DISCLAIMER: This is a novelization-in-progress of the masterpiece Xenogears from SquareSoft. I do not own the content of this, save for maybe the way I described "how" something happened. All characters, speech, and storyline are exclusive property and copyrighted by SquareSoft.

Fallen Shadows

Night had fallen over the Uzuki household. The air was cool, and crickets could be heard singing their mating song. Inside, Yui and Midori were taking the dishes from supper away to be washed.

"Mmmm! That was good! Your cooking never fails to impress me, Yui! Thank you for such a delicious meal!" exclaimed Fei.

"You're welcome. If you like my cooking that much, then I'd be happy to cook for you anytime, Fei! Oh, and the bread tasted really good because I used that egg you brought us."

Fei felt a twinge of guilt over the egg. He felt he did a bad thing…well…just a little bit! As if on cue, a rooster crowed in the kitchen.

"I will bring the equipment you need to the village tomorrow morning, myself...It does not exactly make me feel comfortable to have you handle such delicate instruments, I am afraid" said Citan as he prepared to see Fei out the door.

Fei turned and looked at the floor. "...Where have I heard that line before" he said to himself. He turned back to Citan and his family. "That's alright by me... Well, see you tomorrow, doc! Good night, Yui, Midori"

"Good night. We're looking forward to tomorrow's wedding!" called Yui as Fei started to leave.

Fei and Citan walked out the door into the cool night air. It was going to be somewhat difficult task picking the path out in the dark.

"Well, good night, doc."

"Yes, good night" said Citan as Fei began to walk down the trail. "Oh, Fei! Please be careful... Ah, I mean... the path is dangerous when it is so dark..."

Fei looked at him. "What's wrong, doc? There is nothing to worry about! Well, anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

Fei turned and continued down the path. It was almost too dark to see what he was doing. Fei hated using the path at night, and he wondered why he didn't just stay the night at Citan's house. He came to the conclusion that it would worry the village chief if he never came home that night.

Fei reached the bridge. He was almost halfway across it when a low rumbling began to shake the ground. Fei looked up into the sky to see 4 giant machines flying low in the sky.

"What's that...? Giants..." inquired Fei.

"Fei!" shouted a voice from behind him. Fei turned to see Citan scrambling down the hillside trying his best not to fall.

"Doc! Some flying objects went toward Lahan!" shouted Fei over the din of the machines.

"So you saw them too! Judging by their shadows, they appear to be a group of Gears from our neighbor country, Kislev."

"Those were... Gears..."

Suddenly a red light flashed followed by a boom echoed throughout the canyon. The canyon walls reverberated the noise and rumbled the very ground.

"Oh no! They are headed directly for Lahan!" yelled Citan.

"The ones I just saw?" asked Fei.

"Let us make haste!"

"Right!"

Both of the men took off at full speed. Surprisingly, Citan pulled ahead and soon was out of Fei's sight. Fei couldn't believe how fast he was for being almost 30 years old.

It wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of the village. The place was a mess. Fires were burning everywhere. Timothy and Alice were already on the edge of town, surveying the destruction, oblivious of Fei and Citan behind them.

"No! Lahan's..." stared Fei.

A large explosion resounded and more fires broke out as the steel giants continued in the maniacal warfare. Gunfire could be heard sputtering over the din. The town had pretty much been completely destroyed at this point.

"Alice? Timothy" called Citan.

The two turned around, apparently noticing them for the first time. They both ran up to Citan.

"Doctor Uzuki? Fei" called Alice.

"Doctor! They just came outta nowhere and landed right in our village...!" yelled Timothy.

"I know. What on earth are they doing starting a battle here...? Are you all okay?" asked Citan.

"Yes! But it's Dan... We can't find him!" exclaimed Alice.

"I'll go look one more time! Alice, go ahead and get out of the village" said Timothy.

"No, Timothy, wait! You, Alice and the rest of the villagers should evacuate to a safer location!" called Citan.

"Doc, you know I can't just leave Dan behind!"

"Timothy..." said Alice as she looked at her fiancé.

"I understand how you feel, but leave the rest up to Fei and me! The primary thing you should be concerned with is your own safety... Timothy, your responsibility is to protect Alice."

"... But..."

"It's just as doc says. The two of you should get out of the village now! Don't worry about Dan. Knowing him, he has already evacuated and is waiting for you!" interjected Fei.

"... I guess you're right..." Timothy turned to look at Alice. She was frantically rubbing her hands together. "Okay! Alice, let's let Doctor Uzuki and Fei handle it from here"

"... Yes, okay. Thank you, Doctor" She started to leave with Timothy, when she stopped and looked at Fei. "But, Fei... Please look out for Dan."

"Yeah, don't worry. If he still happens to be in the village, I'll be sure to save him," reassured Fei. He was going to make it his priority to find and save Dan. He looked around and searched the faces of the villagers as they ran about frantically. None of them belonged to Dan.

"Now, both of you, hurry" yelled Citan. Alice and Timothy both turned around and ran from the village to seek shelter. Citan turned to Fei "I will go check inside the houses to see if there is anyone left behind. Fei, please go around the village and guide the stragglers to a safe location"

"Alright! But doc... You be careful, okay?"

"You too, Fei!"

Citan turned and ran into a nearby building, kicking the door in. Fei started to run to another house when the fighting of the gears snagged his attention. A shot zipped past his face and missed him barely. Fei jumped back and landed at the feet of a large black gear.

"Whoa" he yelled. He then noticed the limp figure on the ground. It was a man who appeared to have been the former pilot. He was already dead, shrapnel embedded in him. "... Ah..."

Fei looked up at the black gear. It was in the landing position. Like the music box, he felt funny when he looked at it. He could hear his heartbeat thumping in his ears, drowning out the sounds of gunfire, screams, and death. Inside the cockpit, he saw a red-haired boy in the cockpit of the Gear. At least, in his eyes he saw one. A swinging pendant flashed in his mind. He seemed to respond to this flash unusually, not unlike a reaction. He turned and looked at the pilot who had been flying the Gear, still lifeless at the feet of it. The pendant crossed and flashed again. Fei looked up at the red-haired kid in the cockpit. He seemed to be laughing. A sinister smile spread over the kid's face as the cockpit closed on him. Fei stood up straight, looking directly at the empty Gear. The dull thumping of his heartbeat increased, further deadening out anything on his mind. After a second, he ran towards the gear, and jumped onto the platform in front of the cockpit.

Citan came out of a nearby house just in time to see Fei board the black gear. He was horrified, and proceeded to run after him.

"Huh... Fei!" he desperately called out. "Wait, Fei!"

Fei jumped into the Gear's cockpit. A shifting sound resounded from the Gear. Suddenly, it got to its feet and turned around, looking ready for battle. It ran off towards the battle between the gears.

"Do not do this, Fei! You must not fight here...! Fei!"

Inside the cockpit, monitors all over the inside were blipping information back and forth. On the main screen, a message popped up:

NOTICE
...XafbEWfadJZ... ...Linguistic Modifier enabled.
Identified: Lamb, Ignas dialect No piloting exp. Easy Mode Set
Synchronizing input interface with pilot's normal reflex time
Warning to Pilot: C O M B A T M O D E About to enter combat! 1200 units of fuel left.

A klaxon sounded off inside the cockpit.

WARNING! Enemy Gears are now preparing to attack! Terminating Help Mode.

Two white enemy gears landed in front of Fei. Both of them held up their automatic rifles and pointed them at him. Fei lunged forward, and smashed the enemy's camera receptors with his gear's fist. Two more gears landed behind him, preparing to pepper his backside with a hail of bullets.

"Reinforcements, huh" shouted Fei as he turned to dispose of the new threat. Two more gears landed to his right and leveled their rifles at him. "On my right too! Damn it! How many of them are there..."

A far more sinister looking Gear, with a complete aura of confidence about it, landed behind the four Gears flanking Fei. Again, his heartbeat started to drown out everything. There was something familiar about that particular machine. The four Gears began to take shots freely at Fei's Gear, peppering his armor plating and sending ricochets everywhere.

"I guess... there's no choice... but to fight..." said Fei with an air of desperation. He rushed towards the 4 gears prepared to give the fight of his life.

Down in the village, Citan stood watching the battle between Fei and the four other gears, lost in thought. "Fei...! The way you are fighting... Oh no... This is not good! If 'he' awakens here..." Behind him, a voice called out.

"Doc!"

Citan turned around to see Dan standing on the windowsill of Alice's room, clutching a piece of cloth to his chest.

"Dan!" called out Citan. Dan jumped down from the windowsill and stumbled. Citan ran to assist him. "Are you alright? What on earth are you doing here? Do you not know how worried Alice and Timothy are"

Dan sat up and brushed himself off. "I'm sorry Doctor Uzuki! I got out of the village earlier, but I came back... ...I just couldn't bear to think of leaving my sister's wedding dress behind here..."

"You returned to save your sister's wedding dress..." Even in this environment, he couldn't stifle a slight chuckle. "Heh... You are such a sentimental little boy..."

A nearby explosion brought Citan down to earth. Taking a hold of Dan, the two of them dashed back towards the well, and took safety behind it.

"Let us evacuate to a safer spot while Fei has their attention" He turned to look at the giant black gear that Fei was piloting. "It appears that they are after that Gear Fei is in..."

Dan looked at him as if he had been slapped in the face. He turned and looked at the raging battle. "Fei's...inside that monster"

"Fei is bound... by the dark, cruel destiny of god..." said a grim-faced Citan.

"... Fei..."

"Come on now, Dan! We had better get away from here." Citan took a hold of Dan and started to run with him when another voice called out.

"Dan" The voice belonged to Timothy. Running, and out of breath, he stopped in front of the two. "I knew you were still in the village! Boy, I'm glad you're okay! Huh..." A gear landed beside him, looking right at him.

"Oh no...! Timothy" called out Citan. Frantically, he grabbed Dan, and dove behind some fallen, burning timber.

Timothy looked like an ant in comparison to the gear, but he still had its full attention. He looked up at in fear and awe.

"Uh..."

"Wait! Don't shoot" screamed Fei. Frantically, he started waving at the enemy gear that was bearing on Timothy. "Stop it! These people have nothing to do with you" Frantically, he started to run towards Timothy to protect him, but two of the gears he had been fighting deliberately moved into his way. "Timothy! Out of the way, you bastards"

The sinister looking gear that had been watching all the chaos noticed what Fei was trying to do. It looked down at Timothy, and then back to Fei. It signaled one of the gears, and made a motion with its fist. The gear it had signaled turned around and began to unload a hail of gunfire at Timothy.

"Stop it! I said sto-p i-t" screamed Fei into his intercom.

Timothy didn't have a chance. A flurry of bullets him in the chest and sent him reeling backwards head over heels. Blood sprayed the ground as he was killed instantly. Fei lunged forward in an initial reaction, but then settled back. Then the pendant flashed again in his head. He writhed in agony without warning, as if responding to the pendant's flash. A memory from his childhood that had been blocked out flashed in his mind. A young boy who appeared to be a young version of himself stood with blood on his face. The pendant flashed inside his head again, followed by same memory of himself as a young boy, but this time he resembled the kid that was in the Gear before, and his face broke into an evil smile. The pendant flashed again and then broke off its chain. Fei slumped forward in the cockpit, his hair falling over his face, and then he sat back up. He cracked the same sinister smile of the boy and giggled. Suddenly, huge amounts of energy dispersed from the gear. Everything was wiped out in its path. Gears, houses, and people. Alice, who had been hurrying back to the village, was caught in it. She could do nothing but look at her hands as she was wiped out by the blast.

"Alice!" screamed out Dan in grief and anguish. He had just witnessed his sister being vaporized. He tried to run out to her, but Citan grabbed him and ducked behind a ridge on a cliff they had taken refuge on. Dan could only scream in despair and disbelief. "Noooooo!"

The energy lit up the night sky like an orange ball of fire, as the energy exploded, wiping out the entire village. Then everything went black.

Fei woke up to the sound of bird's chirping. He was nestled against the trunk of the shade tree that he had once sat with Alice and Timothy. He sat up, and winced. His head hurt.

" Uh... Uhn...? Huh...! Where am I..." he asked. He shook his head trying to clear it, but winced again as the pain throbbed in his skull. He then noticed Citan, Dan and a few survivors from the village huddled nearby. "Doc" he called out.

Citan turned around, a worried look on his face. However, upon seeing Fei conscious, the worry lines ebbed away.

"Oh, you have finally gained consciousness, Fei..." he started off.

"Doc... What happened...? Where's Chief Lee, Timothy, Alice...? What did I..."

"Yes... Well that is..." he started.

"You murderer!" Dan had turned around from the huddle and was looking directly at Fei. Directly into his eyes.

"Dan!" scolded Citan.

"...? Dan, what do you mean...?" asked Fei. He was even more confused than ever before.

"Fei..." Dan turned to the side, so that Fei could only see his profile. Dan glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "It... was because you had to go get in that monster.. Alice and Timothy... The people of the village are all..." He stopped long enough to point at something behind Fei. "You killed everyone using that monster...!"

Fei looked at him in disbelief. He turned around and saw that the gear he had been piloting stood there. It dwarfed everything, even though it was standing a full level lower in the canyon. Behind him he could hear the whispers of some of the survivors.

"Why did you have to fight in the middle of the village...?"

"How do you even know how to operate such a monster...?"

"Mother...? Where mother...?"

"See, I told you so...I said allowing someone we knew nothing about into our village would spell disaster..."

"Owww... Hurts... It hurts..."

Fei turned around and looked at them. "Dan...!" he started to call out. He took a few steps toward the huddle, but they all shunned him and backed away as if he were a mass murderer.

"Yikes...!"

"No! Keep away... I'm scared..."

"Waaaaaaahhh..."

"Murderer! My sister... Give me back my sister!" broke in Dan. He was nearing the edge of tears as they formed at the corners of his eyes. His hands started balling into tiny fists.

"Dan...There is nothing to be gained from putting the blame all on Fei alone. What is more, you know Fei had no control over the malfunction of that Gear," said Citan as he tried to reason with Dan. He bent down to a knee to get his full attention.

"I... I know that! But... But..." He paused for a second as if searching for the correct response. Finally he blurted out"I HATE YOU!" He then turned around and took off crying.

Fei looked as if he was going to go after him, but stopped. He called out after him. "Dan..."

"It might be better if we left him by himself for a little while... He does not know what to do with his grief, his anger..." Citan turned and looked at Fei. "And Fei... It may be a good idea for you to leave this place. There is no guarantee that reinforcements from yesterday's unit are not going to come... They will probably want to know what happened to their comrades. Also, if you stay here, I do not think the atmosphere is going to be very joyful... if you know what I mean. It is probably best for both you and all the other villagers here."

Fei looked at him, and then the villagers. "I guess you're right... This disaster happened because I was here..." He looked off into the distance, towards the Blackmoon Forest. "But...what am I supposed to do now..."

Citan paused for a moment while he thought about it. "Yes, well... Why not go through the Blackmoon Forest and head for Aveh? I am sure those soldiers from yesterday were not from Aveh. If you can manage to get to the Aveh side, they will not be able to track you down very easily."

Fei nodded, still looking off into the distance. "Okay... I understand, doc..." He turned back and looked at Citan. "Well anyway... Please take care of the rest of the things here, doc."

Citan nodded. "Of course... Well, do take care now."

Fei turned around and walked towards the gear, and then stopped. He looked back at the villagers. They all had suspicious eyes, as he slowly scanned their faces. Only Citan seemed somewhat friendly. Fei took a few steps back from the gear, his back still facing everyone as Citan walked up the path behind him and stopped at a distance. He walked over to the edge of the cliff, looking at the Gear he piloted. He slowly looked up at the gear until it seemed they were making eye contact. He heard the voices echo in his mind as he looked upon it.

"You killed everyone with that monster...! Murderer! My sister... Give me back my sister!"

Fei shuddered. He couldn't keep looking at the monster. He jumped off the cliff to the lower level, and then walked briskly away from the gear and out into the world. He glanced over his shoulder briefly to see that it appeared that the gear was simply watching him leave. He shuddered again, and quickened his pace as he headed towards the Blackmoon Forest.