Chapter 18 – Tested
Sated with the first taste of food in over a century and with his heart nearly bursting with joy at both being in the company of such beloved friends and having regained his full physical faculties thanks to the new body, X stood up, looking absolutely elated.
"Everyone..." he said, struggling to find the words. "You've... showered me with overwhelming gifts since I gathered the courage to come back. I don't know what to say except… thank you."
Outside, the Four Guardians exchanged awkward glances, hesitant to interrupt what they felt was a moment meant for close friends and not the likes of them.
Cial spotted them through the corner of her eye and, taking a page from Axl's book – though she would never admit it – quietly excused herself and stepped outside just as Alouette was in the process of giving X a hug.
"So..." she said as she stared at the four. "Since you came all the way here, are you not going inside?"
"I… suppose that was what we came here for." Harpuia conceded.
"I'm still surprised you'd bother going to invite us in person." Fefnir added. "No offense."
"None taken." Cial replied flatly. "This is new ground for me as well."
Leviathan shifted uncomfortably and cast a hesitant glance at the window. Noticing this, Phantom turned to her.
"You do not have to do this." he said calmly, but with an unusual softness to his tone.
"But I do want to." she said, summoning her confidence. "I'm not a child. I need to get my act together if this collaboration thing is to work."
"What exactly is going on?" Cial asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You have been acting strangely ever since I visited."
"Not quite." Leviathan corrected. "Something else happened before. But this is between me and..."
"I will not pry." Cial retorted. "As long as it does not pose a potential threat to those around me, you can speak or not."
"It doesn't." Leviathan said with a sigh. "It's just… complicated."
She then stepped forward, once again with the dignified posture of her former rank.
"I'm stronger than this. Getting mad at either of them would be pointless, but I can't let something like this make a mess of me."
Gathering her will, she stepped through the door and bowed her head slightly before X.
"We are glad to see you back to full strength… Master."
Still in Alouette's grip, X turned his head to her.
"It's good to see you again." he said politely. "But I thought I'd..."
"Yes, you told us not to call you that." she recalled. "But I don't know what else to call you."
"I have a name, you know." X retorted.
"I couldn't possibly..." she stammered in an unusual display of shyness. "It wouldn't be proper."
"What have I told you about putting me or anyone on a pedestal?" X scolded. "Or bowing?"
"Of course." she said, lifting her head to look directly at him. "My apologies."
"You do seem to be back to full strength." Harpuia remarked as he stepped in as well. "I can already feel the difference in your presence."
"As expected, given who worked on crafting that body." Phantom added.
"No." X said, shaking his head. "I'm not at full strength just yet."
Seeing the confused looks on the Four Guardians' faces, he elaborated.
"All my old armors and special upgrade parts were lost or destroyed. It will take some time and effort to replace even the basic suit and I don't know how long I'd need to be able to replicate all my old weapons again."
"Correct me if I'm mistaken." Harpuia pointed out. "But… wasn't all the data lost? How would you do that then?"
"I did lose the data from the Variable Weapons System that was once physically stored in my body ." X said with a nod. "But this new body has the same system and I may be able to recreate them from memory… eventually."
"As we should have expected." Phantom remarked.
"You know..." Zero chimed in, turning to X. "I never really understood your reasoning for getting rid of that stuff - the weapon data, the suits and so on. You did say you didn't want to grow too powerful – that such a prospect scared you. But don't you think you should have kept them somewhere a little safer?"
"You know what they say about hindsight..." X said. "You're right though. Keeping them in that vault at Hunter HQ was not the best of ideas. That said, I do hope I won't need them again. As for the body itself, yes, it's perfect."
He glanced at Ciel again with a beaming smile.
"Once again, thank you. Not just for helping me feel alive again, but also for being such a good friend."
There was definitely a difference in X's presence – and in the way he seemed to be overflowing with joy. In fact, Phantom could swear that he was misty-eyed about something, but chose not to comment on it.
"Well then..." Phantom said after a long silence. "We did what we came here to do."
With that, he stepped outside.
"Be well." Harpuia added before following.
"Looks like things around here are getting more interesting." Fefnir said. "Looking forward to seeing what the real X can do now."
"We should be going." Leviathan said with a nod.
Though they seemed somewhat more relaxed since the previous incident, X could sense that they still felt out of place and did not insist further on his earlier offer.
"They'll come around when they're ready. I'm sure of it." he thought as he watched them leave.
Outside, someone was standing, seemingly waiting for them. Despite the green Resistance uniforms making the soldiers blend together, this one stood with an intensity to his stare that set him apart as he gazed directly at Harpuia.
"I remember you." the Guardian said, stiffening in place. "Colbor, was it?"
"Do you also remember wiping out the rest of my squad then?" Colbor retorted, visibly tensing up.
Sensing the mood, Phantom quietly observed, not wanting to cause an incident but also unwilling to let his sibling come to harm.
"I do." Harpuia said with a somber expression. "And every single one before and after that."
"Ciel and the others may have decided to reconcile with you..." Colbor said, clenching his fists. "But I need to know one thing."
"Oh?" Harpuia asked.
Fefnir and Leviathan had lagged slightly behind and stepped closer just in time to witness the rest of the exchange.
"Did you actually feel any shred of remorse when you cut your own people down like animals?" Colbor asked, baring his teeth.
"And there it is..." Phantom thought. "It was only a matter of time until we were confronted with our choices."
Leviathan and Fefnir exchanged glances.
"I suppose we all deserve that..." Leviathan thought.
"So this is Colbor." Fefnir thought. "He's got guts, walking up to Sage and just asking something like that."
Sensing the tension in the air, Harpuia took one step forward and nodded, recalling the scared face of the quivering soldier during their first encounter.
"I did." he admitted after a tense pause. "But I doubt my words will mean anything."
"I still want to hear it anyway." Colbor retorted. "What were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking about what I thought to be the greater good." Harpuia recalled. "About how finishing off enemy soldiers with a clean blow was preferable to what some others might have done… would likely have done."
"You..." Colbor hissed, clenching his fists. "You had no right. It was war, but they deserved better."
"They did." Harpuia said, catching him off guard. "We thought we could safeguard the future by following orders, but we failed in our purpose the moment we took up arms against the innocent."
Colbor froze in place, unsure what to say. His anger appeared to have subsided, but only slightly, leaving him struggling for words.
"I make no excuses." Harpuia added. "We were in the wrong. All we can do now in the way of restitution is lend our skills to the ones who are truly working for a better future... unless you want to take your vengeance here and now."
Leviathan and Fefnir exchanged perplexed glances. Though they understood his intent and shared his remorse, they silently wondered if he wasn't taking things a little too far.
"I did think what I might do if I ever came face to face with you again." Colbor admitted with a bitter scowl. "Most of the Resistance soldiers couldn't keep up with you four and a lot of them were absolutely terrified of you."
Harpuia stayed silent, letting him pour everything out.
"As for me..." Colbor continued, tensing up even more. "I was scared out of my wits after you decimated my squad. I would have joined them if Zero hadn't shown up just in the nick of time. After I made it back, I didn't know what to do with myself for a while… until the anger took hold."
"And here we go..." Phantom thought, silently dreading what was to come.
"You cut them down without a second thought." Colbor said, staring directly at Harpuia. "But I was the one who led them to their deaths. I guess it's on both of us. Which got me thinking… Even if I didn't survive the attempt, maybe taking you down would make it up to them."
"Colbor, what are you doing?!" Alouette intervened, having noticed the five standing outside and decided to check what was going on.
Spotting her, the Resistance soldier sighed.
"You weren't supposed to be here. I didn't want to get you involved in this."
"You haven't answered my question." she insisted, interposing herself between him and the Guardians. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to put the past to rest." he said somberly.
"If you want to make good on all that, go ahead." Harpuia said evenly. "Just get it over with, but not in front of the child."
"Stop it, both of you!" Alouette protested.
"Why is she…?" Leviathan thought, surprised by her reaction.
"I'm not finished." Colbor said, at this point shaking slightly and looking exhausted. "A few months ago, before Ragnarok and the rest that happened since then, I might have tried to seize the opportunity. But this… here… is pointless. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if you've actually changed."
With that, he turned to leave. Alouette watched him go, saddened to see that he was still suffering, but relieved that he had not done anything reckless.
"Hold on." Leviathan suddenly said, stepping forward.
"What?" Colbor asked, stopping his stride but not looking at her.
"So you're Colbor." she said as she circled around him to look at him face to face. "Considering our history, you've got guts walking up to the four of us like that."
"I don't care what you might have done to me." he retorted flatly. "I know that to the four of you, the rest of us probably seem like insects in comparison."
"We are not the monsters some people think we are… but we probably deserve to be seen as such." she admitted. "Still, I have to recognize your courage."
"Are you mocking me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean it." she said, surprisingly calm.
Inside, X paused and glanced around.
"Where did Alouette go?"
Ciel's gaze crossed one of the windows and she tensed up.
"She's outside, with those four… but what's Colbor doing there?"
Concerned, X got up and moved in to check what was happening, making it outside just in time to hear Leviathan speak again.
"Things were not supposed to turn out this way..." she said with a look of genuine regret. "You have every right to hate us and I won't blame you for it."
Colbor let out a deep sigh and took a long look at her face.
"I suppose you're not the only ones who did something wrong thinking you were right. I don't even know what I feel anymore. I just want it to stop."
"That makes two of us." she said earnestly, surprising him again. "Or five. Or who knows how many."
"Most of us didn't start out as soldiers." Colbor recalled. "We were just average people until our own government decided we were the enemy."
"A result of my failure." X said as he stepped into view, unable to stay silent any longer. "I failed to take into account what would happen once I was incapacitated."
"No." Alouette interjected, unusually heated. "No more! I've had enough with everyone blaming themselves."
This caught everyone's attention, and their gazes fixated on the small Reploid girl.
"It would seem that in some ways this child is the wisest among us." Phantom remarked with the faintest hint of a smile.
"And you, mister." Alouette said, staring at Colbor. "I know you were hurt. We all were. But it's not good to keep those things inside."
"I guess not..." Colbor conceded.
"So if those things are bothering you, come talk to one of us." she added with one of her endearing smiles. "Please."
"I don't want to be a burden on anyone." Colbor said hesitantly.
"Nonsense." X protested. "The only way we're all going to move forward is by leaning on each other."
"I suppose that's what got us through this in the first place..." Colbor conceded. "That and having the right people in charge. Sorry you had to see this X."
"Better to let it out now than let it fester inside." X said. "But are you going to be all right?"
"Now that I've stared them down and said my piece… I suppose so." Colbor said, looking exhausted by the outpouring. "But now I need to rest my head."
With that, he turned to leave.
"By the way..." he added, looking over his shoulder. "It's good to see you back in a worthy body."
The tired Resistance soldier then continued on his way.
Once he was out of earshot, Harpuia turned to X.
"There will be more like him out there, and not all of them may be willing to end things peacefully."
"I know." X said. "But we'll deal with it one day at a time."
"This is why we were reluctant to approach the settlement." Harpuia said. "Not to mention the prospect of tainting all of your images by association."
"Don't be ridiculous." X scolded. "Yes, you've made poor choices in the past, but you did the right thing eventually and you saved lives before the end."
"It's gonna take time, but you have people willing to accept you." Alouette chimed in.
Surprised yet again, Leviathan turned to the small Reploid girl.
"Why?"
"Because even good people make mistakes." she said.
By this point Zero, the twins and Lune had also realized what was happening outside and were silently listening from a distance.
"We can hardly call ourselves good people after what we did." Leviathan bitterly retorted.
"But do you want to be?" Alouette countered, completely unfazed.
"Very few people choose evil willingly, kid." Fefnir said. "Your point?"
"I know I'm still a kid." Alouette said. "I don't understand everything yet and sometimes Zero says my thinking is too simplistic. But in this case I think the grownups are complicating things too much."
"What do you mean?" Leviathan asked.
"All of us have been hurt." Alouette said, staring right at her. "Plenty of us have hurt each other. I'm not gonna forget what happened, but I don't wanna be stuck in the past. That's not gonna solve anything."
"How does a kid like you still exist in this day and age?" Fefnir asked, genuinely surprised at her willingness to forgive and to get others to forgive themselves, which she had displayed since their first encounter.
"I had good people to set an example." Alouette said. "Most of us used to be scared of you four, especially the ones who managed to get away from you. I'm not. Not anymore."
"And why is that?" Harpuia asked.
"Because as much as you try to pretend it's not true, you're people too." she said, staring right at him.
This was too much for Leviathan to bear. She was completely disarmed by the small girl's earnest acceptance and could not put together a rebuttal. By the look on Harpuia's face, he seemed to be just as floored. As for Fefnir, usually the loudest of the four, he stayed quiet as a mouse, staring at Alouette as if he did not know what he was looking at.
"The Four Guardians, humbled by a little girl..." Phantom thought with the slightest hint of amusement.
With a perplexed look on his face, he spoke his piece.
"I have no idea what we may have done to give you such expectations..." he hesitantly said, his words measured as usual, but the tone unusually unsteady. "But I suppose you leave us little choice but to try to live up to them."
"She does have that effect on people..." Zero mused. "Just like Ciel."
"Good." Alouette said with a sudden smile. "I can't promise everyone else is gonna accept you, but at least the pointless fighting is over. Now how about we get on with life?"
"That sounds… nice." Fefnir said, finding himself at a loss for words for once in his life.
"And if anyone has a problem with it, they can just talk to me." Alouette added with a self-assured smile.
"What?" Fefnir asked, struggling to believe his ears.
"You know if you keep that up, people might just accuse us of hiding behind you or planting ideas in your head." Phantom pointed out.
"So you do care." she retorted with an amused smirk. "I knew it."
"You still can't prove anything." Phantom countered, back to his usual deadpan tone.
At this point, it had become an unspoken game between the two – her looking for cracks in his shell, and him vehemently denying everything. While it might have annoyed him coming from anyone else, her endearing ways were having an effect on him, and he understood how she had so easily captivated Zero to the point of unilaterally adopting him. It seemed that his siblings were not immune to her either.
Fefnir and Leviathan exchanged glances and despite the emotional charge of the entire situation, or perhaps because of it, found themselves snorting.
"What's so funny?" Harpuia asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"After all the shit we pulled-" Fefnir began to say before Alouette cut him off.
"Language!" she scolded, wagging her finger at him.
"How the mighty have fallen..." Fefnir scoffed. "And you know what? I don't mind it that much. You're a good kid."
"From the mouths of children and fools, as they say, the truth comes out." Phantom remarked.
"Does that mean you're finally going to start being reasonable?" Alouette asked with a hopeful smile.
"You've given us a lot to think about..." Harpuia hesitantly said.
"We're definitely not gonna be much good to anyone sulking in that old place..." Fefnir conceded.
"But for now, we need to rest our heads." Leviathan added.
With that, the Four Guardians exchanged glances and began walking away.
"It's too soon to make any promises, but..." Harpuia said in lieu of a farewell. "We'll be in touch."
Zero waited for them to be out of earshot and then stepped into view.
"You're full of surprises." he remarked, looking at Alouette. "When did you grow up so much?"
"It happens when you have the right people around you." she said with a smile. "I'm just tired of people being sad."
"Then let's put an end to that." Zero said, managing to smile as well as he picked her up and caught her in a hug. "For good."
Ciel beamed with pride at what she had just witnessed.
"She's growing up so fast..." she thought with a smile. "I hope I can keep up."
Next to her, X and Lune shared the sentiment, while Cial was almost as perplexed as the Guardians.
"Is that girl for real?" the former Head Administrator silently wondered. "I guess more of Ciel has rubbed off on her than I thought… but she doesn't necessarily have the wrong idea."
She then glanced at X and Ciel.
"You two have spent far too much time blaming yourselves for what went wrong… and maybe I'm guilty of the same. It's going to take a while for me to learn to accept myself, but… I could get used to this life."
After a proper day of celebration, including a tiny sip from a stash of very old wine Andrew saved for special occasions, X and Zero headed for the shack they had been sharing.
"You know..." Zero remarked. "Now that you're back to your old self, I guess we should start thinking about some home improvement."
"Practicing for that thing you promised Ciel?" X asked with a knowing smile.
"Maybe..." Zero retorted with the slightest hint of crimson creeping upon his cheeks. "But on a more immediate note, the winter isn't too far off."
Zero too had changed. From amnesiac to aloof to raw and vulnerable to soothed. Slowly but surely, he had managed to come to terms with the past, helped by the presence of his old friends. He knew he still had some work ahead in dealing with the surge of new emotions, but, just like X, he had the feeling that in the end all would be well.
"True..." X conceded. "We can't get sick like humans do, but there's no reason not to make ourselves a little more comfortable."
"Speaking of which..." Lune chimed in as she walked towards them with a bundle. "I thought you'd feel more comfortable if you had some more clothing options besides the body glove or Resistance uniforms."
"I do suppose covering yourself up a bit more will keep the ladies from… getting distracted." Zero teased with a grin.
"Quiet, you." X retorted with a scoff, before lightly bonking Zero over the head with his knuckles.
"Unless that's part of the plan." Zero added, still grinning. "You could just go around wearing the body glove, striking some poses and making some speeches about your hand glowing."
"You've been spending too much time with Axl." X said with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Oh Zero, Zero..." Lune said with an amused smirk. "That won't do. He needs to find Alia first and get her to wear a red dress."
"I would have expected that from him or Axl..." X remarked, suddenly flustered. "Not from you."
"What can I say?" Axl chimed in, suddenly coming in from behind X. "The lady has good taste."
Startled, X nearly jumped.
"I can see what Cial meant earlier..." he remarked, leering at Axl.
"I still haven't figured out how he does that." Lune said. "Scared the crap out of me a couple of times before he learned to knock it off."
"I'd rather take my chances with Omega than make you mad, Lady." Axl said with his usual cheeky grin.
Zero quirked an eyebrow at the remark, wondering what the woman could possibly have done to actually scare such an incorrigible prankster. By this point he had known her long enough to be aware that, much like Ciel, she concealed considerable strength of character underneath the soft face.
"Still..." X pondered.
X closed his eyes for a moment and a wistful smile appeared on his face.
"I did get to see her in a dress a couple of times though…" he reminisced, thinking of days long gone. "Beautiful. If I'd known what was going to happen down the line I would have said something to her sooner."
"Not gonna lie." Zero remarked. "You did drop the ball on that one. But if that weird kid was right and she's still out there, then you'd better find her."
"And when you do..." Lune added with a smile as she pressed the bundle into X's hands. "You'll be properly dressed."
"What exactly is this?" X asked as he opened his eyes.
Feeling Lune's expectant gaze upon him, he unwrapped it… finding an elegant blue tunic very similar to the one he had once worn in his incorporeal form, along with a pair of matching gloves and boots.
"You didn't..." he said, feeling both flattered and a little embarrassed that she would go through all that trouble for his sake.
"I had some help." Lune said with a smile. "But I did. It's going to take some time to put a proper suit of armor together for you, but I get the feeling you'd feel more comfortable wearing something like this."
"I… don't know what to say..." X stammered. "Thank you."
"Don't be silly." Lune retorted before giving him a quick hug. "Isn't that what family is for?"
"Looks like I'm not the only one getting slapped with surprise unilateral adoptions." Zero remarked with a grin before patting X's back. "C'mon! Aren't you gonna try it on?"
"I should." X said with a smile. "Be right back."
With that, he ran into the shack and closed the door behind him. A few moments later he stepped back out, clad in his new garments.
"Well?" Lune asked expectantly.
"I think… I could get used to this." X said, his voice heavy with emotion. "Once again, thank you."
Zero watched with an amused smirk as Lune hugged his old friend once again, but before he could comment on it, she reached with one arm and pulled him in as well.
"So you don't get jealous..." she teased.
"Seriously though..." she added with a smile very similar to Ciel's own. "I can't thank both of you enough… for everything you've done and for taking care of my little girl while I was away."
Alouette picked that exact moment to walk by, with Croire on her shoulder.
"There you are!" she said excitedly.
"And what were you two up to?" Lune asked, crouching to look at her face to face.
"Just showing Croire how things have been growing." Alouette explained. "We've been talking about going to school together too."
"Really now?" Zero asked in a light-hearted tone. "I thought kids were supposed to hate school."
"Not me." Alouette said proudly, puffing her chest. "So much to learn! So many friends! One day I'm gonna help Big Sis and Grandma in the lab, so I gotta be ready!"
The look of delight on Lune's face was so intense the older scientist was practically glowing.
"Looks like not even she is immune." Zero noted, watching Lune place a hand on her chest.
X, on the other hand, recalled the old picture he had seen of his creator and siblings… and the conversation he'd had with Ciel at the time.
"If that copy hadn't turned out like he did… maybe they would have been able to live in peace, like siblings..."
While he had been just as angry as Ciel about Copy X's misdeeds, another feeling was beginning to surpass that. Grief. For better or for worse, the imperfect Reploid had been a thinking creature as well, and his fate a tragic reminder that all of them – organic and synthetic – carried the potential for both good and evil.
"By the way, how are you feeling now X?" Alouette asked with one of her disarming smiles, breaking him out of his musings.
"Like I've been given new life." he said, before patting her head. "And you?"
"Happy to see everyone getting better." she said. "You guys are the best family a little girl could ask for."
It was X's turn to shudder then, feeling her expressive eyes upon him and getting to see that smile up close.
"I guess we just have to keep trying our best." he said. "For your sake and everyone else's."
By this point, it was clear to X that Alouette had this effect on everyone around didn't know exactly how or why, or even if she was aware of it, but it was comforting to know that her past bad experiences hadn't soured her.
"I guess she doesn't need that strange power to be a bright spot in people's lives." he mused with a fond smile. "Like Phantom said, sometimes we need a child to speak their honest mind and give us the raw truth. Don't ever change."
His thoughts then turned to the subject of family, namely the siblings he'd never had the chance to know.
"I wonder if Rock had to deal with this kind of stuff in his day… I'll have to ask him when I find him."
A few more weeks passed.
While X and Zero invested some time and effort in making their accommodations more comfortable, Ciel eventually got started on Phantom's replacement body as she had promised. Thanks to her sister's organizational skills and the extra tools and resources on hand she estimated it would be finished in less time than X's.
The days had grown noticeably shorter and while Zero continued to enjoy his walks, he was finding it more difficult to find fruits and berries to leave in Ciel's fridge. After all of Axl's remarks about not having a camera handy, however, an idea had dawned upon him. With a little help from Cerveau, he had managed to get an old camera back in working condition and begun taking pictures of the wilderness and then the settlement, documenting daily life in between bouts of home improvement work.
One day, while they were taking a break…
"You definitely have a talent for this..." X remarked as he browsed some of the collection on one of Ciel's computers.
"Sitting around watching those old shows is nice and all, but I think we could all do with a few more hobbies." Zero said. "Ever thought about giving it a try?"
"Maybe..." X mused. "To be honest, there are a few more things I'd like to try."
"Like what?"
"Like I mentioned before, maybe become a scientist one day… or a doctor."
"That definitely sounds like you… but I'm not sure if you'd have the emotional detachment to deal with some of the worse stuff." Zero pondered.
Then a random thought crossed his mind and he grinned.
"That said, Dr. X sounds like a lame cartoon supervillain name."
"I guess I could think up something a little more fitting..." X mused.
"Why not call yourself Dr. Light?" Zero suggested.
"Dr. Light was my father." X said, shaking his head. "I have a ways to go before I earn the right to call myself that. But if I had to pick a human name… maybe… Xavier?"
"Does that mean you're gonna shave your head and start going around in a flying chair?" Axl quipped, lying on the couch belly up and in the middle of reading an old comic book, likely taken from the library collection.
"Just… how many of those have you been reading?" Zero asked, turning his attention to him.
"Just how many haven't I been reading?" Axl retorted.
Another morning came and Zero found himself walking across the street in front of Ciel's house. He hadn't even given it any conscious thought, but it seemed that sooner or later his feet carried him in that direction.
"Good to see you." Ciel said, fresh from a good night's sleep and a filling breakfast.
"Same." he replied. "And where are you heading today?"
"Taking care of a few things here and there." she said with a smile. "Mostly just checking out on the expansion progress and speaking to the first batch of Cerveau's apprentices."
After some procrastinating and hesitation, Cial had finally put her foot down and convinced the Chief Engineer to set the plan in motion, picking a handful of people from the Resistance and the general population with the interest and aptitude to receive dedicated training.
"Let me know if you need anything then." Zero offered, feeling a soft warmth in his chest from seeing her so energized and happy.
"Count on it." she said, before surprising him with a quick hug.
"I did say anything..." he conceded, returning the gesture without hesitation.
"For now, we'll stick to your plan." she added in a hushed tone with a mischievous smile. "No need to rush. But just to help me stay motivated..."
With that, she got on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek, leaving him in stunned silence as she got back on her way with a spring in her step.
He watched her go, feeling a slight rush of heat to his face, and then, sensing a presence, he glanced at the door to her house to find Lune watching him.
"You know..." Zero remarked. "You've been surprisingly calm and accepting about all of this..."
"It would be hypocritical of me to treat my little girls like children when their intellect is beyond many adults and they are taking on adult responsibilities..." Lune noted. "That said, I'm still watching."
"Just so we're clear..." Zero said, visibly uncomfortable but feeling the need to address the issue. "I've been around for a very long time. I know people change, and so do their priorities, but she's still a teenage girl. She needs time to finish finish growing, maturing, figuring out what to do with herself."
"Once again, I see the so-called legend left out many important parts." Lune remarked with an earnest smile. "Like you having a good head on your shoulders and being a gentleman."
"I try. I made my share of mistakes and bad choices in the past… mostly because I was oblivious or too focused on duty. I paid the price for that."
"Are you talking about Iris?" Lune asked with a sympathetic look, by this point already being somewhat familiar with his personal history.
"Among other things." he said with a nod.
"Yes, being unable to save her was my greatest failure." Zero recalled with a somber look on his face. "But there were others before and after her who leaned on me for support… or wanted to… and I couldn't do anything for them. Before Iris, I was focused on dealing with the Maverick pests and helping X find his way in the world. After her… I just couldn't even think about letting anyone get that close again."
"I know a thing or two about loss, so I understand how you feel." Lune said with a sigh. "But considering that you've been around for centuries, it stands to reason that you'd have picked up a bigger pile of sorrows than most of us."
"Yes, but I've also met many great people." Zero said with a timid smile. "People who will always be a part of me, even if I lose my memory again. People… who make it all worth it."
"I can definitely see why the ladies can't keep their eyes off of you." Lune remarked with a fond smile. "I wonder how many more in my family are going to fall prey to those charms."
It was then that a thought crossed Zero's mind.
"You know… I hadn't given this much thought before, but I know how important it is for some humans to leave descendants."
"Yes…" Lune said, before her expression darkened somewhat as her thoughts turned to someone else. "And there are few things as terrible as outliving one's own children."
"Doesn't it bother you then?" Zero asked. "That if Ciel eventually goes through with this when she's old enough..."
"It's just something I'll have to accept." Lune said with a shrug. "I'd be lying if I hadn't thought about that now and again, but her happiness is more important than some arbitrary notion of continuity."
"Besides..." she added. "Alouette is just adorable. Having her around makes me feel like an actual grandma."
"She is." Zero admitted with a grin. "Dangerously adorable. There's something about the say she and Ciel smile that makes it hard to keep a coherent train of thought… but don't tell them I said that."
"Cial used to be like that too… before she started shutting others away." Lune reminisced. "Having the three of us back together, I think I'm beginning to see some glimpses of her old self."
"No kidding. She almost reminds me of Phantom." Zero realized. "Actually..."
"I don't think it was intentional." Lune mused, guessing what he was thinking. "The minute variations in a Reploid's personality core at the subatomic level… along with their personal experiences… Those things allow their personalities to develop own their own unless someone pre-installs a specific template."
"And Ciel would never have done something like that." Zero noted, before another random thought crossed his mind. "But I wonder… If she created them, what does that make them in relation to her? And if I end up together with her, what would that make me?"
"Best not to think too much about such things." Lune said with a soft laugh. "Axl is right when he says you shouldn't apply human genealogy to Reploids."
"Right." Zero said with a nod. "I guess I'd never really given the subject of family that much thought before. But Axl does make some good points… when he's not running his mouth."
"You've known him much longer than I have, but I'm sure you've noticed how he keeps wearing a clown's mask to cope with his own pain."
"Right… and I hope one day he'll find his own kind of peace." Zero said. "He can be a bit of a dumbass, but he's like family too."
"He'll probably just laugh it off or deflect it with a stupid joke if you ask him about it..." Lune said. "But he definitely put a lot of work into figuring out where you were sealed and getting that information to the right people. I think he missed you and X more than he can put into words."
"I… can believe that." Zero said with a nod. "He's a handful and loves acting like a kid, but he's got a big heart and has always been there when it counted. His sense of humor can be a bit grating, but I suppose we should be worried when he does start acting seriously."
"I got to know him a bit during our time in the Resistance." Lune recalled. "He always knew how to make me laugh, even if I had to give him the occasional ear twist. When it was time to play soldier though, he was surprisingly good at it."
"Did you know who he was back then?"
"Not at first… but he did entrust me with his secret eventually." Lune reminisced. "I think apart from you, X and the girls, I may be one of the few people he's shown his true self to."
The next morning...
The duo had spent a considerable amount of time and effort installing additional padding in the walls for thermal insulation, setting up a heating system and cobbling up a little more furniture to make the shack closer to a proper home. With the home improvement project completed for the time being, X turned his attention to other matters.
Zero stepped into the shack and found X busy with an unusual activity.
"I suppose it's time to finally get around to doing what I've been talking about..." X mused as he packed some supplies on the biggest backpack he had been able to find.
"You mean..." Zero said.
"Yes." X confirmed with a nod. "Time to go out there in search of answers."
"Want me to tag along?"
"I appreciate it, but you're needed here."
Zero couldn't help noticing that his old partner looked a little giddy… and more than a little anxious.
"You OK?" he asked with a concerned frown.
"Just… nervous, I guess." X said, pausing for a moment to take a deep breath. "The boy did say they were still out there somewhere, but… there's so much I still don't know or understand."
"Are you sure you don't need more time?"
"I've been putting this off long enough." X retorted, shaking his head.
The truth of the matter was, more than not finding anything, he had for a long time been afraid of what he might find. The boy's words had fueled his determination, and he did not want to lose momentum.
Meanwhile, in front of the crater where Neo Arcadia had once stood…
"I thought I'd find you here." Ciel said as she walked up to the figure gazing over the edge. "How's the soul searching going?"
Thaddeus looked over his shoulder and sighed.
"No matter how much I wander around, it seems I always end up back here..."
"I guess I'm not the only one who was having trouble letting go of what happened back then." Ciel remarked as she walked up and then stood next to him.
"After losing his mother to a random stupid illness, I tried my best to raise him properly." he reminisced. "Your mother helped a lot, since by that point she already had some experience with the two of you."
"Is that part of the reason why you set up that project?"
"I suppose. Gathering fifty of the brightest children in the same place seemed like a good way of fostering their talents… and including him in it seemed like an opportunity to help him break out of his shell."
"I remember how he was back then." Ciel said with a nod. "So quiet and withdrawn, always with a book in one hand and that action figure close by. Actually... I wonder what happened to it."
"When your mother got involved with the Resistance she asked me to store some keepsakes in a safe location outside the city. Some of his things may still be there. I guess I forgot to mention that with everything that's happened since, but she should still have the key."
"I kept blaming myself for what happened, you know." Ciel said. "And for what I did in response."
"And I kept blaming myself for having set the whole project up in the first place." he said in turn.
"I guess it's time for both of us to stop." Ciel said with a determined look on her face. "Until recently, I would still randomly have nightmares. About him, that day and that accursed copy. No more."
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked with a concerned frown.
"Maybe because I didn't want to worry you or my mother." Ciel said. "Or to avoid adding to your misplaced guilt… not that I'm one to talk."
"You're far too young to be carrying so many burdens and regrets." Thaddeus lamented.
"You're not that old yet, so why is it acceptable for you to carry them?" she countered.
"I suppose you have a point." he conceded with a sigh. "I had that very same argument with your mother many times. I was so depressed after that day she probably saved my life with her kindness and support."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I have no idea..." he admitted with a shrug.
"In that case, I have an offer you might be interested in." Ciel said with a smile, as if expecting that answer.
"Oh?"
"While you were away, we stumbled upon an ancient library, stuffed with all kinds of works in print and digital format. We're still sorting through it all, but it's massive. We need to make sure it's properly preserved, copied and spread to all so it doesn't get lost again. History, culture, science. Our heritage."
"You never did settle for small projects." he remarked, showing the faint hint of a smile. "Does this one have a name yet?"
"I was thinking about… Neo Alexandria."
"I see what you did there." Thaddeus said, now smiling openly. "I suppose my skills might be of use for that. I wasn't much of a teacher, but before this whole mess I was a scholar… and a scientist like your mother."
"Is that a yes then?" Ciel asked with a hopeful smile.
"Like I told your sister..." Thaddeus said before patting her head. "I am not your father… but I'll be glad to see how far you can take all of this. My boy may no longer be among us, but I'm sure he'd be proud of you both."
"In that case, can you promise me something?" she asked.
"What?"
"Promise you won't just run off on your own again or shut everyone else out?"
"That… I can do." he said with a nod. "We have to put an end to these self-destructive habits."
"I'm glad." Ciel said, her eyes lighting up with the anticipation of new plans, new goals and new dreams. "Enough guilt then. Eyes on tomorrow, like you said to me before."
"And so the student becomes the teacher..." he noted.
"Even if I were your actual father, I couldn't possibly be any prouder of you." the tired scientist thought, feeling the first hints of genuine excitement at the prospect of a new project since the day his dreams had been taken away from him.
Three weeks later…
Standing atop one of the watchtowers, Zero was attempting to fight off his boredom by glancing around with a pair of binoculars when he spotted a familiar figure walking towards the settlement, his travel cloak covered in dust and mud.
X looked tired, and by the look of defeat and frustration on his face, Zero deduced things had not gone very well. Zero sighed and jumped off the observation platform, then rushed to meet him.
"Nothing…" X lamented once they were face to face. "There's just too much ground to cover and the landscape has changed so much some of the old maps are useless. Or maybe I just didn't dig deep enough..."
Seeing the look on his old friend's face up close bothered Zero. Before anything else could be said, he placed a firm hand on X's shoulder.
"X, breathe. It's a big world and we don't have half the tools we had back in the day."
"He's right." Axl chimed in, once again seemingly out of nowhere. "We can't exactly run satellite scans without a working satellite and we don't have any heavy duty digging gear lying around. But don't give up. I just know you're gonna find them."
"I have to keep believing." X said with a nod. "But right now I need to rest my head and sort through this new information tomorrow. Maybe I'm still missing some pieces of this puzzle, but I'm not giving up."
The next morning, X went out for a stroll outside the settlement, when he found an increasingly familiar armored figure, this time lying belly up on a large rock, seemingly oblivious to his presence.
"I was wondering when you'd show up again." X remarked.
To his surprise, the man did not reply. Intrigued, X stepped closer.
"Hello?" he called out, waving a hand in front of the black visor.
The armored figure stayed silent and still.
Though X barely knew the stranger, his natural empathy still kicked in and he edged closer with a concerned frown. As he tried to check if the armored figure was still breathing, he heard a low noise coming from inside the suit of armor.
"Is he… snoring?" X thought, a little dumbfounded.
He nearly jumped back in a start when the man's head suddenly moved, turning to look at him.
"Oh… hello there."
"Strange place for a nap." X remarked. "Do you ever take that thing off anyway? It must get a bit cramped and stuffy in there."
"On the contrary." the armored man said, lazily stretching his limbs. "Sometimes I think the suit may be a little too comfortable..."
"Is that why you never show up without it?" X asked, a little surprised to hear him speak so casually after the previous encounters.
"I have my reasons."
"Come to think of it, you did mention something about finding yourself before..."
"Something like that." the man said, before letting out a low yawn.
"So, what brings you here anyway?"
"The Lady thought I should take some time off… stretch my legs a bit." the armored man said, sounding a little annoyed.
"You don't sound too thrilled about it." X pointed out.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I like this place. It's just… complicated."
"What do you mean?"
"I hate talking about myself, but… I suppose I can give you a little background. You're the kind of person I find easy to trust… and not simply because of the abilities we share."
"I suppose a story or two may help me take my mind off other things..." X conceded, still trying to understand the stranger and process all the strange things that had happened since their first encounter.
The armored man sat up on the rock and rested the chin of his helmet on his armored right hand, bringing a strange golden ring into view on the middle finger, decorated with a crest in the shape of an open hand over a sunburst.
"Imagine then… that you had the ability to travel between worlds, between universes. Imagine that all these infinite infinities were open for you to explore. What would you do?"
"Honestly?" X pondered. "I'm not sure what I'd do with that ability. I have so much to do here..."
"In your case, I dare say it's because you have strong attachments." the armored man mused. "But imagine if you had awakened here, and discovered that this world had moved on without you? That… perhaps everything you knew was gone?"
"Is that what happened to you?" X asked.
"No. In my case, I simply had no attachments to my point of origin."
"Where did you come from anyway?"
"Another Earth. One bereft of the faintest spark of potential. A mundane, shallow place that smothered hope, creativity and drive, where people led shallow, distracted lives."
"Just how many… other Earths are there anyway?" X wondered.
"Infinite, as far as I know." the armored figure said with a shrug. "Infinite Earths, infinite worlds, infinite universes. Infinite infinities, you might say."
The notion made X feel tiny, like a grain of sand. He pondered the implications for a moment, before speaking again.
"Even if that's true, it doesn't make what we're doing here any less important." he concluded. "The fact that we exist, here and now, has value in itself."
"I like to think so as well." the armored man said. "But it does make one feel rather insignificant at times."
"Is that why you keep jumping from place to place?" X wondered. "Because what's out there is so vast?"
"I suppose part of it is adventure's call." the armored man mused. "The desire to see as much as I can… and play my small part in leaving those places a little better than when I found them."
"How do you even… do that? Is that another ability of a Warrior of Light?"
"No." the man said, shaking his head. "There are some abilities that can protect those with our gifts during the journey, or make it more convenient, but in my case it was a little different."
"Oh?"
"The first step was freeing the mind. The power of dreams enabled me to cross over in a limited fashion… project tiny portions of myself. I first discovered this ability by accident when I was… maybe five years old?"
"The… power of dreams?" X asked. "Do you mean literal or figurative?"
"Yes." the man retorted, rather deadpan, before letting out a light scoff. "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that. The truth is, both. I used the tiny spark of hope that world had not yet taken from me and was able to teach myself to enter a trance state not too different from lucid dreaming. Eventually, I figured out how to pass through completely, body and mind… and I never looked back."
"This all sounds pretty outlandish..." X pondered. "Then again, I have the burning in my chest and a talking piece of crystal as proof that this isn't all some elaborate dream or one of Axl's pranks."
He struggled to imagine such a life, but still the stranger piqued his curiosity.
"Just… how long have you been doing that?" X asked.
"I don't even know anymore." the armored man said with a shrug. "You see, time flows differently between most universes. To me, it's been around two or three years since the last time we met. Maybe a little more."
"What did you mean earlier anyway?" X asked, recalling their previous conversation. "About the truth of your existence?"
"I guess to a point, I'm looking for what most people find sooner or later. Meaning. But there's something else."
"Such as?"
"When I first learned of other parallel universes, at first I simply sought adventure and new horizons." the armored man reminisced. "Eventually, I visited other Earths… and realized that for whatever reason I could never find anything resembling another me. I guess you could say I'm an anomaly. An intruder no matter the continuum. Among other things, I'm trying to find out why."
"You mean there could potentially be parallel versions of all of us out there somewhere?" X pondered. "Food for thought."
"Yes…" the man said, for a moment sounding tired and a little downcast. "And perhaps the reason why I feel this restlessness, this detachment is… because I don't truly belong anywhere."
"I don't know what to say." X said. "I spent so much time cut off from the world, and then barely able to interact with it. I guess I can related to that feeling in a way."
"And yet you clawed your way back." the man noted. "People like you never stay down for good. I would know."
"Does this have something to do with that power we have in common?"
"Yes… and no." the armored man said. "Even without it, I believe the end result would have been the same in your case. Of course that power does stem from who you are."
With that, he sat up and looked straight at X through his black visor.
"Your attachment to this world and its people is strong." the armored man reiterated. "It would have been perfectly possible for you to continue a happy and relatively normal life without ever knowing about these things."
"I think normal was never in the cards for me." X said, shaking his head. "There was always something for me to overcome… and something to protect."
"I guess in a way you too are in a journey." the man said.
"I suppose. Not to a physical place, but to happiness." X said with a nod.
"Ah, I knew there was more to you than simply the legends and the power." the man said with genuine fondness seeping into his voice. "You're a dreamer, just like me."
With that, he shifted off from the rock and planted both feet back on the ground.
"As for me, I am searching for something I cannot quite define." he added. "When I was still a boy I got to know some people and beings out there who gave me a cause, something to believe in. Like you, I fought and still fight for what I consider just, but unlike you, my horizons are a bit wider and I have no true home."
"Homesick for a place that does not exist, are you?" X asked.
"That's one way of putting it." the man said. "For a long time, I was content with simple adventuring and aimless wandering. Seeing as much as I could see with my own eyes. But eventually… I found someone who changed everything."
"Are you talking about that lady who was with you before?" X asked.
"Yes, though she is not the only one who had an influence on me. There was another who taught me about the Light for a time, before he vanished. I never learned his name or his true form, but there are some who call him the Act-"
He went abruptly silent and reached for the side of his helmet. After holding still for a moment, he sighed.
"Duty calls. I should have known it would not last."
"What duty do you speak of?" X asked. "Is this about that thing you mentioned last time?"
"The Ozar Midrashim is but one of my many concerns, unfortunately." the man said, shaking his head. "Such is the life, not of simply a Warrior of Light, but of a paladin."
"I'm guessing you're not speaking of those ancient knights..."
"Less courtly romance and intrigue... and more smiting evil. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to follow in the Actraiser's footsteps."
"The… Actraiser?"
"A story for another time. I don't know when I'll be back, but it has been a distinct privilege to speak to you, X… and to get to meet you in person. Until we meet again."
Once again, the armored stranger began hovering in place in the air, before disappearing with a cracking sound and a flash of light.
Moments later, in the strangers' vessel…
"Ready to head back out?" the statuesque woman in the strange armored outfit asked as the armored man stepped into the chamber.
"I suppose..." he said in a distant tone.
"Are you all right?" she asked with a frown. "You sound a bit out of it."
"I ran into X along the way." the masked figure explained. "It's funny… There's something about him that makes it so easy to get the words flowing out..."
"What did I tell you?" the woman asked with the satisfied look of someone proven right. "Why not just drop the mysterious stranger act and let people get to know you?"
"I would if I knew how..." he said with a sigh as he reached for the helmet and began to remove it. "You're one of the few people I can actually lower my guard with."
"This is no way to live..." she lamented, giving him a sad look. "Rushing from one place to the next in pursuit of this obsession…"
"I guess that kid and the Thousand Myriads were right…" the armored man remarked wearily. "I live in a cage of my own making… and I ended up dragging you into it."
"I'm right where I belong." she said, looking almost offended. "But I'm not going to let this consume you."
Moments later, they set out once more, and would not appear again before X and the others for many months.