18/07/22: As I hinted at last time, this chapter will start messing around with the lore a little more. When I first developed this story, I had forgotten a kind of crucial detail from the final chapter of XC2: the fact that that the games' endings are supposed to take place at the same time. Unfortunately, too much of the plot here hinges on this detail not existing. You will have to really squint to match Klaus' monologue in chapter 10 with what will happen in the coming chapters. Meaning that, if you are deeply attached to the XC2 lore, this might not be the story for you. So, without further ado...
Time passed. Shulk directed the Havre on instinct through the vast ocean landscape; they had long crossed the borders of any known map. Nothing told him that he was closing in on his goal, wherever this goal might lie, except a vague feeling. A particular gust or a faint smell in the salt-laden air reached him now and then, and the tugging in his chest grew stronger. Shulk's hand travelled across the Havre's control panels to adjust course.
For long stretches of time, the view consisted of nothing but the tireless waves. Nene overcame her uneasiness towards flying until the customary humming of the engine bored her. To pass the time, she watched Shulk control the ship until that bored her too. Dunban said nothing for hours to balance out her chattiness.
The waves roared below, and nothing of interest happened.
Then, often when the Havre's ether supply units reached a concerning low point, a landmass rose out of the monotony, and a tickle of excitement overcame the three of them.
They visited many islands on their way. Some mirrored the isle of ether spirals where they had first landed. Strange sights awaited them without fail. Once Shulk parked the Havre on an island in the shape of a perfect circle, and in the middle of it bubbled a lake of poisonous water. Afterwards they set foot on something that seemed entirely made out of seaweed. The green carpet bobbed on the waves, and although Shulk never trusted the treacherous ground, the seaweed held the Havre with ease. When they tried to cook the plant, its taste imitated watery kiwis.
Stranger than the islands were the creatures that inhabited them. Gold-and-blue striped bugs that climbed on one another to build towers. Butterflies that stirred as soon as the Havre upset the air currents and left a leafless tree where they had sat. A moment later, the wind tore through their wings, and the butterflies vanished as though they had never existed. Nene caught monkeys smaller than Shulk's fingernail and salamanders that shed their scales to assume a different colour each hour.
Every island was its own experiment, an idea half-realised and then dropped and forgotten amidst the ocean. And although the logic behind these experiments escaped Shulk, he found no shortage of wonder in the oddity of it all.
Whenever the Havre recharged, he spared a moment to fill the empty pages of the Collectopaedia. For whom he drew his sketches or who could benefit from the notes written on the peculiar sights he came across he didn't know. Maybe Melia would like to see them, assuming he made it back to Alcamoth.
But Shulk's mind rarely reached farther then that metal bridge in the future. Everything, every thread and every vision and course correction seemed to end there. And afterwards… no one knew.
Dunban trained with Shulk as promised. On dusty plains, on roots overgrown with more roots, and on rocks slippery from foam, they crossed swords.
Dunban maintained the upper hand nine out of ten times. Shulk often reacted too slowly, or something in his periphery irritated him, and before he knew it, Dunban held a katana to his throat. Phrases like "amateurish" or "timing is everything" or "I thought I taught you better" passed his lips so often that Nene could predict his quotes without fail.
But little by little, Shulk was improving. He teamed up with Nene to tackle Dunban. He refined his techniques. Each time, the Monado grew a little lighter in his hands, and before long, the weapon had become the extension of his arm as during his first journey. Sharpened like this, he could change the future, right?
This thought warmed him from the inside while the sun warmed his bare arms and the rockface of the island all around. The sky promised ideal flight conditions for later; minimal wind, little to no noise from the nearby waves splashing against the island. With an absentminded smile, Shulk rewired the circuit board in his lap.
"What Mister Shulk doing?"
Nene, after having finally freed herself from the dancing fur crabs that inhabited this island, bounced across the furrowed rockface over to Shulk to inspect his newest project.
He held the polished, pen-sized cylinder up to her. "When this is ready," he said, "it should function as a data crystal. Remember the circuit boards I found on the Fallen Arm when we were searching for blue light amps? Combining them with one of the ether crystals I got from the last island, plus a few additional parts, and this should be able to store a limited amount of data."
Nene tapped the unfinished mess of cables and solid ether. "And what will crystal do when ready?"
"I want to connect it to the Havre's internal memory board. When I combine the energy drainage curves and the course corrections, I should be able to recreate our flight route."
Nene angled her wings and glared at Shulk. "In fewer tech-boy words?"
"Right, sorry." Shulk stroked his chin. "The data crystal will more or less work like a map with all the islands we stopped on included. I almost missed the Fallen Arm at the beginning of my flight because I underestimated the problem that comes without a navigation system. I don't want to make the same mistake again."
"Then crystal will make journey back a stroll in parc."
"Assuming it works…"
"I appreciate the thought of a potential return to Alcamoth. Even if that was likely not your primary concern." Dunban abandoned his outlook on one of the cliffs jutting into the ocean and marched over to them. "But in this case, your energy might be better spent with a training session. This is no time to be complacent. Unsharpened skills will mean death in unknown territory. The same goes for you, Nene."
"Nene is at top of game. No need for training to beat Mister Dundun."
"Is that so?" A smile flashed on Dunban's face. "A rather bold statement."
"Then Mister Dundun accept challenge?"
Shulk squirmed and rubbed the blue marks he had collected during his last training with Dunban. "Careful, Nene, he's merciless."
"So is Nene. Heard everything about Mister Dundun's fighting style from dadapon." She drew her club, ready to jump.
"Finally a challenge," Dunban said and raised his katana.
Shulk hurried to bring his tools and spare parts out of reach of their battle. "Just be careful about the cliffs. The ground is slippery."
"Any terrain can become an advantage if used correctly."
"Nene has better ace up her wing." With a glance at Shulk, she grinned. "But Nene make sure not to hit too hard out of respect for Mister Dundun's age."
Dunban shifted his body sideways and bobbed on his heels to create a smaller target. "Ha! Such youthful arrogance needs a lesson that will stick."
Shulk picked the Monado replica from its place next to him and headed for the sideline. The rocky ground with its array of bumps and crevices was all theirs. Dunban and Nene shifted, tested the ground, tensed for the jump. No second later, they clashed.
Club and katana whirred through the air, almost faster than the eye could follow. Dunban hadn't lost a sliver of his sword skill over the years, if anything, he had held back during his last training duels with Shulk. Excellent footwork carried him across the uneven terrain, a sidestep here, a turn there, and his katana slit the air only centimetres away from Nene's fur.
But she was every bit as fast. She hopped this way and that, swung at Dunban's knees while her pigtails danced, and never missed a chance to tackle him. He danced through the barrage without a bead of sweat on his forehead. Half a step later, and she was there to strike again.
Shulk watched their back and forth from the side. It was mesmerizing. Without any visions, they reacted to the turn of the other's wrist and a twitch of their muscles. Moves and countermoves happened on autopilot. They didn't see the future, they anticipated it.
All this clarity, right there in every step they took on the battlefield. The Monado pressed into Shulk's palm, the leather tingled his fingertips, but still the sword remained so utterly silent while Dunban and Nene continued their performance. How could they have never known the future and yet see so much more?
They neared the cliff. Foam splashed onto the rock, but Dunban allowed Nene to push him further back, where the water added a polished glow to the stone. Before long, Dunban would run out of space to evade.
A grin sparked on Nene's face, and she pounced.
Right into Dunban's trap.
The next wave crashed into the cliff. Water sprayed right where Nene intended to land, and she slipped. She fluttered to regain balance, but too late, the club dropped from the grasp of her wing and slid out of reach. Unarmed and small, she stood in Dunban's shadow.
Shulk reacted on pure instinct. The Monado glowed and sprang to life. He was too far away to jump in front of Nene and change the outcome of the duel, but he didn't have to.
A yell gained Nene's attention, and after two steps, he tossed the Monado to her.
She caught it mid-air.
The ether blade pulsated in a bright blue, Shulk felt its might from where he stood as though linked to it by an invisible thread. A wide grin formed on Nene's face. And before Dunban realized the victory slipping from his grasp, she slammed the Monado's blunt metal side against his shin.
He swayed, only for a moment, but that was enough time for Nene to jump at his chest and claw a wing into his tunic. They both fell from the rock and into the puddle half a metre below.
A jolt went through Shulk, and the abandoned Monado deactivated itself. Without wasting another look at the weapon, he rushed to the cliff, worried that Nene or Dunban had hurt each other after all.
Dunban lay on his back in the puddle, his cape soaked with foam. Nene towered on his chest and dug her wings into his sides. And Dunban was laughing.
He was actually, wholeheartedly laughing.
Nene stopped her tickle attack on Dunban. Panting, she said, "Nene… wins."
Dunban gasped for air. "Only through the use of the filthiest tactics."
"Nene just using technique to counter Mister Dundun's grumpiness. It fair win."
"We'll let the judge decide that." Dunban looked up to Shulk and frowned. "Although it seems to me the judge isn't as partial as he should be. For how long have you been planning this stunt?"
"It's not like that…" Shulk said, but Nene interrupted.
"Mister Shulk can join team of Nene more often! Will make goal to crack shell of Mister Dundun much more easy."
"You don't say." Dunban climbed to his feet, and when he brushed a dancing fur crab from his cape, the seriousness returned to him. "Of course, this was needlessly reckless. The battlefield is no place for games, and tossing around weapons is only going to get one of you killed. Shulk, in a real fight, you would have left yourself defenceless."
"I was just trying to help."
"You were being short-sighted. Do me a favour and keep the Monado to yourself next time." Dunban sheathed his katana with a chink. "Has the Havre recharged? We have wasted too much time on this island already. The sooner we reach an end to this journey, the sooner I can drag you back to Alcamoth."
Shulk fiddled with the hem of his shirt. The words needed a moment to fight their way out of his mouth. "Can't we train too?"
"Another time."
With that, Dunban climbed onto the shallow cliff and marched towards the Havre, master of his emotions. Nene bounced after him and did her best to avoid the crab claws snapping for her fur.
When she reached Shulk's side, she pointed at the abandoned Monado on the cliff. "Nene owe thanks again to Mister Shulk. Blue glowy-sword pack big punch! Nene not have snatched victory and hear Mister Dundun laugh for first time since start of journey without."
Shulk picked up the Monado. The sword seemed to have gained weighed since he had tossed it to Nene, and with a helpless look in Dunban's direction, he reattached the Monado to his back.
"I shouldn't have intervened," he said. "Dunban is right, I could have hurt one of you."
"Was dangerous technique, Nene admits. But was fun too! Some plans and some machine project of Mister Shulk not work out. But they still worth the try, not so?"
Shulk threw a look at the forgotten mess of data crystal parts scattered on the rock. "I… never thought about it that way."
"That why Nene give best life advice." She grinned. "Now hurry before Mister Dundun repay duel loss with more grumpy lecture."
Nene hopped towards the Havre, and Shulk hurried to follow.
He thought about her words. He still tossed them in his head when he completed the data crystal, when he slid it into the Havre's control panel, and when the island with the dancing fur crabs had disappeared behind the wave crests. Even as time passed and new islands offered them refuge and a new wonderous sight to behold, these words snuck to the forefront of his conscious from time to time. And if he arrived at the metal bridge and if it exploded in a shower of sparks despite his efforts, would it have been worth the try too?
The future did not wait.
And at the moment Shulk least expected it, a landmass towered on the horizon that would alter the course of his journey forever. Because this particular island differed from the other swimming rocks he had visited before. This one was inhabited.
"Meh-meh?" Nene leaned over the Havre's railing. With one wing wrapped around Shulk's arm and the other raised to shield her eyes against the sun, she stared at the horizon. "Mister Shulk! Look!"
After a glance at the system report on the screen, Shulk nodded. "And in due time too. Without the spare ether cylinders we mined on the last island, I doubt the engine would have carried us far enough."
"Island is bigger than last one. Maybe has trees with fruit this time. Or even little bites of sweet wasabi!"
"I hope so. Our provisions won't last us much longer."
Nene glared at the bag squeezed into the footwell. "If Nene has to eat seaweed potato one more time, Nene will throw entire bag overboard and swim back to Fallen Arm."
"I can't say I will miss the taste either," Shulk admitted. He rummaged through the pockets of his jacket until he produced a protein bar from the depths. The last one he had taken with him from Alcamoth. "Do you want one?"
Nene eyed the silver wrapping with a timely grumble of her stomach. But she shook her head. "Maybe later. Island more interesting now."
Dunban rose from his seat at the rear and followed Nene's line of sight to where the island captured more and more of the horizon. "It's too early to celebrate," he said. "Stay alert. Something about that place seems wrong to me."
Shulk reduced the Havre's speed, but the view provided him with nothing to justify Dunban's warning. The sea was as easy-going as before, and the island's white cliffs offered a long-awaited change from the flat ocean all around. The Havre would benefit from the recharge, and Shulk looked forward to step outside the vessel's confines and stretch his limbs. They would have an opportunity to resume training too; the Havre hardly met the space requirements of a fencing lesson.
As such, Shulk mimicked Nene and leaned forward to admire the island's shape as it drew closer and closer. The cliffs rose from the ocean in the most fantastical formations, in the shapes of spires and towers and temples. A blue light came from the tallest mountain, a beacon almost that urged Shulk forward.
The island drew closer still. And when Shulk squinted against the light reflected on the wave crests, and when he could make out finer details on the island, his breath stumbled.
What he had perceived to be cliffs were buildings. Handcrafted spires and towers and temples, all made from the same white limestone. An entire skyline shone in front of the Havre, a city that stretched to the very edges of the island. No, the island itself was a city. The product of marvellous masonry stared Shulk in the face, and yet he struggled to believe his eyes. Decorations in gold and blue embellished the colonnades, and indigo banners waved in the breeze. And to crown the cityscape, not a mountain but rather a lighthouse pierced the sky. The ether source required to fuel such a beacon exceeded Shulk's imagination; even High Entia technology paled in comparison. The world he had wished for was hardly fourteen years old and yet here it had built a monument for the ages.
Not since Agniritha had he seen a man-made creation of this magnitude.
And that the city was man-made stood out of question. Each building had a purpose in this ginormous limestone machine, and each arch followed a consistent design philosophy.
Amidst this masterwork bustled humanoid shapes. They climbed the wide stairs, they gathered on elevated plazas, or they strolled along the walkways at sea level.
People.
The people from beyond the horizon. They existed, like Fiora had believed, they existed, and Shulk had found them.
He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry.
"Nene feel need to check eyesight." She tugged at Shulk's sleeve. "Mister Shulk please pinch wing so Nene knows it not just big, cloudy dream."
"I admit, this is unexpected," Dunban said. "Although I hate to ruin the moment, this is all the more reason to keep our guards up. Be prepared for anything. We don't know what opinion they have on outsiders."
"Mister Dundun is hopeless pessimist. Will not trust anyone even if island is sight for sore eyes."
"I'm just being cautious. And I advise you two to do the same. These people have likely never seen a Nopon before. Not to mention that they will practice different customs from us. And if these customs involve serving anyone who lands on their islands as dinner, I would rather keep one hand on my katana."
"Like Nene said: hopeless pessimist."
"Well, the ether supply units leave us little choice," Shulk said. "Whatever customs these people have regarding travellers, we are about to find out."
As the Havre sped towards the shore, the first shouts rang across the city. Shulk had not heard the voices from people outside his party of three in such a long time that he almost grabbed for the wrong lever to initiate the descend towards a half-circle of marble tiles that protruded out into the ocean.
The people dashed out of the way, but curiosity held them at the edges of the platform. With a gentle thud, the Havre landed, and Shulk strangled the manoeuvre jets. The engine fell silent. Apart from the murmur of the crowd, only the waves could be heard as they crashed against the platform in their attempt to swallow it.
Uncounted eyes observed Shulk's every move, and the initial joy over having found other intelligent inhabitants of this world gave way to a chill down his spine, as if all these individuals breathed down his neck at once. In height and statue, and even in the contours of their faces, they resembled Homs. They behaved in similar fashion too; some tilted their heads as they studied the newcomers, others clung to relatives or whispered to one another. Apart from a sharpness in the form of their ears, Shulk only noticed one other factor of interest: the pale blue of their skin. Almost like a tribute to the cloudless sky above.
Fascinating. What kind of technological paths might this civilisation tread on? The lighthouse above the city resembled ether technology used by the High Entia, but the city itself presented a more traditional architecture. So maybe machinery had not gained an omnipresent status yet. Then again, the spectators had not succumbed to utter panic at the sight of a flying vessel… most fascinating.
Shulk had too many questions and by no means enough confidence to ask a single one of them, so he turned to Dunban for help. To little effect.
No one said a word. Both parties observed one another.
Until Nene hopped out of the Havre. "Can sky-blue island people talk?" she asked "Silent staring not really sign of good manners, Nene thinks."
For a moment, the crowd didn't respond, and Nene's question hung above the platform like a tangible counterweight to their silence. Then, a figure stepped forward. The people around them lowered their heads and cleared a path for the brave individual in their midst. Their long white robes resembled traditional High Entia clothing, and they carried themselves with a similar air of majesty.
"You must excuse our behaviour," the figure said. Both in looks and the tone of their voice, they appeared to be male. "Your coming surprised us. We do not often have the chance to welcome travellers from outside."
Dunban, who had climbed out of the Havre, took up position next to Nene. The tension of his shoulders and the steadiness of his stance betrayed that he prepared for a fight. "Not often," he repeated, "but you have seen other Homs before, isn't that right?"
"Homs?" The islander tapped his chin. "Is that the name of your people? Curious… But to answer your question, we did welcome a man who resembled you a few years prior. He called himself a seer." During the last words, the islander threw an unreadable glance in Shulk's direction.
Shulk perked up. Could it be? Could the man speak of Alvis? Then the visions… they had led him here for a reason. They weren't mere fabrications of his broken mind, they had a purpose, to guide him to answers, to fix this world, change the future as he had done before. Shulk could barely breathe. Finally, a chance to silence his regrets.
He needed all his efforts to not stumble over his tongue. "The seer—"
But Dunban interrupted. "As impressive as your island is, you can rest assured that we won't abuse your hospitality for long. If we could acquire provisions to continue our journey, that would already be enough."
"Ah… provisions." The strangest expression invaded the islander's face.
Shulk grabbed Dunban's arm. He couldn't let this chance slip by, the chance to find answers, to fix everything. "Haven't you heard what he said about the seer?"
The islander raised a hand. "Please, if your journey is of such importance, we won't deter you," he said. "But we would be glad to keep you for a short while. We know very little of this world beyond our island, and we are most eager to learn. I believe we can both benefit from a partnership."
Dunban huffed. "I have my doubts."
"Please ignore Mister Dundun. Mister Dundun sick with hopeless case of pessimism. Nene for one is pleased to meet sky-blue island people." She extended a wing forward, and the islander shook it with a smile. But not before he flashed another glance in Shulk's direction.
"The pleasure is all mine," he said. "Be so kind as to call me Thanorlis. And if I may ask, where do you come from? I reckon you have travelled far to reach us."
"Is true! Journey very long and sometimes very boring. But Nene like seeing new places. Island here is nothing like Colony 9 or Bionis' Shoulder."
A shimmer entered Thanorlis eyes. But Shulk struggled to read the faces of even his closest friends, so he wasn't certain whether or not he had imagined the change.
"How exciting," Thanorlis said. "And these places are islands like this one? Or are they perhaps even bigger?"
"Colony 9 not that big. Is tiny spot in ocean compared to sky-blue people city. Bionis' Shoulder more interesting to talk about. Might even impress friends from city as super-duper large as this. Shoulder is first and only rock Nene has seen that fly."
"It is thanks to a combination of hover stone and an imbalance in ether concentration that the Shoulder is able to levitate," Shulk added. "You have found practical uses for ether too, right?"
"What? Oh yes, yes, we know of the usefulness of ether." Thanorlis shook his head. "You must excuse me, but a land that levitates in the air sounds too good to be true. And the ocean has no hopes of reaching it? Curious… most curious."
"Yes, all this must be very interesting to you," Dunban snapped. "But if you will excuse us, we are in a hurry to buy provisions."
"I don't understand what you're trying to accomplish. This isn't like you, Dunban" Shulk said. "All this time we didn't know whether we shared this new world with other people, and now that we found them, you go out of your way to insult them. In this island might lie the key to the future. This is exactly what we were searching for."
"Maybe it is what you were searching for. I am still searching for a way to get you to turn back to Alcamoth." Dunban's voice reeked of dry sarcasm. "Either way, your curiosity is certainly annoying these people."
Thanorlis tilted his head as he smiled. "Oh, I do not mind a little curiosity. In honesty, I am beginning to think your coming is no mere arbitrariness of fate. You could be of far greater help to us than you realise. If I may be so bold as to ask a favour from guests, that is. But come, those are not the right conversations to hold at such an unseemly place. Would you be so kind as to follow me to the sanctum?"
Dunban opened his mouth to decline the offer, but Shulk jumped in before he could inconvenience the islander further. "We accept the invitation," he said. "I have so many questions I would like to ask you. About your usage of ether and the seer and also—"
Thanorlis smiled. "All in due time. Please, come along."
He gestured towards a set of wide marble stairs that climbed the cityscape. Nene followed on his heels and answered the stares from the crowd with a wave of her wings. Under her breath she muttered something about how jealous Kino would be if she told him about the sky-blue island people. Dunban marched behind, although rather out of an obligation to keep an eye on Nene than actual excitement.
Shulk threw a look back at the Havre. The vessel technically didn't need supervision, and the people on the platform regarded the strange machine that had invaded their pavement with no more than an occasional curious glance.
Either way, the thrill of discovery pulled Shulk in the other direction. These people stemmed from neither Bionis nor Mechonis, and furthermore, they were accustomed to a world with a lower ether concentration. How had they adapted? How did this factor alter their technological progress? And did this island culture perhaps know a way to save the Bionis' Shoulder from certain doom?
Shulk picked up pace, taking two steps at once. The hope of something waiting beyond the horizon had become reality. What might Fiora have said if she had climbed the stairs next to him? Would she have spun in a circle and marvel at the towers and colonnades?
For a moment, it was easy to imagine the warmth of her hand in his.
Then Shulk passed under a massive archway and could do nothing more than awe in stunned silence.
The city seemed to know no end. Wherever the eye travelled, another marble plaza waited, another flight of stairs led to higher terraces, or another tower reached for the clouds. They passed inner courtyards with grass rotundas and chapels with massive circular decorations in their windows. Trees stretched their branches within the glass ornaments, wide enough to hold the world. Shulk had never thought a settlement existed that could make Alcamoth look small. Until now.
Market stalls as far as the eye could see displayed lavish carpets, gowns of a fabric so thin the sun shone through them, and vases with decorations that captured the entire history of the world. Dunban trudged in vain through the crowd in search for a merchant selling provisions, but then a new plaza sprawled before them, a new three-layered fountain sprayed salt water into their faces, and a new marvellous sight replaced the last one. And at the centre of it all, at the peak of the city and the island as a whole, sat enthroned the sanctum Thanorlis had mentioned.
Shulk almost stumbled as he craned his neck in an attempt to capture the whole of this monument in a single look. Three hundred meters above, the lighthouse emitted its consistent blue beacon, but the sanctum itself equalled the tower's splendour in every way, from the ornate gold decorations to the pillars of which each and every one was its own work of art. Like two gigantic limestone arms, the wings of the sanctum enwrapped the plaza where they stood.
Shulk couldn't stop staring, and even Dunban forgot his reservations and admired the architecture.
"Nene have to ask Mister Shulk again to pinch arm. Tower is bigger than Frontier Village Tree! Didn't think places like this could exist."
Thanorlis stepped forward, and with a smile he spread his arms to encompass the plaza, the sanctum, and the island as a whole. "Welcome to the Indoline Praetorium."