A/N

Hey everybody! Welcome to chapter 4! I got to this chapter in an almost timely manner, (late by only 2 days) but hey, it beats 2 months right?

On a more story-related note, I just want to warn everyone that in this chapter (and coming chapters) there are references to the original Ion. I based this one off the one from the manga gaiden which can be found here: /manga/tales_of_the_

If you haven't already read it, I'd suggest you do, not only because it'll shock the hell out your view on original Ion, but because it'll help you understand the character that I'm referring to. Now I made sure to write it so you, over time, can understand the character without reading the gaiden, but it will certainly make it easier on you to read it now. (Actually, all of the gaiden's are fun reads, I'd suggest them all. : )

But yeah, onto reviewer responses!

DaveandBob: Ahh Thank you~! Seeing it like that clears it up for me a lot. I hope I did it correctly in this chapter. : If I did, I'll make some time to clean up my first three chapters with this too.

AnimeCrazy88: Glad you find the story interesting so far! But it's hard for even speedy Castelle to reach Luke before he does something stupid, since he does it so much as so fast. Thank you for your review!

Okay! On with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape, or form. If I did, I'd defiantly would have made item making in Din's shop not so tedious and boring.

Within Reach

The bright mid-morning sun shimmered down onto the small viridian strewn town of Engave that day. The sweet smell of the wildflowers mixed with the earthy smell of the livestock creating the scent signature of a farming town. The wind glided into the town from the west this day giving small comforts to the hardy townspeople, all already hard at work with their daily tasks. Many were tending to their livestock, others toiling in the fields, and many others working in their shops. Each person tended to their routine task without grievance, if not a small complaint here or there. The townspeople intertwined seamlessly together as they talked, worked, and weaved amongst each other. Though all in the town moved as they did on a normal day, a similar pang of worry was felt through most of their minds.

As of late, almost all of the townspeople had suffered at the hands of, what all had thought until just yesterday, an insidious food thief. In a grocer's town like Engave, food was everything to them; it was their source of strength, work, and income. This thief was stealing the very livelihood of the entire town with their selfish actions, a fact that had everyone on edge. That was the most likely reason so many were quick to jump on the bandwagon when the robber was supposedly caught. It was only after a huge scene in front of Rose, the town's unofficially official leader, and a discovery by the fon master that they all realized the cheagles were to blame. Most knew it was their own fault for falsely accusing the red-headed boy with no proof, even though he had made himself quite suspicious with his attitude the previous day.

One grocer in-particular felt shame over the previous day's incident, as he tended to his crates full of apples. It was his very shop that the boy –Luke, was it?- had seemingly stole an apple from. He had paid in full in-the-end, but that didn't seem to be his intention from the start. Because of that, the grocer himself was the first to accuse him of being the food thief without any real evidence. In the end it was the fon master, a boy only 14 years old, who had taken the time to diligently look over the crime scene and figure out the culprit. The man sighed aloud at the memory; the real culprit, the sacred cheagles from the Cheagle Woods. If they really were the culprit, which everyone hoped to somehow not to be true, what could the townsfolk even do? It's not like they could hurt the creatures or drive them away, they were a sacred symbol of the Order of Lorelei, the religion practiced across the world. At the same time, the villagers couldn't keep allowing them to steal their food, their very source of life. Everyone throughout the village felt the strain of these questions as they toiled away this breezy summer day.

The man sighed again, as he refilled a few of his shelves; not only was he feeling the same strain as the others, he had an additional problem with the recent thefts. A very precious item of his had gotten mixed into the food the cheagles stole. It was very important, not to mention private, to him. He wanted to go to the Cheagle Woods himself to find it, but he couldn't afford to abandon his shop for the day. In the end, he had to ask Luke, the very one he falsely accused, and his companion to find it for him. They had agreed to do him the favor, one willingly and the other hesitantly, but the grocer couldn't help but worry. They were still strangers, and it was an important item. The man shook his head; there was no use in worrying about it now. Upon noticing a small figure approach his shop from the corner of his eye he turned to greet them. He paused when he noticed a strong familiarity in the small girl now standing in front of him, and the boy from yesterday,

"Good morning sir," the red-headed girl greeted softly, "I hate to bother you, but have you seen a seventeen-year-old boy that looks like me by any chance?" The girl put one closed hand to her chest cutely, "I'm looking for my older brother you see." The man couldn't help but smile at the child.

"As a matter of fact, I have," the man began, "him, Luke I believe, and the girl he was with came into town yesterday, then headed into the Cheagle Woods only an hour or so ago." The young girl's face lit up.

"Is that so? Thank you so much for telling me! I'm in your debt." The girl offered a small bow in thanks and the man waved his hands at her dismissing it.

"No need for that, I'm happy to help. I caused him a bit of trouble yesterday anyway" was the grocer's humble reply. The red head glanced up at him with a small, sad frown.

"Oh, yes, I heard about all the commotion from another villager. I am sorry for any trouble he may have caused." The red-head offered another bow in return only to have the same wave from the grocer.

"You really don't need to be so polite little miss. It's all settled now and no harm was done. In fact, he was doing me a favor by retrieving something for me from the woods" came the grocer's humble reply. The girl smiled sweetly once again.

"Really? Well I'll do what I can to help him once we reunite. Thank you again sir." She bowed respectfully again before turning on her heel and running off before the man could have another word. Nevertheless, he smiled as he watched the girl run off towards one of the town entrances. He turned back to his work still smiling as he pondered about the girl's polite behavior verses her brother's lack of manners.

Castelle's sweet smile had hardened in determination as she neared the front of the town and glanced for her companions. Quickly Amelia ran to her side from behind, accompanied by Tenshi on her shoulder, with her nose buried in the girl's shoulder. The blonde glanced to Castelle.

"You found out where he was headed?" The older girl asked the red-head. Castelle nodded without turning to look at her.

"Yeah, brother and the girl are heading to the Cheagle Woods" came the younger girl's reply. "If we hurry, we should be able to catch them." Amelia gave her a toothy grin in reply.

"Then let's get a move-" The blonde sixteen-year-old was cut off as she collided straight into another young girl, causing both to stumble over, and land side-by-side each other; Tenshi, meanwhile, was thrown off her place a few yards away, only to land on her feet without trouble, then stroll back to Castelle's side. Castelle immediately stopped and dashed over to her friend. Amelia grabbed her head while the other girl did the same. As she helped her blonde friend up to a sitting position, she took note of the other girl's condition.

The tan stranger couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen at most; her dark brown hair being pulled into two big pig-tails and bright purple and pink outfit didn't help her look any older either. As Castelle looked over her rather short pink dress with large purple cuffs, overlapped by a purple manteau with an almost star-like design on it, and long white stocking that led into her shoes, she couldn't help but feel as though it had a familiar air to it. The girl sat up quickly, though dizzily as well.

"Ow! That hurt!" The young brown haired girl shouted out as she clutched her head, a bump surely forming. Amelia rubbed her own head while glancing to the girl apologetically.

"I'm sorry miss. I should'a watched where I was going closer. You alright?" came Amelia's slightly pained apology as she stood up strait and offered the girl a hand up. The brown haired girl looked over to her pouting slightly before smiling cheerfully and taking her hand.

"Yeah I'm okay! I'm tougher than I look!" The girl stood up and brushed herself off. "I'm sorry too," she began, looking at the two girls in front of her, "I'm in a hurry to find someone and wasn't watching where I was going either." Amelia smiled as she rubbed the back of her head.

"What a small world, that's why we're in a hurry ourselves" Amelia replied with a guilty smile. "The person you're looking for, what's their name? We'll keep an eye out for them and send them your way if we see 'em, as a token of apology." The tan-skinned girl smiled brightly at the offer.

"Ion! He's only a little taller than me with green hair and eyes. He's wearing all white and has a large necklace with the Order of Lorelei's symbol as a centerpiece" the girl announced happily. Castelle's eyes went wide at the description.

'Of course!' she screamed mentally, 'how did I not see it sooner! This girl is wearing a Fon Master Guardian uniform! But if what she's saying is true then…' Castelle stepped up a bit hesitantly. "Excuse me miss-"

"Anise! Anise Tatlin!" The girl offered her in a spunky tone.

"Miss Tatlin," Castelle corrected, "could you be talking about Fon Master Ion himself?" Amelia looked at Castelle curiously while Anise nodded happily at the correct guess.

"That's the guy! Have you seen him around?" she asked hopefully. The red head shook her head in return.

"No, not recently. I'm sorry." The young noble replied somberly. Anise's excited face drooped as she slouched a bit.

"Oh I see…" the young Fon Master Guardian replied disappointedly as her shoulders slumped down. She released a loud sigh. Amelia put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"If we see him," she began, "we'll defiantly tell him you're looking for him alright?" Amelia offered the saddened girl a toothy grin to which Anise couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." the pig-tailed girl replied smiling. Amelia waved it off casually as she strode up next to Castelle.

"It's the least I can do. Now, you'll have to excuse us, we must be on our way now." Amelia nudged Castelle who seemed knocked out of a slight daydream from the contact.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," she bowed slightly as well, "it was nice meeting you Miss Tatlin. Please take care." Castelle turned on her heel to leave at a quick pace, followed by Amelia and Tenshi, leaving Anise to go back to searching. They only made it a few feet away when Tenshi let out a low growl, alerting them to a new presence behind them. The two girls, upon noticing the monster's action, glanced back to see a tall man with long brown hair wearing a standard high-ranking Malkuth military outfit approaching the young girl.

Castelle's heart caught in her throat once again as she noticed him speaking with the girl, and this time Amelia's did as well. Both knew instantly upon seeing his blue uniform that he was with the Malkuth military, but even worse, they knew who this man was particularly. Without a word between them, only a quick glance, they turned away and quickened their pace past the town's entrance into the fields beyond. Neither dare turn around; only Tenshi glanced back to see the man looking at the three with a thoughtful expression on his face. Once they were a good distance north of the town, Amelia broke the silence.

"What the hell is he doing here?" The blonde asked in a low tone to no one in particular. "I mean, if a Malkuth colonel is hanging around a small town like Engave in a ship like the Tarturus… " the blonde trailed off, her thought forming a bad taste in her mouth. Castelle was silent for a moment before responding.

"It must mean that the nations are on the brink of a full-scale war." Castelle stated matter-of-factly as she focused ahead to the Cheagle Woods. Amelia looked down at her companion's response, knowing she was right. And though she disliked how easily Castelle could say it, she didn't expect anything different from the girl; Castelle was never the kind to beat around the bush, no matter what the subject. At least, when she wasn't acting like her "sweet-as-sugar persona," as the twins liked to call it. "What I'm more confused about," Castelle continued, "is why the fon master is here. Usually, the order remains neutral in things like this. So why…" her voice trailed a bit as thoughts of the boy entered her mind.

It was such a brief encounter, it shouldn't have meant much. But Castelle couldn't deny that she remembered it vividly. To this day, she couldn't shake the visual of his caustic gaze hidden behind a poisonously sweet smile; his venomous tongue laced with a soft tone and even softer-spoken acidic words. Even if their time together was short, Castelle had been enamored by his acrid personality so contrasted by his innocent expression. Even if the interest was only because it reminded her so much of herself, Castelle couldn't say it didn't exist. And of course his action when they parted, when he gave her, "something to remember him by" as he had put it. It took all her concentration not to flush, with either anger or embarrassment, at the memory.

Castelle shook her head, now was not the time to be strolling down memory lane. Luke was within reach again and that should be all that mattered. Now that the three had put a decent distance between themselves and the town, she put her forefinger and thumb to her lips and blew a long, high-pitched whistle. This caused Tenshi to cover her ears and wince a bit, her nose still buried in the red-head's shoulder. Castelle glanced to her apologetically.

"Sorry about that." The young noble apologized. Tenshi glanced up at the girl from atop her shoulder.

"I don't know what's worse," she began in an annoyed tone, "having to hear that so close, or the air reeking of the Seventh Fonon." She wrinkled her nose more and nuzzled it further into the cloth on the girl's shoulder. Amelia looked to the monster.

"You still can't smell anything over the Seventh Fonons?" The blond asked concerned. The monster nodded.

"Normally, the boy is already saturated in that smell more than most humans." Tenshi replied before sneezing slightly, much to Castelle's dismay. "It became even worse when he joined up with the girl, who's also a strong Seventh Fonest, but now something else in the area is also giving off that smell just as bad, if not worse, than Luke; between the three, I can't smell anything else at all." Tenshi put a paw to her nose as though trying to prevent another sneeze. Amelia frowned, sympathizing with the creature. It was Tenshi's nose that had gotten them this far, but as soon as they got close to Engave, the stench of the Seventh Fonon along with the smells from the nearby Tarturus nearly caused the poor monster to pass out.

Amelia's piteous thoughts were broken by Furbar's muffled bird-like cry from above as he descended down to the group from the sky. Amelia couldn't help but smile upon seeing that the monster actually had the water bowl she had left him clenched in his bird-like beak. Without missing a step the three were on his back heading northward to the Cheagle Woods at a low altitude. Ameilia took the water bowl and put it away with a small smile.

"Thanks Furbar. You certainly never miss a beat." said the blonde as she patted his head. His only reply was another high-pitched bird's caw.

As soon as they reached the entrance to the emerald laced woods, they dismounted the griffon and continued on foot; such a large creature navigating the woods in flight would be much more troublesome than simply running. Tenshi left her place on Castelle's shoulder and took up to running beside her, her senses alert (minus that of her still aching nose) for any enemy that may come along. It didn't take Amelia long to find human tracks mixed in with the animal's. She quickly halted, causing the other to do the same, and examined the trail.

"They've been here just recently," Amelia began while turning to Castelle, "the edges on the tracks are still soft. They shouldn't be too far ahead." She began to stand before noticing an extra set of human footprints on the ground. Curious, she knelt down again and examined them. "Hey wait a sec. There's someone else here." She looked down to see the third set beside Luke's and the girl's as they headed deeper into the woods. "And by the looks of it, this someone is now traveling with our duo." Castelle strode over to her curious.

"Someone else? But who would be all the way out here?" The young noble asked looking at the tracks. "Their footprints are even smaller than the girl, so that must mean they're young, right?" Amelia stood and nodded to Castelle.

"That's the way I see it. Some kid must have tagged along." was the blonde's reply as she dusted off her hands. Castelle took a quick moment to wonder if it could have been that boy, the fon master, who was accompanying her brother, and one glance at her companion's face said she was wondering the same; Castelle quickly shook off the thought, however, knowing that regardless, finding Luke needed to be the first thing on her mind. She began to move on following the trail of tracks.

"Come on, we need to hurry so we don't lose them again." Castelle announced turning to look back at the other three. They all followed her without another word.

The four figures swiftly made their way through the forest, only to pause when they heard a loud cry of a monster nearby. Before the group could make heads or tails of the noise, the source came running at them. Up ahead a small blue creature (the poor thing couldn't have been bigger than a foot or so) with large ears running towards them crying aloud. What caught their attention, however, was the six or seven large grey canine-like monsters chasing the blue creature. Castelle and Amelia instantly recognized the creatures, though both were incredibly surprised at the sight; after all, ligers were supposed live in the forests up north of the Cheagle Woods, so why were they here?

No one in the group wasted time in speaking this question aloud. Amelia already had her sword drawn, a double-edged cutlass, and rushed to the front lines of the group, Tenshi at her side ready to take the same battle position. Castelle stayed between them and Furbar, who stuck close behind her as a rear guard in case anything attacked from the back or broke the front line.

Now normally, Castelle wasn't they type to break the food chain of animals out of sentimentalism for the one being preyed upon. She had learned of it when she was young; "If you're weak, you're food for the strong," was how she remembered explaining it to her younger brother one day. But when the small blue creature's -she was sure it must be a cheagle, having seen them before- eyes met her own, and she could see it's pleading look, a look intelligently fearful of losing life, she couldn't bring herself to let it be. Its fear was something too human for her to simply ignore. And when it fell flat on its face to the floor, leaving the ligers only one pounce away, she found herself moving first to save it.

Before the two on the front line could react, Castelle had thrown a dagger past them, hitting the lead liger's nose hard causing it to flinch backwards and the others to pause with it. Tenshi rushed ahead and, instantly understanding Castelle's motive of saving the Cheagle, used this opportunity to attack the ligers. The ring around her tail began to glow green and Tenshi's body was quickly enveloped in whirling third fonons. She smashed her tiny body into the lead ligers, and immediately the fonons rushed outwards, slicing at the rest of the ligers as it blew them back and broke their wild formation. The small cheagle wasn't spared from at least being blown away as well. He let out another cry and closed his eyes as he flew through the air, preparing for the worse. However, completely defying his expectations, he felt himself land in something soft, quickly followed by warmth enveloping him. When he opened his eyes to look, he saw he was in the arms of the red haired human, whose focus was on the ligers who were quickly staggering to their feet. Though now, their eyes were on the new group of monsters and humans who had appeared, instead of himself.

"Don't worry," came the young noble's calm words, causing the cheagle to glance up at her again, "we won't let them hurt you." As first fonons gathered to her, she glanced down at him for a quick second, giving him a kind, reassuring smile before turning back to the enemies. Without a second thought, the small cheagle nuzzled to his spot on against her stomach and clung to her with all the might his tiny body had. "Oh shadows, become our shield and sword and grant us your unrelenting power," she chanted, "Dark Veil!" First fonons quickly encompassed all four of the members as well as the human's weapons'.

It wasn't but a second later the first round of ligers began their counterattack by lunging at the group with claws and fangs bared. Amelia immediately began to fend them off with her sword's quick, flowing slashes; each leading into the next movement. Tenshi, who had already moved back into formation with Amelia, charged one in a similar manner to the ligers', though her tail-ring once again glowed green. This time however, when her body was surrounded by third fonons, they were all electrically charged. When the two monsters came into contact the liger was badly electrified before the bolts disseminated out and injured ones nearby, as well as striking the ground. This left the damaged areas brimming with third fonons, to which Amelia put to good use; she quickly made her way into one of the areas, pursued by two monsters, and placed the tip of sword to the ground. When the two ligers charged simultaneously, she skidded the sword across the ground for a few inches before lifting it higher and slashing around herself in a complete circle. The sword absorbed the third fonons in the air and, along with the slash, released many bolts of lightning throughout the girl's circular path.

"Halo strike!" The girl called as the arte released. Both monsters were struck hard and knocked backwards.

As Amelia began to move into her next attack, she was targeted by two ligers on opposite sides of her. She charged one with her weapon held low by her side ready to swing, as the other began to charge her backside. As she collided with her target, the one at her back was suddenly slammed hard into the ground by two streams of water that collided onto the monster from above. Amelia smirked, revealing her fang, as she proceeded to cut down the monster in front of her. Once she was done, she exchanged a quick glance with Castelle, who was already charging her next fonic attack, as a quick thank you before returning her attention to the pack.

With Furbar bringing up the rear smashing opponents with his powerful claws and hind legs, the formation continued on and soon finished with the ligers without any great difficulty. As the few survivors scurried away, Castelle took the time to check on and heal any wounds the group may have gained, which were very minimal if that. She then turned her attention to Tenshi's tail ring, looking over the six squares that circle it. Instead of the dull brown grey color that the rest of the ring was made of, each square was softly aglow with different colors. She immediately noticed the green square had dulled a bit.

"Hmm, it seems like you used up a good amount of Third Fonons." Castelle said aloud, more to herself than Tenshi. "Other than that," she continued, "you're fine. I'll be sure to replenish it when we catch up to big brother." Tenshi nodded in compliance. Castelle then turned her attention to the cheagle in her arms, still clutching to her stomach, though he had opened his eyes a sliver. She patted his head. "We're looking for someone right now, after we find him I can take you to your home. Otherwise, we part ways here." Castelle told the creature as a mater-of-fact. It looked up at her then tightened his grip on her stomach again before crying out again, obviously still frightened.

"Mieu mieu mieu… Mieu mieu!" the small creature cried looking up at the girl pleadingly. Though fairly certain she understood, she looked to Tenshi for confirmation. The monster looked up to her.

"He said he's too scared to go alone and to please take him along." the creature stated plainly, not taking any interest one way or another. Castelle nodded, then looked back to the little cheagle.

"Alright then little one, I'll need you to hold on tight, okay?" With that, Castelle placed the blue creature onto her shoulder, on the inside of her collar. "Ready?" she asked, first to the creature, then looking around to confirm it with everyone. A unanimous nod was her reply, and her turned on her heel and dashed off with them all close behind.

The group nimbly continued their way through the forest, following the trio's footprints once again. Tenshi, despite the smell of the Seventh Fonon that assaulted her nose, and Amelia took the lead now, all agreeing that it was best to stay in battle formation in case of anymore attacks. They continued like this until Tenshi's ears perked up at the sounds ahead.

"I can hear humans ahead!" The cat-like monster announced; then, after a quick second of listening more intently, she turned to Castelle and added on, "One of them is defiantly Luke's!" Castelle's heart skipped a beat at the announcement, and the surge of adrenaline caused her to pull ahead, breaking formation. Her excitement allowed her to glide through the underbrush of the forest floor with more ease than before, leaving the others to keep up.

Soon the group passed a small clearing and a colossal tree came into view; Castelle hardly noticed that fact though, because standing in front of the tree was her precious younger brother. She hardly took note of the two others at his side.

"Luke!" Castelle called at the top of her lungs, causing all three to turn in her direction.

"Sis?" Luke exclaimed incredulously. "Sis, is that really you!" Before he could get another word in, Castelle leaped up and tackled him with such force that they both fell into the brook that encircled the tree behind him. Castelle didn't pay it any mind as she embraced him tightly around the stomach.

"I've been so worried about you little brother! I'm so glad you're alright!" the red-headed girl cried out to him, hugging him tighter. Luke turned a bit red and placed his hands on her shoulders trying to push her off.

"Sis! I'm not 'little!' And I'm getting soaked! I'm fine okay, so let me up!" the boy whined. It wasn't that he was unhappy to see her, on the contrary, he was ecstatic to have his sister back with him; however, he was embarrassed at her fussing over him like this in front of strangers. He tried even more so when he saw Amelia and his sister's monsters run up. After a moment of struggling, she stood and stepped back so he could pick himself out of the stream. "Aww man," the red-headed boy whined again, "now look what you did! I'm totally soaked!" Castelle stifled a giggle.

"I- we track you down all the way from Baticul, and that's the thanks I get?" Castelle teased her brother. "Gee, what an ungrateful brother I have! Maybe we should just head back home without you then?" He looked over at her frowning.

"Th-That's not funny sis!" Luke complained causing his sister and Amelia to laugh. Their laughter only subsiding as the young woman responsible for this whole journey stepped up to Castelle, causing all eyes to turn on her.

"Pardon me, but you're Luke's sister? My name is Tear Grants. I want to apologize for all the trouble I've caused you with my actions." The sandy-brown haired girl offered a small bow to Castelle and Luke. Castelle was caught a bit off guard by the apology; this entire time Castelle had assumed the worst about the young woman, and she certainly never expected to get an outright apology, especially not right away. After a few seconds of contemplating, Castelle let out a sigh and placed her hands to her hips.

"I know taking brother wasn't your intent," the younger red-head began in a soft but stern tone as Amelia stepped up to her side, "but you never should have used our home as the stage to carry out your attack on the commandant. I don't know what you have against him, but please think more carefully about the impact of your actions on those around you." Tear stood up straight and looked Castelle in the eye before responding.

"You're right; I see that now after what happened at your manor. My carelessness ended up putting someone who had nothing to do with me into harm's way, and for that, I apologize again." came the older girl's reply. "I also wish to escort Luke back home, seeing as I'm the sole reason he's here in the first place." Castelle gave her a long, hard look before sighing again.

"Well you certainly seem sincere about it." Castelle finally replied. "I also agree that's it's only right you help him home." She offered a hand to Tear and smiled a bit. "This means we'll be with each other for awhile longer, so please, call me Stella." Tear smiled and shook the extended hand. She could hear Luke's disapproving huff from behind her, but chose to ignore it. He had a right to stay angry with the girl after all.

"It's nice to meet you Stella." Tear replied with the same enthusiasm. Amelia stepped up and shook her hand as well.

"The name's Amelia, Nice to meet'cha Tear!" Amelia exclaimed, offering the girl a toothy grin. She then pointed to Tenshi and Furbar, "And the big one there is named Furbar, and the fluff-ball is Tenshi. Don't worry, they don't bite unless you hurt them." Tear nodded at the info. Castelle now turned to the last of the group to be introduced, and smiled.

"And greetings to you too, Fon Master Ion." Castelle happily greeted the green-haired boy. He looked at her with a slightly confused smile.

"Nice to meet you Miss Stella," the soft spoken boy greeted, "but how did you know my name, if I may ask?" Castelle's gave the boy a shocked look. Surely, he hadn't actually forgotten her? She knew their time together back then was short but, for him to actually forget… Castelle mentally shook it off and smiled again.

"Oh, your attendant told gave us a description of you while looking for you around Engave." she explained to the boy, noting to herself that it wasn't a complete lie. Ion looked down guiltily at the girl's reply.

"Oh… Poor Anise must be searching everywhere for me right now." Ion replied sadly. Amelia made her way over to the small boy and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at her.

"I don't know all the details," she began with a toothy grin, "but I heard that you were the one who cracked the case on the cheagles stealing food right?" Ion nodded in confirmation, making Amelia's smile widen. "So if I had to take a wild guess, you're out here because you wanna learn more, right?" Ion nodded again and looked to the entrance of the giant tree.

"Yes, cheagles are the sacred beasts to the order, and helping them is part of Yulia's teachings." Ion explained. "I feel that I have an obligation to find out why they would be doing this. After all, cheagles are intelligent and peaceful creatures, stealing food isn't like them." Amelia patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Well that sounds like a good reason if I've ever heard one!" Amelia assured him. "I don't know who could get mad at you for reasons like that; just explain to her how important this was to you, and I'm sure she'll understand!" Ion smiled at the blonde's kind words.

"Do you really think so?" He asked the girl hopefully. Amelia flashed him a grin complete with her fang.

"I'm sure of it!" she replied patting his shoulder once again. Castelle looked at the two thoughtfully, perhaps a bit cynically, wondering if Ion's current actions were some kind of façade to fool herself and the others.

'You couldn't have really forgotten that time, could you?' she questioned herself sadly. Amelia turned her attention to Luke.

"And?" she aimed the question at Luke or Tear, "What are you two doing out here?" Luke scoffed and crossed his arms.

"We're here to clear my name with those stupid yokels back in town." Luke replied haughtily. "They accused me of stealing their food, so I'm here to prove the cheagles did it. I won't let those stupid townsfolk laugh at me!" Tear sighed at Luke's decleration.

"Even though the charges were already dropped, and no one's laughing at you." the young woman added to Luke's tale. He gave her a loud scowl in response, but before he could say anything else, Castelle sighed loudly.

"Yep, that sounds like brother alright." the young girl admitted with a shrug and small smile. Luke turned to her with a frown.

"Say whatever you want sis, but we already found apples with the mark of Engave on them. Now I'm sure the rest of the proof I need is in this tree here; in the den of the thieves!" Luke exclaimed. Castelle smiled to the group.

"Well then," she began softly, "since it seems both you and Ion won't be satisfied until you find an answer, shall we press on with the investigation?" Luke and Ion both lit up at the girl's words.

"So we'll figure it out together sis?" Luke asked her with a hopeful smile.

"And you don't mind me tagging along?" Ion asked the red-haired girl with a similar hopeful smile. Castelle giggled softly at their expressions, hiding her confusion about Ion's question.

"'Yes' to brother, and 'of course not' to Ion." Castelle replied happily. "Now let's get a move on." They all nodded in response, then Ion immediately walked in first, despite Tear's protests of it being too dangerous. For a quick second, Castelle's eyes caught Ion's, and she sent him a secret, questioning glance. She needed some kind of reassurance that he was faking; she wanted to see that corrosive gaze that he had showed her three years ago. All she received however, was a gentle, kind glance from the boy's soft green eyes before he turned to look ahead. Luke scoffed once again.

"This kid is hopeless," he muttered as he continued in followed by Amelia and the two monsters. Castelle lingered behind the group a bit as she brought up the rear, not knowing what to make of Ion's current actions.

'It's like…' the young red-head thought to herself confused as she entered the opening in the tree trunk, 'like he's a completely different person than before.'

AN:

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter too! I also hope the fight scene turned out alright; those scenes are one of the hardest for me to write. And what could have happened between Castelle and Ion in the past I wonder?

Anyhoo, whenever original artes are shown, I'll include a description of them in the bottom of chapter in the author's notes like this. So those are next, right after a new title!

Amelia gained the "Tenacious Tracker Title!"

-Whether up a mountain or across the sea, you'll find your mark no matter what gets in your way.

New artes:

Dark Veil: Mid-level. Dark based. Range: All party members within 5 yards of the caster. Effect: Boosts Physical attack and defense but gives all attacks a dark element to all basic attacks. Incantation: "Oh shadows become our shield and sword and grant us your unrelenting power, Dark Veil!"

Savage Tides: Mid-level. Water based. Effect: Summons 2 streams of water that collide where they strike the enemy. Incantation: "Oh intense geysers appear and drown mine enemy! Savage Tides!"

Moon's Arch: Basic attack. A circular sweeping motion starting low then lifted upward as the user spins. Fof Change: Wind

Halo Strike: Wind Based. Advanced Attack. An electrified circular sweeping motion that releases streams of lightning bolts forward, following the trail of the weapon's strike.

Well, that's all for now! Hope to see you all in the next chapther!