Shulk would have preferred to bring more space between him and the busy beacon of the lighthouse; close the doors, shut the blinds, and forget. But he lacked the nerves to face Dunban in their quarter. What if he was still mad? Shulk would have no words to defend either himself or his decision to help the Indoline.

So he wandered through the halls and yards of the sanctum without aim or purpose. His feet decided the direction for him. Bit by bit, the soft warmth of the afternoon floating down the colonnades calmed his heartbeat. The same cursed words and the world they had birthed remained behind with his footprints on the perfectly cut lawn. After an hour or two – he could not tell the time — he wound up in front of the massive mural.

Shulk lost himself in the spots and lines of the giant construction at its centre, he dove headfirst into the omnipresent blue and yet could not derive any more meaning from the image than before. So, he stared. Wanting. Longing without knowing why.

Alvis – was this the future he intended?

Why would he not answer?

A tall construction, metal and light, connects the sky and the sea. One step closer to the Divine. And at the very top stand a boy and a girl while the metal bridge between them explodes into a thousand shards.

Shulk recoiled, his hand slipped from the mural, scraping crumbs of paint.

A vision. Before, Alvis had only reached out to him in his sleep, but this time, Shulk hadn't even closed his eyes to see the boy and the girl. The future had overtaken reality, had become more tangible than the mural under his fingertips. His breath tasted the vastness of the abyss, his ears rung with the bending and breaking of metal, he felt the distance between these two people, so large and so impossible to cross. The reason was clear. This tall construction in the painting was the place of his visions. The place where Shulk would change the future once again.

He stared at the mural, shaking. One step closer, Alvis had guided him one step closer to the end, where Shulk would not only prevent the boy and the girl from separating but also save the Bionis' Shoulder and all the people of this world as he had done before. The Monado pressed against his spine. He was so close. All he needed to do was reach the tall construction.

Fabric rustled nearby, and Shulk jolted out of the future.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Thanorlis stepped forward.

Where had he come from all of a sudden? Shulk, embarrassed over having been sneaked up on a second time, examined Thanorlis out of the corner of his eyes. At second glance, the tall Indoline held himself with a regal venerability that revealed his identity as Praetor. In a sense, the way he commanded a room resembled Melia. But at the same time, they were nothing alike. Thanorlis displayed confidence in every move, but he did so without the rigidity of clockwork, as if he could cast out formalities at the switch of a lever. Hidden currents swirled behind his brows, and yet he approached Shulk with an open smile.

Shulk couldn't figure him out.

It was almost as maddening as the mural.

"What is that place?" Shulk asked and ran his hand along the hills and valleys the paint had created on the wall.

"You don't know?" Thanorlis tapped his chin. "Strange. The seer showed this place to me and some others. I thought you could perhaps explain what his intentions were."

"This seer… how was he?" Shulk asked.

"I thought we agreed to postpone this conversation until after your battle with the Fogbeast."

"Right. Sorry."

Thanorlis slid a hand into a pocket of his robe. His wrist tensed, turning a hidden item perhaps, and a furrow emerged between his brows. Then he forced his hand back and sighed.

"I suppose it makes no difference," he said. "Maybe this small favour can make up for all that I'm demanding from you. At least a little."

Thanorlis straightened. "To put it in one word, the seer was extraordinary. Difficult to understand at times." His gaze searched Shulk's face, taking in all the details. "You resemble him in more ways than one."

"And you don't know why he showed you this place?" Shulk gestured at the mural.

"I have come to believe this is where the Architect dwells. The image is otherworldly enough to make one think of a place where all our questions will find answers, isn't it?"

"And you never tried to go there? Fourteen years should be enough time to prepare the journey."

"Fourteen years? What makes you think that?"

"It's been almost fourteen years since we came to this world. If Alvis—"

Thanorlis shook his head. "The seer came to this island over one hundred years ago. He hasn't visited since."

Shulk fell silent. That didn't make sense. One hundred years ago, Alvis should have still been tied to the Bionis. How could he have communicated with the Indoline then? He had showed the tall construction to Thanorlis long before the visions returned to Shulk, long before he made his wish of a world with no gods even. Could Alvis have known about the boy and the girl for so long?

Shulk threw the mural a long look. There was so much he still didn't understand, the future twisted in front and soon around him, enwrapped him, and when he tried to see, he only met fog.

"What significance does this painting have to you, Shulk?" Thanorlis asked.

"I can't say for sure." Shulk was still contemplating the mystery around Alvis. "But I think it's as you said: this is where I will find answers."

"You have come a long way in search for some measly answers. And who would give them to you? Our prayers rarely provide us with answers. Often we don't even know if someone is listening." Thanorlis smiled. "Although, your arrival at the time of need does make one hope, doesn't it?"

"You don't think it's a coincidence that we found your island?"

"I don't believe in coincidence. I believe in opportunities and my ability to make the most of them. Say, Shulk, how do you intend to battle the Fogbeast? You mentioned an ether field, but how is it you can manipulate ether to such a degree?"

"Through a technique that uses the unique capabilities of the Monado." Shulk tapped the sword hilt strapped to his shoulder. "Or, actually it's more that I use this to imitate the real Monado. The way it manipulates ether is more limited, but with a few tweaks, it's powerful enough to fight enemies on the level of Fogbeasts."

"Remarkable. Can all Homs use ether to accomplish such marvels?"

"With the right tools and a sufficient understanding of ether, anyone should be able to tap into the flow. But a certain spirituality also helps. The way Melia uses ether is fundamentally different from mine."

"Melia… another friend of yours?"

Shulk nodded. His chest constricted as he thought of her.

"And all of you live on this floating piece of land?" Thanorlis asked. "Where the sea can never hope to swallow you? That must be an impressive sight to see."

"You could visit, if you want to. Colony 9 and Alcamoth too are home to all kinds of people: Homs, High Entia, Nopon, and even Machina. An Indoline should fit in just as well."

"Really? Even though you know nothing about Indoline and have stayed in our midst for less than a day, you are inviting me to your home?"

"Sure. Haven't you done the same?"

Thanorlis broke eye contact. A cloud captured his face, and he directed his next words more at the painting than at Shulk. "You are a remarkable man, Shulk. Where you come from, you must be a great leader. Capable of guiding your people out of every crisis, no matter how impossible the task may seem."

"I'm not a leader. Even if someone offered the role to me, I wouldn't know what to do with it."

"You are joking."

"It's true. I know so many people who fit the responsibility better. Melia and Dunban, they know how to inspire large groups and how to handle the expectations of them all. That's not for me. I could barely even convince Dunban to come with me on this journey."

"But can you choose to be a leader?" Thanorlis asked. "Isn't it rather that the will of the people choses you? Your friend did leave the decision of helping us to you."

"I'm not sure why he did that either."

"Isn't it obvious? Whatever he may say, he trusts your judgement. Some of us are chosen to take fate into their hands, and they will be the ones to shape the future. The call to action always finds them. It doesn't matter whether they search for it or not. Nor does it matter whether they want to carry this burden or not. I believe you may be one such chosen individual."

Shulk's fingers cramped. Chosen, yes. But by Zanza. By a monster.

"Won't you do everything in your power to ensure that your friends have a promising future?" Thanorlis asked when Shulk didn't respond. "That too is the quality of a leader, I believe."

"I don't want to decide the future for others. I… shouldn't."

How easy it would have been to fix this world if he had allowed Alvis to crown him as a god. How very easy. How wrong.

"Perhaps," Thanorlis said. "Perhaps not. But even if you want others to decide the future for themselves, you are willing to go through any lengths to make that wish a reality, isn't it so?"

Shulk said nothing. Make that wish a reality – that was what he and Melia had promised each other once on the Bionis' Shoulder. But since then, they had only staggered backwards, hit again and again by obstacles, as if the new world itself resisted them. Make that wish a reality. How could he even hope to do that when he was stumbling in the dark, clueless about the world and its future, clueless even as to what he was fighting against? All he had were images of two strangers and a tall construction, connecting sky and sea somewhere in this world.

"You do not seem to me like one who avoids the difficult path," Thanorlis continued. "After all, you have come this far already."

"But I still feel so small."

"In the face of the unknown and the god who created it, how else can we feel but small?"

"Face a god?" The Monado burned against Shulk's spine. "I could handle that. Or at least I had the strength to do that some time ago. Now… I'm no longer sure. It's like I'm only half the man I used to be."

Thanorlis' eyes wandered over the painting. "I understand you. Perhaps more than you realise. Every citizen of the Indoline Praetorium looks to me in times of crisis. They remember the golden days under my predecessor and expect me to offer them the same wealth, the same security, the same rosy future. Sometimes it is overwhelming."

"But you are always so confident!"

Thanorlis laughed. "On the outside, maybe. But I have my responsibilities. Would I like to stand face to face with the Architect one day? Certainly. But that is the small wish of a small man."

"You are more concerned about the other Indoline."

"Indeed. As their Praetor, first and foremost I must live for them. And I will stop at nothing to ensure a future for my people. No matter the sacrifices."

Years ago, Shulk had thought he only needed to fell a god to ensure a future for everyone. But the future had slipped out of his reach, never to be grasped again. The new visions from Alvis, the boy and the girl, maybe all this could be prevented if Shulk followed the guidance of the painting.

His gaze lost in the painted clouds around the tall construction, Shulk begged Alvis for advice. One word to confirm that the future where everyone walked forward hand in hand still existed, perhaps just a stone's throw farther than the horizon. But this time, Alvis gave no answer, and only Shulk's conscience whispered to him.

"It's probably not much," he said then, "but I would like to help you. I've already started working on the ether field of your lighthouse. It's not the most elegant design, but with the right parts, the additions should allow you to create your own ether fields. I just have to experiment a little longer. That way, if we can't permanently defeat the Fogbeasts, you will still have a way to defend yourself."

"You would do that?" Thanorlis asked. "Despite what I—"

"Sure," Shulk said before he could stop himself. "Uhm, what was it you wanted to say?"

"Ah, nothing of importance. You have my thanks and my respect. Truly. But I have detained you with the ramblings of a stiff politician for too long already. Return to your lodgings and replenish. For the sake of us all, it would be better if you were well rested tomorrow."

Shulk doubted he would find a lot of sleep. Not after he had found the next clue to where his visions were guiding him. But for the sake of politeness, he nodded and turned to leave. After three steps, he stopped himself.

"When all this is over, you should visit Colony 9," he said.

"I… will."

Shulk smiled. "I think Melia will make for a better discussion partner when it comes to politics and leadership compared to me. I'll see you tomorrow."

With a last wave, Shulk followed the tiled walkway alongside the patches of trimmed grass back to his lodgings. Thanorlis remained in the shadow of the massive painting, a small figure in front of a larger dream. His eyes drifted across the image. Shulk wondered what questions Thanorlis would ask if he ever reached that place. What would he wish for?

Then Shulk rounded a corner, and Thanorlis disappeared from view.

Back at the lodging, Shulk was surprised to see that Dunban had returned. He leaned next to the door and pressed the button for the locking mechanism as soon as Shulk had entered.

"Good, you're back," Dunban said and gestured towards the round table at the centre of the room. "We need to talk."

Shulk nodded and sat down in an unoccupied armchair.

Nene, who balanced on the tabletop like an estranged pink teapot, leaned over to him. "Mister Dundun almost run furrow into carpet by pacing so much. Was difficult to get beauty sleep that way." To emphasise her point, she yawned.

As if summoned by her words, Dunban resumed to pace along the length of the room. Since he made no move to initiate the conversation, Shulk used the opportunity to get something off his chest.

"You should apologise to Thanorlis," he said.

Dunban raised a hand before Shulk could elaborate. "I feared you might say that. But before we get back to this point, I should tell you what I discovered. We'll see if that changes your mind about him."

"Nene have doubts that super exiting discovery of Mister Dundun is more important than beauty sleep."

Dunban ignored Nene's comment and continued. "Something about this island has bothered me for a while now. And I don't just mean Thanorlis' lie about the Praetor and his obvious fascination for the Shoulder. It's the island itself. Didn't you notice that the city covers the entire island, down to the coast?"

"I was wondering about how they constructed all this too," Shulk said. "Without the help of ether-fuelled machines, they still managed to build towers that match or even surpass High Entia architecture."

"That isn't my point. Thanorlis said they have had no contact with other islands before, which means they don't trade. If the entire island is covered by a city, how do the Indoline sustain themselves?"

Nene flapped her wings. "Eating yummy fish?"

Shulk stroked his chin. Dunban's behaviour angered him, but he couldn't resist an interesting riddle. "That might not work so well if we assume Indoline have similar needs to Homs," he said. "A diet purely based on fish doesn't ensure healthy growth. In any case, they would struggle to catch enough fish for this many people. Colony 9 has the same problem; they need to reserve part of the surrounding hills for crop land."

"Which means Thanorlis is hiding something from us," Dunban said. "So I dug deeper. The public stairways go pretty far down. In fact, I'm sure I was walking below sea level at some point."

"But doesn't that just mean that they made the most use of the space available?"

"So it might seem. But when I went back to the platform where we first arrived, I noticed something in the water that confirmed my suspicions: There were ruins under the surface. Ruins that, I'm convinced, stood on dry ground not too long ago."

"Nene doesn't see point."

But Shulk was beginning to understand. "The island used to be bigger…"

"Exactly." Dunban slammed his palm on the tabletop. "I can all but guarantee that the Indoline cropland is rotting away underwater at the moment."

"Just like the Machina Village on the Fallen Arm was swallowed by the ocean," Shulk said. "If the water level rises in one place, it makes sense that it would do the same elsewhere. But then how are the Indoline acquiring enough to eat?"

"They don't. They are starving."

Shulk thought back to the gaunt children in the sanctum yard. The overjoyed expression of the girl after he gave her the protein bar now haunted him with a dry taste in his mouth he failed to swallow.

"Nene thinks that all the more reason to help sky-blue people with Fogbeast. If island friends have pain in tummy, Nene and friends can make sure they not have hurt in rest of body."

"I don't think the Fogbeast is Thanorlis' main concern," Dunban said. "If it even exists. Didn't you think it strange that Thanorlis delayed the battle for an entire day? You would think with an enraged Fogbeast running around, he would show a little more concern."

Shulk shifted closer to the edge of his seat. He was growing uneasy. "Thanorlis is concerned about the future of his people. He told me so. And I believe him."

"I have no doubts about his interest in the future of his people. But the destruction of a single Fogbeast isn't going to do much about the famine holding them hostage. The Indoline need land. They need the Bionis' Shoulder."

Shulk clenched his empty hands. No – no, he refused to believe. "Dunban, you are seeing enemies where there are none. The Indoline need our help, not our suspicions."

"Did you listen to even one thing I said? Thanorlis is manipulating you because he knows your good intentions make you gullible. And you don't even notice the danger."

"You are wrong about him."

"And since when are you a good judge of character?"

Shulk met Dunban's eyes. "I invited him to visit Colony 9. And I would do it again."

"Great, why don't you hand him the coordinates right away?" Dunban shouted. "That's exactly what he wants! You offer him a hand, and he will bite your entire arm off."

"Offering a hand to others is the least we can do. We rebuilt Colony 6 by offering a hand to people from all across Bionis, regardless of their past or their intentions. They worked together to build a better future. Have you forgotten all about that?"

"And have you forgotten how that story ended? Colony 6 doesn't exist anymore." Dunban snapped his fingers. "Gone, just like that. All because your wish happened not to include the Colony when it rewrote the universe. Now you want to hand the enemy the keys to Colony 9 and the Shoulder – because you still believe that offering them a hand will fix everything. Fine! Go ahead! It's your great adventure and your mystical vision power. But don't ask me to play along."

Dunban's words echoed across the room. They lingered and etched themselves into every corner, into every cushioned chair and every ornament on the wall. Shulk's hands trembled. He was losing Dunban once again. But instead of daring to reach out, he slumped in his chair. Defeated.

Thanorlis had been wrong about him. How could Shulk ever hope to be a leader when he lacked the words to make Dunban stay? How could he aspire to shape the future when he failed on such a fundamental level?

Maybe Alvis should have chosen someone else to bear the weight of his visions.

"Mister Dundun?" Nene hopped from the table and raised the look of her large brown eyes up to Dunban. "Even if strategy of Mister Shulk not the smartest, doesn't mean it not the right strategy. Nene still believe in holding out wing for friends. Will be holding out wing for Mister Dundun too."

"I don't need your pity," Dunban said.

Nene shook her head. "Offered wing not for pity. Is to help friend stand up when feeling down. Kino would remind that is heropon way. Mister Dundun lost very precious piece of himself. Makes it difficult to trust again. Loss hurt like hole in tummy that no amount of sweet wasabi can fill. Nene knows. That's why Nene will hold out wing for Mister Dundun. Just like Mister Shulk does for sky-blue people."

Dunban seemed to fight with himself. For a moment, he looked like he would accept Nene's outstretched wing and shake it. Then the grim lines around his mouth returned.

"You don't know how it feels," he said. "You didn't have to watch you sister die."

Shulk flinched. A physical punch from Dunban could not have hurt more. His words turned into shackles that chained Shulk to his chair. He barely managed to lift his head when Dunban marched towards the door of his room.

"Are you going to fight the Fogbeast with us?" Shulk asked despite dreading the answer.

Dunban stopped to look over his shoulder. "I will make sure you don't die. That's all. Afterwards I'm going to return to the Fallen Arm. I have dabbled in your heroic journey for long enough."

The door slid back into place behind Dunban. A soft click confirmed the activation of the locking mechanism.

Gone. Just like that.

Nene wasted her time in an effort to comfort Shulk or to get him to attest to the softness of the Indoline mattresses. After several failed attempts, she shuffled into her room, and no minute later, her snoring came from the fortress of pillows.

Shulk remained shackled to the chair. The light seeping through the blue-tainted window wandered across the carpet, first the light of the dying sun and then its cold afterimage in form of the moon. No visions came forth to haunt him. But Shulk found no sleep regardless.

He stared at the locking mechanism of Dunban's door. As if he could implore the magnets to shift with looks alone.

But the magnets didn't budge. The door remained closed.

27/07/22: I made it, a swift update! And Xenoblade 3 is so close that I can almost taste it. I hope I didn't indulge too much in mystery and ambiguity in this chapter. At least some comments and descriptions about the Indoline island from the last chapter should make more sense now. As for everything else, I can only ask you to trust me: there will be answers, before the end. I'll see you again in a future where Xenoblade 3 is out and ready for people to play!