Chapter 60: The Lost Isle

Clouds hung ominously in the sky, seemingly compressing the silence in which Tear and her friends were travelling. It was like a strange unspoken rule, no sooner were Asch and Luke in each other's company did an awkward silence fall over them. Things had been lively enough in the Albiore, so much so that the fact they had actually been able to find what they were searching for amidst their antics really surprised her. Now... every trace of that mirth was gone, and though the twins seemed to be perfectly content ignoring the existence of the other, they still dragged that reticence along as they continued to explore the mysterious moving facility.

It was an island. A moving island, which made it all the more peculiar and confirmed that there was a good chance this was where they'd find Mohs' fomicry facility. There was no way that such a thing was a natural phenomenon, and it had taken several minutes of both her and Luke astutely watching the small land mass drifting across the waves to confirm for themselves that it was, in fact, moving and thus probably the object of their search.

Ginji had quickly sent word along to Noelle, and with Jade in agreement that the island was particularly suspicious, it left the two pilots the task of trying to find a place to land among the massive amounts of debris. The whole place sent unwilling shivers up Tear's spine; it almost seemed haunted. Houses and buildings were all rundown, dead plants and leaves filled cracked planters that hung from broken windows. The wooden doors were rotten and covered in moss, making the search through the crumbled structures easier than they'd initially anticipated. Still... the weight of the miasma hanging in the air gave the entire island an eerie feel.

The toxic haze hung heavily on everyone, though it would take months to years before the miasma would start affecting people, the constant gloom and stifling feeling didn't take long to wear on anyone... but that wasn't the problem. More than anything, the miasma weighed on everyone's minds. Especially Asch and Natalia who were more involved in politics and could truly grasp the impact that this would have on the people of the world. If they didn't find a way to deal with this... then everything would eventually be no different than this island: dead, barren and completely devoid of life.

What had happened to the people who once lived here? For that matter, what kind of island floated aimlessly through the oceans? Something had to be pushing it along, right? It was probably just the currents, after all they were strong enough to move the giant ice masses that floated about the northern oceans, they could definitely move an island... of course they could. That had to be it. But... why was this island even floating in the first place? What had created such a phenomenon? She had read stories about such things before... no, that was just stupid! Tear cut herself off before she even let her mind go there. There was no way it was h-h-haunted. There was no logical reason to think so irrationally... soldiers who were frightened by such petty things were a disgrace. Besides...those kinds of things... ghosts and- and- they were completely impossible! They were the things in children's bedtime stories. Why would lingering spirits, full of anger and hate and regret want to come- to come after-

"Tear?"

The young melodist shrieked, jumping a foot in the air. It took a moment for Tear to contain herself, and once she did she noticed herself under the astute gaze of all her friends.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked confusedly, his hand still frozen in the air where her shoulder had once been. Tear went bright red.

"I-I'm perfectly fine!" She managed to stutter. "Th-there's no way I would think that this place is haunted or anything ridiculous like that!"

"Are... you afraid of ghosts?" Luke asked, doing his best to stifle the laughter that was quietly spreading through the others.

"Of course not!"

"I wouldn't be too ashamed Tear," Natalia confessed. "This place is quite eerie. I can't imagine what sort of nightmare-ish things must have occurred here to leave everything so desolate."

"It does look like whatever it was, it took everyone at once," Asch pointed out.

"Indeed, it did take everyone at once," Jade confirmed. "There were a great many deaths here in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more than a few resentful feelings."

"Oh Tear," Anise said menacingly, running a finger up the melodist's spine and sending her leaping into Luke's arms with a second shriek.

"I'm- I'm not afraid of ghosts!" Tear protested.

"Of course not," Anise said, the mischievous look on her face never vanishing. "You just needed an excuse to get into Luke's arms, didn't you?"

Tear's face turned beat red and she forcefully removed herself from the young noble's grasp. Everyone burst out laughing, including the young Kimlascan monarch, who, despite still being on terrible terms with his younger brother, couldn't quite hold back the evil snicker that came with embarrassing his sibling and the object of said sibling's affections.

"You sound like you know what this place is Jade," Guy inquired once he'd gotten his laughter under control.

"I'm quite surprised you don't," Jade replied.

"I do..." Guy trailed off. He shook his head, dismissing the thought that lingered there. "But I can't quite place it."

"This island was once part of the Hod archipelago," Jade explained. "Though smaller, it had many business dealings with Hod."

"Feres Isle!" The blond jumped in with the jogging of his memory. "I remember now. I only came here a couple times as a kid with my dad and my sister. If I remember right, it was washed away by a tidal wave when Hod collapsed."

"So this is Feres Isle..." Asch looked around curiously. He'd read of it, but he didn't think there was anything left of the place after the tidal wave had struck. Well whether the land mass had lived or not, it didn't look like any of the people had, at least none that had bothered to stick around.

"Still," Anise started sceptically, "Even if it was hit by a tidal wave, there's no way it would start floating around the ocean, right?"

"No, this is very unlikely a natural occurrence. There's a good chance this is the source of the Seventh Fonon consumption."

"That's somewhat comforting, at least," Natalia conceded. "We know we aren't in the wrong place. All things considered, it would make for a logical location to hide a fomicry facility. Even if the island were to be discovered, no one would bother looking around such a place."

"It's just searching the whole island that's going to be a pain," Asch commented. "I doubt they left it out in the open for us to find."

"No, the God-Generals probably have it hidden away somewhere," Tear agreed. "We have to find it and destroy it or else the imbalance of Seventh Fonons is only going to get worse."

"We cannot allow you to do that."

Luke and his friends all spun around at the all too familiar voice. It was the group of replicas that they'd encountered at Tataroo Valley! Of course... Luke shook his head, surprised he hadn't considered the possibility before now. It made sense that this would be their base if it was where Mohs was creating them. Luke carefully scanned the group. There were only about a dozen or so this time, and there were no trained soldiers with them. Other than Mary and a few others, they weren't very well equipped either. It looked like Mary's group hadn't intended to run into them... this was perfect; if Luke's group had the upper hand, there was a better chance they could just talk through this.

"I see you escaped," Mary commented.

"We have you to thank for being alive," Luke said gratefully. If he treaded carefully then maybe...

"Mohs was displeased with our actions before," Mary continued, speaking to her comrades without ever taking her eyes off the group before her. Whether by accident or by choice she remained oblivious to Luke's attempts at initiating a conversation. "This time we are to kill all of them except him." The replica's finger was pointed straight at Asch. "Mohs will use him to get what he needs. The others are of no use anymore."

"Mary, please," Guy spoke up. "Don't do this."

"Kill them."

The eleven replicas standing behind Mary all charged, and despite his best attempts, Luke was forced to draw his sword. Though they were outnumbered, with the lack of Oracle Knights and the fact that there were less of them, Luke found himself on equal footing with most of his opponents. Still, finding himself matching blows with Iemon was hard to swallow. Luke could still feel that lingering hesitation, the resolve that hadn't solidified while there was still a chance that they could stop all this nonsense. Even if they weren't the people his friends once were, it didn't mean that they had to be his enemies.

They were not just replicas.

"Stop all this," Luke pleaded when he found himself going strike for strike against Mary. "Do you even know what it is you're fighting for?"

"We fight against you; you and all those who oppose the birth of our brethren. Why can you not accept us and our right to exist in this world as much as you?"

Luke was taken aback and the ensuing hit sent him scrambling backwards to regain his balance and put some needed space between them. The skill with which she fought was amazing, Luke remained in awe even as Mary closed the distance between them and their fight continued. He just didn't get it. There was no way the replicas could be that old... and he sure as hell couldn't even properly hold a sword until he was at least two. Luke would be the first to admit he wasn't the strongest person in the world, but he knew more about swordsmanship than most people, and it was nothing for them to go toe to toe with him, not to mention all the others. How were their techniques so perfected?

"I don't!" Luke argued, breaking her defence and regaining the advantage. "I'm not opposed to the existence of replicas. But like anyone else, replicas should be born because there was someone out there who wanted them to be brought into this world, someone who wants to take care of them and love them, like any family should. Replicas should never be born to be used as tools, so I can't let this continue!"

"You say we are tools, that we are unwanted; but you are wrong. Mohs created us because he had need of us. We follow his orders for that reason. He has promised us all safety and a place to live on the heavenly plane, so we will do whatever is asked of us in return."

"But that's wrong! 'Because Mohs said so'... trust me, that isn't the road you want to go down. You can't just live based on how other people tell you. You have to think for yourself and make your own choices! You need to know what Mohs' plan means, not just for you but for everyone else! Don't you know? If you let Mohs succeed, then all the originals will die!"

"Why should we care what happens to the originals?" Mary asked.

"Because they live on this planet just like you do. Because to care about others is part of what it means to live! Besides, if it weren't for the originals, you never would have been born."

"So now we live," Mary replied, landing a hit that sent Luke staggering. The young noble managed to recover just in time to parry her ensuing attack. "Are we to remain beholden to the originals forever? There is no reason to care for those who won't accept us. The words of one such as you, one who has a place in this world, mean nothing. You could never begin to understand the challenges replicas like us face. So, we will leave you behind and build our own world."

"You can't-"

Movement from the corner of his eye, distracted Luke and he spun around to block the strike. Guy jumped in, occupying Mary's attention and leading her away from Luke's open back. The young noble didn't recognize his latest attacker, but he was almost as skilled as Mary had proven to be. Instinctively looking towards the sidelines, Luke panicked a brief second before realizing that Ion wasn't with them. Of course he wouldn't be hanging around the battlefield... he was in Daath getting better.

The knife Luke's latest opponent was wielding swiped a bit too close for comfort, bringing him back to the fight. Luke heard a yell; Anise had been knocked off of Tokunaga. He tried to hurry to her side but was cut off by Iemon's replica. Damn it! Luke put all his attention into blocking the strikes from both opponents. This was just ridiculous; there had to be some way to talk his out.

"Why are we fighting like this?" Luke tried to ask the replicas that were attacking him. "Why do you have to kill us to find a place you belong?" The two attackers didn't reply, simply continuing their assault.

The young noble remained on the defensive, determined to get an answer out of them. There just had to be a way! He couldn't let them walk down the same road he had! He couldn't!

Luke's eyes opened wide, a large shadow looming over him emphasized only by the clashing of metal on metal. Daring to look over his shoulder, he saw Asch holding the weight of a third replica's sword that had no doubt been ready to come down on him. In a single fluid motion Asch pierced through the enemy's stomach, crippling them and leaving them for dead. The two attacking replicas backed off several paces.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Asch demanded. "You keep holding back like this and you're going to get yourself killed!" Luke refused to answer. "Well? Do you want to die?"

"What do you care?" Luke asked, his voice carrying a despondent tone. "After all, I'm just your replica."

In a burst of fury, Asch spun around and turned on his sibling, landing a punch clear across the face that sent Luke crashing to the ground. Luke just sat there, in pure shock at what had just happened. Asch's clenched fist was still trembling.

"Don't you ever... and I mean ever say something like that again! You are not just my replica, and if you even imply that I so much as think that, so help me Lorelei I'll pound those ridiculous delusions out of your head myself."

An awkward silence fell over the battlefield, not just between the boys, but everywhere. Natalia hesitantly lowered her bow, unsure what to make of it. All the replicas had stopped attacking, freezing like the rest of them at Asch's sudden outburst. All their attention was on the two redheads, but those two were oblivious to any of it.

"Oh really?" Luke protested, his flaming green eyes meeting his counterpart's. "That's not what you said before!"

"You stupid moron! Did you honestly think that's what I meant? I said that they were just replicas, because they are replicas, not the people our friends once were! Their lives are no different than those of any other person that Van or Mohs may send after us; but for some reason you can't see that! You're the one treating them different because they're replicas!"

"I am not!"

"Yes you are! If it had been anyone else, the God-Generals, you name it; you would have been willing to fight. Instead you were ready to just sit there and- and die! After everything..." Asch let himself trail off, unable to say it out loud.

After everything I did to protect you...

"Of all people..." Asch began again, his voice calmer this time. "How could you honestly believe that's how I felt?"

"Because it's how you've been acting for two months now," Luke shot coldly. His eyes glistened in the faint glow of the sun that had peaked out from its cover and fought through the miasma, only adding depth to the angry expression that surrounded them.

At those words, in all their pitiless verity, Asch's heart sank, and the last of his temper was drowned out by the feeling of his stomach as it tried to crawl back out his throat. The look in Luke's eyes spoke volumes, and it was an all too familiar emotion. How could he have been so oblivious? The anger, the bitterness, and the hurt that he couldn't even begin to explain... it was all there, and seven years didn't have near the power to bury the memories of those feelings. He knew those eyes... only for the first time, it wasn't a mirror he was looking into.

Was that really what he'd done to Luke? The emotions he'd cursed and that he struggled with even now, had his actions created those feelings in turn? He couldn't deny it; he wanted to, more than anything he didn't want to believe it. But he couldn't; not when it stared him down, all that anger and resentment encapsulated in emerald spheres fighting against all duress to keep the content they shielded hidden. Still it was useless. Knowing what to look for peeled away the layers of stubborn pride, and what Asch had so carelessly ignored for all this time he now could see clear as day. In Luke's eyes, he had been rejected... betrayed by his own brother, his own family, and more than anything else, he lashed out in fear. He was afraid of being alone.

Asch extended his hand, his frown deepening when Luke jerked away. "I'm sorry," Asch offered. It didn't, no it shouldn't have to be this way between them. There had been so many reasons, so many excuses that Asch had created, all giving him reasons to push Luke away... all while a part of him screamed inside. It was to protect him; it was for Luke's own good... to hell with that. Months of excuses were washed away by a single moment. He couldn't believe it had taken so long for such an obvious thing to register, and Luke's aversion to such a simple gesture was a harsh reminder that there was more than one way for someone to get hurt... and it was still all his fault.

All he'd unknowingly done... and 'sorry' was the only thing he could offer. He really was pathetic.

"You can forgive me, you can choose not to; that decision is yours. Either way, you've got to stop what you're doing. Just like you have a choice, so do all of them," Asch said with a nod towards their opponents, all still frozen where they'd stopped their assault before. "You can't force them down the road you think is right; that's no different than what Van is doing. I know you want to avoid fighting, but they have the right to choose to fight for what they believe in, and you have to respect that. Because they're people in this world too, right?"

Luke hesitated for a moment, but accepted Asch's hand and let his sibling pull him to his feet. They stood frozen in time, their entire world encompassed in their respective reflections before them. Luke smiled softly.

"I know, thank you."

'I'm sorry too,' Luke added sadly.

'Thank you.'

'Just promise me something.'

'What is it?' Asch asked curiously.

'From now on... if there's something you don't want to tell me, then say that. Tell me it's none of my business, hell you can tell me to piss off if you want to, whatever... just... no more lies, okay?'

Asch smiled. 'I think I can do that...as long as you can do the same.'

'Thank you...'

'We still need to talk later.'

'Yeah, I know.'

With a confidence that had long been missing from the young noble, Luke turned around and faced his opponents, taking an offensive stance.

"Asch is right," he said, looking Mary straight in the eye. "I can't force you to change the path that you're on, but I can't change my own path either. So if you're going to stand against us, then I don't have a choice but to fight you."

"You're one of us," Mary said, a hint of confusion off-setting her normally emotionless tone.

"What?" Luke returned the confusion.

"You're a replica," she stated plainly.

"That's right. I'm Asch's replica, I was born seven years ago. What of it?"

"Then you are one of our kindred." The replica's leader stared Luke down, an unusual expression spreading across her face. Luke readied himself, unsure what she was debating and exactly where she was going with her newfound realization. "Lower your weapons," Mary finally said, and the others all immediately backed off. "I will not allow the death of any more of our brethren."

"What's the meaning of this?" Asch asked.

"We were betrayed." Mary mumbled to herself. "No, that cannot be correct. There must be a mistake of some sort."

"Betrayed? Who betrayed-"

Luke's inquiry was cut off by the sudden violent rattle of the earth beneath his feat. The youngest sibling nearly crashed into the ground, saved by Asch's grasp at the last second, the latter barely managing to keep them both on their feet. Brittle walls of surrounding buildings collapsed, roaring and sending clouds of dust and dirt flying into the already suffocating air. Both the replicas and Luke's friends were sent into fits of coughing, and only the familiar sounds told the redhead that all his companions were accounted for and still safe.

A second wave of tremors rippled through the island, but the destruction of the fragile isle was drowned out by the crashing of water. Waves taller than the crippled houses crashed against the shores, throwing debris around as if it were a plaything. Only the fact that they were away from the island's edge saved their lives.

"Is everyone alright?" Tear called out. The silence following the tremor was broken only by the dust settling and the occasional sound of a building collapsing in the distance.

"We're fine," Asch answered, helping Luke up.

"Us too," Anise called, she, Guy, Jade and Natalia coming through the dust cloud.

"How about you?" Guy asked. Mary looked up confusedly when Luke offered her a hand.

"We're fine as well," Mary replied. "I don't know about the others."

"What was that about?" Luke inquired.

"I'm not certain," Jade admitted. "It was too violent to be an earthquake out at sea like this. Especially since it's unlikely the isle is actually in contact with the ocean floors."

"Uh guys," Anise began. "What's that?"

The former Fon Master Guardian pointed to the sky in the distance. Sitting on the horizon, for the world to see was what looked like an island. The massive land mass created a black outline in the sky, spires breaking the otherwise smooth shape and giving it a more ominous presence.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Anise exclaimed. "First islands floating around the ocean, but islands floating in the sky now?"

"Mohs has gone ahead without us..." Iemon mumbled.

"That thing is Mohs' doing?" Natalia inquired.

"Mohs... you promised us a place on the new Hod," Mary said, staring at land in the sky.

"Hod?" Guy managed. "That's supposed to be Hod?"

"What will we do?" Iemon asked.

"Let us go to the place of the covenant," Mary answered. "Surely Mohs will come for us."

"But the navigational equipment was most likely destroyed with that last earthquake."

"If we follow the current, we should eventually wash ashore, we'll walk to the Tower of Rem from there."

"Understood."

"Gather the others," Mary commanded. "We must spread the word." She turned to leave, but took one last look over her shoulder. Her eyes met Luke's.

"Mary, wait!" Guy called, but the blonde replica vanished into the cloud of settling dust.

"What's going to happen to them now?" Luke wondered.

"They'll probably be abandoned," Asch replied solemnly. "As long as Mohs has the replica data, he can make as many as he wants. I doubt he's really going to take them in."

"That's so cruel..." Natalia commented, her eyes still in the direction their opponents had vanished.

"I do wonder why they were so willing to stop attacking us though," Tear pondered. "They seemed quite intent on killing us from the start."

"Isn't it because Luke is a replica like they are?" Anise asked. "No offense or anything Luke."

"None taken."

"It could be," Natalia agreed. "They did stop attacking as soon as Luke said he was a replica. If nothing else, they do seem rather protective of their own."

"They have to be," Luke spoke up. "I was lucky. They don't have anyone else to look out for them. Still... the way they think isn't good either."

"Why do you say that?" Anise asked curiously.

"Well, thinking like that just widens the gap between replicas and originals that much more. We're not any different than anyone else."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she conceded.

"A replica Hod..." Guy mumbled, still looking at the floating island on the horizon. "Something tells me that isn't all Mohs' doing."

"If it's his at all," Jade agreed. "There is more than a good chance that the God-Generals are involved."

"Replicating Hod was part of Van's original plans. Things are starting to move," Asch commented.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "So we'd better get moving too."

With the massive tremors that had shaken the island, the search for Mohs' fomicry facility became both simpler and at the same time, all the more treacherous. Even Tear was wary about the stability of the remaining structures; yet at the same time, those same structural considerations narrowed the scope of their search. The amount of equipment required for an operation on the scale Mohs was working was significant enough that many places just wouldn't be able to support it in their weakened state, eliminating the need to search many of the structures that remained standing.

Most of the dust had settled, but that wasn't the only thing that was calming down. No one was entirely sure exactly what had occurred between Luke and Asch through the course of that last battle; one of the things that made their connection so frustrating for the rest of them. It was impossible to tell exactly what was going on with them at any given time. Still... a warm feeling rose within Tear; Luke looked calmer and more relaxed than she'd seen him since they'd reunited. Something about him had been off in the past couple weeks, nothing she could specifically identify, but it was still there at the back of her mind, bothering her in those quiet moments that they shared together. Now, even just by looking at him, he seemed so much more like himself.

Tear suppressed a chuckle, content just watching Luke's shifting expressions. It was such a peculiar thing to watch, even knowing the reason behind it. She was glad that he and Asch were speaking again, and though Luke's expressions suggested it wasn't all pleasant conversation, she sincerely hoped that they'd be able to properly work through things now that they weren't in the heat of battle.

Though much of the tension between them had lifted, Tear and her companions still travelled in silence. The fact that the replicas had left so suddenly and without any way of knowing how quickly Mary's order to stand down had passed between them, kept everyone on their toes. None of them had shown up, but there was always the chance that they were still around. It would be foolish to let her guard down.

Jade was right, with what was looked to be a resurrection of Hod floating in the sky, there was a good chance this involved her brother and the God-Generals in one way or another. Mohs was probably just a figurehead they were using; an efficient one at that. The God-Generals knew it would be impossible for them to ignore Mohs' objectives and he had served his function as a diversion perfectly. Now who could say just how far along they'd come with their plans in these few months?

"There's something up ahead." Luke stopped, extending his arm before her and pulling Tear from her thoughts.

Luke drew his sword and was followed by the others. A growl drifted on the wind, followed by a massive yawn. A giant, yellow liger wandered around from behind a massive boulder, freezing at the sight of the humans it hadn't expected to find. The creature poised itself, ready to pounce but at the same time making no motion to do so. Restraint in a wild monster? No. The pattern of the black fur along its back and the flowing white mane were very familiar.

"Master!" Mieu fled into the security of Luke's jacket.

"That's one of Gloomietta's pets!" Anise exclaimed, maintaining her defensive stance.

"What are you doing here, Anise?" The creature's master rounded the corner, standing next to her friend.

"I'm the one who should be asking you that! Why are you here?"

"This is my home!" Arietta yelled back. "I'm here protecting something very important, go away!"

"Arietta, why are you here?" Luke asked. "Why aren't you in Daath taking care of Ion? Isn't that what you wanted to do?"

"Yeah," Anise added snidely. "I thought you cared about Ion."

"Shut up! I do so care about Ion! I wanted to stay with him and take care of him... but Van says I can't! Van says Ion is useless because he's sick, and that I have to do this instead!"

"We're just looking for something Mohs might have left here," Asch explained. If nothing else, the young God-General had expressed a strong dislike of the pompous bastard. Maybe they could use that and to reason with her and get by without a fight. "We don't have any business with you; we just need to get by."

"Please Arietta," Luke pleaded.

"I'm sorry, I really am. But I can't let you get by! Just go away!"

"Don't bother Luke," Anise intervened. "Arietta is too stupid to think for herself. She only ever obeys orders."

"I do not! You don't know anything, Anise! You're the one who only ever followed Mohs' orders to hurt Ion! It's your fault things turned out like this! It's your fault Ion got taken away from me! It's all your fault!"

Arietta's reply echoed through her liger and several other monsters quickly appeared from among the ruined structures. The massive creature pounced on Anise who only barely got away from the razor sharp claws that passed at her throat. Though she'd spared her neck, the liger caught Tokunaga's arm in its mouth and with a single violent motion, threw the girl from her doll, sending her crashing into Natalia.

Seeing the unguarded duo, a pair of griffons swept down from the sky more than eager to get a chance at the easy prey. Natalia reached about her, frantically searching for her bow. No, it was beyond her reach! The recovering Anise still pinned her down; she wouldn't get there in time! The shadows swept down on them; both girls cringed.

Torrents of water appeared above the creatures, their wings crippling as the weight of Jade's arte shattered the bones supporting them. Both fell to the earth like swatted flies.

"Are you two alright?" Guy moved in, delivering the fatal strike to both griffons, and taking a defensive stance before the two girls.

"We're fine, thank you," Natalia replied, helping Anise up.

"Tokunaga is not a chew toy you oversized mutt!" Anise yelled at the liger who still held her weapon of choice in its mouth. A well placed arte by the former Fon Master Guardian struck the liger, knocking it over and releasing its hostage. "Ugh, your liger drooled all over it!"

"Shut up, Anise! I'm going to make you pay for letting Ion get so sick!"

Even with several of her monster friends defeated, Arietta wasn't one to be underestimated and it was a fact that she seemed more than content to make obvious. Jade kept an eye on the pink haired girl, but maintained the majority of his focus on taking out Arietta's monsters, as well as the other wild monsters that had been lured in by the commotion, or perhaps even rallied by the God-General's forces. Regardless, it would be foolish to let those numbers go unchecked and far too easy to become overwhelmed, even by the easiest of foes.

To his left, Asch had the same idea and was providing the Necromancer with support, showing off his own array of fonic artes. Not quite as extensive as the Colonel's, but still rather impressive. He certainly maintained a wider inventory than his sibling, though the latter just may have developed the upper hand in swordsmanship from their discordant training tendencies over the past few months.

It was the latter, however, that Jade was more concerned about, and his increasing reluctance to fight many of their enemies was beginning to become troublesome. Luke's abilities to foster a feeling of amiability with someone were impressive, but doing so with the enemy was a poor choice, even if he had spent a considerable amount of time with the girl while tending to Ion that day in Daath. He could make friends all he wanted, but he had to realize that doing so meant he would have to fight those same friends.

Perhaps he knew this, or perhaps it was that Luke knew he was under Jade's scrutiny, but whatever the reason, he too was preferentially engaging the monsters leaving the God-General herself in the hands of Anise, Guy and the Kimlascan princess. With Tear's artes added to the mix, the number of monsters was dwindling quickly, and Luke's avoidance of the issue at hand could only go on for so much longer. What would he do then, Jade wondered.

"Arietta, stop, you're not going to win," Luke joined in beside Anise when one of the God-General's artes put Guy, and consequently Natalia, temporarily out of commission. "Don't make us kill all your friends."

"No! I can't! Van told me I had to guard this, no matter what!"

"Who's more important to you, Master Van or Ion?"

Arietta opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced when the question reached her ears. "I-Ion is," she finally managed, "but the Commandant told me I have to do this for Ion! Ion told me to always help the Commandant, no matter what!"

"Forget what they all said!" Luke swung at the God-General, forcing her to halt her arte and evade his attack. A remaining liger pounced to defend its master but Luke ducked around it. "What is it that you want to do?"

"I... I want to help Ion but-"

"Then that's all you need. Go back to Daath and take care of Ion."

"Luke!" Anise yelled in protest, still in the process of trying to deal with liger he'd oh so conveniently left to her after dodging its initial assault. Honestly! What the hell was he thinking? Trying to convince the enemy to go sit by Ion's bedside? Who knows what she might do!

"But if I do that, then the Commandant and- and Ion will both be mad at me for not listening to them!"

"Then let them be mad! At least you know you did what you thought was right. You can't let Master Van or even Ion tell you how to live your life, or make your choices for you. You have to decide on your own. Besides...didn't you say you would protect Ion, no matter what?"

"I..."

"Go, Arietta," Luke finished with a smile. "He's waiting for you."

"Everyone!" Arietta called out and the remaining few monsters immediately ceased their assault. The pink haired God-General climbed on the back of a liger; then with a final doubtful look back and a reassuring nod from Luke, she took off into the distance.

"You got her to leave." Guy sheathed his sword, the tone in his voice more than impressed.

"Yes, but that may have been cruel in its own way," Natalia commented.

"It's not her Ion," Luke agreed sadly. A part of him was screaming, hating himself for just being one more person to manipulate her feelings.

'You got her to make a choice for herself,' Asch said softly, picking up on those feeling of guilt. 'It's a start.'

'Maybe.'

"It may not be the Ion she fell in love with," Luke continued, "but I don't think that means that she can't form a bond with this one too."

"It doesn't matter," Anise grumbled. "I still don't trust her."

"More concerning than her potential allegiances, are her comments regarding the Commandant," Jade pointed out.

"Indeed," Natalia agreed. "She spoke as if she'd met with him since our last encounter. That would mean... he's no longer in the core."

"He probably isn't," Asch spoke up. "Otherwise there's no way he could have known that Ion is sick."

"Which also means he's likely trapped Lorelei," Jade pondered. "This is bad. The Planet Storm is only going to get worse and bring more miasma with it."

"This is starting to get complicated," Guy sighed. "Let's deal with one thing at a time, first we have a fomicry facility to shut down, then we can worry about what to do with the Planet Storm and Van."

"I'm still kind of curious though, what does Master Van have Arietta guarding, here of all places?" Luke asked.

"It could very well be the fomicry facility," Jade replied. "If it can produce replicas on the scale that we've seen so far, it would a valuable asset to him."

"Something kinda bugs me about those replicas though," Luke commented.

"What's that?"

"Well, they can't have been around for all that long, right? How come they seem to know so much and are so well trained?"

"A little jealous, perhaps?" Jade commented slyly.

"No," Luke grumbled.

"Well since it took you two years to learn to walk and talk properly, I guess I can see how that would bug you," Asch joined in. "As for fighting, well we still haven't determined how long you're going to take to get somewhat decent."

"Hey! I could beat you one on one," the younger sibling challenged.

"I'll spare you the humiliating defeat," Asch teased.

"Luke's own progression aside, I admit I'm rather curious as well," Natalia admitted as everyone continued along, Luke and Asch still taking playful jabs at each other. It was astounding just how different their demeanour was than just a few hours ago. How they could reverse their behaviour so drastically, was beyond her.

"It's related to fomicry experiments that were done in conjunction with the military some time ago," Jade explained. "Replicas can be programmed to perform certain functions at the time of their creation."

"Well then, why are all replicas not programmed with the ability to walk and talk when they are born? It would make a great deal more sense."

"Unfortunately, doing so interferes with normal learning and development process. They have an innate knowledge of programmed tasks, but their personality and other such traits do not properly develop."

"That's terrible."

"You can see it in the replicas too," Tear commented. "Their eyes seem so empty, and they don't get worked up or angry or anything either."

"I'm certainly glad that's not what became of Luke," Natalia said.

"Me too," Tear agreed, a fond smile on her face, watching the young replica who had already walked ahead of them.

"Guys!" Luke's voice interrupted their conversation and looking up, he was waving at them in the distance. "I think we found something!"

Something they'd found indeed; Jade adjusted his glasses. The machine was easily twice the size of the one in Choral Castle and undoubtedly had ten times the operating capacity. The building that housed the fomicry machine seemed to be quite stable despite a large portion of the back wall that was missing. Unfortunately the facility seemed to still be perfectly operational, but who could have built something of this magnitude? Van had only recently returned, and Mohs was nowhere near this capable. No, this was almost undoubtedly Dist's work. Well, that should make it relatively easy to disassemble.

"I think we found that proof," Anise commented sarcastically, kicking one of the many helmets that were strewn about the floor. The entire room was littered with armour and a variety of military equipment, both from Kimlasca and from Malkuth. "I don't think we can take the fon machine, but how much of this junk do you want?"

"Wow," Guy looked up in awe. "I can't imagine how many replicas something like this could produce."

"Many more then we need running around trying to start a war, let's put it that way," Asch tossed in.

"Indeed," Jade agreed. The Colonel activated the control panel and began browsing through the different screens.

"Anything useful?" the Malkuth noble inquired.

"No," Jade continued to browse. "It doesn't look like it can be permanently disabled through here either."

"What does that mean?" Natalia asked.

"Asch, would you like to do the honours?" Jade asked tauntingly with a wave of his hand.

Asch cocked an eyebrow. "You say that like I enjoy destroying things."

"Don't you?"

Asch's mouth opened but before any sort of witty reply could come flying out of it, his expression shifted to a more curious one and he closed it.

"Where is Luke?" Guy started to look around, guessing what had stopped Asch in his tracks.

"He says he found something," Asch provided, pointing at the collapsed portion of the back wall. "He wants you to take a look at it Tear."

"Me?" Tear asked confusedly. Asch just shrugged in response; he didn't have any more answers than she did.

"Seeing as destroying the facility would make it difficult for our little replica to escape from back there, perhaps we ought to indulge him before proceeding," Jade suggested.

"You first old man," Asch taunted with a taunting wave of his hand.

"Tsk, tsk, such disrespect for your elders."

"I learn from the very best," he shot, following the others outside.

"Luke," Tear called, stepping over the rubble to get outside. "Luke!" Where did he get off to now? Didn't he realize this wasn't the time to be exploring? Besides, what could he have possible found, and why did he want her to take a look at it?

"Over here!" Tear spotted Luke waving from a perch on a broken slab of concrete. Luke hopped down and motioned towards her.

"Luke, what's going on?" Tear chided. "You shouldn't be wandering around on your own, especially when we're dealing with such important matters."

"She's right," Asch agreed. "With the God-Generals out there doing who knows what, you need to be more careful. What is it you need Tear for?"

"I want her to check if it's real."

"Check if what's real?" Asch asked, doing his utmost to keep his frustration in check.

Luke grabbed Tear's arm and pulled her with him over the ridge of debris. Below them the ground dropped steeply, several underground facilities having collapsed, making the path treacherous. Tear's eyes widened in shock. Sitting below them was a massive fonstone.

"That," Luke answered simply. "You can tell if it's real, right Tear?" Luke didn't get an answer, but they began their climb down the steep incline none-the-less.

"It couldn't be," Tear mumbled in disbelief, allowing Asch to give her a hand down before approaching the mysterious stone. It was almost as tall as she was and was just a bit wider than it was tall. The smooth polished surface had lettering engraved in it, behind which she could see her reflection. Even without the full light of the sun, it sparkled in a rainbow of colours. Could it really be...? She placed both her hands up against it and closed her eyes.

"The Seventh Fonstone?" Guy asked.

"It is," Tear replied after a moment. "It's a piece of the Seventh Fonstone, but how did you know that?"

"I saw it in the core," Guy replied. "Van must have brought it back out with him when he came back."

"But what purpose would Van have for the Seventh Fonstone? If I recall correctly, he already knows its contents."

"Van himself may not need it, but I bet it would make for great bait for Mohs," Asch realized. "Could you imagine what would happen if Mohs got this and could tell the world his New Order has the Seventh Fonstone?"

"It would be chaos," Natalia agreed. "Everyone would want to know the Score, and if the world leaders refuse to follow, who knows what could occur."

"Well we can't let Mohs have it, that's for sure," Guy spoke up. "But what are we going to do about it?"

"Could we take it with us?" Anise asked.

"I doubt this would fit in the Albiore," Natalia replied, her eyes darting across trying to do a quick estimate of its dimensions. "Travelling with it just isn't a possibility."

"Well we could probably get the Albiore to carry it if we had to, but carrying it around definitely won't work. Still, that's not really the problem," Guy postulated. "It's a really sticky situation. Things might be cool between the countries now, but with the history behind this thing, they won't stay that way long if we give the Seventh Fonstone to one side or the other."

"Could we move it, and then let them decide what to do about it at the summit?" Luke suggested.

"But where could we move it to?" Guy asked. "The neutral territory is the first place the God-Generals will look once they discover it's missing, and with Arietta's defection, I doubt it will be long before they come looking."

"Why not try Choral Castle?" the younger noble tossed out. "With Hod floating in the sky, I doubt the God-Generals are still using it as a base. No one goes there anymore so there isn't any chance of someone accidently stumbling onto it either."

"But there is still a fomicry facility there," Jade pointed out. "Once we've destroyed this one, there is a chance they may try to make use of it. Choral Castle may not be safe."

"I know where in Choral Castle we can stash it," Asch said. "It's a spot that the Albiore can reach and the God-Generals won't find it, at least until we've had enough time to decide what to do with it."

"We'll see once you've shown me where this place is," Jade conceded.

"We should hurry and go get Ginji and Noelle," Luke spoke up.

"Yeah, the sooner we can get this thing out of here, the better. It's just a mess waiting to happen."

"But before we leave, Asch still has a fomicry machine to destroy," Jade said slyly.

"Ha ha, funny, old man," Asch shot, withholding none of the exemplary sarcasm of which he was capable. "Do it yourself."

"Oh, but after all that fighting today, all my bones ache. It happens when you reach my age, you know?"

"Not happening."

"Well someone has to do it," Guy rolled his eyes. "Hey... why are the two of you looking at me that way? I don't do the whole fonic arte thing..."

"There's more than one way to skin a rappig," Asch said with a smirk.

'Peony would murder you for saying that,' Luke shot sceptically.

"Look I don't care who blows up the copy machine in there but someone do it so we can get out of here!" Anise yelled in frustration. "No offense Luke," she added as an aside.

"None taken."

"She is right though," Natalia said with a chuckle. If nothing else, she was just happy to see everything back to normal... if their antics could ever be considered normal. None-the-less, her friends were all smiling and in spite of the grim events that the future may hold, Natalia would never want it any other way.

"Let's get this done, gather some evidence and arrange for the summit," she said. "We've got a good deal of work ahead of us."