Chapter 23

:::

The group was hovering around Fiora that Miqol had to help Linada to stop the commotion.

"Young ones, please give your friend some rest. Now that she is separate from Nemesis, it is still a strain for her to cope with. Please consider yourself in her position."

"Sorry Fiora," replied everyone.

"Good. Can you all now leave?"

Miqol kicks everyone out the door and then turns his attention to Fiora. He then kneels to her, surprising Linada.

::

"Lady Meyneth? Is it you?"

Linada was shocked to hear Miqol say that name.

Meyneth hesitated and took a look at Linada.

"She'll keep quiet."

(* ... Nod*)

"Oh Lady Meyneth! So you ARE in this Homs girl! ... Thank you for encouraging the people, they really needed it."

"This is really Lady Meyneth?" Linada was shocked.

To reaffirm Meyneth's presence, Fiora's eyes and chest piece starts to glow red.

(*Yes, I am her. My existence is damaging to this child, but I need her. All I can do is to stay inside. It wasn't just the unit blowing up that took a toll on her, but when I addressed everyone she nearly broke down.*)

The two Machina were surprised to hear that.

(*The group will set off to Agniratha soon, but it seems like this child isn't faring well ... *)

"Yes, your host is still unstable, Lady Meyneth. The Piezoelectric Unit that was installed into 'you' is still in the process of being reconfigured. Can you wait until we can get it stable enough, so your host can better survive being separated? I'll let you travel but please don't go to Agniratha right away. Travel to places that are less ... stressful. That way I can monitor how she will fare eventually in Agniratha. But ... that little energy I detected earlier ... was that the Monado? Are you using the Monado to power this Face Unit up?"

(*Smart. I hid most of the Monado's signal-*)

"Then you mean she didn't need the Piezoelectric Unit?"

(*No ... you were all wise to get her the unit as a precaution. Her Mechon does need the unit but ... this is not a just Face Unit. She is still a living being. The original personality has in fact not perished (!) ... but ... for some reason cannot wake up ... The Monado is keeping her personality and mind alive right now ... True, the Monado can support her mechanical functions, but it is better for the new Piezoelectric Unit to do so. The Mechon's unit can be a backup, as I can feel that she can control the Mechon still remotely, but in case the Mechon and ... Monado perishes ... you did well to provide her with another reliable, even if it is limited, power source. If that was neglected, she would be in loads of trouble. So ... thank you. And as you request, I'll wait for her until she gets better.*)

::

Everyone could see Shulk was beaming in delight. Reyn, Dunban and him were in their own little world.

The other three were happy for them.

Riki reminds Dunban to bring up Melia's concern to the rest, especially since waking up, Fiora's eyes were noticeably not Homs anymore.

"Shulk and Reyn, I don't know if you have noticed, but besides the Mechon body, there is something else amiss with Fiora." asks Dunban.

After a massive thinking session, Reyn's brain was fried.

"You have an advantage because you're her brother! How should I know?" Reyn angrily complains. "Sharla, you're a medic. Did you see anything unnatural?"

"Her eyes! ... ... How do I describe it? ... " Shulk suddenly remembers noticing that was the most obvious change he had saw in Fiora.

"Not green but grey. Also not Homs. Is that what you saw?" Melia steps forward to ask.

"Grey ... ? Not Homs ... ?"

Melia then explains to the rest about the High Entia myth. All began to question who "Fiora" could be, but Shulk refused to doubt her.

"Thank you Melia for bringing that up, but ... I will keep on believing that she is Fiora."

All saw Shulk's confidence and backed out from pressing the matter any further.