Destroyed... Everything she had known and loved. Everyone...

She'd abandoned them. If they'd survived... how? How would they have? In the midst of a difficult battle with an unknown enemy, an enemy that never TRULY showed its face... how could they have won? It wasn't like her not to hold out hope, to keep going strong...

But 120 lightyears away... and such a sense of dread...

==================================================================
Perfect World
Part 3: Return

A Star Ocean 2: The Second Story Fanfiction
By Azurite
azurite_moon@yahoo.com

AIM: Meriellen5

DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Star Ocean 2. Enix made it, Links did the CG, Tri-Ace created it... etc. etc. There's a list of Japanese people who own the character design, battle system, anime, and manga rights, too, but I don't know any of them, so just read and enjoy...

NOTES: Hello, and welcome to yet another one of my SO2 ideas. Well, now it's actually a fic, and I'm ecstatic that I'm finally getting it off the ground. Hopefully my inspiration will last long enough for me to finish this one! ^^; I thought I'd point out two simple things: 1) there are spoilers for up to the part of the game when the party arrives in El and goes to Eluria Tower; 2) this is an odd combination of Rena's scenario and Claude's scenario. I did this because I needed to see what REALLY happened while Claude was on the Calnus, but I also want some PAs that are only available in Rena's scenario to have their "results" here in the fic. Technically speaking, if SO2 were REAL (as in, they'd finished making Star Ocean EX for the TV and such) then both scenarios would be together... and aside from the confusing-ness of whether or not Dias is part of your group (he's not in this fic) then all would be the same, right? Also, I ignore the "eight-party-member limit" and the rule that says you "can't get so-and-so if you get so-and-so." So you might just see everyone.

THANK YOU: To Wonderful Failure and FangFire, who reviewed the first 2 chapters of Perfect World and have kept me going! I know I tend to skip around a lot, and also introduce characters that may not seem important, but they are, really! So keep on reading, and I'll keep on writing!

RECAP: Two years ago, Rena Lanford tried to "save" Claude from a mysterious voice calling him away from their closely-knit group of friends. Instead, she found herself on a spaceship 120 lightyears away from the planet she had known and loved-- and Expel was on its way to destruction. Now, she is the Captain of the Federation flagship Calnus, taking after Claude's father, the famous Ronixis J. Kenni. She is responsible for a ship of cadets surveying the Arctura system, of which Expel is a planet... still... Her mysterious past is revealed to her Commander, Ryuu, and Rena prepares to embark on a mission like never before...

====================================================================

[ Eluria Tower ]

They'd been walking for some time now. The sounds of the monsters were merely in the background, never coming any closer than what they could see around them. For the time being, it seemed that the group was safe. Though, as it stood, they weren't much of a group.

Celine kept to herself in the rear, watching for creatures approaching from the shadows, ceilings, or side halls that they might not have noticed before. Leon and Precis were unusually silent, finding themselves with nothing better to do than hold themselves and wonder what had gone wrong.

Claude... Claude still led the way, his gaze riveted to the path in front of him... but within the crystal blue depths of his eyes, there was a wisp of distraction, of side-thoughts and musings... of things he could have done. As it was, Leon was right-- there was no way he could just wait for Rena to return. He hadn't heard all of what the communicator had said, so he had no idea why the Calnus suddenly decided to try an involuntary transport. But that's what it had been. And for whatever reason, now, Rena was gone, and there was no way Claude could get her back.

"Look out!" An unfamiliar voice suddenly called, and Claude found himself being harshly thrown to the side of the wall. A person had been lurking in the shadows -a side hallway that the group hadn't noticed, a faint glow the only marking of its existence- and had pushed Claude out of the way just as a Coldlizard jumped from behind a transporter and hissed loudly, its icy breath just barely reaching Claude and the others.

"Eh... who... who are you?" Claude stared up at the man who had pushed him aside so roughly, blinking when he noticed...

'Three eyes...!?'

"Wait!" Claude interrupted the man before he could speak, "I've seen you before! In Cross!" The man nodded slowly, but said nothing as he rose from the floor, helping Claude up with one hand.

"That is probably true, but we have other things to worry about now...!" The man turned around brusquely and from his wrist, a tightly corded leather whip slashed out at the lizard, whose attentions had been focused on Precis and Leon, gripping each other tightly. Precis had been injured in the last battle, and Leon, while tending to her, had gotten wounded himself. At the moment, the two were too hurt to fend off a Coldlizard of such immense strength.

Lightning crackled around the whip, causing the Coldlizard to arch in pain. It was at this moment that Celine chose to cast a spell she knew worked all too well against Coldlizards -- "THUNDERBOLT!" A bright streak of lightning and the booming sound of the accompanying thunder crashed down onto the writhing lizard, the man's whip pulling back just as the brunt of the blast hit. Within moments, only ash remained where the lizard had been, and soon, even that faded away into the tiling.

"Thanks for your help," Claude turned to the man, inspecting him carefully. He felt somewhat guilty for not having helped in this battle, and flustered for not having noticed the creature's presence in the first place. True, it wasn't as if he had a Sixth Sense or anything, but he was pretty good at observing things --as slow as Precis claimed he was.

"Of course... but in the future, you should be more careful in places such as these. What are kids like you doing here, anyway?" The man's gaze fell on Leon and Precis, the youngest of the group, then to Celine, whom he nodded to curtly. She raised an eyebrow at this unspoken gesture of acknowledgement, and walked forward.

"We're investigating the Sorcery Globe under the authority of the King of Cross... what about you?" Celine's eyebrow remained upturned as she scanned the man up and down. He was handsome, that was for sure, but he also seemed old-- that was to say, older than her. Much older. Perhaps it was a fatal flaw of hers, but Celine couldn't help but like younger men. Every once in a while, she found herself attracted to someone her own age, or maybe a year or so older... but not much more than that. This man was OBVIOUSLY much more than a few years her senior.

"Aa, I'm actually doing some investigations of my own... though more related to the archaeology of Eluria than the Sorcery Globe."

"Eh? Archaeology?" Leon stood up and smiled at the man brightly.

"You look like a scientist yourself, boy." The man grinned back, and Leon beamed. It was true that he was recognized wherever he went as the youngest genius ever to walk Expel's lands, but... getting recognition that had nothing to do with his name or residency made the boy proud.

"H-Hai, I am, Sir, a Doctor!"

"A fine profession," The man's smile faded only slightly as he wound his whip and tied it around the belt on his waist, "Doctor...?"

"Leon!" The blue-haired boy grinned, "And this is Claude, Precis, and Celine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," The man bowed somewhat, "I am Ernest. Ernest Raviede."

"Hmm... I do believe I saw you Claude, in Cross, as you said."

"That's strange," Celine began, tapping a manicured hand to her chin, "I swore *I* saw you in Hilton not too long ago... yet then, your jacket was green..." Celine trailed off, eyeing the man strangely. Now, as Ernest stood before them, he wore a white jacket lined with a shining, black fabric. It was soiled in many places, but not ripped-- apparently the battles that Claude and the others frequented in the halls of Eluria Tower didn't occur as often to Ernest.

"...Opera..." Ernest murmured, his eyes suddenly taking a far-off look. Precis, who stood beside him, was looking at some of the technology on his belt, and when he turned around, gazing off into the distance, she tugged on his coat-tails, "A-Anou... Ernest..."

"Aa! Sorry... You must have seen Opera... my... fiancee." Ernest smiled slightly, "It's been a long time since we've seen each other. I came to this planet to investigate some of the older ruins I found here on my ship's scanners... but a strange energy source caused my ship to crash," Claude's face, unbeknownst to everyone else, fell at this, "And since then, I have been wandering, looking at ancient ruins. I was sure Opera would follow me eventually, and soon we will meet again..."

Precis and Celine both swooned, "How romantic~!"

Leon rolled his eyes, and Claude managed to stifle a half-hearted chuckle. What had he been thinking, hoping that this man could maybe... maybe... take him away from Expel? How foolish. It wasn't as if he was eager to find a way home -a way back to the Calnus- anymore... it was more like...

'Rena...' An image of the girl's face flashed before Claude's eyes, and involuntarily, tears sprung to his eyes. He had known what was happening what she'd gotten transported, but he hadn't been fast enough!

"Well, it would probably be in our best interests to travel together here, wouldn't it?" Leon piped up, eyeing Ernest's whip. Even if it was a simple and rather rudimentary weapon, whatever strange technology this man had re-enforced it with made it a force to be reckoned with. He could come in handy, especially if Claude continued to be despondent about Rena's disappearance.

"I'd be glad to."

====================================================================

[ Two years later, Captain's Quarters, Calnus ]

"So what happened after Doctor Wellsley told you..." Commander Ryuu swallowed, tugging at his uniform's collar slightly, "That Expel had been destroyed?"

Rena smiled faintly, her gaze drifting to the lush green and blue planet just outside her window. Expel...

"It took them a while to get me responsive, after that. In all that time I spent... crying my heart out, begging to be brought back, the Calnus was already on its way back to Earth."

[ Two years previous, Starship Calnus ]

"Commodore, we're entering into a standard orbit of Earth!" The helmsman reported as Commodore Kenni walked onto the Bridge. He'd spent much of the last two hours in the Sickbay with Doctor Wellsley, listening to their visitor sob her heart out. Truth be told, they hadn't found any more out from her than when they'd started. True, it was a start that she was talking to them now, and not angry... but she was so upset. The word barely did justice to the expression that she'd had when Wellsley had told her that they could never return to Arctura 4.

"Good. Hail the Federation Medical Corps head and route the connection to my office immediately," Commodore Kenni ordered, striding into his office. His eyes were haunted by the girl-- tears streaming down her face so freely as she cried out for Claude. It took a lot for Ronixis to not be upset as well --he felt as though he'd abandoned Claude, as if he hadn't tried hard enough to save him. Truth be told, it was a mistake that they'd picked up someone else instead of Claude... how could they have known that someone else would be in possession of Claude's communicator? They should have waited until Claude responded to their hail, to confirm bio-signatures, or...

'But then this girl wouldn't be alive either. And Kurtzman was right,' Commodore Kenni sighed, removing his hat, 'Staying any longer around that energy body would have endangered the crew.'

# Recieving a signal, Sir # The communication officer's voice came through the intercom.

"Good, patch it through," Commodore Kenni ordered, briefly running a hand through his hair before pressing the button to accept the signal.

# This is Federation Medical Corps. #

"This is Commodore Ronixis J. Kenni..." The Commodore began, his eyes still closed.

# Ron? Good god, you look as though you ate a puppy! #

Ronixis J. Kenni looked up at the screen, startled only somewhat to see the smiling face of his friend, Somenth Westerburn staring back at him.

"Not quite, Som," Ronixis began, sighing once more. "Something worse."

# ... Casualties? # Somenth murmured. It was difficult, the two positions these men had. Ronixis had the duty of being responsible for every life on the vessel on which he was stationed, while Somenth had to hear daily casualty reports from the war front, from survey ships, and even from Earth's hospitals.

"One," Ronixis whispered, folding his hands in front of his face and leaning on them, "Just one."

# ... I... I don't mean to sound rude, Commodore, # Somenth stared at Ronixis through the viewscreen, his eyebrows raised in confusion, # But one casualty has never gotten you this ... this 'out of it' before. #

"The casualty was Claude." Ronixis swallowed the lump in his throat. Instead, the itching, burning sensation moved to behind his eyes, where Claude's face was imprinted. Could Ronixis ever close his eyes again without thinking of Claude? His only son...

Silence filled the room as the two men simply shouldered the weight of the universe. How terrible...

====================================================================

Sometime later, Ronixis stood in front of Somenth Westerburn, rather than staring at the famed Federation doctor through a viewscreen. Beside the Commodore sat Doctor Wellsley, who held a stack of electronic pads in her hand.

"Once again, you have my sympathies, Ron... I'll be sure to send Iria some flowers, or..." Somenth trailed off. Saying 'sorry' for something he wasn't even responsible for... feigning that Claude's death hadn't impacted him in the least... how ludicrous! He had watched the boy grow up, had been a friend of the family since he was born...! And flowers alone wouldn't console Iria... she had seen so much death and heartache to begin with, and now her own son...

"Anyway, this 'visitor' you picked up..." Somenth uncomfortably cleared his throat, looking to Wellsley, hoping that if he avoided his friend's faint gaze, he wouldn't keep seeing his son standing beside him. The last time the two of them had been here, it had been just before the mission, when Claude was getting cleared for his first deep-space exploration mission. True, he was only acting as an escort, but as one of the highest performing cadets in his class, not to mention the son of the famed Commodore Kenni, he would undoubtedly serve *some* greater purpose during the mission.

Claude had been beaming with pride as Somenth congratulated him on passing his classes with such flying colors, and having been cleared by the Medical Corps so quickly for his mission.

"You've never been in better health, Claude. Be sure to take care of yourself on this mission."

"I will, Doctor Westerburn! I will!" Claude seemed so excited, and he'd nearly *skipped* out of the office with his father walking stiffly beside him. It had been humorous at the time, but now... all that was left of the boy was a shadow of a memory.

"Yes, here are the initial scans of her that we did. When she was conscious, she wasn't too prone to talking or anything..." Wellsley trailed off, glancing sideways at the Commodore, who had also been witness to the girl's hysterical tears, "So we scanned her when she was sleeping. Not much has changed, though-- we still can't identify her race, though her internal structure mostly resembles that of a human."

"Where is she now?" Somenth asked, glancing over the pads in curiousity. A few calculations had been done, and the girl's statistics had been converted to current Earth reckoning. Approximately 17 years and 8 months of age... an unusual, yet natural hair color, pointed ears...

"In the Medical Corps Quarantine Facility, I believe," Wellsley responded, standing. Commodore Kenni slowly rose as well, his eyes downcast as he followed the doctors out of the office.

"Well then," Somenth cast a sad glance at his friend, unsure of what to say or do, not knowing if any actions or words would even do any good, "Let's go and meet this girl, shall we?"

====================================================================

[ Eluria Tower, Expel ]

"Looks like there's nowhere to but up," Precis murmured, hefting her Thunder Punch over her shoulder. Leon had done the best he could attending to her wound, but it still smarted. Precis knew just as well as anyone else -like Claude, who had known Rena from the beginning, and Celine, who had used the girl's smarts and abilities for her own ends, and then as a friend- that without Rena, things would be difficult. Precis had come so close to death in so many battles so far, and it was just a blessing that Ernest joined them, and made the battles somewhat easier...

Before their small group was a pillar of light that gleamed iridescent blue, sparkles traveling up, up, up, to a dark place, a floor above that couldn't exactly be made out. They'd been through other transporters much like these, golden and green in color. They'd walked out of them feeling somewhat shaken, but in one piece nonetheless. And then, after they'd stepped out of that first transporter, they'd come across what had once been flesh-and-blood fighting men, but what were now simply glass statues with letters and numbers engraved on them in an odd pattern.

That odd pattern had turned out to be 'Apocalypse,' the password that allowed them to enter a previously closed-off portion of the tower. That had been where Rena had been taken away, and it was a silent, mutual agreement between all of them that perhaps that region of the tower would have been better left untouched. Maybe then, Rena would still be with them.

All the same, as things were now, there was nothing to be done... nowhere to go but up.

Claude swallowed. He couldn't lose hope. Just as that time when he'd washed up on the shores of Eluria all alone, thinking that maybe Rena was dead... drowned... he kept believing. It was what Rena always told him to do, it was the very nature of her. Her spirit, her soul, her essence depended on that neverending faith she had in everyone. It was a similar thing that Precis had in her, though lately, the younger girl seemed less spirited. It seemed unnatural to Claude, and he knew he couldn't let his sadness reflect on the others. No, he had to keep going, keep being strong... keep believing that Rena was safe on the Calnus.

"I'll go first." And without another word, he stepped into the transporter, his body disappearing into the blue light. Precis followed, then Ernest, Leon, then finally Celine. She cast one last look at the floor where Rena vanished, a sadness previously unseen filling her maroon eyes.

"Come back someday, Rena. Someday."

====================================================================

An eerie green light surrounding what looked like a highly patterned orb was what greeted the group as they entered this darkened top floor. Emanating a soft hum, the group approached, only to be halted by Claude's hand as he noticed -- a group of shadows, humanoid shadows-- surrounding the sphere.

"Who's there!?" Claude demanded, his eyes gleaming as the others lined up behind him. That eerie ball in the background... could it be...?

'It's impossible... the Sorcery Globe?'

But what else could it be? Here was Eluria Tower, the place said to be the source of all the evil on Expel nowadays. Not a mile from here was the crash site of the Sorcery Globe, yet nothing lay inside the crater --not any debris, not any life or evil or anything at all-- it was merely a hole in the ground. The tower itself possessed technology within it unlike anything else on Expel --it was far too advanced, but Claude had no scanning equipment with which to analyze it. And inside, the monsters were fiercer... almost bloodthirsty.

These... people... were they responsible for all this death... all this destruction?

"Well, well, well..." A voice echoed throughout the room, sounding oddly distorted. A single light seemed to glow, and one of the many shadowed forms was revealed.

"DO NOT MOVE. HALT WHERE YOU STAND." A booming voice commanded. There was a harshness in the tone that froze everyone in their place, in a stance that said they would be ready to move at any time and attack whoever threatened them.

"Where... where is the girl with the Quadratic Key? In creating the core and crystallizing the key, there should have been but one, but there was another..." A voice spoke, sounding oddly confused. Claude immediately knew they were talking about Rena.

But what was this 'Quadratic Key' ... her pendant, maybe? It *had* been glowing strangely before they entered the tower...

"Who are you!?" Precis demanded, stepping forward. Claude thrust his arm out to block her from going any further forward, but Precis brushed it aside, a determined look on her face. Seconds later, a bubble of light appeared in front of one of the shadows, gathering and streaming until it became a laserbeam-- aimed right for Precis!

Claude immediately shoved the younger girl to the floor, but a sharp, burning pain told him that he hadn't completely avoided the beam. His arm stung incredibly, but without Rena here, there was nothing they could do.

"Uggh..." Claude groaned, holding his arm-- there was a hole in his jacket where the precise beam had sliced through the fabric, and a charred piece of flesh visibly showing through it.

"Damn... if only Rena was here to heal this..." Leon murmured, rushing forward to bandage Claude's arm with what few materials he had. He glared steadily at the shadows. They instilled a sense of fear in the boy, to be sure, but after everything they'd been through... everyone they'd lost... he couldn't afford to be afraid anymore. The others *needed* him. Just as they'd needed Rena.

"I REPEAT, DO NOT MOVE! I KNOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND US." The voice that had echoed so loudly off the room's corners spoke once more, glowing in a dim light. This was the one that had shot at Precis, and instead had wounded their best fighter. It mattered not that they could understand this... this *monster* but that the battle had just become more personal than before.

"Claude, pull yourself together!" Precis cried worriedly, helping the older boy to stand. She smiled gratefully at Leon, who had bandaged the wound somewhat, and applied some soothing lotions to it to ease the pain. He hoped it would work, for if Claude couldn't move his arm, then he couldn't swing his sword-- which meant he couldn't fight.

"A girl with healing... a Nedian?!" Another voice spoke up after a moment, his form barely lit. Claude, Precis, and Leon looked up in startlement. Rena? A Nedian? What...?

"A Nedian...?" Celine murmured, confused. Ernest, standing beside her, grimaced, frowning deeply. Even with the enhanced vision that his third eye offered him, he couldn't see beyond the darkness. All that was visible was the dim forms of the figures in the distance, and the great glowing sphere behind them.

"What are you saying? Just who are you!?" Claude demanded, his hand sliding to the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it and fight, if necessary. His arm still throbbed uncomfortably, but pain aside, this was it...

"My, my... how primitive these beings of undeveloped planets are. They are so quick to raise their voices." There was the sound of one clicking his tongue against the side of his cheek, condesending in tone.

"Not quite..." Another voice spoke, "It seems that boy is not of Expel. He is an Earthing, I believe."

Claude started-- how? How did these strangers know--? He glanced furtively at his companions, who merely looked confused, their glances just barely straying from the shadows to look at Claude. Claude swallowed deeply, his eyes turning back to the figures before him. If they knew he wasn't from Expel, that meant they had space travel... that they knew about the worlds outside of Expel. Then, it was possible that they had done something to prevent Rena from coming back to Expel...

"Pardon me, but why would an Earthling be here on the edge of the universe?" A polite, yet dark voice intoned. Claude's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, and he could make out forms as they moved, spoke, and were lit up by that sourceless light.

"That I do not know," The first voice responded, his eyes straying over to Claude, who only stiffened more.

"Who are these guys to be speaking such gibberish? 'Earthling?' 'Space?'" Precis rolled her eyes, nervously casting a sideways glance at Claude. He seemed rather rigid and nervous himself-- could it be that what these weirdos were saying was true? Was Claude really an... an alien?

"There is no way that you could understand," The voice boomed again, turning towards Precis, who edged back with the others, "So, let me explain it to you. That boy is not from Expel. He is a being from another planet."

All eyes turned to Claude, who shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, keeping his eyes on the shadows. Regardless of what they thought of him now -as anyone different- he would still protect his friends from these creatures... these 'people' controlling the Sorcery Globe.

"A... being from another planet?" Celine stared at Claude. He looked no different than any of the other young men on Expel. True, he even bore a resemblance to her fiancee, Chris! Yet... Rena, from the beginning, had always placed Claude on a pedastal. Even as their journeys progressed, it always seemed that Rena thought higher of Claude than he did of himself. Once or twice, the legend of the "Warrior of Light" became the topic of discussion, during which Claude looked most uncomfortable. Wearing Alien Raiments and weilding the Sword of Light... could he be...? No... It was *Claude* they were traveling with, not some myth.

"That is correct. The stars you believe to be merely points of light are actually home to various types of living creatures. Like Earth and Expel. But this is of little importance... now that the girl like us is missing."

"Girl like you!?" Claude demanded. He wasn't sure what all this 'Nedian' blather was -maybe it WAS Rena's species, but she wasn't here, and these people were insane- but to claim that Rena was like THEM!? They were insane, sucking the very life from Expel, warping it into a demon planet.

"Yes... that girl who held the Quadratic Key... we observed you as you moved through the tower. Yet she is no longer with you... perhaps she was killed?" There was a low chuckle, and soon the room echoed with a dark sense of mirth.

"RENA IS NOT DEAD!" Claude cried out furiously, leaping forward, brandishing his sword. He was only a few meters away from the shadows now, yet they still remained shrouded in darkness. Regardless -their laughter at Rena's disappearance was less than humorous to Claude.

"Don't listen to them, Claude!" Precis shouted in encouragement, standing up beside him. She quivered in her boots, but she knew that where Rena had once been Claude's souce of encouragement and determination, she had to stand in her place. Claude might not listen to her, but...

"What is your purpose?! Were you the ones that destroyed Eluria?!" Leon demanded, walking forward himself.

"There is no need for you to know our purpose," The far left shadow spoke, moving slightly in the boy's direction.

"What!?" Claude spluttered, his face heating in anger. HOW DARE THEY!?

"And what's more," Another shadow intoned, "You're too late. This planet is already on a collision course with Nede. Even if you knew our purpose, there is nothing that you can do!"

All those present paled considerably, Leon stumbling backward and nearly falling on his behind.

"Co...Collision...?" Precis murmured. Her father's face flashed before her eyes, and she fought to stop tears that began streaming down her face. Everything and everyone she had known...

"Why would you do such a thing? Are you trying to destroy this planet!?" Claude yelled, stepping forward again. The shadows reacted to his bold movement, shifting themselves the light around them brightening slightly. Claude could just barely make out the glimmer of armor on some of them, while others merely looked clothed in simple robes.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Claude stared at the rear-most figure, the one that had laughed so insanely in response to Claude's angered question. "What's so funny?!"

"Just like a lower organism. I suspected they had such shallow thinking. So what if one planet in this area is destroyed? It is merely a means for us to return to Nede. All of these are merely stepping stones toward us regaining our powers and making the galaxy... no, the universe ours!"

"You're going to conquer the galaxy!?" Claude shook angrily at them. How ridiculous...! But... if other planets could be harmed the same way as Expel had so far... with earthquakes, tidal waves, demons...

"Yes. Of course, worms such as yourselves would not understand." The voice quieted, and then the entire tower shook fiercely. Claude fell to his knees, his sword clattering to the tile beside him, while the others clutched onto each other, or whatever support happened to be nearest. The ground continued to rattle, tiles loosening from their spots on the ground, everything shaking.

"The time is near. This planet will soon collide with Nede." Another voice spoke up, sounding almost proud. The group of shadows looked upward, as if seeing something that the others could not.

"Why!? Why did you pick this planet?!" Claude demanded selfishly. It was such a foolish question, he knew... if not Expel, then some other planet... people would still suffer... but...!

"This planet was merely the planet with a period and orbit closest to that of Nede. That is all."

"The Quadratic Sphere -called the Sorcery Globe in your world- we used it to alter the planetary orbit, in order to make it collide with Nede. But we had no idea there would be a Quadratic Key on this planet... thanks to it, our plans were sped up by 100 years, even if at the last minute, it vanished..."

"So it was Rena's pendant!" Claude murmured. A crystallized form of the Heraldry Stone... fashioned into a simple piece of jewelry... Rena never could have known that she actually played a vital role in the destruction of Expel!

"It was not surprising that she, as a Nedian, would have it. Only a Nedian could create a Quadratic Key."

"Enough of this," A deeper voice interrupted, moving forward, "After all, you will all die right here."

"I'll never let you!" Claude growled, standing up and brandishing his sword. The room lit with an unearthly glow -not that of the strangers, nor the Sorcery Globe- but a light around Claude, who almost appeared as if he were on fire, flaming with an energy and power so intense it brightened the space all around him.

"We will defeat you and put an end to these foolish doings!"

"Too bad! Even if you defeat us, you can no longer change the orbit of Expel."

"We'll see about that!" Claude retorted, his head clouded.

"What a fool." One of the back shadows spoke, chuckling, "Well, humor him and put up a fight."

"They seem to have a death wish." The closest shadow seemed to smile cruelly, raising the arm that had previously shot a laserbeam at Precis.

"The only sympathy I can offer is to kill you without making you suffer... too much." Another shadow nearby spoke, flexing his arms.

"Leave them to me. I alone will suffice for these fellows. My name is Berle," Berle spoke, moving forward in challenge to Claude and the others, into the light. "You should be proud that you are able to face me."

The others slipped into a battle formation, quickly surrounding Claude, with Leon and Celine in the rear; Precis and Ernest beside him, their weapons at the ready. Claude shifted into his own battle stance, his sword gleaming in the light.

The creature before them certainly *looked* human, but the armor he wore seemed much thicker and stronger than anything Claude had seen anywhere -even on Earth. A strange blue light seemed to glisten around him on all sides, giving Claude the impression that this was no ordinary battle. The man smirked from underneath his Helm and charged forward, aimed straight for Claude.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still, and everyone took a sharp breath, not knowing whether they would even survive the next minute. At the last possible second, Claude ducked to the left, his sword slashing right towards where Berle had just been. But he wasn't there any longer-- now he was headed for the next closest target-- Precis!

The sixteen-year-old slid to the ground the moment she noticed the heavily-armored stranger heading towards her; she rolled off to the left and readied her Thunder Punch for a long-range shot. She doubted it would work, but...

"Leon, look out!" Claude cried, when Berle turned his attentions to the young scientist boy. Berle's head whipped to Claude's direction the moment Claude shouted, and it left him open for an attack from both Celine and Ernest, who both chose to use Thunder-based attacks, Ernest from his whip, and Celine with a Heraldic Spell. Neither seemed to work, however, as a gleaming blue shield shot up the moment the attacks hit.

This time, however, Berle charged at the two who had just dared to attack him, and he became confused the moment they both split in opposite directions of the platform, Celine running behind Claude, and Ernest guarding Precis, who stood in front of Leon.

Berle growled under his breath, and charged again for Claude, who grabbed Celine by the waist and flung the both of them into the shadows, off to Ernest's right. Berle was distracted by a whiplash from Ernest, while Leon quickly cast Black Saber. These attacks too, seemed to have no effect, and Berle only laughed more.

"This man is impossible," Celine muttered, her eyes narrowing. Claude glanced at her, and realized what she meant by her words; not that Berle was *frustrating* but that they simply couldn't beat him. The more time they wasted fighting someone who had such immense strength, the less time Expel would have. They had to find a way to destroy that Globe!

Claude furtively glanced to where the other shadows had been before this fight started; they were gone. Had they retreated to a safer place to watch from, or had they simply disappeared altogether? If their aim was to crash some high-energy body into Expel in order to get back to a planet known as Nede, then maybe...

The glowing green sphere was still there, pulsating more than it had been before. They were getting close, and time was running out. But maybe, just maybe...

Claude drew his sword closer to him, crouching down low and readying to jump up to perform a flying Head Splitter attack on the globe-- hopefully, it wouldn't be protected by any sort of a shield. He didn't have any kind of scanning device anymore -it had been part of his communicator- but that didn't matter right at the moment... moments were precious, and wasting them scanning something obviously dangerous...

"Celine... cover me." Celine glanced backwards at the young boy, a surprised and confused expression on her face as she watched him rise slowly and sneak towards the globe.

"Cover you? What...? Claude," she hissed, "What are you doing?" Fire snapped around her fingertips; she was about to cast Firebolt in the hopes of distracting Berle from injuring Leon and Precis. Ernest, for the most part, was taking care of the nuisance by continually lashing at him with his whip, but the man's shield kept going up, preventing them from making any full frontal assaults.

Claude didn't say anything as he charged forward, ready to jump down upon the pulsating green globe and split it into a million pieces. But that never happened-- the tower rumbled incredibly, and everyone lost their balance, including Berle. He was the first to rise, and chuckled, breathing heavily.

"Whew... you do well. However... I can play no more." He straightened, and walked back towards the globe, and Claude slowly stood up, preparing to fight the man one-on-one if necessary-- or if it was even possible. The tower rumbled once more, sweeping the entire place with a black energy without a source.

"If we can make it this far, we can teleport to Nede under our own power. Goodbye, fools..." One of the shadows had reappeared directly in front of the globe, and then the outlines of the others became slowly visible, glowing with power. There was a blinding white light, and one last, intense rumble of the earth around them, then everything went black.

====================================================================

[ Medical Corps Quarantine Facility, Earth ]

Officers noticing the famed Commodore approaching them immediately stiffened into a rigid position, saluting as the highest-ranking officer in the entire Federation passed by them. But instead of returning standard procedure with a salute of his own, the grim-looking Commodore continued on walking by, Doctor Westerburn on his right and Doctor Wellsley on his left. They all looked quite serious, to tell the truth, but no one knew just how serious the situation was...

"Ah, Doctor Wellsley!" A white-jacketed man strode briskly up to the older woman, a clipboard and pad in hand. He nodded respectfully to the Commodore and Doctor Westerburn, but didn't salute; this Doctor wasn't part of the Federation, and didn't abide to its regulations.

"Is the patient...?" Wellsley trailed off, her eyes asking the question.

"She stopped crying about an hour ago," The doctor responded, his voice lowering, obviously sympathizing for the heartbroken child, "and fell asleep. She should be waking up soon. Care to join me?" He motioned fot the trio to follow him, and they walked down a corridor until they reached a small room on the end, where Rena lay on a bed, scanners busily charting every aspect of Rena's body.

"She doesn't have any sort of diseases or impairments that our scanners can detect..." The doctor reported softly, "But that doesn't mean there aren't any. You said yourself, Commodore, in your report, that the device that transported Ensign Kenni to the planet where this girl was from was surrounded by a strange energy."

"Yes, and there was an unidentifiable high-energy body on a collision course with the planet when we found Clau... Ensign Kenni's bio-signature..." Commodore Kenni added, the last phrase dulling to a near whisper.

"I'd like to run more intensive scans, but as far as I know, she's as healthy as can be, amazingly so, considering the state of the planet she was from."

"Doctor?" Wellsley asked in confusion. Did he know something that they didn't?

"I took the liberty of having your ship's partial analysis sent to Astrometrics and Geoscience. They said that the high-energy body you found outclassed all other bodies we'd seen so far... but the partial scans couldn't reveal much more, aside from the fact that the body had a similar energy signature to what you observed on Milocinia."

Commodore Kenni started, his eyes glancing upward. "It what?"

"The energy body you observed on a collision course with the planet... it shared a near exact energy signature with that of the energy on Milocinia. You never identified what the source of the energy of Milocinia was... it could have been the device that transported Ensign Kenni, it could have been the dome you found... it could have been the planet itself. The Calnus' scans were quite inconclusive to that end. But all the same, the scans you took of Arctura 4, the high-energy body, and of Milocinia's strange energy field all had very similar energy signatures..."

"Wait... Arctura 4 as well?" Wellsley asked, her eyebrow raised. She hadn't been part of the survey team, but she knew enough about geoscience to realize that THREE completely different bodies sharing a near exact energy signature was very strange, if not nearly impossible.

"Well, in the case of the planet, it seems as though another energy body had collided with a continent on the Eastern Hemisphere, and caused earthquakes, drastic changes in the weather... and the mutations of many of the life-forms on the planet."

"Mutations...?" Kenni stared.

"Your initial scans before you communiqued Ensign Kenni revealed a mass of unnatural life-signs... creatures on the planet that didn't match the other indigenous life there, humanoid or otherwise."

"Why didn't we know this...?" Kenni muttered, another possibility, another chance that he could have saved his son plaguing his mind. Not only had he left his son on a planet plagued with *mutations,* but he'd abadoned him when an unidentifiable high-energy body was about to collide with the planet...!

"Scans only record this kind of information, they don't report it, since it usually isn't a threat to the ship."

Wellsley and Kenni fell silent. Not a threat to the ship maybe, but to the people below...?

"Monsters..." A weak voice piped up, and those present turned to Rena. The blue-haired girl was trying to sit up, using her arms as support. She nearly slipped, her arms trembling as she tried to sit up against the wall.

"Monsters, you say?" Wellsley stepped forward, lying her hand on top of Rena's in a small attempt to comfort her.

"The Sorcery Globe... that 'high-energy body' that collided with the planet... over three months before we heard from you... it caused monsters to appear everywhere... people were affected too..."

"What is this 'Sorcery Globe' you refer to?" The doctor asked, sitting on the side of Rena's bed. She stared at him, bewildered.

"Who are you?" Rena asked bluntly, her eyes plainly stating that she was uncomfortable with a total stranger interrogating her. It wasn't as if she'd known Commodore Kenni or Doctor Wellsley for very long either... but it was longer than she'd known this odd man.

"Ah... sorry... Doctor Thames, Federation Medical Corps Quarantine Facility."

"Fede-- what? And who are you?" Rena pointed at Doctor Westerburn, who had been silent.

"Federation Medical Corps Quarantine Facility-- it's where people like us bring the sick and wounded, or aliens like you who are in need of special scanning." Thames responded, sounding proud.

"...'Special scanning?' What have you done to me!?" Rena demanded, tears brimming on the edge of her eyes. She wanted to summon up the will to heal herself from whatever they might have done to her, but the truth was, she felt physically fine. The only ache or pain she had anywhere was in her heart...

"Nothing, nothing at all!" Thames cried, standing and backing away from the girl. Rena sighed, nodding softly. She trusted Wellsley... she'd been kind before, and she seemed to trust this strange 'Thames' fellow.

"I'm Doctor Westerburn, from the Federation Medical Corps Headquarters. I'm in charge of all the hospitals and medical facilities on this planet, and on the Federation starships, like the Calnus, which you were a passenger on."

"The... Calnus...." Rena shook her head, the memory of Claude's voice -desperately calling the vessel known as the Calnus - disappearing.

"The 'Sorcery Globe'...?" Thames prodded, staring down at a pad, ready to make note of whatever Rena said. Rena looked up at him, her expression unusually calm and serious.

"The Sorcery Globe destroyed everyone's life on Expel. No one was spared."

====================================================================

Hours later, Rena finished relating her story-- the story of how the Sorcery Globe had landed on El, and how rumors soon turned into truth, with monsters appearing even in the tamest of forests and quietest of towns.

She told them about Arlia, and the Legend of the Warrior that they had there-- that existed in nearly every city in Cross, and even in the smallest towns on the Lacour and El continents. Then, she told them about Claude arriving. She'd been visiting the Shingo Forest that day, and out of nowhere, a monster had appeared. Claude had saved her with his 'Sword of Light' -here she chuckled wryly, having been later told just what the 'Sword of Light' was- and had met her. She'd been terrified-- here was a total stranger with exotic clothing, a powerful and mysterious weapon, and a strange accent.

The doctors and Commodore Kenni listened with quiet interest, not even asking questions when Rena was sure there would be some. They thankfully didn't ask about Dias, about Rena's own past. These were things that would have to come up in time, but they weren't of such monumental importance right now.

What was important was Rena explaining everything that happened in Eluria-- how they'd gotten this far, their numbers had increased, and how, at the last moment, Rena had been terrified of losing Claude, who had become the one true constant in her life, the one thing she could truly depend on.

Wellsley's voice was only a whisper when she finished, tears brimming the elder woman's lash line as Rena sighed. "You loved him, didn't you?"

Rena looked up at her, a half-hearted smile on her face.

"More than life."

======================================================================

[ Two Years Later ... Starship Calnus ]

"So..." Ryuu swallowed unsure just how to respond to Rena's final words. She loved Claude. Two years had passed, yes, but that kind of feeling doesn't just *fade* like that... He pulled anxiously at his collar.

He knew exactly what Rena was probably thinking... that if the planet was still here, had somehow survived the catatstophe that the Calnus originally scanned for... was imminent...

Maybe Claude is still alive down there... somewhere.

"No matter how much I argue protocols, you'll still be going down there alone, won't you?" Ryuu sighed. He folded his hands in his lap and stared at them for a moment, the closeness between his hands and Rena's, and how easy it would be to simply...

"Yeah." Rena stood abruptly, striding back to her closet and hanging her head after fingering the uniforms inside. She knew what she was doing was brash and maybe even foolish, but her heart was leaping at the idea... at the very thought... maybe it was all impossible, just a bunch of false hopes and incorrect scans... but...

"...Good luck." Ryuu told her sincerely, smiling once before rushing briskly from the room. Rena stared after him, even after the automatic doors hissed shut. Her eyes watered for just a moment -the idea that she could have broken someone else's heart- stinging her. But...

Outside, Expel was a shining blue and green bead... a world of hope and possibilities. Never had Rena seen the planet from this perspective... and if all went well, she never would again.

======================================================================

[ Shingo Forest, Expel ]

Yuki glanced left and right as she approached the clearing within Shingo Forest. It had been the first place she found Claude when they'd moved to Arlia together-- where he went when he needed some "alone time." Of course, the first time, he'd just up and left, hadn't even told her -the thought made the young girl frown slightly- and Yuki had been worried sick until Pastor Marshall told her that Claude frequented the forest.

This time, however, Yuki wasn't there to find Claude. No, this time she was taking a break from him, trying to gather her own thoughts. It wasn't that he'd been absent-minded lately... he'd really been quite attentive and romantic. But Yuki somehow had the feeling... just a sensation, maybe... that it was all false. Two years had gone by, and both of them had grown as people... yet... somehow, Claude could never let go of the past.

Arlia would never change, not so long as it existed here on Expel. Maybe that's why Yuki was growing so restless for Claude to open up to her, to forget about his past, and...

What? Do I want to go back to Salva now? Or Cross...? The thought never would have crossed the girl's mind before, but here in the silence and calm, it seemed plausible. Arlia was so quaint and simple, and everywhere else was different. Always changing. Arlia still had that 'home' feeling to it, but it was a 'home' that Claude wasn't really part of. He only wedged himself into the village because of Rena, and now he couldn't let it go.

Yuki sighed, sitting down beside a large tree. She stared up above the canopy, half-wishing she'd had the bravery to go at night, and stare up between the leaves of the trees, spy a shooting star, and make the wish she'd never been able to voice aloud before. The pink-haired girl closed her eyes, praying to any gods or spirits that could hear her thoughts.

Suddenly, from somewhere there was a crack of branches on the ground and the crunch of leaves.

"Who's there?!" Yuki yelped, sitting up abruptly. Claude, maybe...? But no... how could he have known that she was here in the forest? He was busy helping Uncle Hearn in the store...

There was silence again, and Yuki's fear intensified. She looked about wildly, in every direction. True, two years had passed since the Sorcery Globe had been destroyed... things had changed drastically within the inner circle of friends that Yuki was really only on the fringe of... but all the same, monsters were still rumored to wander the forests.

When Yuki looked towards the path from which she'd come, she was startled-- blocking the worn-in trail completely was a lumbering, grotesque creature of immense proportions-- it looked like a gigantic gorilla, but with shining red eyes and VERY SHARP TEETH. Yuki screamed as loud as she could, unaware that only one person could hear her...

======================================================================

Once Rena materialized completely on the surface of the planet, she took a brief moment to absorb the serenity of the Shingo Forest. It had been so long... But that moment of tranquility was broken abruptly when a scream pierced the fresh air, and, falling instinct to her Federation Training, Rena dashed towards the source of the sound, barely realizing what she was doing as she drew her phase gun from her side belt.

She didn't even see the face of whoever had screamed; it didn't matter. Rena had whipped out her fully-charged phase gun and aimed it at the back of the monster looming over the figure and fired. The only thought echoing in the recesses of her mind was this:

Welcome home, Rena!

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*

Augh, well this was much longer than I originally intended! So perhaps my inspiration thus far will last me until Chapter 5 or 6! Mm, I'm working on doing the flashbacks that explain how Rena got into the Federation, what happened with Commodore Kenni, Doctors Westerburn, Wellsley, and Thames, plus what happened to everyone after Eluria Tower was destroyed. Don't worry, I'm not making Yuki a definite character in this! So please don't yell at me for Rena not being "with" either Claude or Dias. You'll see what happens... if you keep reading!
~Azurite