-haired pig-tailed girl in a white collared shirt and brown skirt smiled, soft blue eyes lighting up. "Hello Mika, Miss Foie."

Mika beamed. "It's good to see you Lila. Where's your ever trusty bodyguard?"

"Oh, he's back at the bakery, I told him to rest before seeking out Miso."

Mika cocked an eyebrow. "Huh, that's surprising. Given his disposition, I always thought he'd never leave your side."

"And you're loud as always," a muffled voice chimed in from his face-down position on the table, his spiky brown hair and simple grey chef's uniform more rumpled than usual.

"Shush, Rayleigh." Mika's gaze swept over the hall. "Anyways, where's Olivia? I don't see Nico, Hana or Yun either."

"Olivia's at Parisel to check in for shipments, she'll said she'd be back by tomorrow. Nico and Hana are either in the kitchens or in the training rooms again." Lila fiddled with her mug's handle. "As for Yun… he called in for a leave. He has to prepare for his brother's funeral."

Mika grimaced. She'd forgotten about that. "I see. What about you guys?"

Lila seemed thankful for the quick change of subject and raised her drink, the smell of cocoa tickling her nose. "I'm on a short break."

"Trying to catch sleep," Rayleigh grumbled. He peeked through his folded arms, one dark brown eye conveying his deadpan expression. "And you?"

Mika pulled at her gloves, staring at nowhere in particular. "Hunting for lunch while I wait for another lovely interview," then she pouted. "That's the third time this month."

Rayleigh snorted. "That's a bad thing?"

"You know what I mean." Mika sighed through her nose. "It'll likely be a rehash of the previous interrogation. I'm going to get stuck here all afternoon, but as annoying as it is, gotta follow protocol."

Ichi's gonna be pissed, and between the house arrest and the questioning, he'd probably try to sneak out again. Not her fault though. If they didn't want to get caught as they conducted their own investigations, they had to lay low.

She was aware of the sharp look Rayleigh gave her, but thankfully he didn't say anything, opting to mutter something she vaguely swore sounded like "Troublemaker."

Who, her? P-shaw!

Lila poked her back to reality. "You should go to the cafeteria then. I left some strawberry tarts there."

"You are an absolute godsend, you know that?" Mika ruffled the girl's hair, earning a squawk. "I'm seriously gonna be jealous of who'll marry you in the future."

Lila nearly knocked her drink over as she sputtered, cheeks now a flaming red. How adorable! "M-Mika!"

"Yes, my dear?"

Rayleigh clicked his tongue. "Can't you just go and eat?"

"Aw, you do care." Mika smiled sweetly at him.

"You—tsk, how do you deal with this woman?" Rayleigh instead asked Foie, who seemed to consider the question.

"You're just too lazy to deal with my awesomeness," Mika interjected. "Now before you corrupt my lady, I'll go fetch the treat of the goddess. Peace out!"

She scooted away with a wink, the muttered "Unbelievable" making her hide a laugh, and she tugged Foie along in deeper. Then Mika hastily backtracked and shot her co-worker at the mission desk a worried look. "I do still have time right?"

The tall, willowy woman with flowing red hair paused in sifting through a bundle of waivers, gazing at her in wry amusement. "You have about twenty minutes before the delegate arrives, I believe."

"Thanks Klara!"

Multiple hallways after, she and Foie entered the cafeteria, which was more of an exhibition with multiple counters and display cases to present any new dishes Attendants whipped up for competition purposes, and a few high tables covered in velvety cloth. Much to her delight, a group of unfamiliar faces wearing the red and gold uniforms of Hilena Academy were huddled in front of a case filled with Lila's signature pastries.

Good tastes, though that lovely steaming roast chicken was a close second. Undoubtedly Rayleigh's, since those bacon tofu wraps next to it also had his precise and clean plating style all over it.

Mika shared a look with Foie before she pranced over behind the awestruck teenagers, none of them turning to look despite her loud footsteps. Perfect. "Take a photo, it'll last longer."

The identical horrified expressions and one girly scream nearly made her double over in laughter. "Whoa there, where's the Fallen?"

Screaming Boy's pale countenance colored. "O-o-oh, uh, sorry Miss Attendant, w-we were just looking."

"Oh, I know," Mika said. "You all looked like a pack of Chappybaras waiting for the chance to strike."

An 'eep' escaped the girl at the back, and the oldest-looking blond male cleared his throat. Mika internally mused about how they were at the same height. "We were merely admiring the work, if that's alright."

"Well, of course, that's the point. A dish's appearance should be a feast to the eyes all by itself. While they do say 'looks aren't everything', people tend to judge things first by observing." Mika craned her head to the side, taking in the fairly young yet openly curious faces before her. "Ah, but I assume you didn't come here for a lecture."

Blondie shrugged. "We were curious. School doesn't exactly outline what being a Cooking Attendant is all about."

Mika hummed. "Figures, the bare basics are all they give out nowadays."

It's a shame, but the curriculum of the Academy primarily focused more on general knowledge than anything so it opened more avenues to explore. When she asked why, Olivia told her that since their job was a niche of its own, it fell on them to seek out potential Attendants, much like she'd done for Mika. It made sense in a way, but it would be nice if they could advertise the Guild better, their door was always open.

A stout, fidgeting redhead girl peered from behind Screaming Boy. "U-uhm, excuse me?"

"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow.

The girl's luscious curls bounced as she twitched, hands clutching her pleated skirt. "U-u-uh, well, I was just wondering if t-that's your Food Soul..?"

"She," Mika corrected. "But yes, Foie Gras is one of my Food Souls."

She didn't have to turn to know Foie nodded in their direction, especially with the return of their slack-jawed gazes.

Screaming Boy blinked a couple of times, and comically reeled back as if he'd been slapped by a fish. "Wait, you said 'one of my'… how many Souls do you have?"

Oh, ho? He actually caught that. "Fourteen."

"Fourteen?" the group echoed in shock.

Fifteen, if she counted Rice. While not uncommon, a summoner with over a dozen Souls was bound to some attract scrutiny. It was unfortunate she couldn't go over fifteen, the ruling would not allow it, except for those granted special permission by the royal family or the Guild Council.

The last member of their group, a lanky male with a beautiful shade of deep purple hair, stared at her with knitted brows. "How long have you been an Attendant?"

"Hmm, about four months, give or take?" Mika nearly smirked at their bugged-out eyes. "I'm actually hoping I can summon someone new tomorrow. Gathering embers and crystals can be quite the pain in the economy we have right now."

"You seriously want another one?" Purple Pretty Boy questioned.

The underlying tone in his voice made her straighten, and Mika gave him a lazy-eyed smile. "Why wouldn't I? Food Souls are pivotal in our fight against Fallen Angels. Without them, we'd all be overrun."

"The Nevras researchers have been working on other weapons to fight them though," Blondie pointed out. "With their innovations, Cooking Attendants would probably go out of fashion—no offense."

"Oh, none taken." An outright lie, but these brats didn't need to know that. Mika fished out a paper from her pouch, red patterns and inscriptions encircling a red quartz crystal embedded in the middle. "However, a weapon like this wouldn't exist without prior research regarding the nature of Food Souls and how it ties in to our ancestral roots."

Purple Pretty Boy narrowed his eyes. "You mean the theories regarding the loss of humanity's magic."

He was quick, she'd give him that. "Yes, though I'm siding with the claims of limitations being imposed after the Great Reckoning five centuries ago. Whatever True Being Tierra came from was torn in its attempts to preserve balance, and so the Root of All became distorted and thus ending the Age of Spirits."

"It could just be that affinities have been weakened with the destruction of ninety-percent of the ley lines, and thus became exclusive to the denizens of Nevras," he countered.

Somehow, this conversation was making her nostalgic. Mika flipped the paper around with a crooked smile. "I'm not discounting that. The Elven kin were well known for close relations to the Gods."

"Their role in the matter is debatable." His eyes seemed to lighten up. "Since as you know, what few ley lines they had corroded over the years, leaving only the one in between the Observatory and the Lake of Ice Tears."

"Indeed, which is what makes the existence of Food Souls quite the achievement." Purple Pretty Boy pursed his lips.

She should end this, or else they'd be talking in circles.

"But whatever the cause was, there were a few things that became clear over time."

"T-t-that is..?" Curls asked.

"That is the crux of the question isn't it?" Her smile dropped, and she met each of their eyes. "Why do you think the Primordial diagram became the foundation of these talismans, or of the summoning ritual? How do you think they were able to engineer such potent crystals, such as the ones protecting the cases before you?"

Mika didn't let any of them speak. The paper in her hand burst into bright orange flames, and the group leapt back with wide eyes. "Why do you think Attendants exist despite our dwindling numbers?"

At the redheaded girl's whimper, the paper crumbled to ashes between her fingers.

"Many people seem to forget that we're a product of what came before us. Humanity is but a blip in the records of history, but at the same time, there are things immortalized. If not immortalized, they are adapting to the ever-changing landscape." She breathed in deeply. "There are the memories, stories, and legends, even mere whispers, notes, diary or journal entries. These are the foundation of what makes up the wills of Souls, of their origins, of their initial creation by humankind. It is with that that we continue to live."

The silence was stifling. Despite that, the seeds were planted. Only time could tell.

"Master…" Foie whispered. "We should go. The delegate has arrived."

Mika sighed out loud, earning her tense shoulders and wary looks. 'Maybe I should have reduced the fire. I just hope it got across either way.' "Alright, I'll leave you kids here. Have a nice day."

She turned to leave, but a hoarse "Wait!" stopped her in her tracks. Screaming Boy swallowed hard, but there was a glint in his eyes.

"Do you need something?" she questioned.

"What's your name?"

For a second, she simply stared at him blankly. Huh. She must be out of it more than she had thought. She tilted her head to the side, and the smile she presented had too much teeth in the mix, but whatever. "I'm Mika Ordelio, Elite-class Attendant, Guild Master of the Flavors of the World Branch of the Hilena Chef's Guild, and sleep-deprived human being."

AN: I've been playing this for four months now, and with the backstories + marriage system—the wiki and Reddit containing more accurate translations—my brain has been churning out ideas.

As such, this is my attempt with integrating aspects of gameplay with the overarching plot. This is a canon-divergent story starting near the Sakurajima Arc, with a few alterations to the timeline for the sake of internal consistency and creative liberties in terms of certain areas for world-building.

Shout-out to Partislime for giving me the final push in getting me to publish this.

This is gonna be a fun ride.