The trio of travellers ventured through the lush green, forested caverns that were known as Garal-Javena, in search of the missing boy, Reece. While there was no indication of his whereabouts, the group still desired to seek him out and rescue him… even if they didn't have the slightest clue of what had happened to him.

Far and away, Aren was the one who wanted to find Reece most of all. The boy was a little brother to him, someone he'd had a duty to protect… but that evidently didn't go so well for the metal-armed pugilist.

'There wasn't anything I could'a done there… don't think there was, anyways… but that doesn't matter at all.' Aren thought to himself, as he walked by the side of Marsh and Sariel and occasionally glanced over at the unusual terrain of Garal-Javena. 'But I know I can save him, and as long as there's the tiniest bit of hope? I'm not goin' to give up. That's my duty…'

As if out of nowhere, Aren felt a light breeze of wind on his body – and on instinct, he stomped his foot down onto the ground with a thud and readied a mechanical fist… but nothing was there.

"What are you doing, Aren?" Surprise was apparent in Marsh's voice as he looked over to Aren with a confused look as he placed a hand onto the Monado. "Did you –"

Aren gritted his teeth and interrupted the Monado wielder's words. "Yeah, don't worry… I'm just jumpin' at shadows, I suppose you can say." Aren's eyes rested upon the Monado, which was strapped to Marsh's back.

It was well and truly a powerful weapon, or even one of the most powerful things on the world of Bionis. Without the Monado's power, Bionis would not have survived as long as they had. Aren knew this first-hand… if it weren't for the Monado, the Battle of Sword Valley would have no doubt be an even more crushing loss for the people of Bionis.

Aren never thought he'd fight alongside the Monado again, though it looked a little different. A year back, he aided the legendary warrior Bearce, wielder of the Monado, and Dickson, an enigmatic traveller from who knows where… and today, he fought alongside the Monado once again.

He couldn't help but wonder what happened to his companions, though… what happened to Bearce? After the Battle of Sword Valley, he disappeared – he threw away the Monado, not wishing to see it again. And what happened to Dickson, he wondered… where on Bionis could he be?

"I would've thought you'd say something by now, Aren. You've been pretty chatty." Sariel piped up. "This is a pretty place, sure, but it gets a wee bit boring without chatter. Marsh doesn't talk much, so it's up to you to pick up the slack!"

Marsh quickly responded. "… I would talk, but I'm mainly waiting for you guys to start."

"Aren, you've travelled the Bionis a bit, haven't you? How about you tell us about some places? I know you've been to Sword Valley, but where else? Valak Mountain? What about the Bionis' Left Shoulder? Back home, there's rumours that a race of Giants originate from both shoulders of the Bionis. Have you met a Giant?!"

Aren grinned. "Yeah, I've heard about Giants… my old friend Dickson knows a lot about myths, legends, and Gods, stuff like that. He told me they're extinct, though. Can't say I've ever met a Giant, though." Aren began to explain, then he smashed his fists together. "Wonder how I'd fare against a Giant, though. I bet I'd clobber any Giants real good, though. You know what they say, right? The bigger they are… the harder they fall."

"I… I think you're overestimating yourself a bit, Aren." Marsh stated. "But what was that? About that Dickson guy. I swear… I swear something about that name is familiar."

"Yeah, probably. The guy's a traveller, and a guy who just generally sticks out. Red bandanna, blonde hair, he's not really like anyone else you'd see around." Aren informed as the trio continued venturing through Garal-Javena. "Haven't seen the guy in a long time… really makes me wonder where the guy is."

Sariel gasped. "Wait… a blonde guy, with a red bandanna? I've seen someone like that, back home. I never knew how he got in the good books with my people, but he sometimes comes around to meet up with a few people at home, like sis."

"You've got a sister, eh?" Aren added. "But, yeah… could definitely see Dickson going to places like this or your home. He's practically been everywhere. Not sure what Dickson's doin' with your sister, though. Who knows?" Aren grinned with a shrug.

Marsh looked away without a word, which Aren noticed from the corner of his eye.

"It'd be work related, though, I'm wagering. Not sure what kinda work, though. Hopin' it's some sort of weapon against the Mechon, though. We could use stuff like that." Aren told with a light grin. "The guy told me he'd be working on anti-mechon weaponry eventually, but I haven't heard anything since."

Marsh nodded. "Yeah… it's probably work related. Probably."

"Well, if my memory is correct, we should be near Javena. That's where I used to live. Sis still lives there, though. Maybe she'll be able to help us find Reece? She's pretty smart."

And once again, silence befell the group as the conversation met its end, at least for the time being. As the group continued their travels, though, they came across an expansive area of Garal-Javena. Said area was well and truly like a lush forest, with many trees standing tall through the area. Spiked vines lined this section of Garal-Javena.

Along with that, a few statues marked the entrance to a wooded area of Garal-Javena. These statues resembled Volffs, and were in perfect state. In fact, they even had jewels for eyes.

"Are those jewels important?" Marsh questioned, his eyes on the shimmering blue crystals. "I mean, like the emblem I found a while back."

Sariel scratched her head. "I don't reckon so, but there's no real reason to bring them along with us. They're just kinda there."

"Yeah… maybe it's best we take these with us."

Marsh stuck his hand into the eyes of the Volff statues, and with deft and nimble fingers, he tore the sapphires out of the first Volff statue's eyes with surprising ease. He then headed over to the other Volff statue and did the same, this time netting him two rubies.

"You seriously… you seriously took them with you?" Sariel sighed. "I suppose it's alright. I don't reckon those real scary ghosts are gonna care that much… and if they do, we can just do that Monado stuff you did before. No biggie!" She added with a shrug.

Aren, however, wasn't so convinced. "Maybe I'm wrong, but these statues deal with the ghosts. You think this'll stop them from doing their job?"

With a shrug, Marsh shook his head in denial. "The other statue worked, and I would've noticed if it had any jewels. This should be fine. If it isn't, then… we've got this thing," Marsh pointed to the Monado. "I can't say I've got any clue on how it hurts these ghosts, but I guess it does. Good enough for me."

"Sounds like you're sure of yourself, Marsh. The three of us'll send these ghosts back to the grave, you have my guarantee… Monado or no Monado." Aren responded. "Anyways, let's get going. No use standing around, after all."

With that, the three adventurers headed into the forested area of Garal-Javena, which was positively teaming with trees. Notably enough, the leaves on the trees seemed to glow, as if they weren't truly leaves…

Aren thought that it looked like they were made of green ether. He'd heard rumours of a place called Satorl Marsh with trees with glowing ether, but it seemed like this Garal-Javena place was a similar case.

Fortunately, a path led through the area. This was useful, for the wooded area was filled with trees, so much so that it left little room to move about. Each step the party made created an audible thudding noise, against the dirt under their feet.

After five minutes of walking, the party still was within the forest, carefully following the path… but something caught their eyes. It was a building that could only be described as ancient, with crumbled, yet patterned stone and statues of what seemed to be gargoyles standing guard in front of the ruin. An enormous door led into the fortress, which was halfway open… revealing the inside of the ruin, which was lit by torches.

"… Maybe this is worth a look." Marsh suggested. "Hey, where else can we check?

"If we're going to look for Reece, we've got to check everywhere we can. Let's give it a look." Aren replied, with a confident grin.

Then, the trio headed towards the enigmatic ancient building, their minds racing as to what waited within.


"We're here! … So we're just gonna check inside and all? Can't say I'm sure that Reece is in here, but I guess we'll check it out. Not sure what this place is, though… never heard about it, that's for sure." Sariel then added another comment. "Yeah… I'm really not sure what the hell this place is."

"I'll lead the charge, then. I'll go over our battle plan, too, so listen up!" Aren announced. "I'll lead, get in their face, and beat them to a pulp. And when I'm doing that, Marsh – you know what to do, eh?"

Marsh nodded slowly, as if somewhat unsure.

"I guess… when you're doing that, I'll use the Monado when they're focused on you. I'm not really the type who'd take hits… but the Monado's pretty strong. I'll be an attacker, I suppose."

Sariel stepped back from the door and looked over to Marsh, an idea brewing in her mind. "Wait a minute… Marsh, if you got the attention from an enemy, then you could just keep dodging about! You don't need to take hits, just make them try to hit you." Sariel suddenly chirped with her idea.

Marsh shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, I suppose it'd work, but even then… I don't know if it's the best idea. I don't think I'm that good of a dodger."

"Anyways, we should probably discuss what I'm gonna do, right? I can wreck a hole in enemies from range, so I'm pretty well off." Sariel added. "I'm in my element if I've got the range advantage…! Just keep the enemies away from me and I'm fine."

Aren nodded, and noticed that Marsh's eyes had suddenly – and briefly turned a similar shade of blue to the Monado's ether blade.

'Kid looks fine, but I don't have a clue on what's going on with him… hope he's alright. Being the wielder of the Monado… it ain't an easy job, that's for sure.'

Aren kept an eye on Marsh, but the strange light dissipated in the span of little over a second, and Marsh acted like nothing had happened, though he did notice Aren's gaze, though he didn't say anything a word. Instead, Aren calmly approached the enormous stone gate to the ancient ruin, and lead the party into the area.

Aren, Marsh, and Sariel found themselves in a large, open room, with a large throne awaiting on the far end of the room. Aside from that, the room was practically featureless, aside from the random scraps of cloth adorning the floor. It was simply a large, flat room of aged stone, lit by the several torches

"I thought there'd be more…" Sariel mumbled. "Ancient stuff is cool… not when it's like this. There's practically nothing here. This place is pretty crappy, I'm not gonna lie. Big place, little to see."

Right after Sariel spoke, Marsh suddenly and abruptly piped up. "Speaking of this being a big place… didn't you guys notice something? This place is real huge." Marsh pointed upwards, to the ceiling. "I'd say… it's approximately seventeen feet tall. Isn't that odd, for a place like this?"

"I feel like I know where you're going with this, kid." Aren stepped over to Marsh at a moderate pace, the sound of his footsteps reverberating through the enormous ruin. "Giants, right? You're saying that this ruin was created by them?"

With a nod, Marsh agreed, though suddenly – he gasped, out of the blue, and drew his Monado, as if he was readying himself for a fight. This sudden movement caused Sariel to grab hold of her ether pistols, too… though she quickly looked around and didn't see any enemies.

"What's up with you, Marsh? Just suddenly freaking out like that… it bloody scared me, for real. Don't just do that out of the blue!"

Aren quickly glanced around the room, but he too noticed nothing. However, Marsh showed no signs of giving up his battle-ready stance… it was as if he were waiting for something.

It was then, however, that an expression of shock washed over his face – and he drew the Monado close to him briefly. Shortly thereafter, he began to slowly back away, not turning his back as he faced against the wall.

"Marsh! What's going on!?" Aren yelled out. "You alright?! This isn't like you… get a grip, snap out of it!"

Marsh seemed to shake as he spoke. "This… this isn't… this isn't a safe place. Something's… really wrong here!"

"Good job… that's completely correct. Something is indeed wrong here! I'll address the elephant in the room – the three of you, all of you, have no business being in here!"

"Huh…?" Aren wondered aloud, as he turned back to the gate they'd entered from. And standing there was none other than a man, clad in an almost blood red uniform with white highlights – along with a striking scarlet red hat, which was wide brimmed. He was pointing what seemed to be a curved blade at the party, though the blade's edge looked distinctively unusual… for it was a mixture between a sword and a gun.

The man in red lifted his hat up, revealing his eyes, and then smirked. "Yeah. As I said, you lot aren't supposed to be here. This isn't some attraction for measly tourists! It'd be pain for the Big Boss if we just let people wander around here willy-nilly… not just for me, but for Lady L! So I'm gonna have to escort all you hosers outta here."

Sariel spat on the ground, and drew her ether pistols once more, having holstered them shortly beforehand. "Who do you think you are, buddy? Trying to boss us around like that… there's three of us, and one of you!"

Marsh slowly turned around, still shaking – and looked surprised when he noticed the man in red. "You're… you're that man I saw back then… in Colony 9…"

"My name isn't 'that man', but it sounds pretty neat. Name's Dodge. I know all you lot, except that shaking guy holding a Monado… he's just Monado Boy to me right now." Dodge withdrew his combination of sword and katana onto his back, then tipped his hat downwards, obscuring his eyes. "But anyways, Sariel, you sounded like you wanted to fight me. I mean, you can… but your pal, Aren wouldn't be all too pleased with that."

Aren glanced at Dodge in confusion. "And why would that be…? I wouldn't care."

Dodge sighed, then pointed towards Aren and Sariel. "Your pal, Reep or whoever is in the Lady's care right now. We found that poor kid strewn about in a little place we call the Soul Den, drained of energy from the ether… I dunno, ghosts here. We saved that fella real good! He told me you lot would be looking for him."

Aren gritted his teeth, while Dodge continued speaking.

"I'm willing to help you two have a touching reunion, but… you're going to have to do as we say, y'know. Your two options are to leave this pretty important place and meet that kid again, or… draw your weapons and get torn into mincemeat by me!" Dodge uttered. "Either way's fine, but it'd probably be better if you picked the first… for you."

"What's your problem…?" Aren muttered to Dodge, as he began to exit from the ruins, while nodding to Sariel without a word, who began to follow along. "Take us to Reece."

"Clever boys," Dodge pointed to Aren first as he said this, and then Sariel afterwards. "What about your pal here, with the Monado? He's walking like he's drunk. No clue what that's about. Did he take a pint or something while you were travelling around here?"

Sariel sighed. "Are you trying to be funny…? We don't know what's going on with him. We need to check on him!"

"No… I should be fine." Marsh spoke back, hastily. "Let's not waste time…"

"Huh. You sure you're fine?" Aren asked. "You look like you need a rest. We'll get you one as quick as we can, buddy. Just hang in there."

Dodge chuckled. "Well, anyway. I don't really like this place, so I'm going to take the quick way out." Dodge began to walk towards the mass of trees that the group had previously come across… and headed towards the two Volff statues that Marsh had stolen the jewels of previously.

Dodge reached into a pocket on his jacket, and pulled out a golden emblem, just like the one Sariel had previously found. He placed it into the right eye of the Volff statue on the left, and then…

The ground itself shook beneath the group, surprising all of them – with the exception of Dodge. This revealed a hidden path, running below Garal-Javena. It seemed to be made of regular old stone, as opposed to the verdant forested caverns of Garal-Javena.

Dodge placed a hand onto his mouth, mimicking a shushing gesture. "Don't blab about this to the lady… she'll flip a lid if she hears that you guys know about this. I'd take the regular way out of this place, but this place is a pain to navigate, you know. Goes on forever, full of those ghosts or whatever she calls them… I wouldn't mind never seeing this place again." Dodge spoke. "Hold on… why're the Volff statues missing their eyes? That isn't normal… sounds like a thief's come around or something. No matter, though. Let's get a move on!"

And with that, the group entered the dark tunnels below. It was a stark contrast to the bright Garal-Javena. While Garal-Javena seemed to be naturally bright, the tunnel system beneath was dim, only mildly illuminated by the flames of small torches on the cavern walls. And, while Garal-Javena was full of sights, the tunnel… it was only a regular old tunnel, with nothing of note, aside from supports holding it up.

The walk was uneventful, but eventually, the group found their way to a small metallic door, patterned with a golden symbol. Dodge placed his golden emblem onto this…

And with that, the metallic door slid open, with hardly a sound. Behind the door was a dark room with white stone flooring. However, most noticeably of all… someone was standing there. A woman in metallic white armour, with some pink thrown in – along with wings on her head. This woman was a High Entia, to which Sariel gasped – but didn't say anything. Instead, she waited for the High Entia woman to speak.

"Well, you've finally arrived, Dodge… and with quite the motley crew, too. In particular…"

The High Entia woman casually stepped over to Sariel, then kneeled down slightly – and looked at her, as if inspecting her. "Well, look who's grown up. It's been years."

Sariel rolled her eyes. "Yeah… you're not wrong… my sister. I wanted to pay you a visit or two, but the whole situation with me causes a bit of a problem and all…"

"This lady's your sister?" Aren uttered. "Huh… small world, eh? I wouldn't have guessed if you didn't tell us, that much is for sure."

"Ah, pardon me. My name is Lorithia. I am the leader of the High Entia's Ministry of Research. I know you, Aren – you fought in the battle of Sword Valley, after all," Lorithia said. "And of course, I'd know my own sister. Now, may I ask the identity of this Monado Wielder here?"

Marsh looked up at Lorithia. "Me? I'm Marsh Artein… from Colony 9."

"What a cute name… Marsh." Lorithia replied.

"Uh… thanks?"

"Now, I see a Monado's found its way into your hands." Lorithia looked over to the Monado. "I trust you know the strength of the Monado? The very blade that fought against the Mechonis?"

Marsh nodded. "Yeah… I tried to use it against a Mechon attack. But… I'm not sure I really did much. Couldn't even save my friend… and there were some Mechon it couldn't even dent."

"A shame." Lorithia added. "However… that can be discussed later. There's a more pressing topic at hand. It may require a little bit of thinking and mulling over – I fully expect that."

Dodge smirked. "Yeah! Thinking's a pretty tough thing to do."

"Seriously… you aren't that funny." Sariel groaned. "You're just really annoying."

Aren, however, had his own questions to ask the High Entia woman. "Lorithia, is it? Where's Reece?"

Turning away from Marsh to face Aren, Lorithia chuckled. "Worried, are we? Your friend is currently resting up. We can permit you to visit him, on one condition."

"And that condition…?" Aren replied.

Lorithia turned to face Marsh once more. "That condition is that Marsh works for us, utilizing the Monado." Lorithia explained. "It's no secret that the blade can harm Mechon. It's the only thing that can, in fact… making a Monado Wielder quite a valuable ally."

"Me…? Work for you guys?" Marsh questioned. "I don't understand. Do you want me to fight your battles for you?"

"Bionis is under attack from the forces of evil – the Mechon by the day. Have you not seen the destruction they've caused? I believe your home fell victim to the Mechon, along with that 'friend' you mentioned earlier." Lorithia spoke. "How did that make you feel?"

"… It made me feel awful."

"Then, think about all the cities and towns of Bionis. They wait, day by day, for a fate that may as well be inevitable. The Mechon will attack them, their cities, their loved ones, and destroy them. But the Monado is their salvation. That blade can change the future. What may be doomed – you could very well save." Lorithia continued. "You are the only one who can change that future, Marsh… with that blade, you could defeat Mechonis, once and for all. So, with that power – will you just stand by as innocent lives perish?"

"I…"

"Our request, Marsh, is that you work with us - and end Mechonis, once and for all."

"I'll… I'll think about it." Marsh spoke.

Dodge suddenly piped up. "You'll think about it, eh? Remember… if you don't agree, your pal Aren's gonna be mighty annoyed with you. He won't be seeing his friend again… and you'll be putting tons of lives at risk. Mull over that for a bit, hey?"

"So, hold on. What you're doing is…" spoke up. "You're not going to release Reece unless we agree to your plans? That's… immoral."

Dodge pointed to Aren, his hat obscuring his eyes. The katana on his back glinted. "Nah, not really. We're planning on giving him back! All you've gotta do is pick the right decision. You listened to Lady L, right? Boyo, you're one of the only people on Bionis who can stand up for everyone else, you got that? So you gonna stand up, or are you gonna sit down, like some measly little milk drinker? Doing that would make you just as evil as the Mechon, me thinks…"

"I'll think about it. Just give me some time." Marsh replied. "You've said enough."


Took me a while to make this one. Lost interest for a bit, but it should be getting regular updates from here on. Was kind of preoccupied with the second game - it was pretty neat.

I've been wanting to make this chapter for a while, mainly because from here on, there should be a few more familiar faces. There's not been that many so far, which'd probably explain the low amount of views this thing gets.

But yeah, plot should be getting into place soon enough. Not only that, but the next chapter should be up soon, too.