The Aegis Awakens
/Chapter Twelve: Heated Winter/
Out of all things she had witnessed over the timespan of five hundred years, Malos still somehow managed to get on Mythra's nerves more than anything or anyone else ever had. Perhaps it was their very similar personalities that caused them to hate each other even more. Pyra was the polar opposite of both of them, and Mythra was admittedly a bit envious of her other self's gentle nature.
Despite how much Malos annoyed her, she would definitely prefer him over Regan. 'Snow' just acted so understanding and kind towards Mythra that the blonde felt like the other female Aegis was just being condescending. The 'girlfriend' comment was honestly just a spiteful jab at Regan having a tendency to be very clingy with just about anyone- specifically from the group that had been organized to stop Mythra five centuries ago.
"I heard the Aegis awakened. Nasty shock for you?" A brown haired man with red glasses asked as Jin and Mythra entered the room. When neither Jin nor Mythra answered, the man smiled and pushed his glasses back to their proper place. "Of course, it was already in my script." He stated before he was was interrupted by six-winged, humanoid figure floating down to his side.
"Sure, you say that now that it's all over." The figure stated, her voice mocking. Most of her body was covered in armor so outside of the lower half her face and hips, so the only other distinguishable feature was her circular-shaped Core Crystal. The man looked unamused, but she was undeterred. "Ah, I'm shaking to my core!"
"Shut your mouth, Obrona."
"Akhos." Jin's voice was enough to quiet the pair, and Mythra looked towards Obrona.
"Where's Malos now? And Regan?" There was a flash of light before a map made out of ether appeared in front of them. Their attention was centered on six specific ether signatures.
"That's the Aegis' ether signature, and that is...it appears one of them belongs to Dromarch while another belongs to Nia herself." Akhos explained before he switched his attention to the other three.
"One of them must belong to her Blade, and they could have awakened another Blade... Obrona, which one is Regan's...?" Mythra's expression was now one of confusion as she looked at the map.
"This one... It's very faint." The Blade explained as she pointed to the one to the right of her Blade signature.
"That can't be it... She's an Aegis, so her signature should be very similar to Malos'." Mythra stated; however, she quickly received a response from another person who had yet to speak yet.
A short woman with long, dirty-blonde hair spoke up, "I can explain that, actually." Mythra looked towards her, curiosity present.
"Really? You better have a good reason for not telling us before now, Maddie." The sharp tone Mythra used did little to faze the other woman.
"Truthfully, you just never asked... As for why her ether signature is so long story short, she is human." When Mythra attempted to object, Maddie raised a hand to stop her. "She does have an Aegis Core Crystal, and I've seen it myself."
"Okay, is she a Flesh Eater then?" Mythra asked, but Maddie quickly shook her head.
"No... Jin, do you remember where I said I was before I joined you?"
The silver haired man nodded, "I was truthful about being in Elvuen with Ant; however, I neglected to mention that she was heavily pregnant when I first arrived there. Regan is her daughter, and I don't know the details as for how the Core Crystal got there."
"I see..."
"That actually...makes quite a bit of sense. I knew such a thing was possible, but it seemed so unlikely to ever happen that I thought it was far from a possibility." Mythra said before she looked back over to Obrona. "Where are they now."
"Gormott."
Mythra nodded at that, and Akhos said something then, "We also have knowledge of a shipment of Core Crystals headed to the Indoline Praetorium." Jin nodded.
"I'll handle it." As he went to exit the room, he was stopped by Mythra.
"I'd like to intercept the Aegis and those with them with Maddie and Akhos. Could we take the Monoceros?" Jin nodded, and he once again was stopped as he attempted to exit. "Hey...come back in one piece, okay?"
"Of course."
Mythra sighed as she realized that he was not yet heading out, and she knew exactly where he was going. The blonde sighed before she swapped places with Pyra. "C'mon." Pyra led the way as they all headed out.
•••
"Kosmos, are they back yet?" A black haired woman asked as she looked towards her Blade. The light-purple haired Blade nodded, "Yes-" Kosmos paused as she peaked out the doorway and spotted the very familiar form of Jin approaching.
"Master Jin is coming to see you." She helpfully informed her Driver before she walked out the room and leaned against the wall closest and to the left to the doorway. Kosmos bowed her head to Jin, who simply nodded before he headed into the room.
"What happened? Did everything go alright?" Jin shook his head and leaned against the desk she was currently sitting at. "No one got hurt, right?" The girl questioned, and Jin nodded.
"The Aegis awoke, and Nia joined him and his new Driver."
She looked down at that, appearing to be sad, "I'm so sorry to hear that... You didn't hurt Nia, right?" She asked, concern present in her tone.
"No. She's okay, Alana..." Jin's tone caused her to back off with the questioning.
"Sorry... Just stay safe, okay? I mean, whatever you're about to do, please be careful." Alana pleaded, her forest green eyes brimming with tears.
Jin sighed at that, his eyes looking her up at down before they focused on her currently bandaged left leg. "I'll try." He said simply, and he then changed the topic. "How's your leg feeling?"
Alana's eyes narrowed a bit at that as she answered, "It's fine... It does itch a bit though, but Kosmos very adamantly advised me against scratching it." She described, smiling a bit at the mention of her Blade. Ever since she had first resonated with Kosmos, she had felt so much happier and complete. The Blade talked very robotically at times; however, she could be very caring and emotional most of the time.
"Don't get yourself hurt again, Lana. You were lucky it was such a minor injury."
She looked down at that, "I'm sorry, Dad..." Jin paused a bit at that, still appearing to be surprised every time she called him that. He knew full well she honestly considered him to be a father figure, despite all the lives he had taken.
Jin looked down at that, "It's okay. Let's make a deal." Her face lit up a little at that, "Let's both agree to be careful and as safe as possible, so we can come back to each other." Part of it seemed forced on Jin's part, but Alana did not appear to notice the pain in his tone.
"Deal." She got up from her chair and hugged him. Jin hugged her back, fully aware that her leg was almost healed and that she could stand just fine. He was not about to crush her hopes and dreams with the knowledge of what he was truly intending at the end of all this. Alana hated being lied too, but he refused to let her know that he was too far gone.
•••••••
"So, how long have you two known each other?" Nia asked as she looked between Mòrag and Regan. The Ardainian looked to be in her early to mid twenties, so she appeared to be about a decade younger than Regan. The Elf had told Rex she was 34, but it honestly seemed like she was not being serious. It was certainly likely that they were friends, considering that Regan was apparently royalty and the special inquisitor was supposed to be close to the emperor.
"It's been about five years now." Regan answered as Nia suddenly approached her in order to inspect her arm. The Gormotti had already checked over Rex and Tora's injuries, although she had mainly checking for anything severe. The cut on her arm stung but outside of that, she was fine. After Regan gave Nia a quiet thanks, Mòrag suddenly said something.
"She's got few centuries on me, but we still seem to get along just fine."
"A few centuries?! You're joking, right?" Rex's eyes bulged at that, and it was evident that he was not made aware of just how old Regan was. The Elf sighed at that, knowing full well that he was genuinely shocked at the realization that she was far older than she had told him.
"She didn't tell you?" Mòrag asked, and when Rex shook his head she spoke again. "Elves have significantly longer lifespans than most races. The only other with the potential of living several centuries is the Indoline." The special inquisitor explained, and Regan stepped closer to Rex.
"I know I told you I'm in my thirties... The truth is: I'm really four hundred and ninety-four." Malos' expression showed some surprise at that, likely due to the fact that he had assumed that she had not been born so soon after the Aegis War.
"Just a few years short of five hundred then..." Rex almost appeared to be sad in a way, and Regan could not help but feel guilty. She knew his sadness was her fault, considering that she had willingly participated in this test. Knowing that he needed training, she had agreed, but she could make the guilt go away.
"I'm so sorry, Rex..." Her apology was quickly followed by her stepping the last few steps to him and hugging him. Despite the fact that he was upset, he still hugged her back. The Elf knew she should have just told him that he needed training; however, she had been worried to hurt his feelings. Now, she knew that lying had not been the right move. Rex was hurt by her deception, especially since he had also been made aware of other things she had lied or omitted from him.
•••
"Alright, I gotta get going..." After they had finished talking with Mòrag, they headed out to find a good campsite for the night to rest. Nia had applied to poultices to both Regan's and Rex's wounds. They had only just had the fire going for a few minutes when Nia had abruptly started to try to leave the camp.
"What do you mean? I thought you-" The Gormotti quickly cut him off and a bit of hurt showed in Rex's expression.
"You thought I what?" Nia asked curiously. Her eyes softened a bit when she noticed his upset expression. "Look, I appreciate you coming to save me and all; however, it's now clear that the rescue was unnecessary." The Gormotti threw a pointed look in Regan's direction.
Regan sighed at the look she was getting, "I apologize for the deception, and I should have just told all of you the truth." She looked down at the ground for a moment. "It's the thought that counts, Nia... It was my fault he even thought you were any danger to begin with."
Looking to consider to Elf's words, Nia let out a sigh. "You have a point...still, that doesn't mean that I'm staying. After all, even if I don't have to worry about getting arrested in Gormott or Mor Ardain, I can't say the same for the other Titans. Except for Elvuen, since you are the princess." Regan nodded to that.
"Ray is a very forgiving person, I can assure you of that." Nia could tell that Regan was being truthful which- while appreciated- honestly was not enough to convince the Gormotti to stay. She was terrified of them knowing the truth about who she really was. Of course Malos had already figured it out, but something told Nia that she did not have to worry about him giving her secret away.
Seeing that Nia still looked unconvinced, Rex spoke up. "I'm taking Malos to Elysium, and I'd really like for you to come with." Surprise fell over the Gormotti's expression at that, but he was not finished. "I know you said it's not real...but I believe him when he said that Elysium is his home. Like I said before, isn't it worth hoping for a place like that?"
Nia looked at Malos, unable to figure out just what the dark Aegis was thinking about. "Well, when you put it like that..." She trailed off, appearing to be thoughtful. "Look, Rex... I just can't decide if it's actually true, or if you're just too nice for your own good. I mean, how do you know that Malos isn't just lying...how do you know that when you least expect it, he won't turn around and stab you in the back?" The Gormotti already knew a potential answer, but Rex had no idea.
"Of course I wouldn't do that... I'd need a knife for that." The tone, despite his neutral expression, indicated his lack of seriousness. Nia watched him for a moment, wondering why his expression was always neutral. His emotions, much like Jin, were actually mainly showcased in his eyes. Malos' voice also seemed to be a heavy indicator of how he was feeling.
"That..." Nia could not help but let out a soft laugh in response. She thought about it for moment before she turned her attention back to Rex. "Hmm... Elysium, huh? Sure, why not?" She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "If legends really are true, then even people like me..." She said it quietly, so Rex did not hear. The Gormotti missed the smile and knowing look that Regan shot in her direction.
•••
For the past two decades, sleeping had been something that Regan never enjoyed. Frequent nightmares- more like painful memories in actuality- often forced her to wake up. There were good dreams too; however, those dreams just made her feel more guilty than anything. To be honest, she preferred the nightmares at times. The nightmares were truly just memories, while the good dreams were nothing but what could have happened had she had not been so naive.
"You know you can't keep this a secret forever, right?" The sudden voice caught Regan off guard. She recognized it to be that of Nia's, "If one of you get hurts badly enough, you're not going to be able to hide it." The Elf heard Malos sigh in response, and it was clear that he annoyed by the conversation.
"I know that. I'd just prefer for him to actually concentrate on fighting, rather than be worried about me getting hurt."
"He cares about you, y'know? Rex would worry about you- hell he already worries about you. Is him caring about your well-being really that much of a bad thing?"
Silence. Malos was silent for a moment, and Regan could practically feel his fear as she glanced at him. Neither of the two appeared to notice that Regan had woken up. "Listen, just about everyone I used to care about is either dead or just not on my fucking side any more... Rex is better off just worrying about himself, and I prefer that he never have to know the truth." Regan felt a bit of sadness wash over at that, and she also felt a bit of sympathy for him.
Nia did not respond back, instead choosing to lean back into Dromarch. The dark Aegis simply sighed before his eyes suddenly looked over to Regan. When his expression changed a little, Regan knew that she had been found out. "Sorry... Did we wake you?" Nia asked as the Elf sat up and faced both of them.
Shaking her head, Regan looked between the two of them. The air was very tense now; however, Regan could tell that Nia had taken care of his wounds. Despite his intimidating appearance, he actually did not appear to very good at hiding his pain. Maybe it was just her, but it was obvious that he was no longer in any pain from the injuries had shared with Rex.
"No, it's okay. I couldn't sleep that well anyway." She admitted, her face flushing red as she noticed that Malos was staring at her. To be honest, she was a bit embarrassed to be around him. It was not his fault, and she truthfully felt a little guilty for confusing. Regan was not about to admit why she felt so embarrassed around him, and Malos' stare was very little help.
"I see... Nightmares?" Nia asked softly, a look of understanding on her face.
The Elf winced a bit at that before she nodded. "Yeah... It's not very pleasant, but let's just say it's more like bad memories always coming back." Regan explained, reaching a hand up to clutch at the locket she wore around her neck.
At this point, the Elf just wished she could talk to Malos instead of dreaming by herself. Winter was the ice Aegis' preferred name now, and they would talk regularly. Despite the fact they talked to each other, Regan could not help but want to speak to Malos more. Even if she felt flustered by him, she would prefer to talk with him over more night terrors and too happy dreams any day. After a moment of silence, she decided to change the subject.
"Nia, can I ask you something?"
The Gormotti raised a eyebrow at that, "Sure, what is it?"
Regan looked down at the ground for a moment before looked back up. "You're a Flesh Eater, aren't you?" The Elvuenian woman asked with her tone a mix of bluntness and sincerity. Her eyes widening a bit, Nia looked between Malos and Regan. The Gormotti's ears pinned back, and her expression deflated as she looked down at the ground as she realized there was no use denying it. It was evident that Regan's mind had been made up.
"I... I am... How did you know?" Nia looked over to Malos with narrowed eyes before a realization hit her. She had no idea when he would have had the time to inform the Elf of the truth, and she had a feeling that Regan had somehow just figured it out. A little fear hit Nia, and she was almost tempted to to just head away from camp with Dromarch and get as far away as possible.
The reassuring look Regan gave Nia gave the Gormotti pause, "Well, your little 'people like you' speech kind of gave it away... Outside of that, a very close friend of mine was a Flesh Eater. I haven't seen her in a couple of decades now though." The Elf explained, and Nia's eyes started watering.
"I... Can we please talk about this tomorrow...?"
"Of course... I'm sorry if I overwhelmed you with this." Nia brushed off the apology before she leaned back into Dromarch and closed her eyes.
After it was clear that Nia had fallen asleep, Regan got up moved over to sit next to Malos. He looked at her, watching as her shoulders tensed. "Architect, I just freaked her out..didn't I?" She said softly, her eyes glancing over at Nia's now sleeping form.
Malos shrugged, "She'll be okay... I get why she's embarrassed about it... Both Minoth and Maddie were pretty affected by it, so Nia's apprehension is understandable. Of course, public opinion of Flesh Eaters definitely could have changed in five centuries."
She looked up at him, "It definitely has... You can blame Indol for that. Maddie is actually the friend I was talking about, but it's been quite a long time since I last saw her... I don't know about Minoth though." He shrugged again.
"Knowing him, he might've stuck close to Addam for a while... I know Minoth much preferred him over Amalthus."
"I have no idea..." She looked down at her lap, honestly wanting to not talk about it anymore. Maddie had been a good friend, and Regan missed her quite a lot. "Hey, you wanna see something?" He gave her a curious look as she slipped her locket off and handed it to him. "My mom gave it to me before she died... She even had my name welded into the metal."
Malos looked to be speechless at that, and he held the locket gently. Not wanting to risk breaking it, he handed it back to her. She shot him a surprised look, but she swallowed down the objection when she saw forlorn look in his eyes. "We can talk tonight if that's okay... I'm sure Winter would love to talk to you more." At raised eyebrow, she quickly explained. "You call her Snow of course... However, I've always called her Winter and so does Ethan."
"Okay."
•••
Opening his eyes after he went to sleep, he found himself in the same environment as the previous night. Malos looked around and finally spotted both Snow and Regan. The two were sitting cross-legged right next to each other. As he approached, Snow gestured for him to sit down. Doing as she suggested, Malos looked between the two of them.
He noted, that despite their similarities in appearance, Snow's skin was actually significantly paler than Regan's. Then again Ant's skin had also been quite a bit more tanned than Snow's, although that was actually very common among Elves. While the white streak in her hair definitely stood out, the reddish-brown was quite a big contrast from Snow's white locks.
From what he had been able to tell, Regan was actually a couple inches shorter than the ice Aegis. Snow had been a couple inches taller than her Driver, so Regan was actually about the same height as Ant had been. Due to her tan skin, he could easily see the reddish-brown freckles littering her cheeks and nose.
"So, what's the deal with the name 'Winter'?"
Snow smiled a bit at that, "Like she said, it's what she always calls me. I don't know where it came from, but it certainly stuck. Even Ethan could not help but call me that, likely to help with distinguishing between the two of us." The ice Blade explained before she motioned towards Regan.
"I actually prefer it to being called Regan now." At the sight of Malos' hurt expression, she quickly added something. "You can still call me Snow of course. I just think it'd be good to have a name to help differentiate between us... After all, it would be pretty confusing to refer to us both as Regan."
"What do you mean? Can you take control of her or something?" Winter quickly shook her head at that.
"No. I can assure you, that is not case... I can take temporary control of her body; however, we have to be in mutual agreement for that to happen. That white streak, after she allowed me to pilot her body for the first time, appeared after she regained control of herself."
"I see... So, what is Ethan like?" Malos changed the topic, sensing that they were becoming uncomfortable.
Winter scoffed, "Trust me, just be glad you got Rex instead of Ethan. That man is insufferable." It was a bit surprising to Malos, to hear Snow show such clear hatred towards her Driver. Regan visibly flinched at the other woman's tone and tossed a glare in her direction.
"C'mon, you are being overdramatic! Ethan is not that bad. You just don't like him because of how snarky he is."
"Well, he's a jerk! To think, he's so rude to us, even though we saved his life." Regan exhaled loudly at that, annoyance flashing across her features.
"Yeah... Well it was my fault he even got hurt to begin with so if anything, you should hate me."
"He didn't have to agree to split up, so your point is meaningless. Ethan is just so annoying, so I don't know how the hell Lucy deals with him on a regular basis." Malos wondered why his simple question had led into an heated argument between the two women.
"Lucy isn't just his Blade, she's his partner. You may not like him, but I recall you fully agreeing to save his life."
Crossing her arms, Snow's eyes narrowed. "Of course I agreed to save him... You were practally begging for me to help him, despite the fact that you only knew him for two weeks."
Regan's eyes widened, "Seriously? If you really didn't want to save him, you could've just said no!" At this point, he honestly had no idea how to intervene and was just silent.
"I did say no! But you just wouldn't let it go, so I agreed!"
"You practically gave up your life to save mine, so why can't you just accept that saving Ethan was the right choice?" Regan questioned; however, even Malos could tell that the argument was about to get even worse.
"Right choice? You're right! I did save your life, but I did that for Ant not for you...!"
"I know that, believe me. You saved me because you didn't want to see your Driver in grief... What do you think she'd say if she witnessed just how hateful you're being?" Snow snapped at that.
"Well, she's not exactly around anymore is she?! That's on you... I told you that you couldn't trust Drew, that he just wanted you in his bed and that was it. You refused to believe it, and if you had just listened Ant would still be alive. Or better yet, if I had just let you die...none of this would've even happened, and Ant would still be alive...!" He knew it was way too late to defuse the situation as Snow angrily exclaimed those hateful words.
Regan froze at that, her eyes as wide as saucers as she abruptly got up and stormed into the woods. The dark Aegis just barely caught a glimpse of her tear stained face before she was too far away. Looking towards Snow, he watched as her anger slowly slipped away and was replaced by guilt and remorse. "Oh shit... I just messed up big time."
Despite the realization of what she had done, the ice Blade knew better than to go after Regan so soon. "Shit, Malos... Fuck, I knew she blamed herself for her mother's death and I still-" Winter suddenly stopped speaking and instead chose to bury her face into her hands. Part of him felt compelled to go after Regan; however, something made him aware that she needed time before she would be willing to speak.
"It's okay, Snow... It's okay..." He knew that it really was not okay in the least.
•••••••
Bonus Scene*
Bluish-grey eyes looked around at all of the crowd as she followed closely behind a guard. "Sorry..." The woman apologized as she bumped into a another woman, who simply shook her head apologetically in response. Eventually, the woman was finally led down a large path. After a couple minutes, the castle's front entrance was in view.
"You're lucky Her Majesty told us about you, otherwise you would not have been given the time a day." The guard suddenly spoke, and the woman nodded at that. She felt grateful for all Ant had done for her, and she owed the woman everything. "Due to Her Majesty's pregnancy, she may be unable to see you right away." The word 'pregnancy' caught the woman's attention, but she refrained from asking.
"Just being allowed to stay here is far too generous." The woman stated with her head bowed, brushing a hand through her long, dirty-blonde locks of straight hair.
The guard bowed his head back before he knocked twice on the large and wooden set of doors. The doors opened almost immediately and a fairly short, male Elf greeted her. To the woman's surprise, this guard had the same forest green eyes that Ant did. His hair was brown with a tiny bit of a reddish tint to it. "I remember you. Maddie, right?" He asked, and Maddie nodded.
"I am Ser Welsh...personal guard to Queen Antea." The knight introduced himself before motioning for her to come in. She walked inwhile glancing around, and she quickly met the eyes of a very familiar Elven woman. Despite her status, she lacked both a royal gown and her crown. Perhaps it was due to woman's heavily swollen belly.
When the guard had mentioned her pregnancy, he had neglected to mention that Ant was this far along. She had to be eight months pregnant at least, and she definitely should not be walking around like this. "She insisted on coming to greet you, while she should be resting." Ant looked a bit embarrassed at that, and she had a look of pure exhaustion in her eyes.
"You can give her a hug then you need to go back to your room. You've been on your feet all day." That concerned voice belonged to none other than Regan. Her Aegis Daggers were sheathed at her hips, and she was giving her Driver a stern yet also worried look. Ant just nodded before Maddie stepped closer and awkwardly hugged the heavily pregnant woman.
"Come back to my room with us. We need to catch up." Ant said into Maddie's ear quietly.
"Okay."
•••
Ant and Julian's room was large; however, it was also much more simple to navigate than expected. It was beautiful with plain white walls, a few comfy chairs, multiple pieces of handmade furniture, and a very large bed with a blanket adorned with the green and gold emblem of Elvuen.
"Whoa, this is gorgeous!" Maddie complemented as Ant wobbled her way over to the bed and struggled to sit properly for a moment. The ice Blade swiftly stepped in and shot Maddie a 'help me' look, likely referring to Ant's stubborn tendencies.
The blonde walked over and sat next to Ant, who gave Maddie a tired smile in response. To be honest, she was unsure of what to even ask the queen. Finally, she decided on something simple yet complex at the same time. "So, how far along are you?" When Ant smiled happily, Maddie knew it had been the right thing to ask.
"I'm about 37 weeks, so it's getting pretty close." It was of course hard to know for sure, but Ant seemed fairly confident.
"I see... So, how have you been feeling?"
Ant looked down at the hand she was currently resting on her belly. "Pretty horrible if I'm being honest... It's nothing like my pregnancy with Ray, and I just feel sick most of the time... Part of me can't wait until she comes, but I'm...worried." Maddie felt a bit of concern hit her at that.
"Is that normal?" She asked, and Ant nodded.
"For some women, yes. Sometimes it even varies in between a woman's multiple pregnancies... As for the other thing...something just feels wrong." Ant explained before she let out soft noise. The woman was given worried glances by both Maddie and her Blade, but she simply shook her head at them. "I'm okay. She just kicked."
Regan's expression softened at that before Ant spoke again, while looking at Maddie. "You want to feel her kick?" The blonde felt a bit hesitant and took a glance at Regan. The Blade simply nodded at her, and Maddie accepted Ant's offer. Since it had been her first time doing such a thing, Maddie honestly felt a bit of awe hit her.
"Wow, that's... That's amazing, Ant." The Elven woman smiled a bit at that before Maddie said something else. "You're really sure it's a girl?" Maddie received a soft laugh in response.
"Actually, Ray is the one that thinks that! He's thirteen, so he won't admit that he's excited for a younger sibling. I can tell he's worried about me too, but he helps me with whatever he can."
"Man, he's thirteen already? And to think, the last time I saw him he was only seven."
"True..."
Maddie looked down in her lap for a moment before back up at the woman, "What are you going to name her, if it's actually a girl?"
The Elf considered it for a moment, "You wanna know something? Back when I was pregnant with Ray, me and Julian discussed names for either a boy or a girl... We decided Raymond for a boy, and Regan for a girl. In the end, I gave birth to a boy... Years later, during Mythra's rampage, I met with Addam in Uraya... That's when I resonated with an Aegis Core Crystal, and she called herself Regan... Strange coincidence, wasn't it?"
"It does make sense though. After all it is said that a Blade is influenced heavily by their Driver, especially the first one that resonates with them."
"That's true... You think that had anything to do with Mythra's urge for destruction?"
Regan looked down at the floor, a bit of consideration in her expression, "Perhaps... I guess we'll never know."
"Yeah...I guess we won't."
Once I get all of my already written chapters posted here, I might have chapter 24 finished. There's no guarantee though, so it might be a while until I update.*