Of Lies and Fantasies

by XtremeManiac33

[SI]. Blake has a broken hand and is the brains of the duo. Alyssa is capable enough to fight for the both of them. He only wants to go home through any means necessary. She wants to help her new friends in any way she can. "They" have other plans for the two of them. Zidane & the others don't need to know and are caught in the crossfire.

38. Cracks on the Surface

Of Lies and Fantasies
Chapter 38: Cracks on the Surface

- Alyssa -

Seeing Lindblum again was a breath of fresh air. After going through the dreary streets of Burmecia, the sandy trunk of Cleyra and the settlement on top of it, and the royal chambers and secret basement of Alexandria, just being able to walk on the streets of Lindblum in peace without worrying about monsters and black mages made getting here even more relieving. There was this hint of tension in the air though, but I was just glad to be back here that I could ignore it.

And do you know what the best part is? The city's still in one piece. It hasn't been attacked by Brahne and Otomos just yet when they should've had Lindblum in their sights right after we escaped Alexandria. So that means they experienced a setback in their preparations here or our prison break had a big enough effect that they got stalled.

I could see everyone's happy to be back here. We're safe for now, that's what matters. Zidane's over there grinning with Vivi (though to be fair, when is he not cheerful?), Freya looked satisfied that we're safe, and Steiner's even cracking a smile as Dagger tried to tell the guard that let us in the city that we're okay.

But when I caught sight of Blake, what got me to drop my smile was the fact that he looked horrified.

"Just what is going on here…?" I could barely hear his faint voice ask no one in particular. No one noticed too. He sounded so lost that you could hear his mind crumbling. I was at his side instantly, covering his front before the others got a glimpse of him.

"Blake, what's wrong?" His eyes slowly focused on mine and the crumbling slowed down.

"D-Don't you see wh-what's in front of you?" He uttered, his voice starting to shake. "Lindblum's…it doesn't…there's supposed to be so much rubble here…"

I pulled him into my arms in an attempt to comfort him. If I looked at him any more I'd feel my own guilt start to eat at me. I know what the reason why Lindblum is still in one piece. It's because I interfered when Blake wasn't looking. Regent Cid actually read my letter and considered acting on what I've wrote down. I'm really glad that he did and it's good to see something finally change into a more positive outcome, but even that can cause problems.

There WILL be consequences for what I've done. Maybe I just delayed the inevitable or something much worse might happen. Fate tends to even out everything when it can, and I can fight it as much as I can, but I know it'll catch up to me eventually. I'm not afraid of fate. What I'm worried about if Blake. I expected a reaction out of him, but not this kind of reaction. If this is how he'll receive good changes, I doubt he'll be any happier with worse ones. For now, I'll have to pacify him and try to explain when I can. We'll have to find a place to talk about it in private.

"It'll be alright. Just try and calm down, then we'll figure it all out when we can." I whispered to him, running a hand over his hair for a moment before stepping back. He finally looked less disturbed than a minute ago. And just in time too when Dagger turned to everyone while a guard in red stood behind her.

"Everyone! We have to get to the castle now. I was told we are to talk with Regent Cid right this instant." She informed us.

"But is he even here?" When I heard Zidane's question, I just realized that one of the things we changed was Cleyra's survival due to Regent Cid's interference. And because of said interference, he might not be here at this moment, his airship probably still on the way here from Cleyra. "Isn't he still—"

"Sure! Let's get to the castle and see what he has to say!" I interjected. Everyone who wasn't Blake gave me an odd look for a full second, especially Zidane, until they relented and started to walk towards the aircab.

The short walk from the city entrance to the aircab station gave me a glimpse as to what felt different about Lindblum. I walked past three people going about their day and noticed that they were carrying weapons on their person. One person couldn't hide their suspicion of Vivi just as we entered the aircab, their stare not even close to subtle, but thanks to the guard standing close to him they didn't attack him. They probably think he's being arrested. Another one standing in front of the inn looked a bit out of place as he looked dressed for colder weather. He was looking at our direction, but I couldn't tell if he was staring at us or someone else because he was wearing...shades(maybe glasses)? The few people waiting for the aircab kept their guards up while maintaining a sense of normalcy, their hands always creeping close to their weapons in case of surprise attacks.

Apparently my warning was spread throughout town. Not sure how concerned I should be if that's the case when I wrote that letter with the thought that only Regent Cid should read it. Maybe his people asked for proof and presented the letter before acting. Seeing how it seemed almost everyone is ready to fight anything and anyone that could burst through the floors that threatens the safety of their home, it might be good for them as long as it helps them in the long run. And speaking of which, there didn't seem to be many people out here. Hopefully it's connected to Regent Cid taking my letter seriously.

"Excuse me." I hear someone speak to my left as we waited for the aircab. It's the guy watching us by the inn outside earlier. Upon looking at him, he doesn't really stand out much aside from his brown jacket that has fur on its hood with his short hair, jeans, and dark shoes. His clear glasses have this noticeable mark on the sides, the letter 'n'. What it means, I really don't know. He's actually kinda lanky. Wonder what he wants. "Did you capture that black mage?"

How do I answer that? Would it be suspicious if I answer no or yes? Let's just try the honest answer. "No. He's not a bad guy, if you're wondering."

"Right…" The way he drew that out clearly says he doesn't believe me. "Name's Ray Ban. There's word around here that people that look like him have attacked Burmecia. Survivors have been arriving at the castle yesterday."

"Well, yes and no to that. It's true that happened, but Vivi's been with us for a while now and he's the nicest guy I've ever known."

He leans over to look past me and sees Vivi fidgeting with his gloves. He's, like, the picture of uncertainty at the moment. The guy faces back to me, his eyebrows shrugging. "Looks believable enough."

I expected him to go back outside after getting his answer. Instead he just straightened himself and crossed his arms. Was he waiting for the aircab as well?

"Are you new around here?"

"Not really. I was in the Festival of the Hunt." Might be the last time I enter one as well. "Been here for a week before we left." Those days flew by so fast too. Wish I could go back a few days and relax some more. It's gonna be a long while until we can get that much downtime.

But then he shook his head. "That's not what I meant. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Nope. I'm from Treno."

I could see him take off his glasses and use part of his jacket to wipe it with a bit of a sigh. "Again, not what I meant. But whatever." He puts it back on and turns around just as the aircab is arriving. "Whatever it is you're doing, better be careful. Tons of dangerous things out there right now." Just as the doors are opening, he starts walking away. I could still hear him mumbling to himself. "Dunno how you kids wander around without getting hurt."

"Nice to meet you then…?" What's that supposed to mean? This town really attracts some of the strangest people. Anyway, gotta get to the castle and talk with Regent Cid, that is if he is back from Cleyra.

I look back at the others just as we were taking our seats in the aircab. The guard in red had chosen to keep standing by the entrance to keep an eye on everyone else while the others talked with who they were sitting with, preoccupied with their own thoughts and deciding to convey them differently. Zidane and Dagger, Vivi and Steiner, both pairs conversed in varying volumes. Blake and I were pretty much quiet. He decided that staring at the passing scenery was something he can focus on without thinking too much about. Freya, on the other hand, she kept her eyes forward and held her spear close in case of sudden movements. Once the aircab arrived at the castle station, Freya and Steiner are first to stand while I had to nudge Blake out of his thoughts before we got left behind.

As we were escorted into the castle, dread starts to rise within me. The inner workings of the castle seemed more tense than the relative normal of the citizens in the previous district. Here the guards always walked at least in pairs or a group of five at most. There were not this many people patrolling before we left for Burmecia. I couldn't help but take a glance at Blake out of nervousness. He's still quiet, his hand constantly running through Nero's feathers while following everyone through the halls of the castle, without even a single word accidentally or intentionally coming out of him. If he didn't earlier before we got on the aircab, he's noticed something by now, I can feel it.

Just as we stopped in front of the arriving elevator, I notice Zidane and Freya looking at me, with the blonde being almost too obvious if everyone wasn't preoccupied with expecting Regent Cid and the latter being super subtle with it. When the elevator stops in front of us for its passengers to get off, I wasn't sure if my worries could get worse or if the man in the white medical coat can give me some breathing space.

"Well, isn't this a wonderful sight! Good to see everyone safe!" The elevator finally allows its passengers to walk out and the first one out is a familiar, possibly crazy doctor. Doctor Thomas greeted us with spread out arms and a cheery grin. The others returned the greeting with their own, but were surprised to find that he passed by them and instead stood before Freya.

"And I suppose that you're one of Burmecia's dragon knights! I have done some traveling in my time, but I have never met someone from your country until recently." There was this kind of excitement brewing in the doctor's voice even though it unsettled Freya a bit. "If you happen to suffer from any sort of injury, please don't hesitate to ask! I may have only started treating Burmecians yesterday, but I can always be more efficient with each patient. Pleased to meet you, by the way."

Blake then suddenly perked up from his trance. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"There was one wounded on the chest, but thankfully-"

"Oh-kaay." Zidane pulled the good doctor away from her before he could make things anymore awkward. "Nice to see 'ya too, doc, but we're in kind of a hurry here."

"Oh, absolutely, please continue going-Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" His eyes slide from the blond to our resident injury magnet and that tone he had just taken with Freya came back. I guess I should be more worried now, but he's a doctor and he knows what to do with injuries.

He circles Blake, who looked resigned to his fate the moment Dr. Thomas had come close and was hearing whatever the good doctor was babbling to himself. While it's nice to have someone finally look how bad his bruises are and to check if he can keep going, it's good that we're not blocking the way at the moment. If we did, this would have been interrupted a long time ago. Thankfully, the doctor had stopped after the third circling around Blake and basically dragged him to the elevator.

"This won't do at all! And to think I warned you to be careful when I let you walk out of the infirmary a few days ago." He shakes his head as he leads Blake to a corner in the elevator, who looks worried now that Dr. Thomas was leading him around. That must've been the signal for everyone to move because Dagger and Steiner were right behind them, taking a spot close to them.

"I tried to heal his wounds, but it didn't fully remove them, only slightly improve his condition." Dagger offered more information. Dr. Thomas took in what she said and nodded.

"Ah, is this the first time that has happened?" He asked while the rest of us entered the elevator. "We can talk more about this when we get to the infirmary on the next floor, Your Highness. That is if I can ask for your presence while I treat Blake here?"

"But Your Highness, shouldn't we go see the regent first? He might have some important information to share with us." Steiner interjected when Blake was about to insert his own point. It only got him a pat on the shoulder from Dagger to calm him down. Just one look from her got him to understand. He sighed and returned a nod.

"Doesn't the 'patient' have a say in this?" Blake asked the two with explicit quotation marks regarding himself.

"Not when they are in the same condition as you right now. Add that to the two previous times you were injured, I would rather check if your internal organs are bleeding before it's too late!" Dr. Thomas' point was met with a hard eye roll.

"Wow, you guys care more than my parents. Not sure if I should if I should be happy about that or concerned about my own parents' treatment of me." I heard him mumble to himself as the elevator ascended to the next floor. When it stopped on the floor with the infirmary, Dr. Thomas basically had to push Blake out of the elevator, which wasn't that much of a struggle since he was easy to move, with Dagger right behind them.

Right as he is about to pass me, Blake grabs my arm and looks at me in a daze of panic. "If I don't come out of that infirmary in the next ten minutes, don't eat anything that looks fancy! I don't want anyone touching my liver even if it was sautéd in oil or diced!" All I could offer him was a pat on the hand and a nod in the hopes that he doesn't overact anymore. Shouldn't he be more comfortable around the guy since he's treated him twice now?

"We'll catch up in a few minutes," Dagger told Zidane as she closed the small door dividing us and her. I look past her and see Blake looking over his shoulder mouthing, "Save me!" as he is escorted down the hall.

"What was that about?" Zidane asked the rest of us as we started going up again.

"You know how he is with doctors…" I told him quietly. Steiner answered with a face full of metal glove and a clueless stare from Freya while Vivi was more remorseful as he stayed quiet. He probably didn't get the Blake's issue, which was a good thing. But as much as I know he's uncomfortable with Dr. Thomas, it may be a bit of a blessing in disguise if we're talking about my warning with the regent. If Blake's not part of the conversation, he won't find out about what've done.

I felt a hand hold my arm and squeeze a bit, taking my mind out of my Blake-related worries for a second there. I look over and see Freya having taken a spot beside me. I guess my worries have been all over my face since the aircab. I nodded, appreciating her concern, as the elevator continued to its destination.

- Blake -

The mere touch of the glazed cotton against a section on my now naked back, a spot just right below my shoulder, made me flinch despite the warning for it just a few moments prior, it did not prepare it for me. Soft whispers echoed behind me as the nurse assigned to me apologized before taking another swab at one of the numerous wounds on my back. At least this time it was a lot smoother as it ran across the wound.

All I could do is groan to myself when Dr. Thomas finally finished unwrapping my injured wrist. As fine as it is feeling it be less constricted by bandages, any comfort coming from it went out of the window with how Dr. Thomas had this grin on his face as he examined it carefully and critically. At least he's handling it better than the nurse behind me with my back, but having something cold rub against my wounds felt very satisfying after the initial pain, so that's a plus for her.

My eyes wandered past the doctor and to the royal princess sitting across from him on the nearest bed. Nero, who couldn't be allowed near me at the moment, simply sat beside Dagger and waited while I was being tended to. The troubled expression all over her face most likely meant she is thinking about how her magic couldn't treat me properly than being concerned with how bad my injuries are. I mean I would wonder too if my powers aren't working as intended if I had white magic powers. Thank the existing gods in this world that I only have to worry about my light-like chains actually working instead.

"You know what they say about people who stare like that for a long time: they tend to give the color red the blues." I tried to offer some comedy since the room's too serious at the moment. However, she just frowned for a second before standing up. So much for my efforts.

"Doctor, would you mind if I show you instead of telling you about what I said earlier?" She asked the busy doctor. I could see him raise his eyebrow and notice him stop at his examination.

"While it would take away precious time at treating this young man of his injuries if I indulge in my curiosity," he said as I internally sighed as I could already hear a 'but' coming, "But it would definitely help Blake here if we can experiment with magic for a minute."

Yes, experiment on the injured patient as if he has already given his consent.

"You should weigh in the positives and negative before you start complaining, young man." Dr. Thomas told me as he straightened his posture upon standing. The cold dabbing on my back stopped, the nurse tending to my wounds already crossing to the other room for the exit. "Positive: your wounds are healed and you would be ready to go sooner than later. Negative: we just wasted a minute of your time to sate our curiosity."

Well it looks like I didn't have any other choice but to let this pass. Perhaps if I let Dagger get this out of her mind I might be able to ask her about her eidolon power. So I finally relent, prompting Dagger to approach us and leaving Nero on the bed alone.

"Let us first do a practice healing then," Dr. Thomas said as he picked pulled out a scalpel from his coat. Why does he have one just lying around in his pocket!? Wouldn't he accidentally cut himself!?

But cutting himself was actually the goal here as he let the sharp blade make a small incision on his index finger. A drop of blood gathered at the edge and rolled down the digit as he is presenting the self-made cut to Dagger.

With a single nod, she closed her eyes and let her palm hover near the wound. Dr. Thomas' hand glowed white for a second, the small light show disappearing as quick as it appeared and ended with the eccentric man smiling. I saw him raise his finger close to his eyes, examining it before showing it to me.

"Practice cut healed. No traces of skin tearing or malformation from the magic's healing abilities as well." He reported, but it felt like he wasn't done yet when he looked at his scalpel once again and then to his hand. "I say we test a bigger cut on a regular person. It might be inadequate to compare such a small cut to the state of Blake's back."

I was about to say to hurry it up so I can get out of the infirmary, he turned his scalpel to the palm of his hand, blade ready to cut across it. Fortunately for us, Dagger was quicker on the draw, stopping him before he could go for a second practice healing by taking his tool.

"That should be enough practice, doctor. Can we move on to the important part then?" Dagger said as she placed the tiny blade on the side table.

"Of course." He moved over a few steps and let Dagger walk past him. "It's good that not everyone has magic like yours, Princess Garnet. I would be out of the job if that were the case."

Both the doctor and the princess walked to the other side of the bed to observe my back. I could hear Dagger taking in a breath before that familiar wave of warmth washes over my back. Momentarily, I started to feel better, that I could straighten my back without flinching numerous times. But just like the time in Pinnacle Rocks, once Dagger's magic dissipated, my back flared and a number of spots burned like hell, pain surging up to my neck to the point I had to curl up to a ball to make the point go away before I humiliated myself with a spiel of 'It hurts!' rolling out of my mouth.

I could hear Dr. Thomas hum as the sound of feet circling the area came to my ears. "That is partly worrisome and partly incredible. The latter because this is the first time I have seen or heard about someone rejecting the helpful properties of magic. The former due to Blake's growing list of souvenirs from bodily harm growing even more and his recovery time will be affected with each additional one."

"Can that nurse come back and rub that oil on my back again…?" I weakly ask, turning on the bed so my back is on the seemingly cold blanket. The feeling of the soft mattress just below it made it an even better feeling.

"Is this the first time this has happened?" It was time for the princess to answer to the doctor's curiosity.

Dagger shook her head and let her chin rest on her hand. "No. It happened also on our way to Lindblum the first time. But I didn't think my power was failing me because the bones in his wrist were broken, a type of injury I have no experience in healing." Don't worry, Dagger. I don't blame you for not being able to fix my wrist. It's not your fault. Besides magic shouldn't be the end all, be all conclusion for medicine and treatments anyway. What if we built a society dependent on white magic growth for centuries and then suddenly we lose it? No one would know how to treat injuries and sickness anymore the old fashioned way.

The point I wanted to make : I still hate Black Waltz No. 3 with a passion and wish I have a training dummy look-a-like so I can stab it in the face with my poison dagger for breaking my wrist again.

As Dagger continued to explain our circumstances as to how she barely had any reason to heal me during the rest of the time I was with her on our journey to her home, it finally occurred to me that I can still be healed. Alyssa gave me a potion after Dagger's magic failed and it made me feel somewhat better. And as much as it brings shivers to my spine, Inoire did heal me after he broke my hand. I guess that's two points we can explore at a later date too that they would like to hear.

They turned to me when I mentioned that potions can still heal me and that I was healed by the other mystery man in Brahne's employ. Dr. Thomas stepped towards the side table and grabbed his scalpel again, acting hastefully to test the first circumstance, a sight that would have gotten him tackled to the floor if there were any competent security nearby. But thanks again to Dagger for swiping the small tool away from his hand and explaining that she can attest to my claim by being there when it happened and that he would just have to take my word for the second circumstance.

Lindblum Grand Castle's resident medical expert started pacing in front of the bed as he started to rattle off possible theories dancing in his head, the thought of cutting someone to test their ideas now long gone. "Numerous possibilities can explain this phenomenon and all of them are unproven. I would love to have the opportunity to write a paper about this, but it seems we don't have any resources to allot to this endeavor at the moment. However, I would like to say that one of the possibilities I had in mind is that young Blake here might have developed an aversion to the princess' healing magic."

"Doesn't that only happen if I'm exposed to it numerous times." I asked.

"That is a very good point, my boy." Then he snapped his fingers after a beat. "Or your body is quick to develop immunities against external forces to compensate for your weak interior and damage-absorbing capabilities."

Now that's a bit of a stretch. Even Dagger looked unimpressed with it. "I'm sure there are better explanations than that."

But he recovers from the awkward silence, coughing into his closed hand and tried to shrug it off by going to a different point. "...Anyway, we have no definite way to prove what is wrong with our injury-heavy friend here. All we can hope is that he avoids physical stress and recovers from his current string of injuries." As if the infirmary operated on the same wavelength with him, the nurse from earlier came back, and this time she had a bottle in her hand. "We'll just douse your bruises with some oil to make moving less uncomfortable, then wrap you up with some more bandages, and issue some medicine for your body to absorb some needed vitamins so you can recover faster and be healthier. You should be ready to go after that."

Him and the nurse helped to make me comfortable on the bed, spreading me out so my entire front was laying down and my back was fully exposed to the static air of the room. I could see Dagger looking at the door while they were helping me move, the thought of her leaving to go and talk with her uncle and the regent entered my mind. I've yet to ask her what has been bothering me since Ramuh gave me the proverbial stink eye.

"Hey Dagger, while you're here, mind if I ask you something about what happened in Pinnacle Rock?" It wouldn't be polite of me if I just randomly blurt out that she now has active eidolon powers. What if she didn't want anyone else, aside from our group, to know?

I could barely turn my head to see how she reacted to my question, especially with the two other people around moving about, but when she moved over to her original seat by Nero I took that as her allowing me to speak about it.

"I've never encountered eidolons before and-whoa, cold! Seeing one talk to us was a bit of an experience- Careful! That still stings, you know!" I winced into the bed after one of the doused cotton balls touched a particularly sore spot. "What I'm trying to say is since they seem to be able to act like their own person, do they bother you when they're not around? Like do they talk to you in your head like a tiny voice?" I emphasized my question by tapping on my own head.

She considered it for a second, placing a hand on her ear and closing her eyes to see if she can indeed hear voices in her head. And then she tilts her head as she answers. "I can hear something slightly if I tried, but only rumblings of Ramuh's voice. Similar to talking with another person through walls, which is somewhat of an appropriate metaphor for a spirit dwelling in another dimension." Her words fall off for a few seconds, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration.

"I bet it will be hell when you start getting more." The mental image of Dagger arguing with herself came into mind and it deserved a bit of a chuckle. A tap of cold cotton against the wrong spot on my back didn't let me enjoy that image as much as I wanted. The sheepish look of the nurse and the pleased grin of Dr. Thomas didn't help either. "Sheesh! Lighter touches, please!"

"There's something about it though." Now that's a curious statement. "Since we left the elevator, Ramuh's voice has been...somewhat more noticeable."

Now that's weird, which is not unexpected since this is summoning spirits we're talking about. But if Ramuh was quiet from the time he was recruited by Dagger up to the elevator ride then something might be affecting the spirit. That's either a good sign or a bad sign, and if we can get enough context we'll figure out which side of the spectrum this applies to.

"I'll try to figure out what Ramuh is saying." Yes, please have a casual conversation with the frightening and electrifying god of thunder. I'll be over here grimacing with each contact of cold whatever-it-is-called-in-the-medical-library liquid on my back.

To be fair, the treatment only lasted a few minutes more. The doctor tried to get me to stretch a bit, and it kind of worked when there was a reduced amount of flinching due to back pain. Dagger was quiet throughout the entire time they were wrapping up my torso and some of my shoulders as if I had gone through the Spanish announce table at a wrestling show. Okay, that mental image looked very cool, but I don't really want to go through a table.

Once I was given a new set of clothes to wear to replace my tattered ones due to damage it went through in the interrogations and took any of the items I had in my pockets in its new place, and it was even more surprising I was brought the same kind of shirt and pants that I bought at Endless Colour, I was finally allowed to leave. I thanked the doctor for helping me again despite how I acted again. Even if he is a bit of an oddball, he still does his job excellently. I still would prefer to stay away if he invited me to dinner though. He simply bowed and didn't mind it, saying he can now go make his rounds and see if everyone in the main force is healthy enough to fight.

"I'm sorry, Ramuh doesn't seem to want to cooperate at the moment." Dagger apologized as we made our way to the elevator.

"Well I'm sure if it was important he would speak up." I said as I adjusted Nero in my sling. He's nudging me in the chest and looking up at me with his dark eyes. Good thing he can't pout because that would complete the sad chocobo look, and I don't want to know if that would work on me or not. "Don't worry, buddy. We'll get something to eat after we meet up with the regent."

Just as we exited the infirmary, two nurses came rushing in with someone on a stretcher. This person had this olive colored attire, the chest area darkened by red as a cloth is tied around it, but it seem it is not enough to contain the blood. It happened all so fast that I didn't get to have a proper look. It did seem strange though.

Was the invasion happening right now? But that injured person wasn't burned or stabbed. Well, it didn't look like it. His wounds kind of don't match with the weaponry Alexandria uses. What if-

"Blake, we have to go!" The princess alerts me of our situation and literally pulls me out of my trance through my arm. I guess I can wonder about that guy later.

- Alyssa -

After our brief meeting with the good doctor, our guard lead us to where Regent Cid is usually located. He opened the doors for us and we entered, hoping to get some good news from the regent, only to find Minister Artania being the only person there, pacing left and right and only stopping when we came in. He only spoke when the guard closed the door behind him, standing in front of it in silence and full alert.

"Thank goodness you are back from Burmecia!" The Minister looked like he was partly at ease when he saw us.

"Minister, we apologize for rushing here. We would like to speak with the Regent as soon as possible. It is of the utmost importance we share this information with him." Freya bowed a bit before continuing to step forward.

"Where's the weirdo anyway?" Zidane added. His words got him an elbow to the side from Steiner for his choice of words.

"He is away on important matters, but he should be here in a few minutes if there are no complications." He informed us.

"Yeah, that's why we're here! We saw him on our way out of Cleyra!" Zidane told him. "He saved our asses out there before Brahne could have us executed and get everyone in Cleyra killed."

"So the contents of the letter is real." Minister Artania turned slightly, yet we could clearly hear what he had just mumbled.

"Letter?" Vivi repeated what everyone had in mind, except for Zidane. He subtly took a step to my side. Being the only other person who knows where it came from would probably make it difficult to keep it a secret, but the man's an actor. He should know how to act dumb long enough to get through it.

"Yes, we received a letter shortly after you departed for the City of Eternal Rain. Its contents are...very alarming."

"Was it a threat against the Regent's life?" I asked, trying to keep the facade up.

"Not just his life, but of everyone in Burmecia and Lindblum as well." Minister Artania added gravely. I could hear Steiner and Vivi gulp loudly while the rest of us just exchanged looks. "The short of it is that the letter detailed what happened in Burmecia and Cleyra. It arrived seconds after you left. But I would like ask you one thing: what did you do before you got here?"

The blond thief crossed his arms as he thought over his answer, his tail swinging left and right as he went over the events. "...Well, after we helped out in Cleyra, we escaped from Alexandria. Broke out Steiner and Blake from the dungeon and saved Dagger from being killed by the queen. Not the smoothest prison breaks, but we did what we could." Zidane summarized.

"And do you know something about eidolon magic?"

"The queen nearly killed all of Cleyra with it!" Vivi answered.

Freya added as she pointed to Zidane. "We had distracted her long enough for the regent to fully stop her attempt. We even made away with the summoning stone she was about to use." This prompted the thief to pull out said item that was about to bomb Cleyra to kingdom come. It had a powerful sheen of blue to its smooth surface. If I was just an unknowing, regular girl, I wouldn't believe anyone that says this thing contains enough power to turn a massive tree to a stump.

The Minister visibly sighed, his fingers pressing against the bridge of his nose. "Hearing that confirms that the letter is a credible source of information, which could only mean more bad news for the city." He then turns his attention to the guard. "Alert the ground forces. The attack will be happening today. Prepare the underground passages."

The red guard saluted and exited the room as quickly as he can. I could hear the guards outside start to move together in such a rush that their armor made too much noise. Shouting followed it and it felt like everyone stationed outside started to get out of there just to follow orders. Minister Artania didn't seem bothered by it, but he started pacing again, which left me unsure if he was worried about the order he had just given out or about something else.

When we had our privacy again once it closed, Freya stepped forward and a clear intention to sate her curiosity, which Vivi and Steiner also wanted. "Minister, I don't know what is happening around here. We need an explanation so we can be on the same level of understanding."

A shadow passes over the window behind him right as he is about to answer, one that's big enough to cover the entire thing. He walks up to it with haste, looking out for a few seconds before walking past us, a sense of calm taking the Minister compared to how tense he was since he gave out the order.

"You can get the full explanation from the Regent himself. Come, let's meet him at the castle balcony. He enjoys his lengthy explanations when there's a view." He tells us as he walks past us towards the door. I'm not objecting to a good view, but we should just explain it to the other here and now and iron out the details once Regent Cid hops out of his ship.

But before I could even think of any good way of saying that, everyone was already on their way out. Zidane is waiting for me at the door waving at me to move. Nothing I can say would have stopped them right then and there and got the Minister to explain what was happening. Unless I mentioned I was the one who wrote the letter. I'm not ready for that kind of confession. Not yet.

Taking in a breath to bury that thought deeper into my head, I followed them out of the room and to a different hall leading upwards. Walking through the hall in a quiet rush was a decent distraction for my brain. Wondering what Regent Cid thought about the letter at first or what he wanted to do after learning about it would only spread to other possibilities I didn't want to explore. I didn't need to think about anything else that would add to my stress levels.

At one of the intersections before a big door, we heard a couple of people coming from the other way at what sounded like a jogging pace. They stopped when they turned around the corner. Three guards in red, one of them carrying in their hands the mutated form of the Regent, complete with his regal robe around his small shoulders. I could hear Dagger's uncle give out a breath before he bowed.

"No time for formalities! We have to talk about the letter. I'm sure it has been brought up already?" Regent Cid asked and we all nodded afterwards. "Good. Say, where's Garnet? I would've expected her to be with you, especially with her loud knight around."

"She is at the infirmary, sir!" Steiner reported complete with a salute. "Her Highness accompanied our injured comrade, Blake Skylark, there due to her healing abilities not working on him."

"As troubling as that sounds, we might not have enough time to dawdle and worry." The Regent said, tapping on his carrier's hand. "To the balcony. I want to see the city whole one more time before certain disaster strikes."

HIs red entourage of guards overtook us, opening the door to our destination. A few steps took us from the carpeted and smooth floors of the castle to the gray stone surface of that part of the balcony, winding blowing against us this high up in the castle. Its citizens were still identifiable below, but they were basically running around for some reason. And then there were a noticeable number of airships hovering all over the city instead of flying, more than the amount we saw when we got here. How did they suddenly appear out of nowhere? Is this related to what Minister Artania said earlier?

Regent Cid took off from his guards' hands after another soldier carried a somewhat regal-looking chair decked with a very comfortable red velvet cushion and landed squarely on the seat. He didn't have time to comment about how soft it was, despite the mewling sound he made a second later, and pointed towards the city.

"Not the best of sights of Lindblum, but it's as beautiful as it gets right now before a war erupts between us and Alexandria." Cid stated as he looked at the city in front of him. "We've prepared as much as we can, yet I fear it could not be enough."

"We have been waiting for an explanation about this business about a letter, and now we're being told that we are close to a war erupting! Can someone please explain it to all of us so we may get a better understanding of the situation!?" Steiner's frustrated plea brought an awkward silence between everyone present on the balcony. Can't blame him for being so puzzled at the moment since he's not in the loop.

Both individuals in charge of the city shared a look before having this quiet understanding. Artania finally ended our waiting and pulled out the letter from his jacket pocket, complete with envelope and all. It looked a bit ruffled, but it showed it was still in one piece when he took the actual letter out of its paper container.

"Written in this letter is a warning to the Regent that Queen Brahne of Alexandria not only planned to attack Burmecia, but also its sister city, Cleyra, and Lindblum as well." Minister Artania started to explain as he handed Zidane the letter for him to see. "It told us that Brahne plans to take over the Mist Continent by launching a number of surprise attacks on the major kingdoms. And they have already succeeded with Burmecia by the time we have sent you there."

"And it makes us wish we got there sooner..." I said, taking the letter briefly to scan it. Yeah, that's my handiwork alright. There would have been more Burmecians still alive if we had acted sooner. If only I had the guts to warn them ahead of time. My hand passes the letter over to Freya for her to see.

"I didn't want to believe it when I first read it. Who in their right mind would simply believe a random letter, gwok?" Regent Cid continued from where the Minister left off. An understandable point, one of the few things I expected after I wrote it. "We already have scouts reporting to us every day if Brahne would make a move, but we didn't expect it to happen in the past few days. It was only when a small family of Burmecian survivors managed to find their way here and mentioned other survivors fleeing to the City of Illusion that we took the letter seriously, gwok. Suddenly we were reacting to two problems: One, gwok, of them is getting some of our forces together to assist against Brahne's forces. But by the time we had gotten our airships and men together, gwok, they were already in the midst of trying to destroy Cleyra."

"Most of our manpower was focused on the second problem: finding a way to fortify the city." The Minister took over then, waving a hand over the city before us. "Upon announcing to the city of what would happen, majority of our citizens volunteered to fight against the impending invasion, some of those that heeded our call were past participants of the Festival of the Hunt. We evacuated the women, children, and those that did not want to take part for their safety. But despite the number of people willing to join us in this fight, we still lacked time and resources. Fortifying the entirety of Lindblum would take too much time. All we could do is find a way to surprise them as they attack the city."

"Gwok! Since the letter said Brahne would come to Cleyra on an airship, we prepared for any possibility of an air battle. We prepped one of our available airships with weapons. It took all day with these oglop hands, gwok, but we made it work." If Regent Cid could pose as a very proud oglop, he sure was trying now as he thumped his tiny hands against where I think his chest was.

"Actually, one of the mechanics in town helped and finished adding the cannons for us, sir." One of the red guards standing idly behind the chair piped up.

"...Eh...Uh...It was a group effort!" If the regent wasn't so orange we might be able to see him blushing. He cleared his throat in an attempt to brush off the awkwardness after that to keep going. "In the end, we were prepared to face Brahne in airship combat if it came to that. Luckily, we got to the scene right before tragedy would have struck. And from what we've seen after we made sure the Red Rose had fled for good, we got there just in the nick of time. Many of the surviving soldiers in Cleyra were glad to see us, a few probably angry that we had just decided to step in late in the attack. I can't blame them. I, too, wished that we were able to get there faster. There's no excuse we could offer for being unable to help enough, which is why we had taken in their wounded and gave supplies to those in Cleyra."

Minister Artania walks close to the edge of the balcony, pointing to one of the many airships above the city. It kinda looked like they were in a holding pattern as they circled around the city perimeter. "And now we are somewhat prepared to resist any attempt to invade Lindblum. I refuse to take a knee over Brahne's greedy ambitions."

"As strange as seeing the contents of this letter is, it might have been for the best that you reacted this way." Freya had just skimmed through the letter and offered her current thoughts about it. "I am thankful that you helped when it mattered the most. I wouldn't know what I would do if I saw the rest of my countrymen killed before me."

"We might've gotten to Burmecia too late, but at least we got there for Cleyra just in time. We stopped Brahne from destroying the City of Illusion, got one of her summon stones, and we got Dagger out of Alexandria before she got her executed! I'd say that's a job well done for us even if the fight's not yet over."

"What did you just say?"

Hearing Blake's voice state that question made me freeze up, the hint of disbelief in his voice was subtle for everyone else to notice, but I felt it hit me in the gut at that very moment. Everyone else turned around to see him and Dagger finally arrive with the latter walking through the doorway and onto the balcony. Dagger mostly looked unaffected that we had started without her, but Blake was glued to spot by the doors. Seeing them finally get here after their brief visit to the doctor was anything but relieving. I thought they would be there longer…

"Mother tried to attack Burmecia and Cleyra?" Dagger still needs to be caught up after missing all the gritty details on what her mother has done.

"We saved Cleyra and beat Brahne's army back before they could invade it." Vivi's apt summary got Blake moving towards us and he crossed the distance from the door to the Regent's chair in just a few steps, a speed an injured man doesn't usually take.

"What? How!?" Even with the restraint he was showing, there's the evident alarm in his voice.

"A letter from an anonymous source." Steiner said as he presented the note, which was quickly snatched from his hand by Blake.

I gulped as he started reading the paper in his hand while Zidane and the others tried to explain to Dagger what had happened while she was out of action. My eyes can't help but follow him as he paced around with the letter close to his face while trying to give clear facts of what happened in our time Cleyra. What is running through that guy's mind? The letter is blocking his face so I can't really see how he's taking this.

"This is horrible. What good does Mother think it will do to our kingdom if she tries to take over the continent?" Dagger didn't want to believe it. She had a lot of things she didn't want to believe was happening so adding this one to her growing list probably made her feel worse. "Does the letter have anything else important to say?"

Blake looked up at us and then at the letter, a clear point of hesitation in his eyes. But after he closed them, he focused on the letter again before finally reading a part of it. "...let everyone who can help fight against the tide of black mages that Brahne plans to use to invade your city. Not only will she use them and her own army against you, but she will also summon another eidolon that will...inhale... parts of...the city...to render it vulnerable."

"We have to find a way to repel her attack!" Dagger insisted, but Regent Cid merely shook his head.

"We have prepared as much as we can already, Your Highness." Her uncle said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "All we can hope is that it will be enough to turn the tide."

She then turns to Zidane with a look pleading for some kind of an answer. But then she notices the object in his hand, a slightly shiny rock that would have obliterated Cleyra to smithereens. Her finger points to it and extends her hand once Zidane shows it to her. The small item is placed in her hands as per her silent request. Her shoulder hitch up upon contact with her gloved hands, but they, along with her eyes, sink slowly as she closes her hand around it.

"Odin…" I winced at the mention of the eidolon. Even Blake tried to take a step away from Dagger. We didn't want to be anywhere close to the eidolon that fried Cleyra in the game. Though we might be worrying too much if we're acting like this to a rock. "Yes, I feel this was once a part of my power before." Dagger spoke in a weird, calm way, almost like she's relieved to feel the stone's power. "Oh! Uncle, you can use this!"

The Regent tilted his entire round figure when Dagger suggested this. He stared at her curiously as she knelt in front of him, presenting the stone in her hand to him. Looking over her shoulder along with the rest of our group, we could see Regent Cid accept it with his tiny oglop hands.

"Thank you, Garnet. I deeply appreciate you offering your eidolon to help us." He then bounced off the chair and landed on her shoulder to hug at the girl's cheek. "If only I wasn't a blasted oglop I may have been able to find more ways to defend the city."

"But what should we do now that everyone knows Alexandria is going to attack?" Vivi asked. "Should we stay and help everyone-"

"No!" Blake blurted out, turning heads towards him once again. When the awkwardness of the whole situation finally hit him, he tried to straighten himself out and pointed to the letter. "I-I mean, we shouldn't stay here... since the seven of us can't add anymore to what the regent has done up to now. We'd be only getting in the way. Surely we can contribute in a different way, right?"

"Well…" The Regent spoke up, jumping to the top of his chair with the summoning stone still at hand. "There is one more thing I want to do, but won't be able to investigate due to lack of resources at the moment…"

It must've been a relief for Blake when the topic of Brahne's weapons dealer came. But as soon as everyone was throwing ideas on what to do about Kuja, his nose was back on the letter, his full attention disregarding what is supposed to be an important discussion about the fate of the Mist Continent. I don't blame him for prioritizing what was probably driving him crazy, but being too focused on one thing is going to hurt him in the end.

- Blake -

"Dear Lindblum Grand Castle Staff,

Sorry if this letter has come so suddenly, but it is very important that this reaches the hands of Regent Cid, or at least Minister Artania. Bad things are about to happen to the Mist Continent and there are only a few things that can be averted if this letter is taken seriously.

"This letter will reveal itself once the Festival of the Hunt is finished and the celebration has started. You will have a party crasher from Burmecia, asking for help and relays the information that black mages are attacking their border grotto and their city. Alexandria will be behind this, Queen Brahne and her weapons dealer Kuja. Stopping them from attacking will probably a lost cause right now as they have completely taken over Burmecia in their search for their king, but what you can do is try to control the damage by sending aid. The four people you send out will not be enough.

"Not only is Burmecia being targeted, but also its sister city, Cleyra, as well for housing the King of Burmecia after his escape and a jewel that protects the very tree itself with the sandstorm around it. If what I think will happen comes true, Brahne will arrive in the Red Rose and use a powerful eidolon to decimate and annihilate every person in Cleyra after taking an important jewel in the settlement. That must not be allowed to happen! Interfere at all costs! Prevent the massive bloodshed and prevent Brahne from wiping out the Burmecians!

"If you think Brahne will be satisfied with just that, you're wrong. She'll move her sights over to the city of Lindblum just so she can complete her stranglehold on the Mist Continent. I would suggest you arm everyone in the city. Men and women who are capable of fighting, let everyone who can help fight against the tide of black mages that Brahne plans to use to invade your city. Not only will she use them and her own army against you, but she will also summon another eidolon to render your city vulnerable. Have everyone be on guard in case of an attack. Put guards on the walls of the city, make sure to look for Brahne's ship, the Red Rose, on the horizon. Once you see it, that will be the beginning of Lindblum's invasion.

"Please, do not shrug this letter off as a mere prank. I've thought long and hard how to go about this and writing this letter was the only thing I could do on such short notice. If you don't believe me, ask the four you sent what happened after Cleyra. They will tell you that they went to Cleyra to help out the Burmecians and Alexandria to save Princess Garnet from execution. They will return with Her Highness, a bit traumatized, but safe overall. They will also tell you that Queen Brahne forcibly took Garnet's summoning power as well, using it for her own purposes. Their escape should include fighting off General Beatrix, monsters unleashed by the queen's jesters, being chased by a massive worm-like thing as they tried to flee underground using gargants, and the princess getting an eidolon to help her before getting here.

"If you do happen to believe me and have taken precautions, I would like to suggest one more thing. Hide the Falcon Claw away in case Alexandria manages to invade. That is one of their goals. If they get it, Lindblum loses.

"I hope that is specific enough to prove that you will believe the words written here.

"Yours truly, a concerned citizen."

Concerned citizen my ass!

Everything I know about the history and events of Gaia from here on out is slipping through my fingers now that this letter exists, like grains of information falling through the cracks, never to be seen again and all I can do is watch them.

Trying to understand the letter is only a fool's errand since it lays out what should have been a disastrous series of events done by the hand of an ambitious and woman controlled only by her greed and desire for power. Now that's no longer the case. She's still on the offensive, but one of her targets have potentially escaped through the skin of their teeth with the assistance of a third party and now her next target knows of her planned assault on them, giving them some time to prepare against it.

Someone out there clearly knows as much as Alyssa and I and they are ruining everything! This is definite proof that they don't want the bloodshed to happen. While I commend them for their concern, they are making things worse for everyone else by interfering and causing shifts in the story. Bloodshed has to happen to keep the story straight, but I don't have the ability to make that happen. I don't have the connections to follow through that wish, to make things right as they were so I can keep my foreknowledge and remain safe from any sudden surprises.

Some of the things they mention here are very specific, especially the last part. How in the world would this person know all of that in that particular order? Are they psychic or did they have a vision showing the entire sequence like a movie? One possibility that pops into my mind is that this person might be like Alyssa and I. They might be trapped here too and foolish enough to try and change history.

I admit though I have influenced some changes on my own, like the horrible soldier that wanted my head and the attempted prison break, while there were some choices that hurt me more than made things better. But at least I am not changing something so big that it is causing the world to react in ways I can't predict. Kuja might as well fly in here with his silver dragon and attack everything for Brahne because that's possible now! The future isn't so certain now!

I stop pacing for a moment and take breath, putting the letter away from my face so I could take a second to relax. Okay, relaxing with everything that's going on, with the 'planning to find where Kuja is' conversation the others are having, the buzz of the airships, and the building stress in my head might be a bit difficult, but still it's worth a try to clear my head.

Whoever made this letter is going to pay…

"Any ideas, Blake?"

The mention of my name snaps me out of my thoughts. Some of them are staring at me again, not as surprised as my little outburst earlier, yet they were waiting for a response.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I'm sure everyone else has a better idea than what I have, which is nothing at the moment." I honestly answered before going back to the letter. It's a first, I know. They actually moved on without me in their discussion. Though I did see Alyssa looking at me, only to look away when I would raise an eyebrow at her. What's gotten her so worried so much? I'm not going to break a bone by staring too hard at a piece of paper.

Trying to analyze the letter for clues is as useful as watching paint dry. Even if there was any clue here, word usage to phrasing, I didn't have any idea what I was looking for or how to find it. If only I had 'detective vision' from the Batman Arkham games I used to play… That would make finding out who wrote this easier.

So I finally surrendered and put down the letter once again. It seems like all of my worst enemies are made of paper. I don't know if I should be surprised or extremely annoyed at this.

At the same time, everyone seemed to be in agreement on what to do for the time being. The plan is to find wherever Kuja's home base is, which was reported to be somewhere up north outside of the Mist Continent. With the regent knowing most of what happens around his own kingdom, he points us to this excavation in the Qu's Marsh might help us out. Before we go there though, we are advised to get better equipment. That's good advice actually since my normal dagger was taken away and some of my armor pieces fell off during the torture sessions and our escape from Alexandria. Some replacements would be nice.

We were directed towards the armory and item inventory on the Middle Level if we feel the need to fill up and get new weapons. Everyone seemed to be on board for that so we started to file out of the balcony. Regent Cid said he would stay here to direct his aerial forces, after he transfers some of his radio equipment there, and to engrave this sight of the city in his mind.

"This will be the last time I see Lindblum like this." His words sounded like a promise.

As I was turning around to join the others on their way inside, I hear Minister Artania's words call to me. "It seems that letter has gotten your attention. Is there anything about it to cause your focus on it other than the impending disaster that is about to strike the city?"

I look at the letter in my hand, dumbly thinking I could bring with me so I can analyze it more, and look up to the man in red. "Yeah, whoever wrote this has an ulterior motive. I wouldn't trust it if I were you."

"Too late for that, unfortunately."

"Yeah. Unfortunate. Like the handwriting on this thing." I gave the letter one more look before extending it to the Minister.

"We've taken all of the information from that letter to good use. Perhaps it might serve your curiosity better." His older hand pushes mine back towards me. Well if he insists, I'm not one to decline an opportunity to delve deeper into this letter. Besides, I already have another piece of paper that's enchanted just to taunt me. This one seems ordinary enough. Possibly harmless. A fine addition to the collection.

Let's just hope it stays harmless.

I am stopped right at the door when I hear the regent's signature (for now) oglop sound. "I almost forgot, gwop! Please take this to the princess!"

The oglop-ized ruler directed the minister to me, to which he presented me with a small pouch. I looked at him for a second before taking it off his hands. "And this is…?"

Minister Artania decided to show me as well as answer me vocally. When he pulled out this clear jewel in the shape of a bird about to swoop in on its prey attached to a thin chain as though it should be worn like a necklace. The bird, a falcon no doubt, shined in the afternoon light.

"The Falcon Claw." He presented to me. I didn't say anything because the jewel, while almost as big as my palm, looked like an expensive piece of jewelry that I shouldn't even be looking at. "If this letter is indeed true, the regent would like to make sure it is in safe hands."

He placed it back in the pouch in my hand and closed it for me. "I-I'll make sure the princess gets this." The minister merely nodded, the sight of the regent looking at us from the top of his chair doing the same thing as well before I pocketed the valuable jewel and left.

Riding to the Middle Level was filled with talk of what to do when we get to Kuja and how we would exactly find them. I didn't offer any opinion about the matter since actually getting to him is still a disc of plot away. Of course they don't know that, but I might as well throw that notion out of the window if this letter is changing everything. He might as well greet us the moment we step out of this elevator with a bow and a monologue before vaporizing us.

Everyone divided into two groups. Freya, Steiner, and Vivi first went to the item inventory to stock up on the necessary items for our group while Dagger, Zidane, Alyssa, and I headed to the armory for weapons. I asked for one of their sturdier daggers, a Mythril Dagger, while I kept my poison one strapped to my leg. Our resident princess seemed to prefer Air Rackets instead of Rods, most likely due to being a ranged weapon. The other two asked for better versions of their weapons.

We briefly tested them on the available dummies they had to make sure we were satisfied with them. I walked up to one and stabbed the head five times, the blade cutting deep enough for just a one handed thrust in the fabric, even for me. That's all I can ask for.

I placed my desired Mythril Dagger on the counter, I tried to think how much money I still had on me that wasn't taken during those interrogations. Emptying my pockets felt like a struggle when I went for my right side. Anything in my pockets, from the small vials of sleeping potions to lint to pieces of paper I've forgotten about to som gil coins, were placed on the counter. I thought that was why the guy in charge of the armory was looking at me funny.

"Just trying to see if I have enough money." I told the guy, yet he shaked his head.

"Don't need to, buddy. The Regent told me to give you one weapon each free of charge." I was about the drop another handful of gil when I heard that.

"Oh, okay. Guess I'll be taking this back then…" Wow, the generosity of the Regent never fails to impress. Is this what it feels like to know royalty and subsequently help royalty in their adventures? If so, I can keep living like this so I never have to spend a dime.

As I was putting everything back in my pockets, some of the papers I have get my attention. The letter is neatly folded and placed in my back pocket, so these ones must be the other bane of my existence. But why so many though?

I pick up the smaller one that's crumpled up recklessly. Opening it reveals the printed picture of a scene from Dagger's favorite play and some spiel about celebrating her birthday in the grandest sense. Surprisingly it looked like its old self. Perhaps it's the presence of the others in the room or because I've already encountered who it came from.

"We shall see which of you has the determination to change their fate."

My head is full of these ominous messages that it's even starting to fill my pocket. If I ever cross paths with that guy again, which I hope won't be soon, I'll have to bring that up with him after our group brings him down. Perhaps he's with Kuja since both of them share the 'mysterious powerful man' gimmick fantasy worlds love. We might be able to find him in the Outer Continent too.

After pocketing that, my hand goes over to the bigger one. It's also a bit crumpled and is about the size of a notebook, except it didn't have the tearing to prove it was from one. When I scanned its contents, it showed me a list. Some of it were scratched out, others were left unmarked. The list was actually familiar.

It's Alyssa's list of possible job offers. I tried to use this to find a job that pays well, but luckily for me I didn't need it. The job actually found me.

Her handwriting style needs some work too now that I'm looking at it again. Like try to sit down and write on an even surface! This looks like she tried to write on someone's back. I'm surprised I can even make sense of this. Good thing we're way beyond the days of snail mailing or she would have a hard time getting her letters...read…

Her letters...

My hand immediately goes to my back pocket as I retreat outside of the armory. I put the list on my sling beside Nero, who kweh'd curiously at it, and unfolded the letter with my hand. I could feel my eyes start to pop out of its sockets as I looked back and forth between the letter and list. There were clear similarities in how the letters and words are spaced, the style of how the words are written is pretty much the same, except the letter looks a bit worse. Was it rushed? Even the slight angle everything was written is 1 to 1.

This is it. This is proof. I have the writer dead to rights with this evidence.

"Blake, is something wrong?" My eyes leave the papers and see Alyssa leaning out of the armory doorway.

And the writer's right there looking at me.

"Can we talk for a minute?" It was less of a question and more of a demand, which she didn't realize until I shoved the papers into my pockets, grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down the hall.

"Wait! Where are we going? I haven't gotten my sword yet!" She's trying to pull away, but the anger bubbling in my gut found a way to keep my grip on her. I see the empty elevator and my mind finally figures out a destination. We get in and I punch in the button that gets us to the highest floor. I didn't let go of her in case she realizes what I have in mind. "Blake, where are we going?"

"Nowhere special." I answer without looking at her, only looking forward as the elevator passed the few floors between the armory and the top floor. That's how we were supposed to be, to keep an eye on what's ahead of us, avoid interfering in major points and not mess with the overall plot.

But then she decided to make a very stupid decision: To write that letter behind my back. Did she even plan on telling me directly that she did this? Did she even plan on me finding out about it at all? There were a lot of opportunities for her to lay it all out to me in Pinnacle Rock up to now and she didn't even look like it came to mind at all for her.

I look over my shoulder and see her staring at me. For the briefest moment, she caught my eye and immediately looked away.

So that's how it's going to be. Traitor…

When the elevator finally stopped at the top floor and the small fence pushed itself open, I dragged her out and went to the left towards the stairs that leads to some engine room. There were a few mechanics working there and one of them saw us walking by. He cut me off just as I was about to get to the stairs

"Hey, we're a bit busy here, man. You and your girl should go down and see where you—" I didn't let him finish his sentence when I let the chains come out and stop him in his tracks, causing him to drop to the floor when he tried to resist it.

"She's not my girl, but we have private business to conduct. Don't butt in." I didn't let the other mechanics speak up as I continued to pull Alyssa towards the next set of stairs.

"What the heck is that about!?" I ignored Alyssa's shout until we eventually got outside. This was the same place Dagger went to clear her head before the Festival of the Hunt happened. We should have some privacy up here. She kept talking as I tried to drag her to the top near the telescope. "You better have a good explanation for the way you're acting—"

Stopping at the center, I let her go and instantly turn around. "The better question is, what the FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Her flinch made it clear she didn't expect me to blow up like that. Even Nero was dead silent. He buried himself into my sling, his figure almost shaking like a leaf in the wind. I look at Alyssa and she's staring wide-eyed at me, the question reciprocated back at me, but with less vocal anger and more speechless surprise.

I took the letter from my pocket and waved it around. "This is the reason. This is why everything is so screwed up right now!" I shoved the letter into her hands, more of my anger starting to make itself known. "'Yours truly, a concerned citizen'!? Remember when I said we'd shoot ourselves in the foot if everyone figures out about what we know? THIS is shooting all of our fucking feet!"

The shock in her face became more apparent when she saw that I did have the letter with me. "H-How did you know?"

I pulled out the other paper I had. "Your lousy job hunting list. Perhaps next time don't leave any evidence behind of your handwriting!" I pushed her other paper into her hand. Her eyes scanned its contents and her shoulders suddenly dropped upon realizing her mistake. "Did you even plan on telling me about this? That you went behind my back and basically threw our advantage and the future of this world out of the window!?"

"I-I…" She started to say, but her hesitation was clear as day.

"Exactly! You! Didn't!" Every word was punctuated by a jab on her shoulder, pushing her back one step at a time. "You probably didn't care, didn't you? Thought that you could hide this from me because I didn't deserve to know. As long as I didn't know it would be better for everyone. Perhaps the possibility of me finding out got to you and you tried act very friendly when you found me hurt in Alexandria. Your little 'caring' act was just a ruse, is that it? So that I wouldn't be this angry when I find out so that you'll get more sympathy?"

"What!? N-No, I wouldn't do that!" Of course she'd deny that. What kind of 'friend' would she be if she admitted it? That doesn't make her less of a lousy person.

"So you're doing it for them, right? That's all you've been talking about. All you think about is what YOU want to do for THEIR sake! And they won't even understand because of how troubling it is to explain the concept of other worlds and their reality in accordance to ours. You're basically making it harder for us to fit in here until we find a way out!

Her hand caressed the spot I had jabbed a few seconds ago before looking up at me, frowning. "I didn't tell you earlier because I knew how you'd act." And she has the gall to be mad at ME?

I walk towards the telescope and point to city below, ignoring her statement. "I hope you enjoy the view, because this is our world now. You betrayed my trust and now you fucked it all up for us!"

"Fucked it up?" The sound of paper crumpling entered my ears. "You think I fucked it up?" I turned around, only to be met with a ball of paper hitting my chest. Nero kweh'd at the projectile and I had to cover him up in case another came. "I didn't fuck it up for us! I am trying to make it better. We'd be standing in a city virtually controlled by Alexandria if I didn't. Many of the people would be dead down there! Cleyra would have be devastated and almost everyone from Burmecia would've died! What kind of people would we be if we let that happen?"

"Better off." I responded as I tried to comfort Nero. "Because of the changes you made, which I told you time and time again would be a horrendous idea, you erased whatever knowledge we have of the future. Now I don't know what's going to happen next. Lindblum's prepped out for a fight now! Brahne might attack any minute now or maybe she'd skip Lindblum all together to get to the Outer Continent sooner rather than later! I don't know and you don't know either and it's going to drive me insane wondering about the future!"

"Knowing what happens next isn't the end-all be-all factor that allowed us to survive until now. We got through the Black Waltzes and got here safe and sound. I've survived Ellison three times now. You got tortured and you're okay now!" Not accounting for the psychological trauma. That's long lasting damage. Shouldn't you know how mentally crushing that is?

"Do you even know what kind of irreparable damage you have caused this world!? Your way of helping might have doomed this world even more!"

"We can only doom Gaia if we don't do anything about it. We have time to improve things, prepare the others for what's to come. I tried to help and look what happened. Lives were saved because of it!"

I was ready to pull out my own hair with her reasoning. "What is it with you and this obsession of yours with saving lives!? That's been one of your main reasons why you want to change this world's events, isn't it!? To save people! It always circles around to that! Always fantasizing about coming to their aid with the knowledge we have over them! Have you ever thought of yourself first before thinking anyone else would care that you're saving them!?"

"What's so wrong about helping people? It's not an obsession, its common sense to care about other people. It's not my fault that you don't care about everyone else."

"It's that naive thinking of yours that's going to get everyone killed." I crossed my arms as best as I can without strangling Nero or moving my injured one.

"So you admit you only care for yourself?"

"SO WHAT IF I DO!?" I shouted, getting too close to her that my voice made her wince. "So what if I care about surviving? I didn't decide to be brought here. I'm dumb enough to think that going with this world's main protagonists was a good idea, which for survival purposes, is not! But I'm not dumb enough to think that feeling empathy for people who should not exist should quell my conscience! This is a fantasy world with fantasy characters! It's in the name of the game. So why don't you just drop the heroism and help me?"

"Well I care about them because they're still people to me!" It was Alyssa's turn to shout at me, her index finger dug at my good shoulder once when she marched over to me. "Just because you don't believe this world actually exists doesn't mean everyone else should suffer for it. We're here now and I want everyone to get through this without losing any more than we should."

"Then what about us? We're going to lose all that we know because of your 'daring heroism' and your 'anonymous letter'. What then? Did you ever think about anything else aside from your obsession?"

"Stop calling it that!" She's shaking her head furiously. She can dodge it all she wants, but it's the only reason why she's doing this. She's obsessed with being a hero, nothing more, nothing less. "I am not obsessed with anything!"

"Not only that, but apparently we have your worst nightmare armed and ready to kill us and someone who is basically a Kingdom Hearts villain out there with intentions unknown to us. They let us go, let us escape from Alexandria for some reason, one that I'm sure we'll find out in the near future. And then I still have to contend with the walking enigma that's haunting me with cryptic riddles. Not only did you complicate our situation, but now we have to keep looking over our shoulder because of those three!"

"Then we'll figure out how to deal with them when we see them next time!"

I narrowed my eyes at her, finding her naivete very unbelieveable. "You act as if it's going to be that easy."

"You act like it's already useless to keep going when the problem is harder than it looks." She countered, crossing her arms, not budging an inch on her stubborn stance.

"Because it is! Just because we have five other people doesn't mean we can take on the entire fucking world!"

"Those five people go on to save this world! If you know anyone else willing to risk their necks for us then tell me who they are, because I'd want to meet them and ask for their help as well!"

I turn my back on her and walk over to the telescope. She's set in her ways, basically hopeless now to convince her to correct her mistakes. But she can't leave this place without knowing that she screwed up. "You're stupid if you believe they'll help you. They wouldn't understand."

"Then we explain it to them. Make them understand. It's not going to be easy since we have no proof, but I'm sure they'll consider an explanation." You don't have proof. I had mine intentionally taken away.

"Are you crazy!? They already have so much shit on their plates it would be cruel to add to that."

"Oh, now I'm cruel? You admitted you didn't care about them just a minute ago!"

Again, I ignore her words and barrel through with my own. "Brahne, Dagger's mother, is going crazy with power and her daughter is trying to find a way to fix it. Steiner's questioning his loyalty. Freya should be mourning the loss of her country, which you fucked up. And Vivi is about to just days away from an existential crisis. And you want to lump in our otherworldly problems? Do you even really care about them?"

"The solution's always been in front of you!" I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Alyssa forcibly made me face her, that frown on her face deepening. Why is she angry? Isn't she the one that should be apologetic!? She answered my thoughts when her finger jabbed into my chest. "The answer's been so simple all this time, but you're the one who wants to walk around it and make it even more complicated. All this secrecy is just hurting our chances at making them understand."

"All this secrecy is for their own good. Perhaps you don't understand it because your head is all wrapped up in the now rather than the future, Ms. Short Term Thinking! All you've done now is going to bite us in the ass very hard!"

"You talk down to me as if everything I thought is wrong and that I should always follow your lead. Maybe you should've taken into account what I feel instead of just focusing on what you want!"

"Because you should always follow MY lead."

"Why? Because you're the 'brains of the operation'?" She used both vocal emphasis and literal air quotes. My blood boiled at the sarcasm her voice had at that phrase.

"Because I am!" My hand meets her shoulder, a full blown shove to go along with my booming voice.

But she stands her ground, her eyes staring me down fiercely. "If you're the brains, then what have you done to solve our problems!?"

"What have I done? I found a way to get back! TWICE! I only failed because everyone kept getting in the way! But at least I found a way. How about you? Aside from ruining this world with your decisions, have you found any way for us to get back home!?" I gave her an opportunity to speak up, but all she could do is look away.

And in that silence, a new voice spoke up. "There you guys are! What are you two doing up here?"

I look over Alyssa's shoulder to see the main protagonist swagger towards us. Alyssa turns around, trying to wave him away. That bright smile of his started to dim when he finally took in the atmosphere around us.

"Zidane, you're not supposed to be up here." She tried to scold him. He's fast on the draw though, ducking under Alyssa's attempt of escorting him back inside and put himself between us.

"Same goes to the two of you. Here, you forgot to take your sword." That was when I noticed he was carrying a scabbard with him and he was handing it over to her. "How about we go inside, eh? It's a bit chilly inside here. Not a good place for an argument."

I felt the world slow down when he said that.

So he was spying on us. Or did Alyssa tell him to follow us. How much did he hear? It wouldn't be too surprising now since she trusted me less. When did she even truly trust me anyway? Everything was starting to unravel...

"What?" Alyssa hissed.

"I wasn't told to follow anyone. Someone saw you dragging her up here and I came here to stop a fight." Zidane reasoned. His cheery mood seemed to have dropped a bit.

I gave the thief a glare for a few seconds, his concerned features making me look away. Why does he care anyway? "This isn't your concern, Zidane. Go chase someone else's tail." He should be more concerned with Dagger and her problems than us since he got involved there more the moment the game started.

"Hey c'mon, don't be like that. You guys have been shouting at each other that the mechanics downstairs were getting worried."

"Then go down there and help your other friends!" My voice rose as I pointed down to the path leading inside the castle.

Alyssa overtook Zidane and pointed a finger at me. "Just because you have a problem with what I've done doesn't mean I'm looking for ways to mess with you. You're just paranoid!"

My glare transfers to her as try to match her height so I can look at her eye to eye. "Is it paranoia when it becomes true? Is it paranoia that the person I thought I trusted goes behind my back and does something I told her not to even when we had discussed the possible consequences already!? That's not paranoia. That's confirmation."

"Okay, clearly everyone here needs to relax. Let's take a deep breath and think carefully what we have to say next." The thief playing peacekeeper when he tried to separate us. He should stick to the job he's known for.

"She betrayed my trust! What else is there to understand!?" I slap Zidane's arm away from me while keeping an eye on the girl in front of me, who is a bit quiet, her silence obviously an admission of being useless. I shoulder past Zidane and my hand finds its way to Alyssa's shoulder, sending her stumbling a few steps back. "Do you even know what kind of sacrifice I had to make just to make sure I didn't screw everything up, what I had to do!? Even if you did, would you have done it!? If you weren't such a wannabe hero maybe you would understand that life isn't so simple!"

Why is she like this!? Undermining me? Questioning me? What the hell happened to her? At first, she used to follow what I said. Now she's talking back. Is this because she's already had a taste of this world? That she can be a hero in those deluded eyes of hers. Can't she focus on the important stuff instead of her letting her head wander to the impossible?

She's only wasting her time! If she just didn't think and instead follow what I said to her then we wouldn't be in this mess. We would be happily walking to Qu's Marsh right now to find the Outer Continent. But she had to throw that away. Make everything 'better'. All because she suddenly had the realization that she can change the world. If she hasn't read the good book of Light Yagami on changing the world and not get it, then she missed the point entirely.

Then those eyes of her stared back at me, boring right through me. "Maybe I would understand if you weren't so obsessed in your own reality that you can't reach out to anyone for help! You talk as if you care about the world when you've done nothing for it. All you've done is watch and let everything unfold. That just makes you a hypocrite!"

The way the word 'hypocrite' came out of her pushed my button for the last time. How her lip curved up afterwards, how it looked like she thought she had won. Irritating. Steam could have started coming out of my ears. It sparked something in me that I didn't realize was a mistake until it too late.

"And you're selfish and naive! If you're pathetic enough to think you can change the world on your own then you should've joined your parents in the first place. Would have saved the universe the trouble."

There wasn't that much noise at the top of Lindblum Grand Castle except for a few things. The wind howling through the midday, the engines of the nearby patrolling airships, Nero's tweeting, Zidane's tail dropping against his leg, and my heart beat rising the moment my brain registered what I had just said. Any of those couldn't be as louder as the silence that hung in the air in the five seconds that went by after I said that.

All the venom that was building up when I saw that letter, the anger of being betrayed, how everything I knew of Gaia would soon be obsolete because of Alyssa's actions, all released in just a two sentences. She didn't see it coming if her wide-eyed stare had something to say about it. Within those five seconds, that same surprised morphed into something different. Her eyes narrowed and instantly she was at an arm's length away. I would have said something if my head didn't suddenly snap to the side.

"That's enough! Both of you!" Zidane had stepped in way too late.

My left hand hovered over my cheek, the thought of touching it made it ache even more. Even a single finger touching it made me wince. My hand falls to my side while my brain tries to figure out what reaction I should be having. Should I be shocked and angry because I got hit or worried because of what happened before I got hit? I was not able to figure it out as the brown-haired girl wordlessly and swiftly turns around and runs into the castle.

Alyssa had just slapped me.

It's starting to hurt like hell, but her hand really did just mark my face. She didn't look like much, but she sure can pack a punch. Or more appropriately, a slap. Perhaps she was getting angry at me too and that frustration couldn't be contained any more. But then why is she angry? I was not the one who acted rashly and wrote that letter. She did! If anyone has the right to be angry, it's me! I should be angrier!

But at least I hadn't struck her. That showed great restraint despite the mounting frustration.

"You shoved past me and then shoved her. Some 'great restraint' that is." I heard Zidane remark.

"Why are you still here!? Can't you just leave me alone?" I demanded from him.

He just shook his head and shrugged me off. "You should go after her and apologize. I've never seen her look like that until now." The girl carries a sword and fighting monsters has become one of her daily routines. As if that's an indication of anything important. If anything, she should apologize to me! I look over and see him shake his head again. What is wrong with this guy!? "Maybe you should take a look at yourself first before you judge anyone else. And after that, you should apologize to Alyssa. After all she's done for you, this is how you treat her?"

You know what, I'm done talking about this. He's not even supposed to be here, let alone tell me what I should be doing to the girl that took my trust and stomped to the ground. I let whatever he was saying sail over my head as I walked past him, my hand unconsciously going to Nero to calm him down, as I tried to think what other items I need to stock up on.

But with every estimation of hi-potion vials I need for the future trip to the Outer Continent, the stinging on my cheek would make itself known. Getting something so small and minor was out of the question. But from how it was aching made me think it was anything but minor. Perhaps I can get Dagger to heal it a bit.

However, just as I was about to press the button to go down on the elevator (and hopefully leave Zidane behind), this excruciatingly loud whine filled the air. I tried to cover Nero's small ears from the noise, which is very effective when you're using only one hand, as I tried to see where it was coming from. The painful sound was actually coming from the elevator. The top portion of it had a speaker attached, one I haven't noticed until now.

"What's going on!?" Zidane grabbed one of the guards rushing by him.

"That's the alarm! Alexandria's on the horizon!" The guard answered. The thief quickly released him and hurried into the elevator. But before we could decide which floor to go to, we see someone in red bolting from the hallway in front of us.

"Wait!" It was Minister Artania. And he was holding the regent in his hands. They both joined us on the elevator and hit the button to the Middle Level.

"It's the Red, gwop, Rose! We caught sight of her gwop from the North East. You, gwop, have to get the others out of here, gwop!" The Regent told us as the machine started to descend.

"What do you mean get outta here? Shouldn't we stay? This isn't our first time trying to fight off Brahne's forces!" Zidane argued. I can't help but aim a glare his way, which went unnoticed. Was this also your idea, Alyssa? That you and your group in Cleyra 'found' a way to successfully fend off Alexandria's attack...Did you drag someone into our problems?

"Remember our discussion earlier. Find Brahne's weapons dealer. He is the only reason why she thinks she can conquer the continent. With him out of the picture, her strength will be depleted!" Regent Cid explained. Yes, push through the story. It will be for the best. "It would be best that you and your friends leave now to find him. We don't want you to get hurt by staying here."

"But what about everyone else? What about you?" Zidane asked.

"We will keep fighting until we cannot anymore. And my people wouldn't have it any other way." Brave words for an oglop. But then, that's why he's regent. Knowledgeable, charismatic, and bold. Qualities of a great leader.

All three of us could see that Zidane was actively trying to figure out what to do, even if it's really clear on what we should focus on, as he paced around the elevator. He could be thinking of way to convince the regent that we can stay and help out or give an alternate approach to stop Brahne from launching her attack forces. Lindblum didn't have enough resources already so their options are limited.

Unless he suggests we get an airship and fly straight into the Red Rose. Just fight them head on and force them to cancel their attack if their queen gets wounded. No one would be crazy enough to do that. Good thing I thought of it because I lack the courage for that kind of approach. Just get out of the way and let it happen, as it is supposed to happen.

...Wait! I can still partly fix what Alyssa had broken with that letter of hers. That little piece of paper kickstarted a series of events that probably could be contained. Cleyra has been saved, we might have an eidolon we can use aside from Ramuh, Freya and Steiner are here instead of Alexandria, and Lindblum could have a fighting chance against Alexandria.

I don't necessarily have to undo everything, but we can get to the Outer Continent in the same condition it is in the game. That means getting Freya and Steiner to be elsewhere instead of us. If they are in our party when we get to Qu's Marsh, we'll have 8 people. A formidable number, but clearly that's too much.

When the elevator stopped at our desired destination, Zidane finally stopped and gave the regent a pleading look. "Is there any other way we can help. There has to be something we can do."

"Actually there is." I said, stepping out of the elevator first. "All of us don't have to stay. Freya and Steiner can stay here and help fight the good fight while the rest of us find where this weapons dealer guy is. We help out on this end while completing this important objective on another end. That sounds about fair, right?"

"Wouldn't it be wiser to have more come with you to the Outer Continent? The Minister suggested. Actually it is, but that defeats the whole purpose of my idea. The original reason only three people were sent to the Outer Continent, four once Quina joins, is because anyone in Lindblum can't due to the Alexandrian occupation. With that not happening, yet a looming threat approaches, it would be better to have them here.

"Doesn't your city need more skilled people to fight against Alexandria? You get two more skilled and powerful individuals on your side and that should be a very viable addition to your defenses."

Zidane raises an eyebrow at my counter-argument. "Funny, I thought you lived here. What's this 'your city' talk all about?"

Oh, way to put me on the spot. Lousy thief and his random topic changes. "I meant that as someone who leads the city. Of course I'm not in any position of power, so it's not MY city. Besides, I'm a travelling salesman. The whole Mist Continent is my home, not just a single city."

Something about the way Zidane hummed and let the subject dropped got to me. Did he know something I didn't? Either something I said tipped him off or he's thinking of something different. Most likely about what we should do right now. But then Zidane's a clever guy, and adding that to his thieving skills, he's probably got something unexpected in mind.

However, if he didn't react horribly after hearing part of my argument with Alyssa, that would mean he knows something. Did he find out or did Alyssa tell him things? How much does he know anyway?

"As much as I believe Freya and Steiner's abilities will, gwop, inspire and aid us in this fight, it would gwop be best that they, gwop, come with you in this journey." Regent Cid said as he jumped over to Zidane's shoulder. Surely he just can't turn down having more capable people in his roster.

"Surely the princess can handle herself with her newly found summoning powers. And then there's Zidane, Alyssa, and Vivi! Their combined skills should be enough for that kind of journey." I insisted, hoping that they would just concede and take my idea. I would have demonstrated how I could help, but I didn't have that much faith in my light-based chains to work right now. "We'll make sure that nothing harms her and we'll bring this mystery weapons dealer down."

And at that moment, the world decided to make things harder for me to pull this off when the rest of our entourage came running down the hall with Dagger at the forefront. It's like this place doesn't want to cooperate with me this week. I really can't wait to find a way to get out of this world.

"Uncle! We heard the alarms. Is it true that mother has been sighted?" Dagger's suspicions was confirmed with a solemn nod. "Do we have a plan of attack? An idea of stopping her before she tries to destroy the city?"

The regent and the minister looks at Zidane and I before waving over to the elevator. "As we were telling your friends just now, it would be best to leave the city and find Kuja. Leaving anyone behind would be a detriment to your group's current skill range."

They were met with a chorus of uncertain murmurs from the four before them. The fifth member of the group, Alyssa, stayed silent at the back. But even then I felt her look this way, but her eyes didn't burn with anger like moments after she had slapped me. The reminder made my cheek sting a little, keeping it fresh in mind.

"But still," I tried to push with my idea. There's no time to think of another way. Either I convince them to go along with it or I'll have to live with the damage Alyssa has done to this world. "Freya, Steiner, don't you think it would be advantageous for you guys to stick around here and help their forces fight back? If not for the city itself, then for personal reasons! You have grudges against Brahne and this would be a great way to stick it to her!"

The two soldiers looked at each other the moment I pointed them out. Their loyalties could surely urge them to fight for Lindblum in their time of need. Her for her people whom were nearly annihilated, and him for the princess who was thrown away for her powers and nearly wrongly executed. I can't help but beg to whatever deities and spirits that reside in this world to at least let this work out. Nothing has gone my way since I joined Dagger on her way home and a change in luck would definitely help us out here.

But when Steiner stepped forward with his usual determined expression, it already felt like they were shutting down my idea. "I have made an oath that I would protect the princess at all costs. When I thought that bringing her back would be the safest option to choose instead of staying here, I didn't know I was taking her to her doom. My undying loyalty for Alexandria almost took the princess' life. As much as I would like to stand against them, to help protect your people, I have sworn to never let that mistake happen again! I wish to stay by her side to find this miscreant who is empowering our queen."

My gut started to feel like lead with his polite refusal while the two heads of Lindblum nodded understandingly. Shouldn't they be fighting to get them on their side!? It's like they don't understand the type of advantages in the battlefield they are skipping on!

"They have already attacked my home and now she comes for yours. Brahne would not have done this if she didn't have these weapons at her disposal." Freya said, standing beside the knight. "Once we take out the source of her weapons, then we will be able to punish her for her crimes. That is my priority."

It's like the world is out to get me...If it's not the people trying to kill me or the enigmatic being too obtuse, it's the actual world that's going to drive me insane.

My shoulder feels something land on it followed by something brushing against my cheek. I look and almost jump when I realize its Regent Cid's moustache rubbing against my face! "Don't worry, you had valid points, but it seems like they are all set with what they want to do." If they were so valid, why do I feel less validated though? All that disappointment and frustration was gathering in me that didn't know what to do it with. I couldn't shout or punch something for obvious reasons. All I could do was tightly close my left hand on my side until I felt my knuckles turn white.

"If we're going, should we got out the same way we went to Burmecia?" Vivi brought up their previous exit. The Regent jumped off my shoulder and joined Artania, who had walked past us towards the elevator.

We all started filing into the elevator as the regent hopped on the panel, landing on the Base Level button to prompt it to go down again. I had put myself in the corner, hand running through my hair in annoyance with how everything is happening, while everyone seemed oblivious to my plight as they tried to determine if they should rush to Qu's Marsh or not. It's not a problem that they don't know what they're going through. The more oblivious they are, the better. It's just..gah! It's very annoying that I couldn't even convince them to do things my way.

"Blake…" Dagger's voice sounded so much closer than I thought. I did not even realize she was standing beside me. "Why were you pushing to have Freya and Steiner stay behind? Weren't you earlier the one to suggest we contribute in another way?"

The question ends just as we land on the Base Level. Just ahead of us sitting comfortably on the rails is the cart that would take us to the Dragon Gate. It felt like all eyes were on me once again as everyone else behind me passed by to get on the card. I would have preferred to have this discussion in private. "I didn't expect the invasion to actually happen today. Considering those changes to the city's circumstances, I thought it would be best to have two of our best stay."

When I looked up, I could see Alyssa looking at me over her shoulder, that familiar shred of anger in her eyes still burning, but this time mixed with something else. Narrowing my eyes at her, I didn't have enough time to discern what it was when she turned around the moment the fence door opened and let her through.

"But I guess my opinion isn't necessary."

She can be angry all she likes, but she's the traitor here between us. Might as well turn your back on finding a way home after all she's done.

An alarm blared in the middle of our cart ride. The two leaders of Lindblum shared a glance just as we were slowing down at the end. This is it, the beginning of the end of Lindblum.

"Hurry to the marsh! Get Kuja before it's too late!" The regent said as the others waved bye back to him.

"And don't worry about us. We shall try to keep the city safe!" Minister Artania added.

We all started running out of the Dragon Gate, only guided towards the marsh by the memory of Freya just northwest of the Dragon Gate. The same direction where the Red Rose was said to be from. Looking up, there were three airships hovering just past the mountains. The red center ship was smaller than the two flanking it, clearly being escorted by her forces yet unlike how the game showed this part. Any type of presentation from the game wouldn't matter from now on though, which bothers me greatly.

The two bigger airships separated from the Red Rose towards their respective directions while the Red Rose stayed. I started to come to a stop when I noticed something glinting off the front of the red airship. I'm not the only one that started to watch the sudden appearance of such a light on the airship. It became brighter and brighter that it looked like a star shining in the afternoon overcast sky. Then the cutscene of Cleyra's demise came into mind.

"Keep running!" I shouted to the others, running past a few them before they took the hint. Alyssa and Zidane prompted the others to move just before the light became a beam that hit the ocean beside Dragon Gate. The impact caused waves to hit farther than the shore and air to push us off our feet and hit the ground for a few meters.

I felt fine after nearly face planting on the grass, but I did check on Nero just to be sure. He craned his little head at me and kweh'd, as if reading my mind and answering that he was okay. A brief check on my own limbs made me confident enough to get up and continue running, the condition of the others irrelevant at the moment as I noted the direction Freya pointed us to.

Looking over my shoulder just to see what happened to the ocean was inevitable. Blue dust had started to flow out of the point of impact in the ocean, its waves had turned into a lighter shade to the point that the water had frozen solid while the dust above it started to gather. In a spark of light, the dust finally formed into a massive, yet slender woman that hovered above the sea covered parts of her frozen body in shining jewels and rings.

Shiva. Brahne had just summoned the iconic spirit, whom has appeared in multiple games already, one that could freeze its targets and shatter them into dust!

But this was not supposed to happen! She was supposed to summon Otomos, that gigantic glorified vacuum cleaner. Instead, she brought this out!?

The blue eidolon looked at the direction of the Red Rose for a moment and I thought I could hear the shrill voice of Alexandria's queen giving an order. It nodded, hearing the greedy queen's request, as it turned its sights on the city of Lindblum. Shiva spun momentarily above the sea, the water below her freezing in close proximity to her, as multiple blobs of water started to form above her. When there was around 6 spheres floating just above her, apparently it was enough, whatever it is she's thinking of, she then pointed a single finger to the city.

All of the water spheres hovered over one of the walls of Lindblum before it started firing icicles rapidly. The base of the wall up to its peak was assaulted with ice, until it surpassed the tall obstacle and continued firing into the city. Images of civilians screaming and running cover from the literal hailstorm of death came to mind, or at least was easy to imagine for this scale of attack. Numerous people would be killed or injured because of it. Shiva made sure to cover a lot of ground as she floated over the city and maintained her barrage.

If that wasn't bad enough, the two other airships came into view once again. One of them starting to lower itself over the city while the other stayed afloat at a high altitude. The latter ship started to produce bubbles, the magic transportation the Alexandrian army used for the black mages. Shiva would cover the air against the patrolling airships of Lindblum, while the black mages and Brahne's army would attack from the ground.

As if the summoning of Shiva was a big enough surprise as it is, another beam of light emerged from Lindblum. It penetrated the depths of the sky, darkening the horizon for a few seconds as the sound of clopping came from above. Hearing that made me stop in my tracks.

Odin, the mighty figure emerged from the clouds riding dark horse, its armor shining in the light of the afternoon sun as it directed its horse to intercept the blue spirit attacking the city. Shiva had seen it coming though, watching the eidolon gallop down from the sky, as she blocked the attack with a big ice wall she conjured from the water spheres. But it didn't stop there. It approached further, stabbing at Shiva's direction with the spear in its hands, only to use icicles to divert his attack and keep away from the riding spirit.

They came to a standstill when Odin charged at Shiva, dodging the icicles thrown at him and broke through the shield she tried to make with a single thrust of his spear, barely missing her as she backed away from the city. The new protector of Lindblum marked his territory, nonchalantly targeting the hovering Alexandrian airship near the city with a throw of his spear. It exploded upon hitting its mark, a violent light show with debris coming down while the spear reappeared in the eidolon's hand. Both eidolons readied their arms and magic as they stared the other down quietly.

The invasion of Lindblum would not be as easy as before.

I couldn't help but admire in awe the two summoned eidolons in the sky. Actually, I should still be running in terror, but seeing them fight each other is a bit overwhelming. I don't think there's a time that eidolons fight each other. It happens in Final Fantasy X, but my memory escapes me if this is also an event in Final Fantasy IX. Still, a bit terrified since they can level cities and kill a lot in just one swift arm movement.

I felt gloved hands grab my sleeve and pull me towards the northwest again. Vivi had taken the opportunity to get me to snap out of it and continue running. We didn't have time to watch this fight. The apparent fate of the Mist Continent hangs in the balance with us racing to stop Kuja in an unknown land. All because of Alyssa's actions.

Now we have experienced a portion of the consequences. What else awaits us? Will it be worse or better?

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A/N: Hello there guys and girls! Thanks for reading all of that. It's one hell of chapter, pretty long too. Probably one of my most longest ones. Hope you enjoyed it. It's one of the chapters I've been waiting to upload since I made this story. It's bound to happen anyway! Might as well happen when we're about half-way done to Disc 2. This one went through a bunch of revisions, especially the big argument. Apologies if went a little too long. Just visualizing it happen makes me happy though. It's probably not the last time they argue though.

Well, you guys and girls know what to do if you enjoyed this chapter. Holidays are here and I hope everyone reading this is done with their tests at school, relaxing at home, and celebrating the holidays and having fun! I'll see you next month with the next chapter after the New Year. They'll be reunited with a few characters there.

Good day to everyone! Happy holidays!