Sorry for the late update. Thanks Kitsune1818 for your review! I'll try to be more descriptive this time around and not rush through things as much. It's funny how I don't notice a ton of things when I write. I went back and read chapter 2 and it does feel a quite rushed. Whoops.
As a side note, I had this huge conversation with my sibling about the possibilities for future parts of the story and what would happen after the FE people return to Tellius. We made up so many scenarios and said it would most likely be called Another Day: Aftermath or something like that. I'd say more but it would have too many spoilers haha.
EDIT: Thanks amaya no shiori for pointing out my mistake! It'd be weird if Reyson could lift something "very heavy" hahaha xD
Chapter 3: Uncertainty and Distrust
Soren sighed as he saw the chosen's group rush up the slope.
"Soren! What happened?" Contemplating what to say, the mage looked at Reyson, who was still unconscious. Healing him comes first. Explaining can wait. Using the staff he received from Raine, he murmured the incantation for first aid. The others were already surrounding him, glancing at the fallen heron. Raine quickly checked for other wounds on the latter while Soren went to healing himself.
"We heard a loud boom from your room and saw that there was a gigantic hole in the roof! There were also a trail of blood that went up the mountain! We were so worried!" Colette exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Soren replied and then stood up. "Someone from my world came with the intent to kill me as well as someone else who resided in the inn." The others seemed tense. They looked over to Sheena, who shook her head.
"I'm not too who that might be but... to tell you guys the truth, I was working with an organization before... so it could possibly be the same group."
"W-wait - so there's some organization you were working with that wanted to kill Colette? That means we're still being followed!" Genis frowned. "Not only that, we don't know where they'll attack us and who exactly is in that organization!"
"Hold on Genis. Sheena may have more to tell us than what she's letting on." Raine interjected before Genis could continue how horrid the situation they were in. "Sheena, although we had joined forces recently in order to help the people of Luin, you wouldn't mind telling more about the reason you were after Colette or the organization you were teaming up with, would you?"
Sheena didn't say a word. Closing her eyes, she slowly nodded. She then motioned them to go down the mountain. "Let's get back to the inn. It's getting dark out here. We'll talk more there." As she walked off, Lloyd picked up the 'angel' and they all returned to the inn.
The group gathered in Colette's room, Reyson lying on the bed while everyone else placed themselves wherever they deemed most comfortable.
"Sheena, if you wouldn't mind?" Raine prompted again. Nodding, Sheena stopped glancing out the window.
"I didn't think I'd be telling you guys so soon. Although I was originally planning to continue with my task to assassinate Colette, I realized that the people of this world are wonderful people. I began to question if this was the only way and-" Sheena glanced over to Colette, "-it would be very difficult for me now to continue with that task since Colette is trying to do her best for Sylvarant. She isn't deliberately doing this to hurt anyone." Raine nodded silently, her eyes flicking in a manner that showed that she was thinking about what Sheena just said.
"As for the organization that prompted me with the task to kill Colette, they are known as the Renegades. As far as I remember, they said that destruction would come to Tethe'alla, the world I come from, if Colette regenerated this world. I refused to let my world be destroyed, which explains why I even accepted this task." The others were shocked, excluding Kratos, Soren and Raine.
"You're from another world?" Lloyd gawked, but quickly recovered with the others.
"I see... that makes sense though, considering your strong will to assassinate Colette at Ossa Trail." Raine said. "It's quite possible that the renegades are also responsible for the attack on Soren and this angel. The man from Soren's world can be assumed to be after Colette at this point until we get more information." The others agreed.
"So... what are we going to do now that we know that we got the renegades coming after us?" Lloyd spoke up after the tense silence.
"We just have to avoid them. As for you Sheena, what do you want to do? We will continue on this journey despite knowing this information."
"I... I think I'll help you guys for now. Although I don't want Tethe'alla to be destroyed, I don't want Sylvarant to be destroyed either. Do you think there will be a way to save both worlds?"
"I can try asking Remiel the next time we see him." Colette responded, melancholic that the journey of regeneration may cause the destruction of Sheena's world. "Maybe there will be a way to save both worlds."
"Please do. I don't want to have to fight you in order to keep my world safe."
"... Hold on." The group focused on Soren, who began speaking. "That doesn't explain the renegade's involvement in this. The way you explained it, it seems like they are stating a fact as an outside party."
"Well, I guess that's true. They didn't specifically say that they wanted to save Tethe'alla... just that Colette's existence is what's endangering us."
"They had a purpose for doing that didn't they?"
"What could it possibly be though? If their goal isn't to save Tethe'alla, what is it?"
The group went silent. There were too many holes in the reason why the renegades wanted Colette dead. If they weren't fighting to save Tethe'alla and were definitely not fighting for Sylvarant, then what are they fighting for?
"We simply do not have enough information to come to a plausible solution. Perhaps we are misunderstanding their stance on the situation." Kratos spoke, interrupting everyone's thoughts.
"That much is true. Until then, we have little choice but to be cautious of their actions."
"I just hope that they are planning for some huge destruction..." Sheena grimaced.
"Agh! I'm so confused!" Lloyd growled. "So they want Sylvarant to be destroyed?"
"I don't think that's what Soren is implying when he said they were an outside party." Genis said.
"We can't be too certain that they even want the destruction of one world or both worlds. We need to keep the possibilities open."
"That doesn't mean we'll cooperate with them!"
"That's not what I'm trying to say. This may be a huge misunderstanding."
"And if it's not?"
"Let's stray away from this situation. We just don't have enough information like what Kratos said." Raine sighed. "For now, let's focus on finding Pietro. We can figure out who the renegades are later."
"Right..."
"By the way... what are we going to do with the angel?" LLoyd brought up, looking curiously at Reyson.
"He can stay in Kratos' room for the time being. You have no problem with that do you?" Kratos gave a small nod.
The group dispersed, going to their respective rooms except Soren and Genis, both exiting the inn.
"I know it's a bit late but do you still want to practice magic with me?" Genis asked, suppressing a yawn. The older mage nodded, not seeming tired at all.
They exited Hima to an open plain. The night breeze was cool and the full moon lit the terrain so they would be able to make their way back to the inn with no problem. Genis set down his bag filled with a few orange gels, apple gels and a couple of life bottles for emergencies.
"I already got the basic spell down, so I can teach you those for now. Let me write down the incantations for you so you can look at them when you feel like it..." As the smaller mage scribbled on a piece of paper, he continued, "I also learned a lot mid-level spells recently, so I can show you those too if you'd like." Looking up, Genis' eyes became round with curiousness as he asked Soren about the type of magic he used back in Tellius.
Soren then explained the main elements; fire, wind and thunder. Light was another element that, while still being magic, was separate rom the other magic. He further explained the different levels of magic, from weaker spells to stronger spells.
"That's cool! So you use tombs that have the incantations in them... do you think I could learn them too?"
"Perhaps."
"Maybe later then. I want to try out some of my new spells like 'thunder blade' and 'spread'! You can try the basic elements I written out here. There are two different fields called 'technical' or 'striker'. People generally lean towards one or the other. The side they lean to is usually easier for them to learn but, it's possible to learn both types of spells." Soren nodded while looking at Genis' neat hand writing... that he couldn't read. Soren sighed. He should've seen this coming. They were from two worlds that weren't even related. It would make sense for Tethe'alla and Sylvarant to have a similar writing system but Tellius and Sylvarant weren't connected like that. It was surprising enough that he could even communicate to them. Perhaps it has something to do with the process of sending him here? If that was the case, he should've been able to read the writing here if he could understand their language...
Noticing that the raven haired mage was just staring at the piece of paper Genis gave him earlier, he came up to him.
"Is something wrong Soren?"
"It's strange... although we are speaking the same language, it seems I'm unable to read this text."
"...What?"
"... I think it has something to do with how I came to this world... maybe I went through some change that allowed me to communicate to you guys. There is a possibility that I am still undergoing that change or will only be able to understand your people through spoken language."
Genis looked horrified.
"If that's the case, then how are you going to travel around if we get separated? You won't be able to read signs or the map!"
"It seems I'll need to learn the writing system of this world." Soren sighed.
"I-I'm sure Raine will be able to help you with that!" Genis exclaimed, looking hopeful. "I guess I'll just teach you the spells verbally than instead of text."
"I appreciate that."
The two spent the next couple of hours working on magic spells. While Soren worked on memorizing the incantations, it came to him quickly since he already had basic knowledge on how spells worked in Sylvarant. He was able to cast fire ball and wind edge within fifteen minutes. Genis, on the other hand, practice casting eruption in order to cast it faster.
Worn out from the training, the two went back to inn to rest. As they approached the building, the door opened and Lloyd rushed towards the two.
"Guys! The angel just woke up a while ago! He was demanding to see you, Soren." The three quickly returned and went into Kratos' room. Inside, Reyson sat on a chair in the corner, eyeing the others who were already waiting in the room.
"Soren." Reyson mumbled as he saw the raven haired mage enter. The others looked at Soren, expecting an answer to why this 'angel' knew him.
"Do you mind explaining who this is?" Raine asked.
"He's also from my world. His name is Reyson." Soren said. "He's a laguz, but almost everyone from this world wouldn't know that."
"He's... a laguz?" Colette looked surprised. Raine seemed rather interested.
"Yes. He is of the heron clan."
"So he can turn into his... transformed form?" Raine had a strange glint in her eyes, suggesting that she was going to go into 'ruin mode'.
"Technically speaking, yes. Though, I'm not too sure what may have changed since he came to this world. Are you still able to transform?" The mage inquired as he turned to speak to the heron.
"I can." The heron said but turned to Raine and hissed,"but I'm not some thing for your experimenting!"
His sudden response surprised everyone.
"Herons are capable of reading the minds of others." Soren quickly noted. This shocked the others even more.
"FANTASTIC!" Raine remarks, quickly moving on to get answers from Reyson, screaming,"You must tell me how you are capable of doing that!"
Genis and Lloyd had to hold Raine down to prevent her from freaking Reyson out any more she had earlier. It didn't help that he could read what she was thinking.
"Moving on... what will you do now?" Reyson turned to Soren.
"There isn't much I can do... since I can't enter towns appearing the way I am now." The heron motioned towards his wings.
"Umm... can't you put them away?" Colette asked, causing the heron to give her a strange look. "No?"
"Oh yeah! That might be possible!" Genis exclaimes, saying,"Since, umm, his situation is like Soren's. Earlier this evening, while training with Soren, he pondered on why he was capable of communicating with us although we came from different worlds that are not related to one another. He suggested the idea of gaining that ability by his transfer to Sylvarant. It was mainly because he couldn't read the text I gave him when I wrote down some spells for him. So, maybe Reyson also went through such changes?"
"Possibly."
"The only way we would know if the transfer actually had an effect on him is if he tried putting his wings away. Colette, why don't you explain how to do that since you also have wings." When Raine said that, Reyson looked rather puzzled that a human would have wings. Seeing this, Raine said she'd explain it later.
"Well..." Colette began, but was at a loss at how to explain how to 'put away' her wings. She first took them out, trying to think about the feeling, then put them away and tried forming words to explain the feeling. Reyson examined her for a bit, reading what she was trying to do.
Closing his eyes and concentrating, everyone watched patiently.
Feathers scatter all over the room, causing the group to cover their faces. Soren heard Reyson gasp and, after uncovering his face, saw that Reyson didn't have wings. That was what they all though until he turned around and had miniature wings that were small enough so they could be hidden inside his clothes.
"Whoa. That was weird. I mean, Colette has wings too but they're, umm, translucent and stuff, while your are solid! That was a strange sight!" Lloyd laughed.
"This doesn't make any sense..." Reyson murmured. He continued to murmur about the logic of his wings even shrinking to the size they shrank.
With that, the group would have a long night to explain to Reyson about their circumstance, as well as plan their next move.
Soren stifled a yawn as he woke hours after their conversation explaining Sylvarant to Reyson. After their conversation, the inn keeper apologized to the group for some strange reason. It had something to do with the destruction of Soren's room, which she claimed was caused by the goddess' unhappiness about its quality. The other just stayed silent as the woman provided them with another room while the roof was getting fixed. Outside was still dark, so the mage assumed he hadn't slept very long. Glancing across the room, he saw his two roommates sleeping. He quickly changed into a change of clothes that appeared much like his outfit he wore in Tellius.
"Soren, were are you going so early?" The raven haired mage stopped at the door and looked at the speaker, who was Genis. It seems he woke up as well.
"Going to practice some incantations."
"Oh... okay... I'll join you later..." Genis mumbled before flopping back down on his bed.
"..."
Soren proceeded out the inn and towards the outskirts of Hima. He was making his way down the mountain and began pondering about their next actions. They were going to infiltrate the Asgard Human Ranch after they helped Pietro. It would be a few hours before they'd do that. The group, before Reyson and he joined them, had tried infiltrating the ranch but failed. It was then that they heard about Pietro and were going to search for him at Hima.
The mage managed to get Raine to give him the basic characters for this worlds text, which he then wrote a translation to the text Tellius used. At least he won't be completely useless on his own if he can get a feel for the language. Looking at the text he scribbled in a notebook he bought, he practiced writing a few incantations.
He memorized the basic incantations but wasn't too comfortable using them. He could try using incantations from Tellius but, from what he remembered when he casted Elthunder in the inn, it was very unstable. Perhaps he needed a medium to use that spell?
He continued to ponder about it and came upon a bolder that was a little higher than a dragon. Taking out his notebook that had the incantations of the basic spells, the mage decided to gauge how well he could use them. When he cast the spells, he noticed that they were a bit unstable. They were more chaotic for some reason. It was a bit strange, but he suspected that it may just be that he is still adjusting to Sylvarant. As he continued casting spells, occasionally glancing in his notebook, he heard a soft rustle behind him. Turing, he faced Reyson, who was watching him cast spells with an analytical look.
"Do you need something?"
"No. Nothing in particular."
Although Reyson had said that, he was obviously vexed by something, his fists clenched while he scowled. The mage ignored it, mainly because he saw no reason to delve into other people's business. If he had a problem, he'd say it. The heron continued to watch the mage practice various incantations, occassionaly sighing with frustration.
By the time Soren finished his practice, the sky was already a light blue and bright. The others most likely have woken up by then and may have found Pietro already. The two returned back to the inn where they found that the others have already spoken to a woman named Sophia, who took care of Pietro. They wouldn't be able to get more information until they healed him of his sickness. They would need to get the Boltzmann's book from the Tower of Mana, but the key was stored away in Luin's church. The group quickly left.
"Hey Reyson... I was wondering..." Genis said warily, having a feeling that the heron seemed more irritated than earlier. "What did you do back in Tellius?" Raine stopped reading her book and glanced at the heron. They were all interested since they knew that there was currently a war going on back in Tellius. What surprised them was his sudden ire, but they weren't sure who it was at. He closed his eyes a bit and scowled.
"Although I sang galdrs, I'm unable to fight because I get hurt easily..." He hissed. "It's so... so frustrating, having to constantly be protected by others. I can't even protect myself!"
"O-oh..." The small mage stuttered, flinched at the blond's anger.
"I guess it makes sense though... in a way, I mean. You're frail to some extent-" Lloyd said before shutting up from Reyson's glare.
"It's pathetic. I injured my hand just by punching that fat human in the face..."
"What?"
"You rather not know. The man he talks of was a noble and his actions are... questionable." Soren says, before turning away.
"Okay..? But Reyson, you still have abilities others don't so isn't it okay that you're not physically strong?" Colette inquired. The heron shook his head.
"That's not my point. If I were to be surrounded by enemies, what can I do? Nothing. My galdrs are mainly used for support. I would be killed in an instance. Even the healers can fight! While I have to be guarded at all times!" He seethed.
"Well... can you wield a weapon?" Raine questioned, though her expression clearly showed that she didn't think he could.
"No. That's just as frustrating."
"I might have a solution to that. Well... it'll only work well if you can use magic and are kinda fast." The heron perked up and faced Sheena, who gave him a relaxed smile. "I fight using cards, see?" After showing him her weapon, she continued,"They very light and you can imbue them with magic. Well... I'm technically not suppose to share this technique since it's a clan rule but, you aren't really from here and I don't know if there's any other solution besides becoming a mage."
"Huh, if that's true, can't you teach the rest of us your cool tricks?" Lloyd grinned, eyes sparkling with interest.
"Umm. No. I really shouldn't tell too many people. The only person I'm actually suppose to teach these artes is the person I'm, umm, going to marry..." Sheena was very flustered but quickly added,"-butReysonisn'tfromthisworldsohewon'thavetoworryaboutitlater!"
"Awww... that's not fair." Lloyd pouted. "If you're telling one person you're not suppose to tell, you might as well tell the rest of us!"
"N-no is no Lloyd!" Sheena shook her head.
"If it goes against your clans ways, then I'll have to refuse." Reyson said.
"W-well, it should be okay as long as they don't find out that I was the one who taught you... and if you promise not to teach others that art."
"If you say so, then I'll have to accept your offer." Reyson had a soft smile on his face, which surprised the others since he hadn't smiled the whole time they were with him.
"I can teach you magic as a side thing!" Genis quickly added in, saying,"Then we can all practice together! You, Sheena, Soren and me!"
"Aww, come on guys! I want to learn some cool things too!"
"Sorry Lloyd, it's just that Sheena isn't allowed to teach you her techniques and you just aren't capable of using magic. Too bad." Genis stated, which Lloyd instantly deflated.
"It's okay Lloyd! Kratos and I can practice with you!" Colette chirped, hoping to cheer up the dual swordsman. Kratos simply 'hmphed' at his unexpected involvment in the whole situation but didn't seem to mind it.
"I'll supervise incase anyone gets hurt." Raine added, smiling at the enthusiasm that was building.
"Let's focus on the task on hand." Kratos reminded the group and they neared Luin.
As they walked around the debris of the town, they found the location of the church. It was totally wrecked. Although it retained some of its structure, the benches and interior furniture were trashed around, most likely from the desians ransacking the place. Nodding towards the others, Lloyd proceeded with searching for the key. The others soon joined in. It took minutes before Colette stumbled and broke one of the benches lying around. As she stood up, laughing nervously at her clumsiness, they found the key, which was previously hidden by the bench.
"Great! Now we just have to go to the Tower of Mana!" Lloyd grinned.
"Indeed. Though, we should probably stop here for now." Kratos remarked, seeing that the sky was already a deep red. The two swordsmen went off to train, while Sheena brought Reyson with her to teach him the basics of how the cards worked. Genis decided to stay back to prepare dinner since leaving that job to Raine would be a disaster and Colette probably would just cut fruits or make something sweet. He told Soren to go on without him since he'd be pretty busy.
The raven haired mage nodded, then set off after Sheena and Reyson. It was always better to travel in groups since one would never know when the renegades would show up, or rather, Shinon. As he strolled across the ruins going further into Luin, he saw the heron and the purple clad ninja stationed near a broken fountain. The two were quietly talking about Sheena's weapon and how they work. Noting their concentration, Soren sat out of hearing range and opened the notebook he brought with him. He'd practice the Sylvarant language and some healing incantations tonight. He'd leave the offensive magic for another time.
While sitting off to the side, the mage began to consider the problems the group would have ahead. He had a strong feeling that the releasing of the seals and the chosen's journey had more to it than what this 'Remiel' was letting on. He didn't trust this angel. He could be much like the senators of Begnion, who had secret ambitions behind their masks. Thinking about their situation, they can only move forward while being cautious. They may very well be walking into a trap. He couldn't be absolutely sure but there were holes in part of the story they told him nights ago.
So far, since he has met the chosen's group, they have continued on this path she's suppose to follow set by Remiel. As the mage mapped out some possibilities, he began thinking about the other members of the chosen's group. The chosen herself could possibly be a pawn in whatever scheme the higher authorities were executing but, he couldn't put that down as a solid fact. Not yet, that is.
Out of the others, he already crossed off Lloyd, Genis, Colette and Sheena from people he'd have to be cautious around. They clearly shown their strong connection to other people. They were working towards the same goal. The mage wasn't the slightest suspicious about them for that matter. They were most likely, if what his thinks is correct, being tricked for some greater plan. He'd have to be wary about what they assume and say since they are influenced by the teaching of this world and the other world. As for Raine, he feels that she's more reliable than the other teens but there are factors of uncertainty with that woman. She seems to be hiding some information regarding this journey of regeneration. Soren would need to be careful not to alert her of his current conclusion until he's sure it's not a simple misunderstanding of information.
Kratos on the other hand... he's a different story. He's the most suspicious out of the whole group. Unlike the others, he has a certain air about him, which made Soren believe that he is keeping a lot of secrets from them. Not to mention, when they were having their discussion about the renegades and the journey of regeneration, Kratos changed the subject. Almost like he wanted them to keep away from thinking about the possibilities they may be being deceived.
Noticing that Reyson and Sheena were done with their discussion and were heading back, Soren stood up to follow them. He narrowed his eyes as their camp came into sight.
He knew one thing for sure since the time he pondered about the discussion about renegades. The others weren't reliable for information and he didn't know if they would support his theories, let alone his growing conclusions about the renegades.
The mage sighed as he joined the others.
He doesn't trust them. Or at least, not yet.
- Chapter Three END -