Chapter 25
"How much further is it?" Anise whined as they made their way through the woods.
"I'm certain it can't be that much further." Ion replied as he ducked under a low branch.
It had been a couple hours now that they had been wandering through the woods, slowly making their way towards Belkend. After their rather spectacular rise from the Qliphoth, they had spent most of the morning sailing to the port northeast of the city.
Everything had been going fine until Asch had spotted a group of Oracle Knights heading back to port. What were Oracle Knights doing way out here? While their presence somewhat reassured Asch that this wouldn't be a pointless venture, they didn't do much for his nerves, so he had insisted they go through the woods North of the road to stay out of sight.
Anise watched the redhead who was currently in the lead alongside Natalia. Neither he nor Guy said a word, though they had certainly had enough to say on the Tartarus. It was unreal. Sure they had never been comfortable around each other, but without Luke around, they were downright vicious. Anise ducked at the last second, the same low branch Ion had ducked under almost catching her as she was lost in thought. Jade who was behind her chose to push the branch out of his way rather than duck down, letting it go as soon as he passed by.
"Ow!" Guy cried.
"Shhht!" Asch harshly quieted the blonde, who shot him back a venomous look.
"Jade!" Guy hissed, keeping his voice down as not to attract unwanted attention, despite the fact he'd rather drop dead then take orders from Asch right about now. "What the hell was that? That branch hit me in the face!"
"I'mso sorry Guy," Jade replied, his voice laced with sarcasm, "I didn't even see you there. You know how it is when you get as old as I am, eyesight starts failing…"
"Yeah sure thing Jade." Guy shot back before picking up his pace and taking the lead. "Let's just get to Belkend already."
"My goodness, he certainly isn't any fun." Jade shrugged, getting more than enough enjoyment out of the stifled laughter his commentary had gotten from the red head.
--------
The city of fon machines was indeed that, a city full of fon machines and had Guy not been in such a foul mood, he would have been far more thrilled at the sights. The stone streets were lined with all sorts of machinery, and the buildings that stood along them gave the city a rather quaint feel in spite of its obviously industrial features. The famed Belkend labs, renowned throughout Auldrant for their research into fonic technology, were located at the heart of the city, giving everyone plenty of time to see some of the sights before getting there.
The labs themselves were almost as amazing as the city was. Grouped together in a building that was easily the size of a small town, with a layout that could mess with even the most oriented mind; they truly were a sight to behold. Asch let out a huge sigh.
'What's up?' Luke inquired.
'I don't think I actually thought this through. It's going to take us forever to go through this whole place.'
'Hmm,' Luke thought on it for a moment, Asch certainly had a point, the place was huge! There was no way they could go through all of it. 'Well maybe we could ask around and see if Van's been here.'
'That could be dangerous. I'd like to stay below the radar as much as possible. The longer we can go without him knowing we've been digging around, the better, and I doubt there's anyone in there we know.'
'Well then, I guess we'd best get started.' Luke replied.
'Easy for you to say.' Asch shot back jokingly.
'Oh shut up. I still have to read everything you read.'
'No, you don't.'
'I know, but I want to. You're always the one explaining things to me, I'd like to try and learn stuff on my own too.'
'That sounds funny coming from you. You hate reading, why the sudden change?'
'Because I don't want to end up in a situation like Akzeriuth ever again.' Luke replied simply.
'What makes you think that Akzeriuth had anything to do with your level of knowledge?' Asch decided to ask before getting on Luke's case again.
'I don't know, I can't help but feel that if I had known more, I would have been able to stop it.'
Asch listened to Luke, but the matter of fact tone that Luke took on as he spoke of this kept Asch from scolding him. He wasn't sulking or whining, or wallowing around in guilt, but he was looking at the matter objectively and trying to identify his flaws and find ways to make sure events wouldn't repeat themselves. Asch couldn't help but be impressed. He had never ever seen Luke approach something like that before. So he said nothing on the matter. While he certainly wasn't going to let Luke beat himself up about it, he didn't want to intervene if he could avoid it. Luke needed to learn how to deal with things on his own. After all, he wouldn't be there to hold Luke's hand forever.
"My goodness," Natalia looked at the building, "I don't remember these facilities being quite so extensive."
"We've got some work ahead of us." Asch replied.
"Well then shall we?" Ion said as he approached the entrance.
"Yes, let's go."
-------
"Remind me why we're here again?" Anise complained after having wandered around the labs for a good half hour.
"Ah yes, well our young friend here has yet to divulge that information." Jade replied with a sly look at Asch.
"I'm certain Asch knows what he's looking for." Natalia piped in. "If he doesn't want to share with the rest of us-"
"It's okay Natalia. Thank you." Asch cut her off. "I'm looking for information here."
"Yeah well, I hate to burst your bubble and all but the only thing we're doing is going in circles!" Anise ran to the center of the empty room they had just entered. "Now I'm not moving until you tell me what's up!"
But before Asch had the chance to tell the young girl off, the door on the opposite end of the room opened and one of the researchers entered. His gray hair and balding crown betrayed his advancing age, but the white lab coat and pile of papers he carried, identified him as one of the lab's researchers.
"Dr. Spinoza? What are you doing here?" Asch asked incredulously as he approached the man.
"Doctor?" Jade mumbled, "Now this should be interesting."
"Asch! How have you been doing lately?" Spinoza replied, surprised to see Asch of all people here.
"I've been fine thank you."
"How have those headaches of yours been?"
"Same as ever."
"That's too bad, I'm afraid I don't have anything to help you in that regard."
"That's alright. But what has you all the way out here?" The red head inquired.
"Ah yes well, I have a lab- er I mean, I have an office-" Spinoza stuttered. Asch simply chuckled.
"That's alright; I know you do research."
"I have a lab here in Belkend." Spinoza sheepishly admitted.
"Actually that's a good thing, maybe you can help me out with something."
"As much I'd hate to interrupt this wonderful conversation…" Jade butted in.
"Yeah you wanna slow down a sec and explain just what is going on here? How do you know some old guy from Belkend?" Anise asked.
"Spinoza is Luke's and my doctor. We used to come see him a lot when we were kids."
"Really?" The information piqued Jade's interest. "I didn't know you were a doctor."
"I got a degree in medicine before I undertook research." Spinoza replied.
"Is that so?" Jade continued.
"Yes. Certainly it mustn't be that uncommon. I hear you have one yourself Dr. Jade Balfour."
"So what made you decide to fall back on medicine?" Jade cut in quickly detouring the conversation.
"Actually, it was a private request from their family. I don't have any other patients."
"Yeah," Asch confirmed, also anxious to steer away from the reasons someone like Spinoza was asked to be their 'doctor'. After all, your normal everyday doctor could handle most things that popped up, but as far as he and Luke were concerned, there were some aspects in which they were pretty much useless. "In exchange for being our doctor, our family helps fund some of his research."
"Ah yes." Jade said after a moment of thought. "I think I remember a similar request, but I turned it down. By that point I had already joined the military."
'Thank Lorelei,' both redheads let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. The thought of Jade as a doctor was downright scary.
"No way! You used to do research Colonel?" Anise inquired.
"Yes but it was a long time ago." Jade replied.
"Yeah. Back when they were inventing the fork, Jade was right up there." Asch teased. Jade shot Asch a look that was the closest thing he would ever come to gratitude. Asch smirked, the least he could do was return the favour.
'What was that about?' Luke inquired.
'Nothing.' Asch replied. Luke obviously hadn't caught on, so Asch figured he'd leave him to figure it out on his own rather than have Luke fret about it. Of course he knew, he was the Jade Balfour after all.
"So Asch, how is Luke doing?" Spinoza inquired. An awkward silence fell over the group as Guy simply seethed an aura of pure resentment, despite the fact that he had yet to say a word.
"Luke's been okay." Asch replied, "He hasn't been all too great lately so he's enjoying some down time." At the back of Asch mind Luke was laughing. Down time huh? Laying unconscious in the Qliphoth of all places, didn't get much lower. Asch smirked as Luke enjoyed his pun.
'Having fun at all?' Luke managed.
'Oh you have no idea.'
"So what is it you were saying you needed help with?" Spinoza inquired.
"That's right." Asch replied, "Have you seen Van around here lately?"
"Van…as in Dorian General Grants?" Asch nodded and Spinoza thought on it a moment. "Yes in fact I have, it was a couple months ago. He's been working on something with a few of the other researchers. I think they're calling it the 'Preservation Project'. I'm afraid I don't know much else about it though, I've been quite busy with my own research lately."
"So do you have any idea what this 'Preservation Project' might be?" Asch tried.
"I'm afraid not, other than it has something to do with fomicry. I couldn't tell you anything else."
"That's alright. Also, do you know if there would be any information on the Sephiroth or other Dawn Age technology here?"
"Well you're more than welcome to look, but I highly doubt it. Most of the documents we have here pertain to current fon machines and physics. There might be the odd things on fomicry as well, but I'm afraid that's about all." Spinoza replied.
"Okay." Asch sighed disappointedly.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."
"No, that's alright," Asch spoke up, "You've saved us having to dig through it all, thank you."
"It was my pleasure, next time you're around stop by, and say hello to Luke for me." Luke chuckled at the back of Asch's mind.
"I will."
-------
By the time they made their way back out of the maze of labs and corridors, the sun was beginning to set. The golden light cast over Belkend gave the city a very calm look. It made Luke happy, it reminded him of that evening in Akzeriuth, and while the loss of Akzeriuth still saddened him, it still gave him a peaceful feeling that swept over his original, and Asch smiled.
"Asch." Jade drew the attention of the red head, his tone was serious. This had gone on long enough, he wanted answers.
"What is it old man?" Asch sighed, he was in a good mood, and while he knew this was bound to come sooner or later, he had hoped it wouldn't be so soon.
"Why are you inquiring about Commandant Grants' activities?"
"Because I know he's up to something." Asch stated simply.
"Yeah, sure. You're just ungrateful that he saved your life." Guy mumbled.
"Oh really? And since when do you care if I live or die?" Asch shot back.
"I don't. But Van chose to save you instead of saving Luke and I'm just trying to figure out why!"
"So this is about Luke?"
"Of course this is about Luke! Not that you give a damn about him."
"Excuse me?" Asch seethed.
"You heard me. Here you are off chasing some random theory you have, rather than staying with him and helping him recover! Now explain to me how that could possibly mean you are even so much as thinking about him!" Guy yelled back, getting more and more worked up.
"It's not like you stayed either."
"Yeah well when you said it was something important, that Luke would have wanted you to do, I thought it might actually be something important! Not some wild goose chase halfway around Auldrant because you can't come to terms with what happened in Akzeriuth!"
"You don't have a clue as to what happened in Akzeriuth!" Asch stated hatefully.
"Yeah, well neither do you! And don't make me remind you who was the one to beat Luke up about it!"
"Since when do you have the first clue as to why I choose to do something?!"
"Maybe because you never have any reasoning at all! You constantly make decisions for purely selfish reasons and then go on and on about how noble your intentions are! You never think about anyone other than yourself!" Guy yelled back at Asch.
"I'm not logical? How are you and your senseless fear of women supposed to be logical?!"
"You don't know anything about that!"
"Of course I don't! I don't read minds; for all that you seem to expect me to."
"That's because you never trust me! In all these years you never have! Not once!"
"You've never given me any reason why I should trust you." Asch stated maliciously.
"So is that why you would never leave Luke alone around me?"
"No, if I left him with you he'd end up nothing but a weak and spoiled brat!"
"Spoiled brat?! I'm not the one who constantly beats him down. Nothing he ever does is good enough for you! For heaven's sake let up! Not everyone in the world has to be as perfect as you seem to think you are!" Guy was livid.
"I may not be perfect, but you sure as hell aren't either." Asch shot back venomously. "Who the hell do you think you're kidding? The way you constantly cater to his every little whim day and night, it's a wonder he's grounded at all!"
"Don't even go there, you think you don't spoil him too?!"
"Not nearly as much as you do. For all you may hate it, he still has to live in reality, just like the rest of us!"
"So I'm not allowed to want him to be happy?! What, are you the only person in this world allowed to have any joy at all?"
"So you're saying all those times we spent together are completely irrelevant? All those memories, all those good times, it's all worthless?! None of that could possibly mean anything to Luke?! None of that ever made him happy?! It's all totally meaningless?!" Asch's volume shot up as Guy's last remark hit home.
"It sure as hell is to you! If you gave a damn, then you'd stop and think about that before putting Luke through hell!"
"So what, the rest of the world is supposed to be a kiss ass like you?!"
"I am not a kiss ass! You're always yelling about how I dote on Luke all the time, saying that I spoil him too much, but you're no different!" Guy spat. "You always take the blame for things that happen or try to shove it off on something else. How is Luke ever going to learn to be responsible if you never let him take responsibility for what he's done?!"
"Then how will you ever learn to understand anything unless you stop blaming the first thing that's convenient for all your problems?!"
"Don't talk about things like that when you don't know the first thing about them! You don't know anything about me!"
"No I don't. But I can say the same thing for you." Asch stated, quietly, but venomously.
"So this is it?" Guy said matching Asch's hateful gaze with one of his own.
"Yes it is." Asch replied.
"Fine then." Guy gave Asch one last hateful look before spinning around, and walking away.
"Wait! Guy, where are you going?" Anise called after the blonde.
"I'm leaving. I don't see any point in staying around any longer."
"But where are you going to go?" Ion asked.
"Somewhere I'm wanted." He yelled back before he vanished from sight.
At the back of Asch mind, Luke was almost in tears. He had no idea just how deep the distrust between Asch and Guy truly went. He had kept his mouth shut at first, but their argument had so very quickly gotten out of control, and he couldn't help but feel responsible. They had been arguing about him, and it was all so stupid! Why did anyone have to get hurt? Why couldn't they just get along?!
"So what now?" Jade inquired of Asch who watched the blonde go.
"We're not going to find anymore information here." Asch stated, "Let's spend the night and head for Daath. I'd rather avoid God-General headquarters, but I don't see any other options right now."
"But Asch," Natalia interrupted.
"Don't worry Natalia, we'll head for Baticul as soon as we're done in Daath." Asch provided.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked, as she stared in the direction Guy had stormed off.
"Yeah, let's get some sleep and we'll set off in the morning."
--------
The passage to Daath proved to be rather uneventful. The day and a half trip on the Tartarus passed with a tense silence that blanketed them all. Even Luke had been relatively quiet since the fight with Guy. He hadn't gotten angry at Asch like the last time; he knew that not only Asch was at fault. Guy had taken some pretty low shots as well, but that didn't change the fact that he was still upset. Upset, and disappointed in them both. But he wasn't the only one that was unsettled, since then Asch had been in a bad mood, and every one was walking on eggshells around him.
"So there you are." Jade said as he joined Asch by the starboard railing.
"Yeah, what do you want?" Asch replied.
"Now, now don't be short with me young man. You can hardly afford to antagonize anyone else." Jade teased, but Asch wasn't in the mood for jokes, and didn't reply. "You know," Jade tried again, "You still haven't answered my question."
"What question would that be?"
"Why are you looking into Commandant Grants' activities? And just so you're aware, 'I know he's up to something' is not a valid answer."
"Why should I tell you, old man?"
"Because I was polite and asked rather than torture it out of you." Jade replied, earning him a pointed look from Asch.
'He's not serious is he?' Luke wondered.
'Of course not.' An annoyed Asch shot back.
'I don't know, I wouldn't put it past him…' Luke's weak attempt at a joke didn't so much as elicit a response from his sibling. He really wasn't in a very good mood.
"I'm joking." Jade provided after a moment of silence.
"I'm laughing on the inside, really." Asch rolled his eyes.
'No you're not.'
'Shut up.' Asch replied. Oh…Luke grinned, that one almost got a smile out of him.
"You're not dodging the question this time." Jade stated, drawing Asch away from his sibling's frivolous attempts to cheer him up.
"Oh, really? Just watch me." Asch said with a smirk.
"This has to do with Akzeriuth, doesn't it?" Jade remained serious, his gaze never leaving the red head. He was waiting for it, it never failed. Asch averted his gaze, looking out at the water instead. And there it was. If the boy had one flaw, it was that he couldn't look someone in the eye and lie to them. Though whether or not that was a flaw remained somewhat debatable.
"Why would you think that?" Asch replied, still not looking at the Colonel. "You've heard it from everyone, just like I have."
"Yes, but I haven't heard it from you." Jade pointed out. "Not once have you explicitly said that you believe Luke to be at fault, or rather, you have yet to mention anything about it at all. Why is that?"
Asch didn't answer.
"You know what happened down there don't you?"
Jade still got no reply.
"And it has to do with Commandant Grants, which is why you were so anxious to get back and find out what he's trying to do. Even if that means going head first into enemy territory, even if it means leaving Luke behind, you still need to find out what it is; before more people get hurt. Am I wrong?"
"I don't know what you're talking about old man." Asch stretched. "But as much as I'd love to listen to your crazy stories, I'm going to take a nap. We'll be reaching port soon and I'd rather not have to take on a God-General half-asleep."
"You're doing it again." Jade taunted.
"I warned you didn't I?" Asch shot back as he made his way inside and into his sleeping quarters, leaving Jade alone on the deck with his half answered questions.
"Do you really distrust me that much?"
--------
"Natalia." Asch grabbed the princess' arm.
"Asch, what is it?" Natalia replied concerned but quieted when Asch brought a finger to his lips. What was he listening for? The rest of the group behind them quieted as well, sensing Asch's concern. Jade too was listening intently, just what was it? Their trip from the port had been frightfully uneventful, which she certainly wouldn't complain about, but it seemed that it wouldn't stay that way much longer.
She looked around, and this was a bad place for it to become eventful. They had just entered the opening of the valley cutting through the mountains that surround Daath. The rock walls on either side made closing them in much easier. At the foot of those mountains was a small patch of woods on either side of the road, giving potential attackers a good cover. It was no wonder everyone was on edge.
Then she heard it as well, the faint rustling of leaves as someone made their way through the woods to their left. Asch gave a slight nod in her direction. In the blink of an eye, she spun around, notching an arrow and sending it flying in the direction of the noise she had heard. At the same moment Jade sent a spear crashing into the woods on the other side. Two people stumbled out of the woods from either side, just barely dodging the blows. Bandits. Just great.
"The rest of you can come out too!" Asch called, drawing his sword.
The two bandits that had been attacked recovered themselves and a third joined them blocking the group's retreat, while three more blocked the road towards Daath.
'Are we going to have to fight them?' Luke questioned as Asch carefully eyed both groups of bandits.
'Most likely.'
"Let us through!" Asch called to the group before them. The bandits gave no response. They simply grinned, revealing their weapons. They consisted of an assortment of knives and swords, that they had stolen off of some less fortunate travelers no doubt.
Without warning the first bandit struck, and was quickly followed by the others, beginning the scramble. Luke knew there was nothing he could do to help, no matter how much he wanted to. All he could do was follow along with Asch as he made his move. It was the strangest sensation.
He could feel Asch's movements. They were smoother and much more experienced than his own. There was no hesitation in his strike, no fighting against the urge to stay his hand at the last moment. He flowed swiftly and fluently from one move to the next, he wouldn't slow down, he wouldn't stop. Because if he did, someone might get hurt; he might end up losing someone important to him, and he swore he would never let that happen again.
Two of the bandits had fallen; Asch jumped back and did a quick assessment of the situation. Ion had taken cover in the nearby woods, carefully watching for any bandits that might try and sneak up on him, moving if a scuffle came too close. Anise, Jade and Natalia were each holding their own, and doing a formidable job. The bandits were trying to corner them, group them together. Well that plan certainly had one major flaw in it, if they grouped everyone together, they were grouped together themselves.
Fonic artes were always something that had evaded Luke. No matter how hard he had tried, he just couldn't grasp the concept of how it worked, and he had never so much as come close to pulling one off. But as Asch quieted his thoughts and drew in the fonons, it surprised Luke just how similar to a hyperresonance they really were. The basic skills were almost identical.
Luke could feel the flow of the fonons, as Asch drew them in and wove them together with his incantation, giving them a physical form. An iridescent blade of third fonons crashed down on the bandits, and Asch relaxed, allowing the last fonons to dissipate. Luke remained in awe, maybe fonic artes weren't as completely beyond his reach as he thought.
"You guys alright?" Asch approached the group as Ion carefully rejoined them. Instead of answering, Natalia drew an arrow and before anyone could breath, sent it flying towards Asch, missing his ear by an inch and sticking into the bandit behind him.
"I am now, thank you." Natalia smiled.
"You're scary sometimes you know that?" Anise piped up as she placed Tokunaga over her shoulders.
"Hmph." Natalia indignantly looked away and everyone laughed.
"Shall we be on our way?" Ion spoke up after a moment.
"Yes," Jade pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Let's be off."
--------
'Whoa!' Luke couldn't believe what he saw when they finally made it too Daath. The tower was huge! It was probably as tall as Baticul! They had seen the large black structure that served as the home to the Order of Lorelei from the moment they had gotten over the Fourth Monument Hill, but up close it was just that much more spectacular.
"So is this where you live Fon Master?" Asch inquired as the made their way up the stairs.
"It is; Anise and her family live here as well." Ion offered.
'That's amazing!' Luke's excitement was getting to Asch and he smirked before giving Luke a mental shove and telling him to calm down a bit.
"Yep, this is home. I can give you the grand tour if you like." Anise sang as she grabbed Asch's arm.
"Excuse me?!" Natalia put her hand on her hips.
"Well if want a turn then you'll have to get in line." Anise stuck her tongue out at the princess, and snuggled closer to Asch tauntingly.
"Why you little!"
"Please you two," Asch detached himself from Anise. "We're trying to keep a low profile, do remember this is where all the God-Generals are based."
"As much as I'm enjoying watching you spend quality time together," Jade added, "I'm inclined to agree. It would be best not to attract unnecessary attention for now."
"Well then, what is it you're looking for here in Daath?" Ion inquired.
"I'd like to find out as much as I can about the Sephiroth, especially anything pertaining to the Akzeriuth Sephiroth." Asch replied.
"Well then I guess the best place to start would probably be the library." Ion said after a moment's thought.
"Can you lead us there?"
"Certainly, it's the first room to your left once you enter the cathedral."
"The library?" Anise whined, "Man, it'll take forever to find anything in there!"
"Then I suggest we get started." Jade said with a smirk.
'Jade scares me sometimes…' Luke commented.
'Only sometimes?'
--------
"Anise is still looking, but I think this is the last of them." Ion set down another stack of books on the table their group had appropriated.
"Thank you Fon Master." Asch closed the book he had been looking through and added it to the growing pile of books he had already gone through.
"There's no need for such formalities, you may call me Ion," the green haired boy smiled.
"Sure thing, Fon Master." Asch joked as he picked out a book from the pile Ion had brought over. Ion laughed.
"You're certainly making a lot of progress." Ion commented as he eyed the stack of discarded texts.
"No kidding!" Anise pitched in as she approached the table, unable to find anything else that looked remotely related to the topic at hand. "Man you read fast!"
"Well we've been at it for several hours now." Asch pointed out, not even looking up from the pages.
"Still," Anise pointed out as she picked up a bunch of books to put away, "even if you're just skimming, you're almost as fast as the Colonel!"
At that comment Asch peeked up over the top of his book, and the rest of them turned to look at Jade who was seated across the table. His eyes were darting across the page at impossible speeds and his discarded pile was easily twice the height Asch's was.
"I used to read a lot when I was younger." Asch provided as he returned to his own book.
"Really?" Anise asked incredulously.
"Yeah, why?"
"I don't know," she shrugged, "I guess you never struck me as the reading type."
"No," Asch said with a chuckle, "that's Luke."
"Luke doesn't like to read?" Ion inquired as Anise walked off.
"Not really. He's always preferred to go do something than just sit around and read."
"Yes, he is rather active." Ion commented as he took a seat next to Asch and picked up one of the books. Asch smiled.
'Speaking of you…' Asch prodded his sibling.
'Slow down!' Luke whined.
'What?'
'How do you read so fast? I can't keep up!'
'Practice.' Asch chuckled as he flipped the page.
'I give up, I can't keep up with you.' Luke let out a sigh.
'That's okay, at least you're trying. Besides, this one is useless.' Asch shut the book and added it to the pile.
'So have we made any progress at all?'
'A little,' Asch replied as he noted the setting sun outside the large window. 'But it's looking like we'll have to call it a day soon.' Across the table, Jade set down the book that he had been reading.
"Before you start another one," Asch interrupted as Jade reached for another text, "I'd like to see what we have so far."
Natalia closed the book she had been reading. She had only gone through a couple texts, since she didn't tend to skim for important information and ended up reading the entire thing. "I'm afraid I didn't come across anything that seemed useful." She admitted, placing her own text in Asch's discarded pile.
"What about you old man?" Asch inquired.
"Unfortunately, most of these," Jade replied indicating the stacks of books on the table next to him, "didn't have anything of much use. There was however one that provided some rather interesting information."
"Alright, I'll bite," Asch sighed, "what did you find?"
"According to this, the Sephiroth are operated by specific devices. That is what the passage rings are." Jade provided.
"I'm sorry," Natalia interjected, "but could you remind me what the Sephiroth are?"
"The Sephiroth are the ten pillars that support the Outer Lands and keep them floating above the Qliphoth," Ion provided. "Since the Sephiroth are created with memory particles, to those who don't know of the Qliphoth, they are known simply the planet's ten strongest fon slots."
"So these pillars that support the land are controlled by the passage rings?" Natalia inquired.
"That's right." Anise confirmed. "In Akzeriuth, the passage ring was completely destroyed so the Sephiroth gave out, and that's why the city collapsed."
"That's terrible! If these passage rings are so important and so fragile, why has nothing happened before now? If anyone can just walk up to them like that, surely we would have heard of something happening before now!"
"But they're not fragile." Asch interrupted. "We may not know what they're made of, but as far as we can tell, they're almost indestructible."
"Not just indestructible either," Jade jumped in before Natalia could object, "They're very well guarded. There are three different levels of protection."
"I found some information on that as well," Asch took over, "First off, each passage ring is sealed off by a Daathic seal."
"But wait," Anise interrupted, "we didn't see any kind of seal when we were in Akzeriuth, we just walked right in, and I doubt someone like Luke could have possibly figured out how to open it."
"I'm afraid that may be my fault." Ion spoke up.
"How so Fon Master?" Jade inquired.
"When I was with Arietta, we travelled to many of the Sephiroth and she had me unlock the seals. I wasn't sure of their intentions, but I never dreamed anything so dangerous could happen. Besides, I thought they would still be protected by the Albertesque and Yulian seals."
"The alba-what?" Anise inquired.
"The Albertesque and Yulian seals." Asch answered. "Remember Jade said there were three levels of protection? The first is the Daathic seal, but second is a seal known as the Albertesque seal. It's a seal centered around two of the Sephiroth. As long as those two Sephiroth remain active, then no one can actually operate the passage rings."
"Well that's good news." Anise said.
"No it isn't. One of those Sephiroth…was Akzeriuth." Asch stated.
"But as long as the other one is okay that means nothing bad can happen right?" Anise looked confusedly at Asch.
"I'm afraid that it's not quite so simple," Jade provided. "After all, the other Sephiroth that protected the Albertesque seal… was Hod."
"So both have fallen?!"
"Yes," Ion replied, "but the passage rings should still be protected by the Yulian seals. Also, operating the passage rings require the use of the Seventh Fonon. Not many people are capable of using the seventh fonon, much less to the extent that would be necessary to operate the passage ring, so I don't believe that they are in any significant danger."
'That doesn't do us much good seeing as Van's a Seventh Fonist, and a descendant of Yulia to boot.' Asch sarcastically remarked.
'So the reason Master Van had me destroy the Sephiroth was…'
'Yeah, he probably wanted to break the Albertesque seal.'
'So you think his plans may have to do with the other passage rings?'
'It's very possible.'
'He's not going to try and drop the Outer Lands is he?!' Luke suddenly shouted.
'I have no idea.' Asch replied, 'but as much as I'd hate to think he would do something like that, we can't deny the possibility.'
"Jade," Asch spoke up, "did you find any information as to how the Yulian seals worked, or how they might be broken?"
"No, I didn't," the Colonel replied.
"Don't be so concerned," Ion placed a reassuring hand on Asch's arm. "As it stands, no one should be able to operate the passage rings. No one can accidentally cause an Akzeriuth."
'What about that Key of Lorelei thingy?' Luke inquired.
'What?' Asch replied in complete shock at the question Luke had just asked.
'I read it in one of the books you went through, but someone turned the page before I was done.'
'The Key of Lorelei is a sword that is part of a set that also includes the Jewel of Lorelei.' Asch laughed, 'There are lots of different rumours about them and whether or not they even exist. Some stories say that the Sword can gather fonons while the Jewel disperses them. According to the legend, they were a symbol of the pact that Yulia made with Lorelei. She used them to create the planet storm.'
'Couldn't something like that control the Sephiroth?'
'Probably, but according to the legend, Yulia cast them both down into the core, and that's even if they ever really existed. I don't think it's something that's going to come into play now.' Asch replied.
'I guess.'
"So shall we continue?" Natalia inquired, reaching for another book.
"No, I think that's more than enough for a single day." Jade replied.
"I agree," Asch spoke up, "I think that's plenty for now. I'm ready to call it a night. Shall we head for the inn?"
"Why don't you stay here in the Cathedral?" Ion suggested. "We've more than enough room."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous with the God-Generals so close?" Natalia inquired.
"I don't think it's that much of a problem," Jade pitched in. "If they're aware of our presence, we're in as much danger no matter where we are."
"I have to agree with Jade, we're gambling no matter where we stay, so we may as well stay here where we're close at hand in case they try to get Ion to open the rest of the Sephiroth." Asch added.
"All right, then the rooms are this way." Ion said as he led them across the large entrance to the cathedral.
The upper levels of Daath proved to be a veritable maze of corridors that put even the Belkend labs to shame and they were very glad to have Ion showing them the way. Asch very carefully noted the path that led up to the rooms where they'd be staying and made it a point to remember each turn in case he'd have to find his way back later. Jade easily caught on to what he was doing.
"Now, now, there will be no midnight wandering." Jade taunted as the made the last turn before coming upon a set of rooms. "We don't need you running into any God-Generals in the middle of the night."
"Why are you all looking at me when you say that?" Asch objected. Everyone just laughed.
"Well, I'm heading off. I'll meet up with you guys in the cathedral tomorrow morning!" Anise said as she spun around.
"I'll be off as well," Ion said with a bit of mirth still lingering in his voice. "Will you be able to find our way back down in the morning?"
"I'm certain we'll manage," Natalia offered. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"You don't need to thank me, it's the least I can do after the hospitality you showed us Baticul. Have a good night." The young Fon Master replied as he too returned from the direction in which they had come.
"So are we going to draw straws for rooms?" Asch teased.
'Ummm Asch, we don't have any straws.'
'I was joking stupid.' Asch responded amusedly. 'There's three rooms and three of us, we aren't drawing straws!'
'I knew that.' Luke protested.
'Sure you did.'
"I don't think that will be necessary, I think this one will be adequate for me." Jade replied indicating the door he was closest to.
"Alright then, we'll take this one," Asch yawned, "see you guys in the morning." He added as he entered the room closest to where he was and closed the door behind him, leaving two rather confused people in the hallway to ponder Asch's mysterious statement.
We?
-------
Asch set his sword down by the wall and removed his jacket, hearing the other two doors close as both Jade and Natalia settled in for the night. He flopped down on his bed and started at the ceiling for awhile before letting out a sigh.
'Feeling restless?' Luke hit the nail on the head.
'Yeah.' Asch grabbed his sword from where he had placed it near the door.
'Where are you going?'
'I'm just going to go for a walk.'
Luke chuckled as he contemplated what Jade would do when he found out, knowing that there would be no detouring Asch.
'Don't worry, I'll be careful.' Asch stated when he sensed Luke's concern.
'You better be.'
--------
"What do you mean you didn't find anything?" The young pink-haired girl shrieked at the two Oracle Knights that stood before her.
"We're sorry ma'am." The first knight stuttered, "No one has been seen matching the Fon Master's description within the vicinity of Akzeriuth's former location."
"You're both completely useless! Go and search again! Increase your search parameters this time!"
"But ma'am…" The second soldier hesitantly interrupted, "We've been searching for almost two days non stop…"
"Do I need to remind you who you're looking for?!" Arietta's fury made the two soldiers step back in unison.
"No ma'am!" They both replied.
"Then go! I don't want to see your pathetic faces until you've found him!"
"Yes ma'am!" The soldiers answered, wasting no time getting out of her presence.
Arietta watched them go. Bunch of fools. Her friends were far more competent than the bunch of idiots that made up her 3rd division. But her friends hadn't had any more luck in locating Ion than the Oracle Knights had. Stupid Anise, this was all her fault! Her and those friends of hers! If they hadn't taken Ion away from her, then he wouldn't have been anywhere near Akzeriuth when it blew up and now… No he was alive, she knew he was alive, and she was going to find him, and bring him back home where she could keep him safe.
"You know," the voice came from behind Arietta, "You really shouldn't take out your anger over losing the Fon Master on your men."
"Shut up, Cantabile!" Arietta spun around to face the violet-haired woman. "You least of all should be the one lecturing me about that."
"True enough," Cantabile shrugged. "But do as I say, not as I do, kiddo."
"I am not a child!" Arietta protested.
"Of course not. You can't be. After all, now is when everything is getting started." Cantabile replied, gaining a serious air.
"It's St Binah that's next right?" Arietta inquired.
"That's-" Both women froze when they heard the door close.
They both made their way over to the door and opened it, gazing out into the dark chapel. Walking away from them was one of the acolytes who, sensing the attention turned around and waved at her superiors before hurrying off to bed.
"Girls… honestly," Cantabile sighed, "if they're going to spend the night with their boyfriends, they should just go rather than try and sneak around all the time."
"What do you mean by that?" Arietta inquired.
"Nothing you need to worry about, kiddo."
"Well," Arietta continued ignoring the taunt, "there are worse things it could have been. At least it was just one of the acolytes."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you."
-------
Asch closed the door to his bedroom and finally allowed himself to catch his breath. So stupid! He accidentally knocked the door that the two Oracle Knights had left open, closed. Luckily he had managed to get out of sight before either of the God-Generals had spotted him. But in spite of how close he had come to getting caught, it was definitely worth it.
'What do you think they meant by that when they said St.Binah is next?' Luke asked as Asch crawled into bed.
'I don't know it could be a lot of things. If we're lucky, it's just where they're going to look for Ion next.'
'But they said something about –everything getting started- what do suppose that's all about.'
'To be honest I don't know…' Asch answered. 'But regardless, we need to assume the worst case scenario.'
'You don't mean…'
'I do. Worst case scenario, St. Binah is going to become the next Akzeriuth.'
'No! We can't let that happen! We need to find a way to stop it!' Luke protested.
'I know. Don't worry we will.' Asch reassured his sibling. 'But I'm not going to be able to do this alone anymore Luke. I'm going to need your help.'
'You mean like go back?'
'Yes. Most of your wounds should have healed by now. While you're in Yulia City, check with Teodoro and see if there's anything about St. Binah falling in the Score. Then come and meet up with us.'
Luke was silent. He had grown comfortable in the safety of Asch's mind, and he found that he was reluctant to leave it. Luke fought back his apprehension. It had been easy enough to deal with things while in the sanctuary that Asch had created for him. Here he had only his own contempt for himself and his actions to deal with, while being surrounded by the support and faith Asch had in him. Outside, it wouldn't be nearly so friendly. He was nervous; he wasn't ready to face the others, their harsh judgment and the ruthless reality of the world on his own yet.
'I know it's hard,' Asch said softly, 'but you can't stay here forever. You have to take that first step on your own.'
'I know…' Luke replied.
'I believe in you…' Asch trailed off as he fell asleep.
Luke quieted and allowed his consciousness to slowly follow suit, a single thought lingering as he fell asleep.
He wondered if he could find it in him to believe in himself.
Author's note: Just a quick note in regards to a couple issues that were brought up. To answer a few questions, yes I used the Asch gaiden manga as a source for some aspects of Asch's backstory. I had planned to put all the acknowledgments and references and such at the end of the story. But since a few people have pointed it out and a couple others complained, I'm adding the reference for the scanlation I used to the end of chapter 1. The rest of acknowledgments will go at the end of the story.
Thanks again to all of you who've been reading and a special thanks to everyone who leaves a review! I love hearing feedback, opinions and theories you guys make it so much fun to write!