Chapter 17

The sun was still rising over the horizon when Luke approached the castle the next day. It wasn't often Luke was up this early, so he had never really seen the city at first light before. The calm morning air was fresh and the golden sky was breathtaking. It was a wonderful way to start such an important journey.

Luke had given Van's offer a lot of thought the previous night, though he remained somewhat undecided on the matter. While the opportunity was everything he dreamed for, he was still a bit reluctant to leave home. Then again, he would have to leave home eventually, and being in Daath was much better than being in a city where he didn't know anyone. This way he would still have Ion, Anise and Master Van around. And maybe he would get the chance to meet the other God-Generals when they weren't under orders to kill him, who knew, there was probably more to them than met the eye. It might not be too bad. He still had plenty of time to think it through, which made him much more comfortable about the whole thing. For now, Akzeriuth was a priority.

As Luke approached the castle gates, he noticed that both Guy and Master Van were already there and were busy talking. But as he got closer, he could clearly tell that it wasn't a friendly conversation.

"-and this isn't how it was supposed to happen!" Luke managed to catch the end of Guy's angry statement. He certainly had a lot of emotion for so early in the morning. But why was he upset at Master Van?

"I'm aware of that." Van calmly replied, "Why do you think I'm going as well? I want to be sure that- Ah Luke, good morning." Van immediately halted mid-sentence when he saw Luke approach.

"What is it you want to make sure of?" Luke questioned.

"Just that the journey to Akzeriuth goes smoothly and that no one gets hurt unnecessarily." Van replied.

"Oh I see." Luke turned to Guy, "Don't worry, things are gonna go just fine." Luke reassured him with a smile Guy couldn't help but returning. But somehow, when that smile faded, he seemed more upset than before.

But Luke didn't have much time to contemplate just what had his best friend so agitated, since within a few minutes, the rest of their group had gathered. Anise was as perky as ever, making a stark contrast to Ion who was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, betraying the fact that the rather smug looking Jade that wasn't far behind them had to come and wake them up. Tear came from the direction of the city, having stayed in the hotel where Mohs had also been staying so she was able to deliver her report and receive her mission detailing. They were almost set to go.

"So, now that we're all here, what's our course of action? Or is our ambassador heading in without any plans?" Jade taunted.

"Well, I looked into it last night, and we can either catch a ferry to Kaitzur, or we can go by land to Chesedonia and catch a ferry there. That takes us through the desert though, but it would be a lot quicker to catch a boat from here." Luke provided, earning him a combination of impressed and shocked looks from the group for being able to provide that information. They had all expected him to be clueless.

"It's not quite that simple." Tear interrupted.

"What makes you say that?" Guy inquired.

"Apparently yesterday at least one of the God-Generals tried coming into the city, but there was some kind of ruckus and they retreated. There's no saying how long that will last though."

"So the God-Generals might still be after Ion?" Luke questioned.

"Well, they may have had other reasons for entering the city, but to be safe, we should presume that that was their objective." Tear replied.

"And it seems my orders to leave the Fon Master be have gone unheeded." Van mentioned. "Aside from my sword, I won't be able to provide you with much more help in that regard."

"That should be fine." Jade provided, "With your hand in battle, they should hesitate a bit more before they consider attacking at the very least. In which case, I would think simply taking a ferry from here would be the most efficient route. We'll need to be on a boat regardless, whether it be from here or from Chesedonia. Getting there as soon as possible should be our priority."

"And there's no saying the God-Generals aren't waiting to ambush us outside the city either. We know for sure that at least one is outside the city, so I'd say leaving by boat is the safer of the options."

"Alright so we're taking the ferry to Kaitzur." Luke confirmed. "Excuse me," Luke turned to one of the nearby soldiers, "could you inform your captain that we will be departing on the ferry to Kaitzur and that the soldiers may board the ship whenever ready."

"Sir!" The soldier gave Luke a quick nod and headed off to find the captain in charge of the Akzeriuth mission.

"Master! Master!" Mieu impatiently bounced up onto Luke's shoulder. "Are we ready to go yet?"

"Not quite yet." Luke replied.

"What can I say? It's as anxious as the rest of us to get rid of you." Asch teased as he opened the castle doors and stepped out, followed by Natalia and King Ingobert.

"And good morning to you too." Luke shot back, having fun pretending to be offended.

"I'm confused." Mieu's ears sagged. "I thought I was coming with Master…"

"You are. Asch was just teasing." Luke provided, his gaze never leaving his brother. "So what brings you guys out here?"

"We came to see you off." Natalia spoke up, as if their intentions had been the most obvious thing in the world. Luke saw Asch sigh and give him an apologetic look, but Luke offered an understanding smile. He was used to it by now.

"Yes," Ingobert spoke up, "It will be a difficult journey. Fon Master, are you certain of this? Akzeriuth will be far from safe. It is no place for one such as yourself."

"Thank you for your concern, but I will be fine. I have Luke and the others to protect me."

"Then I wish you a safe journey." Ingobert said with a defeated sigh.

"Yes, a safe journey to you all." Natalia said with a smile.

"Thank you Your Majesty. Princess." Jade said, nodding to them both. "But we should be off, the ferry departs shortly, and we should not delay."

"Yes, every moment we delay, more lives may be lost." Ion commented.

"Then we will leave you to your journey." Natalia replied. "May it be a successful one."

"Thank you." Ion said as the king and Natalia both returned inside, leaving only Asch in front of the castle.

"Come, let's head down to the port." Jade began ushering the group away. "Luke, I trust we'll see you there shortly?"

"Yes, I'll be down right away." Luke replied gratefully. Tear allowed herself to be ushered away; she saw what the Colonel had in mind now. Luke was heading out without Asch, probably for the first time in his life. For everything that Luke would have to deal with on his own over the course of this journey, he deserved a few moments to say goodbye to his family.

Asch and Luke watched everyone until they were out of sight, heading down the stairs and off to the port. Luke made a mental note to thank Jade for his perceptiveness later.

"Luke," Luke turned to face Asch who was talking to him, "are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. I am." Luke softly replied.

"Are you really sure you're ready for something like this? It's no small task and you didn't look so sure about it yesterday. If you don't feel up to it, we could switch. I'm done working at the castle for a little bit, so you wouldn't have to worry about that."

"No. It's really okay." Luke gave Asch a reassuring smile. "I admit, I was a little scared and overwhelmed about it all yesterday, but I've given it a lot of thought, and I know I can do this. You enjoy the break, you've deserved it. I'll be back before you know it."

Luke hadn't lied to Asch, he had thought about it a lot. About the Score, and about what Master Van had said. And if his being in danger could save Asch's life, he'd do it a thousand times over. Because, if he let Asch go to Akzeriuth, and something was to happen to him there, he would never forgive himself.

"Alright then." Asch said taking Luke's hands in his own. "But be careful…and be safe. I'll see you when you get home."

"Don't worry I will. Everything will be fine, you'll see." Luke let go of Asch's hand. "Stay out of trouble while I'm gone. I'll see you again soon." Luke smiled and waved as he turned and followed the group down towards the port.

He only hoped that he could keep his word.

-------

Everyone was still standing on the dock when Luke finally caught up to them. The large ferry towered a couple stories above their heads, blocking the sun that was now gleaming as its reflection flickered in the waves. A single small staircase allowed entry onto the ship's upper deck. It was sturdy, but narrow, only allowing a single file of passengers to board. From the looks of things, the soldiers had all boarded already, and the ferry was all prepared to set sail.

"What took you? The ship's about to leave." Anise called to Luke who immediately picked up the pace.

"Sorry, but thanks for waiting."

"Well then, let's get onboard before the ship leaves without us." Van chuckled, heading up the stairs.

"Yeah, let's get going." Guy agreed following in his stead. Not far behind him was Luke, followed by Tear, Anise and Ion, then Jade taking up the rear.

About halfway up the stairs, Guy suddenly stopped. Not noticing the blonde's sudden halt, Van continued on his way up to the deck.

"Hey Guy, What's the matter?" Luke tried peeking over his shoulder, but failed as he almost sent himself toppling into the water below. Guy didn't answer, his hand clutching his left arm. Had he hurt it somehow? But no sooner had Luke thought that, Guy let go of his limb, the evidence of his tight grip still showing in the fabric of his shirt. What had that been about?

"Guy?" The sudden movement surprised Luke and he leaned back just in time, his eyes wide open in shock as Guy's sword sent a few red hairs flying off on the ocean breeze.

"Guy what's the matter?!" Luke backed off, his balance being tested as he dodged several more swings before he made it back onto the docks.

Jade, who had sensed something was wrong, had already backed off, and the three others did their best not to trip over each other as they got out of Luke and Guy's way.

"Guy, what are you doing?!" Tear yelled as the young servant struck again and again at his distraught master. The clash of metal resonated in their ears as Luke was finally forced to draw his own blade.

"Something's wrong with him." Luke managed as he continued to block the tirade of blows coming from his best friend. Luke knew something wasn't right. The hatred in the look that was fixed on Guy's face, wasn't something the Guy he knew was even capable of. It scared him; because all that hatred was focused solely on him.

But despite Guy's movements and well placed blows, something about him was off. It was almost like he was unconscious. His actions weren't thought out, they were almost simply reactions. Could someone be controlling him somehow? Either way, Guy wasn't letting up any time soon, and there was a limit to how long Luke could keep this up. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn't attack Guy.

Without even moving, Jade stole a glance behind him. Then before anyone could react, he sent a spear flying into a pile of boxes drawing the attention of the rest of the group. A figure jumped out of its hiding place, swiftly avoiding the blow, landing on a pile of nearby crates as the tower of boxes crashed to the ground behind him.

"Sync!" Ion cried.

"Depart!" One of the sailors called, noticing the scramble taking place on the docks. They couldn't afford to risk the ship being damaged by some pointless scuffle on the ground, and that kind of violence had no place on their decks.

"Wait what's going on?!" Van ran to the edge of the ship, but the stairs has already been retracted, and the ship was pulling away. He could only watch as the scuffle on the dock shrank in the distance, as the ship set sail for Kaitzur.

"Sync, what did you do to Guy?" Ion yelled at the God-General who was thoroughly enjoying the scene that played out before him.

"This is Sync's doing?" Tear inquired, trying to keep a leery eye on both the God-General and the fight between their companions.

"Luke!" Ion yelled to the redhead who almost took a hit when he turned to see what Ion wanted. "You have to knock him unconscious! Sync is using a curse slot to control Guy, you have to knock him out!"

Luke didn't look especially happy with that idea, but he didn't exactly have time to argue, or to come up with a better one. It certainly was better than fighting his best friend indefinitely.

Jade nodded his head at Tear who joined in the fray with Luke. While Guy couldn't be lured away from his assault on the young noble, at the very least she could distract him with attacks of her own. Jade watched, refusing to step away from his spot between the God-General and the Fon Master. Now that Ion had said something, he could see a glyph like pattern of blood that had soaked through Guy's white sleeve. A curse slot; that was no simple arte, Sync was certainly not to be trifled with.

Luke finally managed to land a hit to the blonde that sent him tumbling to the ground. Guy lay unconscious on the wet stone of the port as Luke knelt down to check the injury he had just incurred. Sync grinned, and taking advantage of Luke's lowered guard, launched himself at the redhead.

Sync screeched to a stop as a fonic arte crashed into the ground before him. He jumped backwards, dodging several arrows that were also sent his way.

"Luke, are you okay?" Asch ran to Luke's side. "What happened here? You were supposed to be gone already." He inquired, never taking his eyes off Sync.

"Sync was using some kind of arte to control Guy. We had to knock him out to get him to stop attacking." Luke replied, standing up and joining his sibling.

"Are you alright?" Natalia asked as she moved beside Tear, never lowering her bow that was fixed on Sync.

"I am. Thank you." Tear replied, as she too faced down the rather displeased Sync that stood before them.

"I'd say you're rather outnumbered." Jade commented.

"Oh I'm not out of the running quite yet." Sync smugly announced.

Asch suddenly cried out, grabbing Luke's shoulder to maintain his balance. He could feel the blood trickling down his leg. Everyone glanced behind them to see Guy, who was still lying on the ground, with his sword in hand. The tip had managed to slice the back of the elder sibling's leg. Natalia turned her bow on the blonde. But his hand was trembling from the effort, and the sword fell to the ground with a clang that seemed to resonate through the empty docks. Guy collapsed, unconscious again.

"He woke up." Sync commented, "That's some pretty intense hatred there. He may be more fun than I thought."

"What do you mean by that?" Luke almost hissed at the boy. Not only his best friend but his brother now?!

"Hmph." Sync cocked his head, the smug grin on his face indicating he had no intention of answering. Luke redrew his sword. "I'm outnumbered, so I'll retreat. I've accomplished my mission for the time being." Sync stated.

"Get back here!" Luke yelled after the retreating God-General.

"Luke!" Jade interrupted, "Let him go for now. We can't afford to get caught up in a fight with him right now."

"I know." Luke sheathed his sword as everyone else also put their respective weapons away. He turned and knelt beside Guy. "What are we going to do with him? Is he going to attack us again when he wakes up?"

"He should be fine now that Sync's gone." Ion also knelt down beside Guy. "The power of a curse slot depends on the proximity of the user. That's why Sync had to be here on the docks. Otherwise it wouldn't have worked."

"I'm more worried about what he had said about having 'accomplished his mission'." Asch stated. "He couldn't have been after Ion, and other than make us miss the boat- Ow!" Asch winced as Luke poked his injury on the back of his leg. Fortunately he had been standing far enough away from Guy that the cut was pretty shallow. "It's nothing." Asch looked over his shoulder at Luke who was still examining it.

"It won't be nothing if it gets infected." Luke stated as he took the bottom of his jacket and, much to Tear's utter shock, ripped a strip off the bottom, and used it to bandage his sibling's leg. Tear watched on and almost couldn't believe it. How many times had he complained about getting that coat dirty or wet over the course of their last journey? More than she could remember, he loved that thing, and yet here he had just ripped it apart. Maybe she took for granted just how close the two of them really were.

"It is possible that he had accomplished whatever mission he had to do before interfering with us." Jade pointed out as Luke was fixing Asch up.

"And since when have we ever been that lucky?" Anise asked.

"I'm simply stating the possibility." Jade shrugged.

"Now," Luke stood up having finished for the time being. Once he got back to the castle they could dress it properly. "What are you two doing down here?"

"We're coming with you." Natalia stated.

"What?" Luke spun around to face the princess.

"That's right; we're coming to Akzeriuth with you." Asch repeated. "I don't care what Uncle says, you'll need all the extra help you can get."

No! Luke spun around and his gaze met Asch's. Asch wasn't joking; he was serious, and very determined. But Asch couldn't go to Akzeriuth! Luke had to fight to keep his growing panic in check. Natalia, he would more than happily do without, but could deal with if he had to, but what if something happened to Asch?! He had to find someway to keep him from coming, and fast.

The second ferry pulled into the port. It was a bit smaller than the one that had departed earlier, but it too went to Kaitzur. People began to disembark, and everyone ceased their discussions, as they waited for the crowd to leave. Many people got off the ship, a few of the Baticul residents waved to Asch and Luke as they passed, a gesture Luke nervously returned. The sailors quickly made preparations for the next round of passengers to board.

"Asch," Luke started. Asch turned his attention to his little brother. "Look, I-"

"Master Asch! Lady Natalia!"

Asch grabbed Luke by the arm and they ran up on to the ferry, closely followed by the rest of the group. They ducked down around the port side, out of sight of the guards that were searching for the missing couple. "Sorry Luke," Asch whispered, "Can this wait until later?"

Luke was silent for awhile before finally managing an answer. "Yeah… sure."

-------

Luke once again found himself in the open ocean, staring out at the sea. They were only about half a day behind the ship that Master Van and the soldiers had been on, which was good. The trip to Kaitzur would take a few days, which would give them all a chance to recover from their unexpected encounter that morning.

---

"Are you sure he'll be okay?" Luke asked Ion once everyone else had left the room.

"I am. I know you're worried about him, but try not to; he just needs some time to recover. He pushed himself to his limits earlier fighting it."

"Will it happen again?" Luke watched Guy resting, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

"Unless the curse slot is removed, there is the possibility that it will. But as long as Sync isn't around, he'll be fine."

"Just what is a curse slot anyways?"

"A curse slot is an arte that's applied directly to a person's fon slots. It stirs up memories and uses them to control a person."

"I see. So you're sure he'll be fine right?"

Ion giggled. "I'm certain Luke. Now come on, let's leave him get some rest. He's got a few days to build his strength back up before we reach Akzeriuth."

"Alright, let's go get some fresh air then. Ion?"

"Yes, what is it Luke?"

"Thank you."

---

"You keep that up, and one of these days we're going to lose you in thought."

"Ha ha. Funny Asch."

"I try." Asch chuckled. "So what is it you wanted to talk about before?"

"Oh. Nothing important. I just… no it doesn't matter anymore."

Asch eyed Luke suspiciously. He didn't need the overwhelming sense of guilt and disappointment coming from Luke to tell him that he was lying. Why did Luke seem so upset about him tagging along. He had thought perhaps the resentment had entailed Natalia's participation, but it was clearly him. What could- and then an idea hit him.

"Hey, I'm not here to steal your job as ambassador. You're still in charge, I'm just here to help out, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Cheer up a bit; you're going to make Kimlasca look a pretty depressing place with a face like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"There you go, that's better." Asch laughed. "I want to talk to you about some stuff later so stop by my room sometime."

"Okay I will." Luke said with as much cheer as he could muster. Asch smiled and walked off, meeting up with Natalia along the way.

Luke's heart was in his throat. The day had started so well, but now as he watched his older brother happily chatting with his fiancée over by the railing, he couldn't get rid of the pit that had settled in the bottom of his stomach and threatened to make him sick.

There was no way for him to stop Asch from coming to Akzeriuth now.