Okay, first of all...I just wanted to say that before I wrote the last two chapters, I never really liked Celes...but when I wrote about her, I started to like her more. I now like her a lot...but I still don't see how Locke and Celes could pair up...but that's my own personal opinion. Anyway, this chapter explains MANY MANY questions that I'm sure you've had since the beginning chapters...FINALLY they're solved. Now, after reading these last few chapters, do you now understand why I had to have the majority of the fic written before I could post it? See how everything revolves around other events:insert squee here: I am so excited that I have these posted! I have kept my mouth shut about what happens...so NO ONE knew what I had in store. Okay, I'm going to bed now. Night!

36. Vaughn Reveals Another Secret

With his hands buried deeply into his pockets, Locke made his way through the plains back to the Quantz hideout. He was feeling a plethora of different emotions, and he wasn't sure which ones he should act on, if any at all. He felt as though he just received a lot of information about the Empire, but he didn't know how to make heads or tails of it. Basically everything he heard in that ten-minute span between Celes and Xane was a jumbled mess in his brain. All he could think of was that Xane was in the hands of the Empire, locked up in a cell.

First Rachel, now Xane…Who will be the next person in my life to be their newest target…He couldn't help the feeling that the Empire was ruining his life slowly but surely. The Empire was ripping away the threads that composed Locke's entire being. The echoing cry of Rachel when she was being raped rang in his head as he gritted his teeth and swallowed the lump that was in his throat. As hard as he tried shaking the sound from his memory, it was there, crystal clear. The look in Xane's eyes as he yelled at Locke also flashed through his mind; as if the two memories intertwined as one and changed like a flipbook.

Of all the emotions that he was feeling, hurt and betrayal were the two that were the most prominent. Why didn't Xane just tell me…He thought to himself, evaluating the friendship that he and Xane had shared. I considered us pretty good friends…I was honest with him! Why couldn't he have been honest with me? He felt betrayed not only by Xane, but by Vaughn as well. Ever since Locke joined Quantz, he knew Xane possessed the gift of magic and Vaughn would never explain it to him. Although Locke was curious from day one, he now wasn't sure if he wanted to know the truth.

Sometimes the truth is harder to accept…He thought as he entered the forest. Moving the branches aside, he continued to think. Xane worked for the Empire…the very enemy of my life. Does that mean that Xane is my enemy? No…Xane is my friend…

The more he thought about it, the more confused he began to grow. He stopped at the mountain side that contained the hideout and reached into his pocket to grab a warp stone. Upon holding it in the air, a mystical glow surrounded around him and warped him through the wall to the inside of the hideout.

He held his anger inside as he looked at the small stone in his hand. Every time it was used, it diminished in size, and now it was almost gone. I'll need a get a new one soon…He thought as he shoved it in his back pocket and began to walk to his room and sulk for the rest of the night. He didn't get very far before he heard a voice from behind him.

"Where the hell have you been?" Locke stopped in his tracks when he heard his boss' demanding question and sharply inhaled.

"Not here," Locke stated, an obvious edge to his voice.

"Thank you, Locke," Vaughn snapped back as he moved closer to the younger man. Locke didn't turn around as he heard the footsteps approaching him. Instead, he clenched his teeth and fists in anger, hoping he wouldn't do anything irrational. "I don't like to play games, you know that. Therefore, I'm going to ask this one more time; where have you been?"

With a grim look on his face, Locke slowly turned on his heel to see Vaughn. The older man's appearance looked different than it usually did. His shirt and pants were wrinkled, his hair was disheveled, dark circles were apparent under his eyes, and even his face was paler than usual. Locke knew that he and Xane were gone for over 12 hours and Vaughn didn't sleep a wink since the day before.

"Where's Xane?" Vaughn asked, accepting the fact that Locke wasn't going to answer his first question. "Locke, say something, dammit!"

Locke wanted to say a thousand words to express what he was feeling or what happened to Xane. However, the only words he managed to force out were, "I fucking hate the Empire." Vaughn blinked in surprise at Locke's bluntness, but after he saw the hatred burning deeply in Locke's eyes, his face fell into a frown.

"I'm going to ask this again." The older man walked closely to Locke and looked him in the eyes. The man's tired eyes were full of worry, and he even swallowed before he spoke again, as if he were afraid of the answer to the question he was about to ask. "What happened to Xane?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Xane used to work for the Empire?" Locke questioned back, his voice full of betrayal. "Neither of you told me, and you didn't have a reason to hide it from me"

"I knew this would happen eventually." Vaughn sighed, causing Locke to raise his eyebrows.

"What do you mean by that?" Locke questioned the older man with a scowl. Without a word, Vaughn motioned Locke to come into his office. When he closed the door behind Locke, he quietly walked to his desk and started searching through the drawers. Locke kept his feet firmly planted on the floor, waiting for Vaughn to say something. His chest hurt from holding in his emotions, but he wasn't going to vent to Vaughn. "You were the one who sent us after that damn diamond again and you knew the risks! You were basically walking Xane into a trap!"

"Ah," Vaughn murmured as he pulled out a small white envelope from one of the drawers. He sat in his seat and pointed to the chairs in front of his desk.

"I'm fine right here," Locke confirmed with a confident nod.

"As you wish," Vaughn said as he tapped the corner of the envelope on his desk. "Just so you're aware, I didn't have Xane walk into a trap. Is he okay?"

"Xane?" Locke asked as Vaughn nodded. "Are you nuts? Of course he's not okay! He's in a jail cell in the middle of Jidoor, waiting to see what they're going to do to him!"

"I see." Vaughn's response was hushed, and Locke let out a huff. Ignoring the reaction, he continued. "So I take it you now know the truth about his past."

"Yeah, and I had to find out the hard way, thanks a lot," Locke snapped. "You both held it from me for no apparent reason whatsoever, now he's locked in a cell, and you're calm about the entire situation!"

"There's no use getting worked up about it. It's out of our hands now," he replied, causing Locke's jaw to drop.

"That's it? That's all you can do?" Locke walked toward Vaughn's desk and sat in one of the chairs. "You don't have a plan of how to get him out? You're just going to leave him there?"

"Do you really want to fight against the entire Imperial army to take one of the most important weapons in the Empire back?" Vaughn challenged, angering Locke even more. "Magic is going to be the key here, and that's what Xane possesses. There are going to be more soldiers around him to make sure the he doesn't escape than you or anyone else would be able to fight off. You're not going to be able to get within twenty feet of him without getting into a fight with a guard."

"At this point, I'm willing to take my chances," Locke spat out. He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and crossed his arms. He tapped his fingers on his right hand against his opposite arm to relieve some of his anger instead of attacking Vaughn. "Are you going to tell me the truth about the diamond now?"

"I guess I should. Well, to start out, the diamond isn't actually a diamond at all," Vaughn began to explain with a sigh. Locke gave him a queer look and he continued. "The diamond is actually an Esper. Or actually, what remains of an Esper when it dies."

"Esper," Locke murmured, the word sounding foreign and supernatural as it passed by his lips. The words struck him hard and he was thankful that he was already sitting down, for he was positive he would've passed out otherwise. "They're nothing but myths. How the hell did the Empire get a hold of a myth?"

"They're not myths, boy," Vaughn stated matter of factly, enunciating every word slowly, as if he were talking to a five year old child. "They're real. It's all real. Magic, Espers, The Sealed Cave. Everything that has haunted your dreams and dreaded couldn't be true by the light of day; it's all real."

"Impossible," Locke said with a scoff. "My grandma told me about that kind of stuff when I was a kid, but there's no way it could be real. She was just trying to entertain me. Besides, when she told me about Espers and stuff, she always said that they got along with humans. There's no reason why they would rebel now."

"If they were in the hands of the wrong people, they would go berserk," Vaughn clarified as he walked over to his liquor table, poured a glass of water, then handed it to the younger man. "I'm just afraid that the Empire will go after Doma next."

"No thanks, I'm not thirsty." Absentmindedly, he took a sip from the glass, causing Vaughn to chuckle slightly. Locke licked the water off his lips, then looked back up at Vaughn. "Wait a minute. Doma? Why Doma?"

"Remember the Alexander diamond?" Locke shook his head and Vaughn nodded his head. "Okay. Do you remember when I sent you and Xane to the Opera House for the Queen of Doma's necklace?"

"Are you telling me that the Alexander Diamond is an Esper too?" Locke questioned in annoyance as he looked up at Vaughn.

"You better believe it," Vaughn stated and leaned against his desk. "Why else do you think we wanted that in our hands and not in the Empire's? There's a common denominator in all these missions that I've sent you on, Locke. I don't think that the Empire knows about the Alexander Diamond yet, so we're safe as of now."

"You are surprisingly calm about this situation, whereas I'm quite worried," Locke said, biting the inside of his cheek as he spoke. "Why is that?"

Vaughn let out a sigh and sat back down at his desk. "I told you. I've known about this entire situation for many years. Rumors have been flying around for a while, but when I met Xane, he explained how he was a traitor and everything. He gave me a lot of inside information of the Empire."

Taking another drink of the cool liquid, he shook his head in disbelief. "All this information is just great and all, but this doesn't help Xane get out of jail or make him here. I don't understand how you can just sit there!"

"It's because I know Xane and his situation a hell of a lot better than you do. Trust me on this one." Locke rolled his eyes and Vaughn continued to explain. "Listen to me, Locke. Xane wouldn't want you to go after him anyway. He knows his worth to the Empire but knows what they would use his power for. Gestahl made Xane as a weapon, nothing more than that."

"I take it that goes for Celes as well?" Locke questioned as Vaughn narrowed his eyes.

"Celes? Who's that?"

"Oh, man. When Xane and I were in Jidoor, we ran into this girl, Celes. When I talked to Xane later, when he was locked up, he explained to me that she was his sister,'" Locke began to explain as he watched the shocked expression on Vaughn's face. "He also told me that when they were younger, they both were infused by magic. She's still part of the Imperial army though. To be more specific, she's now a general, standing right next to General Leo. I overheard a lot of their conversation before I walked in, in disguise though."

"Shit. Why didn't Xane ever tell me about her?" Vaughn whispered to himself, placing the envelope on his desk and resting his hand on it. "What else did you overhear?"

"Something about another…witch? That's what Xane called her at least," he answered with a shrug. "Celes then said that the 'witch's' power was 'natural.' Who knows what the hell that means."

"We already knew about the girl," Vaughn said with a slight nod and a sigh. "However, I'm not sure what she means by her having 'natural' power. We just know she's hella powerful."

Locke rested an elbow on the arm of the chair and placed his forehead in his hand. He let out a slight agitated groan as he shook his head. "I'm so confused. What do you mean 'we?'"

"The Returners," he stated as he picked the envelope back up and turned it around in his hand.

"Returners?" Locke asked as he looked up and sat further in his seat.

"An anti-Empire organization," he replied simply, continuing to flip the envelope around. "Xane is part of this group as well."

"Well, I must say, this explains a lot," Locke mumbled under his breath in disbelief. "All those secret meetings you've been having with Xane, all the letters, everything. They've all been about the Empire and the Returners.

Vaughn nodded his head and pointed to the letter. "Banon and many other important members of the Returners have been keeping Xane and I up to date with what the Empire has been up to. Most of the hunts that I've sent you on had to deal with reconnaissance missions to make sure that everything was going to remain okay. That's basically what the heart of Quantz is, but usually no one in it is smart enough to figure that out."

"Well, I knew something was up and I brought my concerns to your attention. You never gave me any answers and left me in the dark," Locke reminded him as he ran his finger along the edge of the glass, resulting in a quiet humming. "Vaughn, you knew I've hated the Empire ever since that attack at Kohlingen. Why didn't you or Xane tell me anything about this group then?"

"First of all, I have been writing to our mentor Banon since the occurrence and I finally received a letter back." Vaughn pointed with the envelope as he spoke. "Secondly, if I would've flat out told you, you would've ran off without the approval, am I correct?"

"Where can I meet this Banon?" Locke asked, proving Vaughn's statement correct. Before Vaughn could answer, he put his glass on his desk and ripped the letter out of his hand in one swift movement. As quickly as he could, he opened the top of the envelope.

"At the Returners hideout by the Lete River." Locke flipped through the multi-page letter, looking for instructions. He scanned through it briefly, but he wasn't finding anything of interest. Or maybe it's because Banon writes so damn small…Locke thought as he found himself squinting to read the fine manuscript. "Basically all the letter says is that Banon wants to meet you and you've been accepted into the group."

"But he's never actually met me before," Locke stated, still rapidly skimming through the letter. "Maybe this is just because I have a major trust issue, but why does he trust me without actually meeting me or knowing anything about me?"

"He trusts me, therefore trusts you because I referred you to him," Vaughn replied, his seat leaning backward as he stretched his legs out. "You actually already have an appointment with the King of Figaro tomorrow morning."

He looked up from the letter and slightly winced. He had a problem with authority figures to begin with, so having a meeting with a king slightly terrified him and made him nervous at the same time. "The King of Figaro? Why do I have to meet with a king?"

"He's also part of the Returners. One of the most important affiliates to be honest with you," Vaughn replied as he walked back over to his liquor table. With a chuckle, he looked back at Locke and added, "There are more of us out there than you would think."

"An entire group composed of people who oppose the Empire," Locke said quietly as he put the letter back on Vaughn's desk. He rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger as he thought about the situation. "However, here's a question for you. The only way to get to Figaro is either to climb the mountains, which there is not a chance in hell of me doing that, or sail around the entire continent to get to the other side. I'm not too fond of boat rides, so how am I gonna get there? Swim?"

"No need," Vaughn informed him, ignoring Locke's slight sarcasm. He picked up one of the crystal pitchers on the liquor table and inspected it before pouring himself a glass and continuing. "Edgar, who is the king, is a fantastic mechanic. He has figured out a way to make Figaro submerge, go under the mountains, then pop right back up in the patch of desert to the east of here."

"No kidding," Locke said in awe. "So you're basically saying that I can just leave in the morning and meet with King Edgar when they submerge and surface again?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Vaughn placed his glass back on the table after emptying it then walked back to his desk. "Edgar said they'll arrive around nine tomorrow morning, so that means you have to get there precisely at that time. Give him the latest news of what you have heard from Xane and everything else that was going on in Kohlingen. Mention this Celes girl to him as well. He probably should hear about it."

"Then what?" Locked asked as he stood up and stretched.

"Then, see if Edgar has any orders for you," Vaughn stated with a shrug.

"And if he doesn't?

"Then go to the Returners Hideout and meet with Banon. He'll probably show you your new room and get you settled in." Locke put his arms back to his sides as his jaw slightly dropped again. "What is it?"

"Show me my new room? Are you telling me that I'm basically moving?"

"Well, it's more like a relocation, but basically, yes," Vaughn told him with a shrug. "Why stay here when you can have all the insight of the Empire right at the Returners Hideout?"

"But…I'm a treasure hunter," Locke protested as he gestured around him with his arms. "It's what I do. It's all I'm able to do."

"Not all treasure is tangible," Vaughn explained with a sly smile. "Now that you're part of the Returners, your treasure deals with getting information about the Empire to see if we can somehow thwart their ideas and stop them. The thing you don't understand is that Gestahl is secretly trying to take over the world."

"Is there any 'tangible' proof to that?" Locke slightly challenged. He wasn't trying to be difficult; he was just trying to pry for more information so he knew what he was getting himself into. "I'm just saying, Xane said the same thing to Celes and she told him that there was nothing wrong with Gestahl. I don't believe her because there have been a lot of conspicuous occurrences that have happened lately around the World of Balance that could be linked back to the Empire, especially the new thing with Espers, but…"

"What you just said is proof enough," Vaughn interrupted again. "Think of that attack on Kohlingen, Locke."

"I'd rather not," he replied quickly. Goosebumps rose all over his body at the thought, and he inhaled a shaky breath before resuming what he was saying. "It's a memory that will always be in my mind, but is something that I would rather not bring up."

"Okay, well, think about this then," Vaughn began as he sat back down in his seat. He folded his hands on his desk as he continued. "Maybe the Empire has a secret way that they could bring her back; something that counters the poison. Do a few exploration missions and who knows what you'll be able to find out. "

Locke lifted his head up to look the older man in the eye and slightly huffed. "You're trying to con me into this, aren't you?"

"In a way I guess I am, but you know I have a point," he countered as Locke looked down at the ground. "Think about what I said earlier; you have to fight magic with magic."

"That's what the patriarch said to me as well," Locke muttered as he remembered the old man saying that to him when he brought Rachel to him.

"I know, that's why I said it back to you," Vaughn replied softly, gently putting his hand on Locke's shoulder. "Go see Edgar, Locke. See if there's anything that you can do."

"All right," Locke agreed with a nod of his head. "I'll pack up everything I have and leave for Figaro first thing in the morning."

"Perfect," Vaughn said as he watched Locke walk toward the door. "Oh, and Locke?"

He turned on his heel to face Vaughn again. "Yeah?"

"No one else in Quantz knows about the Returners and I plan to keep it that way," he vehemently explained to Locke as he searched his desk drawers once again. "There aren't many here who care enough about anything but treasure hunting, so it would be pointless to inform them about it."

"Why'd you tell me then?" Locke asked, although he was quite certain that he already knew the answer. "Is it because I know what's up with Xane?"

"Well, not only that, but there are other…circumstances that made your hatred toward them grow," Vaughn replied with a wave of his hand as he pulled a few sheets of paper and a pen out from his desk. Locke looked down at his feet, giving Vaughn confirmation that Locke knew exactly what he was talking about. "Get some rest tonight."

"I'll definitely try," he answered quietly as he opened the door. Before he stepped out, he poked his head back in the room and said, "Vaughn, be sure to get some rest yourself. You look terrible."

Without looking up from the letter he started to write, he responded with, "good night, Locke."

Locked sighed as he watched Vaughn dip his pen back into the ink before shutting the door. He knew that he had a lot to do before morning, so he walked back to his room to begin to prepare.