Well, I was convinced into picking up the slack on the Wonder Chef/Caleb series of fics for ToS, which means I'm juggling a lot more fics than I'm comfortable with, but at least these ones were completed long ago. So they were never posted anywhere. Go fig. Caleb's story is companion to Adam: Cast from Paradise, as the events in both occur at about the same time, running parallel until they reach the Wonder War event. Now, because things from Caleb's future is a little different from the series I've written so far here in his past, we can just blame ToS2 for that, since its timeline crashed with the one I had for my fics and so I had to speed up the events in the history Caleb has in his modern form. Did that make any sense? Oh well. I'll try to keep both of these updated at the same time.
Ch 2
The center of Welgaia was just as empty and desolate as the rest of the city. Tall towers and branching paths of clear material that didn't quite look like glass stood far over the doll, half-elf and mana beast as they walked through the open area. They looked all around themselves as they took in the sights. Pepper flapped her wings vigorously and took to the air, searching around for anything that could be a computer from above. Caleb stopped to watch her, smiling as he recalled the days when his young partner had barely been able to get off the ground.
"So tell me more about your journey. What have you been doing since we last parted more than two years ago?" Raine suddenly asked. Caleb blinked and looked at her, then gazed out at the city almost tiredly.
"A lot. I served Altessa for a few months, then on one of my visits to the Yggdrasill Tree, my sister gave me a soul of my own to compensate for my new sentience." he began, "Zelos was there to witness it; he'd had a sort of falling out with Kratos and Lloyd for some stupid reason and wanted to spend a week at Altessa's home. He changed his mind after Martel told him about some spell on Kratos and took off." He shrugged. "About a couple of months after that, I came across Wren in the forest near the Ozette Ruins. You'd know him better as the Wonder Chef. At the time, I had no idea who he was, and neither did he. Wren had been ambushed by the Dark Chefs and sustained a number of injuries in his attempts to escape, one of which resulted in temporary amnesia."
"Oh, was he the young companion Altessa had mentioned when he asked us for help in locating you that autumn?" Raine remarked in surprise. Caleb looked confused. "Genis and I had received news from Altessa that you and a young companion had disappeared while on a trip to Sybak and had hoped that we would know where you were. We didn't and were unable to commit to searching for you at the time. I'm sorry for not being of aid." she apologized. The doll smiled warmly and shook his head.
"That's all right. But, yes, Wren was my companion at the time. The reason we disappeared was that we had been taken prisoner by the Dark Chefs shortly after leaving Sybak." he explained, "We escaped when we learned of their plan to release an ancient entity that would cause a world-wide famine and traveled to Altamira to collect a crystal that would seal it away again. We were recaptured there and taken back to Flanoir. It was then that Wren regained his memory and I learned who he was. Needless to say, the Dark Chefs' plan failed once the Wonder Chef regained his true self and power." Caleb went on to tell Raine about his other adventures, his meeting with Pepper, the reunion with Wren that seemed to become an almost permanent pairing as Caleb couldn't seem to find a way of making the chef leave on his own journey, and the strange activities happening in both the Dark Chef Alliance and the Wonder Organization that was wearing Wren's sanity dangerously thin. Raine listened and nodded, commenting briefly on some points for clarity. Overhead, Pepper finished her scouting and returned to the group, glowing with the abundance of mana she was absorbing from her surroundings.
"Caleb! Plenty mana here for me to practice! Feels sooo good!" she laughed as she dropped beside the two of them. The doll smiled at her and pet her affectionately as he pulled out a peach for her to snack on.
"Good idea, Pepper! We can both practice our spells here." he agreed. Raine mused a bit longer, then nodded.
"I see. The friction between the two organizations has begun to climax into the fires of revolution. And it is quite unfortunate that the Wonder Chef is caught in the middle, the last sacrifice of the old ways of asserting power." she murmured, "Sad. After all the help he has given us when he managed to do so, his end comes like that." Caleb shook his head fervently.
"I won't allow that to happen! He's my friend, Professor, and I promised him and his father, and everyone that matters, that I would protect him with my very life!" he declared vehemently, "Wren won't be sacrificed in the name of one organization gaining power over the other! The Wonder Organization was supposed to be there to protect the world's health, and to protect the Wonder Chef who holds the key to the world's salvation should it ever have need of it!" Pepper chewed on her peach and nodded in agreement.
"Yummy make plenty good food for all people. People should be happy for that; work to keep Yummy alive and happy so he can make lots good food for many long time." she agreed, "Not good to make Yummy vanish. Yummy vanish, good food vanish, happy people become sad. Sad people end life. Yummy important to keep people happy and alive!" The doll nodded, unaware of the many shadows of winged beings slowly surrounding them from within alleys and sheltered corners.
"That may be the case, and there has been psychological proof that people who are depressed are more likely to take their own lives. Perhaps the world needs saving in many ways, and we only managed one aspect of salvation to come to pass." Raine pondered aloud, "That said, it would definitely be in the best interest of Symphonia to keep the Wonder Chef alive, considering he, like Lloyd, possesses an ability to save the world in a way none of the other Heroes of Union can." She smiled brightly then and Caleb could just see the hearts floating over her head, "And I would love to examine that fork myself! To think it's a piece of ancient magitechnology from seven thousand years ago! And that it has such a powerful spell embedded into it! What causes it to unleash that spell? What does it consider key requirements for a being who wields it to be considered Wonder Chef and thus capable of calling upon that spell? Is it possible that the fact that he is a descendant of such a powerful half-elf allows him to cast it? That may explain the strange mana surrounding him...!" Caleb rubbed his head and looked sheepishly at Pepper, who only glared back at him.
"You tell crazy lady about Eru and Kartha, yes?" she growled. Caleb smiled apologetically. "Caleb, you be stupid again. Now she not shut up for hours." the mana beast grumbled. The two of them decided to allow Raine time to ramble on in her Ruin Mode dream as they explored their surroundings a bit more. Pepper flicked an ear and growled. "More flying people, Caleb. All around, watching." she murmured and the doll paused, scanning the city warily. "We attack these ones, too? Or wait for you go talk to flying people?" Caleb pat her side as a warning and stepped forward, studying the tall tower before him. The feeling he'd had since entering Vinheim was back, the strange sensation that the doll had been in the area before.
"We know you're out there!" Caleb finally declared firmly, "Come out and face us! We came only to search your databases for knowledge of the past!" Dozens of white-winged angels flew out from hiding spots all around them. Raine yelped and ducked, covering her head as the beings flapped into position, surrounding the scholar, the doll and the mana beast with spears and bows aimed at the group. Caleb remained calm, standing patiently as the wings that flapped about stirred dead air into a small breeze that finally brought some amount of life to the holy city. The lead angel, dressed in white and green robes with no weapon or armor of its own, descended from the group and hovered before the doll.
"We are the Angels of Welgaia. No one is allowed to enter those records." it told him sternly. It looked at Pepper, then Raine, then returned its gaze to Caleb. "How did you come to this place? The human Lloyd placed a seal on Derris-Kharlan that prevents anyone without his power and consent to enter or leave this planet." it demanded to know. Caleb blinked, then placed a hand over the pin on his jacket.
"I was given permission by Origin and Martel to come to this place. I may not have actually asked for Lloyd's consent to come here, but my quest to archive the knowledge of Symphonia would have been sufficient enough cause to grant me entry." the doll returned and spread his hands out in show of peace, "I am Caleb, an automated doll built to archive the world. My friends and I came in search of historical documents. We wish to view the records in your database for that reason." The angels looked at each other warily. The leader frowned and seemed almost thoughtful.
"Martel allowed you entry? You have communed with the Goddess Martel?" it mused, "That is impossible. The Goddess had not taken a Chosen vessel." Caleb nodded.
"True, but she took a doll for a vessel and became my sister in doing so." he replied and looked pointedly at the spears, "There's no need for that. No one will be attacking anyone." Pepper growled as she glared at the angels.
"That what you say. Me think different." she hissed. Raine hurried to Caleb's side and looked around in concern.
"What are you doing? These angels are the enemy!" she whispered to the doll. The angels caught her words and bristled, catching the group by surprise.
"Enemies?" the lead angel echoed sharply, "Were you sent by the Angels of Vinheim to steal our data?" Caleb folded his arms over his chest and scowled. "Begone from this place! Thieves!"
"Oh, stop that! Shut up! We're not stealing anything!" the doll yelled back and the angels fluttered back in surprise, the leader remaining where it hovered. "We came to archive data and the Angels of Vinheim ambushed us. Since they had possession of the libraries we need to access, we were forced to make a deal with them to get that access." he explained and looked at Raine with a nod. The half-elf looked puzzled but nodded hesitantly as well. "However, I have suspicions on what the Angels of Vinheim are going to do with the data they requested us to acquire." The lead angel tilted its head and narrowed its eyes.
"Suspicions? Based on what?" it inquired. Caleb shrugged.
"A feeling. To be honest, we were going to find the databases on our own, make the copy and examine it to try to understand what they may be up to." he remarked, "I was planning to sabotage the data and give that to them and hope I archived the libraries before they found out." He smiled and cocked his head thoughtfully. "We were also going to make every effort to avoid you, but now that we've confronted each other I believe we can make a new deal."
"I don't think that's wise, Caleb." Raine murmured in concern, shaking her head at him. Pepper straightened and peered at the two beings.
"Me think Caleb better listen to crazy lady this time." she agreed, earning a scowl from the half-elf. The angel waved its hand at the others, signaling them to return to a casual position, weapons put away for the time being.
"What deal would an ally of the Angels of Vinheim propose to us?" it hissed suspiciously. Caleb shook his head.
"We're not allies to the Angels of Vinheim, just in forced servitude for now. I'd like more information about this situation first, before anything is done to compromise Derris-Kharlan and Symphonia." he told the angel and looked towards Raine. "This is your opportunity to learn a few things, Raine. With more data on what is going on, the better a plan we can make to deal with this situation." he added and returned to the angel, "My proposal is this; tell us your side of the story and grant us permission to view the data. I won't copy it unless necessary. In exchange, I will carry out any request you may make of me to the best of my ability."
"Our side of the story?" the angel repeated in confusion. Raine stepped forward, braver now that there was a clear plan before her.
"Yes, we want to know why there are two factions of angels when before they were united by Mithos' cause. What caused this separation?" she asked. The angel seemed to brighten and nodded.
"Ah, that! Very well. Come with us. We will speak of that incident in the residents' quarters. It is not safe alone out here, as the Angels of Vinheim often send raiding troops into the city." it remarked and pointed towards a nearby building, "We will meet there, on the first floor. I have matters to contend with elsewhere for now." Caleb nodded in agreement and watched as it and several other angels flew off. Another fluttered down and bowed slightly.
"I will take you to the residential building for the meeting. Please, follow me." it told them and floated away. The group followed the angel, thinking to themselves. Raine glanced up at Pepper and frowned.
"Caleb, how long has Pepper spoken like a child?" she suddenly asked. The doll looked back at her in confusion as Pepper flicked her ears in annoyance.
"What wrong with way I talk? I talk good for Caleb! Better than mana beast speak; Caleb not understand mana beast speak." she argued with a snort, "Crazy lady not like my talk, crazy lady can stick mana puffs in ears!"
"My name is Raine Sage, not 'crazy lady'." Raine corrected, "And you should learn to speak like a proper intelligent creature. I think we have to work on your language and grammar." Pepper stuck her tongue out as they entered the angelic building. Caleb smiled sheepishly as they waited in the first room they came across.
"Ah, Raine? I don't think she'd like that. She doesn't really know you, and usually she just trusts me and Wren to teach her things." he explained. The half-elf folded her arms over her chest, taking on a stern expression. Caleb seemed to falter at the sight, "Uh oh."
"That is absurd! I'm a teacher! I can be trusted too! Pepper, I'll teach you to speak eloquently so that the world can see how very intelligent you are!" she announced, "We'll start as soon as this mess with the angels is resolved."
"You're gonna need her treat bag then." Caleb sighed, holding out a satchel of fruits, "She'll warm up to you if you feed her." Raine accepted the sack, blinking at the assorted fruits inside. "And I think it would be best if you spent your time with Pepper. I'll deal with the angels on my own." Pepper snorted and sniffed at the bag, a hopeful expression on her face.
"Raine lady have apples and peaches and oranges and yummy goodies for me?" she asked sweetly and looked sly, "Caleb think he have good plan for me. I got good plan, too. You give me lots good treats; maybe I learn things from you."
"You will get a treat when you learn your lessons, Pepper! Not before!" Raine argued back and turned to the doll, "And why would you want to work with these angels by yourself? You don't know anything about them; your only experiences with angels were the ones from Sérno's castle!" Caleb took on a troubled look as the lead angel from earlier finally entered the room.
"Because I feel like I know them. It just feels... it's complicated; I'm sorry I can't explain it more clearly." he murmured and turned to face the other angel, "Ah, good to see you again. Is everything well?"
"Yes. We double-checked our information systems. They are all intact. Now, you wished to know why the angels are divided, correct?" it returned and the group nodded. "Very well. I am called Huron, a former records technician when Mithos ruled Welgaia." the angel began, "When Mithos was killed by the human Lloyd and his allies, the angels began to bicker over what should be done to continue our lives. Some said that Mithos' contingency plan should be activated so that he would return and continue the World Prolongation Plan for the Age of Lifeless Beings; others, like myself, wished to drop the whole plot in favor of living peacefully in this world of mana, away from the creatures that sullied themselves with discrimination." Raine frowned and looked at Caleb meaningfully, but the doll only looked more concerned, brow furrowing in thought. "The angels that wished to resurrect Mithos were the majority of the angelic military, as well as several of the scientists and technicians. We who wished a peaceful existence were the scholars and record keepers, along with the remaining scientists and technicians."
Huron gestured outward in a seemingly random direction, most probably in an effort to encompass either the city or point towards Vinheim somehow. "The arguments eventually deteriorated into violence and the angels split into two factions; the Angels of Vinheim, who took Mithos' home to use in preparation for his return, and the Angels of Welgaia, who live in this city and defend the databases from the angels that would destroy everything in the name of Lord Yggdrasill.
"Some time ago, the human that killed Mithos in the Battle of Vinheim returned here with his family to destroy and scatter yet more Exspheres. The Angels of Vinheim learned of this and sent one of Mithos' mental traps upon the lot of them. The destruction brought upon the city by the warring of the three swordsmen partially crippled our defenses, allowing the Angels of Vinheim to breach Welgaia and steal some of the data we maintained." Huron continued and paused as Raine and Caleb cried in shock.
"Is that what happened up here? Origin said that something horrible happened up here that hurt Lloyd, Zelos and Kratos pretty badly!" Caleb exclaimed, throwing his hands out to gesture at the holy city.
"Dear Goddess, the power generated from all three angels set upon each other could have killed them!" Raine blurted out in horror, eyes wide and hand trembling as she pressed it against her heart, "What could have possessed a father and his sons to turn swords and magic on one another?"
"I'm not sure. I don't know the specifics of the War of Angelic Swordsmen, but I do know that the resulting damage cost us a portion of data that allowed the Angels of Vinheim to uncover the specifics of Mithos' contingency plan." Huron told them and sighed, "That is how they learned that it was possible to resurrect Mithos."
"It's still impossible. Mithos' soul is gone. Without the soul, the being cannot be brought back to life. I know this because I tried to resurrect a man whose soul was contained in a Cruxis Crystal held here in Derris-Kharlan. My spell failed to bring him to life because I could not get in touch with his soul." Raine pointed out firmly.
"True, but the Angels of Vinheim aren't going to listen to that kind of logic." Caleb added with a nod and folded his arms over his chest with a thoughtful frown, "We've got to keep them from thinking there's a chance that Subject A-481 will succeed in bringing back their master."
"This confusing. Caleb, what plan do crazy angels have to bring back crazy dead angel?" Pepper griped, "Not good to bring back crazy dead angel. Make whole world crazy, too." The doll sighed and shrugged, sitting on a small bench as he let his mind drift aimlessly. This was indeed confusing. Two factions of angels fighting over a piece of information that could potentially resurrect the most dangerous angel the world had ever known, and Caleb was having feelings of déjà vu every time he looked at something in the city.
It was making his head hurt, and the dark mana crystal still in his body was making him feel ill. He needed a new crystal soon, or his system might start breaking down. Caleb rested his forehead on his knees, groaning softly to himself. This was not good. Whatever it was that was making it painful to use dark mana probably came from an outside source. Altessa didn't build this reaction into him, he wouldn't! But what could be making him sick and giving him strange, half-formed memories of a place he never knew...?
"What is Mithos' contingency plan?" Raine asked as Pepper nuzzled Caleb in worry. Huron folded his arms over his chest.
"Mithos had officially decided that Lloyd presented a valid threat once he learned Kratos and Yuan both had betrayed him to aid Lloyd. To that effect, he created the contingency plan he called the 'Final Chosen'." he explained, "In the event that his own body was destroyed, Mithos selected a third Chosen to take as a vessel to continue his plans. Pronyma took the host he brought and tested for compatibility. Not only did the host body have a high compatibility with Mithos' mana signature, but the native mana within the host held potential for a great deal of magical power. Because of that, Mithos decreed that the Chosen would be kept on Derris-Kharlan and not sent to one of the manufacturing plants for the Angelus Project."
"So what happened to this third Chosen? Mithos' body was believed to have been destroyed in the first battle to rescue Colette, but he tried to take Zelos as a vessel to escape and continue his plan." Raine questioned, puzzled by the angel's words, "We rescued him, but Mithos stole his energy to return to his own, true body, which was held suspended before the Great Seed in Vinheim."
"The Chosen of Mithos escaped Welgaia during that earlier time, when Lloyd retrieved the Chosen of Mana from Mithos during Martel's resurrection, taking the Cruxis Crystal that was attached as well." Huron continued, "None of the angels or the Desians under our control had been able to find the host, despite a worldwide search. The Angels of Vinheim want our information to locate the Chosen and implant the soul of Mithos within the vessel, resurrecting Lord Yggdrasill and the World Prolongation Plan."
"So then that's what's in the file for Subject A-481?" Caleb asked, lifting his head with a strange look, "The location of the third Chosen?" Huron shook his head.
"No, it contains the identity of the third Chosen. The Angels of Vinheim have no idea who the Final Chosen is, and without that knowledge they cannot find the host to enact the plan." he told the doll, "That is why we must keep it safe. We can't allow them to find the Final Chosen."