Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter 8 of End of an Era! As opposed to a majority of the rest of the fic so far, this is a more action-driven chapter, beginning with the first fight between Milla and Sekundes. Originally their fight was supposed to be part of Chapter 7, but due to its length, it had to integrated into this chapter.
Anyways, I'm glad readers are in support of Jude's current personality and my decision to explore a certain side of Elize that was alluded to in Tales of Xillia but not in its sequel. Unfortunately, Teepo himself won't be appearing until a future chapter, but in this chapter, we'll get a better sense of what caused Elize to put him away "for good".
In any case, I'm sure Tales of Vesperia fans might recognize the name of this chapter. I guess it's kind of a small tribute to that game (unfortunately I have yet to actually play it as I don't have an Xbox 360; I'll probably just have to Youtube the story or something).
With that said, let's get back to the story.
Chapter 8: First Strike
"My dear colleagues, I thank you all for coming today!" the director announced as she stood at the podium. "Behind me is the prototype of all of your fruits and labor over the past month…"
The opening speech had just begun and Jude already found himself bored with the situation. If anything, he was regretting not just leaving after he had taken his anger out on Ivar. Still, where else would Jude go at a time like this? He was practically getting paid to do nothing for being here that day, but it wasn't like he needed the gald or anything. Even if this portal could open gateways to other worlds, would it really solve all of Elympios and Rieze Maxia's natural resource problems? Could this gateway even work? For that matter, did he even care at this point?
"… and so, Ladies and Gentlemen, I reveal to you the results of the Gateway to Another World Project, the Otherworldly Gate Mk. I!" the director's speech finally came to a close.
At that very instant, the enormous white sheet that had been covering the giant structure behind the director began to fall. What stood behind her was what looked like two enormous metal towers linked together by a pedestal of several flights of stairs at their bases joined by a translucent colored circle at their peaks. It certainly looked like a giant gate to the average onlooker, but to someone as informed as Jude, something about this gate wasn't right.
There was a lack of a spirit fossil's glow on any surface of the machine, the coils of the wires were more loose and lax and the metal for the machine itself was lacking a proper sheen found in all spyrite technology. This machine that stood before them, this couldn't have been what they've been building for the last month; the specifications and the technology behind it were all wrong!
"Spyrix technology!" Jude quickly realized. "Wait," he tried yelling over to the director, "Director Beryl, that's not…!"
"Let's begin," the green-haired woman stated, removing a remote control from her coat.
With a press of a button, the ground began to tremble. It was a minor rocking motion at first, but the earth beneath their feet quickly shifted into a quake. The temperature of the air itself began to rise as a loud reverberating noise shook from the ring at the top of the structure, the crowds witnessing the event beginning to feel uneasy. The sky too began to darken at that point, the space between the two towers beginning to move in a fluid-like motion. Sparks of electricity the size of lightning began to emit from the peaks of the towers, crackling every second or so at first, only to build up into a constant in a manner of seconds.
The director simply stood there as the crowds began to panic, the DOGS personnel beginning to go up and down every row, forcing the patrons to remain calm as they flourished their weapons. The air and ground had grown more violent at that point as cracks began to form between some of the rows and the air violently sweeping throughout the area. Again more of the patrons began to panic, forcing the security personnel to act once more.
"Everyone, please remain calm!" Ivar tried ordering the crowds. "Return to your seats and-!"
Before he could say another word, the former handmaid found himself suddenly being tackled by a hoard of panicking researchers. Almost instantly the DOGS already found themselves in a losing battle, even the last Descendent of Kresnik finding it impossible to quell the chaos.
"Please, remain calm!" the young recruit tried to order. "Please just-!"
In that instant, Elle found herself suddenly being shoved to the floor, the masses forcing their way to the exits in a panic. It was clear that the workers and civilians at the site could no longer be reasoned with, each person shoving one another and reacting violently, attacking the guards and each other as they struggled to leave the vicinity. The entire vicinity was in uproar of disarray, screams and violence echoing throughout. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning.
"What the?" Elle found the trim of her body beginning to glow.
A violet aura began to embody everyone at that moment, furthering the confusion already set forth. Before anyone could even contemplate on its meaning, a sudden force pulled each of them to the floor. Gravity had quickly overpowered everyone within the site, the surge ripping through their flesh and bones. Within seconds, each member of the crowd began to feel weaker, their consciousness and strength fading as a mass of darkness began to form above them, which in turn began to pull toward the gates.
"I… I can't seem to move…!" Ivar exclaimed, struggling to keep his consciousness.
"It's just like back then," one person found himself barely able to stand. "It's just like when Milla destroyed the Lance of Kresnik…"
Jude could barely hobble forward as the director ignored the crowd's desperation. Strangely, the woman was unaffected by the effects of the spyrix, the violet sphere on her leg pulsing brightly as the Otherworldly Gate Mk. I continued its work. Instead of showing any concern for her employees or the patrons at the event, Dr. Beryl's undivided attention was focusing on the supernatural spectacle that was beginning to unravel before her eyes, the area between the towers transforming into another scene.
The image of an enormous tree had formed between the two towers of the machine now, the image growing ever more clear with every passing second. Instead of panicking and attempting to flee like his co-workers, Jude pressed forward toward the base of the machine, finding the director reaching into the image projected by the machine. Surprisingly, he found her interacting with the new scenery, pulling out a flower from the image and bringing it to her nose.
"Fascinating," she simply stated. "A World Tree, I've finally found one at last…"
"Director Beryl, you've got to stop this!" Jude ordered, stopping just before the pedestal from which she stood. "People are dying! Shut down the machine, now!"
"Look at you, trying to play hero once more," the director surprisingly turned to face the young researcher. "Do you really think that matters to me? This is all in the name of science, Dr. Mathis."
"In the name of science? Science is researched to help the people, not harm them! What you're doing now isn't going to help the people of this world, it will-!"
A blunt pain suddenly began to surge behind Jude's skull, his eyes then finding themselves before two pairs of familiar boots. Slowly turning his gaze upward, the young researcher found himself gazing at a pair of men dressed in sleek metallic blue armor, yet their faces were covered with metal helmets painted in splashes of red. Rifles were equipped on both of these men, their wrists also equipped with the same glowing sphere as Dr. Beryl.
"Splintered…?!" Jude snarled, immediately recognizing the altered Exodus uniforms from the news. "Dr. Beryl, do you have any idea-?"
"I have had this idea for centuries now," Dr. Beryl scoffed. "If it means sacrificing your world so that I can save my own, then so be it!"
"Your world?" the words puzzled the young researcher. "What do you mean?"
"You really don't understand anything, do you?" the director sighed once more. "I have traversed the boundaries of the stars, worlds and time looking for a way to save my own. Twenty-five years ago in your world's timeline, I was able to come in contact with someone of your world. In our contact, I caught my first glimpse of someone who held one of the keys to save my world. This person is one you know very well, Jude Mathis. The only reason I came here was so that I could usurp her power as my own."
"Wait, you can't mean-!"
"Milla Maxwell!" Dr. Beryl screamed into the sky. "The lives of your precious spirits and these humans are at stake. How much longer must I continue these transgressions until you appear before me?"
Despite her dramatic cries, the sky remained silent. The winds continued to slash violently and the unseen force was still attempting to rip out the bones from each of the site's workers. More Splintered soldiers suddenly began to appear now, coming out of the various towers in the facility and out of compartments of other EX Laboratory equipment. The Splintered men continued to line up the workers and civilians, forcing them all into a single area as their bodies remained paralyzed from the effects of the Otherworldly Gate Mk I.
From the corner of his eye, Jude saw some of his old friends being gathered one by one by each of these men. He saw Elize being dragged by her hair into a crowd of cowering children, he saw Rowen being thrown with a lot of several elderly civilians, he saw Alvin being imprisoned with a group of his fellow co-workers, and he saw Ivar and Elle being dragged off by Splintered personnel.
"Damn you!" Jude cried at his employer.
Yet when it was all said and done, the director believed using spyrix technology of this magnitude would summon the Lord of Spirits. However much to her dismay, she was nowhere to be found. A scowl soon fell upon Dr. Beryl's face, her open hands now clenching into fists.
"So you would forsake these lives just so you would remain unseen?!" the director screamed, her voice becoming a little unhinged. "Perhaps the proper sacrifice hasn't been made yet…"
With the snap of her fingers, the two Splintered soldiers before Jude cocked their rifles. Despite being weakened, the young researcher tried to strike at the two with his fists, only to be struck to the floor once again.
"Don't take this personal," the director bluntly said as she crossed her arms. "I have a mission to fulfill. Nothing more, nothing less."
Despite his efforts to move his body, Jude found his limbs unable to respond to his commands. The Otherworldly Gate Mk I as diminishing what seemed like the last of strength now, even his vision was beginning to blur and the touch of her soldiers' guns having gone numb. Darkness began to cast over his vision now, the cries of his co-workers growing deafer by the second. His eyelids were growing every more heavy, his breath becoming even lighter. He knew at that point that he was going to die.
Still, why did it all matter to Jude anyway, why would he matter to her for that matter? She left him after all, she chose her role as the Lord of Spirits over their future. For that, he dared not even utter her name, he dared not even think it. Yet, somewhere in his heart, her name was but a whisper…
Before Dr. Beryl knew it, an explosion suddenly erupted from the right tower. In that very instant, a surge of strength suddenly returned to each of the patrons in the site, Jude himself already beginning to recover.
Another explosion soon burst after, this time caused by an enormous spiked boulder that slammed into the center of the left structure. The image of the tree that was cast in the sky had disappeared instantly in that moment, a look of delight surprisingly beaming from the director's face as she observed the spectacle before her.
"She's here…," a devilish grin stretched across her face.
A loud screeching noise then began screaming thorough the clouds at that moment, a hole suddenly piercing through with what looked like a person diving from the center. Jude couldn't help but stand in shock as soon as he made out the person who was not plummeting toward them, watching her black blade slice through the wind, cutting into the two men that had kept him hostage.
More explosions followed soon after, Jude's attention turning to other parts of the facility finding the Four Great Spirits aiding in the Lord of Spirits' assault. Once again he bore witness to the onslaught of the elements, watching as fire, water, wind and earth tore through the Splintered, but at the same time, their aid causing more disarray within the ranks of the patrons and civilians. The Splintered would only take advantage of this chaos, firing upon anyone who dared run or resist, the Four doing their best to shield the innocent while righting the guilty. Yet amidst the chaos, the Lord of Spirits herself appeared in front of the young researcher, standing at his side with her sword in hand.
It was as if his heart's whisper was enough to summon the Lord of Spirits. Her wavy blond hair was just as tangled as ever, a single strand of green curving outward from the rest. Her pink eyes were filled with the same conviction that always came forth, even in the most downtrodden times. Her white, ribbon-like clothing was as pure as the snow itself and free of any loose threads. Her face was as stern as ever, devoid of any emotion from where she stood, her eyes glaring at the foe that stood before her. Swinging her blade to her side, the edge whistled sharply, the weapon then pointing forward as her conviction boomed from her angelic voice.
"Harmer of spirits and humans alike, I demand you cease your actions!" Milla ordered with absolute resolve.
"So you're Milla Maxwell," Dr. Beryl smirked, eyeing every inch of the Lord of Spirits. "You're not exactly what I was expecting. I was thinking someone a little more regal, defined maybe."
"You know my name, but I don't know yours," Milla continued, shifting her weapon's position so that she could place both hands on its hilt. "Identify yourself!"
"I suppose introductions are in order. Very well then. In this world I am known as Dr. Amelia Beryl; however, from my world, my given name was-"
"EMERAUDE!" a young voice suddenly screamed.
At that moment, a streak of purple suddenly flew from the air, slicing through the atmosphere before slamming toward the director. Again a cloud of smoke erupted around the vicinity, the dust lifting within seconds to reveal the director completely unharmed. Standing between Milla and the director however was another girl who wore her purple hair in pigtails and clothing similar in color, with a cloth-covered sword on her back.
"It's been a long time, Protos Heis," Dr. Beryl greeted the mysterious girl.
"That's not my name anymore!" the young girl spat, readying her stance again. "My name is Sophie Lhant, I won't go by anything else!"
"Please stand down," the Lord of Spirits ordered the young girl, "this woman is dangerous."
"But-!"
"Emeraude, right?" Milla addressed the green-haired woman once again. "I think you know that the time for words has passed. It's time to pay for your crimes!"
Without wasting time, the Lord of Spirits quickly sprung forward, the distance between herself and her opponent closed within the blink of an eye. As she swung her blade from her side, Milla couldn't help but notice something peculiar. She felt her body growing heavy, the air around her growing cold, and a strange feeling overcoming her.
In that moment, she felt as if time itself had slowed down considerably as everyone else around her retained the same facial expression from when she began her attack. From the corner of her eye, she saw a streak of red pass her eye, moving from corner-to-corner, angle-to-angle, as if teasing her of its presence. The Lord of Spirits couldn't help but try to watch this strange streak, turning her head in its every direction, but never once catching a good glimpse of it. Finally however, the red disappeared, taken over by a pair of pink pupils that widened before her vision.
"Hmph," the owner of the eyes smirked.
Time seemed to resume to its normal pace at that moment, the Lord of Spirits now apparently staring at a man that was upside down, falling head first to the floor. Despite the apparently suicidal jump, her opponent reached for the sword on his belt, drawing it almost instantaneously.
Clang! The Lord of Spirits was barely able to parry her enemy's strike, but somehow the man had managed to turn his body within the last second, allowing him to land perfectly on his feet to the floor. Yet he would not even take a half second to rest, his body immediately rushing forward, his sword once again leading his charge. Immediately Milla found herself on the defense again, swinging her blade to the left and then the right to counter each of his subsequent swings.
With the third blow however the Lord of Spirits opted to jump upward after her enemy's swing, readying her sword above her head to counter his last strike with an overhead slash. Yet her blow never came however, time once again seeming to slow down in Milla's eyes. Even her descent had become almost like a hover, her body practically frozen despite how quickly she willed her muscles to move. Strangely, her foe seemed unaffected by this phenomena, a sharp smirk falling on his face as he wrapped both hands on the hilt of his blue-bladed sword. Unable to block, her opponent swung his weapon forward with all of his might, slicing forward at an unnatural, yet godly speed.
Strangely however, the man stopped his blade just before it could strike Milla's flesh, having halting it just a centimeter to the side of her hip. In that moment, time seemed to return to normal once more, the Lord of Spirits now landing on the floor and the world around her in motion once again.
"So we finally meet, Milla Maxwell," the mysterious man finally greeted the Lord of Spirits.
"…do I know you?" Milla questioned.
To say that something about this man was strange would be an understatement. This person triggered something in Milla, a flash of emotions that had caught her completely off guard. Anger, hatred, disgust, and at the same time, sadness, uncertainty, and regret. This person that stood before her was as much of a stranger as the last person she had never met, but at the same time, she felt very familiar with the man, as if she had known everything about him…
Upon closer inspection, a hint of awe and even shock began to fill Milla's core. This mysterious man had long, wavy blond hair, which was strangely as disheveled as the Lord of Spirits. Moreover, this man's 'crowning glory' even had a single, long strand of hair that was colored differently than the rest, but unlike Milla's, it was colored red. His clothing was also similar to Milla's old white robes, though black and yellow in color, a pair of long pants instead of a skirt, and a two-tailed cape to match. The man wore long boots that stopped just above his knee, with similar gloves that ran above his elbow. On his belt were two scabbards, one empty, and the other to house the blue blade in his hand.
The two of them were the same, yet completely opposite of one another. It was then that Milla deduced this man's identity, remembering the message relayed to her by Origin and Chronos.
"…do you truly not know who I am?" the man questioned the Lord of Spirits.
"Clothing as dark as night…," Milla began to recall the description of the old tales. "…embroidery rivaling the luster of gold, a strand of blood sailing with the wind and the ability to manipulate time as if he were one with Chronos himself… The Demon King who has brought about the end of eras past… You are none other than Sekundes, Lord of Time and Space!"
"…so that's all I am to you now?" her words surprisingly only annoyed the man even more. "…I suppose expecting you to know was too much… After all, it was impossible for us to truly meet in the past…"
With the two deep in conversation, Sophie decided it was now an opportune moment to strike. Without wasting another second, her legs forced her forward once more, her body leaping forward as her fist led her charge, her attack aimed straight for the green-haired woman.
One strike, in one strike this could finally all be over, and then...
"Critical Blade!"
The attack was swift, more agile than a flash, the force behind her punch strong enough to pierce through the earth itself. Yet the blow failed to meet its target, her hand instead striking what felt like thick and hardened metal. Sophie's eyes could only widen in disbelief as her a new target suddenly appeared before her fist, this new target now standing before her and Emeraude. It wasn't the shock of her missing her target that paralyzed Sophie, it was the very thing that halted her attack. The purple-reddish hair, the blue eyes, the white coat, though it was much shorter and wider in stature than the original, just its very sight struck a chord within Sophie.
"This is…!"
"Mecha Asbel Mk. I, ready for deployment!" the war machine shaped in 'his' likeness said.
"Destroy them," Emeraude simply ordered.
"Bring the hostages in here!" one of the Splintered's muffled voices ordered, forcing each a group of civilians into a storage facility. "If any of you try anything funny, we will shoot so don't even think about playing hero on us!"
Rowen could only hold his tongue as he was huddled with the masses of people he was with. Despite the efforts of the Four and the few DOGS agents that remained, he knew that any of his attempts to save the civilians would be futile at this point. Regardless, he believed that a more opportune moment would arrive as soon as they gathered their hostages into a single area, leaving less guards to deal with.
Just as he predicted, the soldiers had led them into the center of the warehouse, gathering the civilians in evenly spaced rows, forming a square of sorts. Much to his chagrin however, the former conductor and his protégé were placed in the edge of these rows, near the back, close to where a guard was stationed. From what he observed from the corner of his eye, he spotted one guard in each corner, one guard in the center of each line of the square, and two guards patrolling through the rows themselves. It was tricky predicament, but not the most difficult to get out of in his experience.
Yet something was strange. Though he knew he could cast a bind arte through his dagger, it seemed as if he had suddenly forgotten how. It couldn't have been his old age that made him forget such a tactic he had used many times in the past, but he felt a little weaker as well, a little more frail…
It was then that he noticed his Allium Orb was acting strangely. Rowen had never seen its luster so dull before, as if its color was literally being drained. Even after the Schism was lifted and Lilium Orbs had become overloaded with mana, it had never did this, much less move as if it were a GHS on vibrate mode. This troubled Rowen greatly, but the former conductor could not give it much though as his protégé brought up a more important fact.
"Rowen, have you seen Sophie?" Elize questioned the elder man in almost a panic. "I can't find her anywhere!"
"I'm afraid that when the Splintered arrived, I saw her run straight into the chaos," the former butler regretfully answered. "However, I do believe that she is a capable young lady and she may be still out there trying to quell the fighting."
"I suppose, but the fact of the matter is that Sophie is still a-!"
"You, there, what are you doing?!"
The two quickly ceased their conversation in that moment, fearing that the enemy was ready to shoot them just as they did with those that dared escape seconds ago. Much to their surprise however, the soldiers had turned their attention to a young woman within the crowd.
"I…I'm sorry," the young lady apologized, having apparently fallen face first to the floor from where she sat. "I just dropped my doll, that's all…"
It was certainly strange seeing an individual of this age carrying around a plush toy, this woman appearing as if she were the same age as Elize. It wasn't just the fact that she was carrying a child's doll that was strange, it was her manner of dress too.
Despite the cold weather, she was wearing a black and white corset, the bust area being entirely black while the rest of the outfit has striped in black and white. She wore long sleeved gloves on her arms that were similarly striped, with the palm on her right hand being entirely black and the one on her left entirely white. Strangely, she even wore rather large, but thin bracelets made of metal on her wrists, its material thin enough to act as a blade.
The frilled skirt she wore was also mostly black, but with white frills and thick stitching on the side. Her legs also wore long, black and white striped socks, her shoes also mismatched in color similar to her gloves, but with her right shoe being white and her left shoe being black.
On her head was a small, rounded top hat that was worn in a slight angle. Strangely, her entire outfit blended with her crimson red hair and azure eyes. Her skin was strangely whiter than her clothes, almost pale like snow. Her body was slightly slender, but her bustline and hips accented enough to garner the attention of any man's eye with her current wardrobe.
As she looked at this woman, Elize felt a slight tinge in her heart. She felt her breath growing short, her body growing warm, and her nerves slightly fidgeting. Just looking at this woman who was of similar age had awakened something in Elize; the young teacher couldn't quite put her finger on this, but looking at this girl felt…familiar in a way, and at the same time…
But then Elize saw it, she saw a familiar item being plucked from the floor from where the woman lay. It was plush doll, a makeshift one in the form of an angel sewn together from clothing scraps and buttons. The toy was certainly not in the best condition, appearing as if it had been dragged across the entire known world and back with its cotton insides hanging from different parts of the doll. As she recognized this doll, Elize felt the world grow cold around her, the atmosphere becoming dank and heavy as it did so long ago. She heard the intangible voices again, she saw the silhouettes of shadows observing her from the other side of a glass wall, but most of all, she saw the pair of azure eyes staring into her soul once more.
"Wait, that's-!" Elize suddenly remembered.
Before she could say a word, a man in the crowd suddenly jumped from his seat, tackling the Splintered soldier next to him. In an instant he managed to shove the enemy to the floor, taking the rifle in the soldier's possession. As soon as he cocked the gun, Elize immediately recognized the man from the train earlier, having been the man who was now married to her old friend, Sherry.
"Everyone, come on! Let's-!"
Yet the man wouldn't even get the chance to finish speaking, a stream of light suddenly flashing through the warehouse. Though the source of the light was unknown, for Elize it triggered another memory, the bright illumination that was her only ray of hope within the lab. She knew the source the very moment she saw it, she knew what was the cause of it, but she could not know or anticipate was what happened next.
The doll in the young woman's possession seemed to come to life now, having hurled the light as if it were some sort of javelin through Sherry's husband, tearing through his abdomen as if it were some sort of bullet, cauterizing the gaping hole in his body in the same blast. As if she were responding to her beck and call, the angel-like doll then hovered onto its owner's shoulder, the young woman now being assisted to her feet by the Splintered soldiers that were hounding her a moment ago.
"Bradley!" Elize's acquaintance screamed from within the masses.
"Didn't I tell you that this would happen?" the young lady bragged to the men who were obviously her allies. "You always have to have someone on the inside otherwise they'll try to do something stupid."
"That's Zoe for you!" the doll surprisingly spoke, similar to another plush toy Elize and Rowen were familiar with. "She's as smart as they-!"
"Zip it, Claritha!" the Splintered magician ordered, zipping the mouth of her doll shut with a single tug of its zipper.
"Is that a booster?" Rowen observed the doll. "Elize, is it possible that-?"
"…Zoe…," the young teacher looked as if she saw a ghost. "Zoe!"
Excitement and shock had overtaken Elize in that very moment, her legs forcing her to stand up amongst the hostages. Again the Splintered soldiers readied their weapons, this time aiming it at Elize. Yet the young magician refused to back down despite the opposition, the young woman in their group ordering them to stand down with the raise of her hand. Reluctantly obeying, the young woman began to approach Elize now, her shoes clacking loudly within the uneasy silence as she and her doll came forward.
"What's this, another person who wants to play hero?" the Splintered magician questioned. "Wait…"
Those forest green eyes, that moss-colored hair, something about them began to stir something within Zoe. It had been a long time since she recalled those days long past, the cold, sleepless nights and the agony she endured every day. Her old scars began to ache as she looked into those eyes, her screams from back then tickling the back of throat as if it were raw. Yet amidst the forgotten agony, she remembered the voices once again, the words that were repeated over and over again.
"Dolls don't feel anything!" she remembered. "Dolls are nothing more than toys!"
An inhuman chuckle soon escaped the young woman's lips, the chuckle soon turning into a fit of laughter as the doll's voice continued to echo in her ear. Dolls, Zoe could only find a sick amusement in the word, her bellowing cries unnerving even the Splintered soldiers themselves. The inhuman laughter only puzzled Elize, unsure what to make of the young woman's reaction. Yet her voice would only suddenly grow silent, her body limping forward as if she were a rag doll herself.
"…Zoe…?" Elize weakly called her name.
"…it's you…," her head slightly bobbed, fire practically burning from her glaring eyes. "You! The doll who wouldn't speak! ELIZE!"
Before the young teacher could react, she found herself suddenly being pushed to the floor and her throat being constricted by a pair of hands. Once more she found herself staring into the icy eyes of that girl from the lab, this time her eyes wide and unblinking, as if she were taking delight in Elize's pain.
"Z…Zoe…?" Elize tried to call her name once again.
"What's the matter, got nothing to say without that horned friend of yours?!" the Splintered magician's eyes widened as she tightened her grip on Elize's throat. "Ha ha! Come on, speak up! I can't hear you!"
"Zoe, what are doing?" one of the Splintered grabbed the young woman by the shoulder. "We need you to keep your head in the game. This isn't the time for-"
Without even saying a word, Zoe then turned her attention to the soldier, swatting her arm outward, with the bracelet on her wrist slitting the man's throat in the process. As the soldier's body plummeted to the floor, his body began to envelop into a purple aura, the energy then quickly traveling into the violet-colored orb fused into the base of Zoe's neck. Before the rest of the soldiers could react, the magician then turned her attention to each of them, throwing the same bracelet outward. The jewelry spiraled swiftly, cutting through the air faster than bullets, but as effective as the sharpest of swords, slicing through even their armor before finding its place back on her wrist after slicing through the last soldier.
Again the Splintered magician found herself amused by death, gleefully smiling and giggling with each body she disposed of. Elize's eyes could only widen at the spectacle before her. This misplaced joy, this pleasure in agony, this is not what she expected from someone who had shared the same past with her those many years ago… And yet, here was Zoe…
"Ha ha!" Zoe laughed. "Come on, what do you have to say to yourself? Are you just going to lie there and die? Do you not even have any last words to speak?"
Again the young woman fell into a fit of laughter, the young teacher's consciousness fading even further as the trachea of her throat were crushed further inward. Everything was growing light once again, the air within her now as hot as boiling water. It felt as if Elize's insides were cooking within her own self, the fires intensifying with every lack of breath. Despite this, she began to remember again, remember the unspoken words she kept to herself and the emotions she was unable to convey.
"Zoe…, I…"
"Elize!"
It was Rowen's voice that brought the young teacher back to the world of the living, the feeling of Zoe's fingers suddenly loosening from her throat. As her vision began to recover, she then found a piece of metal now embedded in the Splintered magician's wrist. It was a small dagger, one of Rowen's in fact.
"Argh!" Zoe's hand quickly withdrew, freeing Elize from her grasp.
"Come, we must hurry!" the former conductor ordered, guiding everyone out of the warehouse. "Stay hidden within the cargo outside until help arrives. Do not make any unnecessary risks! Elize, we too must be away!"
Yet Elize could only watch as Zoe cried in her anguish, the magician surprisingly rolling on the floor gripping the knife in her wrist as if she were a child that had fallen over. Zoe's cries echoed amidst the chaos outside, the shrill sound of her voice almost loud enough to shatter the glass of the warehouse. The blood of her wound barely dripped on the floor, if anything the dagger had just barely pierced into her skin, having fallen out within seconds. And yet here was Zoe, still writhing in pain, cursing into the heavens at the top of her voice.
"It hurts!" she cried. "It hurts!"
"Zoe…," Elize could only watch the magician continue to cry.
Again the shy girl from her past came to the forefront, the young teacher unable to find any words or gestures to try and console the other girl.
And then there was her former friend, crying over the corpse of her recently killed husband. Elize couldn't help but blame herself for what happened; if she had Teepo with her, then none of this would have had to… No, Teepo was the reason why Sherry and Elize were no longer speaking, it was his fault why Elize was exiled from Hamil again, it was his…
"Sherry, I…!"
"Just get out of here…," her former friend said. "I never want to see you again!"
Elize's heart sank as it did five years ago. These were the same words that Sherry had spoke to her back then. No, maybe it was worse back then… The graffiti found on her walls and desk, the grimacing stares of villagers and students, the hateful words that were said for the whole world to hear, the memory of all of it still hurt as much as it did back then. 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me' was the chant she taught to all of her students, and yet, here were Sherry's words, tearing asunder Elize's soul once more...
"Elize!" Rowen's voice snapped her back to the present once again.
"I…I'm sorry!" was all she could say before vanishing into the chaos outside.
It had been eleven years since the war between Auj Oule and Rashugal came to an end, eleven years since Gaius had been in an all-out war. Though the stakes back then weren't as great as those as the battle ten years ago in the Land of Canaan, one was constantly reminded of the frailty of life every second on the battlefield. Despite many tales and myths, there was never any glory in war, only death and despair. Gaius had hoped that his efforts would mean the common people would never have to subjected to monstrosities again, but much to his dismay, it seemed as if his efforts were for not.
"This way!" the monarch signaled.
It wasn't like the Rieze Maxian king to be caught off guard, blaming himself for becoming too complacent in these times of peace. Of all days he could potentially forget his sword, it had to be this one. Still, the long iron pipe that he was able to procure was better than nothing, even if it was a bit unwieldy. No, maybe had had just gotten used to using an Allium Orb; just looking at a moment ago, Gaius knew that it was reacting strangely, a little different than how it did when the schism was released, almost as if it were being drained somehow. From what Gaius could tell, it seemed to start acting up the moment Milla and the Four appeared…
"Had I known this would've have happened, I would have at least brought my favorite rifle," the king's fiancé huffed. "Really, I fear the barrel may be rusting since I haven't fired it in-"
"Sh! That's enough, Julia!" the noblewoman's father ordered, the old man's furrowing his mustache as he spoke. "Our family has always prided itself upon martial skills before the invention of firearms. If we were fight the enemy, then we must do so head on."
"Father, that's just barbaric in this day and age! Not only would it be smart to attack from a distance, but…"
Once again Gaius tuned out his fiance's babbling, his back flat against the wall as he peeked from the corner from where they stood while ignoring her arguing. From the corner of his eye, he saw two more Splintered soldiers, each of them armed with wrist-mounted machine guns. Beneath them was a gruesome site, one he didn't want his fiancé or her father to witness despite their bravado. Several DOGS personnel were on the floor, already dead or drowning in pools of their own blood. It was clear that these Splintered soldiers were not taking captives like the rest and there would be no reason for giving these men quarter.
Gaius believed that he could easily jump from the corner and strike each of them down before they were noticed, but before he could take action, he noticed another group of soldiers walking toward them, these soldiers having with them two more DOGS personnel, individuals that caused Gaius's heart to sink for a moment.
"We found two more, ma'am," one of the Splintered soldiers said as they threw the two to the floor.
"Elle!" Gaius immediately recognized his old friend. "Ivar!"
Instinct ordered the king to rush in immediately and take care of each of the Splintered soldiers, but logic forbade him to do so. If he were to do something rash, he knew that the soldiers wouldn't hesitate to shoot both of them the moment he made himself known. No, they might instead focus their attention on Gaius, allowing Elle and Ivar to escape, neither of them were bound by any restraints after all. However, in that scenario, Gaius knew he would more than likely be killed and he could not have the people be without their king.
The monarch could only grit his teeth as he considered other possible strategies, but he soon found himself relaxing as he noticed the young recruit's eyes wandering. Elle had always been very observant, even as a child, pointing out their enemies' weaknesses in mid-battle, turning the tide in their favor on many occasions. Much to Gaius's relief, she had not lost this ability with time.
Whether it was for better or worse, Elle scouted the weaponry of her fallen comrades. About five feet to her right was a pistol much like her own. There was no smoke emitted from the barrel and the clip looked like it was fastened securely, meaning that the weapon was most likely not fired at all during the recent attack. Between the two soldiers and to the left of the pistol, she could see two short swords, short enough to be wielded in each hand without a sacrifice in speed. Lastly, she saw a sledgehammer at the enemies' feet. Upon recognizing all three of these weapons, memories of the Prime Dimension version of her father came to mind, remembering the mystic arte he had performed many times before.
"There's no use keeping them alive," the head soldier cocked the guns on her wrist. "Waste them already!"
That was Elle's cue to strike now, but before she could even move, a loud cry suddenly came from the corner. Turning her attention to the source, Elle and Ivar found an older man rushing toward them, armed with only an iron pipe in his hands.
"For glory!" the elder citizen cried as he ran.
"You fool, what are you doing?!" Gaius's voice then rang from the corner.
In that same second, the soldiers quickly began to open fire on the man, the hail of lead quickly eating through his body despite his will to continue forward. Within seconds, the man's entire body was riddled with bullets, his body strangely still standing despite the amount of holes that were now pierced through him.
Though it was not the way she wanted it, Elle's leg found itself sweeping at the enemies in front of her, causing the two of them to fall to the floor. As soon as they struck the ground, the young recruit found herself running toward the pistol she saw first, the remaining two enemies now aiming their rifles at her. Before they could fire however, the young girl's superior officer striking the barrels of their weapons, diverting them away as Elle found herself taking hold of the pistol on the floor as her other hand drew the one in her holster.
"Now!" Elle cried, tossing each of the guns into the air.
At first glance the enemy was puzzled by the young recruit's actions, seemingly giving up her weapons the moment she drew them. However, the quickly realized that she had been planning something different, finding her now taking hold of the twin blades she had spotted from the ground. The moment the Splintered soldiers realized what was going on, they found the young DOGS agent now charging at them, slicing through the first two that she had tripped earlier.
The young agent had slashed through half of their men at this point, the remaining enemies having trouble catching up with her accelerated speed. Within seconds there were only the two soldiers that originally captured her and Ivar, the two of them scrambling to reload their guns as the young recruit rushed toward them now. Surprisingly however, she dropped both of her newly acquired blades after she was within ten steps of them, only to retrieve the sledgehammer that was at their feet. With a single swing she knocked the two men into the air, only to drop that blunt device soon after, her hands now catching the two pistols she originally sent airborne a moment ago.
In that same second she began firing at the two, with each gun aimed at a different soldier. Surprisingly the young recruit's aim was accurate despite using only a single hand with each gun, the young girl targeting joints and specific nerves with each bullet. With each shot, the stream of mana became more apparent, culminating in an arc of fire as the young recruit crossed her wrists and fired her final shot.
"Ritual of Destruction!" Elle chanted her arte's name.
Within a few seconds, the opposition was already destroyed. Elle couldn't help but observe her work, noting her improvement over the last month. It wasn't quite up to Ludger's level yet, but it was enough to save her and Ivar's life for the time being…
Wait, save a life? It was at that moment that Elle remembered the elder man who unwillingly sacrificed his life to save theirs. Turning back to the body of the elder man, Elle then saw Gaius and a woman she had never seen before leaning over the old man's body. The woman was holding onto the body, her face sobbing next to his face as she continued to cry "Father!" over and over again. Again she felt a sharp tinge in her chest as she witnessed this scene, remembering the sacrifices of Milla and Ludger from ten years ago. However, knowing that she was now an agent of Spirus's DOGS, she tried to push back her emotions as best as she could, approaching the two civilians with a concerned, but professional demeanor.
"Hey, is everyone all right?" she questioned.
"Come on, pull yourself together!" Ivar tried to follow up.
"My father!" the noblewoman cried. "He-!"
"I'm so sorry, Lady Leonhart," Gaius apologized. "If I had kept closer attention to him, then…"
Again there was a loss for words. It was never easy for Gaius to ever console those that had lost loved ones who fought under his banner, and to console the woman who was to be his bride was not any easier.
Before any more words could be exchanged however, the sound of a rifle clicking caught their attention once more. Looking up the four found themselves once again in the face of Splintered soldiers. This time there were at least fourteen of them, each lined up together in a uniform fashion. At this range it would be impossible to dodge their gunfire and there were certainly more than enough soldiers to gun down each of them if they tried running in separate directions. The odds were certainly stacked against them, but there was still that slim chance that one of them could survive. Despite those odds, Elle, Ivar and Gaius took up their arms once again, ready to charge to what may be their deaths.
Yet they didn't need to charge for long, the three of them stopping the moment a black sphere suddenly appeared in the center of each of the Splintered soldiers. Within a second, the circle expanded large enough to encapsulate each of the soldiers, trapping them within. Each of them tried to shoot or bang their way of this strange prison, their actions only causing the sphere to shrink in size.
The three comrades instantly recognized this technique, turning to the sky to find a familiar Great Spirit hovering above, with her arm pointed forward and her fingers outstretched to the heavens. With a monotone expression in her face, she closed her hand into a fist, the sphere containing the enemy suddenly pulling itself inward and disappearing as the soldiers' screams reached their peak. With her friends now safe, Muzét began to lower herself toward the floor, her lips stretching slightly as she closed her eyes and waved at the three.
"Hello there," she giggled, acting nonchalant despite the actions she had just committed.
"Oh great, it's the weird lady again…," Elle groaned.
"Lady Muzét, if you're here, then does that mean-?" Ivar tried to question.
"Milla is still in the central plaza," Muzét interrupted. "She needs your help!"
"But what of the remaining civilians?" Gaius questioned, looking back at his still sobbing fiancé for a moment as he did so.
"The Four and I are focusing our efforts to evacuate them," the Great Spirit replied. "But for now, Milla could use your help. Go to her!"
"I'm sorry, Lady Leonhart," Gaius knelt to his fiancé once again. "But I must stop whoever is responsible for all of this."
"Father…," the noblewoman continued to cry over her parent's corpse.
"Muzét, please take care of her," the monarch requested to the Great Spirit. "She is…my fiancé."
Muzét felt a jolt surge through each of her nerves in that moment. It was a feeling she wasn't familiar with, but whatever was the cause made her feel uneasy. She suddenly felt contempt for the sobbing woman, how she felt like crushing her as she did those soldiers moments ago. Yet another part of her told her that she should abide by Gaius's wishes, that she was also one of the civilians Milla ordered to have evacuated. Despite her new found tenacity toward this 'Lady Leonhart', Muzét opted to keep a straight face, neither smiling nor grimacing, and nodded.
"…I will…," she simply replied.
"Thank you," Gaius said as he, Elle and Ivar made their way to the central plaza.
"So you're Gaius's fiancé," the Great Spirit turned to the sobbing woman. "Why is it that I have a sudden urge to send you to oblivion?"
"Excuse me, did you just say something?" her last words quickly caught Julia's attention.
"No, nothing, nothing at all," the Great Spirit forced a smile once again.
Blam, blam, blam. Another three shots fired, another three down. Though he managed to hit all three enemies, his aim seemed a bit off. Alvin cursed at how rusty he had become over the last ten years, he didn't even bother to go a shooting range any more after work like how he used. No, it wasn't just that the lack of training that caused the former mercenary's aim to falter, there was something wrong with his Allium Orb. It happened shortly after that Otherworldly Gate thing was activated, a little bit after the Lord of Spirits made her dramatic entrance.
"Everyone, make a run for it, now!" the businessman ordered the group of researchers he was with.
Even though he had been tasked with bodyguard type of jobs in the past, protecting what seemed like fifty people at once was completely different. Unfortunately it was only a mere fraction of the civilians or researchers that were otherwise taken hostage or gunned down, but at the very least it was better than saving no one at all.
"Damn it…," Alvin seethed, still attempting to scout the area for one particular person.
His brief conversation with Leia was still fresh in the former mercenary's mind. Even if things were going to be awkward between them again after this, Alvin still felt in his heart that he had to see to her safety, he had to know that she was all right.
"Look out!" the sound of Jude's voice turned his attention back to the central plaza just a few feet away.
In that very instant, more metal began to protrude from the arms of the mechanical humanoid Jude, Milla and the mysterious purple-haired girl were fighting. With its target in its sights, the robot's protrusions then aimed themselves at the purple-haired girl, the guns mounted on its limbs opening fire in a split second. Before she could react, Sophie suddenly found herself being carried by the man that warned her, the two of them leaping to the side and behind a nearby crate. Bullets soon followed after, the iron spheres rapidly and repeatedly striking their cover while they hid.
"Stop this now, Emeraude!" Milla ordered the green-haired woman once more as she continued to evade the mechanical devices projectiles.
"Have you forgotten about little old me, Milla Maxwell?" her last opponent's voice suddenly whispered in her ear.
Again the Lord of Spirits was caught off guard, the Lord of Time and Space having suddenly disappearing and reappearing behind her in the blink of an eye. It wasn't like the last time however, this time even Milla herself could not feel the effects of time slowing or stopping. Not wanting to take any risks, the Lord of Spirits quickly spun around, her left arm swinging outward as a blast of sharp air emitted from her hand.
"Wind Lance!" she cried.
Instead of attempting to avoid the arte, Sekundes simply batted the green wave away with his blade. The young researcher then jumped in, rushing at the Demon King with a flurry of punches and kicks. Effortlessly however, the man evaded each of Jude's strikes, simply turning and twisting his body to the side with every attempted blow. Left, right, back and front, it was as if the Demon King was merely dancing around each strike.
"Demon Fist!" the young researcher cried with his final attack.
The Lord of Space and Time flipped backward to avoid the researcher's upper cut, the projectile that followed merely skidding across the ground. However, Sekundes' eyes quickly widened as he saw Milla's form once more, the Lord of Spirits already within striking range. With the Demon King in mid-flip and his sword too far from striking range of Milla's, there would be no doubt that the next strike would end this fight.
"This ends now!" Milla cried.
Yet in a surprising turn of events, the Demon King opted not to use his powers, his lips baring another grin as the Lord of Spirits followed up with strike. Within the next split second however, Milla then saw the source of his grin, finding the reflection of an oncoming hail of bullets in her enemy's eye. Knowing she had no time to react, the Lord of Spirits could only close her eyes, only to suddenly find her body being forcefully shifted away as an arm wrapped around her abdomen.
"Are you okay?" the purple-haired girl from earlier asked as she leapt with both the Lord of Spirits and the young researcher in her arms.
Once again the mysterious girl brought them behind cover, this time using a nearby corner of the Otherworldly Gate Mk I's destroyed left tower. Prioritizing the Lord of Spirits and the researcher before herself, she pushed the two flat against the wall as the hail of bullets continued to raze their cover, the steel projectiles almost blasting through her in the process. For moment it looked like the enormous tower was enough to shield each of them from the hailing onslaught, but upon closer inspection, the former mercenary noticed the robot's constant firing was slowly eating away at their momentary shield. Within seconds, the bullets were already punching through the metal sheeting of the tower, one of the bullets even grazing the purple-haired girl's cheek.
"Damn it, they won't last much longer against that thing!" Alvin cursed under his breath as he watched his friends.
The former mercenary wasn't exactly the tactician type, but he knew that if he didn't something soon, his friends would pretty much end up like swiss cheese. With every second that passed, that was another piece of cover that was blown away. Knowing there was nothing else he could possibly do, the former mercenary began to charge forward, gun in one hand and sword in the other.
Yet as soon as he took a single step, he saw a yellow blur suddenly whiz from the side of his eye. At first Alvin believed it may have been another one of Sekundes' tricks, anticipating the Demon King to suddenly appear before him in that instant or possibly be cut in a manner he didn't notice. However, these theories were quickly washed away, the blur instead rushing straight for the deformed, mechanical weapon that was attacking his friends.
Clang, clang, clang! Several blunt impacts struck the robot's body in various body's in quick succession, much to the relief and shock of Alvin and his companions. Emeraude too was caught by surprise by this sudden attack, her body paralyzed in shock at the mechanical invention was being pummeled into scrap within seconds. However, the source of this sudden attack was soon revealed, the voice of a familiar, normally quirky, voice following.
"Here comes Leia!" the body of the chief editor formed with the stopping of the blur. "Spin like a tornado…" she spun her metallic staff at a superhuman-like speed before leaping into the air, "…like a shooting star! Soulstoke Celebration!" she cried as she lunged into her metal foe with one end of her polearm.
A giant shockwave erupted upon impact, covering the entire vicinity in a cloud of dust. The sudden attack was enough to even halt Milla and Sekundes' fight, the two rivals staring into the heavily damaged metal figure. For a few moments the robot simply stood still, with small sparks of electricity escaping a few of its newly created crevices. Leia too simply continued to kneel where she had ended her attack, her body remaining ever so still as she displayed discipline not seen ten years ago. A few more seconds passed and finally the machine began to move again, twitching ever so slightly before falling to its side.
"What the hell…?" Alvin could only ponder aloud as he slowly approached the editor.
He knew Leia was strong, stronger than your average civilian, but this... This was beyond anything a human could do, even with a fully developed Allium Orb. But the former mercenary knew that his eyes weren't playing a trick on him. This person before him was definitely Leia, but there was something different about her. No, it wasn't just Leia. There was something, someone, else with her. Though it was faint, he believed he saw the apparition of a violet-haired woman standing, or rather floating, beside Leia. He didn't know what to make of this person, but…
"So this is your new host, Little Queen?" the purple-haired girl accompanying Milla and Jude casually spoke to the now disappearing apparition.
"Little Queen?" the words left Alvin puzzled as he drew closer to his ex-girlfriend. "Just who-?"
Blam! The sound of a loud, but rather strong bullet rang throughout the entire vicinity now. In that same instant, streaks of crimson suddenly washed across Alvin's eyes, erupting from above the breast of his former love. Time seemed to slow for the former mercenary in that moment, his body unable to react as his ex-girlfriend limped forward. Her arm began to reach for him now, her hand stroking his cheek before her body struck his, sending the two of them to the floor.
"Leia…?" the tears from the businessman's eyes began to wash at the blood stained on his cheeks. "Leia!"
"A sniper? Where?!" the Lord of Spirits quickly began to survey the nearby building tops.
"You bastard!" Jude screamed into the heavens. "Show yourself!"
The world around Alvin began to fade into darkness at that moment, the only thing within his focus was the limp body now lying in his arms. The scarlet river from her heart continued to ooze, the breath from his lips hard and heavy. Her emerald eyes were growing heavy as she looked into his, her lips weakly curling as continued to pet his cheek.
"Hey…" was all she could manage to say.
"Hey…"
"C…c'mon Alvin, this isn't…like you…," she weakly said with a sarcastic tone. "Since when are you…such a crybaby…"
"I…I'm not crying…" the businessman tried his best to maintain their witty rapport. "The wind just blew something in my eye…"
"…heh, that's just like you, you jerk…," the editor closed her eyes, calling him by his pet name one last time. "…always having something witty to say…"
"Leia? Leia! Leia, please hang in there…," the former mercenary begged, his hand clutching his former lover's. "C'mon, don't you want to yell at me some more about me forgetting our anniversary? What about burning my entire scarf collection, you're still going to do that right? Or what about the threat of… C'mon, Leia. Wake up. Wake up!"
From afar, the sniper looked through the scope of his rifle once more. Once more he aligned the crosshairs, this time pointing into the skull of the man that was now holding his latest kill.
The bridge of the nose is where you want to aim, with the lines running straight through the eyes. This was the most efficient but brutal ways to shoot a man he was taught long ago. With his mentor's voice still echoing in his mind, his finger inched for the trigger once more, only to stop when the man's face appeared more clearly in his line of his vision, his target now screaming into the heavens.
"Is that…?" Gilford found himself hesitating for the first time.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the Splintered leader found himself trembling at the touch of his rifle. Sudden perspiration and humidity began to overpower him, his finger quivering before the trigger just as it did back then. He could hear that man's yelling again, criticizing him of his weakness. He saw his mother as well, simply standing to the side with nothing to say, again acting too submissive and weak to support her son.
"C'mon, leave the kid alone!" the same smart-mouthed voice would come to his aid again.
"Again Alfred?" the man replied, still with a form of pompousness in his voice. "You know very well he will not become a worthy successor if-"
"He can pick it up as he gets older," the man in brown coat said, playfully patting Gilford on his head now. "After all, isn't that how it worked out for yours truly?"
"…very well…," the then current leader of Exodus sighed. "I'll leave him in your care again. However, the next time I expect you to be able to pull the trigger, Gillian."
For the first time in what seemed like a million years, the leader of the Splintered let his past dictate his actions, but just as his finger was about to leave the trigger, another reminder of his past appeared in his rifle's scope. Blond hair, pink eyes, though he had never truly seen her until now, he knew just looking at her that this was the source of all his hatred, the one person that denied him of everything since birth.
Again he let his emotions overwhelm him, his teeth biting down on one another and his brow furrowed. He saw their faces once more, those frozen expressions that will always remain angry and sad. He hated them, he wanted them to die, but when the day finally he came, he…
"Milla Maxwell!" Gilford screamed as he pulled the trigger once more…
Skit: Milla Maxwell, Linguist of Spirits
Mecha Asbel Mk I: Bzzt… Bzzt…
Milla: I believe it's trying to say something…
Jude: Just how can you tell?
Milla: The way it's speaking right now… It's the same language Volt was using eleven years ago. Let's see… Bzzt… Bzzt… Bzzt…
Jude: You're actually trying to talk to it?
Milla: Why not? I seem to have a knack for deciphering strange languages. After all, it started with you twenty-five years ago.
Jude: (sighs) And just what did it say?
Milla: It asked me for my order. I simply replied "I'll have a double cheeseburger with no onions or pickles with extra cheese and a large soda".
Jude: (groans) Really Milla?
Mecha Asbel Mk I: Would you like fries with your order?
Milla: Yes I would.
Jude: (shocked) Wait, seriously?!
Mecha Asbel Mk I: That will be 750 gald. Please drive through…
Milla: I knew I could communicate with it! …but where am I supposed to pick up my order?
Jude: …I can't believe I used to put up with this…
Author's Note: …And another cliffhanger yet again… To be honest, the action aspect is taking a little longer than I had predicted, but I can assure you that this action sequence will come to an end in the next chapter.
In regard to what's happening to the characters' Allium Orbs, there is another force at work here, but it's not simply due to the Otherworldly Gate or Sekundes' appearance. In fact, it is this force that is responsible for other phenomena that is occurring in this story. What that force will be explored further in later chapters (though I can say that it has nothing to do with the violet orbs that Emeraude and the Splintered have in their possession).
Regarding Emeraude, some Tales of Graces F fans might be wondering why she's still alive after the events of the game. The reason for her return will be explained in a later chapter (possibly the next if page count permits), but I'm sure those that played through Tales of Graces F's post-game dungeon might have already gotten the answer.
As far as Zoe's character goes, I guess in a way she's an amalgam of Colette (from Tales of Symphonia), Zelos (also from Tales of Symphonia) and Elize with a touch of Agria on the side when I created her. She has the light-based (or rather angelic) powers of Colette, Zelos' hair and eye color, Elize's Gothic Lolita style of clothing from Tales of Xillia (though more risqué and different color schemes), and Agria's psychotic tendencies (but to a much more exaggerated extent). I don't really recall a red-haired main character in Tales of Xillia so I figured I'd give Zoe this hair color.
Speaking of original characters, some readers can probably guess who Gilford's father is after his little flashback. I'd rather not say who it is just yet for those that haven't figured it out, but I can say that Gilford is something of a "what if" character based on a certain former mercenary (but he's by no means a "Fractured" version of a character). Oh, and the name "Gillian" is not a typo in his flashback; it's actually a part of Gilford's real name (similar to how Alvin's real name is Alfred Vint Svent). Like Alvin, Gilford's given name is a phonetic amalgamation of his first, middle, and last names. What his actual real full name is will be revealed in a later chapter.
Regarding Leia's fate in this chapter, I'm sure Tales of Xillia fans might be upset about this, but then at the same time, Tales of Graces F fans might have figured that there's something else at work here. Without giving anything away, I'll just say to those that haven't guessed that things aren't what they seem…
Anyway, I guess that's about all I have to say for now. In the next chapter we'll have the first battle between Milla and Sekundes come to a close, as well as possibly a few revelations of the past if page count permits. If you would be so kind and leave a constructive review, it would be greatly appreciated. Your words help me update this story faster and help my improve my craft. See you in the next chapter!
