Chapter 9

Heart-to-Hearts

Eda's eyes began to slowly open up as she was roused from her sleep. She was half-tempted to close them back up again and continue to nap for a little longer before she remembered why she was trying to keep herself awake to begin with. She jolted up into a sitting position, her eyes wide as she started scanning her surroundings. She soon realized that she had been laying down on the bench that their group had claimed earlier, her hair bundled up underneath her head like a pillow.

"Kids?" She called out.

"Sleep well?"

She turned around to see Dunban standing to the side of the bench, Owlbert on his shoulder. "Your feathery friend suggested I help you onto the bench so you could sleep better." He said.

That was actually touching of Owlbert to do that for her and she'd definitely do something for him later, but right now she only had one thing on her mind. "Where are the kids?"

"A man came up to us earlier looking for his lost children. We all volunteered to search. Luz is with Reyn, Amity with Sharla, and King is with Riki."

"Figures. I'm guessing Luz roped you all into that?"

"We were going to help regardless. We assist with problems like this all the time. Convincing a kid to play outside more. Helping a Nopon cut back on the alcohol. Reyn and Sharla even helped a man out with a love triangle he found himself in."

"Wow. So you're all just a bunch of goody two-shoes. No wonder Luz likes you guys so much." Eda sat herself properly on the bench and patted the seat for him.

"Thanks." Dunban said, sitting down next to her while Owlbert returned to his place on her staff. "And what about you? From what I understand, you've been quite skeptical of this place since you've arrived."

"You guys seem alright so far. It's the emperor I'm not sure I should trust. Might just be bias due to my whole 'screw-authority' mindset, but I tend to trust my gut instinct. Tell me, what do you think of the emperor?"

"Well, from what everyone's told me he's the kindest emperor in Alcamoth's history. His people clearly love him. However, his first action upon us arriving here was to imprison us all. 'For the safety of Alcamoth' as we were told."

"Now where have I heard that before?" Once again Eda had to question whether that Lorithia person from yesterday was really acting alone, or if she had any secret orders she was following.

"I don't doubt that the kindness he shows his people is genuine, but as a ruler he'll inevitably put the wellbeing of his people above any of us outsiders. I don't believe he intends to do us any harm, at least for now, but who knows if that will always be the case."

"Nice to know that there's at least someone here properly suspicious of the emperor," she said. The two stayed silent for a few minutes before Eda grew bored of just sitting around. "Come on. Might as well help look for those lost kids too. Beats waiting around here doing nothing."

She got up off the bench and offered her right hand to help Dunban up. He reached his right hand but half-way through he quickly stopped himself. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw his arm shaking violently as it was kept aloft. Looking at his hand, she saw it was a dark grey as if the entire thing had been burned.

"What? You're arm…" Eda said.

"It's nothing." He said as he pulled his arm back underneath his cape, which she had just now realized was specifically draped over his right shoulder only. He pushed himself off the bench before beginning the search for the kids, but Eda remained still for several seconds. Memories of a time she'd thought she'd moved past came flooding back to the forefront of her mind.

"Aaah!"

"Dell! Lilith, call the Healing Coven. Now!"

"Eda? Are you okay?" Dunban asked.

"Ya. Sorry. I'm okay." Shaking the memories away, she quickly caught up to him, the two looking around the park in silence.


Nearly 30 minutes had past since Luz had started searching for the missing kids with Reyn, and unfortunately her feet were killing her by that point. She'd really hoped that she'd be good as new after a good night sleep, but walking for so long was flaring up her muscles again. Not helping that Reyn is so big that she had to take three steps for every one of his just to keep up.

"You okay back there?" Reyn asked.

Apparently she wasn't keeping up as well as she thought, as she barely realized how far ahead he was.

"I'm fine!" Luz quickened her pace to catch up to him, which only worsened the strain on her legs.

"You sure? Because you look worse than a new recruit after a day of Colonel Vangarre's boot camp."

"I don't know who that is. Besides, Riki and Vol'aren are counting on us. We got to find those kids."

"Not if it means hurting yourself. Come on, I see an empty bench over there. We can stop to take a breather. I think Riki and Vol'aren would understand."

"I'm fine!" She repeated. "And I don't want to hold everyone else back. I'm tired of being a burden!" She said a bit louder than she meant to.

"Whoa. I didn't say you were a burden. I don't blame you for being hurt, but if you don't take it easy and let your muscles heal, you could do some real damage to yourself."

"Reyn please. I'll be fine. I'll be careful right now, I promise. And once we find those kids I'll take your advice and take it easy. Okay?" Luz said, hoping the compromise would be enough to end the discussion.

"Hmm…" he seemed to contemplate her suggestion. "Nope, not buying it," he said before reaching his arm out towards Luz.

"What are you- REYN!" She shouted as he grabbed the back of her dress and lifted her entirely off the ground. "Put me down!"

She started flailing wildly but it was futile. Reyn was a foot taller with biceps as big as her head, so she could do nothing as he carried her off to the bench and sat her down. The relief she felt was immediate and she couldn't resist leaning further back, letting out a relieved yet defeated sigh.

"Now isn't that better?" Reyn asked.

She let out a small groan. "You were right. I really needed this… sorry for causing so much trouble. I just didn't want to worry everyone." Luz admitted.

"Hey, I was a lot more worried when you were walking around all hurt," he said. "You know, you actually remind me a lot of Shulk in that way."

"I do? But Shulk seems so cool and confident."

"Hahaha!" Reyn laughed uproariously. "Shulk's a huge nerd, just like you."

"Hey!" She whined, though she's not sure why. She's called herself a nerd before too.

"But more importantly, Shulk always wants to make sure no one worries about anything, even above his own needs. It's gotten worse ever since he could start seeing the future… um, that doesn't sound farfetched to you does it?"

"Sounds like Oracle magic. We have that on my titan."

"Oh good. 'Cause trying to convince people is the worst part. Anyway, Shulk's constantly tries to keep bad futures to himself and change them alone. So I'm going to tell you what I told him; you got to let your friends help you out. No one can do everything alone, whether they're the wielder of the Monado, or some weird etherless girl."

Luz giggled at his pep talk. "I'll try to remember that. Thanks Reyn."

"No problem. We'll just be a few minutes and start looking again in a bit."

"So, in the meantime… what is the Monado anyway? It's a super important weapon right? Can only Shulk use it? Is that what lets him see the future? Come on, I've been dying to hear about it all day here!"

Reyn chuckled. "Alright then. It's story time I guess. Well, Shulk, Dunban, and I are from a place called Colony 9. We're on a quest here in order to stop the evil Mechon…"


"Okay King. Stand right there. We will hold position here for few minutes then try again elsewhere." Riki directed King to the middle of a small clearing at the park. "And don't forget this." Riki handed him a large sign with the missing kids names written on them. "Make sure to wave high above your head."

King did as he was told. He saw many different High Entia look curiously their way, but none approached them. He wasn't sure how this was supposed to help find the kids, but Riki seemed to know what he was doing, as he carefully scanned his surroundings with intense focus. King remembered how Nene had described her dad and mentally compared her descriptions to the Nopon he was seeing now.

Nene said he was kind, which was a given with how hard he was working to help out a complete stranger.

She also called him a strong warrior, and that was true as well from what he'd seen of the Nopon yesterday. King was still in disbelief that Riki took his voice attack head on and was basically no worse for wear. He had to admit, Riki sure was durable.

Finally, Riki was supposed to be funny and could make anyone laugh. That was something King hadn't seen much of yet. Riki's sad demeanor had been overshadowing that side of him all day. That letter he got, which King had thought was harmless had really affected Riki.

"You know, Nene never blamed you for leaving. You don't have to be so hard on yourself about it." King said.

"No, but Nene does blame herself for Riki leaving, so Riki still responsible for Nene's self-blame." Riki said.

"But you didn't have a choice right? Nene's mom said you had to go on an epic quest to save your titan. So this isn't really anyone's fault."

Riki gave a small smile towards King. "King is kind to try and cheer up Riki." Riki's smile dropped again. "But King not really understand if not dadapon himself. What littlepon feels about self still ultimately comes down to the mommy and daddypons."

"Really?"

Riki nodded. "Riki know that Riki had no intention to make Nene feel bad about leaving, and Riki also knows that Nene does not think that either. But, fact is that Riki leaving hurt Nene and possibly other littlepons as well. Even if Riki had to leave for the good of Bionis, it is still responsibility of dadapon to ensure his littlepons did not feel abandoned.

"Riki failed at that this time. Riki wish he could go back and reassure littlepons that Riki loves each and everyone of them. But that not possible. All Riki can do is learn from this and make sure it not happen again." Riki said with strong conviction.

King was silent as he took in what Riki said. It's the responsibility of the dad to make sure his kid doesn't feel abandoned? So what does that mean about his own dad then?

"Riki never thanked King properly." Riki said, snapping King out of his head.

"Sure you did. Right after you read Nene's letter."

"Riki don't mean about saving Nene's life, though I am forever grateful for that. King was only one mentioned by name in letter of Nene. Said that King cheered Nene up while she was upset. Is King friends with Nene?"

"A friend?" King smiled. "Yes. She's my friend."

"Riki is happy for littlepon to have such kind friend." Riki gave the biggest smile King had seen of him yet. "If King ever wishes to visit, and can make trip to other titan, know that home of Riki is always open."

"Wow. Thanks a lot Riki."

Riki nodded, though soon afterwards his smile fell again.

"You still bummed about the letter?" King asked.

"Is not that. Now Riki feel guilty for having tricked King like this." Riki said.

"Um, what do you mean? And does that have anything to do with this outfit you asked me to wear?" King looked down at the silly striped Feris costume Riki made him wear, complete with matching hat. It was clearly intended for Riki, with his horns only half-way filling up the ear sockets of a Nopon, but it still fit him somewhat well. Still, he wasn't sure why Riki had told him to put it on.

A loud gasp was heard from behind King, followed by several approaching footsteps. "Oh my gosh. You're so cute!" A new voice was heard.

King turned to see two figures standing before him, their hands reaching out to him. "Aaah!" He screamed.


"Cian. Atael." Sharla called out as she and Amity searched the western side of the park. Amity followed and occasionally called out the kids names as well, but her head wasn't in it. Her thoughts were filled with concern over Luz's safety. She knew logically that she was overreacting. Luz was okay, she was in the company of a strong hero, in the middle of a peaceful city. Yet, these reassurances she made never lasted long, as her mind inevitably went back to that cliff side, Luz's hand slipping away from her own, her terrified eyes looking back at Amity, reminding her of her failure-

"Ouch!" Amity yelled as a sharp pain on her face brought her focus back to the present. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she only just noticed the metal light pole that she'd walked right into. She glared at the pole as Ghost jumped off the tip of her staff to help comfort her.

"You okay? Let me take a look." Sharla said. Amity moved her hand to allow the older woman to examine her face. "It's not bruised or broken. It'll just sting for a few minutes."

"Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind right now."

"You know, Alcamoth is supposed to be the safest place on the Bionis. Plus, Reyn wouldn't let anything happen to Luz regardless. He's very dependable when it counts."

"I know. I know I shouldn't be worrying this much but-" Amity groaned. She grabbed the side of her head to try and calm her nerves. "I'm sorry, I'll… I'll try to behave."

"You're behavior is fine Amity. You don't need to apologize. If it's affecting you this much it might be good to talk about it. I'm all ears, if you want."

Amity remained silent, unsure if she wanted to vent to this near stranger, but she knew she wasn't going to be much help with their current search the way she was. Clearly trying to just force herself to focus wasn't effective.

Sharla hummed before she spoke again. "From what I heard about Luz's fall yesterday, it sounds like it must have been rather scary at the time. Especially considering you didn't know what her gem could do."

Amity nodded, unable to stop her lips from quivering. "I thought I lost her. I thought that she was gone forever and it was all my fault. And so now I can't stop worrying about her." Amity wiped away the tears as they were falling from her face.

"I'm so sorry. That must have been hard to go through. I can see why you'd want to be by her side, to make sure she's still safe." Sharla said, earning a sad nod from Amity. "Why do you believe it was your fault? I was under the impression that it was some accident."

"Because… I'm her girlfriend. It's my responsibility to keep her safe. If I can't do that then… what good am I to her!"

"Amity, I understand wanting to protect the people you care for. Believe me, as a medic, I relate all too well. But you shouldn't feel like that's your only worth to someone. That isn't healthy for yourself or even for Luz."

"What? How?" Amity asked. How could trying to protect her girlfriend from danger be harmful to her?

"You know, a few years ago, I actually went through something similar to you, with my fiance."

That piqued Amity's curiosity, as she looked up to the older woman. A pleasantly familiar voice excitedly shouted backstory in her head.

Sharla smiled. "I was – I am – engaged to a man named Gadolt. He's part of our colony's defense force. One of the best there is, but even the best can't avoid injuries all the time. I've had to patch him up more times than I'd ever wished. Each time, I'd grow more and more scared that I'd lose him one day. So, I made it my mission to keep him safe at all costs.

"I'd volunteer to any missions he was on, always try to stay by his side, get extremely worried about the most minor of injuries, and grow paranoid whenever he wasn't by my side. At the time, I thought it was all justified. That I was protecting him. The funny part is the more I tried to protect him, the less he was willing to let me. While before he'd tell me about any minor injury he'd taken just so I'd tend to it, he'd then started to hide even major injuries from me, or even go to a different medic to mend them.

"Eventually I finally asked why he'd been avoiding me. I believe his exact words were 'I need a fellow soldier, not a damn babysitter'." Sharla let out a chuckle. "I admit that it hurt at the time, but I think it's what I needed to hear. Because, when your concern goes overboard, it starts to feel patronizing."

"Is that how I'm making Luz feel?" Amity worriedly questioned.

"I'm not sure. I can't speak for Luz, but if you want my advice then just talk to her. Share your concerns with her, honestly and openly. Strong communication is the most important part of any relationship."

"I've heard that before. I guess that's universal across different titans. Thanks Sharla." Amity gave a small smile. Feeling lighter than she did before, she was ready to continue their search for the missing kids, though before they even took two steps, they heard someone call to them.

"Hey." They turned to see Reyn running towards them.

"Did you find the kids?" Sharla asked.

"Riki and King did. We ran into them while they were heading back to Vol'aren. Come on."


"Dad, look. He's so cute." The young boy said, as he held up the flailing King to his father.

"Can we keep him? Please." The little girl pleaded.

"I'm not a pet! Let me go!" King continued trying to escape from the boy's grip, but the young High Entia had a surprisingly tight hold on him.

Riki hopped triumphantly next to Vol'aren. "Riki knew plan would bring littlepons to him. King did good job!"

"You tricked me you traitor!" King shouted. "I liked it better when everyone was scared of me."

Luz could barely contain her laughter at the scene before her. She knew she should set the record straight and let the kids know that King isn't up for adoption, but she felt that recording the whole thing for future reference was a wiser decision.

Vol'aren let out a relieved sigh at the sight of his missing children before his expression turned to one of concerned anger. "CIAN! ATAEL! Why did you two run off? I was worried sick!"

The kids instantly looked down shamefaced. Atael loosened his grip on King, allowing the demon to break free and go scurrying behind Luz's legs.

"We're sorry daddy. We didn't mean to run off." Cian said.

Atael nodded. "We just went off to play and then we lost sight of you. We didn't mean to make you mad."

Vol'aren softened at his kids' guilty faces. Bending down, he enveloped both kids in a large hug. "It's okay. I'm just glad your both safe. You're both my whole world."

Luz smiled at the loving affection Vol'aren was showing his kids. A warm yet painful memory began to surface in her own mind, but she shook it away before she could dwell on it.

Vol'aren turned towards Riki. "Thank you so much for all your help. Especially you Riki. Your kids are lucky to have a dad like you."

"It was no trouble for Riki. Riki just glad littlepons are safe and back with dadapon." Riki said.

"Give my thanks to all your friends as well for helping me." Vol'aren said before turning to his kids. "Come on. We're going home."

"What!" They shouted. "But-"

"No buts! We'll watch the investiture ceremony on the broadcast back home. Now let's go." Grabbing his kids hands he walked them towards the nearest teleporter. Luz, Riki, and King all waved him goodbye.

"Wow Riki, finding those kids was really cool of you. You should feel really good about yourself." Luz said.

"Yes… it's good job." Riki said. He had a soft smile on his face, but was not as over the moon as she had hoped.

"Oh no. Are you still sad? Do you need me to do something else? I can find some confetti if that would help. I knew I should have started with that." Luz said.

Riki looked at her confused. "It's okay Luz. Riki will be okay. Much better now than before. Riki will just need time for self is all."

"Oh." Just like Sharla said he'd need. Luz was starting to feel silly now.

Riki smile grew warmer. "Still Riki appreciate effort that Luz and friends go through to cheer Riki up. Riki thanks Luz."

"It's no problem Riki. I'm glad to help." Luz smiled.

"Luz!" Reyn's voice was heard from the opposite direction. Luz turned as Reyn and Sharla came up to them with Amity standing further back. "Did he leave already?"

"Yup. Vol'aren took his kids home just now." Luz informed. "He did give his thanks to you all for the help."

"That's probably for the best. Don't want them getting lost again." Sharla said.

Luz nodded before turning her attention to Amity. She was looking down the whole time, her mind somewhere else. She only barely made eye contact with Luz a few seconds later.

"Hi." Amity said softly, after a moment's pause. "Looks like you were okay after all."

"Yeah. Like I promised." Luz said gently.

Amity stood silently again, awkwardly rubbing her hand as she looked between everyone else there.

"Hey guys, why don't we go get some cinnopon rolls to celebrate. King, I think you'd like them." Sharla suggested.

"Sounds good. You girls comin- oof." Reyn was cut off by a light jab by Sharla, trying to subtly gesture towards the girls with her head. "I mean… we'll get you some." And with that the four of them quickly left, leaving the couple to themselves.

After a few more seconds of silence, Amity spoke up. "Luz. I know you've noticed I've been very overprotective today. I just wanted to say I'm really sorry, if I've been making you feel uncomfortable because of that."

"That's okay. I know you were just worried about me. It's my fault in the first place for putting myself in that situation."

"That's not true. Luz, have you been blaming yourself for what happened?"

"Of course I have. If I'd just listened to Eda, none of this would have happened."

"You didn't intend to get chased by hungry monsters or get run off a cliff. That's not your fault. Besides, that doesn't excuse me treating you like you're made of glass. Especially not when you've been telling me all day that you're fine."

Luz looked away guiltily. She knew now was the time to come clean. "Actually… I'm not fine yet. I'm still sore, and I actually had to sit down for a bit while Reyn and I were searching earlier.

"Oh. Then why didn't you say anything?" Amity looked confused, though her tone wasn't accusatory.

"I just saw how worried you were about me and I thought that, if I act like I'm all better now, you won't be as stressed. But that was wrong of me."

"To be fair, I probably would have reacted poorly if you told me earlier." She said, looking down.

Luz grabbed hold of Amity's hands to get her eyes focused back on her. "But I am feeling much better than yesterday. I'll be back to normal in no time. And I promise not to hide how I'm feeling anymore. Complete honesty from now on." She said, while giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

"I believe you. And I promise that I'll tone down the over protectiveness. I'll never stop worrying for you completely, but I never want you to feel like your helpless." Amity gave a big smile.

The couple embraced in a long hug. Their smiles more genuine then they'd felt the last two days.

"Come on. Let's get back to the others before the ceremony starts." Amity said. She took a quick look around before she realize something. "Um… do you remember where the bench we were at is?"

Luz checked her surroundings as well, before concluding that she didn't know where they were either. Riki was right, they would have gotten lost if they'd tried to search for the kids on their own. "I bet she can help us out though." Luz pointed to the distance where she saw Sharla attempting to subtly spy on them.

Luz and Amity chuckled as she looked away, pretending like she wasn't clearly caught. "Oh, hey girls." Sharla made a show of noticing them when they walked over to her.

"Were you spying on us?" Luz teased.

"Wha- no, of course not. Just came back to make sure you're both okay."

"We're great now. Thanks Sharla. For everything." Amity said.

"I'm glad to hear it." Sharla said.

"Though we are a bit lost. Would you be able to lead us back to the others?" Luz asked.

"Right this way." Sharla motioned for the girls to follow. Though they only walked for less than a minute before they noticed the rest of their group headed back towards their direction. Reyn, Riki, and King walked towards them, a delicious looking pastry in each of their hands, while Dunban, Eda, and even Shulk were right behind them.

"Hey Shulk. When'd you get here." Luz asked.

"A few minutes ago. I ran into Dunban and Eda, and they said they were searching for some missing kids." Shulk said.

"And then Reyn ran into us and told us they've already been found." Eda said next.

"Which means we lost our seat." Reyn moaned.

"Bummer. There's no way there are any spare benches left. The ceremony's about to begin." Sharla said.

"We'll still be able to see it from here. We'll just have to stand if that's okay with everyone." Dunban suggested.

Most of the group nodded, though King and Riki decided to ride on the shoulders of Eda and Reyn respectively to get a better vantage point. Luz though looked conflicted for a moment.

"Actually, I think I should sit down to rest my legs." She turned to her girlfriend to ask, "think you can help me out with that?"

Amity looked surprised at Luz's request, but it was quickly replaced with a grateful smile. "Of course Luz."

With a quick spell circle Amity formed a bench-shaped abomination for both Luz and Amity to sit on together, hand-in-hand. Luz had the biggest smile on her face, as the ceremony started with a High Entia air show, before Melia finally came up to the balcony of the Imperial Palace. She wore a pretty looking dress with a flowing cape, and an ornate white mask.

Once the crowd was silent, she began her speech. "By the authority of our divine ancestors, I, Melia Antiqua, am honored to accept the responsibility of becoming your next benevolent ruler…"


"Friends hurry! Melly this way!" Riki directed them deeper into the Imperial Palace towards the direction of Melia's room. He had insisted after the ceremony that Melia looked sad and needed cheering up. Shulk remembered the constant doubt she showed yesterday and had agreed to meet with her, as did everyone else.

After several minutes of wandering the halls of the palace and asking guards for directions, they finally managed to arrive at Melia's room, and Shulk used that term very loosely. It was massive, far bigger than most homes in Colony 9. A small river of water surrounded the edges of the room, while a garden covered almost the entire floor. A raised metal platform acted as a bridge from the entrance of the room to the large structure at the end that seemed to house the actual bed, and it is where Melia exited from to greet them.

"You came to see me?" She asked with a large smile, one of the few he'd seen of her. This was also the first time Shulk had seen her without any sort of headwear, allowing her High Entia wings to flow freely. Shulk was surprised to see that her wings were much smaller than any other adult High Entia he'd seen during his time in Alcamoth.

"Riki's friend Melly!" Riki happily waddled towards Melia. "Melly look amazing before. Riki so proud!"

"Yes! The whole thing was awesome! You looked so regal in that outfit of yours!" Luz added.

"Meh. It was kind of boring." Eda said, with an added smirk at the blasphemous looks everyone gave her.

"I agree." Melia said, causing everyone, including Eda, to look at her perplexed. "An entire day of preparations had to be done for a thirty second speech and for me to stand still and look dignified." Her emphasis on the last word suggested that she'd been repeating a direct quote.

"I can relate. My parents always bring my siblings and me to their social events just for us to stand around and look pretty." Amity said.

"I guess even a princess has its dull moments, huh?" Luz asked.

"More than you'd think." Melia smiled.

"What a stunning garden!" Sharla praised in amazement. "The arrangements… The fountain… When Colony 6 is up and running, can I steal some ideas?"

"My late mother adored this place."

"Late mother?" Reyn asked, looking thoroughly confused. Something he seemed to share with everyone else. "But I thought your mum was-"

"The queen that tried to have you killed?" Eda finished his train of thought. "What about her?"

"Her Highness the First Consort is not my birth mother. Members of the imperial family must take two wives: one Homs, one High Entia. My mother is the Second Consort. I am half Homs, half High Entia."

Everyone looked down in silence.

"I'm so sorry Melia." Luz said earnestly.

"Me too. I didn't mean to bring up any hard memories." Sharla said.

"It is alright. It was many years ago. I have since moved past it." Melia said.

"Has Melly been living here alone ever since?" Riki asked curiously.

"It's not like that Riki. This place actually brings me much relief. It's the only place where I don't have to hide who I am." Melia gestured to her wings.

"What do you mean? Why do you need to hide your wings?" Luz asked.

"The small size announces to everyone of my mixed race. There are many High Entia who do not approve of that. That's why I wear a mask in public." Melia explained which made Luz gasp in shock.

"What's being half Homs got to do with anything? You'll always be you." Reyn declared.

"Their way of thinking differs from ours. Different ways, different morals." Dunban said.

"Not that different from where I'm from." Luz said. "Melia, I'm so sorry you have to go through all that."

"Thank you Luz. Your sympathy is touching, but I'm fine. I've grown accustomed to my station."

"That's even worse!" Luz became visibly upset. Eda, King, and Amity all drew closer to her while she slowly settled down.

Shulk wondered if Luz had personal experience with what Melia's gone through. Melia's story seemed to hit close to home for her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make a scene." Luz wiped away the tears from her eyes before they could fall.

Melia walked towards Luz and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're most kind Luz. I'm glad I was able to meet you."

"Thanks. Same here." Luz smiled.

"Anyway, this is supposed to be a celebratory day." Melia turned to the group as a whole. "In less than an hour there will be a banquet in the palace. You are all invited to attend."

Riki hopped happily. "Riki so hungry he could even eat smelly Orluga!"

"There'll be plenty to eat." Melia laughed softly. She then turned her attention to Eda. "Eda. Not long ago, our scouts reported finding a strange black door attached to the foot of a random hill in Makna Forest."

"Sounds like our portal home!" Eda said.

"Most likely. You are all free to join the banquet and stay an extra night, but if you wish to leave now, I can arrange a transport for you as well."

Luz gasped, turning to Eda with a hopeful expression on her face.

"No!" Eda said before Luz could get a word out.

"Eda, please!" Luz begged.

Eda shook her head. "Luz, if we stay for dinner it'll get dark and we'll need to spend another night here. We've already been gone for a day and a half, and it's not like we told anyone where we'd be. Hooty's probably worried sick."

"She's right Luz." Amity said. "Ed and Em are probably worried about me too."

Luz gave out a sigh of defeat. "You're right. I'm sure Willow and Gus are too."

Melia gave them a nod. "Very well then, I'll prepare a pod to take you to your teleporter door at once. If you would follow me."

"What? You guys heading out already! I wouldn't miss a banquet like this for the world!" Reyn said. "What's on the menu? Any High Entia specials?" He asked Melia.

"Do not embarrass me at this dinner!" Sharla warned him.

"You might be expecting too much there Sharla." Luz teased.

"Expectations do lead to disappointment. We are talking about Reyn here." Dunban joined in.

"What's with the double team here? Remind me not to sit next to any of you." Reyn said.

Shulk laughed, which was quickly joined by everyone else, sans Reyn. "Well, if you're leaving now, then it was really great to meet you all. Sorry I had to be absent for most of today."

"We'll be back one day. I intend to start a strong relation between our two titans." Amity said.

Everyone gave their goodbyes and prepared to go their separate ways, but just as Melia passed him by, Shulk's eyes lit up with a brilliant blue light, signifying a new vision.

Metal Face. There he was. The metal-faced mechon, the one Shulk had dedicated himself to destroying, stood at the top of Prison Island. He reared his claws back before thrusting the blades forward, in a horrifying reenactment of what happened to Fiora.

"Aah!" Emperor Sorean was the victim this time, shouting in pain as soon as the blades pierced his gut.

"Emperor!" Shulk cried out as the faced mechon removed his blood-stained claws from the emperor. Melia laid on the floor beside him, reaching out to her father in vain as he slowly slumped down onto the floor.

It seemed like the gruesome vision was nearing its end when the entire scene before him began to morph. The people, the environment, reality itself was being bent before his eyes. Soon the distortions stabilized and the vision returned to normal, but Shulk was shocked to see that the scene itself was completely different.

The emperor was now sitting on his knees, no worse for wear, as if the previous scene had never happened. Someone was laying down on the emperor's lap and Shulk's blood ran cold as he realized who it was. "Melia, please my child. Stay with me." The emperor begged his daughter, several bloody puncture wounds covering her stomach.

Before he could react, the vision distorted itself again before quickly stabilizing onto a new scenario. Eda was seen in her harpy form, flying away from Prison Island, King and Amity in her arms, as a horde of faced mechon overran the tower's peak. Metal Face charged his back-mounted cannon and fired a powerful blast at the fleeing Eda. She quickly swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly shot…

Until the distortion hit again. It was like time rewound back, but this time she and the kids were caught in the blast's large explosion. The three fell out of the large smoke cloud that formed into the sea below.

Mercifully, these strings of visions came to an end and Shulk let out a heavy gasp as his consciousness returned to the present. He reeled back at what he saw. "What was that?"

"Shulk?" Reyn said in a worried tone, noticing the distressed look on Shulk's face.

Everyone else looked at him with concern as well. Dunban, Sharla, Eda, Luz – Luz! Is this what Alvis warned him of? Were these distorted visions caused by her?

"Shulk, what did you see?" Dunban asked.

Before he could say anything more, an ear-piercing alarm began to blare causing everyone to jump, literally in King's case as he went straight into Eda's arms.

Seconds later, three High Entia guards burst through the door of Melia's room, rushing towards the princess in a panic.

"What does the siren mean?" Dunban questioned the lead soldier.

"M-Mechon. They're coming!"


A/N: Even when split in two, this was still the longest chapter by far, but I really wanted to have a one-on-one moment for each TOH/XC pair. Hope it was worth it.