Chapter 4: Lost and Found

"So that was Fon Master Ion…" Tear said after Luke had settled down and returned to fretting over the loss of…whatever it was he lost. Luke never did mention what he was so worried about.

"That was Fon Master Ion?" Luke spun around after having checked his pockets for the millionth time. It was definitely gone.

"Well, I've never met the Fon Master myself. But from what I've heard of him, he certainly fits the description. I also ran into a Fon Master Guardian while I was looking for you. I'd say the chances are pretty good he's the Fon Master."

"But that's impossible! Fon Master Ion is missing!"

"Missing? That's the first I've heard of that. But since at least one of the Fon Master Guardians is here, he's definitely here on official business."

"But Master Van said that Ion had gone missing!"

"Well, arguing about it here won't do any good. And for the record, you can't believe everything you're told. Least of all by Van."

"Look, I don't know what your issue is with Master Van is, and frankly I don't even want to know; but I for one have no reason to doubt what he said."

"You mean other than the fact the Fon Master just walked by."

"You said yourself, you've never even seen the Fon Master. How do you know for sure that that's him?" Luke asked, his voice steadily creeping up in volume.

"Well I didn't see you asking him. You've made it quite clear you have a working mouth of your own." Luke said nothing. "You could always still go ask him." Tear pointed out. Luke mumbled a reply that Tear didn't catch. "What now?"

"I don't want to get involved," Luke muttered a little louder.

"What?" Tear repeated, her hands on her hips. "First I can't get you to shut up, now I can't get you to talk! Speak up."

"I don't want to get involved," Luke said loudly. "Did you hear that? I. Do. Not. Want. To. Get. Involved." Luke punctuated every word by inching closer to Tear surprising her by just how upset he was. What in all of Auldrant did he mean by that now?

"I don't think I understand." Tear said, becoming quite serious. Whatever the issue was, even she could tell it was important.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Going after Ion means dealing with that Jade-guy. Weren't you the one just lecturing me about my status? I don't want to get involved! I just want to go home." Luke bit his lip in frustration. It was bad enough without her making him repeat it three times. As much as it was killing him to go find out if in fact that had been the Fon Master or not, the less he had to deal with that Jade-what's-his-face, the better.

Luke had always thought he more or less understood matters between Kimlasca and Malkuth. He knew that the two countries had a far less than pleasant history, but he thought that peace had been established between the two. Or at least, that's what he had always understood, but as he was slowly learning that things weren't as clear cut as he thought they were. Luke was realizing just how little he really knew about the whole situation so if he could stay out of it, he would. Less chance he'd end up doing something stupid.

Tear understood his reasoning, as odd as it was to see such rationale coming from Luke. Being a Kimlascan noble, it made sense he would want to avoid any unnecessary contact or conflicts with the Malkuth military. The level head with which he'd made that deduction also confused her. So far she'd presumed him to be hot-headed, jumping into any situation without thinking. Apparently he did have a head on his shoulders, even if he didn't use it as often as she'd like.

"So!" Luke finally said, all the frustration in his previous statements completely gone, "Where do these stupid little cheagle things come from?"

"Well from what I heard, cheagles live in the forest north of here. However, I would like to point out that cheagles are the sacred beasts of the order of Lorelei, I wouldn't be calling them 'stupid little things' quite so loudly."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So are you coming with me or not?"

"Going with you? It's almost dark out! Where do you thinking you're going?"

"I'm going to go to the northern woods, then I'm going to find one of these little buggers and then I'm- hey! What are you doing? Let go!" Luke struggled against the firm hold Tear had on his collar as she dragged him in the opposite direction.

"It's almost night, and unlike some people, not everyone slept until noon. Besides, what do you think you're going to find in the dark? Not to mention the added danger of being out in the wilderness at night." Luke finally stopped struggling, instead just slipping out of his jacket.

"I'm not scared of some stupid monsters!" Luke protested. It figured. Of course she didn't understand. No one ever did. All he got in response to that statement was his jacket thrown at him.

"Look," Tear finally said, "I don't know what the cheagles took, and I'm guessing by that look that you aren't planning to tell me; but that's no reason to rush out at all hours of the night into untamed wilderness. Whatever they took, they will still have in the morning. So let's just go to the inn, get a good night sleep, and if you're dead set on going, we'll head out first thing in the morning."

"Fine," Luke conceded. Tear was grateful; she didn't want to resort to using her hymns to keep the idiot from hurting himself. As much as he certainly seemed to trust her, she doubted that trust would last if she had to pull something like that. "But we're going first thing!" He added as an afterthought.

"Alright," Tear agreed, though she didn't really think about it as the two headed towards the inn. Somehow she got the impression she would be the one waking him up in the morning.

Tear didn't realize just how early Luke Fon Fabre could get up when he was on a mission, but by the time she crawled out of bed at sunrise, he was up, ready, and impatiently tapping his foot on the floor while leaning on the door frame. He waited without saying a word while she quickly freshened up and gathered together her supplies.

"You're up early," Tear said in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you sounded surprised," Luke taunted in return. He really hadn't been up that much longer than her, but it was more than a test of his patience to wait for Tear to wake up. He didn't know how much of a morning person she was, and the last thing he needed was a tired, cranky woman on his back all day about everything because he woke her up before she was ready.

For the most part, he himself wasn't really a morning person. He was much happier sleeping himself out, but the consequences of not showing up on time to one of Asch's morning practice sessions, which usually involved being forcefully hauled out of bed after being doused with a substantial amount of very cold water, had him able to get up at the crack of dawn if needed for several years now. Besides, this was important.

Tear stifled a chuckle. She supposed she had that one coming since the conversation they had the last time they had awoken in each other's presence. Not much point in wasting time, the sooner they got going, the sooner they could begin the trip back to Baticul, despite her sneaking suspicions that this little detour was going to take all day regardless. "Shall we be off then?" She finally offered as she grabbed the last of their supplies.

"Yeah, let's go!" Luke threw in enthusiastically.

"You two heading out already?" The inn keeper inquired.

"Yeah, we're going to go check out the forest north of here." Luke offered.

"You're going up to Cheagle Woods?"

"Yes, is that a problem?" Tear asked concernedly.

"No, not at all. I had a young fella looking for directions to the Cheagle Woods late last night. Told him he shouldn't go. Ever since that fire up north, things haven't been right in those woods. Make sure you watch your step."

"We will. Thank you for your concern." Tear replied with a slight bow to the innkeeper as she and Luke headed out the door. Tear could only wonder what she was getting herself into this time.

The appropriately named Cheagle Woods weren't as far from Engeve as Tear had initially thought, and they were at the forest's edge before mid-morning. The forest itself didn't seem overly daunting. There weren't any traces of the fire they had been told about; it must not have reached this far south. The forest was bright and overgrown with lush vegetation painting it a world of greens. The sun still crept through tree tops so the forest was well lit and didn't seem especially treacherous. In fact it seemed rather peaceful. No sooner had the thought grazed her mind, when an unidentified cry filled the air.

"Tear!" Luke called to the melodist and without waiting for a reply, turned around and took off in the direction of the cry.

Luke saw the boy first while Tear was still somewhere around the nearby outskirts of the woods. His familiar green hair was a mess and his white robe was dirty and stained. Ion was on his hands and knees and breathing hard, having given a good chase to the five ligers that were now circling him.

Luke had his sword drawn and through one of the beasts before having even stopped to consider the situation. A second one pounced, but he swung around and his momentum sent it crashing into the earth. In the brief pause, Luke could hear Ion's breathing behind him get heavier.

"Luke! Get out of there!" Luke heard Tear's voice call out. Luke instinctively jumped back; noticing for the first time the huge glyph that had appeared on the ground. A bright flash of light and a surge of fonons ensued, throwing Luke even further back, completely obliterating the remaining three ligers.

"Wow." Luke stood stunned for a moment staring at the void where his opponents had just stood, before running to the young boy's side. "Hey are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Ion hesitantly stood up, swaying from side to side for a moment before passing out all together.

"Whoa!" Luke managed to catch him before he hit the ground. The boy, for he couldn't be any more than 14, was unbelievably light in Luke's arms. His green hair almost blended in with their lush surroundings, though his skin was several shades paler than Luke's. Really, if he weren't wearing white robes, he'd almost look sickly. He had a slender build and had Luke not known any better he'd have almost mistaken him for a girl. He seemed so weak and fragile, but at the same time, the remnants of what he was capable of still clearly evident in what was now a clearing at the entrance to the woods.

"What the hell was that?" Luke cried out once Tear had gotten closer.

"I'm not sure. I've never seen anything like it before. That was a very powerful fonic arte." Tear looked over Ion who was still out cold in Luke's arms. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, I think so. He's just worn out, but after that…I'm not entirely surprised," Luke replied with a new found respect for the boy he was holding onto. "So now what?"

"I suppose we should take him back to Engeve."

"Whoa whoa a second! If we take him all the way back to Engeve, it'll be almost afternoon by the time we get back. There's no telling how far those cheagles will have gotten!"

"So what? Are you saying we take him with us?"

"Well...yes."

"Luke… are you really sure about this? There's a really good chance that that's Fon Master Ion. And if it is, they will be looking for him. Didn't you say you didn't want to get involved?"

Luke hesitated for a moment before replying very firmly, "This is important."

Tear simply sighed. There was no point in trying to convince him otherwise. Just what did he lose that mattered so much to him? The way he hesitated reassured her that he at least somewhat understood the consequences of his choice. What bothered her is that even after everything he'd said last night, he decided to go ahead anyway. Just what did he want to get back so badly?

"Hey, you're up," Luke said, helping the unsteady Ion back on his feet. "Are you okay? That was quite the stunt you just pulled. Where did you learn something like that?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! Are you hurt? I didn't mean for you to be attacked as well. I didn't realize anyone else was in the vicinity."

"Hey don't worry about it, I'm totally fine." Luke cut the apologetic boy off, "That's what I get for not paying attention. Though I've got to say, I would love to know where you learned a trick like that! That kind of skill would come in handy!"

Ion chuckled, "That's a Daathic fonic arte. Only Fon Masters are allowed to learn Daathic fonic artes, so I'm sorry I can't teach it to you."

"Damn. Oh well." Luke sighed disappointedly. Man, if he could learn an arte like that, he'd finally be able to get one up on Asch…but no such luck, at least not today.

"Wait!" What Ion just said finally registering, "So you're the Fon Master?"

"That's right," Ion confirmed, "I am currently the Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei. Your name is Luke correct?"

"Yeah, that's right." Luke answered.

"Luke… In ancient Ispanian that means-"

"Light of the sacred flame," Luke finished. Like he hadn't been told that enough times in his life.

"So you do know. It's a nice name."

"Th-Thank you," Luke happily stuttered before changing the subject. "So what brings you all the way out here by yourself?"

"I'm here to investigate the cheagles. They are herbivores, and very gentle by nature. It's not like them to be stealing food. Since the cheagles are the sacred beasts of the Order, I felt it was my responsibility to at least look into the matter."

"That's great! I'm looking for the cheagles too! They snatched something of mine up along with the food they stole, so I'm going to go get it back. We can go together then!"

"Luke!" Luke cringed at Tear's reprimanding voice. "You can't just go dragging the Fon Master into your crazy games! Besides, these woods aren't safe."

"Oh relax. He can take care of himself! Besides, he has just as much right to be here as we- Whoa!" Luke caught Ion as he just about fell over again. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm sorry," Ion replied with a gentle smile, gratefully accepting Luke's arm as support. "Daathic fonic artes use up a lot of my strength, that's all. I'll be fine in a little while." Luke hadn't considered it before, but now that he thought on it, Ion was a lot paler than when they'd seen him yesterday.

"Okay, then no more using that crazy arte. I don't need you passing out on me again. Let us take care of the fighting, and you can keep an eye out for cheagles."

"You'd do that?" Ion asked incredulously, "You'd protect me? Why thank you Sir Luke!"

Luke turned several shades of red but as what Ion said sunk in, he positively beamed. "Sure I would….but just call me Luke. The whole 'sir' thing is just weird."

"Okay then Luke!" Ion chuckled.

"Oh great," Tear mumbled under her breathe. Just what she needed, someone to inflate Luke's ego. Well, she knew more ways than one to keep him grounded. The more pressing concern was the presence of the Fon Master in such a remote place. Luke had been under the impression that Ion was missing. Granted that it had been Van that had told him that; and while she wasn't one to take his words at face value, it was still enough to cause her some concern. Something was up.

"Oh I'm sorry!" Ion turned towards Tear, "I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

"My apologies Fon Master," Tear said with a slight bow, pushing her worries to the back of her mind for the moment, "I'm Locrian Sergeant Tear Grants. 1st Platoon, Oracle Knights Intelligence Division, under Grand Maestro Mohs' command."

"Whoa, wait! You're a member of the Oracle Knights?" A rather shocked Luke spat out.

"Oh! I know you," Ion replied completely oblivious to Luke's outburst, "You're Van's little sister."

"What?" Luke squeaked. He cleared his throat trying to bring his voice back down the octave it had just jumped. "If you're his sister, then why the hell were you trying to kill him?"

Luke never got an answer though; startled by his shriek, a little green cheagle popped out of a nearby bush and took off deeper into the woods.

"Look! It's a cheagle!" Ion pointed out.

"Alright! Let's go get them then!" Luke took off after it, not willing to miss out on the opportunity that, quite literally, just jumped out at him.

"Thank you" Tear whispered, as she and Ion moved to follow Luke.

"Would it be best for me not to inquire about you and Van?"

"It something between us that relates to my homeland. I don't want to get you or Luke involved."

"Alright then," Ion answered with a smile, "We'd better hurry though, or we'll be left behind."

"He really does have a one-track mind, doesn't he?"

"I can't believe we lost it." Luke sighed.

"Who lost it?" Tear taunted.

"Shut up! He was green….and in case you didn't notice, so is everything else around here!" Ion laughed as Luke got defensive. He had lost the little creature a scant few minutes after he and Tear had caught up, but it had led them to a slightly worn path that they were now following in hopes of finding the cheagle's home.

"Don't worry," Ion offered, "I'm sure their nest isn't very far from here."

"Yeah, I suppose. We've got to be getting close by now."

"Thank you for protecting me so far."

"Oh, it was nothing. No problem at all," Luke lied. Giant snails, ligers, and more large deformed birds then he could shake a stick at really wasn't nothing, but he was finally getting a good feel for real fights, so he didn't mind all that much.

Tear watched from a few paces back as Luke and Ion continued to happily chat. They had been doing so since she and Ion had caught up with Luke, probably almost an hour ago now. The noise they were making was probably scaring off the cheagles, but she didn't really want to tell them to stop. She was amazed at how well the two of them got along. She had expected Luke to look down on Ion as somewhat of a nuisance and a third wheel, but Luke, it seemed, was getting into the habit of surprising her.

The two had completely hit it off. She was amazed at just how comfortable they both seemed around each other. If she hadn't known any better, she'd have thought they'd been friends their entire lives. Of course, it helped that their personalities fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Ion, humble and never without some kind of complement, and Luke who just couldn't get enough praise. That wasn't all though; there was something else there, some sort of unseen connection between the two that she couldn't quite figure out, and at times, despite their opposite demeanours, they seemed so alike.

"Look there!" Ion called out, pointing to a large tree with an opening at the base of the trunk. The tree easily stood twice the height of the trees around it, and its trunk looked wide enough to fit a small house. Despite its large size, leaves only seemed to grow at the top, while its lower branches stood bare. The vegetation at its roots was also sparse and stunted despite the lushness of the vegetation in the surrounding woods. "I'll bet that's where the cheagles live." No sooner had he said it then, a small cheagle, a pink one this time, came out of the opening, and upon seeing them, scrambled back in.

Despite the cheagle's smaller size, the opening at the base of the trunk was big enough for Luke to walk in unimpeded. The entrance was littered with fruits and breads all that bore the mark of Engeve on them, assuring Luke beyond all doubt that this was where he would find his missing treasure.

The inside of the tree was just as large as the outside suggested it would be. Moss grew on the inner walls and mushrooms of every size and colour dotted the earth. There were dozens of cheagles all over the place, jumping, running, eating, playing, all the while making the most hideous racket. Thankfully for Luke, as soon as he stepped inside, they all fell silent. Luke hadn't even gotten a sigh of relief out when all of them suddenly swarmed around the visitors.

They were so…so… cute! Tear watched them bouncing around and playing, and even as they swarmed around her, they made the most adorable little sounds. And they way the flapped their little ears! She just wanted to cuddle one and take it home with her.

"Could you please let us through?" Ion asked gently, kneeling down so he was closer to eye level with them.

"I don't think they can understand you," Luke offered.

"Actually, it's said that Yulia formed a pact with the cheagles and gained their aid."

"Are you of relation to Yulia Jue?" A voice called out. A couple of squeaks and the crowd of cheagles calmed down and parted, revealing a single purple cheagle that was obviously much older than the others.

"Ah. Are you the cheagle elder?" Ion asked.

"That is correct."

"Whoa! It talked!" Luke stepped back in shock.

"That is the power of this ring that we were given by Yulia as proof of our pact. Are you of relation to Yulia?"

"I am Ion, the current Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei."

"So you're the one in charge around here?" Luke demanded, tired of waiting on formalities. He'd waited on more than enough formalities in his life to last him...well several lifetimes. "Cause if you are, I've got a few bones to pick with you. Starting with the stuff you stole from Engeve."

"So you have come to exterminate us then."

"Hardly, look, why are you stealing stuff anyways? I mean, don't you eat the grass and stuff?"

"Not long ago, one of our own started a fire that burned the woods in the north." The cheagle elder explained, "Since then, the ligers that lived there have moved down here, and we have been in danger."

"Yeah, and? You can deal with that without stealing!"

"Luke!" Tear interjected angrily.

"What? It's only fair. You heard them. It was their fault that the forest burnt, so they have to share their home. What's wrong with that?"

"But Ligers prey on cheagles," Ion pointed out. "Did you steal the food from Engeve so that you wouldn't be eaten?"

"Yes. It is as you say."

"Wait a second." Luke threw in, "If I remember right, doesn't Engeve supply food to everywhere? These guys can't just be taking it all!"

"What if we were to do something about the ligers?" Ion suggested, "Then they wouldn't have to steal food."

"Whoa there. I didn't come to go liger hunting. I came to get what these guys stole from me!"

"What is this about stealing something of yours?" The cheagle elder inquired.

"You hauled off something of mine with all that food you stole last night! And I want it back!"

"What is this 'something' that was stolen?"

Luke answered by simply bending down and glaring at the cheagle elder causing it to take a couple nervous steps back. "You'll know it's mine."

"Then le u's make a deal. We will search for this item that you lost, in exchange; will you go and negotiate with the liger queen for us?"

"Can these liger-things talk too?"

"No." The cheagle elder made a few more squeaks and a small blue cheagle came to the front of the crowd. "This little one caused the fires up north. He will accompany you as a translator." The cheagle elder removed the ring and passed it to the little cheagle who placed it around his belly.

"Hi there!" The little cheagle's voice was almost as high pitched as its incomprehensible squeaks, and Luke figured he would just about rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than this thing talk for any length of time. "My name is Mieu! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Luke cringed, but bit back the harsh reply he had been formulating. The little thing hadn't really done anything. So instead he watched as Tear and Ion introduced themselves and with a defeated sigh, the three of them and their latest tag along set out towards the liger's lair.

After having fought liger upon liger on the way to the queen, Luke thought he had been ready for just about anything. He was wrong; the liger queen was easily three times larger than the grandest of the ligers he had seen in the woods and looked a hell of a lot tougher. She sat curled protectively around a nest of eggs, glaring dangerously at the intruders.

The cave in which she had built her nest didn't make the best of places to fight either, should she decide she was hungrier than she was talkative. The rocks were mossy and slippery, which made it hard to get, much less keep any decent footing. The lighting wasn't all that great either, but at least it was still good enough to see.

"Mieu, can you go and talk to her?" Ion asked.

"Certainly!" Mieu hopped down from Tear's shoulder, where she had happily been carrying him since they had left the nesting grounds.

Watching the young cheagle talk to the liger queen was indeed fascinating, not that Luke could make heads or tails of the assortment of squeaks and growls, but it slowly became obvious that things weren't going well.

"Uh...uh-oh!" Mieu finally said, "She says her eggs are about to hatch. She's really mad. She says she's going to kill us and feed us to her children!"

The liger queen proved Mieu's words true by standing up and letting out an earth-shattering roar. The resonating echo shook the cave and loosed three small boulders from the ceiling.

Luke watched as everything played out before him as if in slow motion. He grinned. It had been years since he'd played this game...

Asch held up two identical rubber balls. "When I say go, I'm going to throw these up into the air. You throw yours at the same time." Asch added indicating the third ball that was in Luke's hand.

Luke looked at the ball for a moment, not exactly sure what was going on. He looked back at Asch confused. Asch let out an annoyed sigh.

"When I say go. Throw it as high as you can."

"M'kay!" Luke answered with a smile. This sounded like fun!

"Then you have to take that stick," Asch pointed to the wooden sword-like stick in Luke's other hand, "And hit all three before they hit the ground." Asch continued.

"Why?" Luke looked at him confused again. Asch cringed. He hated that question, and it was Luke's favourite question.

"Because that's how the game works! If any of them hit the ground before you hit them, then you lose." Asch replied somewhat disgruntled. Everyone thought it was too soon to train Luke in any way, but Asch insisted. If they refused to train Luke he would do it himself. Luke may have the mentality of a 1 year old, but he was physically capable of anything Asch himself was. Besides... someday Luke would have to be able to protect himself.

Asch smiled.

"Okay. Ready?"

Luke nodded eagerly.

"Go!"

Two of the rocks went flying harmlessly into the wall, the third crumbled from a well placed blow, its pieces falling harmlessly around the little cheagle it would have crushed. Luke spun around, throwing Ion out of the way as the liger queen pounced on her would-be prey. Luke barely managed to get out of the way as she doubled back, much faster than Luke though possible for something so huge, and took a good swipe at him.

Luke noticed Tear focusing and lured the queen in the other direction. Her claws and fangs were nothing to laugh at, and it took all of Luke's focus just to stay out of their way. There was no way he was going to be able to get anywhere near her. Getting close enough to land a decent hit meant losing a limb…or an organ, all of which Luke would much rather keep….and keep intact.

Things were only getting worse as the battle drew on. Tear's artes weren't doing much better at slowing it down, and both of them were quickly tiring. If this kept up, they were going to end up as food for the liger queen's kits.

It happened so suddenly, Luke wasn't entirely sure exactly what had happened. The ground beneath them opened up, and sharp stones shot out from within its depths, skewing the liger queen on the spot as she prepared to pounce. Luke fell backwards, partially due to the minor earthquake that the arte had caused, but mostly just out of pure shock. What the hell-

"Hmm." The Malkuth Colonel approached the liger queen's body and examined it for a moment before confirming her death.

"Oh no!" Luke stood up and brushed himself off before carefully heading over to the liger's nest. "Look what you did!" Luke yelled at the officer, "The eggs all broke!"

"And a good thing too." He replied.

"What?"

"Luke, liger children eat human flesh." Tear supplied.

"Yes. They would have been hunted and destroyed even had you not interfered. Or of course there is the possibility that they could have gone unnoticed, hatched, and slaughtered half of Engeve." The man who had introduced himself the night before as Jade offered.

"Aren't we the optimist…" Luke mumbled, "Still... it leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Luke eyed the broken eggs before returning to the group.

"You really are kind, or maybe just soft." Tear quietly noted.

"Oh shut up you cold-" Luke snapped back at Tear's statement.

"My my, what's this? Lovers' quarrel?"

"Colonel Curtiss!" Tear almost hissed, "We don't have that sort of relationship!" Ouch. Luke winced at her statement. Sure they were about as far from being a couple as one could humanly get, but did she have to be so…venomous about it?

"I'm joking. And please, call me Jade. I'm not accustomed to be called by my family name." Jade turned to face the entrance, "Anise, come here please."

"Yes, Colonel?" The girl Tear had met in Engeve the previous day almost skipped all the way to the man that had just summoned her. Jade leaned down as whispered something in her ear.

"What? No way! I want to stay here with Ion!" She protested after a moment of whispers that, despite all his straining, Luke couldn't make out. Jade let out a sigh.

"Alright then, but it will cost you." Jade extended an open hand.

"Fine," Anise pouted and handed over a large leather pouch that looked too large to be a wallet. "But I want it back later!"

"Of course Anise, are you implying I would keep it?" Even Jade's innocent tone sent chills down Luke's spine. How was it possible to be that…creepy?

"Well then, I will be going on ahead, Anise, Ion, I trust you know where to go?"

"Don't be silly Colonel! Of course we do," Anise replied with a bit of a giggle. "We'll be right behind you! Once we get Ion all fixed up, look at you! You're a mess!" Anise turned her attention to Ion and was trying to wipe some of the dirt off his white robes. "Then we'll head straight there!"

"Alright then," Jade said with a mock bow, "I trust Anise will take good care of Ion, so to our other wonderful friends, I wish you all the best." Jade turned and left. Somehow, good wishes from him felt more like death wishes. Luke couldn't tell if that man took anything seriously, or if he took everything seriously. Either way made him downright scary.

"Ion!" Anise yelled as soon as the Colonel was out of an earshot, "You were using your power again weren't you! You know the doctor said you're not supposed to!"

"I'm sorry Anise." Anise sighed at his apology. Not much she could do about it now, so there really wasn't any point in hounding him on it.

"Did the letter finally arrive?" Ion asked her.

"It did! We should head out after the Colonel. We don't have a whole lot of time to waste after this little detour."

"I'm sorry Anise, but you know that the cheagles along with the Score make up the Foundation of the Order. I had to do something about the trouble they had been causing."

"You never change. Well whatever, we had best hurry up. Come on!" Anise tugged on Ion's sleeve urging him to hurry.

"Wait!" Luke cut in. "No way! We're heading back to the nesting area so these things can give me back what they took." Luke exclaimed a finger pointing at Mieu who was shaken up, but otherwise no worse off for their misadventure.

"That's right!" Ion confirmed, "We should report to the cheagle elder as well."

"If you say so Ion," Anise conceded, "But let's make it quick. I'd rather not find out what happens when we make the Colonel wait."

"Thank you." The cheagle elder offered her gratitude. "I heard what happened from Mieu. You faced great danger on our behalf, for that we are very grateful."

"Certainly, helping the cheagles is a part of Yulia's teachings after all." Ion smiled, accepting her gratitude.

"I'm sorry to say Master Luke," the cheagle elder turned to Luke, "We were not able to find what it is you lost. However, we cheagles do not easily forget our debts. I hear that you also saved Mieu's life. As punishment for causing the fires in the north, Mieu will be exiled from our tribe. As a form of repayment, he shall serve you, Master Luke, for one full cycle of the seasons."

"I want it back, I don't want a pet!" Luke spat bitterly. He couldn't believe this, after all that, it was really gone.

"Try to look on the bright side Luke," Ion offered in consolation, "Cheagles are the sacred beasts of the Order of Lorelei, I'm sure Mieu will be well received by your family."

"And he's cute," Tear mumbled to herself.

"What was that Tear?" Anise inquired.

"N-Nothing." Tear crossed her arms and became very interested in the left wall.

"Master!" Mieu jumped up, once again in possession of the sorcerer's ring. "I'm sorry you didn't get what you were looking for. I haven't had it long but if you want you can have my treasure instead!" The next time Mieu jumped up, he was holding a small piece of gold attached to a golden chain. It was old and worn and had long since stopped shining.

Before anyone had a clue what had happened, Luke snatched it right out of the young cheagle's hands. "That's it! You mean to tell me you had it the entire time?"

"Mieuuuu…" Mieu shrunk back "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was yours…"

"I don't believe this! All that work..." Luke turned around and stormed out of the tree. All that for nothing! Well granted they had saved the cheagles… and the people of Engeve…and had put an end to the food thefts. Damn, sometimes he wished he could just be generally pissed off about something without his conscience tugging at him. Oh well, it was probably for the best anyways, he'd take an annoying conscience over being a total ass.

"Well, I suppose since we've finished up here, we should probably go after him," Tear suggested.

"Yes, we should be going. Thank you very much for everything," Ion added as Mieu hopped up and headed after Luke.

"Master! Wait for me!"

Trekking back out of the forest seemed to take a lot longer than the trip in, possibly because Luke was in such a foul mood. Not only was he still mad from before, but Anise had been taking up all of the Fon Master's attention, so he didn't even have anyone to chat with. So he tromped down the path twirling what Tear could only guess was a locket, around his fingers. Every now and then he'd catch it and look at it, then return to twirling it. At the very least, it was keeping him entertained.

Tear's curiosity finally got the better of her and the next time he caught it, she peaked over his shoulder. It was a locket, just like she thought, but it was broken, and only half the locket was still on the chain. The picture inside was worn, and of a very familiar someone. His hair was a bit shorter and he wasn't quite as tall, but it was most definitely him.

"I can't believe you!" Luke jumped, not realizing she was right behind him. "You mean to tell me you went through all that trouble to get back a picture of yourself! How self-centered can you get?" Tear's yelling drew the attention of the others who were a few paces ahead. "I took you for a lot of things, but a narcissist wasn't one of them. Don't you realize you could have gotten one of us killed? Over that?"

"Seriously?" Anise asked, "You mean you put up all that fuss over a picture of yourself? Man, that's conceited."

"Hey wait!" Luke called after her.

"I don't even want to hear it!" Tear cut him off.

"Please don't fight." Ion said trying to calm them both down, but Tear continued, oblivious to the Fon Master's attempts to settle them down.

"You went and put us all in danger, not to mention deciding to get involved after all the fuss you put up last night about-"

"You should listen to the Fon Master." A strangely familiar voice came from behind them, cutting her off. Tear spun around to see a young man standing in the clearing where they had first run into Ion and started this crazy little adventure.

Tear racked her brain, but couldn't for the life of her figure out why his voice sounded familiar, she had never seen him before in her life. His crimson red hair flowed down the back of his black coat that was gently flapping in the breeze. His bangs were pulled back out of his emerald green eyes, which were narrowed and locked on her, a fact that was making her very uncomfortable. The sword at his side was in a stylized sheathe and he looked ready to draw it at any time. His stance and the way he carried himself made it very clear that he was no amateur.

It was Asch.

Luke could have cried he was so happy to see a familiar face. Though he had only ever seen Asch with his hair pulled back like that a few times, there was no doubt that it was him. There was just something, like a sixth sense Luke couldn't quite explain. It didn't matter how well disguised he was, Luke would always know it was him.

Luke wanted nothing more than to run up to him but the glare he got, then the suspicious looks he then gave the others, especially Tear, was clear as day to him. No associating just yet. Luke just hoped he wouldn't do anything rash. Ironic, coming from him since that was usually his department. Admittedly, he could understand Asch's harsh distrust of Tear. The image of Asch's panicked expression as he and Tear got whisked away was still clearly emblazoned in his mind.

Tear remained silent and stepped back under the intense scrutiny. Whoever this was, he didn't like her at all. The dangerous looks she was getting were nerve-wracking at best, and they made her ill-at-ease. Whatever he had planned for her however, was cut short as Malkuth soldiers burst out of the trees around them. They were completely surrounded.

"Ah there you are." Jade's smooth voice snaked around the clearing. "You took longer than I expected you would."

"Sorry Colonel," Anise apologized, grabbing Ion's sleeve and dragging him towards Jade. "We took a detour to report to the cheagle elder."

"That's alright, I suppose," Jade replied, never taking his eyes off Luke, Tear and Asch in the center. "Now, who have we here?" Jade eyed Asch, but Asch didn't dignify him with a response, only a harsher glare. Jade shrugged, if he wanted to be like that, he could go down with the others. "These two were the source of the Seventh Fonons," Jade called out, indicating Luke and Tear, "Soldiers, restrain them!"

"Wait!" Ion interjected, "Please don't do anything to hurt them!"

"Don't worry, we won't kill them… assuming they don't resist," Jade taunted.

Unfortunately for Jade and his plans, Asch intended to do no such thing. The soldiers that had approached him were out cold and the ones trying to grab Luke didn't even see what hit them. The remaining soldiers turned their attention to Asch. Luke wanted to jump in and help but refrained from doing so after yet another glare from Asch. Over the years, Luke had become rather fluent in the language that was Asch's glaring; especially since the results of misunderstanding involved yelling, pain, or usually a combination thereof.

A soldier swung at Asch, and he spun around, their swords meeting in midair. Asch watched the remaining half dozen soldiers out of the corner of his eyes. A second soldier, trying to take advantage of the opening, charged at him. Taking one hand off his sword, Asch pulled out a dagger and met the second blow mid-swing. Both soldiers remained firm, refusing to back down.

The third soldier came from behind, and though Asch knew full well that he was there, he had no way of blocking or evading the strike with the other two still pinning him down from either side. He winced as the sword swung down on his back.

The sound of metal on metal rung through the clearing as everything else fell silent. Luke was shaking slightly at the weight of the soldier's blade on top of his, but managed to throw the soldier back. He now stood back to back with his counterpart. Oh he'd get yelled at later for sure, but he didn't care. This was where he belonged.

"Heh… idiot."

Next thing anyone knew, torrents of water crashed down on the two boys, the fonic arte successfully subduing them both. Sopping wet, they were both hauled to their feet and restrained.

"Now that the two of you have cooled down a bit-" Jade halted mid-sentence as the two boys were placed side by side. "Oh my…now this is interesting."

"What is it Colonel?" Anise looked up at Jade before seeing for herself what had the man's attention. "Oh."

Even Tear couldn't believe her eyes. Water was dripping from two identical sets of bangs into two identical faces. Had they not been wearing opposite colours, she wouldn't have even been able to tell them apart. It then struck Tear as to why the other boy's voice had been so familiar, both in its first statement, and in the soft whisper that had reached her ears before the crashing of water. It had been Luke's voice she heard in him, just as she now saw Luke's eyes in him as he stood defeated for the moment.

Luke on the other hand had a grin from ear to ear, as if that had been the most fun he'd had in days. Despite the fact that he was restrained, he looked more relaxed than since she had met him.

"Take them aboard the Tartarus!" Jade commanded, regrouping his soldiers. "We'll get this all sorted out there," He added more for his own benefit than for anything.

Tear watched as the two boys were hauled out of the forest and aboard the massive landship. She followed escorted by a half dozen soldiers. But despite the fact that they were being taken captive by the Malkuth military, Tear's thoughts were stuck on one thing: Luke's locket, and the boy in it who looked just like him.