"Marche, my son, awaken."

Marche opened his eyes against painful brightness. He tried to squint through it, using his hands to create meager shadows. His eyes darted around, searching frantically for the owner of the voice that woke him.

"Where are you?" He yelled. He staggered to his feet.

"You have returned to what you abandoned by choice. You have come to let Ivalice reflect you once more."

"What are you talking about?"

The voice was distant, like a whisper carrying through an empty house. Marche spun around, his feet clicking off a floor that he couldn't see underneath him. He clenched his jaw and made fists.

"Come out!" he yelled, "Let me see you!"

The light faded and Marche adjusted to see that he was surrounded by the stoney rubble ruins of a castle. Vegetation clung to the debris, claiming ownership. He was standing in an old square courtyard. The air was heavy and humid, like it had been raining for years and stopped just in time for a heat wave. Marche felt heavier than usual and he looked to see that he was in armor, his armor, each plate worn as he remembered with the same golden-hilted sword at his waist.

"Marche Radiuju. Tell me why you returned."

"I came back." Marche answered, "Because I want to fix my mistake."

"Mistake?"

"All of my friends had something precious here and I took it away. I…I love my home in real Ivalice. It's perfect for me, almost paradise. I think that's how it must have felt to my friends here, in this Ivalice." He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"Your guilt emanates like smoke from fire."

"I'm going to fix it, though. Make it right."

"Oh? How so? And what if you've already done so? Perhaps those you've wronged have already forgiven you?"

Marche watched the now-blue sky for a few moments before spotting a path out of the square. He looked round once more before he started to walk.

# # #

"Yeah, I saw him. He was running that way."

"Thank you, Mr. Tobis." Doned said. He waved them goodbye from behind the counter of his fruit stand and the trio returned the gesture.

"What's down this way?" Doned asked, looking around.

Behind him, Ritz answered, "The train station, the long roads to the highway and the edge of town. This is really the last road of the city."

"Is that it?"

Mewt scowled, "What would Marche be doing down this way? There's nothing down here."

Ritz stopped abruptly. Doned gripped his seat to avoid tumbling.

"What happened?" He asked, annoyed.

"The woods." Ritz said, her voice flat, "It's down here."

"You don't think that Marche would…?" Mewt asked. He frowned.

"Let's go." Doned said, "Let's go and fast."

Both Mewt and Ritz nodded in agreement and they headed off.

# # #

"Where do you plan on going?"

"I don't know." Marche walked underneath an old stone archway, "I'm just looking for a way to fix things."

"You think that you'll find it here, of all places?"

"It has to be here."

"Tell me something…" The voice asked. It paused in thought, "Do you enjoy having friends?"

"Of course." Marche navigated around a large length of wall, "I treasure them."

"Why go through the trouble of losing them? If you find your 'answer' here, then you will indeed lose them, correct?"

"That's a…possibility. I'm looking for a way to make things right. For a way to make it so everyone was as happy as they were when they were here. I took away paradise and I have to find a way to return it."

"What is 'Paradise'?"

Marche stopped in front of an old, dry fountain. He looked up at the broken statue of a woman in the center, holding a pot in her arms.

"Paradise is a place in which you have everything you've ever dreamed of."

"And the world in which you come from isn't 'paradise'?"

"No." Marche closed his eyes, "Not for my friends. They all had paradise here. Ritz had her hair and Shara, Mewt was a prince and had his Mother and Doned…my brother could walk! I…"

"You what?"

"I was greedy! I fought for what only I wanted and not what everyone else did! It was a mistake. A mistake to go against them. They're my friends, the only ones I have. I realize that it was all me!"

"Your emotions are strong, Marche."

The voice trailed as the ground started to shake. Loose rubble clattered over the ground. Marche spun to the cause of it. Standing behind him was a judge, but not like any he'd seen. This judge was bigger, at least four feet taller. Its eyes were a smoky blue and in the spaces between the armor exhaled dark smoke. Its axe stretched well above its head and the blade was shone sharp. It took another thunderous step and swung, whistling the air.

Marche bounded backward. The blade hit the ground, splintering the stone into webs. Marche drew his blade in engagement. It sparkled like water in the morning sun. He pushed off both feet, gaining speed towards the Judge. It reacted by throwing a right hook. The iron fist caught Marche in the side, cracking his armor and sending him painfully through some nearby rubble. Spikes of pain pierced his now-battered body. He pulled himself to his feet and raised his sword again. He shook his head clear and resumed.

The Judge met him halfway with the axe. Marche saw the attack coming and slid to the side to avoid it. The blade hit the ground in a flurry of dust and stone. Marche took his chance, hopping up off the Judge's iron arm and plunging his sword into the smoke that was between the helmet and torso. It offered little resistance and the Judge went dead just as soon. All of it came crashing backwards to the ground in a tremendous ringing moment. Marche stood still for a minute then turned away from the heap, sheathing his sword.

"Do you believe that you have truly 'sinned'?" The voice asked.

Marche frowned and started walking again. He hugged his right side, nearly limping. The tip of his sword hovered the ground.

"It is a sin to murder." he said, "And I have killed too many dreams."

# # #

Marche's lips had gone blue with cold by the time Mewt laid him in his bed. The snow that had covered him had long melted, soaking him completely.

"Blankets." Ritz said to Doned, "Where?"

"Downstairs." Doned said, "Bathroom closet."

Ritz ran off and Doned wheeled himself as close to the bed peel the wet clothes from his icy skin. On the other side of the bed Mewt leaned over with a towel to dry Marche's hair and face. Ritz came back and waited until both were done before she layered six heavy blankets on Marche. Doned hung the wet things on a nearby chair then turned to look at his two friends.

"Now what?" He asked.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ritz answered, "We go after him."

Mewt was shocked, "What! Go after him?"

Ritz pointed, "We use that and go to get him!" Her finger went from Mewt, who had picked up the old tome, to Marche on the bed

Doned shook his head, "Marche must have gone back for a reason, right? Maybe we should let him try and figure out whatever he's going through on his own."

"No!" Ritz yelled, "What if he's in danger? What if he's hurt?"

"Let's go." Mewt said, "Doned, your mother won't be home until tomorrow, right?"

Doned nodded, "Business conference."

"Then let's go!" Mewt laid the book across Marche's blanket pile, "My dad will think I'm here and so will yours, Ritz."

"You seem like you want to go back more than any of us."

Mewt huffed, "Well, Marche went alone…I…I want to…" He smiled, "I want to grab him and ask him what's wrong!"

"Yeah!' Ritz said, psyched up, "And I wanna smack him for making us worry!"

Both of them smiled and turned to look at Doned, whose frown quickly turned to a smirk.

"Marche's my brother. I have to go."

"Then it's settled. Are we ready?"

The three of them nodded. Mewt settled down against a wall, sitting with his knees up. Ritz lay flat on the floor and Doned, with a deep breath, reclined best he could.

"lta oron Sondus kameela." Mewt said, hardly above a whisper. Ritz mouthed the words, as did Doned. The effect was almost instant. All of their last thoughts were simple prayers that things would be okay.