Ringabel didn't realize how busy Edea was until he realized it was mid-afternoon and he hadn't seen her since a quick breakfast that morning. Lilia, too, was kept busy with things he only had a limited understanding of, so he busied himself with monitoring Tiz and Agnes. The latter's color had improved since coming to Eternia, and although she still slept a lot, her waking periods saw her closer to being at one hundred percent.

During one of her naps, Ringabel began boiling water for more coffee, pausing as he heard booted feet outside the lab. "Lilia?" Alternis's voice.

"She's not here right now," Ringabel called, remembering Lilia's instructions, "but come on in."

A pause, and then the door opened, the fully armored figure stepping inside. Ringabel had never really taken a close look at his armor from the outside, so this was something new. Alternis paused, unsure of how to regard Ringabel. "It's for her eyes only."

"Well, you can wait for her if you'd like. I'll make you a cup of coffee." Ringabel checked the temperature of the water, deciding to give it just a bit longer.

"No, it's fine-"

"Please, I insist." Ringabel pulled another chair to the table he'd set up before returning to the kettle. "I wanted to talk to you, anyway."

"Why?"

"Take a guess."

Alternis stayed silent, but finally took a seat at the table. Victory. Ringabel carried two cups over to the table, taking the other chair. "Just the way you like it."

The helmeted head revealed nothing, but Ringabel could tell by his posture that he was suspicious. I guess that's how the lord marshal always knew what I was thinking, even when I found it hard to speak. Alternis flipped up the small plate at the bottom of his helmet, revealing his mouth so he could drink. "Who are you?" he asked, bringing Ringabel out of his thoughts.

"Hm… Kind of like a big brother, maybe?"

"I don't have brothers." Alternis's voice was sharp. "If you're claiming a blood relation to me, you'd better have a good explanation."

Way to start the conversation, by poking at a sore spot, Ringabel chided himself. "Sorry. That was in poor taste. Have you… talked with Edea about her journey? Or did the lord marshal explain the Holy Pillar to you?"

"It wasn't any of my business."

"… You know, you can ask them about things sometimes. They're your family; they're not going to bite your head off." Letting out a sigh, he sat back with his cup of coffee. "To keep the explanation simple, the Great Chasm and Holy Pillar both were links to other worlds. Parallel Luxendarcs, very similar to this one. I think you can see where this is going."

"You're from one of those other worlds?"

Was he being obtuse or just reluctant? "I'm not just 'from one of those worlds'. In my world, I was known as Alternis Dim, the dark knight of Eternia."

The cup hit the table with force. "That's impossible."

"Which part? The fact that there's parallel worlds to this one? Or that there are many, many versions of you and I on these other worlds, often sharing the same painful history?"

"All of it!"

Ringabel looked at Alternis, and tried to place his mind behind that mask again. When he thought of the person he used to be, the prospect of so many others like him wasn't comforting, it was frightening. A shared history didn't give understanding; it only highlighted the futility and lack of value in his struggling. This was the person he had been: serious, steadfast, but fragile, held back from the precipice by a family he barely knew how to reach out to. "They're all worlds that started out from the same seed. They're similar. But they're not the same. Even if you and I walked similar paths, yours belongs to you alone."

"What did you come here for?" The anger was gone, but the fear remained.

"Do you think I came here to replace you?" Ringabel shook his head. "There's only one person I will ever allow to call me 'Alternis' again. And he isn't anywhere in this world."

"The lord marshal." A statement, not a question. He knew.

Ringabel managed a nod. "He's the only one who always knew who I was. The one with whom I shared a history." He took in a breath. "Alternis… You're a good person."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Maybe no one's told you, because they think you already know. So I'll tell you, because I think you need to hear those words." Because at one point, I needed to hear those words. "You're a good person, Alternis. Sometimes people who don't get to know you misunderstand you, but that's okay. To the people that know you, you are irreplaceable."

Alternis didn't reply, his body language pulled down in thought. "Ringabel!" Lilia's voice came from the back. "Ringabel, have you seen the wave converter I was working on this morning? I need to replace a-" She rounded the corner, stopping short as she saw Alternis. Her expression immediately shifted, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, it's you. Braev sent something for me?"

"I brought the reports the lord marshal," he emphasized the title, "wants you to review."

"Tell Braev I'll get to it."

Ringabel put a hand to his head. "Hey, cut that out, Lilia. You're being rude to the lord marshal and Alternis both. There's no need to antagonize him."

"I don't see why I need to be nice to a faceless suit of armor."

Anger flared white-hot in his gut. He couldn't count the number of times he'd been dismissed in the same way. Ironically, it was the presence of Alternis - the only other one that would sense the darkness he'd almost let go-that allowed him to rein it in. "If his helmet really bothers you that much, why don't you just ask him politely to take it off?"

"Like he would."

"How would you know? You've never asked, I bet."

"Something that easy, he would have done it already," she huffed, folding her arms.

"It is easy," he agreed, "and for some, it's the hardest thing in the world. Not everyone has the same experience with the world that you do, Lilia. I could just as soon assume that you're being childish for not being able to overlook such a simple thing."

She pressed her lips together, unable to come up with a response for that. Behind him, Ringabel heard a 'click', and he turned as Alternis took off the helmet, his expression matching hers. "There. Are you happy now?"

She relented, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't realize you two were cousins."

"Cousins?" Ringabel echoed.

"You're not?" She furrowed her brow. "There's some family resemblance."

Ringabel looked over at Alternis, whose face was similar enough that they could have been twins, were they the same age. "I figured you'd have called us brothers."

"You're not that alike."

As fast as it had come, the rest of his anger was gone, and Ringabel laughed. "No, we're really not, I suppose."

She tilted her head, but then shrugged. Walking over to the table, she picked up the papers, then studied Alternis's face, hers barely inches away. Color rose to his face, and he averted his eyes. "...What?"

"Huh," she mused, more to herself than to him. "You have a surprisingly honest face. Well, I'll look over this," she gestured to the papers, "but I gotta go find that wave converter first. I think I saw it over by the tank valve replacements..." She went back around the corner, papers tucked under one arm.

Alternis slowly sat the helmet down on the table. His hands trembled. "...It's off."

Ringabel smiled, and reached over, placing a hand on Alternis's head. "Yeah. It is. Good job."

"I'm going to be leaving for the World Council meeting in about an hour," Edea told Ringabel and Lilia. "How is Agnes faring?"

"I'd really rather not put her in a high-stress situation, at least not for another few days." Lilia shook her head. "Being kicked by poison when you're already down isn't easy, you know. She looks fine now, but she's still clearing junk out of her system. Leave her be."

"Have you asked Agnes about it?" Ringabel directed at Edea.

"No; if I told her, she'd insist on coming no matter what. She'll probably be mad at me when she figures out I've gone. But I can hold off the Council." She let out a sigh. "I don't suppose you'd like to come with me? It might be interesting for you to see."

"I'd like to, but Airy is still meditating. I don't think you want me leaving the three of them alone." He looked up as the door to the lab opened, Alternis stepping inside.

"No, you're probably right. Okay, I'm going to go see if the Grandship has docked yet," she said, touching his arm briefly. Turning, she then saw the dark knight in the doorway. "Oh! Hi, Alternis. Did Father send you?"

He shook his head. "No, this is a message for Ringabel."

"Oh?" She turned back to him, hands on her hips. "I hope this isn't from any lady friends."

"Ah, it's from Lord DeRosso," Alternis interjected quickly.

Ringabel snorted in amusement. "By that logic, shouldn't you be worried about the fact I spend my days with two of them?"

"If you made a move on my best friend or a little girl, I'd snap your neck." She gave him a little pat on the cheek, then turned, giving Alternis's helmet a light kiss in the same place. "All right, I'm on my way. Stay out of trouble!"

Alternis watched her go, touching a hand to his helmet. "W-what on earth was that about?"

"That woman is a horrible, horrible tease." Ringabel shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into."

Lilia pointed at Alternis's helmet. "Off."

Ringabel gave her a look. "Didn't Victor ever teach you the magic words of 'please' and 'thank you'?" Well, it was Victor, so probably not.

"Off, please and thank you," she repeated in the same imperious tone.

Alternis let out a short sigh, but set the letter down on the table before pulling his helmet off. "I don't see how you can even stand to be in that thing," Lilia complained.

"It's just another piece of clothing," Ringabel replied. "Why can't you stand to be in one?"

"People are meant to have faces."

Ringabel let the subject drop, turning back to Alternis. "So what's this letter?"

Alternis shrugged slightly. "He sent it via the Grandship. It's addressed to you, so I haven't opened it."

Ringabel slid a finger under the seal, popping it open. Scanning the letter quickly, then again at a slower pace, he finally nodded. "He's going to look and see if he's got any books on the subject I requested. That's great. If anyone's got anything, it's probably him."

"I borrow books from him sometime too," Lilia added with a nod. "I hear he's got books that came out of the central vault of the old Orthodoxy, hundreds of years old. Like ones that describe the crystals and ancient monsters and even immortality. What did you ask him for, Ringabel?"

"Some books on celestials."

"Celestials?" Alternis echoed. "What are those?"

"Beings from another plane of existence. I need to find one to help my friend," Ringabel gestured toward the back.

Alternis followed the direction he pointed. "The... Norende man, right?" Ringabel nodded. "What will a being from another plane help with that?"

"It's kind of a complicated story, but if you're interested, I'll tell you later. Can I ask you a favor, Alternis, if you're not too busy?"

"Hm? What would that be?"

Lilia leaned in to listen, then whirled as she heard a crash from the back of the lab somewhere. "Locke! That's a bad kitty! BAD KITTY."

"She is a strange girl," Alternis observed.

"We're all strange here," Ringabel said, moving for the coffee maker. "Hey, Alternis... How do you feel about Edea?"

"How do I... Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"Just humor me."

Alternis crossed his arms, considering the question. "I was going to say she's kind of like a little sister. But since she came back from her journey, it's been more like I'm the younger sibling."

"She left as a child and came back an adult," Ringabel said. "It must be disconcerting to those around her."

Alternis pressed his lips together, displeased. "Edea is Edea. So what if she's grown up a bit while she was gone? That's only to be expected. No matter how she grows up, I'll always protect her."

Ringabel looked at Alternis, and smiled. "That's really good to hear."

"What else would I say?" Alternis shook his head. "So why do you want to know? What's your relationship with Edea, anyway?"

"She's the woman I love," Ringabel answered. "The only one I'll ever love."

Alternis's cheeks turned red as he stared at Ringabel in surprise. "Y-you're in love with Edea? Have you... have you told her? Are you two..."

"I've told her. And I've kissed her." Ringabel watched in amusement as Alternis's color grew redder. "That's why I asked. I was serious when I said I thought of you like a little brother, and I didn't want to hurt you."

"N-no, it's not... I mean... I had no idea." Alternis sat down, then regarded Ringabel with a more critical eye. "I'm not sure I approve of this. You haven't gotten the lord marshal's approval yet, have you?"

"No, I'm... not really sure how to approach him about it. I sort of have other priorities to worry about, too." Ringabel checked the temperature of the water. "Getting back to that favor I was going to ask... Are you going to be busy for a few days?"

"Nothing I'm doing is on a deadline. Why?"

"Would you consider going to the World Council meeting with Edea?" Ringabel asked. "In my place."

Alternis furrowed his brow. "Why don't you go?"

"I want to, but... I can't abandon my post here. Edea doesn't trust Airy, so she won't want me to leave her alone here. And I need to be here if anything happens to Agnes or Tiz. I really want nothing more than to go with her and hold her the entire time," he sighed. "She's had a hard time of things lately and I want to support her. That's all I've wanted to do since I got here, and I think it's been helping, but supporting Tiz and Agnes will help her, too. But I'd rather have "me" there with her than ask someone else."

"I think I see what you're asking," Alternis said slowly. "But she'd be able to tell us apart, wouldn't she?"

"Undoubtedly, but if you took off your armor and helmet, it might fool her for a while. We do have the same face, after all."

Alternis folded his arms. "I'm sure I could pass for you just fine, but if she asks me to... kiss her or something, my cover's blown."

He laughed. "Just tease her, she'll reply in kind and forget about making out. Or pretend you're checking out other girls."

"You would look at other women? Perhaps I've overestimated your moral character," Alternis replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Of course I wouldn't now, but before, I was quite popular with the ladies. You could be too, you know," Ringabel said, offering Alternis a cup of coffee. "Girls love the shy types, and you've got quite the handsome face."

Instead of getting flustered further, Alternis took the cup, looking into it. "I've never really thought about love."

"I figured as much. You're only twenty three, right? You have plenty of time. You can take it in little steps," Ringabel said, sitting down at the table with Alternis. "Just open the door a little at a time. Start by making some good friends that you feel comfortable around without your armor."

Alternis let out a long sigh, taking a drink of the coffee. "I'll clear this with the lord marshal to make sure I can leave for a while. The Grandship won't leave for about an hour, so I should have time to get some things settled."

Ringabel nodded. "By the way, are you going to be okay with not wearing armor around Edea?"

"I've... never shown her my face before," Alternis said. "I was already shrouded in darkness when we met for the first time, when she was just a child. But if it's for her, I can do anything."

Ringabel nodded agreement. "I know you can. For those you care about, you can overcome anything. Even a painful past. Well, I'll hold the fort down," he added in a lighter tone. "I'll also send word to the lord marshal to let me help out with your tasks, should he need me and if it's something I can do here."