Chapter 36- The Land of Morytha

Mythra found herself dreaming about Elysium. She was standing under the tree where Frank had spoken with Addam. Mythra wasn't alone as Pyra was sitting next to her in the shade. They were looking down towards the town. A gentle breeze carried across the field.

"It's quiet today," Mythra commented, noticing the absence of the church bell that usually echoed in the air.

"Yes. That bell… I think it was the sound of our heart."

Mythra eyed her sister curiously. "Has it stopped?"

Pyra nodded. "Mm… it stopped."

Strangely, Mythra still heard a sound, like it was calling out to her. "But… something's still ringing out there," she said.

"Yes," Pyra said as she stood up. "So… So we have to go now!"

"We've got to be with Frank," Mythra finished.

Mythra, in her regular form, then found herself waking up, her head resting in Frank's lap. They were in a destroyed building in a ruined city that looked strangely similar to the architecture on Earth. The sky was filled with dark clouds and a ghostly wind echoed outside.

"Mythra," Frank said softly, still in the Master Driver outfit that Pyra had given him during their last battle. He also had Mythra's sword strapped to the back of his waist, now repaired. Azurda was strangely not in the Driver's hood.

"Frank…?" the Aegis replied, still in a half-daze.

"Are you alright?" Frank asked in concern. "Actually, if you were injured, I'd be feeling it too."

Mythra brought the back of her right hand to her forehead and said, "Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm okay." Mythra then realized the position she was in and immediately sat up before nervously scooting away from her Driver. "W-was I… in your lap… this whole time?" Mythra asked nervously.

"Yeah," Frank answered, who looked equally nervous. "Our battle against Zeke and Malos must have took a lot out of you. As soon as we landed, you were out like a light. I couldn't just let you rest on the ground."

Mythra still looked a little embarrassed. "Um… I-I mean… thank you," she said awkwardly. "Uh, I didn't do anything strange, did I? Talking in my sleep, or grinding my teeth, or snoring, or… I'm such a terrible sleeper."

Frank looked at his partner with interest. "You snore and grind your teeth?"

"W-well, not always! I-I mean, i-it was a figure of speech, that's all!" Mythra hugged her knees close to her chest. She then heard Frank laughing his heart out. "What's so funny?!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"Nothing," Frank said as he settled down. "I'm just glad that you're back your usual self. To be honest, that's one of the things I like about you."

Mythra suddenly felt her face getting hot as she blushed in embarrassment. "R-really? I-I…" she stuttered, trying to collect herself by changing the subject. "Um, where are we anyway? Where are the others?"

Frank shrugged. "We're under the Cloud Sea. I know that for sure," he explained. "I think this is the Land of Morytha that Meg and Dromarch mentioned." He stood up and pointed outside, prompting the Aegis to rise to her feet as well. "We fell from over there."

They walked outside and looked up. They could see strange monsters, possibly Lexos, high in the sky, as well as a powerful updraft.

"From all the way up there?" Mythra asked.

"Yeah. That updraft is what saved us from crashing. It probably caught the others too."

Mythra nodded. "Makes sense…"

"Anyway," Frank said. "Let's get our bearings straight before we go look for the others. We need to find a way out of here."

"Agreed. Any ideas?" Mythra asked as they began to walk in a random direction.

"Well I can sense Jin's presence, but it's very weak. I'm having trouble sensing Nia's though, but that might be because she's a Flesh Eater. Or it could just be this place. As for getting out of here, take a look over there." Frank stopped and pointed towards the horizon.

Mythra turned to where her Driver was pointing and saw massive tree roots forming a pillar through the Cloud Sea. "Is that the World Tree's roots?"

"I think so. There must be a path that leads out of here."

"There has to be," Mythra said. "I'm good to go. Let's move!"

The Aegis started walking until Frank stopped her by saying, "Um, how's Pyra feeling?"

Mythra turned around and said, "She's resting. Should I call her?"

Frank shook his head. "Nah, let her sleep. She's been through a lot."

The blonde-haired Aegis gave her Driver an honest smile. "You're too kind."

Frank returned the gesture as he scratched his head. "Thanks. My dad always said to be a gentleman. Well, before he became evil and all that."

The two began moving again. It was eerily quiet, so Frank decided to tell his partner everything he went through at the Spirit Crucible Elphys.

"Really?" Mythra said curiously. "You got to meet Addam? And you're his descendant too?"

"Yeah," Frank said. "Although it also feels like I've got broken memories of him. Addam told me something too. He told me to fight for the things that I wanted to protect. I've made my decision. I fight for you and Pyra." He then scratched his head sheepishly. "I mean, I'm still not good enough for you, but…"

Mythra shook her head. "Don't say that. You are good enough to be my Driver. You were willing to fight your own father just to save me. If it wasn't for you, I might not have unlocked my true power. I've made a choice as well. Not to… live in fear."

"Speaking of which. That form. What is it?"

"That form is our true nature," Mythra explained. "The sword changed, right?" She got a nod from her Driver. "It's not just physically stronger. It also lets us control Artifices at will, so be careful."

"Uh, what?" Frank asked, looking confused.

"I mean don't get carried away!" Mythra scolded before loosening up.

"I-I see," Frank said. "So who's in control in that form, deep down? You or Pyra?"

"Hm. It's not one or the other. It's both at once."

"I see. So its you and Pyra merged into one?"

Mythra nodded. "Pretty much."

"So you're… what… Pythra?" Frank teased. "Myra?"

The Aegis just rolled her eyes at the bad joke. "It doesn't matter. Pyra, Mythra, they're both me. Call me whichever."

Frank didn't really give it much thought about which name to go with for the third form. "I know which name to use. I'll just call you 'Mythra' when you're in that form from now on."

Mythra was surprised by that. "A-are you sure? You met Pyra before me," she said hesitantly. "Not to mention you used her name for it before."

Frank nodded in confirmation. "True. But it just feels right using your name instead of hers. Sure, you tend to drag me around everywhere, you're stubborn and a little arrogant sometimes, but those are qualities I like about you. I think you're awesome the way you are."

Mythra soon found herself overcome with joy. Her Driver, the person she loved, had accepted her for who she was, not trying to change her. She pulled Frank into a tight embrace, something that surprised the Driver, but he returned the gesture.

"Thank you for saying that," she whispered before breaking the hug.

"Don't mention it," Frank said. "Hey, are you able to transform into it at will?"

"If I need to. Why?"

"No reason. It's just… your hair looked really nice in that form." Frank then panicked, which showed. "Not that your hair right now is bad! It isn't!"

Mythra giggled in amusement. "You're cute when you're nervous."

This time Frank was the one who blushed in embarrassment. Suddenly the two heard the sounds of fighting nearby. They hurried to investigate and after navigating through debris, they found Zeke, in his regular appearance, fighting a strange creature with black skin and horns in the street. The monster also had what looked like Core Crystals protruding from its body.

It was clear that Zeke was somehow losing to the monster. He was on his knees, using his sword to support himself.

"Egh… I can't lose… to these fools," Zeke said weakly before slowly rising to his feet.

"Zeke!" Mythra exclaimed in shock.

"He landed here too?" Frank added.

The duo watched as the monster easily punched Zeke in the forehead, forcing him to his knees. Red mist was surrounding the Torna leader and his Core Crystal was cracked.

"Father," Frank said. "He's still hurt from our battle." He gritted his teeth and ran to the Blade Eater.

"Frank?!" Mythra exclaimed in concern.

The monster raised its fist in an attempt to finish Blade Eater off, but was suddenly struck by a blast of light, knocking it down. Zeke then watched as his son stood before him, the Aegis Sword in hand.

"Frank?" Zeke questioned.

"You can't move, right?" Frank said. "I can't just let you die here. Even if you are my enemy!" The Master Driver saw the monster get back up. "Mythra!"

The Aegis, although reluctantly, nodded and went to her Driver's side. "If we must," Mythra said. "But I don't think this is a good idea!"

"I figured as much. Let's go!"

Zeke slowly got to his feet and readied his sword. The monster charged at the trio, swinging its arm at the Master Driver, but Frank blocked it with his sword. Zeke then used his light-speed to get behind the monster and unleashed Empty Moment, leaving deep cuts on its back.

Frank unleashed Double Spinning Edge from the monster's left side, which left deep gashes in it. The monster screeched in pain before recklessly attacking the Aegis Driver, who managed to dodge them all thanks to Mythra's Foresight. Frank then tossed the Aegis Sword to Mythra, who finished off the monster with Photon Edge.

With the danger gone, Zeke turned to his son and said, "Why did you help me? We're enemies."

"Yeah, I know," Frank said. "But you're still my father. I couldn't let you go out like that. And…" The Aegis Driver then recalled the lifeless expression on Zeke's face after their last battle before shaking his head. "No… It's nothing."

Mythra looked at her Driver curiously but said nothing.

Zeke then grunted in pain before he fell to his knees, using his sword to support himself.

"Father!" Frank exclaimed in worry. He was about to run to the Blade Eater but was stopped when he saw the monster get back up. The trio was shocked that the monster's injuries had completely healed.

"What the!" Frank said as he and Mythra got into fighting stances.

The monster slowly approached Zeke, who was too weak to move, and prepared to strike him. Suddenly a stream of blue fire struck the monster from above, knocking it to the ground. The monster was then impaled by icicles, pinning it down while also destroying its Core Crystal.

"Blue fire and ice," Mythra said. "Can it be?"

"You've got a lot to learn," said a familiar voice.

Mythra and Frank turned in the of the source and saw Brighid, Jin, Poppi and Azurda looking down at them from a nearby building.

"You've got to burn these monsters up," Brighid continued. "That or destroy their Core Crystal. Otherwise they'll just keep coming."

"Jin! Brighid! Poppi and Azurda!" Frank exclaimed in relief. "Man are we glad to see you!"

"Frank, Mythra? Are you both alright?" the Titan asked.

Mythra nodded. "We're fine. But we've got a little problem."

"Problem?" Jin then saw the downed Torna leader near his teammates. "What's Zeke doing here?!" the Paragon of Torna exclaimed.

"We'll explain everything once you get down here," Frank said.

The three Blades and Titan agreed and hurried down to where the others were. When they regrouped, however, Zeke suddenly passed out on the street.

"Father!" Frank exclaimed in worry as he ran to his father and knelt beside him.

Zeke's breathing was labored, and his Core Crystal was in bad shape.

"Mythra, we have to help him!" Frank said desperately.

"What?!" the Aegis said in surprise. "Saving Zeke from that monster is one thing, but this is different. He's still our enemy."

"I know that. But we can't just leave him like this. It's wrong."

Mythra looked her Driver in the eye and saw that he wouldn't give in. She sighed in defeat before taking on her ascended form (the third form) and knelt beside the Blade Eater. She held her hand out towards Zeke's Core Crystal and began emitting a green light into it, which began repairing the crystal.

"Incredible," Jin said in awe. "What awesome power you've gained."

"This is the power of the Master Blade," Mythra explained. "The Master Blade possesses the data of all Blade cores." After a few seconds, Zeke's Core Crystal was fixed, prompting Mythra and Frank to stand up, the former reverting back to her normal form.

"Thank you, Mythra," Frank said in gratitude.

Mythra folded her arms and scoffed. "I only did it so you'd stop pestering me. Honestly, you're as stubborn as me sometimes."

"Like that's anything new," Brighid said nonchalantly. "Anyway, we should get back to the matter at hand. Finding our friends. After the cliff collapsed and we all fell into the Great Void, it seems we were all separated."

"I'm sure Ethan's alright," Poppi added. "He's stronger than he looks."

"Do you guys know where Meg and the others are?" Frank asked.

"It's faint, but I can feel the energy signature from Meg's weapons from here," Brighid said. "She must be close. I know that she has Aegaeon with her, but still, I can't help but worry about her."

"That's understandable," Jin replied. "I was worried about Frank, even though he had Mythra and Roc with him."

"It's a shame that without Meg, you're not at full power, Brighid," Frank said.

"Actually, that's not entirely true," Mythra voiced, causing all eyes to focus on her. "When I gave you that armor, it wasn't just for show. You became the Master Driver. You're now able to use the Blades of other Drivers as your own."

Frank's jaw dropped. "No way! That's cool!"

"Keep in mind, it's more like you're borrowing the Blades, not taking them as your own. If you use Brighid, for example, she's technically still resonated to Meg. You can use Arts and all that, but the Blades aren't truly yours."

Frank shrugged. "Eh, I don't really mind," he said as Azurda climbed into his hood. "It's still pretty cool. Anyway, let's rest for a bit before we go look for the others."

Zeke suddenly stirred and woke up. He noticed the others in front of him and looked surprised as he felt no pain from his core.

"You… healed me?" Zeke asked. "But why?"

"Your son," Mythra said simply. "Now listen carefully. I repaired most of the damage to your crystal, but it isn't perfect so be careful. Overexert yourself again, and the damage will be permanent."

Zeke gazed at the Aegis in shock. "Mythra…" he said slowly.

"You're a lucky man, Zeke," Brighid said bitterly. "You've been given a second chance you denied so many brave Ardainians, your own people, no less. I doubt your luck would hold up so well if Meg was here!"

"Father, what the heck happened to you?" Frank asked. "Why did you side with Malos? What happened to my mother? And how did you become a Blade Eater?"

Zeke folded his arms and said, "It was about three years after your mother and I dropped you and your sister off at Fonsett Academy. The Allied Forces managed to infiltrate the Dimension of Shadows, the home of all monsters. There, we fought them to a stalemate before it all fell apart. Zeta, in a weakened form, then appeared. He whispered into the hearts of our army and they quickly turned on each other. I fought Zeta in a duel to free the others from his influence, but he was too strong for me. Selena… sacrificed herself to shield me from his blow. After that, I too was overcome by Zeta's darkness. I killed anything that moved, whether it was humans or monsters. After the dust had settled, I knew I couldn't return to you and Meg, and I slowly began to despise humans because of their inner darkness. I wandered around Alrest as a drifter until Malos found me. He offered to help me with my wish to make humanity pay for its incompetence, and for Selena's death. He then implanted a Core Crystal into my body, and I became the man you see today. The leader of Torna."

Frank was shocked at what he heard. Once he recovered, he said, "So that's why you sided with Malos. With everything you've done, we can't forgive you. But still… if you keep standing in our way, then I won't hesitate to strike you down, even if you are my father."

Zeke looked almost impressed. "You certainly know how to make threats, but can you back it up? Do you even know where we are? This is the Land of Morytha. A place of more wickedness than you can imagine. This land was destroyed long before Alrest even existed. It's also the birthplace of the Architect. That's what Malos said."

"What?!" the others exclaimed in shock.

"Zeke," Mythra said suddenly. "I know there's no easy way to change your mind but hear me out. Let's regroup and climb up the World Tree. Call it a ceasefire until then, okay?"

"A united front?" Zeke questioned. "As you wish. It's not like I could take you all on in my current state anyway."

"So where do we go from here?" Frank asked.

"Well, there's no point heading back," Mythra voiced. "Let's just press on and find the others."

"Agreed," Jin said. "Forward is our only option."

"I know Zeke is on our side for now, but he's not in the best shape," Brighid added. "And with our numbers so few, we must exercise extreme caution as we proceed."

The group then moved down the street and passed through the ruins of a fallen building. Once they were on the other side, they found a clearing.

"I think we should rest here while we can," Jin advised. "I can sense no monsters around here and we don't know what could be lurking ahead."

"I agree with Jin," Brighid added. "As much as I would like to find Lady Meg, we shouldn't overexert ourselves."

"And Frank is the only Driver we have right now," Poppi said. "It's dangerous for him to fight for so long."

"Hey, I'm not fragile!" Frank protested. "I feel just fine."

Mythra eyed her Driver and saw that he looked more tired than he let on. "Yeah, right. I doubt you've gotten any sleep ever since we got here," Mythra said fiercely. "You're taking a rest right here! End of discussion."

Frank was surprised by his partner's outburst but chose not to argue, especially since he knew he couldn't win against her. The group gathered by a large pile of debris to obscure themselves from view, though Zeke kept his distance from his temporary allies. He watched in amusement as Mythra forced Frank to get some sleep by holding him close until exhaustion overtook the Master Driver. Eventually, Zeke, Jin, Azurda, and Brighid fell asleep as well, with Poppi, who didn't need rest, acting as a lookout.

After fifteen minutes had passed, Poppi approached Zeke and waved her hand in front of his face but got no response. She then walked off, unaware of Mythra following her.

Mythra saw the artificial Blade stop by the edge of a broken bridge, looking out at the ruined city.

"It's very quiet," Poppi said.

"It is," Mythra replied.

"This place… Its architecture looks very similar to Earth's, but more advanced," Poppi said. "They must have achieved many technological advancements to do this. But how is this possible?"

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter how many fancy tricks they learn," Mythra said. Poppi noticed a sad look on the Aegis's face. "Deep down, they're all the same. They thought they were making their lives better with all this stuff. But in the end, it destroyed them, just like the Umbral City on Temporal Island. Now… it's just a ruin."

"But I was made by advancing technology," Poppi said. "Will I destroy the world as well?"

"That's my problem too," Mythra confessed. "If this world really is Father's world, then he made me to be as dangerous as any technology."

"Then you and I are the same?"

Mythra nodded. "Yes. Kinda."

"But if… if I destroy the world, then Ethan would die. Maybe you should destroy me before that happens?"

The Aegis's eyes filled with sympathy. "Poppi…" She put her hands on the artificial Blade's shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. "Ethan created you. You could never do anything like that. I know it!"

"But…" Poppi said, still in doubt.

"Hey, let's make a promise," Mythra offered. "If you ever feel like you're going to destroy the world, I will do what you asked me. But in return… can you promise me something?"

"What is it? Are you afraid of destroying the world too?"

Mythra removed her hands before folding her arms. "Well, I'm doing my best to stop it from coming to that. It's something else. It's…" Mythra hesitated as she stared at the ground. She then shook her head before resting her right arm on her waist. "No, actually, nothing. I don't have a request right now. Can I think it over?"

"Of course!" Poppi replied. She and Mythra then shared a high-five, before the artificial Blade returned to the others, leaving the Aegis alone.

"Couldn't bring yourself to tell her, could you, Mythra?" Jin said as he revealed himself to the Aegis.

Mythra eyed the Paragon of Torna in disdain. "Eavesdropping. That's pretty rude, even for you."

"Well you kinda left without saying anything. It's only natural that I'd be concerned. We share the same Driver, after all."

"Frank…" Mythra lowered her head in distraught as she thought of her partner.

It pained Jin to see his friend in this state. "Mythra, why do you keep doing this to yourself?" he said. "You may be an Aegis, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy. You, more than anyone, deserve to be happy. You don't have to isolate yourself from everyone."

"You sound just like Addam."

"Because he's right. Tell me, do you love Frank?"

"W-what?" Mythra stuttered with a blush.

"Just answer the question," Jin said. "Do you love him?"

Mythra was silent for a few moments before nodding. "Yes. I do. He accepted me for who I am, and he always cared for me even if I wasn't always nice to him in return."

Jin nodded in agreement. "He's gone through more hardship than most humans do in their whole lives," he continued. "But there's only so much loss he can take before breaking. He needs you now more than ever. He's your Driver, your true Driver. He was willing to do whatever it took to save you from Zeke and Malos. Would you do the same for him?"

The Aegis paused before answering, "I'd give my own life if it meant saving his. How's that for commitment?"

Jin simply smiled. "It works just fine. Let's just hope it won't come to that." He turned around to head back to the camp.

"Hey Jin," Mythra said suddenly. "If something does happen to me, promise me that you'll look after Frank for me."

The Ice Blade looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Of course. You can count on me."

They then returned to camp together. Jin watched as Mythra scooted over to Frank, who was still asleep, and held him close before falling asleep. He smiled in content from the sight before getting some sleep himself.

To be continued