Previously on the Disciple Arc...
Yumea was arrested for her role in the attempted murder of Melia in the High Entia Tomb and Saeyimur has made up her mind, she's going to join Sharla and her allies as Shulk's partner. The sudden attack of the Mechon leads to more than just scraped weaponry and machines, Sorean has been killed by the Faced Mechon leading the attack and the maids find out that Milo and Flapple have died trying to kill Sharla while her friends were distracted by Sorean's dying moments. Meanwhile, Brigitte reunites with Egil and they make plans to kill Sharla and Shulk in order to free the world from the tyranny of the Bionis. The next phase in the Killing Titan War has begun.
Disciple Arc Chapter 8: Her Sorrow, My Resolve
It's the day after the Mechon attacked Alcamoth, Melia's accession was revealed to take place a year from now and until then Kallian will take Sorean's imperial duties. I was in the garden of the Imperial Villa. Sorean's death by the claws of the Faced Mechon that led the attack has left me gobsmacked because of the fact that Mirai, Angie, and Kokichi had basically lost their adoptive father.
Ever since they found out, Angie had locked herself away from the rest of us and Mirai left to talk to Sharla and Murasaki before they and their allies left Alcamoth to go to Sword Valley via Valak Mountain. I've heard the latter place is the coldest on the Bionis. Milo and Flapple did try to kill Sharla while everyone was distracted by Sorean's dying moments but they ended up dead instead.
Kokichi walked up to me and I turned to face him in concern as he spoke up. "A-Aren't you coming t-to bid Sharla and the r-rest a safe j-journey to Sword Valley?"
"Yeah, I was planning to." I responded. "Why you ask?"
"W-With everyone going a-after her, i-it's only natural for u-us to make s-sure that she'll be OK." The gamer explained.
"Ah, I got ya." I said. "I've heard that Sharla's ether rifle didn't really work after Milo and Flapple tried killing her and Zellium saved her. The weaponized rake he used must've really screwed it up. At least Mirai worked hard to make her a new one out of the one she already had, gave her a new way to unleash her Talent Art and made the damage to Mechon stronger too."
"Y-Yeah, but Angie's l-locked herself away ever s-since she found out a-about her adoptive father's death." The purple haired boy pointed out. "H-He was mine a-and Mirai's adopted f-father as well, but w-we've still found the c-courage to move o-on."
"I'll try talking to her once Sharla and her little group set off." I said. "She'll try to hide her true feelings, but I'm pretty sure she'll snap when she thinks she's alone."
After biding farewell to Sharla and her allies until we encounter each other again, I followed Angie inside the Imperial Palace and she stopped in front of the stone portrait of the legend of the Monado and the battle between the Bionis and the Mechonis.
"Murasaki and the Jewel of the Mechonis were friends..." She muttered as she looked at the portrait. "So where did it all go wrong?"
"Are you OK, Angie?" I asked. "You've been locking yourself away from others ever since your adopted father died during the Mechon attack yesterday."
The dancer turned to face me. "Believe me, I feel sorrow just like anyone else. But did I ever tell you that I'm half Homs?"
"I don't think you have." I responded as I scratched the back of my head. "Ajia told me that she and Gita underwent experiments to become stronger and they both became half human and half Homs. Tsumugi had no choice but to become half Homs because of her severe leg burns as well."
"Father was the one who taught me how to use ether to my advantage. On the other hand, Kallian told me that Murasaki and the Jewel of the Mechonis were half human and half Homs and they're both equally powerful." The dark skinned girl explained. "Big brother's words made me think about where did things go wrong in their relationship that caused Murasaki to go into slumber a month ago which caused the other jewel to run off."
"I might actually know who the Jewel of the Mechonis is." I said.
"Really? Then who is it?"
I took a deep breath before responding. "It's... Brigitte. She's the Jewel of the Mechonis. She told me and Mirai herself."
"What?! You mean she lied to us about her true identity?!"
"Mirai must've not told you yet, huh? She's still the Ultimate Engineer, but didn't the fact that she knows her way around the Mechonis in order to build the maids' Faced Mechon that can be piloted by pure organic life seem a little fishy to you?"
"I've always thought that was because she was in the Battle of Sword Valley a year ago and just a quirk of her Ultimate talent. But now I know there was much more to her than what meets the eye."
"You're probably wondering where she is now, aren't you?"
"Yeah, where did she run off after telling you and Mirai the truth?"
"She told us that she would no longer serve us and that she'll head back to the Mechonis to reunite with Egil, the leader of the Mechon. She also said that Meyneth knew she was still alive but she didn't say a word for the sake of the Machina, not wanting them to believe that she'd turned her back on them. Ashe knows her true identity as well so she informed Egil and his sister Vanea of her return."
"So anyone can have a skeleton in their closet? Did Brigitte go into hiding out of fear of being hunted down by someone else?"
"When you put it like that, yes. I'm pretty sure this means we're all clueless on how the Killing Titan War will go from it's current state."
"Yeah. I'm feeling a bit better now, thanks for talking to me about this, Gonta."
"No problem, Angie. If you're concerned about anything else, just let me know."
I couldn't help but smile. Not only was Angie out of the rut she was in, but she was more willing to face the Killing Titan War head on. All that was left was to help Kallian assemble an Allied Force between the Homs, Nopon, and High Entia with assistance from the rest of the disciples.
Now we can really get this war into action.
In the snowy skies of Valak Mountain that night, Onyx Face, Pearl Face, Lapis Face, and Ruby Face looked around at how beautiful the view was.
"I've never seen such a stunning view like this. We're so lucky!" Rose's voice exclaimed from Ruby Face.
"It's ironic that the Ultimate Lucky Student's the one who said that." Pearl's voice snarked from Pearl Face.
"This is the perfect place for our next attack." Mei's voice said from the same Faced Mechon. "It's might be extremely freezing, but it might give us an advantage over Sharla and her allies."
"If I remember correctly, Meyneth comes here via Face Nemesis to talk to Shulk before being attacked by Metal Face, who is revealed as Dunban's old war buddy and Egil comes in and takes Face Nemesis and challenges Shulk to come to Galahad Fortress if he wants Fiora back." Marina's voice explained from Lapis Face. "Our best bet is to attack Sharla and her allies at the Great Glacier when they think all the Mechon are gone tomorrow, that way we can take them by surprise."
"And perhaps I can separate the Girl that Defies her Destiny from her precious allies. Not sure if she'll be an easy target that way, but it's worth a shot." Ashe's voice theorized from Onyx Face. "Perhaps we can help Metal Face as well while we're at it in Sword Valley. For now we'll wait at Nofol Tower and take off for the Great Glacier when the time comes."
"We'll be lucky if our Face Mechon make it through this cold overnight." Rose said. "Otherwise, we could have a problem tomorrow."
"I'm sure we'll be OK through the night." Marina said as the four Faced Mechon took off for Nofol Tower
Within the Face Maintenance Bay in Central Factory, Brigitte watches as Face Nemesis flies off. She looks down as she remembers seeing Milo and Flapple being killed by Sharla.
"Not only has the Monado become stronger, but Sharla's showing the potential to be a powerful foe." She muttered. "It's like she can become something more than what anyone could ever imagine. She could... defy fate itself."
She looked outward as she continued. "Murasaki left me to die a month ago. I cannot let her live any further. I look forward to the day that me and Sharla duel at last."
The engineer reached into her pocket and pulled out a Battle Gem. The gem itself is a soft canary yellow and a cogwheel is on the top, but what stands out the most was the golden wings on the sides.
The Jewel of the Mechonis knew this one in particular was powerful in a way most people wouldn't expect. She clutched her Battle Gem to her chest.
"I have a lion's heart, after all." She said as the gem glowed brightly. "I will set this world free. I will end the Killing Titan War once and for all! ALLA TILL MIG!"
The many eyes of the Mechonis lit up brightly in a golden colored light that shone in the darkness of the night.
Next time on the Monado Arc...
With a few modifications made to her rifle by Mirai, Sharla is ready to get to Galahad Fortress and help Shulk save Fiora from the Mechon. According to Alvis, the best way to get to Sword Valley is by travelling across Valak Mountain, the coldest location on the Bionis. During the trek through the snowy right arm of the Bionis, Sharla discovers that there's more to the Battle Gems and the Monado than anything she could imagine.