I've released two chapters today, just because.
Enjoy!

Chapter Six

The imperial capital, Archades
Year 704 of the Old Valendian Calendar

Reina had one hope: that Ffamran would come home, and soon. She had Serah there, and many friends besides, but with Ffamran gone, Reina felt alone. It took all her effort to hold on until he came back, and that bright certainty was the only thing that kept her going. In Reina's mind, it wasn't a possibility that he could get killed; Ffamran would come home, and that was all that held her together: the absolute certainty that she'd see him again, he'd come home, and they could finally start their life together. That was Reina's only hope.
It had been a week since the Judges left, and things in Archades were hardly bright. Every family was missing someone, a husband, a father, a brother, a son. Draklor Laboratories was operating in full force. They were a weapons research lab after all, and weapons were a valued resource during wartime. Reina did her best to stay focused, relying on that one spark of hope to see her through. Though it kept her going, every day seemed increasingly gloomy. It was even raining that day, adding to the depressing atmosphere.
And the nethicite… Reina had never thought much of it. It was just a little thing, some sub-class of magicite, or so she thought. She had never considered it could be so dangerous, powerful enough to wipe an entire city off the map. Ffamran had never liked talking about it, and she finally saw why. Dr. Cid's obsession with the stone had grown over the recent week, and more often one could hear him talking to himself. Reina had never really questioned the man's sanity before; perhaps she had been overlooking this detail on purpose. Surely it had affected Ffamran, though he'd never said a word about it. Oh, Reina couldn't wait until he got back home. Too much longer and she'd fade away into the sea of despair that swamped Archades. Why war? Why now? When would it finally be over?
Reina shook her head, trying to bring herself back to the present. She couldn't dwell over what she longed to happen, she had to live in the present. Only, the present was so dreary and hopeless, it seemed the only light in her life came from the past and the future. Reina yanked her focus back to the matter at hand, hurrying to eat her lunch before the break ended. It was oddly reminiscent off lunch at school, hurrying to wolf down a meal before classes started again. Serah normally ate with Reina, but she'd chosen to skip lunch that day and stay in the lab. The hum of conversation buzzed through the air, backed by the patter of rain as poured out of the sky.
Reina quickly finished her meal and rushed out of the lunch hall, half running as she headed to join Serah at the lab. She went through halls, took the lift up a floor, and dashed down more corridors. She wanted to get back to work to have something to take her mind off her hopeless circumstances.
Reina was striding past Dr. Cid's office when a sound caught her attention. It was a voice, but not Dr. Cid's. This voice was strange and rattly. Reina didn't catch its words, but clearly heard the weird voice. She came to an abrupt halt in front of the door. Dr. Cid was answering whoever else was in there.
"Yes, yes. We'll be starting tomorrow, hopefully."
Reina stared at the closed door, suddenly wondering what to do. Serah was waiting back at the lab, but lunch break wasn't officially over, so she wouldn't be missing Reina yet. Should she eavesdrop? No, that wouldn't be right.
"How soon can we expect results?" This was a new voice, a man's. That was all Reina's curiosity could take. She looked down both corridors, then moved to stand beside the door where she could hear better.
"That's difficult to say," Dr. Cid answered the mysterious man. "Perhaps a week or two? It could be longer."
"I see," Mystery Man replied, slowly like he was nodding.
"And after that," Dr. Cid said. "We can begin to uncover the nethicite's mystery."
"Indeed." This was Rattly Voice. "We will put history's reins into man's hand. A new Dynast King, a new power to forge our new world."
"Yes, yes!" Dr. Cid's voice grew excited. "Everything is coming together quite nicely! And the front, Vayne? How do things go in Archadia's conquest of Dalmasca?"
"They will make the first attack by tomorrow," Mystery Man, or Vayne, apparently, replied. "Then onto Nalbina fortress and through to the capital, Rabanastre. Hopefully they will surrender before then."
"All very good," Dr. Cid said.
"I must take my leave now," Vayne said. "I've matters to attend to in my own realm of our plans."
"Ah, yes," Dr. Cid said. "Until next time."
"Good luck to you, Vayne," Rattly Voice said.
Footsteps approached the door, and Reina felt a rush of panic. She quickly started off towards the labs, trying to move both quickly and silently while seeming normal. She heard the door behind her open but didn't dare look back. It swung closed, and footsteps went in the opposite direction from her. Reina kept moving, and only when she rounded the corner did she stop to take a long sigh of relief. She let her adrenaline go down for a moment before thinking over what she'd just heard. Who were those people Dr. Cid was talking to? And what did they mean? History in man's hands? A new Dynast King and a new world? These words meant nothing to Reina, but she was certain they had meaning. And they were talking about the war, and the nethicite that had destroyed Nabudis. She didn't know what was going on, but Reina could tell it wasn't good.
So what was she supposed to do? Reina couldn't think of an answer to that question. What would Ffamran do? That was easier to answer. He'd do something. So Reina would do something. She didn't know what, but it would be something. Should she tell Serah? No, Serah might do something about all this, but she certainly wouldn't let Reina help. She'd take matters into her own hands and try to keep Reina safe from all harm.
So Reina decided there and then, panting for breath in the hallway at Draklor, that she would do something. Somehow, she'd unearth this conspiracy, all on her own, when she didn't even have a plan. So it was a big somehow, but she would do it. Somehow.

…

That night, as they headed for home from Draklor, Reina told Serah she'd left something behind and had to go back for it. Serah made no inquiry about the item, only telling Reina to hurry. And just like that, Reina began her nighttime expedition to uncover the truth. Her rather hasty plan was to go down to the archives in Draklor's basement, where detailed information on every experiment and specimen was kept, and find the file on the nethicite. Dr. Cid had mentioned the nethicite while talking about his "plans," so perhaps that could shed some light on the puzzle. She knew better than to hope it would explain the mysterious man Vayne or that rattly-voice person, but it was a start.
Draklor's front doors were guarded at night, but Reina knew the code to get through the back doors. She quickly typed it into the security keypad, excitement and fear running through her. This was probably the most thrilling and the most dangerous thing Reina had ever done. She had no idea what to do if she got caught, but hopefully that wouldn't be an issue.
Once inside, Reina found herself sneaking through dark, moonlit hallways like some thief. She had to hide from several guards, but luckily, none saw her. Reina managed to make it to the elevator and took it down a level to Draklor's basement. It was nearly pitch black down there, with no lights and no windows. After stumbling through dark hallways for a bit, Reina came to a large room with walls lined with folders and papers. A single lamp was lit in the corner, covering the whole room in a dim yellow glow. It was eerie, all alone in the utter silence and scarce light. But Reina couldn't let that scare her. If she got scared just wandering around the laboratory at night, how was she supposed to go through the dangers of figuring out Dr. Cid's plot?
Reina began to flip through folders, looking for information from four years ago, when the nethicite was found. After about half an hour, she finally found the records for that expedition. That trip was to the Jagd Difor. Jagds were areas swamped in myst, so dense that it overloaded airship engines, making it impossible for them to fly. There were three jagds over the face of Ivalice, each with their own names. Difor was the largest, lying far to the south of Archadia, beyond Dalmasca. That an expedition from Draklor had even made it there was astonishing, much less that they had brought back such a valuable specimen. The report was frustratingly vague, saying only that the nethicite was found in the Jagd Difor region, that it was thought to be a subclass of magicite, and that it possessed strange and prevalent powers. Oddly, the file hadn't been updated since that time four years ago.
"Mm, I know. It is a conundrum."
Reina's heart skipped a beat as she heard Dr. Cid's voice. A light was coming from the hallway she'd come down, and footsteps were approaching. Reina shoved the files back into their place in a panic and dived behind a tall crate containing who-knows-what. It wobbled a bit, threatening to fall over, but Reina managed to steady it. As Dr. Cid approached, the strange light grew brighter until it dimly adorned the walls of the small file room, drowning out the eerie yellow with a soft, mysterious white. What was making the light, Reina could only guess. With her back pressed against the crate, she couldn't see Dr. Cid or whatever strange thing was glowing.
"This could prove detrimental to our plans," an odd, rattly voice answered Dr. Cid. It was the same rattly voice Reina had heard in the Dr. Cid's office the day before. But she was sure she'd heard only one set of footsteps. Where was this other person?
Reina readjusted her position, leaning her head around the edge of the crate so she could gaze out at Dr. Cid and his mysterious companion. She barely stifled a gasp at what she saw.
Dr. Cid was holding the nethicite, and that was what cast the strange glow over the walls. The stone glowed with a cold white light, and the air around it rippled. But that wasn't what surprised her the most. Over the nethicite and facing Dr. Cid was a ghostly creature, pale grey, its figure wavering like smoke. Its face was nothing but blackness, two piercing yellow eyes staring out of the shadowy depths.
"Oh, fear not, Venat," Dr. Cid said, making habitual gestures with his hands. "I'm sure he'll be fine. I know him, remember. The only problem is a slight delay."
"Yes," the creature, Venat, said. "Time's tides will not wash us away as we wait."
"But do we really need this?" Dr. Cid asked. "Surely, once we've made proper study, the nethicite's power will be enough?"
"You humans know so little of power," Venat said. "The nethicite wealds great power, but if we wish to challenge my brethren, the Occuria of Giruvegan, we will need more, for they, too, weald nethicite, and greater things beside. The power they do not possess, an ancient power lost in history's ebbing flow: this is our key to victory. However, against humans such as yourself, the nethicite will indeed serve us well."
"Then we do not need… this other power. Not at moment, I mean," Cid said, suddenly sounding uncertain.
"Cid," Venat said, "are you having second thoughts about our agreement? You wish to see history in the hands of man, do you not?"
"Venat! I am offended," Dr. Cid said. "I should think you would trust me after so long. We are friends! Allies! I will pay any price to see our future into reality."
"Wait, Cid," Venat said. "I sense… a presence. I believe we are being watched."
"Ah…" Dr. Cid looked away from the ghostly Venat and scanned the room. Reina pulled her head sharply behind the crate again. Her heart was pounding so hard she feared they would hear it.
"Who's there?" Dr. Cid called out. "I know you're here, so spare us both a lot of trouble and come out!"
Reina closed her eyes, breathing hard as she struggled to form a plan. How could she get out without being seen? She heard footsteps as Dr. Cid came closer to the crate. Of course he'd look there; it was the most obvious hiding place in the room. Reina shifted, watching Cid's shadow move along the wall in the nethicite's glow. He was almost there…
With no real plan, Reina shoved the crate in Dr. Cid's direction. It would be obvious that someone had been there, but perhaps she could get away without them seeing her face. The tall crate wobbled a moment, then fell on top of Dr. Cid with a crash. He let out a cry and dropped to the ground, covered in paper and broken wood. The ghostly creature still floated in the air, glowing with darkness rather than light. Reina wasted not a moment, streaking down the corridor and leaping into the elevator. She hurriedly slammed the button to bring her up to the first floor, hoping that Dr. Cid hadn't followed her, that he wouldn't call the guards, that the guards hadn't already heard the commotion in the basement…
When the elevator stopped at the first floor, Reina dashed out of it, barely remembering to be stealthy. The back door wasn't too far away, and somehow, she managed to make it out into Archades' cool night air without being caught.

…

Reina stumbled back through her own front door, shaking all over. That had been too close. Her heart was thumping wildly and her mouth was dry, her legs were shaking so much she didn't think she could stand for much longer. Reina just wasn't made for scares like that.
Reina stumbled over to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face, hoping that would help her calm down. She needed to get some sleep that night; she had to go back to work tomorrow, after all.
Reina's thoughts were all in a jumble. She'd heard a lot, but little of it made sense. Venat? Occuria? Giruvegan? At first, Reina thought these words meant nothing to her, but as she'd made her way home, they stirred recognition in her mind. After much pondering, Reina finally remembered; her parents had once told her old legends about powerful spirit creatures called Occuria, how they governed Ivalice in ancient times from a city called Giruvegan. But couldn't be what Dr. Cid was talking about, could it? And that Venat thing had called the Occuria its "brethren." What did that mean? That creature was an Occuria, too? Was there some credibility to those ancient tales?
"Hey, sis. You okay?"
Reina jumped at the sound of Serah's voice. Her sister was sitting in one of the chairs at the table, still in her Draklor uniform.
"O-Oh! Serah!" Reina managed to stammer out. "I-I'm fine. What are you still doing up?"
"You think I'd go to bed before you were safely home?" Serah asked. Reina should have guessed that; Serah was always fretting over her little sister.
"What happened to you, anyway?" Serah asked. Her eyes glinted seriously in the moonlight.
"Oh, I… I almost fell. Over the railing, I mean," Reina lied, pointing out the window at the guardrail that bordered the street. It was a long drop to the lower level of Archades.
"Uh-hu," Serah said, not sounding like she believed her. "You're a terrible liar, you know."
Reina wasn't sure what to say after that. She was too tired and too worn out by her almost-capture to argue with Serah.
"You get to bed." Serah nodded sharply towards Reina's bedroom. "We've got work tomorrow, after all. We'll talk about this in the morning, okay?"
Reina nodded weakly, simply relieved she'd be able to lie down. She hurried into her room, leaving Serah out there, and collapsed into her bed. That had been too close. She'd have to be more careful next time.