Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, guys. If I owned this, would I be posting on a fan website? Hmmm… I think not.

A/N I honestly didn't mean to take so long to update. Laziness, end of the school year projects, and job searching are the only reasons I can give. I'd add exams to that list except… I was exempted from every single one. :)

Lethian has also explained to me that he is actually a full-fledged muse. I had my suspicions, especially when he started conspiring with my plot dachshund and giving me story ideas in the middle of school, but it has only recently been confirmed. He's not just a muse for this story, either. Oh, no, he can't be that simple. After unearthing my Banjo Kazooie video games for the N-64, he's begun stitching together something that may or may not become a novel length fanfiction. I keep pointing to my other muses and telling him 'no,' but… well… we'll see…

Chapter 15

Lethian had never seen anything like the computer that sat before him now. The interface was in angelic; perhaps that language had been more common than it was now. The screen in front of him glowed in the darkened room. The lights in the ceiling were mostly burned out.

Tentatively, he pushed a bronze button embossed with a silver angelic character that was used as shorthand for 'on.' The glowing screen flickered to red life as black letters began flashing across.

Bathed in the crimson glow, Lethian began sorting through files. The base was that of the Order of Sekhemet, a long lost group of elven and half elven healers that, during the Kharlan War, had offered their services to both Tethe'alla and Balacruf equally. Within the borders of the Sekhemet valley, both sides were required to treat one another equally.

The healers had grown arrogant, however, or they might have foreseen the consequences of their forced neutrality. Tethe'alla attacked the Order in secret, stealing away many of the best trained healers and forcing them to work on the front lines. Unable to see the suffering without healing those in pain, the healers were forced to aid the Tethe'allan war effort.

Those left in the Sekhemet base cut off aid to both sides as they sought to repair the damage done. Angered at being treated the same as Tethe'alla, Balacruf attacked as well. More healers were lost to the war.

Finally, one of their neophyte healers, Martel Yggdrasill, took her brother and two mercenaries on a journey to halt the war. The Giant Kharlan Tree, located in the great plains near the base, was dying. The Yggdrasill siblings were promising acolytes from the village of Heimdall who, with their talents at persuasion, put an end to the war and elicited promises from the leader of Tethe'alla and of Balacruf to help in the restoration of the Giant Tree.

There were people in both governments that disagreed with their leaders. They didn't want the war to end. Both sides hired assassins to kill the Yggdrasill siblings and their mercenary companions. Only one target died.

In retaliation, Mithos Yggdrasill used the power of the Summon Spirits to rip the world asunder. He abused the teachings he learned at Sekhemet and created the Order of Cruxis. Using the knowledge of the sentient stones of Moria to create Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals that he bonded to himself and his companions using his unique gift for mana manipulation.

The Order of Sekhemet was appalled, but the elders did not wish to fight back the way younger members did. Those who wished to avoid fighting moved to Heimdall while the younger began developing new ways of manipulating magic. Instead of healing with the elements, they discovered how to emulate the attacks used by Summon Spirits favored by the Cruxis lord.

In response, the angels of Cruxis learnt this new magic as well. The magic wars had begun.

Most people were left unaware of the private war between angels and their mortal counterparts. In this way, nearly a thousand years passed. And then the Firelight Mirror was created and everything changed.

/o/

Zelos winced as the rope bit into his wrists. "Watch it! I'm going as fast as I can," he snapped at Apophis, who was dragging the redhead forward by an arm.

The Anubian Warrior wasn't inclined to listen. The black eye he was now sporting might have had something to do with why. Though really, Zelos thought, Apophis should have seen the right hook coming when he insulted Sheena for the umpteenth time in half-an-hour.

Of course, Zelos also thought that he shouldn't have been tied up for decking the 3,000 year old angel, but that was purely a matter of pride.

The trees thinned abruptly, revealing a sheer cliff wall covered in vines. There were no entrances to be seen but… something seemed to imply that this was what they were looking for. Apophis shoved Zelos forward. "Find the entrance," the warrior snarled.

Set smirked, his dark eyes seeming to absorb the light surrounding him. "Hurry now. I sense your friends coming; I'd hate to have to reach out through the forest and force the beasts here into a frenzy just to attack them now that we are safe."

Zelos had fallen to his knees when he'd been shoved forward. With his arms tied behind him, he couldn't keep his balance. He glared up at the dark angel. "Untie me and I'll do as you say." Mentally, he rebelled against the device that was holding most of his power in check. It was a localized field; whatever it was didn't effect Apophis or Set.

The ropes were removed from Zelos' wrists and he stood, rubbing his chaffed arms. Walking slowly towards the cliff face, he remembered Sheena's fall and his quick move to save her. This was where she would have landed, he realized. The Firelight Mirror was somewhere near this very spot… it was waiting for him.

The Chosen shuddered at the clammy feeling that washed over him, but continued on. A foot away from the rock he halted and reached out, his hands going through the cliff. "It's a hologram," he said dully. "Follow me."

Sinking inside, Zelos continued on.

/o/

Yuan stared at the squirrel-beaver. The squirrel-beaver stared back in return. No one moved. "What the hell is that?" Yuan demanded, glaring at the four-foot creature.

"It's adorable," Isis said at the same time Kratos declared, "It's poisonous."

Lloyd then added in his two cents; "it's in our way."

"The kid has a point. It's in our way," Yuan declared walking to the right in order to pass the squirrel-beaver. The mutant, however, had no intention of letting anyone pass. It, too, moved to Yuan's right in order to block the way further.

Sheena, annoyed with the antics of her fellow adventurers, selected a set of fire cards from her collection and sent them forward with her mana. One Pyre Seal later, the squirrel-beaver was racing towards the nearby river squeaking in protest over its singed fur. "Shall we continue now?"

Yuan smirked and bowed while gesturing for her to lead on. "This is why I had the Renegades hire you to off the Chosen," he muttered as she passed.

Sheena paused, gave Yuan a considering look, and then smacked him over the head. "You annoy me. Stop it," she stated calmly and then began walking again.

Isis wandered over to the bewildered Seraph and put an arm around his shoulders. "I like her. She's spirited. Oh, and Yuan? Did you know that you're adorable when bewildered?" Then her arm dropped and she too trudged forward.

Yuan blinked and shook his head slowly. "What just happened?"

/o/

The Firelight Mirror: an abomination if ever there had been one.

Lethian leaned back into the chair he'd found and stared incredulously. The information he'd read couldn't be true; but the emanations around him spoke otherwise.

The remaining Order of Sekhemet had stolen the Mirror and accidentally broken one of the actuators. In doing so, the order of healers turned fighters had spelled their own destruction. In a way, the outcome was ironic.

The Firelight Mirror was designed, originally, to create angels. The device's dual nature had allowed it to create monsters as well. Cruxis was unable to control that which was created without employing high level empaths and telekinetics to service the device. Such use came at a high price; the machine ran hot and the power source was unstable.

Explosions were not uncommon and at least three of the empaths working with the device died because of it: team leader Morphia, crew chief Osiris, and Hathor, one of the technicians. That wasn't the first time that Osiris had been adversely affected by the Mirror either (if death can be called an adverse affect…). Some years earlier an explosion had caused him to fall into a three-month coma and, when he awoke, his personality had been completely altered.

Broken as the Firelight Mirror was when it fell into the hands of the Order of Sekhemet, it wasn't long until the effects of the dangerous alteration began to surface. Fights broke out among the order members, but since they'd been closeted away without going on missions for several weeks the altercations were chalked up to cabin fever and ignored.

Then the younger members began disappearing. No bodies turned up and there was definitive evidence that the missing had neither defected nor been kidnapped by the enemy. Monsters of immense size had begun to appear in the surrounding valley, however, and it was soon assumed that forays into the forest had caused the demise of those who'd vanished.

The order never suspected the truth until it was too late.

Lethian flicked off the computer and stood, stretching thoroughly. He shuffled over to a printer slot that he'd used to create a map of the base. Clearly designated on one of the lower floors were the science labs where the Firelight Mirror was located.

If the Mirror wasn't destroy soon, its sphere of influence would expand for the fifth time in three thousand years and more than the Gaorrachia Forest would suffer for the faults of Cruxis and Sekhemet…

/o/

His head hurt and he felt as though the walls were closing in on him. Zelos had never been claustrophobic before, but as he walked down the stairwell inside the hidden base he began to understand why it was one of the more common fears.

Though still in command of himself, the redhead felt as though he was floating just at the edge of control. If he could break free of the restraining device, which he'd come to the unsettling conclusion that it was on him and he hadn't noticed it yet, then Zelos thought he might return to normal. On the other hand, there was a slim possibility that the psionic dampener was actually hindering whatever was slowing his senses down so badly.

Surrendering, for now, to the strange effects that led him on, Zelos wished for the simplicity of the time just after the Journey of Regeneration. Sebastion had been there to lend a helping hand or a compassionate ear and no one really wanted the Chosen of Tethe'alla dead… except for the Pope who'd been awaiting execution at the time.

Now… everything was complicated again. Even knowing that this would have happened no matter what he'd done, Zelos still couldn't help cursing his idea to take a simple trip with his sister and friend. Everything had gone pear shaped and, if it were just him dealing with the results, he wouldn't feel so bad. But Seles and Sheena were in danger…

Zelos wondered, idly, if it would be such a bad thing if he punched Apophis again.

"We're being followed," some one said. With a blast of fear, Zelos realized it was his voice that had spoken the words. I didn't… goddess… what's happening to me?

Apophis smirked and walked back up a few steps to the nearby landing. "I'll take care of the interlopers. Continue on," he gestured for Set and Zelos to continue on. "I told you that you'd help us," he taunted.

Struggling to retort, Zelos was speechless – literally. Against his will, his body turned around and continued the descent.

The device you seek is on your belt, where your sword would normally hang. You cannot remove it yet… wait for the opportune moment, fire child. The Firelight Mirror must be destroyed… help me finish this…

The words echoed in Zelos' mind and he began to remember strange dreams, redheaded ladies that looked familiar, and pleas for help…

/o/

"Which way do we go?" Raine asked, looking at the three different hallways. "We're not going to split up again… are we?"

"I think we may have to," Ibis muttered, standing near the right side corridor.

Seles, beside the left side corridor, nodded her head in agreement. "I'd rather not, but we'll cover more of the base this way. Oh... and did anyone else think the stuff in that hanger was really cool?"

"Most of it was Kharlan War era technology," Yuan's eyes grew distant. "I used weaponry like that; there wasn't anything I couldn't shoot with a phaser rifle."

"Humph… you very nearly killed Noishe with that rifle of yours. I wouldn't be so proud of such skills if I were you," Kratos grumbled.

"I thought that she was a spy watching our camp. How was I supposed to know it was winged protozoan?"

"Well, some people would use their eyes…"

Isis let out a sigh, exchanged annoyed glances with Raine, and then began tugging Yuan down the uppermost passageway while the platinum haired half-elf did the same thing with Kratos and the right side corridor. "Let's get a move on already," they both grumbled.

Lloyd, Genis, and Presea joined Seles to the left while Sheena reluctantly joined Kratos, Raine, and Ibis. Ra trudged forward to catch up with Isis and Yuan.

/o/

Apophis let his mind search the complex, identifying the various people in the building. Descending the stairs below him was Wilder, Set, and the guards while somewhere above an elusive presence was barely noticeable. Had it not been for Lethian's tangible feelings of shock, he might not have been noticed.

Then… there was Ra and his entourage on an upper level…

Dark eyes snapped open with hate burning in them. "Ra…" he growled, taking the stairs two at a time. Suddenly, it didn't matter that there were others that would surely threaten Set and the Mirror that they searched for. All that concerned Apophis was the score he had to settle.

And settle it he would…

/o/

Ra rolled his eyes at his companions, who were bickering good-naturedly over a constantly changing topic that the blonde angel had long since lost track of. For a few minutes, he let his thoughts wander to the past.

Once, long ago, he'd been married to a lovely woman with Isis' exact features. Hathor, Isis' twin, had been a quiet and reserved woman with a sharp temper and awesome power. Ra had first met Hathor and Isis on the job. It had been an awkward meeting; the twins had been using their identical looks to torment the non-psionic workers. They hadn't expected Ra to walk in and crash their little prank.

It hadn't been long before he'd befriended them both… and then fallen deeply in love with Hathor. Her death in a lab explosion only weeks after their honeymoon had ended had broken parts of Ra that he'd never known were so important before.

At first, spending time around Isis had been torture. Seeing his beloved's features on his sister-in-law had tested his limits and, in the end, forged an unshakable conviction that he would protect this woman even though his life seemed to have no further purpose. From that their friendship was recreated and, later, a since of being true brother and sister.

Ra hadn't been the only one to fall for Hathor, however. Apophis had fallen hard for Hathor as well. Ra and Apophis had known one another since childhood; their petty rivalry as kids being unhappily set aside in favor of their jobs. Hathor caused Apophis to pick up that hatred and double it. Ra would have gladly buried the hatchet for Hathor's sake. She couldn't stand the feeling of enmity that crackled between the two men when they met.

Apophis wouldn't let go, though. He clung to his rage and let it mold him into his brother's puppet. Set was slowly taking over the Firelight Mirror project and he dragged Apophis down with him. The more time they spent in the lab, the worse their attitudes grew.

"Ra?" Isis' voice snapped her brother-in-law out of his reverie.

"Yeah?"

"Did you feel that? I think someone was using empathy to search the base." Isis closed her eyes and 'reached' out. Her body swayed as her attention wandered away from protecting and controlling herself. Yuan automatically reached out and put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "It's… it's Apophis. He knows you're here and he's coming to kill you, Ra. The Mirror is… wrong somehow. There's nothing in the designs to account for the power it's emitting. Nothing at all…" Her cerulean eyes flashed darkly as they reopened. "There is something very wrong here. I think we need to hurry this way."

Isis reached up and displaced Yuan's left hand, but she took his right hand in hers and began to lead the way through the maze of hallways. The Renegade leader's face turned an interesting shade of red as he let himself be pulled away.

Ra, however, did not follow. Isis did not intend to seek out Apophis; she planned on evading him. The Anubian Warrior would not stop until he or Ra was dead and hatred such as that put everyone in danger. An opponent that could track their very minds was a hazard that the various groups heading deeper into the unknown base could not afford.

Letting out a sigh, Ra located Apophis and began to home in on his nemesis. It was time to end this; it had gone on for too long already.

Maybe, this way, one of the two would finally find peace.

With a look of regret, Ra disappeared down a side hallway and sent out a prayer to Origin that Isis would not notice his disappearance until it was too late for her to find him. The battle that approached him was not her fight to aid him with. Even as his footsteps carried him deeper into the complex, Ra knew that he had everything with him that he would need to defeat his opponent.

His right hand moved to hover over the hilt of his sword while his left paused to check the chakram that the young Sylvarantian Chosen had entrusted to him before readying his shield.

A/N One of my shorter chapters, I suppose, but everything else I want to write in the story has to come in the next chapters. The next update will see the various groups reaching some of their destinations while others become lost. The battle I've been plotting and planning between Apophis and Ra since I came up with this story will finally take place, thank goodness.

Also, any guesses as to what Lethian found out on the computers? I think it's fairly obvious, but that's 'cause I'm writing it. One of my friends, whom I've been bouncing ideas off of, swears that she never saw this one coming and that I did a good job of hiding just enough to make the information a surprise.

Oh, and when they finally leave the forest, I'm thinking that there will be one last squirrel-beaver encounter. Those weird creatures are starting to grow on me… and not just because they scare Lethian into obedience. Honestly, he's so pushy. Are all muses like him?