"There you two are, I was starting to think you forgot about me." Linada chuckled as the twins appeared on the steps of the clinic, while Egil held in a groan. "Well, then, shall we make the best of the rest of the day?"

"Not much to do at your clinic, hm?" Egil put a hand on his hip. "I suppose there's not much else to do. If I go back now, Miqol will simply chase me out again…"

"Don't sound like that, Egil. Father just wants to make sure you don't sink into depression…" Vanea's words were basically a coo as she rubbed his arm. For a younger sister, she sure did act like a mother sometimes.

"I know why he does it, it doesn't mean I must like it." He waved off her arm with a sigh, looking out towards the Bionis. "I just prefer the lack of view in there…"

"Egil." Linada spoke up, her voice stern and methodical. "Your fear of the Bionis is understandable, but you can't become a shut-in due to it. I know it's hard, but you need to-"

"I know, I need to confront it. I cannot let fear rule my life." He shook his head, refusing to meet her look. "I just can never feel right, looking at it…"

As he stared, he swore something in the air of Agniratha shifted. It was heavier, more oppressive… A feeling that reminded him of that day all those years ago. His throat tightened and he tried to get a hold of himself. He had to be imagining it, it couldn't be happening again, Zanza was sealed away-

"It feels a bit harder to breathe now, doesn't it?" Vanea spoke and Egil felt panic rising in his chest. "Did something change just now…?"

"You noticed it too, did you?" Linada hummed. "What about you, Egil- Egil? Are you alright?"

Egil was staring out across the way at the Bionis, his mouth drier than ever. He wanted to speak, wanted to run and tell everyone to get to safety. As he stared, he swore he saw the slightest of movements of the Bionis. He saw the tragedy of his people about to play out for the second time.

"Egil." Vanea spoke again. "Deep breaths, everything is alright, you don't need to be scared."

"Vanea, the Bionis…" His voice shook in a way it hadn't for years. "It's…"

"It's the same as it has been since that day." Linada spoke, voice level. "It hasn't moved an inch, Egil. You're going to be alright. Focus on my voice, not on the Bionis."

It was hard to breathe, hard to focus on her voice, but he did his best. He looked to her and Vanea, forcing himself to not look at the Titan that brought him only nightmares. He began to calm, Vanea smiling at him and bringing him slowly back to reality, and his breathing evened.

Then, a scream broke out and the world seemed to once again spiral down around him.


Vanea couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the helpful Mechon lashing out at Machina, but she knew they had to do something. She pulled her whip free, a weapon she hated using, but one she had nonetheless. Most Machina would rely on rifles only when they needed to, but Mechon could be tricky even at a distance.

Egil had summoned his support drones to him, focusing his ether as he prepared to fight as well. He had always been quite gifted for a Machina with the use and manipulation of ether, able to use it to easily inflict a number of nasty statuses as well as soften enemies for others.

Linada, at the same time, had pulled her assault rifle free, loading it for an attack. Vanea also noticed the ether infused cartridges for healing at her side, always prepared no matter what was thrown their way. She always found Linada's preparedness admirable.

Sure she wasn't alone, Vanea moved in and attacked the first of the Mechon she saw glitching and attacking others. It let out a horrible screeching sound, not at all natural for a Mechon, as it turned towards her and lunged.

Egil drove his heel into it, knocking it off balance before it could make it to Vanea and she wasted no time wrapping her whip around its leg and toppling it to the ground. To ensure it stayed there, she slammed her heel into the top of it, dazing it.

Linada was quick to shoot at that point, the bullet lodging itself into the Mechon as it once again regained a sense of where it was. Not that it did it much good, seeing as the three of them weren't letting up in their attacks as long as it was toppled and unable to do much to them.

It did get up, however, and tore into Vanea's leg. She let out a hiss, but Linada was quick to shoot ether onto her and fix it. Egil dug his heel into it as Linada did so, causing its ether fuel to begin to leak and weaken it while it tried to cut the supply.

Vanea brought her whip down and it was down for the count, leaving the three to stare down at it. Why had it done that…?

"Vanea, Egil!" Miqol was making his way towards them as quickly as he could. "Thank Lady Meyneth you're safe…"

"Father, what's happening?" Vanea stepped forward, a frown on her face. "Why are Mechon attacking Machina?"

"We aren't sure, all we can do is try to stop them…" Miqol went silent for a long moment, before finally speaking again. "There is a way to find the source, but…"

"But?" Linada frowned. "Miqol, is something the matter?"

"We would have to go to Sword Valley." Egil spoke up, voice tense. "The source would likely be from a Mechon there, but that would break the peace treaty agreed upon."

Vanea shook her head. "But we cannot let the Mechon run wild! We have to do something, I'm sure the people of Bionis would be understanding-"

"The people under Zanza have no room to be understanding." Egil turned away and her heart broke. "We will simply have to deal with the Mechon here and hope for the best."

"Egil-"

"Well, you can think that, but if Miqol will grant me the right, I will go and find the source." Linada spoke up, hand on her chest. "I cannot allow the Machina to be hurt."

Vanea sucked in a breath. "I would like to go with her, as well. As the daughter of the chief, it's only right I help!"

"Mmmm…" Miqol nodded. "I will allow it."

"Are you mad, Miqol?!" Egil turned to his father and Vanea could see the anger radiate off of him. "You'd put your own daughter in so much danger? What if she…?"

His voice cut off and Vanea placed a hand on his shoulder, worry filling her chest.

"If you don't like it, you can always go with her." Miqol laughed. "Vanea can take care of herself, but give yourself some peace of mind, see more of the world."

"You…" Egil looked away. "...Fine, let us go. If we move quickly, we can deal with this before the Bionis realizes we were ever there."


Sword Valley was wide and open, and the Bionis was clear to see no matter where you stood, and that was something Egil did not enjoy. He said nothing, though, as they continued to clear out Mechon, trying to find a source of the glitch.

Unluckily for him, it was that very moment that the glitch found him.

A large Mechon, stronger than any of them approached. Without time to truly think, he pushed Vanea and Linada away from him. He turned to face it, only to have its claws dig into his chest, ripping a hole into it; leaving him to fall to his knees, choking on his own oily blood.

Vanea screamed and Linada shot at the Mechon, scaring it away as he gasped for breath. It hurt, worse than anything he had ever felt in the past. He ripped at his chest, making the wound sear in pain.

His sister was at his side now, laying him on his back, panic clear on her face. "Egil! Egil! Please, hang in there! Linada… Linada can do something, I'm sure. Just hold on a bit longer."

He felt her clinging to his hand, but things were becoming fuzzy and distant. "I'm sorry, Vanea… I don't know if there's much she can do."

"No… no…!" Tears fell down her face. "Brother, you can't…!"

"Don't cry for me, Vanea…" He wiped tears from her eyes before it fell to his side, a hiss of pain escaping him. "I was a dead man walking for years now…"

"Egil…!" He heard Linada running towards them as Vanea shrieked out his name.

He looked up at her and let out what he figured would be his last word as she stared down at him, sobbing and panicked. "Sorry…"