The Tourist's Guide to Aselia

by ritscracker

This is the sort of thing that's supposed to happen when you're thirteen and stupid and full of possibility. It's not supposed to happen at twenty-three. And it's not supposed to happen. But it does. Self-Insert, crossposted from AO3. / FIXED. FFnet removed section dividers, rendering story unreadable. It's better now. Not betaed.

20. Ozette, Meltokio

We set a watch that night, but nothing very exciting happened, unless you counted Raine grumbling over her lesson plans.

The morning came, misty, cold and damp, dew pearled on every surface and fracturing the first golden rays into fields of glittering iridescence. I was up early, refreshed and finally free of secrets, and I stoked the fire and brought water to a boil. Regal was awake, and Sheena, who had taken the last watch, but neither moved to join me. Regal had been brooding since dinner last night, and sleep had not made him any more gregarious. Sheena was working on something small and fiddly, Corrine perched on her thigh.

I made myself a cup of strong tea and watched the sunrise, feeling very peaceful.

"You look happier," Raine observed, when she joined me. "That's good."

"I don't think I realized how much it was weighing on me until..." I waved a hand. "I feel so much better. It's like I can breathe again."

"I wonder, are tears always your first strategy for difficult conversations?" she said, but with some humor.

I laughed. "Less so nowadays, but you've kind of seen me at my worst."

Raine sobered a little. "In the interest of honesty... You're aware that Genis and I are half-elves?"

I hesitated. She wasn't whispering, but she wasn't yelling about it, either - did she not care if the others overheard? I nodded. "In the interest of honesty," I echoed her, "I think I'd have known even if I didn't have these memories."

Raine sighed. "Yes, probably. I'm surprised that Kratos never brought it up - but I suppose it wouldn't have mattered," she said wryly. "I'm very glad we met you when we did. It's always been very hard for Genis to reconcile his idea of the Desians with the truth of our race. I think... I did him a disservice, treating our heritage the way I did. I'm glad he was able to see you," she repeated, "unashamed of who you are. It's done him good."

"It's nothing as noble as that. I told you, didn't I? It's all humans where I come from. I didn't grow up here," I said, trying to explain why the praise made me uncomfortable, "All I've done is act like myself."

Raine was quiet for a moment. "Is it better? A world of only one race?"

I gave a desperate little laugh. "Raine, it's so much worse. Or maybe it's just bigger, so there's more bad that can happen?" I ran a hand through my hair. "My country is built on slavery. Slavery and thieving colonists. White people - white people like me, Raine - invaded and drove out and slaughtered the native people and brought black slaves to work their land. People - white people - like to pretend it's all fixed up nowadays, but - it's not. It's still awful."

Raine blinked at me. "What do you mean, white? Black?"

"Skin color," I indicated my own hand. "It's arbitrary and made up but there you fucking go."

"All humans," Raine mused, "And still."

"And still," I agreed. "Being a woman is hard, too, but - it's really not the same. White women especially are - statistically - complicit in some of the worst parts of our history. You can't praise me for being brave, Raine."

"Then I won't," she agreed gamely. I smiled. "On a lighter note," she went on, patting my forearm, "I think, now that the truth has come out, it would benefit you to join the children in their lessons."

"Wh - I'm not an idiot, Raine. I did go to school. Higher education, even."

"Not all their lessons," Raine said, amused, "but at least for History. You may be educated, but you weren't educated here. It won't just be you; Zelos and Sheena have a great deal to learn about Sylvaranti history, and us about Tethe'alla. It does us no favors to be ignorant of one another's history. Your general knowledge is worryingly spotty, and I think it would be good for you. You understand my reasoning," she frowned at me.

"Well, yes," I allowed, "but I also know that a huge chunk of rote history here's going to be bunk made up by Mithos."

"But it would still benefit you to hear, even the fabrications," Raine argued. "What we teach our children and tell ourselves is surely as revealing as the truth. And you would offer the rest of us a unique perspective."

"All right, all right," I sighed, "but I'm not doing homework."

Raine frowned. "Homework isn't just there to keep you busy. It's a tool for understanding."

"No, I'm firm on this one," I said, "I'll show up for lessons but I draw the line at homework."

"...Fine," Raine said, childishly, "But you had better pay attention."

"Yes, ma'am," I agreed. Then I laughed. "It's been a while since our magic lessons, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has been," Raine said. "I notice you've been using light and dark aspected magic - did Genis teach you that?"

I shrugged. "It comes more easily than the other stuff. I'm pretty sure that my natural talents are kinds of light and dark magic. The refraction of light, for invisibility, and then..." I frowned. "I don't actually have a good explanation for the teleportation thing."

"I might," Raine said, thoughtful. "If you - or at least, your soul - is from another world, then it may be you are less firmly... affixed, as it were, to the material plane. You're similar to a monster, in that way -" she smiled at the look on my face, "-I mean to say, your relationship with reality is different by necessity. It's been posited that monsters manifest in this world in a way similar to Summon Spirits - that is, that there is also an astral plane, or immaterial world, from which they leech into ours."

I squinted at her. "Leech?"

"It's only a theory," she cautioned, "but I think there's good reason to believe it. I've told you about Niflheim?"

"It's, like, demon world, right?"

She chuckled. "Yes, like 'demon world'. In the Blood Edda - it's not all that grim, don't make that face - in the Blood Edda, in the story of Niflheim, it's implied that Niflheim is only a 'country' or even 'castle' or 'keep' in this other realm from which all monsters originate. There's also mention of people being able to traverse the 'world of demons' without use of a door - so it may be that the door in question was constructed, rather than naturally occurring."

"That sounds like a lotta conjecture from not much," I admitted. "I mean, if monsters - euchariphages, or whatever - had their own realm, why would they want to come here?"

"Euchariphages aren't just attracted to mana," Raine pointed out. "They're attracted to the mana generated by sapient creatures, or by magic - which I'll note is a direct result of the interaction of mana with sapience. Not just the magic produced by spellcasters, but the slight alteration of natural mana caused by any and all cognition. There's plenty of evidence of monsters and Summon Spirits being empowered by belief or worship."

"But... surely that's just... psychological," I said. "Or else Martel really would be a goddess."

I paused. Raine smiled ruefully.

"Isn't she, in any way that would matter? Her very existence has reshaped the world in a very real way, and a great deal has been done in her name. A great deal continues to be done in her name," Raine said. "Her influence is felt even today, and she's at the nexus of an incredible confluence of power, magical and otherwise. Is that not a kind of godhood?"

"...Okay, fair point," I agreed, "but that's still psychology, not magic."

"But it is," Raine argued. "Even humans have a passive influence over natural mana, although quite limited. If you accept that magic is itself a distortion of reality, then you must accept that concentrated belief functions in the same way."

I raised my eyebrows. "You've got me there, I guess. Like I said," I continued, "We don't have mana where I'm from, and we don't have magic. That said," I frowned, "We sure are pretty obsessed with the idea of it. And I guess that's a kind of magic. We even call some kinds of irrational behavior 'magical thinking', because they're predicated on superstition or just plain misunderstanding. Still, we don't have fireballs. Or Summon Spirits."

"Do you have deities?"

"Oh, sure," I said, "but - I don't know why I'm arguing. I essentially agree with you. I just have to get used to the idea of there being... hard evidence, you know? Of being able to quantify 'willpower' or 'want' or 'belief'."

Raine nodded. "I suppose it must be an adjustment. I'm not sure I could fathom a world without mana."

"Nice to see you two are starting the day with light conversation," complained Zelos, reaching past me for the kettle. "Some people just talk about the weather."

"Oh," I blinked over at him, a thought trying to untangle itself from the knot of metaphysical conjecture. "I wanted to say sorry for yesterday."

Zelos looked from me to Raine, as if unsure who I was addressing.

"Sorry for what?" he asked, at last.

"For not giving any warning on the platform. Lift... thing," I waved a hand. "I should have said something. I didn't mean to freak you out, or yelled at you."

Zelos stared at me for a moment, kettle in one hand and steaming cup in the other, and then shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He put the kettle down, took a cautious sip of coffee, and leaned over to scavenge the remains of last night's meal. I watched him, vaguely concerned; out of everyone, his reaction to my 'reveal' had been the most vocal and the most incredulous. He'd eased into it, over the evening, but his playful interjections had felt more like script readings than genuine banter. "I'm fine, y'know."

I gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

He shrugged. "So what's the plan for today?"

Raine exhaled. "We'll return to Altessa and see if he's changed his mind."

"And if he hasn't?" prompted Zelos.

"Then we'll figure out something else," Raine said. "I'd like to get Presea out of that situation as soon as possible."

Zelos nodded. "And big blue over there?" I followed the line of his thumb to where Regal sat. He kept apart from the group, and had the look of a man meditating with his eyes open; he was probably reflecting on his sins or something equally morose, and gave no sign of interest in our conversation or even in breakfast. "I know you said we've gotta take him along, but I gotta say, he doesn't look thrilled about it."

I looked skyward, trying to conjure up the specifics.

"He needs to meet Presea, that's for sure," I said, "And then I think later they both need to go to Altamira. I think there's some resource there we need?" I frowned. "And he's really strong, too. You guys - he's supposed to travel with you."

"But you're not?" Zelos asked, curious. "You kind of made it out that way."

I shook my head. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here. But," I conceded, "I am here, and if no one has a problem with it, I do want to come with you. There's stuff I want to find out, too."

"You don't have to keep justifying yourself," Raine said, squeezing my forearm.

"You're gonna make me cry again," I accused. "And everyone's gonna feel really awkward about it."

It was a slow morning, insofar as our mornings went. Raine didn't harangue the boys into wakefulness, and breakfast was leisurely, and full of meaningless conversation. Raine wanted to go over her lesson plans for me; Genis and Lloyd were upset to hear that Zelos would be tutoring them in math, and Sheena, at last abandoning her work, joined us to complain about her time at the Imperial Academy. Colette was last to rise, sitting stiffly beside Sheena as the discussion rolled on.

Regal only stirred when it came time to take off.

"You can ride with me," I offered, because Zelos had been grumbling about playing chauffeur again. "It's no trouble."

Regal reacted - unsurprisingly - in the way one might should an unstable stranger offer them a lift. It was a little embarrassing.

"I'm not sure that would be..."

"Don't worry about it," Zelos interjected, "Me and Duke Bryant are really starting to get along, y'know?"

"If you say so," I shrugged, unwilling to argue more than I already had.

Regal looked relieved, which only made the whole thing more embarrassing. I really needed to get better at reading people; at this rate, I was on track to make Lloyd look tactful and perceptive.

---

Our return to Altessa's was surreal. Reaching Ozette that first time had been a trial, physically and emotionally, and I'd spent so much of it wrapped up in doubt and fear over the fates of my friends. Now, we could glide in on Rheairds, swift, untouchable and completely at our ease. Zelos had even lent me one of his novels - a surprisingly compelling mystery story set in Meltokio's distant past - but it was hard to concentrate, even with the reliable autopilot.

Sharing the truth with everyone had been important, but I felt very off-my-game.

I couldn't really blame myself for having one or two breakdowns - it seemed they were due, after keeping a relatively cool head for so long and under such circumstances. That being said, I didn't like being seen in such a vulnerable position. I'd had my share of irrational moments over our trip, but I saw myself and Raine as stabilizing forces - an impression I had hugely undermined in recent weeks.

Zelos had seen me lose my shit twice, very memorably. I'd made a similarly bad impression on Regal, who knew me only as some kind of violent soothsayer.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with crying, I just preferred not to.

I was anxious about seeing Tabatha again. Seeing her had been a visceral experience, and not one I was keen to repeat.

But there were more important things than my reputation, and there was no avoiding her.

We arrived outside Altessa's house a quarter before noon.

Little had changed since our last visit, except that there was new laundry out to dry, and the weather was much more tolerable. Clouds drifted gently in a clear blue sky, casting pools of shadow on the pale stone below, and inside the little window a set of chimes rustled and rang, a hollow, pleasant noise. It was a friendly place, despite everything, and I found that it comforted me a little to be here.

"Does it feel familiar?" Raine asked, when she too had dismounted and stowed her Rheiard. I turned my head slightly, ear catching the last strain of musical tinkling, and gave her a lopsided smile.

"Kind of. I think it's just the nice weather."

"Easily pleased," she observed, but she linked her arm with mine and pulled me a little closer.

"Hopefully Tabatha was able to talk him around," Raine sighed. "It's been nearly a month - with any luck..."

I blinked. "Hey, wait, did we miss Lloyd's birthday?"

Raine paused.

"Did we?"

"We celebrated it in Sybak, Professor," Colette volunteered, cheerful. "Genis and I sang!"

"What's with you?" asked Lloyd, accusing. "It wasn't even that long ago! You never even got me a present!"

"You didn't give me a present for my birthday," I recalled.

"Wh - I did!" Lloyd insisted.

"Huh. Did you?" I asked, genuinely curious. My memory was bad to begin with, and my first month in Sylvarant reduced to a kind of smear. I knew Colette had given me a shell necklace - an unfortunate early casualty of our journey. I hadn't even been wearing it at the time. Colette hadn't given me a hard time about it, or anything, but the reminder made me feel like a bit of an ass.

"I don't think we celebrated your birthday," Raine recalled.

"And you shouldn't," I agreed wholeheartedly. "I'm against it for religious reasons."

"Come on, Presea's waiting for us," Genis prompted. "Anyway, Lloyd doesn't need presents, so don't worry about it."

"Hey!"

Offended or not, Lloyd was the one to lead the charge. He knocked, and we waited.

And waited.

Lloyd knocked again, harder this time. At last, when his patience had run out, he hammered on the door with his fists.

"I know he's in there!"

It wasn't much of a leap - there was the smell of something spicy-sweet wafting through the little circular window, and it was a good four hours on foot to Ozette. Altessa was in there - and he wasn't coming out. If Tabatha was in there, she was on orders to ignore us - not much we could do about that. Lloyd yelled in frustration, and went for his swords - but Raine and Zelos caught him by both arms, dragging him back.

"Do you think he'll be likely to help us when we break his door down?" Raine snapped.

"Chill out, bud," Zelos said, comfortingly. "We can figure this out. You made Colette's Crest, didn't you? It'll be fine."

"But he's in there, just ignoring-"

"I can go," I volunteered, crooking a thumb towards the circular window. "I need a chat with him, anyway."

Raine frowned at me. "Is that wise? You may only upset him more."

I crossed my arms. "If a guilty conscience isn't enough to move him, then I figure he deserves to be upset."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed, scowling.

No one could argue much with that. I went to the window, squinted into the gloom, and rematerialized indoors. Tabatha, working at a broad stone hearth, was looking around at me in a muted parody of surprise. Altessa was either in his workshop down the ramp, or in his bedroom - either way, he hadn't noticed or expected me to try this tactic. Tabatha and I looked at one another for a moment.

"HELLO," she said.

"Hi," I said, awkward. "Uh. Nice to see you again."

Tabatha's mouth turned up into a smile, although her eyes didn't change. "YES, IT IS. YOU WISH TO SEE THE MASTER. HE IS IN HIS WORKSHOP."

"You're not going to stop me?" I asked, bemused.

"I AM NOT," she said, simply. "COME THIS WAY."

Altessa, bald head glistening, was hunched over a broad work-table, his back to us. There was no indication that he'd heard mine and Tabatha's conversation, or even Lloyd's furious knocking - although he might have been pretending. Tabatha waved me down the ramp into the workshop proper, our feet silent on a floor of dirt and sawdust. She nodded to me, and I stepped forward.

"I need to talk to you."

Altessa grunted. "Tabatha, I -" he half-turned, and froze in horror.

"Hey," I said, with none of the warmth I had summoned for my doppelganger. "How's it going?"

"Out," hissed Altessa, "I - leave, Tabatha-"

I folded my arms. "I'm not going anywhere, and I'm pretty sure you can't make me."

"Tabatha," Altessa turned to his assistant, accusing, "I told you-"

"I DID NOT LET HER IN, MASTER."

"Then how-"

"Magic," I said, twiddling my fingers. "What's your problem with me, anyway? I've never done anything to you. And I'm not an 'abomination'," I said, sourly. "Or a thing. Just for the record."

Altessa pressed a broad, scarred hand to his face. "I... you. I cannot bear to look at you. You - should never have existed."

I felt a surprising twinge of hurt at that. "That's rude."

He laughed bitterly, and slammed a hand back down on the table with surprising force. "It seems you resemble your creator after all. Rodyle was always..." The hand curled into a veiny fist, knuckles turning white. "He often made light of our horrors. Perhaps Tabatha resembles me, then, in some way."

My throat itched, bile rising.

"I wouldn't know," I said. "I don't know who that is."

Altessa exhaled, leaning back in his low chair to look at me with beady eyes. "If only I could be so lucky. You're -" he squinted. "You aren't him, are you? Not some new vessel for that wretched creature?"

"I'm Edie," I protested, flushing. "So I am some kind of vessel. Did you work on me, too? Was I made at the same time as Tabatha?"

Altessa looked away. "Your... construction began at the same time, yes. But Tabatha was completed much earlier. Flesh requires more time than metal and plastic, you see. I always wondered what had become of you," he sighed. "When Tabatha was deemed a failure, I heard nothing of Rodyle. I always assumed the other vessels had been destroyed. And yet - here you are. Who... who are you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm me. ...Did Yggdrasill know about this project?"

Altessa turned wide eyes on me. "You know of him?"

"I know lots of stuff," I said, annoyed. He'd assumed I knew about Rodyle - about my creation - but was surprised I knew about Yggdrasill? Maybe my judgment of obscure and common knowledge really was skewed. "Did he know about it? About me?"

Altessa nodded slowly. "I believe so. But - I was told the project had been terminated."

A thought was starting to grow at the back of my mind, but I couldn't yet vocalize it.

"This-" I sighed. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. I'm here because Presea needs your help, and you owe her."

"P- I will hear no more of that child," said Altessa miserably.

"Is this-" I exhaled, irritated. "I don't get it. You have the opportunity to make up for something you did, but you won't. Is it because you're afraid of Cruxis? Of Yggdrasill? Because I doubt he cares about what happens to some human girl. Or..." I frowned at him. "Is it because you feel guilty? Like Presea is some eternal reminder of your sins? Because she's a real person, suffering."

"I am not - you assume too much," spat Altessa.

"That's it, isn't it," I pointed a finger at him. "You don't want to fix it because you think this is about you. You're punishing yourself. Well, guess what - the only person you're punishing is Presea, you-"

"PLEASE," Tabatha said, putting a cold hand on my arm. "THE MASTER IS KIND. HE SIMPLY-"

"No," groaned Altessa. "No, Tabatha. No, I'm not. She's right." He dropped his head into his hands, his elbows on his knees. He was the very picture of misery, shoulders shaking in either grief or anger. Was this really such a shock to him? Maybe, if Tabatha had indulged his isolation all these years, it was only natural that it would be a shock - the face of comfort spewing words of accusation. How long had he been holed up here, stewing in his own discontentment? "I am not kind."

It was hard not to feel sorry for him - but he was doing enough of that on his own.

"So help Presea."

"It is no easy thing," Altessa complained, "Inhibitor ore has been hard to come by since-"

"We have plenty," I said, arms folded. "Look, I can't physically make you do this, but I can tell you that this is a really stupid way to live. You messed up, fine - everyone does. It's how people learn. But the past is past and Presea needs help now."

Altessa was silent for a long while.

"MASTER?" Tabatha prompted at last.

"Fine," he said, sounding very old and frail. "Fine. I will make it. Bring her here."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that necessary?"

"It's more efficient to work on a Crest when I can see the Crystal itself," he replied, wiping a hand across his forehead. "I won't run, if that's what you're implying. I've said I will do it, and a dwarf does not make empty promises."

"'Lying is the first step on the path of thievery', right?" I quoted.

He blinked at me.

"Fine," I agreed. "We'll go get her. But if we come back and you're not here-"

"I will be here," Altessa interrupted, taking offense at the very idea.

I grinned at him - and, as a gesture of gratitude, left by the door.

"What happened?" Lloyd demanded, springing up from his seat on a crate and taking in my expression and posture. "What'd he say?"

"He'll help," I said, propping a hand on my hip. "He asked for us to bring Presea here, so he can work from reference. I don't think he'll run," I said, before Raine could bring up the possibility. "And even if he did, he wouldn't be able to run for long."

"Huh," remarked Genis. "You were kind of scary when you said that."

---

We didn't bother hiking back up to Ozette on foot - there was plenty of real-estate near the main gates for landing, provided you were willing to clip a tree or two. We could have landed one-by-one in Presea's ragged yard, but why bother, when Ozette was so quick to traverse on foot? And so it was by that series of events that we ended up running right into the Papal Knights.

Ozette was so dense with trees that we hadn't spotted them on our flyby - but they'd spotted us.

"Well, crap, they finally caught up," said Lloyd.

I noted, with reluctant admiration, that the Knights' gold-and-green color schema blended surprisingly well into the backdrop of muted foliage. It helped a great deal that Ozette seemed permanently overcast, and so their polished armor gave no more than the faintest glimmer in the low light. Any residents of the main thoroughfare had taken cover, and so it was impossible to hide. We fell into formation - excepting Regal, who was still new to this - as they approached.

Their leader - distinguished from the rest by a life-sized golden bird protruding from the forehead of his helmet - stepped forward, halberd at his side. Each of his men was as tall as Regal and twice as broad, the head of each halberd the size of a manhole cover.

"Well, well. If it isn't Master Zelos," said the Knight in charge, obliging us with a mocking bow - but not daring to tip so far over that he couldn't keep his eyes on us. "I trust you are well."

"Peachy," grunted Zelos, turning slightly. "Crap, they've got us surrounded."

I glanced backwards - he was right. There had to be at least two dozen of them, clambering out from behind buildings. We'd given them plenty of time to get ready for us, and to their credit, they'd set themselves up well.

"Not for long," I said, because convention demanded that someone say it.

I grabbed Raine and Genis, one arm around each waist, and deposited them on the nearest thatch roof - Genis slipped a little, but recovered, and Raine was casting even as her feet touched down. With our casters safely out of range, I joined the fight already in progress. Lloyd and Sheena had opened proceedings with vicious attacks in either direction, Colette and Zelos doing crowd control while Regal found his bearings. Once in motion, it was as if he had always been there.

It was refreshing to fight something that stopped moving when you hit it hard enough.

The battle was over in less than a minute. It was almost embarrassing.

"Is that all of them?" asked Sheena, a whirl of movement as she surveyed the battlefield.

"Yep," called Zelos. "What should we do with the ones who are just knocked out?"

"Leave them," said Raine, affect cold. "I'm sure the people of Ozette will see to them."

I grinned, whistling a nine-note motif. I could almost hear the banjo.

"What's that?" she asked, annoyed on principle.

"Nothing."

"Well, they may not be smart," complained Genis, who had to be helped down off the roof, "but at least they're persistent."

"They're after me," Colette said, downcast. "Sorry, everyone."

"Don't be silly," said Zelos, soothing. "They're after all of us - I'm a traitor, Sheena's basically a traitor - I'm just saying! - and we've got Edie and now Regal. It's not just you."

"Yeah, don't be so self-centered," I joked, prompting both Raine and Sheena to advance on me. "I'm joking," I said, waving my hands. Maybe I'd gotten a little overconfident with Altessa. "I mean to say," I came forward, resting a hand on Colette's shoulder, "Even if it was a hassle, or if they were only after you, it'd still be worth it because you're our one-and-only Colette. Got it?"

Colette nodded, turning a little pink. "Ah, right. I'm sorry, Edie."

"Hi, sorry," I said, "I'm dad."

"All right, well, Edie's lost her mind," Sheena said, dragging me back by the collar. "What n-"

It happened in just a moment - Colette wobbled as I drew my hand back, and fell sideways, leg bending awkwardly beneath her. Her face was a mask of surprise, and neither of her arms moved to break her fall. I shook myself free, Lloyd already kneeling at Colette's side. Her face was damp and grey, and the pain must have been terrible because the sound of it tore out of her heaving chest, ragged and involuntary.

"Professor, Colette-" Lloyd had his glove off, back of his hand to Colette's face, and Raine was there in a moment, hands moving quickly.

"She's running a fever," Raine said, composed. "Edie, is this-"

"The Cruxis Crystal," I agreed. "Fuck, I thought we had more time."

"More time - for what?" demanded Lloyd.

"Move. Please leave this to me."

I turned my head to see Presea - and while I had no clear memory of the event, I was prescient enough to recognize something was wrong, even as Lloyd began to withdraw - her voice had been so convincing. I interposed myself more fully between Presea and Colette, face twisted in the effort of recollection. "She's not herself," I said, waving Lloyd back into place. "Don't let her near Colette."

"But why-" began Genis, offended on Presea's behalf.

"You always were a disobedient child."

Raine and Lloyd closed ranks around Colette, even as I turned. The odor of strong cologne temporarily overwhelmed the smell of rotting leaves and damp moss. My hands began to shake of their own accord.

Rodyle was deceptively tall, his spine arched almost into a hunchback, an impression amplified by his broad green-gray cloak. Beneath the bulk of the cloak he was wiry, with long-fingered hands and thin shoulders. His neck, protruding from the cowl of the cloak like a turtle's head from a shell, was skinny and held almost horizontal, his sharp chin emerging seamlessly from the line of his throat. His face was narrow, his forehead high, his hair wild amethyst and his eyes black and beady. He wore a pair of tiny ruby spectacles, and smiled at me with too many teeth.

I swallowed. I felt as if I was being strangled; how had I spoken to Altessa so easily just an hour ago?

"And who the hell are you?" asked Zelos, appearing at my shoulder. A hand rested at my elbow, and he tried to draw me back away from Rodyle, but my feet were cemented to the ground.

"Oh?" Rodyle said, not taking his eyes off me, "How rude of you not to have introduced us."

I couldn't speak.

"I see you've dressed yourself up like a real person," he said, almost fond. "Stupid creature. Step aside or bring me the Chosen."

"Fuck off," I rasped.

I lunged forward, black blade ricocheting off his conjured shield. Rodyle looked surprised - but he'd still reacted in time to stop me.

Behind me, I could hear shouting - Presea no doubt coming to Rodyle's defense - but all I could focus on was the consuming fear Rodyle had conjured up - a fear still threatening to throttle me. He swung at me in turn, a blade like a scythe unfolding from beneath his cloak. It skittered off the back of my armguard but found purchase in the back of my hand, catching painfully on the underside of a knuckle.

He was fast, but not as fast as Kratos or even Remiel; I feinted sideways, seizing his other arm and wrenching it backwards with a wet snap - but Rodyle had more to work with than a scythe, and between us erupted an explosion of brown-black force that threw the both of us back from the point of origin. I somersaulted backwards, scrabbling on the dirt - and there was a piercing cry.

Rodyle's dragons were much larger than those we'd taken to the Tower. One of a pair slammed into the earth, electric yellow wing unfolding like a mainsail and blocking Rodyle from view. The other swept low over the group surrounding Colette, but was rebuffed in a burst of white light - Raine's doing - and in another moment it had made a hairpin turn, wheeling back into the sky at amazing speed.

Rodyle might have been a fool, but he was smart enough to cut his losses - when I saw him next he was plastered to the back of the first dragon, face distorted with pain.

I wanted to follow him. I wanted to hurt him - to return even a fraction of the fear I'd felt on seeing him. But the sudden elation at being away from him - at the idea of being where he wasn't - was more powerful, and so I did nothing.

I dropped to my knees, boneless with relief.

It had all happened so fast.

"Are you okay?" Sheena was asking.

I blinked at her. "Yeah. Uh. Is Presea-"

"Knocked out," Sheena said, wincing. "Everyone else is fine. You're bleeding," she observed.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Raine? I think she's in shock."

"Well, at least she's not alone," grumbled Raine.

I recovered over the next few minutes, as wounds were cared for and the aftermath of our second, less-expected battle dealt with. Regal was carrying Presea's limp body, which only served to make Genis more anxious and annoyed with him, and Colette was back on her feet, apologizing profusely. We'd have to get moving soon, I observed distantly - in time, the citizens' curiosity would get the better of them, or one of the Knights would wake up.

"Who the heck was that?" asked Lloyd, when he had stopped badgering Colette.

I rubbed at my throat, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

"Rodyle," I said at last. "He's one of the Grand Cardinals. I think he might have, uh, made me."

"...Oh," said Lloyd, wide eyed.

"Yeah, oh," I agreed. "Can we get out of here? I need to lay down for an hour or twenty."

"But-"

"We can talk about everything at Altessa's," I promised, not quite sure I'd be able to.

---

Presea, with some medical assistance, remained in a deep sleep the entire flight down to Altessa's, sandwiched between Colette and Sheena (Genis had been adamant, verging on annoying) and was still in peaceful slumber when we arrived. Altessa had kept his promise, and Tabatha was at the door to usher us inside. A meal had even been laid out on the long, low table.

"This is a change," Zelos observed, rightly skeptical.

"I'm really good at talking to people," I bragged, although I was being facetious.

Altessa emerged from his workshop a little after we showed up.

"You have the ore?" he directed towards me, visibly uncomfortable.

I waved at Lloyd, who stood. "I've got it," Lloyd said, "And - I'd like to use part of your workshop."

Altessa directed his confusion and annoyance at me, rather than speak directly to anyone else. I couldn't help but smile.

"Lloyd was raised by a dwarf," I explained. "He made Colette's Key Crest, and he's a genius."

Lloyd went very red. "W-well, I wouldn't say genius..."

"Yeah," agreed Genis, "I wouldn't say that."

"...Fine," huffed Altessa. "Bring..." he glanced at Presea, asleep in Regal's arms. "Bring Presea through. Tabatha, I will need your help."

Tabatha nodded, and turned to us. "PLEASE EAT AND RELAX HERE WHILE MY MASTER WORKS."

I watched them go, feeling strange.

"So," Zelos said, after a long moment, "Who was that guy?"

I groaned. "I told Lloyd - he's a Desian. And he's like a mad scientist, or something? I talked to Altessa earlier, and I think... whatever project they worked on together, it was in two parts. Altessa made Tabatha, and Rodyle made me."

"...Made Tabatha?" repeated Colette, blinking wide eyes at me.

"Remember what I said about the vessels? She's the inorganic one, and I suppose I'm the organic one. I think - look, I don't want to know too much about how the... proverbial sausage was made," I gestured a little desperately. "The point is, Altessa said he made me, and also he's clearly super evil. I think he's working on the same Angelus project that Kvar was? So kind of in that realm of evil."

"Huh," said Sheena, slowly. "So, if you think about it, you, Colette and Tabatha are all kind of in the same boat?"

I paused.

"I didn't think of it like that," I admitted. "So that'd make Colette... a little sister?"

Colette brightened, hands clasped in joy. "Right! We really are like sisters, then! And Zelos would be like a brother!"

"Woah, hang on," Zelos said, "If what you guys said about how the Chosen marriages work is true, then I'm maybe a third or fourth cousin at best."

Sheena was quiet for another moment. "Hey, you're just saying that so you can hit on them!"

"Wh - I'm not! It's simple genetics!"

"You are so gross."

"I mean, technically," I said, "Colette are probably as genetically similar as sisters or at least first cousins. I don't really know how mana signature correlates to phenotypical genetics, if that's even the right word, but..."

"Yeah," said Genis, frowning. "If Martel was a half-elf, why make the half-elves into the Desians and have a human be the Chosen? It'd be easier, too, since half-elves have greater capacity for mana manipulation to begin with, why..."

"Lifespan, I would suppose," said Raine. "Half-elves live too long to efficiently breed viable candidates."

That sunk in.

"Geez," groaned Sheena. "Yggdrasill really is crazy."

"Altessa isn't sure if Yggdrasill knows I'm alive," I said, flopping back to lie flat on the stone floor. Sheena, at my side, looked down at me in mixed amusement and concern. "I remember him being pretty pissed about Tabatha, so he probably wouldn't be happy to see me. Or maybe he'd be like, oh, good, a new body..."

"He wouldn't have seen you in the Tower," said Raine, thoughtful. "You were face-down. And there was quite a lot of blood."

"Oh, eff," I sat up again. "Raine, can we talk alone?"

"I thought we said no more secrets," complained Genis.

"It's - adult lady stuff," I lied wildly, even as Raine stood and beckoned me towards the adjoining room.

"Eww," Genis said, scowling.

"Oooh, what kind of stuff?" Zelos asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Just - chill here for a minute," I pointed accusingly before hurrying to catch up with Raine. She closed the door behind me, and we stood in muffled silence - it was a guest room of some sort, with a few cot beds and a vase of fresh flowers on a little table. Raine turned to me, eyebrow raised. "So."

"Colette will be able to hear us," Raine pointed out, folding her arms.

I made a face. "Colette, if you can hear us, cover your ears. It's secret. Anyway," I went on, because I trusted Colette to keep her mouth shut even to her own detriment, "Yggdrasill. I don't remember if I told you, but he can change what he looks like. In the story, he can disguise himself as a half-elf boy, about Genis' age. I think it's the age he was when Martel died." I took a deep breath. "The point is, in the story, he goes out of his way to insinuate himself into the group."

Raine opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"Yggdrasill does this?" I nodded. "Why are you hesitant to tell the others?"

"I wanted your opinion," I admitted. "I'm afraid that if I tell them, and he pulls the same stunt, it'll be obvious we know and he'll just... kill us. On the other hand, if we let him travel with us, even for a while, he's going to try to use Genis."

"Genis?" Raine frowned. "Because... he sees a parallel between the two of them, doesn't he." I nodded - she sighed, and folded her arms in deep thought. "I understand your hesitation," she said, after a long pause. "I don't think this group is capable of subterfuge, especially if the children are afraid or think someone's a threat. But... I think it's better for them to know, and to give them the opportunity to be prepared. Is it supposed to happen soon?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I know that it happens after Ozette is destroyed, and that he stays with Altessa for a while, but Altessa doesn't recognize him as Yggdrasill? Fuck. I don't remember why he destroys Ozette in the first place." Ozette had come up in our discussion of Palmacosta, way back at the Tower; I'd mentioned that Cruxis was responsible, but I'd forgotten about or excluded the part about Mithos. "So I don't know when."

"Hm. Maybe because of Ozette's discrimination towards half-elves?"

I snorted. "If that was the case, why not destroy everything?"

She smiled thinly. "He can't break all his toys at once. But I take your point. Is it in response to us, perhaps?"

I shrugged. "In the story, I think Altessa blames himself, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Honestly, it might just be an excuse for Mithos to frame himself as a victim - of a tragedy, and of Ozette."

"And curry sympathy," Raine sighed. "Of course Genis would become attached. You and Harley are the only half-elves he really knows, and if Mithos is pretending to be his age... It's a recipe for disaster. I'd prefer Genis to be prepared."

"He's got a big heart," I paused. "Speaking of which... In the story - well. I think Lloyd tries to... 'fix' Yggdrasill. Get him to see the error of his ways and live in the new world."

"Of course he does," Raine exhaled, looking as exhausted as I felt. "He's always been idealistic. I take it he doesn't succeed?"

I shook my head. "That doesn't mean it's impossible, but I don't think it's likely. Mithos, Kratos, Yuan - I don't think we can treat them like rational people. They've been alive too long. If they aren't obviously insane, then they're seriously out of touch with reality."

"Living that long..."

I nodded in agreement.

We emerged back into the dining room-slash-kitchen to find that Regal had rejoined the party, although Lloyd was still in Altessa's workshop. Everyone was eating, and I couldn't stave off hunger any longer. It just looked too good.

"I believe Lloyd is working on some kind of shielding device," Regal informed us, looking not at all confident in his reporting. "He said you would know what that is."

"We do," I grinned. "Thanks."

"So, what were you two kids chatting about in there?" Zelos asked, unable to let it go.

"We'll talk about it when everyone's back together," Raine said, amused. "We do have an awful lot to go over."

---

I was half-asleep in a corner, head pillowed on my bag, when Lloyd rejoined us. It felt a little as if we were waiting for a friend to come out of surgery; Regal and Genis were immediately at attention, Genis on his feet and Regal straightening out of his slump. They regarded Lloyd like a weary doctor just peeling off his gloves - I had no idea why. It wasn't as if Presea was in any danger.

"Is Presea-?" Genis asked, eyes wide.

Lloyd looked at him, bemused. "She's fine. The Crest is all done. She's still sleeping, though. The Professor kind of overdid it."

Genis looked at Raine, accusing.

"She's perfectly safe, Genis," Raine said, half-scolding and half-reassuring. "She'll wake up on her own. If her condition is anything like Colette's, then she'll be catching up on a great deal of sleep."

Genis and Regal both deflated a little in the face of Raine's aggressive reasonableness.

"Anyway," Lloyd said, beaming, "I finished the shield charms!" He opened his bare palm, revealing three simple bracelets, each no more than a band of engraved metal. He handed one to Zelos, one to Colette, and one, to great surprise, to me. His delight at my reaction was simply effervescent. "I figure, if you and Colette are both supposed to be like Martel, then Cruxis might be able to track you, too! Plus, it counts as an early birthday present, so I'm basically paid up for this year!"

Raine gave a muffled snort of laughter. I dissolved into giggles.

"Thanks, Lloyd," I said, when I'd recovered.

"It's beautiful," cooed Colette, admiring the soft golden color of the bracelet against the pale peach of her skin.

"Yeah, thanks, bud," Zelos said, giving him a lopsided grin.

The bracelet, presumably made of inhibitor ore, was surprisingly comfortable to wear, and flexible enough to be worn loosely around the wrist or more securely around the forearm. Colette and Zelos both wore some jewelry already, of quality or intricacy to overwhelm the plain design of the bracelet, but I wasn't used to wearing metal on my skin. It'd take a little while to get used to, and longer to learn not to fidget with it.

"So," said Sheena, once she was done cooing over Colette's new accessory, "What next?"

Raine and I shared a look.

"Where do we start?" I asked. "We need to talk about what's happening right now if we're going to plan our next moves."

"...Aren't we just going to make more pacts?" Genis said, confused. "So we can free the Great Seed, right?"

I glanced at Raine again, in the hope that she'd take over - but she didn't, and so I resigned myself to another long, dreary session of exposition.

"That's part of what we need to do, yes," I agreed. "But if we free the Great Seed right now, we won't have any way to control its growth. If we go through with the Renegade's plan, we'll definitely grow something, but it won't be the Kharlan Tree. I think... I might be wrong, but I think we need the Eternal Sword first. That, combined with Sheena's command of the Summon Spirits, should be enough to direct the tree's growth."

A silence stretched.

"The Eternal What now?" asked Zelos, leaning on his fist.

"It's - I've honestly lost track of who I've told what," I said apologetically. "The Eternal Sword was created by Origin for Mithos - it's the focus he used to split the world in the first place. It gives the wielder power over time and space. Right now, Mithos has the Sword - I'm pretty sure it's in the Tower of Salvation - but the pact itself was made by Kratos. Essentially, Mithos gave himself insurance by making Origin promise that the Sword could only be used by half-elves."

"...Huh? Kratos?" asked Lloyd.

I sucked in a breath through my teeth. "Did I... not mention that? Kratos and Yuan were the other companions to Mithos and Martel."

Raine sighed. "You told me, yes. I don't think you mentioned it to the others yet."

"Kratos?" Lloyd repeated. "But - he'd have to be hundreds-"

"Thousands," Genis corrected.

"-Thousands of years old."

"As far as we can tell," Raine said, "Angels aren't subject to any conventional forms of aging. The samples I've been permitted to study," she shot me a nasty look, for whatever reason, "Are similar to preserved tissue, rather than living flesh. I don't know how it is that they can give the impression of being alive - they should be pallid and incapable of bleeding, but Kratos appeared as a normal human right up until the Tower."

"That's why he didn't bleed when I ripped his arm off," I sighed. "So it's got to be something he can do or undo in a few hours."

"Ripped his..." Zelos trailed off.

"So Kratos really is on Mithos' side," grumbled Genis. "I kind of hoped..."

I shook my head. "Let me get one thing straight - I don't think we can trust Kratos or Yuan. It's like - I wouldn't trust a dog to do my laundry, right? Follow me on this one," I waved a hand, trying to head off any protest. "I wouldn't trust a dog to do my laundry no matter how nice the dog was. Kratos and Yuan have been alive for literally thousands of years - I don't think we can work well with them because they don't see us as real people, does that make sense?"

"I think... I think you could probably train a dog to do laundry," volunteered Colette.

"That's not really the point," Sheena said, consoling. "But I'm sure you could."

"Yuan really does want to stop Mithos. But instead of working with us, he tried to capture Lloyd. Kratos - I think he's not happy with Mithos, either."

"If you think about it," said Zelos, "Mithos kind of played him for a chump. It sounds like he had Kratos deal with the dangerous part of his offer while Mithos got all the power."

I nodded. "I'm sure that originally it was a good-faith gesture, because Kratos was the only human, and Martel was killed by a human, but it's not a very balanced arrangement. That's why Kratos didn't kill us at the Tower. I'm not saying he's on our side," I hedged, "But he's got his doubts."

Lloyd frowned. "So... is he our enemy, or not?"

I shrugged. "It's not that clear-cut."

"Right now," Raine said, "It doesn't particularly matter if he's our enemy or our ally. If he is our ally, he's powerless to help us, and if he's our enemy, he's shown he doesn't have the conviction to get rid of us. What we do know is that we need to break his pact in order to use the Eternal Sword. If he's willing to help, then it can probably be done peacefully," she nodded at me. "If not..."

"I don't think he's broken his oath," I explained. "I don't actually know the specifics, but I think if he won't help us we'll have to actually kill him."

Genis and Colette looked stricken, but Lloyd's expression was resolute.

"He'll help us," Lloyd said, matter-of-factly. "Even if he's not really on our side, I think he'll help us."

"You guys-" Zelos shook his head. "You guys have too much faith in people, y'know? Kratos has been on Mithos' side for, what," he ticked off the millennia on his hands, "four thousand years? Why would he turn on him now?"

I exhaled. I really, really didn't want to get into the mess that was Lloyd's parentage, now or ever. If it was revealed, I would swear ignorance of it up and down. It would only make Lloyd angry, and knowing it wasn't actually of any use to us. No, Kratos was a big boy who could mend his own burnt bridges - I was going to focus on problems I could actually solve.

"Fair point," I conceded. "But... we have some time. If I'm right, we can safely make pacts with 7 out of the 8 elemental spirits, if you count Aska and Luna as one. Every pact we make takes some power away from Mithos, so we should think about which ones we should make and which one can be made after we deal with the Eternal Sword. There's also the matter of the sword itself, and who's going to wield it."

"...It'd have to be you, right?" Sheena prompted. "If a half-elf can use it, you're our only option."

I hissed out a breath. "I don't... know? In my memory, Lloyd's the one using it. He has to have a kind of special ring to do it, but - I think it needs to be Lloyd."

"Why does it have to be me?" asked Lloyd, confused. "It's magic, right? It sounds easier if you just use it."

"One, I don't think I have the right personality for it," I said, holding up a finger, "Two, it's too much pressure. Three-" If I'm the Eternal Swordsman, and I go back home, what happens here? "I don't want to. So we for sure need to add 'ring that lets you do magic' to the list of things to research. Anyway, item two - Raine?"

Raine nodded. "Colette's Cruxis Crystal is trying to take over her body." We'd talked about how best to phrase it so as to avoid making Colette feel responsible - whether it'd work was anyone's guess. "Do you remember the Unicorn's words, Colette and Sheena? It's the same illness that Martel suffered from. We don't know what the treatment is, but Edie is sure there is one."

Sheena half-raised a hand. "Uh, but if Colette has it because Martel had it, how come Edie isn't sick?"

I shrugged. I had no idea.

"It may be any number of factors - age, the kind of Exsphere and Crest... It may even be that Edie develops the illness later in life, and has to be treated then," Raine elaborated. "We don't yet know what factors made Colette and Martel susceptible in the first place, or what triggers the onset of the illness. Edie thinks there may be records relating to Martel's treatment in the archives either in Meltokio or Sybak."

"Sorry," I winced, "I can't remember anything more specific than that."

"Oh no, you only kind of know everything, how annoying," Zelos mocked.

"Shut up," Sheena snapped. "She's being more useful than you."

"I think Zelos was joking," I waved a hand, "Also, it made me feel better. Thanks, though."

"So," said Lloyd, "If we're choosing where to go next, it definitely has to be Meltokio, right? If Colette's suffering, then that should be our first priority."

Colette went red and waved her hands in protest. "No, I'm not - it's not bad at all. We should focus on making pacts; I'll be okay."

"No, I agree with Lloyd," Sheena said, seizing one of Colette's flailing hands. "I can't stand by knowing you're in pain. We're stronger as a team, right? Then we should make sure you're okay, first."

"It's not that simple," Raine sighed. "We may not be able to cure Colette right away," she went on, glancing in my direction. "I agree that we should go to Meltokio first. We all need rest and to recover our supplies. We also have a lot of information we need - regarding Colette and the pacts. We can decide then where to go next. We've bought ourselves some time," she said, gesturing at the bangle on Zelos' wrist. "But we have to be prepared to walk a long road, metaphorically speaking."

"Right, so," Zelos looked pointedly over at Regal, who had been silent so far. "What are your thoughts on this, Duke Bryant?"

Regal blinked. "I - have nothing to contribute." It was almost a plea - how else could you respond in the face of so much bewildering nonsense? I felt, again, as if I'd robbed him of the opportunity to genuinely incorporate into the group. I'd already suggested that I leave, but that was shot down, and aside from Presea, Regal had no connections to the group. It would all depend on her.

"Sorry," said Sheena, sheepish. "This is probably pretty ridiculous for you to hear."

"...Yes," he admitted.

"It'll feel less stupid when we're doing stuff, not just talking about doing stuff," I volunteered.

"Will it?" asked Genis.

"It might," I said, a tad defensive. "You never know."

"I'm sure it'll-" began Raine.

"EXCUSE ME."

The table turned almost as one. Tabatha stood in the archway that lead down to the workshop. Trailing behind her, half-hidden in her shadow, was Presea, face blotchy and wet. Presea looked many years younger, while being physically unchanged - it was an eerie effect, magnified by the way she clung to Tabatha's hand. She was hiccuping and sniffling, and looked tired in a way that suggested a lot of tears had been spent in pursuit of her composure.

"PRESEA HAS AWOKEN," Tabatha said, unnecessarily.

"Presea!" cried Genis.

"Are you okay?" asked Colette, springing up from her seat.

Presea locked eyes with Colette - and then burst into a fresh round of sobs.

"I'm sorry!" she wailed. "I'm sorry," she went on, sounding much more like a little girl than she ever had before. Her voice was croaky from crying, although we'd heard none of it from the dining room. "I tried to attack you all, and after you were so nice to me - I'm so, so sorry!" Tabatha raised a hand to Presea's shoulder and rubbed easy circles on her back. Presea rubbed her face hard into the collar of her rough dress - it must have been painful on her raw skin, but she did it anyway.

"It's - it's okay!" Colette said, hands fluttering. "We're all fine, so it's okay!" Her eyes were shining, too. In another moment, we had two crying girls, Tabatha tending to one and Sheena to the other. Genis, previously so eager to speak, was paralyzed with fear.

"Altessa explained about - about everything," said Presea, head downcast. "I - I hurt you."

Presea's breathing evened a little. Colette stymied another round of tears, dabbing her eyes on one long tail of her jacket.

The storm, so sudden to begin with, passed.

"You didn't hurt anyone," Sheena assured her, as Colette sniffled. "If anyone has the right to be upset, it's you."

Presea nodded gravely, and very slowly detached herself from Tabatha. She stared at her feet, visibly working up the courage to speak again.

"I'd like to see my Daddy," said Presea. Nearly everyone winced, and Presea went on, "I know he's dead, but I'd like to see him anyway. Please."

---

It was getting late, but we made the trip by Rheaird, landing one by one in the yard of the Combatir house. Presea - either due to familiarity or my resemblance to Tabatha - had elected to ride with me, rather than anyone else. It had been a completely silent ride, and on touch-down, she clambered off the seat, stumbling in her urgent need to inspect the house.

"...Should I go with her?" I asked Raine, even as Presea opened the front door, arms trembling.

"I... think you've done enough for today," Raine said, kindly. "Let Lloyd or Regal handle this."

We retreated to a low stone bench at the far end of the yard, if only to rest for a while.

I slumped into her side. "Today has been so long," I complained, but quietly enough for only her to hear me. I wasn't a complete asshole. "I'm losing track of everything."

"You'll have the chance to recover," Raine said with certainty. "You're doing very well, considering. Don't be too upset at everyone's incredulity," she added, more gently. "Even with all that's happened... I've had time to get used to the idea of you as a kind of soothsayer, but it's still very fresh to the others."

"I -" I paused, watching Regal enter the house a little behind Lloyd. I shook my head. "It's surreal for me too. And I don't like the idea of you guys relying too much on me. I feel like telling you too much - we have this story back home about a guy called Oedipus? And it's all about how trying to change the future can bring about something even worse, you know. But - what am I supposed to do? Keep lying?"

"You ask me as if I have any answers to give," Raine said, smiling thinly at me. "How am I supposed to know? Perhaps you've doomed us all, or perhaps you've saved us. Or perhaps knowing isn't enough to change anything at all. How can I say?"

I laughed, weak and breathy. "I'll know, though. If I ruin this for everyone and get you all killed, I'll know, and - ow!" I rubbed at the back of my skull, squinting at her. "What was that for?"

"You're entirely too self-centered," Raine accused me. "Stop behaving as if you are the nail this journey hinges on - it's tiring for you and me."

I grinned helplessly at her. "It is, isn't it?"

Raine sighed. "It may be a story to you, Edie, but to us it's life. You can't expect to control all the factors that make a future."

"You're so much smarter than me," I observed. "You'd be a lot better at this than I am."

"Maybe," Raine agreed, "But I'm glad not to be. It seems exhausting."

"Love to see you two open and close the day with some small talk," Zelos said, emerging from the house to join us on the filthy lawn. He looked very tired. "What are we going to do about tonight? We can head back to Meltokio right away, but we won't get there until after midnight."

"Rest at Altessa's?" I suggested. "We're kind of best friends now."

Raine snorted. "I'm sure you are. But it's the best option - I don't think anyone wants to stay in Ozette longer than we have to."

Sheena was the next to join us.

"Today's been too long," she complained. "I can't believe we were at Toize Valley just yesterday. And Volt was the day before that!"

"Things are going to be moving faster now," Raine agreed grimly. "It's hard to think straight."

"We'll have time in Meltokio," Zelos promised. "Once we get inside, we'll be safe as houses in my... house? Anyway, we can put together all the stuff we got at Sybak, too, and I can have Sebastian pull some strings in the Castle, see what we can turn up."

"I still don't get why you think we'll be safer at your mansion," Sheena grumbled. "Everyone will know exactly where we are."

"Nuh-uh-uh," Zelos said, waggling a finger at her. "It's reverse psychology. It's the place they'd least expect us to go! Also, the whole place is covered in defensive enchantments. You think this is the first time someone's tried to kill little old me?" He fluttered his eyelashes at her - she swatted at him. It was reassuringly in-character.

Genis appeared some time later, yawning and drained.

"What time is it?" he asked, slumping down on Raine's other side. We were running out of room on the bench.

"Late," supplied Sheena. "But we did a lot. I'm never gonna get used to the Rheairds."

"Yeah, you will," replied Zelos. "And you'll be like, ugh, I have to fly four hours? I should just zap myself place to place. You can get used to anything," he said knowledgeably.

Any argument was cut off by Lloyd, who came out onto the stoop to wave at us. "Zelos, Edie, can you guys help?"

We came, the impetus becoming clear as we entered. The house had been cleared - not extensively, but enough to free up a path from the bedroom to the door. Colette was visible through the doorway, hands clasped in prayer over the shape of a human body, swaddled in many layers of cloth, while Presea knelt beside her, Regal standing not far off.

Lloyd shooed us away from the door, directing us back onto the stoop and to a collection of yard equipment, from which he unearthed two shovels and a trowel. After a moment of debate, he handed Zelos the trowel.

"Hey," Zelos protested.

"A trowel is way easier to use than a shovel," I pointed out. "You're getting off easy."

"Sorry," Lloyd said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "Presea wanted Regal to be there for the rites or whatever. Come on," he urged us, "We should start digging."

"Never thought I'd be reduced to a gravedigger," Zelos remarked, but he came without complaint.

We dug. Sheena and Genis eventually joined in by pulling up the long grass and weeds alongside us, clearing an area for something better resembling a dignified burial. Raine, feeling left out, helped by providing some illumination.

It was a supernatural experience - the sun had long since set, leaving us to work in the light of Sheena's lantern and Raine's magic. It cast our immediate surroundings into stark relief while anything too distant was swallowed by blackness. Insects were singing in the trees, and the mild heat of the day had receded into a consuming chill. At some late hour - I'd given up trying to guess the time - Presea emerged, Colette at her side and Regal bringing up the rear.

Presea carried her father's body without apparent strain. We cleared the path for her, and she knelt by the edge of the open grave, face in and out of shadow as she moved. Lloyd helped to lower the body down, and then it was Presea that started the process of reburying him.

Burying the body was much faster than digging the grave. When the earth was packed down again, and the shovels laid aside, she unfastened the greataxe from her back and set it on the mound.

"Thank you," she said at last. "I'm glad I was able to bury him."

Regal reached out, hand on her shoulder. She seemed to take comfort in that - a surprising change from what I had expected.

"I - I want to go with you," she said, to the rest of us. "I've been a great burden on you all, and... I want to make sure that there are no more victims like me. Like - like Alicia. I - I don't want to stay here."

"Yeah, of course," Lloyd agreed at once, "We owe you, anyway."

"Please allow me to come along as well," Regal said, withdrawing his hand from Presea's shoulder. "Presea is my responsibility," he went on, "And I feel the same way she does. People like Vharley - like Mithos," he acknowledged, nodding in my direction, "Can't be allowed to continue as they have for so long. I - admit I don't yet fully grasp the scope of what you're doing, but I promise I will do all I can to help."

I smiled sidelong at Lloyd, who clearly hadn't expected both proclamations to be made to him, rather than Raine or I.

"Yeah! Of course you're welcome to join us," Lloyd nodded, recovering admirably and giving the both of them his best grin. "We'd be -" he glanced around, as if double checking. "We'd be happy to have you."

"Thank you," said Regal, with great sobriety. "I am in your debt. I shall not betray your trust."

Genis surprised me by arguing the contrary. "If it wasn't for Regal, we couldn't have gotten the inhibitor ore, and if it wasn't for Presea we never would have gotten to talk to the King. You guys don't owe us anything," he pointed out. "But... I'd be really happy if you came with us," he added, glancing hurriedly at Presea and then back down at his feet, ears red. "If you want."

"Yes, I think we're all in agreement," Raine said, amused.

Presea nodded, and then yawned.

"Let's go back to Altessa's for tonight," Sheena suggested, offering us a tired smile. "I think we all deserve some rest."

---

Tabatha was waiting for us at the door.

I would have said 'Tabatha stayed up to see us in', but I doubted she needed sleep. Altessa was nowhere to be found, but there were plenty of blankets and a half-dozen cots. After a brief argument (during which Zelos was nearly banished outside), we decided that Sheena and Colette would share, and I would share with Presea. Regal, eternally self-serious, slept on the floor.

I still had no idea why Presea was favoring me; it seemed unconscious on her part. Maybe I was overthinking it - she and I were simply the best suited to it, as Raine was much taller and Sheena and I were both slightly too wide to share a bed. But whatever the reason, I couldn't help but feel smug - like when an unfriendly cat chooses your lap, rather than your neighbor's.

I was bone-tired, and fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

It had been a long day.

---

"Hey! We're going to Meltokio today!"

I groaned and curled in on myself. One of Presea's socked feet jostled my chin - she wasn't properly awake yet, either, although Regal was nowhere to be seen. Lloyd, not easily put down, could be heard bodily removing Genis from his cot - to the result of much muted violence. Raine, on the cot beside mine, rolled onto her stomach, barricading herself beneath a borrowed pillow as if preparing for a bomb to drop.

"Lloyd, shut up," Zelos advised, voice thick with sleep.

"You said you guys wanted to leave early," Lloyd said innocently. "And I've been up for a while, anyway!"

"Since when do you get up early?" complained Sheena. "You're usually last up!"

"Yeah, but Altessa's workshop is really interesting," Lloyd said, brightly, "And Tabatha knows how to make tons of dwarf-style food. You guys should try the bread, it's just like my dad makes."

"...Why is he so loud," murmured Presea, somewhere around my knee.

"I don't know, but I hate it," I replied.

Raine said something rendered inaudible by the pillow.

"The Professor says we can leave later," Colette translated. She was sitting up, bleary but bright-eyed. "I think you'd better go back outside, Lloyd, she sounds really angry."

Lloyd wisely went out again.

I'd slept without dreaming, so that going from evening to morning was like losing time - but I was awake now, and Lloyd had shattered whatever serenity I'd had. "You should get some more sleep," I mumbled, patting Presea's ankle and extricating myself from the mess of blankets.

My boots had been knocked a ways away, either by me or Lloyd, as had the pile of outerwear that made up my daily look. It'd been a while since I'd slept without my body armor, and sleep was making me clumsy with the clasps, buckles and laces. It took me longer to dress than it should have, and I kept getting distracted by the smell. It was easy to ignore the greasy, gritty feeling of travel, so long as you didn't have the time to think about it, but now I was thinking about it - and it was very, very gross.

Presea, beside me, was also shrugging into her jacket and lacing up her shoes.

"You can sleep longer," I repeated myself. "We probably won't go until Raine feels ready, anyway."

Presea shook her head, hair hanging stiffly over her shoulders, yet to be tied up for the day. "I'm awake now," she said, "And I should say good morning to Regal."

I blinked over at her. "You two are getting along?"

She glanced up at me. "Yes... I feel responsible for him," she said, in the tone of a confession. "He's a little like a younger brother."

Zelos, doing a poor job of pretending not to overhear, coughed violently.

"That makes sense," I agreed.

Regal, oblivious to Presea's sisterly proclamation, was meditating in the morning sun.

"Good morning," greeted Presea.

Regal's eyes slid open, but he didn't move from his position, cross-legged on a low wall. "Good morning, Presea," he said, with an annoying, self-satisfied kind of composure. "Good morning, Edie. Did you both sleep well?"

"I slept well," Presea volunteered. "Did you? It's not very healthy to sleep on the floor."

Regal smiled. "I've slept in many worse places, I assure you. I slept well."

"I had horrible, awful nightmares," I said.

Presea looked up at me, stricken. "You did? I'm sorry, that sounds terrible."

I certainly felt terrible now. "No, no, sorry, I was joking. I slept really peacefully."

"...Oh," replied Presea, frowning thoughtfully. "...So a lie is the same as a joke?"

"No, it's not," said Regal, giving me a hard look.

Why was everyone being difficult this morning?

"A lie is only a joke if no one's hurt by it," I said, patting her on the shoulder and doing my best to seem like a responsible adult. "You were both being really serious so I thought it'd be funny. I didn't mean to make you worry."

Presea's frown deepened. "But... it would be natural to worry, if a friend is in pain."

"That's true," agreed Regal, approving. "And it's unkind to play with the feelings of others."

I gave up on responsibility and fixed Regal with a lip-wobbling, cheek-puffing, eyebrow-knitting pout. "You're no fun. Presea, Regal's being mean."

"I am not-"

Presea looked around at him. "You shouldn't be mean to Edie," she said, seriously. "Edie has been very kind to me, and we are very similar."

Regal, flustered, looked between the two of us. "I - apologize," he said to me, grudging as he could be without obvious hostility. "I... should have taken your joke in the manner intended. I didn't mean to make you unhappy."

I crossed my arms. "I forgive you."

Presea smiled, pleased with the diplomatic resolution.

"Anyway," I said, taking pity on the both of them, "Lloyd says there's breakfast."

"...Thank you, but I've already eaten," Regal replied.

"Ooookay," I agreed, "Well, see you later?"

"I will come with you," Presea said, "Breakfast is important."

"It's the most important meal of the day," I agreed.

The meal in question was laid out on the dining table, in tureens and baskets and on plates. Tabatha was still working at the hearth, Lloyd beside her with his hair back in a messy ponytail. Dim he might have been, but Lloyd was good with his hands, and Presea was soon drawn in to his demonstration of Dwarfish egg-flipping. I was happy to munch on the bounty already on display, as there was so much of it.

"Do you like cooking, Tabatha?" I asked, after a while.

Tabatha looked around at me. "I SUPPOSE I DO. DO YOU?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I used to bake a lot. Or... I think I baked a lot. What's your favorite food?"

Tabatha looked down briefly, and I felt like an ass. "I DO NOT NEED TO EAT," she said, "BUT I DO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SMELL."

"Do you have a favorite smell, then?" I asked.

"...VANILLA AND CITRUS, I THINK."

I brightened. "Really? That's probably my favorite, too."

Tabatha looked curiously at me. "STRANGE, BUT INTERESTING. WE ARE MADE DIFFERENTLY, BUT WE ARE SIMILAR."

I laughed. "Yeah, Colette was saying that the three of us are sisters. That'd make me the oldest, and you the... youngest?" I squinted, uncertain. In my last life I had been the youngest of three sisters by a long shot, but it was difficult to tell what age Tabatha was supposed to be. If she was modeled on Martel at 16, then Colette would win out.

Tabatha shook her head. "THAT IS INCORRECT. I WOULD BE THE OLDEST, AND COLETTE WOULD BE THE YOUNGEST."

Lloyd looked around at that. "Huh? But Edie's old!"

"Hey!"

"IF THE PROJECTS WERE INDEED SIMILAR," observed Tabatha, "THEN IT IS LIKELY EDIE WAS 'CREATED' AT THE DESIRED AGE. THEREFORE, SHE CANNOT BE MORE THAN EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. I WAS CREATED TWENTY YEARS AGO, AND SO COLETTE WOULD BE THE YOUNGEST."

I gaped. "Oh my god, I'm a baby!"

"Hey, wait," Lloyd protested, "If you were made at 16, and it's been eighteen years, then you're - thirty - thirty-eight!"

"Thirty-four," Presea corrected.

"Nooo," I cried, "Don't take this from me!"

"HALF-ELVES AGE MORE SLOWLY THAN HUMANS," Tabatha observed.

I covered my face in my hands. "Thirty-four... thirty-four..."

"I am thirty," Presea told me, "But I am also twelve. We are truly similar."

"Thirty-four..." I'd hoped to have a mortgage by 34. Maybe a pet - maybe even a job that paid above minimum wage. Or a car! Even just a little one, to make grocery shopping easier. Where had I gone wrong? What sin had I committed to lose so many years at once? It was simply devastating. "I'm sad now."

"Don't be sad," Presea said, coming around to pat at my shoulder. "You have many years ahead of you."

"...I missed something weird," Sheena sighed, pausing in the doorway of the guest room for only a moment. "Whatever. Hey, this looks great."

In an hour or so, everyone was up, dressed and fed, and so began the process of readying for departure. Presea would be riding with me again, although this time Genis opted to fly with Raine, so that Regal could have a Rheaird to himself and so Zelos would stop complaining for at least a little while. Colette and Sheena had been sharing since the Tower, and were happy to continue - after all, it would only be a three-hour journey.

"We could see if the Renegades would give us another Rheaird," Lloyd suggested, when Genis grumbled about having to double up for Zelos' sake.

"I'm sure they have more important things to worry about," Raine advised. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," said Zelos, eagerly. "I miss my bed!"

---

"You said you had a way in," Sheena accused. Zelos tried to wriggle away, but Sheena had his ear between thumb and forefinger and wasn't letting go. "Are you telling me we flew all this way for nothing?"

"Oww, geez," Zelos complained, "I do have a way in, so let go. What'd you think, we'd just fly in? We'd be arrested before we could land."

Sheena relented. "Fine, but it better be good."

We had walked perhaps a mile along the wall west of the main gates, with no sign of any hidden entrance. The wall itself was a monument in stone, studded with bits of broken glass and ragged metal to deter anyone from climbing, and tilted slightly outward, making an attempt unlikely in the first place. The top of it, Zelos had cheerfully relayed, was lined with enchantments, not to mention vicious spikes. I wasn't going to try and jump it, if that's what he was thinking.

"...Ugh, what's that smell?" asked Lloyd, nose wrinkled.

"Oh, come on," I said. "No way."

"What?" asked Genis, looking around. "What is it?"

Raine sighed. "The sewer? Really?"

"Look, sometimes a fella's gotta get in and out after dark," Zelos protested. "It's not that bad."

The stone archway was huge, and the bars obstructing the entrance had been ever-so-slightly pulled forward out of position. The resulting gap was noticeable only when approached from the side, and practically invisible dead-on, or at a distance. The roaring water was moving very fast, accumulating a brown froth along the side of a sort of concrete dam, with plenty of space left over for foot traffic.

It was perfectly traversable - but not at all bearable. The smell was truly foul.

"I don't care who you have to bribe," I said, pinching my nose, "but we have gotta find another way out when we leave. That is rank."

"You guys are so picky," Zelos sighed. "I give and give and what do I get?"

"Not hog-tied and thrown into the raging sewer-water?" I suggested.

"Well, when you say it that way..."

The Meltokio sewers, while absurdly spacious, were mercifully free of puzzles, Sorcerer's Ring pedestals, and block puzzles. I half expected another ambush, but none came - and after a tremendously odorous thirty minutes, we were back on the surface.

Zelos waved cheerily at passersby as Regal helped to haul Sheena out of the open manhole; we had emerged in a perfectly ordinary residential street somewhere in the gate district. To my amazement, none of the people witnessing the event - nine people in ragged adventuring gear climbing out of a manhole in the middle of a street - seemed to find it at all remarkable. Some of them, children, even seemed accustomed to it, and went up to Zelos to ask for pocket change.

"You run along," Zelos said, easily doling out a hundred Gald apiece, "And don't tell anyone you saw me, right?"

"Right!"

"You really do use this to get in," Sheena sighed. "I can't believe you."

"I think it's pretty smart," Lloyd admitted. "But I don't get why you'd have to do something like this."

"Well, the city closes its gates at night, and sometimes..." Zelos trailed off.

"Why would you be getting home so late?" Colette asked, perfectly innocent.

"Oh, you know," Zelos said, "stuff. Now come on, I feel disgusting."

Zelos took us a circuitous route, up from the narrow streets of the gate district and into the lofty avenues of his own neighborhood. I expected to get the odd stare, but no one was out and about except servants, all of whom looked eager to mind their own business.

It was before noon, after all - only poor people got up early.

"Here we are," Zelos sighed, "Home sweet home."

Zelos' house could better be described as an estate.

The lot, mostly garden and greenery, occupied an entire city block. The mansion was easily the size of a chain hotel, although not at all as restrained; everything, from the wide paving-stone avenue to the moldings on the windows, was ostentatious. Rows of blooming flowers framed a facade in creamy brick, and the gates were flanked by statues of armored angels. The roof, sky-blue, gleamed in the morning sun.

The gates opened at a wave, and Zelos lead our ragged crew past pristine topiary, radiant fountains and huge stretches of perfect green lawn, punctuated only by elegant garden furniture.

"You live here?" asked Lloyd, open-mouthed.

"Yep," Zelos agreed, looking weary. "Inherited it myself."

The front double doors, gilded and impossibly grand, opened at our approach. A prim-looking man in his forties - no doubt Sebastian - waited just inside, placid face betraying nothing but professional contentment.

"Welcome home, Chosen One," Sebastian said, bowing first to his master and then to the rest of us. He gave no sign of finding us unpleasant or unusual, only beckoned us into the cavernous foyer and closed the door behind us.

"Good to be back," sighed Zelos, kicking off his shoes in the general direction of a hatstand.

The foyer was as grand as the exterior, if not moreso. The walls were papered in golden brocade, and artwork of every size and style decorated the walls, each in a frame nearly as grand as its content. A staircase, wide and elegant, traced the path of the right wall, while the left was taken up by a huge marble hearth surrounded by sumptuous leather furniture; an enormous carpet made of some exotic breed of monster stretched across the floor.

The alcove beneath the balcony - if you could call a space the size of a modest home an 'alcove' - was cluttered with boxes and bags, any number of priceless musical instruments serving as storage space for unopened gifts. The entire back wall was composed of beautiful glass doors opening onto what must have been a ballroom, the opulent hardwood flooring kept pristine even now.

I was surprised not to see more staff - a building this huge couldn't be maintained by one butler.

Zelos flopped onto a quilted bench with a sigh. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Sebastian nodded. "I was instructed by the Pope and an emissary of His Majesty Tethe'alla the 18th to report as soon as the Chosen returned."

Zelos waved a hand. "You can just ignore that."

"Yes, sir. And your guests?"

"They'll be staying with us for a while," he grinned. "Make sure they get the five-star treatment, huh?"

"Of course, sir."

"Well," Zelos said, when none of us had moved from our awkward huddle at the foyer entrance, "Go on, make yourselves at home."

"You say that," complained Sheena, "But..."

"Baths, perhaps?" suggested Sebastian, as if it were simply a good idea and not desperately, obviously necessary. "There are four bathrooms. If you would give me a moment, I will have them prepared. Will the ladies be needing attendants?"

"N-no!" Sheena protested. "It's - fine."

"Aw, I wanna go," Lloyd complained. "I feel awful."

"Ladies first, Lloyd," Zelos sing-songed. "Well, four out of five ladies first."

"Edie and I can share," Raine said, dispassionately.

"Oh, my," I said, pretending to blush.

"Honestly," she sighed, swatting at my shoulder, "You and Zelos are as bad as each other."

"Am I supposed to take offense to that?" asked Zelos, bemused.

"Nah, we're awesome," I said.

"You also smell," Genis pointed out.

Sebastian - who had somehow disappeared and reappeared in the span of thirty seconds - cleared his throat. "Ladies, if you will follow me?"

---

A/N: Hellooo! Fall's been crazy, but I'm back. Thank you so much to everyone who followed and commented in the interim - you give me a lotta strength! This chapter is probably kind of a mess - the group is finally consolidating a lot of boring information - but I hope it has some enjoyable moments. A quick note - as the story progresses, I'll be taking liberties with canon as established by Tales of Phantasia and TOS:DOTNW. This is partly in an effort to give the story a consistent internal canon, but also because I haven't played ToP and there's only so much you can glean from a wiki. xx ritz 3