10.

The party crowded around on the deck as they drew close to the spectacle of Leftheria, the towering peaks of clouds rising out of the sea, looming ever larger, taking up almost the entire horizon as they settled into port on one of Leftheria's more stable islands.

Nia shaded her eyes, peering off into the distance as the barge drew in. "I don't see your village," she said to Rex, who was beaming broadly, breathing in the air of home. "Where is it?"

"Oh, it's a few days hike off from here," Rex replied. He threw ropes overboard to the lackadaisical nopon workers staffing the dock, so they might tie the barge in as it docked.

"Days! Then why are we docking here?"

Rex pointed to the roiling peak of clouds off in the distance, numerous small island-titans floating lazily in and out of it. "Not many ships can navigate that. And besides, the islands moving around so much makes it difficult to build proper docking facilities. It's actually part of why Leftheria is so peaceful, it would be hell for any navy trying to make their way through that." Rex laughed. "The other reason is that there's not actually much here besides beaches."

Deftly, he vaulted himself off the side of the barge, landing nimbly on the docks. He put his hands on his hips, breathing in deeply as the rest of the party exited the barge in a more sane manner, off the exit ramp. "Ah, it feels good to be home!"

Nia shaded her eyes against the sun, squinting. "Cor, is it hot," she muttered. Mor Ardain had been hot as well, but it was a dry heat, tolerable within her jumpsuit. This was a much more tropical heat.

"Yep, sure is," said Rex, fumbling with his belt that held up his salvager equipment.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Nia asked, as Rex stepped out of his boots, her eyes widening as he lifted his shirt off above his head.

"Getting down to my swimsuit. Like you said, it's hot, right? You should take that jumpsuit off, too."

Malos stood beside Rex, scanning the horizon. "You know, that's not a bad idea," he mused. With a flash of black sparks, his armor disappeared, leaving him wearing nothing but a pair of black swim trunks, his purple core burning brightly in his chest.

Haze's eyes widened, and she glanced around. "Um...that was kind of hot. Right? It's not just me?"

"What the...take off my jumpsuit?" Nia's cheeks burned. "What are you, some kind of pervert?"

"I mean, why not? It's the beach." Rex shrugged. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You...you do wear something under there, right?"

"Of course I do!" Nia snapped. If she was being honest, she did wish she could take her jumpsuit off. But her damn core crystal, again…

"Oh, Nia," Brighid called, waving to her. "Why don't you come back to my cabin? I think I picked up something in Mor Ardain that would suit you."

Nia sighed, relieved, running after Brighid to her cabin.

"Tora hot as well!" the nopon cried, as Nia passed him. "Let...stupid overalls...ah, there we go!" Tora sighed as he removed his clothing, flapping his wings around him. "Is much better."

"Tora! Have some dignity!" Poppi cried, covering her eyes. "You are naked!"

"So what?" Tora said, tucking his clothes into his backpack. "Many nopon go naked all the time. You seen them before, Poppi. Not like humans where nudity is taboo."

"Poppi….suppose that true," the robot girl said begrudgingly, still averting her eyes from him. "It just….seem so weird when masterpon does it."

"I don't know what you're all complaining about," Morag said, arching her eyebrows and crossing her arms as she watched them all undressing. "It seems a bit chilly to me, if anything. Just remember, we do still have a mission. It's not playtime at the – oh, for the love of the Titans."

Zeke and Pandoria rand down from the ship onto the docks, breathless. Zeke was dressed in a pair of green trunks and a tight, gray shirt, while Pandoria wore a frilly, cyan two-piece swimsuit with purple fringe, and carried a beach ball. "Right, so where do we lay down our towels?" he asked, eye gleaming.

Meanwhile, Nia followed Brighid into her cabin. Brighid began humming quietly, opening drawers, searching through them. "Now, I do think yellow suits you," she murmured, sorting through clothes. "How...hm. How do I put this...how modest would you like to be?"

"You don't have to do this, you know, Brighid," Nia said, lingering by the doorway.

"That would imply I don't enjoy it. Now, would you like something to cover up a bit more, or..."

"Well...I mean, I don't mind showing a bit of skin..."

"Hm. Well, if you truly don't care, I have this-" Brighid said, lifting a swimsuit out of a drawer.

Nia's eyes widened, her cheeks burning. "Brighid! That looks more like floss than a swimsuit. Are you insane?!"

Brighid smiled softly, putting the swimsuit back into the drawer. "Well, I don't like it personally, myself. But I understand it's the current rage among Ardainian nobility. Let's find you something more appropriate, then."

In the end, they settled on a peculiar yellow top – half swimsuit, half turtleneck, it extended up to Nia's neck to cover up her core crystal. The bottom was a pair of yellow swim shorts, with a sarong made of various layers of translucent yellow gauze. Nia spun around, examining herself in the mirror. "Yeah...yeah, I like it," she murmured to herself. After a thoughtful moment, she reached up and undid the ribbons from her hair. As long as they were going to Indol, she might as well change up her appearance as much as she could.

"I do have a similar one in black, as well. I'm not so sure that's your color, though." Brighid busied herself folding up the various possibilities that Nia had rejected.

"So..." Nia ran to the bed, where she had tossed her pack, and began rifling through it. "How much do I owe you for-"

"Nia, please. You don't owe me anything. Do you know how often people try to offload their latest fashion pieces on me? Everyone wants the Jewel of Mor Ardain and her friends to be wearing their latest." Brighid waved her hand idly. "At least it comes in some use, now. People are always dying that Lady Morag has no interest in fashion."

Nia looked down at the suit she was wearing, plucking idly at the sarong. "I….thank you," she whispered, looking away. It suddenly struck her how lucky she was. She hadn't had friends like this since...since she had lost her sister, really. Even in Torna, Pyra had always been kind to her, but this…

"Think nothing of it. It would have just been gathering dust otherwise." Brighid slid a drawer shut. "I think we've probably kept the others waiting long enough."

Nia followed Brighid down off the barge. Morag was tapping her foot, impatiently, while Tora and Poppi built a sand castle, and Zeke and Pandy were already swimming around in the Cloud Sea on the beach next to the docks. Malos, Haze and Rex were crouched down by a tidepool, Rex pointing excitedly to some of the wildlife trapped within, while Dromarch was busy hunting butterflies in some tall grass, further up the beach.

"You certainly took your time," Morag said, eyeing Brighid. "Should we get a move on?"

"Aw, do we really have to?" Zeke called, standing up in the Cloud Sea next to Pandy. "Can't we have a little relaxation on the beach?"

Morag sighed, looking around herself. She felt suddenly guilty. She had just dragged her friends through hell, back in Mor Ardain. Would it really be so bad if they took some time to relax? "I...suppose that's not such a bad idea."

Rex rose, dusting the sand from his suit. "Well, if we really wanna relax, we shouldn't hang out here by the docks, anyway. There's much nicer beaches, a bit of a walk from here." He glanced over at Nia. "Oh! Cool swimsuit."

"Oh. Um….thanks." Nia raised an eyebrow at Rex quizzically as he turned to wave Tora and Poppi over. She was a little confused. She would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to Rex's reaction to seeing her in a swimsuit. After all, he had such a strong reaction to just seeing her back in her dress...but this showed more skin, and he hardly seemed to care. Maybe he was just playing it cool in front of the others?

Eventually everyone gathered together, as Rex waved them over, promising to lead them to even better beaches further up the coast. Malos glanced over at Haze, who was still dressed in her long, flowing robes. "You don't like the beach?"

"I don't really swim," Haze said, smiling.

Zeke crossed his arms. "Yeah, but you could always work on your tan."

"Well." Haze's face grew a bit mischievous. "When I do that, I usually like to go...all natural. If you know what I mean."

Rex's eyes widened, his jaw dropping as he heard this. "I don't believe it."

"Holy Architect, I totally called it," Nia said, doubling over in laughter. "Oh man."

11.

They set a lackadaisical, relaxed pace, Rex in the lead, strolling along the coasts, pointing out various landmarks to them as they made their way up Leftheria. The archipelago was surreal, in a way – never solid, never constant, composed of various small Titans constantly in movement. You had to learn the patterns of the movements, Rex told them, in order to properly navigate.

It was also beautiful, and idyllic. There was not much in the way of civilization, here. Every once in a while they'd run into small bands of people, walking along the beaches. Some of these looked clearly like they were vacationing and just enjoying the beach. Others were...more mysterious. Malos raised his eyebrows as two heavily-armed men passed them by, one Gormotti and the other Urayan, strapped down with swords and knives. Rex merely waved to them as they passed on by.

"Is that...normal?" Morag asked, glancing behind her as the men trailed off into the distance.

Rex shrugged. "It's normal enough. You get all types here, in Leftheria. Some people just trying to forget their troubles, or trying to get a fresh start. Some criminals, on the run. As long as they keep the peace here, Leftheria doesn't ask questions. All we ask is that if you're going to live here, you be good."

"But how do you enforce that?" It was Zeke who spoke this time, glancing at Rex curiously. "Wouldn't that just attract a bunch of criminals here?"

"Well. It's not exactly easy to get here. But you'd be surprised how many people take the opportunity for a fresh start seriously. A lot of times we don't have to enforce it." Rex grinned. "And if someone does cause trouble, well. It helps to have Gramps around. A flying, fire-breathing Titan does a lot to keep people in line."

After crossing a small land bridge between two island-Titans that spun in slow orbit around each other, they came to a particularly beautiful island. The center of it was dominated by a crystal-clear pool, fed by a small waterfall pouring from a large rocky outcropping. Large, exotic shrubs and flowers well over three feet in diameter sprouted around the pool – Morag recognized some of them as Urayan species. And the Titan was ringed by smooth, fine, pure white sand, the sort that felt comfortable to step on, like a thick, warm carpet that you sank into.

They set up on the beach, Zeke and Pandy laying out their towels. Morag gathered some driftwood to make a small fire, which Brighid lit with a blast of blue flame.

Malos had drifted off to examine the flowers growing in the center of the island while the others settled in to relax. He crouched down, looking closely at one of the large, red blossoms. Small, blue beetles darted in and out of its petals. An interesting little species. It was almost as if they were behaving socially.

"Malos."

Malos glanced behind him. It was Brighid, staring at him with her arms crossed, wind blowing her long, blue hair behind her. Malos rose to his feet, stretching himself out. "Yeah? What is it?"

Brighid was quiet for a moment, as if trying to think of how to put what she wanted to say into words. "Why...why are you so...distant, with Rex?"

Malos narrowed his eyes, arching an eyebrow quizzically. "Distant? I meditate with him, train with him. I don't think we're very distant."

Brighid was quiet, yet again, tapping her foot. "I...read my journal," she continued, after a while. "I have...notes about you. How you seemed cold, uninterested at first. But then you...actually opened up. Became friendly. With Jin, in particular. But with Rex...you seem to keep him at a certain amount of...formality."

"It's a partnership," Malos replied, shrugging. "Doesn't need to be more than that."

"I don't think Rex thinks of it that way," Brighid said quietly. "I think...he really looks up to you. I think he's a bit hurt that you hold him at arm's length." She shook her head, sadly. "Rex is...he doesn't let things show. Always keeps a cheerful smile on. But I can see it, sometimes."

"Well, well, look at you, aren't you observant?" Malos chuckled. "Since when have you started paying so much attention to Rex?"

"Since...I wanted to...make sure what kind of boy he was," Brighid murmured, glancing back at the beach. Nia and Rex were standing next to each other, engaged in conversation with Poppi and Tora. "Make sure….that he's the good, honest sort. For Nia."

"Oh, that so? I don't ever remember you being so matronly before." Malos' mocking grin grew wider. "What's wrong? Do you think Rex is learning uncouth and unchivalrous behavior from me? Afraid he won't treat her in a manner befitting a lady?"

"No. I think Rex is a very kind-hearted young man and he would never intentionally hurt her. I think Nia has exceptionally good taste." Brighid's voice was cold steel. "I am much more concerned about the way you treat him." Brighid drew in a breath, calming herself. She remembered Morag's words to her. Malos was a soldier. If Lady Morag saw some good in him, it was probably there. Somewhere. "I think you're trying to get a rise out of me to avoid the subject."

Shadows flitted across Malos' face, his grin turning considerably more unpleasant. He took a step toward her, and Brighid suddenly became intensely aware of how intimidating the Dark Aegis was. The unnatural strength that lay behind those muscles. His eyes dark pits, boring into her. "You think so," he said, his voice flat, dangerous. "You think you're clever? Think you're...in my head, little blade? Got me figured out?" Between them, his shadow seemed to grow darker, pitch black, a stain on the ground, growing larger, larger, like a spreading puddle of ink, reaching out towards her with tendrils snaking through the grass.

Brighid swallowed her fear and stood her ground. "Well. Yes. A little bit, at least."

And suddenly Malos gave a wry laugh, and his shadow was normal once more, his eyes no longer black, swirling voids of malevolence. "Well. You got me there." He shot her a grin that was no longer so cruel or dangerous, but rather a bit cheeky. "Good old Brighid. You were hard to mess with back then, too."

Brighid breathed a sigh of relief. "So….why is it that you keep Rex….closed off?"

Malos was quiet for a moment, looking out towards the beach. Brighid followed his gaze. He was looking at Fan la Norne, who was bouncing a beach ball back and forth with Zeke, Pandoria, and even Lady Morag seemed to be getting into the fun as well. "It's...been so long," he began, quietly, and to Brighid's shock, he seemed utterly earnest. There was not a trace of sarcasm or mockery in his voice. He almost seemed…vulnerable. "All the people I used to know...you, Aegaeon, Haze...I expected them not to remember me. But...the humans. Hugo. I gather that Addam didn't live long after the final fight, either. And I don't know what happened with Lora, but I assume...Jin probably has a good reason for wanting to kill me." He shook his head, looking away from Brighid, but not before she caught what looked like an expression of genuine pain on his face. "Maybe Mythra is right, in a way. I'm...not really meant for this world. Maybe it's best if I don't try to get close to anyone."

"Is that it?" Brighid replied, quietly. "You're afraid that if you get close to people, you're going to hurt them?" She shook her head. "Look Malos, I don't know what you were like back then. But you...don't seem so bad this time around." She took a step forward, giving a small smile. "Why not just...try being a bit kinder to Rex? Getting closer to him, like a proper blade should?"

Malos turned around, an odd expression on his face. "You really don't know me," he said softly. "But who knows. Maybe you're right." All trace of expression dropped from his face, and emotionless, neutral, he waved a hand, and turned around to examine the beetles on the flower again. "Enough talking."

Brighid blinked, then sighed in exasperation, throwing up her hands as she went back to join the others on the beach. Malos glanced over his shoulder to watch her go.

Brighid really didn't understand. It wasn't hurting others that Malos was afraid of. It was the risk that getting too close to them would make him pause. Would make him hesitate when it came time to do what needed to be done.

12.

Tora had settled in on the beach rather quickly. Poppi watched as her masterpon, with deft, skilled hands, quickly shaped wet sand into intricate and elaborate spires and architecture, building an impressive sand castle. She knelt down next to him with an armful of sea shells, decorating the roof of the castle.

"Poppi, must be careful with placement of sea shells. Aesthetics have negative impact on structural stability," Tora muttered to himself, intently focused on now building a small stable in the shadow of the castle.

Rex strolled by, with Nia at his side. Poppi watched them, curiously. "Come on, Rex, I want you to bring me to those nude beaches you told me about," Nia was saying to him, a wicked gleam in her eye. "I wanna see if you're actually brave enough to get down to nothing."

Poppi snorted, and couldn't stop herself from saying, "Yeah, Poppi bets you do."

Nia and Rex glanced towards her, both of them blushing. Rex rubbed the back of his head, then crossed his arms and squinted at her. "You know, Poppi, ever since you've changed, you've seemed a lot sassier."

"Yeah," Nia snapped, clearly irritated. "Are you sure you kept her with the same personality, Tora?"

"Eh? Yes yes. Upgrade process involves no change to neural matrix." Tora wiped sweat from his brow, then glanced up at them. "Have further upgrades planned, as well. But never any change to neural matrix needed."

"Poppi is the same as she has always been. Maybe you are just taking Poppi more seriously now because she has these," Poppi said, poking at her breasts.

Rex looked away, holding out a hand defensively, while Nia's eyes widened. "Don't...don't just POKE them like that!" the Gormotti girl cried.

"What, why?" Poppi reached up and squished them together as Nia sputtered and Rex turned around entirely, shaking his head. "These are signifier of human sexual maturity, but they mean nothing to Poppi. Just jet fuel storage. But Poppi understand appearance very important to humans, so maybe easier for Poppi to be taken seriously if she has them. Maybe they should be bigger, then more people take her seriously. What Tora think?"

"Always good to have more jet fuel storage!" Tora replied cheerfully.

"Has she stopped playing with them yet," Rex muttered, still facing away from Poppi.

"Oh you'd love that, wouldn't you, you little pervert," Nia snapped at Tora, crossing her arms, glaring at him.

Tora scratched the top of his head with a wing, puzzled. "Tora not understand. How he a pervert?"

"Seriously, can I turn around yet?" Rex asked.

Nia gestured towards Poppi. "You know, you gave her that...nice bod, and all, and that short little skirt to go along with it...and you dressed Brighid up in a maid outfit too, that one time...look, not that there's anything wrong with a little skin, it's just..."

Tora crossed his arms, looking increasingly annoyed. "And how that make Tora a pervert?"

"You know!" Nia snapped in frustration. "Because you like sexy girls in sexy outfits!"

"Thank you," Poppi said, beaming.

"Nia," Tora replied, as if he was talking to a simpleton, "That make no sense." He gestured down at himself. "What you see here?"

"A naked nopon."

"Exactly, a nopon! Why I care about what human find sexually attractive? I just think is cute!"

"I-" Suddenly, Nia stepped back, blinking. "Wait. That's a good point."

Rex finally glanced around over his shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief to see Poppi was no longer poking at her chest. "You know...Bana liked to have a bunch of sexy girls around, too," he said as he turned around. "I thought he had a thing for human girls..."

"Nopon just think they cute!" Tora snapped irritably. "Not like humans not do it to nopon, too! Here..." he cast about, then plucked up a pair of sticks, handing them to Nia and Rex. "Draw in sand. Draw nopon."

Nia and Rex glanced at each other, shrugging, then used the sticks to scratch out a crude doodle in the sand. Nia spent considerably longer on hers, sticking her tongue out and squinting as she tried to add more and more detail in. Tora watched them with his arms crossed, a frown on his face. "There, look," he said, once they had finished. "Rex-Rex, why you give your nopon such big wings?"

"I...I dunno, that's just how I think of them..."

"Wings is nopon secondary sexual characteristic! You make them so big, is like giving human girl gigantic boobs. You have a thing for nopon women, Rex-Rex?"

"What!" Rex cried, stumbling back. "What, no, of course not-"

"And you!" Tora said, turning on Nia, who was busy stifling a snicker. "Nia's is even worse! That perfect egg shape. Those stripes. This is practically pornography! Is lewd, lewd!"

"What?!" Nia gasped, as Rex began to laugh at her. "I...I just tried to make it cute!"

"Is Tora's point," Tora explained slowly, deliberately. "You call me pervert because I make Poppi curvy or dress her up, but is just what nopon think is cute."

"Alright, fine," Nia said placing her hands on her hips. "But that still doesn't explain why you guys only seem to like human women."

Tora shrugged. "Actually, is something nopon think is very cute about human males, but tends to get a much worse reaction than just dressing up girls cute."

Nia and Rex glanced at each other once more. "I'm afraid to ask," Rex replied, slowly. "But what is it?"

"Human male genitals."

"WHAT," Nia shouted, as Rex covered his face and said "Oh Architect, why did I ask."

"Well sure. They very funny. External, and always dangling and flopping around. Very funny. Is cute." Tora laughed. "But humans always get so angry when we keep naked boys around for some reason. Tora not get it, really. Just nudity. Who care?"

"Human male genitals really like that?" Poppi asked curiously. She turned to Rex. "Poppi wants to see."

"That's it, I'm done!" Rex cried, blushing a deep crimson. He walked off, throwing his hands up in the air. "Done! Done done!" Nia watched him go, her hands covering her mouth, blushing deeply herself, her eyes wide in shock.

Poppi tilted her head to the side. "Hmm. Maybe Poppi can get Malos or Zeke to-"

"NO you don't," Nia shouted, aghast.

"Forget it, Poppi," Tora said, waving his wings idly, turning back to his sand castle. "Humans very strange about this subject. Only like to see genitalia in certain magazines. Tora can probably get you some if you truly curious-"

"No, don't do that either!" Nia cried, then threw her hands up in the air as well. "I can't. I can't take this anymore. Rex, hold up!"

Poppi and Tora watched as Nia stomped off, racing after Rex.

"So," Poppi said, breaking the silence, poking at her breasts. "Tora really can make these bigger?"

"Will incorporate it into next design iteration."

13.

It had been a few hours that they had been relaxing on the beach. The sun had begun hanging low in the sky, though the temperature still remained balmy and comfortable, when they began feeling the first pangs of hunger. They had restocked on rations in Mor Ardain, but Rex told them that there was no need to eat the sad, wrapped, stale sandwiches in their backpacks. "There's always of plenty of fish in the islands around here," he said, pointing off to the Cloud Sea. "We can catch something, I'm sure of it."

"Oh, cooked fish?" Fan la Norne perked up in interest. "I've seen some plants on this island that would make wonderful seasoning for that. I can go gather some."

"Yeah, that's the spirit," Rex said. "Just keep our little campfire going. What do you say, Malos? Wanna come catch something? Bet I can get a bigger one than you."

Malos looked down at Rex, quiet for a moment. "Sure, why not," he said, finally.

"Hey! I can help too," Pandy cried, jumping up. "I'm an expert fisherman! Zeke, let's show them our technique."

Zeke looked uncharacteristically pensive. "Pandy, your technique is...a bit risky."

"Oh, come on, big guy. I can't do it without you."

Zeke crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "I am pretty sure you can."

Pandy wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself up against him. "Okay, I don't want to do it without you, I mean," she said, her tail smacking his butt. "Come on."

"Fine, fine, let's go..."

Haze went off to gather herbs, while Rex led Malos, Zeke, and Pandy to a small overhang by the edge of the island, a place where the shore jutted out a few feet above the gentle lapping motion of the Cloud Sea. "You can't see it from here, but right underneath us is a small cave, beneath the clouds. Fish love to hang out there. Makes this a great fishing spot," Rex said.

"Right. So what do we fish with?" Malos said, crossing his arms, peering down into the clouds.

"Oh hey, I just said I could catch a bigger fish than you, I never said anything about how you do it," Rex said slyly, as he unwound some cable from the anchor shot on his wrist, hooking a fat caterpillar to the end of it. "You have to figure out your own way to catch them."

Rex tossed his line over the side of the ledge, peering down into the depths. It wasn't long before he had a bite, and with a bit of struggle, he hauled up an impressive fish, a large green bass with a pale white belly, well over three feet long. He struggled, dragging it up onto land, as it flopped about frantically. "Not bad!" he said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "We're gonna need more than that to feed everyone, though. Think you guys can do better?"

Malos rolled his eyes, stepping over to the edge to look down at the cloud sea. "How am I gonna do this..." he muttered. He closed his eyes, and stretched out his hand, concentrating. And suddenly the clouds parted with a roar as an explosion shook somewhere deep beneath the surface, black flames roaring upwards from the depths. Fish rained down around them, flopping and gasping on the ground. Malos opened his eyes, grinning at Rex. "How about that? Not bad. Nice and efficient."

Rex looked around at all the fish flopping around him. "Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. But none of these are bigger than the one I caught."

"What! I caught way more. And look at that-" Malos pointed to a quivering hunk of meat. "Pretty sure that's a piece of a fish bigger than the one you caught, that should count-"

"Oh no no, I said I could catch a bigger fish!"

Pandy cleared her throat loudly, looking at the both of them smugly. "You are like little babies," she smirked. "Watch this."

She lifted her tail, and the lightbulb at the end of it began to flicker and pulse in a hypnotic pattern. She dipped herself into the ocean, holding onto the ledge, her tail flicking back and forth, its light dimly visible beneath the clouds. Zeke stood on the edge of the overhang, holding his sword, staring intently at the light beneath the clouds.

Suddenly, it disappeared, and Pandy let out an excited shriek, hanging onto the shore. "We got a bite, Zeke!"

Zeke dove into the Cloud Sea with a dramatic yell, his sword held high above his head, disappearing beneath the clouds as Pandy crackled with electricity. Malos and Rex glanced at each other uncertainly as Zeke did not surface for a few moments.

Suddenly, with a roar, Zeke surfaced above the clouds, his arms wrapped solidly around a massive fish. Malos and Rex boggled as, with Pandy's help, he dragged it onto the shore. It was humongous, a long, snake-like fish with a mouth full of vicious, hooked fangs, a few feet longer than even Zeke was.

"I told you..." Zeke panted, as he finally dropped the fish, onto the ground, where it lay twitching, "Your method...is dangerous, Pandy! Look at that thing. What if it had taken a chomp out of your rear?"

"That's why I wanted my Prince nearby to protect me," Pandy cooed, beaming up at him.

Zeke rolled his eye at her. "Don't think I can't tell what you're doing, you little charmer."

"That's a sea-dragon," Rex said wonderingly. "You barely ever see those. When we go salvaging, if we see one we just surface immediately, they're so aggressive. You managed to kill one of those things?"

Slowly, they managed to drag their haul back to the campfire, dragging the massive sea-dragon through the sand. "Hey, Morag," Zeke called, as he strained to drag the massive fish, "You mind giving us a hand gutting this-"

Morag, who was standing by the fire talking to Brighid, took one glance at the fish Zeke was dragging along, its humongous, unblinking eyes, and her eyes widened.

14.

While Zeke, Rex, Malos and Pandy went off to catch fish, Fan la Norne strolled off to the middle of the island, humming to herself peacefully, as she knelt down among the thick flowers and vegetation to begin gathering a variety of the wild vegetables and herbs that she had spotted earlier to cook along with the fish.

Nia quietly watched her from a distance, Dromarch at her side, ducking behind trees and rocks whenever Fan turned around to avoid being spotted. She fidgeted to herself, unsure of what to do. There was something that she very much wanted to ask Fan. But...as kind and sweet as Fan seemed, she was an envoy of Indol. Well, so were Zeke and Pandy, and they seemed alright, but…

"Is there a reason why you're watching me, Nia?" Fan called out suddenly, her voice calm and light. Nia felt her heart drop to her stomach. How long had Fan known that she was there?

She stepped out from behind the rock she had been hiding behind, her ears flat against her head, looking away in embarrassment. "Heh, sorry," she said, somewhat abashedly. "I...er, there was something I wanted to ask you, but I wasn't sure how..."

"If there's anything you want to ask, you can go ahead," Fan replied. She hadn't looked at Nia, or looked up from where she was crouched on the ground, gathering vegetables. Nia still had a vague sense of unease.

She looked down at Dromarch, who looked up at her with large, unblinking eyes. "I hear….you're a healer," she began, softly, stepping closer to Fan, who still didn't look up. "I...you don't know this, but when Rex uses Malos' power...it hurts him. I always heal him..but I'm worried that it's leaving a deeper wound that I can't heal. Dromarch, ah, Dromarch says he can sense it." Nia glanced down at her blade. Dromarch had, in fact, told her he couldn't sense anything like that. But Nia didn't want to suggest that she might have healing powers of her own. "I wanted to get a second opinion, from another healer..."

Fan didn't answer for a moment, and didn't look up, just continuing to pluck out vegetables from the ground, piling them in a small basket next to her. "I've heard much about the power of the Dark Aegis, through historical records," she murmured quietly. "And I have...some very fractured memories of what it did to Addam. Just flashes. Screams. I'm aware of what it does to people." Finally, she turned around to face Nia, a sad smile on her face. "You really care for Rex, don't you?"

"I suppose it's getting more and more obvious, isn't it," Nia muttered to herself. "Well. I won't deny it. I do. He's….he's very special to me."

Fan's smile grew sadder, and sorrow swam into her eyes. "Perhaps...you should ask yourself whether that's the wisest decision."

Nia was silent. The only sound was the low, gentle roar of the ocean, the distant cries of seagulls.

Fan turned away, turning back to the vegetables before her, slowly gathering them once more. "I can feel it," she said quietly. "Very faintly, yes. Something within Rex that isn't...quite right. It's hard to describe. And, as far as I can tell, impossible to heal." She sighed, finally standing on her feet, not turning around, looking off into the distance. "It is much the same as what I heard of Addam. He survived the final battle with Mythra, you know. But wasted away not much longer after that. I can't pretend to understand the Architect's plan. But perhaps it is just the way things are. Perhaps those who use the Dark Aegis are simply doomed to die from it."

And now she turned around, the gentle smile on her face for some reason striking fear into Nia's heart. She took a step towards Nia, and Nia found herself almost stumbling backwards, clutching closer to Dromarch. "I know that it might seem beautiful to you," Fan said, her voice almost a whisper. "But getting close to someone like that…? It's only asking for pain. Perhaps...before your heart carries you away entirely...think with your head, not your heart. Is it really worth the pain you'll experience, loving someone as doomed as him?"

Nia looked at Fan with wide, panicked eyes. "You….you sound just like her," she whispered.

Fan paused in her advance, her face still frozen in that same awful expression of joy and despair. "Like who?"

Nia's hands burrowed into Dromarch's fur. "Like...like Pyra. Mythra."

Fan was silent for a long moment, her hair whipping around her in the breeze, her expression neutral, the dying light framing her in a halo of pink light.

"I..so what do you want me to do," Nia said, her voice growing louder, as the anger began building in her. "Just...stop caring about him, because it might hurt me…? Even if...even if he was...doomed...that's not fair to him either, is it? How awful that is to him...for people to just stop caring about him just because of the sacrifices he thinks he needs to make. And even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I couldn't, damn it!" She stomped her foot, glaring up at the goddess of Indol. "When you care about someone, you can't just...switch it off! I don't know about you, but...I can't."

Fan shook her head, closing her eyes, suddenly looking uncertain of herself. "You have to watch out for yourself...he may be doomed..."

"And that's another thing," Nia continued, her voice raising almost to a shout. "I..." she closed her eyes, as visions of her sister's cruel smile from her nightmare danced in her head. "I...even if he is doomed...I won't give up on at least trying. The least I could do is try…"

Nia felt defiant in the moment, but internally, she was full of doubt. It was starting to feel like the world was trying to send her a message. Pyra, Vandham's wife, and now Fan...what if it was all true? What if she was being a fool? She had lost her sister, her father, and it had hurt her more than she had ever imagined possible. Wasn't it...stupid to care about someone again? Particularly if that person was...so likely to…

But it was true. She couldn't help it. She couldn't possibly help it. Not just Rex, either. She wanted to love, to have friends, she didn't want to go through life alone, so utterly alone.

She glanced up as Fan began speaking once more, her face still graced with a small, sad smile. "That's very noble of you, Nia. To keep reaching for beauty, against the inevitable darkness. It's what makes people so wonderful. To see that darkness, that tragedy, and still persevere."

Nia was quiet, for a moment, glaring defiantly up at Fan. So many said that. That tragedy was inherent, that it was a guarantee. And at one point she might have taken that for granted. But she had spent so long stumbling around in darkness...to finally find real friends. People who truly cared about her. Maybe she didn't deserve it, but she had found them nonetheless. "What if...it's not so inevitable?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if...it actually isn't as bad as all that? What if...we can fight and make it better?"

Fan paused for a moment, holding a hand to her chest, her eyes closed, looking down towards the ground. It looked almost as if there was an enormous weight pressing down on her. "Sometimes...I still feel like you do," she murmured. "But long history has taught me...it ends. It all ends. Our beauty is in the struggle against tragedy. Against our fallen nature. Against this world. And more often than not...we lose."

"I don't...believe that." Nia blinked at herself, almost in surprise, then slowly growing more and more certain. "I don't believe that!"

Fan sank to her knees, and for a moment, Nia was shocked, thinking she had collapsed. But she had merely gone back to collecting vegetables and herbs. "Do you really not believe it," Fan murmured, not looking at her, "Or do you simply not want to believe it?"

Nia shook her head, stepping back from Fan, nearly stumbling. She turned, walking away, back towards the campfire, her head spinning. Fan had seemed so kind, so sweet and caring. Why did she have to have this despair in her as well? Was it just part of what living in this world did to people? Would the world grind her down like that, as well?

As she approached the campfire, she noticed a small batch of freshly-caught fish sitting on a nearby rock. Morag was there, holding one of the fish, and a sharp gutting knife, looking at the fish with wide, unsteady eyes. A few dozen feet away, Zeke, Malos, Rex, Pandy and Brighid were standing over...what looked to be a colossal, snakelike fish, apparently arguing over the best way to butcher it.

Dromarch left her side, padding over to the batch of fish to sniff at them tentatively, before taking one in his mouth and dragging it over to the grass to gnaw on it. Dromarch always did prefer his meat raw.

Morag looked at this, her knife still poised uncertainly over the fish she was meant to be butchering. "Oh, hello, Nia," she said, quietly, as the Gormotti girl sat down next to her.

Nia's head was still swimming from what Fan had told her. "This fish...this for dinner?" she asked quietly.

"Ah, yes."

Nia watched, wrapped up in her own thoughts for a moment, as Morag tentatively poked and prodded at the fish with the curved gutting knife. But finally, she looked up, raising a curious eyebrow at the Ardainian. "Come on, Morag. You know how to gut that thing or not?"

"I know how," Morag said irritably.

"Really?"

"...No."

Nia sighed, grabbing a fish, and plucking the knife from Morag's hands. She wasn't a particularly good cook, but living in the wild had taught her a few survival skills. "Here, you do it like this, see-"

Morag's eyes widened further still as Nia unflinchingly plunged the knife into the fish, quickly slicing a seam up the middle, yanking out the entrails with one quick flick of her wrist. She tried not to look at the fish's eyes as Nia quickly sliced up its sides, carving filets out of its flesh, plucking out stray bones and flicking them away into the sand. "You're, ah, quite adept at that."

"Hmm," Nia answered, tossing away the fish head to a pair of nearby curious seagulls, and picking up another fish to begin working on that one. "Hey….Morag. This...ah...this is gonna sound dumb. But...can I ask you something...woman to woman, like?"

Morag arched an eyebrow. "Of...course. Certainly."

Nia distracted herself sawing away at the fish in front of her, not looking at Morag. "I...suppose it's becoming pretty obvious," she said quietly. "But...I...really, really care for Rex."

"Oh! Well." Morag glanced over to where Rex stood, still jabbering with Malos and Zeke. Each of them held one of their blades, while Brighid tentatively pointed out parts of the sea-dragon that she wanted them to cut. Brighid was, of course, entirely guessing on how to butcher the thing. She had no more idea about it than Morag had. "It...is a little obvious, yes. But I think it's also fairly obvious he….cares about you, in particular, as well."

Nia smiled to herself, a little bit, a sad, crooked smile. She stopped in her filleting of the fish, putting the knife down at her side. "Am...Am I a fool for that?" she asked.

"Why would that make you a fool…?"

"People keep telling me...Rex...you've seen it, using Malos the way he does, it hurts him. And I've...lost people in the past, and...am I a fool for...caring so much about someone who...might…"

"Who would tell you..." Morag glanced over in the direction Nia had walked from, at the figure of Fan calmly gathering herbs and vegetables at the center of the island. "I...well. We are all risking our lives here, Nia. I won't lie and tell you that it's...not an extra burden to care for someone who does that. But it would be a bitter world indeed if no one cared for those who risked their lives. The soldiers, the heroes of the world, they need people who love them, too. In the end, it's up to you. Is that something you're willing to accept?"

Nia was quiet, not looking up. But her smile became less crooked, and a faint blush played across her cheeks. "It...it is."

"Of course, that doesn't mean you need to accept every foolish risk Rex might toss himself at. I've...held command over my share of men. Young men, in particular...it's as if the Architect designed them to take bull-headed risks." Morag sighed, crossing her arms, thinking back to all the soldiers she had known. "Men can be strange creatures."

Nia laughed, finally looking up at Morag. "I know that. I never thought you would be the sort to notice that kind of thing."

"Like I've said, I've held command over my share of young men. It's hard not to notice." Morag waved her hand idly. "My point is, if you care for him...you're within your rights to tell him when he's being a fool. Although that's never really been a problem for you, has it?"

"No, definitely not." Nia crossed her arms. "I do wonder if I'm too harsh, sometimes."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. Rex seems like the sort to take it all in stride. And you know, you aren't….powerless, in all this. You're the finest healer I've ever known. And an experienced driver. Even if Rex is risking his life...you have the luxury that many who care for those who put themselves in danger do not. You can stand by his side, and help keep him safe."

Nia sighed. She seemed much more...at ease, Morag noticed, than she had when she had first approached. Morag was glad her advice had at least been able to comfort the girl. "I...thanks, Morag. I was...beginning to wonder whether everyone thought I was a fool."

"Was it something Fan had said to you?" Morag asked quietly. When Nia didn't respond, Morag continued. "She is a blade of the Praetor...and she would have some of him reflected within herself. I know little of Amalthus, myself. My brother has met him more often. He has a reputation, a well-deserved one, as a legend. The wisest monarch ever to rule. Benevolent, as well, always bestowing charity upon refugees from war." Morag leaned back, crossing her arms, looking up into the sky. "But I will always remember what my father told me about him."

"What was that…?"

"It was...after a diplomatic mission to the Praetorium. He said the Praetor held the Alrest in the palm of his hand. Amalthus has a way of...getting what he wants, in diplomatic talks." Morag closed her eyes. "I...at the time I thought it meant that he was clever. A good ruler. He had risen so high on strength of his virtue. But I suppose I've been wondering lately if anyone ever gains that much power without some wickedness in their hearts."

15.

The party sat around the fire, digging into their meal heartily. The sun had begun to set, dusk creeping up around them, the shadows lengthening outside of the flickering orange light of the campfire.

They had more than enough fish for all of them, and the herbs and vegetables Fan had gathered cooked well. Delicious, flaky filets, from the fish Rex and Malos had caught, and large, tough, but still tasty steaks from the sea-dragon Zeke and Pandy had pulled up. The seasoning on them was subtle, but added well to the flavor, and Fan had gathered some wild tubers and roots that cooked until soft by the fire.

"I suppose we'll be camping here for the night," Morag said thoughtfully, between bites of fish.

"Poppi looking forward to some peace and quiet," Poppi said, stretching. She narrowed her eyes at Zeke and Pandy. "Poppi have room next to Zeke and Pandy on the boat."

"Yeah, so?" Pandy asked, her mouth half full.

"Poppi have very good hearing."

Pandy slowed her chewing, glancing around nervously.

"Why Pandy always saying for Zeke to 'give it to her'? What he giving her-"

Pandy choked, and Zeke spit out his drink. The entire party sputtered, in fact, choking on their food. Only Fan seemed relatively unperturbed, simply laughing.

They lounged around the fire after finishing their meal, idly tossing the fish bones into the crackling flames. "I suppose that it's safe enough to stay outside for the night," Morag asked Rex.

Rex stretched out, shaking a bit, leaning back against a piece of driftwood. "Ah yeah, it's safe enough. There are some Tirkin tribes around here that can get a bit unfriendly, but they never really hurt anyone, mostly just try to steal. And they're pretty fat and lazy, you can chase them off easy enough." Suddenly he gave a mischievous smile. "That is...unless you consider the ghosts."

Nia, who was sitting next to him, gave him a shove, her eyes wide. "Oh, shut up. There's no such thing as ghosts!"

"Oh, you think so?" Rex grinned at her. "What's wrong, Nia, a bit spooked?"

Nia snorted, crossing her arms. "Oh please. I'm not a child. I don't believe in any of your ghost stories."

Rex shrugged. "Well...I can't say I've ever seen any of them myself. But it is true, there's a lot of legends about ghosts haunting the islands. Lots of stories about old criminals coming here to die, their spirits wandering the islands for all eternity…."

"Your spirit is gonna be joining them if you don't hush up," Nia snapped.

Rex laughed. "Man, Nia, I never knew ghosts would scare you this much. This is kinda cute."

"I told you I'm not scared!"

They sat around the fire, talking, gossiping, trailing off from the campfire one by one to go find a comfortable place in the sand to nap, no blankets or cover necessary in the idyllic, cool night air.

Malos was the last to remain by the fire. He watched as Zeke and Pandy, the other two that had stayed up the latest, finally left the circle of orange light, trailing off into the night. He remained at the blaze for another hour or two, watching the crackling flame die down into nothing but smoldering embers, until it barely lit his face in the darkness.

He got up, moving through shadow, looking around. It was a clear night, the full moon illuminating the sleeping figures on the beach.

He moved with utter silence, like a shadow drifting over the ground, moving to Rex's pack. He reached in, pulling out one of the core crystals Rex had stored in there, the one Vandham had given to him when they had fought the monstrous spider.

With a flash of silent black flame, Malos was clad in his black armor once more. He left the group on the beach, walking silently to the center of the island. He stood by the shore of the large pool in the center of the island, fed by the small, gentle waterfall, the water of the lake reflecting the thousands of stars lighting up the night sky.

He held the core crystal out in front of him, closing his eyes. Black flame flowed from the core crystal, siphoning off from it, into the cross-shaped Aegis core on his chest. As he did so, the core crystal grew duller, more gray.

Draining from Mythra, when he could get a hold of her, was the best way for Malos to make repairs to the damage that had been done to him back during the Aegis War. But small, gradual repairs could be made from siphoning from the core crystals of normal blades. Although the Aegis was very different, in the end, they shared many of the same common design elements with normal blades. If he was careful, he could siphon off energy, information, material from a normal blade to make repairs to himself. If he drained them too much, however, it might destroy them forever, crumbling their core crystal to dust.

Suddenly, Malos got the feeling he was being watched. His eyes shot open, and he lowered his arm, ceasing the siphoning from the core crystal. He scanned around, narrowing his eyes, his vision piercing the dark. There was…

There. On the opposite side of the lake's shore. A lone figure, silhouetted against the moonlight, standing perfectly still. Watching him.

Malos was perfectly still. Who could it be, that was watching him at this hour? One of the others? Had they followed him? The figure didn't look like anyone in the party – they were tall like Zeke, but slimmer. Was it some stranger, walking along the isles, that had stumbled across him…? But who would be traveling so late at night?

Calmly, Malos began walking around the edge of the lake, towards the figure, making no attempt to hide. The figure didn't move, either, simply standing perfectly still. Silhouetted as he was, it was difficult to tell if he was even facing Malos, as he approached.

Malos got within ten feet of the figure, and then stopped. Something seemed so...strange, about it. It was still difficult to make out the particular features, even from this distance. All he could tell was that the figure seemed to be wearing a cloak and hood. And it seemed so...familiar, somehow.

"Hey," Malos called out to the figure. "Who are you? What are you doing?"

The figure didn't answer. He didn't even move.

Malos narrowed his eyes, then began stepping closer. He summoned his black blade to his hand, holding it down by his side cautiously. Something definitely wasn't right about all this. As he drew closer, he could see that the figure's cloak was tattered, worn. Drawing closer, he could finally see that the figure actually was facing directly towards him, distinguish details from the silhouette, and across his back he had strapped a large greatsword, a…

Malos paused, a mere five feet from the figure. That sword...it had a familiar charm, a small red tassle, hanging from the hilt. He'd recognize it anywhere. It was a small charm Lora had made for Addam, that he'd hung from his sword hilt, shortly after they had first met Lora and Jin.

"You haven't changed, Malos."

Malos flicked his eyes to where the figure's face would be, buried in the shadows of his hood. The voice emanating from there was...raspy, cold, echoing to him as if from a long, empty hallway. "Addam…?" he said, wonderingly. But that was impossible. What the hell was going on, here? Was this a hallucination...another dream?

"You haven't changed," the figure repeated, and now he drew his greatsword from its sheathe on his back. Malos raised his blade barely in time to catch the quick blow figure delivered, as he dashed forward, his sword raised high above his head.

"Who are you?" Malos snapped, as he stood his ground, their two swords hissing as they strained against each other. "You can't possibly be Addam. Addam's been dead for centuries."

"You stole my future from me, Malos," the figure hissed. "All I had ever wanted, all I had ever dreamed of, gone because of you." And suddenly the light shifted, and Malos could finally see within the figure's hood. It was Addam's face, but made of smoky, drifting shadow, and as the light hit it, the shadow disappeared, revealing a bleached, white skull. "And you'll do it again, and again, and again. It's what you are."

And suddenly, the figure disappeared. Gone, without a trace – simply there one moment, and then gone the next, all the pressure held up against Malos' sword vanishing in an instant, and he was left alone on the shore of the lake, staring about himself in shock.

Note:

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's had the fortitude to read through this, it's a very long story I know, and it's always asking a lot for people to get invested in a fanfiction this long

Anyway as always, please leave a comment if you can