Author's Note: This particular swerve is something I think didn't get handled as well as it should have. Let's see if we can fix that.
Chronologically, this occurs right after the twelfth installment that focused on Sena's hair. It also assumes you've read the twentieth installment 'The Legacy of Vandham', because it references material therein.
xxxx
The City had dedicated themselves to defeating Moebius for the longest time.
After the passage of many years, their ideas on how to do so had varied. Some advocated more direct action; others wanted to continue their hit-and-run tactics, stealing the cradles that provided the lives that Moebius fed on; a rather sizeable contingent wanted to withdraw from the wider world, hiding away to live life in peace without getting involved in the eternal war between Keves and Agnus; and so on and so forth.
However, every single person had labored on with the belief that their world, flawed as it was, would go on. They had all believed that their world would continue to exist; after carving out their life in the City through many generations' worth of blood, sweat, and tears...it was only reasonable.
Ghondor Vandham had been no exception.
("I'm fed up with hearing that sanctimonious Ardun crap," Ghondor said with a fierce conviction towards Ouroboros. "If you're trying to kill the now, then you can just forget it.")
Though she had warmed up to Ouroboros during their brief time in prison, her fire had not been quenched with regards to why she fought.
(As Noah demanded an answer to her words, she obliged: "Set the world to rights, you said...Not sure if you're just being self-righteous, but take a look around! Think about how many lives it's cost, running after that shit already!")
Despite her bellicose demeanor, Ghondor — as the head Ouroboros candidate of the current generation — had been more sensitive than most as to the costs of their war against Moebius. Her brief stay in Li Garte Prison, seeing how many of her brethren had been condemned to a life of slavery and eventual execution, had only solidified her sentiments...to an extent.
("Not. One. Friggin'. Thing." In the face of Taion's disbelief, she added, "If we just stay put here, and the Cityfolk keep a low profile, no one has to die for smalnuts." Though they brought up her impending execution, she was undeterred. "So? It'll be ten people, if that. They've got over a thousand locked up in here. It'll barely register...I'm saying if you stir shit like Bitchqueen wants, you'll have a thousand lives on your conscience!")
That, alas, had been but a falsehood, designed to get under Ouroboros's skin, to see what they were truly made of. Agnus Castle wouldn't execute all of their free labor, especially when the lives of the Cityfolk couldn't even contribute to the Castle's Flame Clock. However...another part of her 'spiel', as she had put it, had been more from the heart.
(As Ouroboros considered the possibility of actually being responsible for a thousand deaths, she plunged the rhetorical dagger. "And also...you're gonna set the world to rights?" Pointing at their lifespan markers one by one, she finally walked up towards Mio. "And then there's the kitten...little more than a month left? You must be the most eager of the lot." In the face of Noah's anger, she merely scoffed. "Just shut up about the world already. All this holier-than-thou crap...you're only doing it for yourselves! You just fight out of self-pity, flailing around thinking you can make a difference!")
It had gotten under their skins enough to elicit a reaction. Mio had passionately pled their case: Ouroboros — with all the power they had at their disposal — would move forward, to bring about a new day for their world...where the "now" would be protected, while ensuring that the future would be all the brighter.
Ghondor, putting her faith in the words delivered to her by Consul M, gave the Cloudkeep's Key to Noah.
Alas...Ouroboros did not yet know just what defeating Moebius would mean.
If they defeated Z...Aionios would end by necessity.
One can only imagine, how Ghondor reacted when she found out.
Let's move the hands of the frozen clock to a familiar scene...
xxxx
/Time: Chapter 7, during Nia's Travels with Ouroboros; after Shania's Attack on the City, but before the First Invasion of Origin/
/Michiba Canteen, The City/
From a window seat, Nia and Mio were watching the shenanigans between Lanz and Sena with rapt interest. "Do...you have any idea why Lanz covered his head with blue paint?" wondered Mio, watching as a suddenly blue-haired Lanz tried to stop Wellwell from hassling him about the money to pay for the paint. (Sena, it must be said, had all but cutely collapsed from laughter.)
"Oh, I haven't the foggiest," mused Nia with a strange yet knowing smile, her eyes focused on Sena in particular.
Mio's ears twitched out of curiosity. "Is...something wrong?"
"Oh no, not at all. I'm just...reminded of someone I know, that's all. Maybe I'll tell you later." The Queen suddenly frowned, looking a tad dour.
"Nia?"
"...'later'," she repeated. "It's hard to know if there'll ever be one." Looking solemnly at her, Nia said, "I need to speak with Monica Vandham about...what will happen, if we defeat Z."
Mio frowned, wondering what she could have been referring to...
("When this battle is over, the stationary worlds will move once again. When the worlds were divided, they knew nothing of each other. In the end, they'll be strangers once again...perfectly ignorant, as will we." The melancholy in Nia's tone matched their mood. Even so, after Mio's and everyone else's encouragement, Nia was mollified. Even hopeful. "That future...I'll share it with you," said Nia, placing her hand atop Mio's. "It's not just yours...it's our future we'll invest in. For that, we need this world to end.")
...and that's when she realized it. "Oh." That...was something they needed to discuss with the government of the City, didn't they? Along with their allies in the Colonies. "That...might not be a pleasant conversation," she diplomatically said, activating her Iris to send a message to her comrades.
"Yet it's one that must be had," murmured Nia.
xxxx
There had been little time to think about the aftermath of Nia's revelation, within the Great Sword's Cavity: Ouroboros's proximity to the material storage warehouse had been providential, as Monica had requested their aid in assisting Ghondor with retrieving its contents.
Alas, after completing this task, they had gotten word of a Moebius attack on the City itself: an attack led by none other than a reborn Shania.
That tragic tale has been told.
Needless to say, Nia's healing expertise had been a great boon in the aftermath, and many in the City had hailed her long-awaited return.
That joy and adulation would be sorely tested.
xxxx
As Elder, Monica Vandham was the first person that Nia chose to spoke to. The woman had gladly agreed, requesting that Travis — her second-in-command — be present as a witness.
Ghondor, who had been in the War Room at the time to discuss the fallout from Shania's failed incursion, had vociferously insisted on being a part of the proceedings, given how M had 'trusted the bloody key to the Cloudkeep' to her.
Nia had not protested, merely smiling nostalgically at the girl's blunt words.
Thus, two generations of Vandhams and a put-upon assistant listened as Nia explained the truth of Aionios to them: how it had been born from a cataclysm involving the collision of two worlds; how Origin — protected by the Ocean Vortex — had failed in its intended task, creating a world in stasis; how Moebius, emerging in the immediate aftermath of the Intersection, had laid claim upon Origin; how, after numerous back-and-forth campaigns, Queen Melia had been captured by Z, putting all of Origin's systems and the souls within under Moebius's control; and, most importantly...what defeating Z would mean.
Monica and Travis had listened with slowly dawning horror, realizing with terrifying clarity that accomplishing their goal — the defeat of Moebius, the City's raison d'être — would necessarily result in the end of Aionios: freed of Z's control, Origin would autonomously complete its work, splitting the world back into its component halves. All that they had known...would cease to be.
Ghondor took a different tack; she got angrier.
"...and there's no way to avoid it?" asked Travis with a nervous voice.
Nia shook her head. "As far as I'm aware, Aionios came about because Origin was halted in its tracks. Once freed of Moebius...nothing can stop it from completing what it was designed to do." Looking warily towards Monica, she added, "This knowledge...was well known, amongst everyone in the early days of this world. Queen Melia, if she were free, would say the same."
"...it's possible that this information was lost, when Moebius N razed the first City," Monica admitted with a weary expression. "But...with the passage of generations, we've even lost a lot of knowledge about our Founders. That something so important would be forgotten...it doesn't surprise me."
"Begging your pardon ma'am," countered Travis, "but I think knowledge about how the flippin' world will end if we beat the baddies is a mite more important than knowing who the Seventh Founder was-!"
SLAM.
An angry fist dented the metal rim of the central console; Ghondor, downright sneering, glared daggers at Ouroboros. "Was it a lie?"
"Say what?" wondered Lanz, his hair still looking a faded blue; washing it off in a restroom sink had not been so successful.
"All that talk in the prison. About not 'killing the now'. And you were so convincing," she growled, looking downright hateful. "Was it a lie, you filthy shitbags?!"
"Ghondor!" hissed Monica. "That is enough."
"...we didn't know at the time," soberly admitted Noah.
"We only recently found out about it ourselves," said Taion, sounding intentionally stoic about the matter. "...just before the mission to recover supplies at the warehouse atop the Great Sword, in fact. I don't think it's going too far to say we haven't completely processed it ourselves."
Ghondor huffed. "Well, ain't that bloody convenient...so it's all for nothing, is that it? What a joke!" Scowling, she stormed away, leaving the War Room in a fit of anger.
"GHONDOR!" roared Monica, to no avail. "...damn it."
Sena raised her hand. "I can go after her! Just to...you know, make sure she doesn't break anything."
"I'll go with you as well, Sena," said Mio, looking quietly at Nia and Noah before following the fiery girl deeper into the underground complex.
Monica, inhaling deeply, quietly looked at the Queen. "Your Majesty...would you mind addressing the Senate? Our people...need to come to a decision about how to handle this."
"Um...you sure that's a good idea, love?" asked Eunie with a curious tone.
"I must say," added Taion, "that there are likely a great many people who would not take kindly to the idea of Aionios coming to an end. I'd wager some might be willing to let Moebius live if it meant this world would keep on going."
"What the spark, Taion? You can't be serious!" exclaimed an incredulous Lanz.
Travis sighed, shaking his head. "Kid's got a point. A revelation like this...not everyone will be willing to go along with it."
"...then that's the way it'll have to be," admitted Monica, staring tiredly at the floor. "The future...everyone deserves to have a say in how it comes about. To hide this, for fear of a bad outcome? It'd be nothing less than a betrayal of their ability to make a choice about what to do. So we'll speak to the Senate. What they do with this information...we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Nia found it in herself to smile, despite the foreboding reality of what they had discussed. "But of course. So long as Noah and his friends don't mind playing bodyguard?"
"You expect something to happen?" asked Noah, even as Lanz, Taion, and Eunie bristled.
"Well...when it comes to delivering unwelcome news to important people, things can become explosive," admitted Nia with a nervous chuckle.
xxxx
Nia's testimony before the Senate of the City would be a tale for another time.
Our focus is on a more intimate conversation.
xxxx
Sena heard the sound of punching first: of fists striking against leather.
Turning a corner at a four-way hallway, she came upon a sliding doorway. Nervously, she called out "Ghondor, I'm coming in" before sliding it open with her hand.
Within a small room — no bigger than some of the tents she recalled sleeping in as a third-termer — was some old furniture, a ratty old cot, and a large punching bag that had been taped and patched many times over. Right now, it was the object of Ghondor's frustrations, as she smashed it repeatedly with her bare fists.
She didn't quite know what to say; instead, she gingerly stepped into the room, looking around with curiosity. There were also some photographs on an old dresser with chipped paint: one of a preteen Ghondor sitting on top of the shoulders of Aggy and Oggy; one of a childish Ghondor flexing her biceps alongside Guernica Vandham and another man who looked Monica's age; one of Guernica Vandham by himself, sitting on a park bench; one of Ghondor in a more conventional Lost Numbers uniform, standing at attention alongside Jansen and the other Ouroboros candidates; one of Ghondor and Shania as young children, clambering on one of the trees in Virid Park; lastly, there was a picture that had been turned over on its face. Slowly, she flipped it up: it was a picture of a much younger Ghondor, sitting in the lap of Monica, with another man — the same man in the biceps photo, a man who looked strangely like Jansen — standing behind them. Was this...Ghondor's 'father'...?
"You like havin' a peep at other people's things?"
Sena yelped, whirling around to face Ghondor; the room seemed all too silent, now that she had stopped striking the bag. "Oh!" she exclaimed, holding the photo as though she had been caught in the act of theft. "Um, I mean, well...we were worried. And I saw the pictures, so I was curious..." Eager to change the subject, Sena asked, "Is this...where you grew up?"
Ghondor, lips curled into a scowl, simply plopped down onto her cot. "We have our own place. But with how often Bitchqueen and the old man were here, I claimed an old storage room for myself. After I started training to be an Ouroboros candidate, I spent more time here than in my own house."
Sena nervously sat down beside Ghondor, watching anxiously as the girl's foot bounced up and down on the floor. Mio lingered by the door, quietly watching them both in silence. "...we really didn't know, back then. About what defeating Moebius would mean," Sena quietly said.
Ghondor stewed in silence, eyes flickering towards the photos. After several moments, she remarked, "It wasn't easy...being a Vandham. All the gifts and talents in the world don't mean jack if you don't have the right attitude. Even having my Uncle on the team was just another thing to look out for. But...I was making it work. I was getting stronger. I was making him proud." Traitorously, her gaze fell upon the picture in Sena's hands. "...but...I guess it don't matter."
"Ghondor-" protested Sena, only to be immediately cut off.
"We Cityfolk...we've got all sorts of ideas, 'bout what happens to us after we die. 'Cause we don't have the benefit of coming back like you Keves and Agnus dags do." Resting her hands on her knees, Ghondor continued, "Some say that after death, you get paradise if you did all right for yourself. If you were a shitheel...well, what you get ain't paradise, that's for sure. Some people say there's just...nothing at all. Others think that, so long as the dead are remembered, they still keep existing, in some way...while others think we've got our own cycle of rebirth, 'cept we don't come back the same."
"Huh..."
"...personally, I was always a fan of the last one. Probably 'cause of an old kids' story I was told as a tyke. 'Was about ageless warriors who fought to protect people, and the giants they lived on. Even though those warriors would die...they'd come back over and over, always as a new person, always seeing something new." As if quoting an old work, she closed her eyes and recited, "People die; worlds die; but the warrior lives through it all: an eternal witness."
(In another place, and another time, words spoken long ago echoed through the ether, heard by none, yet witnessed by an everlasting memory: "Drivers dyin', Titans dyin'...the Blade just keeps on livin' through it all...it's a never-ending cycle. An eternal history.")
Opening her eyes, Ghondor solemnly remarked, "Even if she sucked at it, she was a warrior like the rest of us...even if that's not where her talents were, she still tried. S'why I thought she'd have another chance, you know? That things would be better for her, whenever she comes 'round again..."
Sena grimaced, knowing who Ghondor was speaking of.
(Staring at the memorial where Shania's name had been freshly etched, Sena wondered if Shania had smiled at the end. Ghondor, with quiet conviction, said, "Next time 'round...she'll be fine.")
"...but I guess I was just lyin' too," bitterly growled Ghondor. "If it's all going to end if we win...then what the hell have we been fighting for? I fought to protect a lot of dags, drongos, and ankle biters in my life...and they all believed me, because I'm a Vandham. But if that's all gonna end...then what does any of it mean?" Baring her teeth, Ghondor emitted anger to crowd out the existential dread. "If I was wrong about that...then maybe I was wrong about Shania. Maybe she didn't get the message, even though everyone else did! And if I was wrong about even that, then what the hell else have I screwed up?" Grabbing at her pigtails, Ghondor roared, "PISS!"
Sena watched quietly, feeling the anger boiling off of the pugnacious girl like steam. "Ghondor..." There was movement in the corner of her eye; she looked towards Mio, who was quietly sitting down on Ghondor's other side. "Mimi...?"
"This body of mine...it used to be M's," she said, drawing Ghondor's attention. "It's strange, to have memories that aren't your own: to see so much that you haven't lived through." Looking down at her hands, Mio continued, "Even though you've lived longer than I have, Ghondor...I have memories of untold years. And there's so much..."
"What of it?" growled Ghondor. "You'd better have a point."
"N and M...they used to be Noah and Mio. And in one life...they left behind a son." Gazing at the photo of Guernica, Mio said, "From that son...came two children. One of those children was a man who called himself Vandham."
Sena looked at Mio with wide eyes, whilst Ghondor seemed incredulous. "Wow...that's unbelievable, Mimi..." Pumping her fists, Sena suddenly asked, "Wait, does that make you like, Ghondor's...great-great-great-great-grandmother, or something?"
"There's a lot more 'greats' involved, Sena...but yes, in a manner of speaking."
"So what? You wanna get involved with this whole screwed up family? Wanna try and fit in? What's the bloody point?" spat Ghondor.
Mio shook her head. "A connection like that...I wouldn't presume anything, even though we're linked by blood. But just to know that a choice made by N and M, so long ago...a choice to leave a life behind, knowing they would never live to see it bloom...that choice resulted in a lineage that spans untold generations. A lineage that led to Guernica, to Monica, and you, Ghondor." Smiling sadly, Mio looked at the girl with wizened eyes, looking much older despite the fact that Ghondor had lived longer than 'this' Mio had. "To me, it's proof that even if the future is uncertain...even if seems that no tomorrow is possible...we can still live on. I think there's comfort to be had in that."
Ghondor didn't respond. Not immediately. "These two 'worlds'...any idea what they're like? Any idea what's going to become of us?"
Mio shook her head. "I don't know. I don't think even Queen Nia does, to be honest...there are so many unknowns. But that's life, isn't it? To choose between the 'now' that you know...or to choose an unknown future, in the hopes that it'll be better."
"A hell of choice," growled Ghondor, even though her anger had seemingly subsided. Naturally, it was at the moment that Sena impulsively hugged Ghondor from the side. "The hell are you doing?"
"You looked like you needed one. Mimi and Miyabi have always said I give a good hug," Sena said with forced cheer. "It's okay to be upset, Ghondor. It's not like you have to appear strong for our sakes."
Ghondor, tellingly, didn't try to shrug her off. "That ain't the point, you damn dags," she muttered.
"Do you mind if I comb your hair, then?" asked Mio, pulling out a familiar and well-worn tool. "Just to get rid of some knots."
Ghondor said nothing, affirming Mio by her silence. She simply sat there, existing within Sena's embrace and Mio's gentle ministrations.
xxxx
For the first time in years, Ghondor felt like a child.
xxxx
Later that evening, once the emergency session of the Senate had concluded, Monica returned to her family home. To say she was more tired than she had been in a long time would be putting it mildly. We still have forces to mobilize against Origin, she thought, trying to maintain her conviction. It's better than nothing.
She recognized that the lights were on before she entered the front door; walking inside, she saw Ghondor sitting at the dinner table, eating a warmed up bowl of leftover 'Monicurry'. "..."
"Sure took ya long enough," growled Ghondor between bites. "Was wondering when those old fogeys would finally let you go."
"There was...a lot to talk about." That had been putting it mildly.
"And? Were there any idiots who decided they were gonna side with Moebius, or somethin'?"
"Fortunately, no." Moebius had taken too much from the City over the years for that to be a possibility. Yet, committing all of their resources to defeating Moebius had been...subject to reconsideration, in light of what would happen upon Z's defeat. "But we are putting in some new contingencies, in the event something goes wrong."
"Hmm," murmured Ghondor, chowing down at the last bit of meat and rice. "...crazy shit."
"Mind your tongue," impulsively remarked Monica. "...but yes. It's crazy." The fact Ghondor didn't fight back at her attempt at being 'motherly' spoke volumes about how rattled the girl was. "Did you talk with Sena and Mio?"
"Yeah. For a bit. You had all gone to the Senate by the time we finished...so I just went on a walk by meself. To think."
"...I understand why you would," she distantly said.
"There's all sorts of stuff to get in order while Ouroboros is waiting for Samon to upgrade his ship...and hell, those little Tirkins at the Castle are gonna need an explanation...right? Do birdbrains need an explanation about the end of the world?"
"I honestly wouldn't know."
After what seemed to be whole minutes of silence, Ghondor finally spoke with naught but a whisper. "...mother...is it gonna be alright? Are...are we gonna be alright?"
Every ingrained habit in Monica wanted her to respond as a commander to their subordinate: that there were no guarantees in this world; that success against Moebius wasn't assured; that it wasn't certain that they would even have a place in the worlds to come, even though Nia had assured the Senate otherwise. There was just no way of knowing what tomorrow would bring.
But...those habits quailed in the face of an intense emotion: one that Monica had not had a chance to indulge in much, since becoming the Elder. For once, Ghondor needed not a commanding officer...but a mother. "Of course we will," she said with a tired smile. "It'll be okay, baby girl."
At those words, Ghondor finally allowed herself to cry; crumbling upon herself, she sobbed into Monica's bosom, letting down walls that had been erected for so very long.
In the privacy of their home, a mother feared for her daughter's future; a daughter reached for her mother's protection; as one, they both wept their anxieties away.
Come the 'morrow, they would move forward with renewed purpose.
xxxx
And thus it was so, when the end of Aionios came.
(As Noah wavered over the final decision, about whether it was even right for them to choose the fate of the world...Ghondor provided a reminder. "Oh, don't you start minding us now." As the others looked at her and Monica with trepidation, she spoke with an uncertain yet determined confidence. "Just having the chance to be born in that world you make...that'll be plenty. So, you know...ya just gotta do it your way." Getting in one last cheeky shot, she turned towards her mother. "Uh, though if I can...I might want a better name, eh.")
Even if the future was unknown, the mere chance of making it better was preferable, to the wretched monotony guaranteed by Moebius.
That was the conclusion that Ghondor had come to.
However, she would never forget the good things about the 'now'...so she swore to carry those on with her.
Thus, she stood upon the threshold of two worlds, waiting to see which side she would fall on.
She would face the sunrise, head-on.
xxxx
Author's Note: Another unexpectedly long one. But honestly, I think Ghondor wasn't served well by the lack of a scene showcasing how she transitioned from 'fighting to free her world from Moebius' to 'can't wait to see this new world you dags are bringing forth!'.
It was a bit jarring. Hopefully this bridged that gap in a satisfactory way.