Chapter 23

The early spring breeze gently blew across an open field. The bright spring blossoms softly swayed in the wind, basking in the light of the sun that shone down from the endless blue sky. In the center of the field sat two children, no more than seven. The boy was dressed in white and had crimson hair that was being gently tossed around in the wind, and seated among the flowers, a young girl with golden hair and an azure dress looked happily up at him.

"Someday, when we're grown up, let's change this country. Change it so that no one has to be poor. Change it so that war never happens. Let's work to change our country. For the rest of our lives." The boy smiled as the young girl's face lit up.

"Yes, someday we shall wed and together we'll make this country a wonderful place!" She replied with a smile. She took a ring that she had made out of the flowers and placed it on the boy's head. The white and yellow blossoms stood out against the boy's deep red hair, unlike the matching one on her own head.

"Together." He replied.

"Together." She took his hands. "It's a promise."

---

'What is this?'

---

"Luke! To have snuck out like that is bad enough, but to have taken Natalia with you?" The red-haired boy cringed as his father reprimanded him.

"You are to be this nation's ruler. For that you will need to learn responsibility, to have the capacity to lead the people."

"You don't have to tell me, I know that." The boy replied.

"We know you do sweetheart." The boy's mother spoke up, "but you need to try and be more careful, you're the only one we have, there's no one other than you who can do this."

"I'm sorry, I'll try not to disappoint you."

---

'Where am I?'

---

The young boy sat alone in a room of the manor, gazing quietly out the window into the clear summer sky. The room was empty, as was the courtyard he was observing. He sat alone allowing his sorrows to grow in the silence.

"If it's you Luke, you'll make a wonderful king," The boy turned around to see his teacher, "I can guarantee you that." The boy smiled gratefully as his inconsequential concerns were swept away.

"Master Van..."

"You're capable of many, much greater things." He continued, "because you are the chosen one."

"Thank you…"

---

'What is all this?'

'My memories.' Asch's simple response came rather unexpectedly as Luke watched many scenes play out before him.

'But why am I seeing your memories?'

'You wanted to know didn't you? You wanted to know the truth.'

'Well yeah…'

---

Luke suddenly found himself back at home. The moonlight softly filtered in through the window and lit the room, providing Luke with enough light to look around. It was one of the guest rooms back at the manor, the one at the northern edge of the courtyard, but it wasn't how Luke remembered it. Rather than the flowery bed spread and neatly kept end tables, there were shelves of books and toys. Training swords neatly lined the wall and the closet was full of clothes all carefully hung up and ready for their owner to pick them out. A dark blue blanket covered the bed in which slept a young red haired boy.

Luke watched Asch sleep, or 'Luke' rather; he couldn't be any more then ten. So this had been Asch's room when he was young, that might explain why it seemed vaguely familiar. If it had been Asch's room, then it had also been his for a time. But since Luke had moved to his current room, no one else had claimed it, and it had become a guest room.

A soft knock came at the door, and Asch sat up. Luke instinctively ducked out of sight at the foot of the bed. Wait… what was he hiding for? This was a memory, that's what Asch had said. Did he even exist here? Luke hesitantly peeked up from the foot of the bed and found himself eye to eye with his future sibling. But Asch didn't make any indication of having seen him; rather he sleepily blinked and rubbed his eyes before replying.

"Who is it?"

So Luke couldn't be seen, he was just an observer. Someone watching this chain of events play out before him but not able to do anything about them. They had happened a long time ago after all. But just what was he watching?

"I apologize for waking you so late Master Luke," the voice came through the door. It was Guy! His voice was quieter, and a bit higher pitched, but Luke still recognized it.

"You can come in; I can barely hear you out there." Asch replied with a yawn. The door opened, and just as Luke had guessed, a fourteen year-old Guy walked in.

"My apologies, but your presence is requested in the entrance hall." Guy said once he had entered.

"So late? What's going on?"

"Nothing to concern yourself about, but I was asked to fetch you despite how late it is." Guy replied stiffly. What was with him? The Guy Luke knew wasn't anything like that.

"Alright, just give me a moment."

"I'll await you outside." Guy acknowledged before stepping out the door.

Asch quickly changed out of his pyjamas and threw on a pair of shorts and a shirt. It was a bit cold out for such a light outfit, but he wouldn't be out long before he could return to the comforting warmth of his bed.

"So what's going on?" Asch inquired of Guy as they made their way across the courtyard.

"I wasn't given any details on the matter."

"Well you must know something, what did it look like? Is there a guest?"

"I don't know." Guy stopped before opening the door, causing Asch to almost trip over his feet.

"What is it Guy?" Guy remained silent.

"Guy, what's the matt-" But before he could finish his question, someone with a strong grip grabbed him, holding him still with one arm, while the other pressed a wet cloth against his mouth. Asch struggled but wasn't able to budge, his eyes pleading with Guy to help him. He couldn't breathe!

Forgetting where he was, Luke pounced on Van who he could clearly see holding Asch and pressing the drug-soaked rag against his brother's mouth. But this wasn't real, or at least this wasn't his reality, and he passed right through the man, landing in a heap on the ground.

Guy help him! Luke yelled at the blonde, despite the fact that he knew full well that Guy couldn't hear him. Why wasn't Guy helping? Why wasn't he even putting up a fuss? Even if he didn't stand a chance against Van, he could still make enough of a ruckus to attract some attention. But he didn't. Guy simply stood, watching the struggling boy as the drug took effect and he slowly lost consciousness, still silently reaching out to the person he had trusted for help.

No way, Luke watched on in horror as Asch weakened. Guy wasn't involved in this. He couldn't be… Guy would never do anything like that. Luke's surroundings began to fade to darkness as Asch lost consciousness. It was his memory after all, the spaces he hadn't seen and things he didn't know, couldn't be filled in. But as everything around him melted away, Luke caught a glimpse into the empty entrance hall. His heart sank as he noticed that there was no one there, and nothing going on. As Asch's last traces of consciousness faded, Luke had one final realization.

No wonder Asch doesn't trust Guy.

---

Luke had no idea how long he had spent in the darkness before Asch awoke. But when he finally did, the surroundings were once again a place Luke was familiar with. This time they were in the basement of Choral Castle. Asch sat up and held his spinning head, the effects of the drug still not completely worn off. He was sitting in the small cell that Asch had shown Luke on their previous trip, easily identifiable by the jagged bars and harsh surroundings.

Suddenly realizing what was going on, Asch ran up to the bars and tried to pull them out, but they were solidly implanted in the rock, and didn't budge. He looked out from his prison, trying to spot someone, anyone, but there wasn't anyone else around. He shivered from the cold and the fact that he had been lying on wet rock. He too recognized where he was, but he didn't remember any of those strange machines being there before.

Asch turned around to try and find a place to sit in his cell and wait for someone to come. Certainly someone would come, he was sure they must be looking for him right about now. He had to find a way to get out and get back home. Everyone must be worried.

It was then that he noticed the food. Some one had left him a tray with something to eat and a container full of water. On the tray was some bread and some fruit that made Asch's stomach rumble. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

After a moment's inspection, he decided the food wasn't poisoned and began to eat, but as he did, he grew steadily tired. It wasn't until he was almost done that he finally realized it. The drug was in the food! But it was far too late, and he was already slipping back into the realm of unconsciousness.

Time passed and Asch spent most of it in a haze of unconsciousness and vague consciousness. Even when he was awake, he couldn't manage to string a proper chain of thought together. He couldn't think straight, and it frustrated him beyond belief. He couldn't stay here. It was cold, and he wanted to go home. Twice he had tried not eating, but after a couple days, though his mind had cleared, he barely had the strength to move much less break out. Then as soon as he was discovered, he'd be force-fed, and the haze would return.

Luke quietly sat beside his future sibling. It tore him apart to see Asch like this, so completely helpless. He was so desperate to get home and frustrated with his own lack of strength. Even though Luke knew this was nothing more than a memory, he placed a comforting arm around the boy. As expected, the young Asch remained completely oblivious to his presence, and Luke would have given anything for the chance to change all this. To make all the pain and sadness go away. But he couldn't, all he could do was sit in the cell and try, in vain, to comfort the sobbing ten-year old.

---

Not long after that, the pain began. Every day, Asch was forcefully hauled from his cell, and bound to a strange machine he didn't recognize. It was a bizarre device with green lights, and it was what brought the pain. Time and time again it was inflicted on him, until he had reached his limits, at which point he was thrown back in his cell, to have the entire process repeated later once he'd recovered. It was cold, he wanted to go home. He just, he just wanted to go home. Everyone was waiting, he had to get home. They needed him, he just had to get home. As soon as he got home, all the pain, everything, it would all go away.

Time itself became completely inconsequential. There was no sense of night or day, even if his mind would have been lucid enough to notice. Even Luke couldn't make out how much time had passed. His perception of their surroundings was affected by how Asch had seen them after all. Everything that happened, the pain, the lights, the machines, it all blended together into a single existence. Asch hated it. It was cold, it hurt, and he just wanted to go home. Everyone must be worried; everyone must be looking for him. They needed him; he just had to get home.

Then suddenly something stood out from the torturous cycle. When he was hauled out of his cell and bound to the machine, the pain came as expected, but then a strange warmth appeared beside him. Asch, and subsequently the observing Luke, couldn't identify what it was… but it was a wonderful warm feeling that made all of the pain and all the sadness go away, even if just for a brief moment. Asch desperately reached out to that warmth, but as soon as he did, it disappeared, leaving nothing but the cold to which he had become accustomed in its wake.

Then that too became a part of the endless cycle. Every time the same comforting, suffusing warmth would appear beside him, and every time he would reach out to it. It could make all the pain go away, and then maybe, he could finally go home. But every time, it would always vanish, slipping through his fingers as it dissipated.

Maybe he could never reach it. Perhaps such happiness and appeasement was not meant for him. Perhaps he would never again make it home. But what would happen then? Mother would be completely devastated, and surely Father would be upset as well. Then what about Natalia? He had made her that promise, and she would never forgive him for breaking it. He wanted to go home… but how? He had begun to believe that if he could reach that warmth, then everything would be better. Then it would all go away. But even that seemed out of his reach.

Luke didn't want to be here anymore. It was too much. He couldn't stand to see Asch like this. It was just too cruel. His hatred for the man who had put him through all this grew exponentially with every painful and torturous moment that Asch went through, and there were many of them.

Luke had no idea how long all this had gone on, but it had been long enough to break whatever strength and will Asch had left. His hope was nothing more than a flickering flame, desperately clinging to a dream of home and of returning to all those he loved; of fulfilling his responsibility to his country and his family. It was all he had left to hold onto.

---

It began the same as any other time. Asch was hauled from his cell, offering far less resistance then he had the first time it had occurred. Again he was strapped to the strange machine with the green lights, and once again the strange warmth appeared beside him. But for the first time, he didn't reach out. He wouldn't be able to handle it if it were to disappear again. It was so bizarre, why did it upset him so every time this strange feeling went away? But without even realizing it, that feeling, that strength, had become his hope, and he couldn't stand losing it again. Maybe if he didn't reach out, it wouldn't go away.

Don't be afraid my child.

The deep voice softly resounded in his mind, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Asch had no idea what it was, but, something about it made him feel safe. It brought with it a strength and a hope that he had long lost somewhere along the way. Asch hesitantly reached out again.

As long as I am able… I will watch over you.

Asch didn't know what the warmth would feel like, and he realized he hadn't given any thought to what it might be. But as he carefully held onto the hand of the boy next to him, he felt at peace for the first time since he had been taken away. And for that moment everything else became inconsequential.

Both of you.

"That's it!" A cry came from across the room. "It's stable! We've finally created a stable one!"

A looming shadow came over Asch, and the warmth beside him was ripped away. Asch struggled and fought but in spite of his efforts only ended up back in his cell.

Asch desperately pulled at the bars, fighting to get free. He didn't even know why he was fighting so hard, but something in him was reaching out for what had just been ripped away from him. Something inside of him had been relit, and he knew he needed to get out and away from here. He had to get back home.

---

After that, no one came to take Asch from his cell. The warmth that Asch had found that day never returned, nor did the strange voice. There wasn't anymore pain and his cell wasn't frequented as often as it had been. Even though he continued to eat what he was given, the haze began to lift and Asch's mind was no longer a clutter of unconnected ideas. Things became perceptible and the harshness of the environment that Asch had been living in became all the more clear, and it made Luke sick.

Time after time Van would pass by the cell, and every time it was always the same scene that played out.

"Master Van! Why?! Let me out! Please Master Van!" Asch flailed, fighting against his imprisonment.

"I'm sorry Luke, but for the sake of the world, your power is needed."

"No! I'm to be the ruler of Kimlasca, I'm needed back home! Please let me go!!"

"Give it up Luke. I've already made a replacement for you. It's useless for you to return to the mansion, you'll no longer be needed." Luke's stomach lurched as soon as Van said the word 'replacement'. He couldn't possibly mean…

"You're lying!!"

"Even if it isn't you it's fine."

"No! It's not true!"

"They don't need you."

"Shut up! It's a lie!! It can't be true!!" Asch screamed as he pointlessly pounded the bars. Tears of anger streamed down his cheeks as Van simply walked away. Once he was gone, Asch would always sit at the back of the cell and sob until he fell asleep.

---

The next thing Luke knew, he was back at the manor. This time it was daytime, about mid-afternoon judging by the height of the sun. There was a soft breeze blowing through the yard of the mansion soft, cotton clouds drifted across the blue sky.

Luke quickly found Asch standing under a tree watching something that was behind him. Seeing the look on Asch's face, Luke almost didn't want to turn around. Asch was beaten and bruised, some of his wounds still bleeding as he used an arm to prop himself up. The clothes he had on were different than the ones he had been wearing at Choral Castle, but they weren't in much better condition. They were dirty and torn, and Luke didn't want to know what Asch had been through anymore than he wanted to know what was behind him that was causing Asch so much pain. He had been through so much just to get home. What could it be that would have him upset now that he had finally made it? He was finally home. Despite Luke's own apprehension, his curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly turned around.

That was when Luke first saw himself.

Dressed in Asch's clothes, he was stumbling around as everyone watched on, not a care in the world. Luke's heart stopped. Mother was smiling, the servants were happily playing with him and Natalia wasn't far off playing among the flowers. No one seemed to notice that anything was wrong. Amnesia they called it, caused by the trauma of the kidnapping. He was their Luke and they were happy to have him back.

Guy calmly watched on as the young replica chased a butterfly around the yard. Luke watched his best friend. He knew. Guy knew that the boy before them wasn't really Luke, that he was a replacement. But he stayed silent and accepted it all. Why? What connection did Guy have to Van?

"Luke!" Natalia's voice drew Luke's attention. The young princess was standing over his younger self with her hands on her hips, one of them carefully holding a ring of flowers she had laced together. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" She said with a smile, placing the ring of flowers on his head.

Luke's heart stopped as he hesitantly turned around to see Asch, who was now completely broken, tears streaming down his face. Luke knew better than anyone what those flowers meant.

How? How did Asch not hate him? Even he hated himself right now. After everything that Asch had been through, all that time, he thought only of coming home, to fulfill his responsibilities and to keep everyone from worrying. Now, not one of them cared that he was gone.

A sudden movement and Luke found himself ducking behind a tree. No wait…he wasn't, Asch was. Luke couldn't look around anymore and realized he was now seeing things from Asch's perspective. He saw his younger self peek around the tree and move to follow. The boy tripped, and Asch instinctively caught him. Their eyes met. It was like looking into a mirror.

Luke could feel Asch's racing emotions as he watched his replacement, still unsteady on his feet. In its own way, this was far worse than all the pain he had endured since his kidnapping and Asch was fighting to keep his emotions in check.

Luke held his breath, afraid of what might happen next. He hoped beyond all hope that his younger self wouldn't do anything stupid, that he wouldn't cause Asch anymore pain. He just wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

But in spite of all the things Luke feared he might do, or rather, that he might have done, the young boy just curiously watched Asch as if he was another new addition to his environment. After a moment's contemplation, he took the ring of flowers and placed them on Asch's head, and in that moment, Luke could feel Asch lose what little control he had left over his emotions.

Luke had to fight back his own emotions, though he wasn't having much more success than the boy whose story he was watching. It had never crossed his mind just what Asch had been through, or just how painful the story of his own birth might be. He had been so upset at being left out of the loop that he hadn't stopped to think about how hard it might be on Asch to tell it. He had just been selfish, and it outright disgusted him.

Suddenly, the young Luke took Asch into a gentle embrace, catching both Asch and the observing Luke by surprise. Asch stood in shock for a moment before hesitantly returning the gesture. He clutched his replica as he sobbed and time froze for that moment. Luke then noticed a realization that suddenly dawned on Asch.

It was the warmth that had made all the pain and sadness go away. The same feeling that had given him strength when he thought he had lost everything. He had found it again.

And when he reached out, it didn't go away.

He had finally found his hope.

--------

Luke woke up. The memories and scenes were gone and darkness now surrounded him. Where…?

'You done tromping around in my memories?" Asch's voice resonated within him.

'But I- I didn't-' Luke stuttered, scared by Asch's offended tone.

'I was joking Luke.' Asch chuckled.

'I'm sorry.' Luke replied quietly.

'What for?'

'For…for everything. For everything I put you through… for all of it. I'm… sorry.'

'Hey. I didn't show you that so you could feel guilty about it. None of that is your fault.'

'But if it wasn't for me-'

'Luke if it wasn't for you, Score knows where I'd be right now. I'd probably have gone back with Van and ended up in the Oracle Knights or something.'

'With Van?' Luke replied in shock. 'After all that? You would have gone to Van? Why?'

'I was only 10. I wouldn't have had anywhere else to go.'

'But still…'

'There's no point in getting worked up over what didn't happen. The point is I don't blame you for anything so there will be no blaming yourself.'

'Is that why you never told me?' Luke inquired hesitantly.

'Partially. Also partially because reliving it…isn't easy.'

'I'm sorry for making you go through it all again.'

'Luke you can stop apologizing for everything.' Asch chuckled. 'It's okay; I would have had to tell you eventually. It was actually easier this way.' Both of them were quiet for awhile.

'Asch, can I ask you something?' Luke finally spoke up.

'What is it?'

'Why did you stay?' The question caught Asch off guard and silence fell over them both.

'I guess because…there was still someone there who needed me.' He finally replied. Again silence fell over the siblings. Asch could feel Luke deeply contemplating everything he now knew.

'So where am I anyways?' Luke finally asked, serving both as a change of topic and as a way to qualm his steadily growing curiosity.

'I took your consciousness into me.'

'So…I'm inside your head?' Luke inquired confusedly.

'Basically, yeah.'

'But how? Wait…'Luke thought on it for a moment. 'Fon slots?' He finally guessed.

'Right. Don't worry; you're asleep in the bed on the other side of the room. Of course, you won't wake up until your consciousness returns to your body though.'

'In bed? Where are we anyways?'

'That's a long story.'

'Well I'm not going anywhere.' Luke offered.

'Yeah well I plan on going back to sleep at some point tonight.' Asch shot back as he rolled over in bed and further buried his head in his pillow. Luke now had a broader sense of where he was and he could feel Asch shuffling around under the blanket trying to get comfortable. It was the strangest feeling. They weren't his movements, but they felt no different than if he had moved himself. That would take some getting used to.

'Well can you give me the short version?' Luke eventually asked.

'Tear's house.'

'What? How?' Luke demanded.

'That would require the long version.' Asch teased.

'Fine, but I want to hear it in the morning. Or I guess, you could just tell me in the morning. I'll probably have to go back to my own body.'

'Eventually. But I want you to stay with me for awhile. There's still something I have to show you.'

'What's that?'

'In spite of what you think, there are people who do care about you, some more so than they care about me.'

'I don't know about that anymore.'

'What would make you think that?' Asch inquired. He knew they couldn't have been easy on Luke after Akzeriuth, if only from the state Luke had been in when he had found him. But he had no idea what had exactly gone on.

Luke was silent, that was a memory he wasn't ready to relive just yet.

'You'll see. If no one else, Guy will be worried sick about you.'

'Guy…' Luke trailed off. 'I didn't know about what he did. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for not trusting him. I guess I never stopped to think that there might actually be a reason…'

'What did I say about the apologizing?' Asch snapped.

'But-'

Asch burst out laughing at how quickly Luke became defensive, though he quickly stifled it when Luke didn't follow suit, choosing to get embarrassed instead. 'But seriously, stop apologizing. You couldn't have known.'

'Do you really think he has something to do with Van?' Luke asked.

'Maybe, maybe not. But Luke, don't distrust him over what I showed you. There's a good reason I never told you why I don't trust Guy. I don't believe that he would ever try to hurt you.' Asch replied. He held back his theory that Guy's true colours may yet show themselves now that Van had started to put his plans into motion, but what he said was still held true. In the seven years since Luke had been born, Asch had seen just how important Luke was to the blonde. He valued Luke as a friend as much as his little brother did the same. 'I may not be able to fully trust him yet, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't.'

'Okay.'

'More importantly, our first priority should be figuring out what it is Van's trying to do.'

'Yeah…' Luke trailed off.

'Luke… I know this is going to be hard for you. But I need you to tell me exactly what happened in Akzeriuth.'

Author's Note: Thank you so much you guys! I've loved every single one of your reviews. You guys make my day!

This was where I had planned to end Reflections and start the sequel, but based on the feedback I got, I'm going to leave it all as a single story rather than split it up. But just to point out that I'm going to up the spoiler warning to post Absorption Gate for now. It will probably go up again later so if you haven't finished the game yet, keep an eye out for that.

Other than that – thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. It really makes me unbelievably happy to know that someone else is enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.