AN: Hello guys, sorry for the slight delays. Just finished my second exam and my final will be on the 4th. After that I'll be busy with other activities so my updates for December will be slower than usual. I apologize if this chapter is not the best.
In any case, time to respond to you awesome reviewers.

U-know Yunho: I know what you mean bro. Oh, thanks for pointing out the error. I've already fixed it.

Mr. AE Hachi-Roku: Thanks! I'm never too confident in creating drama so your review helped me a lot.
Ah I see... I'll try to improve my writing to avoid those kind of errors, thanks for pointing it out

TheAnime4Fan: Why did I stop it at that part? Because... I just love writing those kind of moments, huehuehue~~~
Thanks. I try to mention characters emotions from time to time

Riku Uzumaki: Glad you enjoyed that chapter. Ah yes, I apologize for the short chapters. Honestly when I wrote 'Naruto' fanfics, I used to write around 4000-5000+ words per chapter but well... I realized the quality of my chapter deterred the more I wrote. Sorry. I'll try to write longer chapters while maintaining its quality

ydshahid: I guess so

GroundZeroFirework : Well... that ending is a little too early to conclude she'll be her mom :P But we shall see how it goes from here
Glad you liked the small Jude x Milla moment

Haseo55: Hehehe, Rowen will always be Rowen I guess. Ah yeah, I didn't include the burn because the burn allowed Ludger and Elle to sort of patch things up a little. Without the burn scene, Elle is still upset with Ludger

Ghost: Yes, the anticipated moment since this story began has finally arrived! But it was just the beginning! More complications and development will follow through!

That Mysterious Reader: Wooooooo!

chronotimeguard: Yes, everything is much complicated now! huehuehuehuehuehue... or so it seems

Well, that goes with the reviews! I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 14: EXODUS STRIKES

"Good. For now, President Bisley is away. Hold onto the final Waymarker until we make contact with you again." Vera ordered through her GHS and then ended the call.

With the call ended, Ludger placed his GHS back into his pocket. Ludger had just reported to Vera that he had obtained the final Waymarker but Bisley was away. For now he was to hold onto it. It had been two days since the group returned to the prime dimension. Two days since Victor, Elle's father, died to Ludger. It was just yesterday the party departed from Drellin and separated.

At the moment, Ludger was in his apartment. Elle was in Ludger's room and she still refused to speak to him. Ludger had decided to report to Vera when Jude arrived with Milla. Apparently 'fractured' Milla promised Milla that she could watch her cook.

"So what did Vera say?" Jude inquired from the dining table.

"She told me we have to hold onto the final Waymarker. President Bisley is away. She didn't say where though." Ludger answered and sat on the opposite side of the dining table.

"It shouldn't take too long. I'm sure if Bisley hears that we have the final Waymarker, he'd make a quick return." Jude waited for a moment before he whispered, "Erm… what's going on?"

Ludger tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Jude took a quick glance at the kitchen counter where 'fractured' Milla and Milla were. Milla was absorbed in watching 'fractured' Milla cooking lunch. "Well… it just seems… a little tense… between you and 'her.'" Ludger said nothing and Jude continued, "Since we returned from Drellin, it's like she's been avoiding you. Did… did something happen?"

Ludger was pouring himself a glass of water on the dining table but when Jude asked if something 'happened', Ludger spilled the water on the table. 'Fractured' Milla also blushed deep red (although no one noticed) and almost cut herself with the knife. The memory of what happened in Drellin surfaced in their minds.

Ludger wiped the spilled water with a cloth, "N-n-nothing really! Err… anyway I think I need to pick up some groceries. Come on Jude, you can help!"

"Huh? Wait, what about-"

Before another word of protest, Ludger grabbed Jude's arm and dragged him out of the apartment with him, heading towards the commercial district. Milla was far too engrossed with the magnificent aroma of the food to notice that her 'other' self was now much calmer now that Ludger was away.

"I see… so you add this in to spice the flavor?" Milla asked as 'fractured' Milla dropped some extra spices into the broth.

"That's right."

Milla nodded with interest, "I see…"

Another short silence fell between the two Millas. While Milla watched 'fractured' Milla stir the pot of broth, her mind was elsewhere. In particular, she thought back to the events at Drellin. Ludger's sudden confession and kiss was… overwhelming, to say the least. And what frightened her more was that after the initial shock washed off; she was the one who prolonged the kiss. When the two finally separated, 'fractured' Milla did not know what to do. And before Ludger could say or do anything, she ran. She escaped to her room and quickly went into bed, completely ignoring the fact that Jude and Milla were present. The next day and up to the present time, she had not spoken to Ludger. She did not even know how to face him. And that was difficult since she lived with Ludger.

"Is Elle still not speaking with Ludger?" Milla asked, bringing 'fractured' Milla back to the present.

"Huh? Oh, erm… no. She only speaks with me but even then… it's just short answers like 'yes' or 'no'. It's going to take some time."

Milla nodded, "She is only a child after all. No child should experience what she did."

'Fractured' Milla turned to Milla, who was staring down at the broth and drooling in anticipation. 'Fractured' Milla decided she needed to ask the question. "Milla… do you mind if I… ask a personal question?"

Milla turned towards her 'other' self with interest, "What is it?"

"How… how do you know… you l-l-love… Jude…?" When Milla stared at 'fractured' Milla with a raised eyebrow in fascination, 'fractured' Milla started to wave it off, "Actually never mind! It's just a silly question! Let's just get back to cooki-"

"I don't know how to answer that." Milla said suddenly, "But… if I were to put it into words, I care deeply for Jude. It's a powerful attachment I have for him. I want to do everything in my power to help him achieve his dreams. And… to protect everything that he holds dear." Milla paused and then smiled, "And… I want to be by his side for as long as possible..."

'Fractured' Milla was amazed at Milla's words. She had never seen Milla speak with so much emotion. "You… really love Jude, huh?"

Milla smiled with a light blush visible on her cheeks, "I'm not very good in speaking about human emotions. It's still new to me. But… yes, I can confirm my feelings for Jude is that of love. However… as much as I love him, I cannot be with him because of my duty as the Lord of Spirits. I cannot abandon my duty because of my personal feelings."

"I know… if I was the Lord of Spirits in my dimension… I'm pretty sure I'd think like you." 'Fractured' Milla replied. "We are the same after all. It's just that… well, I'm human."

Both Millas shared a short laugh and returned to cooking. Well, 'fractured' Milla anyway. Milla was merely observing her 'other' self doing the work. Then a thought popped into Milla's mind.

"So why did you ask about love? Is there someone on your mind that fits the description?" Milla asked.

"Huh?!" 'Fractured' sputtered, "Wh-why would I even l-like him?! Wait, no! I mean no! Th-there's no one I like right now! Why are you even asking that? Let's just get back to cooking!" 'Fractured' Milla then laughed nervously.

Milla nodded. 'Fractured' Milla was fortunate that Milla knew very little about humans. Because if it was someone else that had heard her, the answer was obvious.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile Leia was currently at Marksburg by herself. She received an anonymous tip that there was going to be an interesting 'story' to cover for a reporter. Naturally Leia was excited about it. So here she was, trying to find 'something', although she had no idea what it was.

'I really should have brought Alvin with me.' Leia thought, 'He's the one that can normally sniff if it out if something is amiss. Man…'

Still Leia was at least glad she was in Marksburg. Since it was a port, it reminded her of her hometown Leronde. The smell of the sea breeze, the sound of the ships making or leaving port and the merchants setting up their business close to the docks. Even here in Elympios, there were still some things that reminded her of home.

"Have you heard?" A merchant nearby said to another merchant, "Apparently they found some old sunken ship not far from harbor."

The second merchant whistled in astonishment, "This must mean a lot then."

"Definitely! Can you imagine? If archaeologists study the ship, they might something interesting about Elympios's culture hundreds of years ago! This is the story of the year!"

Leia burst in between the two merchants, scaring them. "Excuse me! I'm so sorry for interrupting but where is this sunken ship?!"

"Er… it's over there." The first merchant said, pointing in the direction, "It's at the old harbor."

"Thank you!" Leia said and then rushed towards the direction the merchant pointed. Unknown to her, a mysterious figure approached the merchant and then handed the merchant a large sum of gald.

It took Leia a minute before she arrived at the old harbor. It was technically just a year old but it was no longer used, thus it was abandoned. Leia found the scene odd however. The merchants said they discovered a ship so Leia expected people here. But the place was deserted. There was no one here.

Leia looked around and thought, 'Strange… did I make a wrong turn? But I'm sure this was where the merchant said it would be. If a sunken ship is not the scoop of the year, then what is it…? It has to be around here somewhere!'

Leia approached the edge of the harbor and tried to spot anything unusual. All she saw was the horizon. No ships were present. No hint of an expedition that was excavating the ship. Leia sighed and continued exploring the deserted old harbor. She was about to take a step to the left when instinct overruled her. Leia did not know why she did it. Perhaps it was the shift in the wind. Or somehow she sensed the assailant's presence. Leia back-flipped just as a wooden staff swooped down on her. If she had not avoided it, no doubt it would have smashed her skull into pieces. Leia then leaped away, drawing out her staff and moving into a defensive stance. In front of her, a large group of armed men appeared in black military outfits with masks. Leia instantly recognized who they were the moment her eyes landed on them.

"Exodus?!" Leia muttered in annoyance.

It was clearly a set-up. The whole deserted harbor was now filled with Exodus members. Leia could not count them all but there were least thirty of them. All of them wore the same outfit with their identity concealed with the mask; except for one in particular. One of them was a large soldier, roughly around two meters in height and had a tough build about him. On his back was a large double-sided axe. He had a large scar across his forehead bearing down to his mouth and with blood red hair.

The man with red hair crossed his arms on his chest, "Well, well… it would have saved us so much trouble if we had captured you without a fight. But now that you're aware of us… well, it looks like we'll have to give you a beating."

Leia smirked as she swung her staff, "You seem to be underestimating me."

"Oh I assure you that we are not. I brought all my friends just to make sure the plan… does not go awry."

"…What does Exodus want with me?"

The man with red hair grinned and drew out his large double-sided axe, smashing the weapon on the ground, "It's really simple, Leia… all we want… is for you to return something that you stole from us!"

And then the red haired warrior charged in along with all of the Exodus soldiers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After everyone had lunch, Ludger and the rest of the party decided to check up on Gaius. Apparently Gaius had an official meeting with Chancellor Marcia. That meant Rowen, as the prime minister of Rieze Maxia, would be present as well.

Elle was with the group as well but there was no progress in repairing her relationship with Ludger. She chose to be with 'fractured' Milla. And even worse for Ludger, ever since the sudden kiss in Drellin, 'fractured' Milla had been avoiding him as well. Ludger basically was alone with only Jude and Milla to speak to at the moment.

The party found Gaius, Rowen and not surprisingly, Muzet at the capital of Trigleph. Chancellor Marcia stood on the right of the mini-stage, speaking to a crowd of people gathered. Gaius, Rowen and Muzet were on the left side of the mini-stage. After Chancellor Marcia was done speaking, Rowen cleared his throat and stepped up.

Rowen spoke with passion, "As Chancellor Marcia had said, as the prime minister of Rieze Maxia, we too will continue to see that peace between our two nations continue on to prosper. The culture between the two nations is great so I implore for everyone to be patient and try to understand one another. I hope… no, I believe that there are many things our two nations can achieve by working together!"

The speech was met with a mixed reaction. Some of them cheered while the other half voiced their negative opinions. Gaius said nothing and watched the crowd's reaction closely. He had observed the people of Elympios for some time now. And he could conclude that their view of Rieze Maxia was improving. Now at least of the populace were pleased to be at peace.

Not long after, Chancellor Marcia thanked the crowd for attending and the event ended. The crowd dispersed quite quickly. Rowen and Chancellor Marcia exchanged words for a while before Chancellor Marcia also bid farewell. Only then did Rowen notice the party. Gaius had already seen them when Rowen made his speech.

"What a pleasant surprise to see you all." Rowen greeted warmly, "Did you come to witness more of the peace talks? Although we are officially at peace, Chancellor Marcia still wishes to push this on. I have to agree with her."

"Where's Elize?" Milla asked.

"Ah, I escorted her to Sharilton after we left Drellin. After what she saw in that fractured dimension… of her 'death', she needed to see Lady Driselle."

The mention of the fractured dimension reminded Elle of her father. Elle winced at it and Rowen noticed it immediately and cursed himself for being so thoughtless.

"Oh Milla!" Muzet said cheerfully and hugging her, "Oh, I've missed you so! How could you? Leaving me alone and going off on your own adventure!"

'Fractured' Milla sighed, "Err… your 'Milla' is the other one."

"Aww… I can never tell you two apart." Muzet pouted.

Milla smiled at her sister's misfortune, "its okay Muzet. I'm sorry we didn't bring you along with us."

"In any case, we should move away from here." Rowen suggested.

The party agreed and started making their way away from Trigleph to avoid any rumors from the populace.

Skit: Twin sisters (AN: Credits go to "Riku Uzumaki" for giving out this skit idea)
Present: Ludger, Jude, Milla, 'fractured' Milla, Rowen & Muzet

Gaius: Hmm…

Jude: What's wrong Gaius?

Gaius: No I just realized that Muzet is right. There is really almost no way to tell the two Millas apart.

Rowen: Ah yes, I have to agree with that as well. It truly is difficult to recognize one from the other.

Muzet: *grins* I know. It's like I have two twin sisters now.

'Fractured' Milla: Tw-twin… sisters…?

Milla: Hmm… interesting… we do look alike after all.

Jude: Technically you guys are like twin sisters. Even your fighting style is quite similar.

Ludger: *Nods in agreement*

Rowen: It makes me wonder if it's true about twins though…

Jude: What do you mean?

Rowen: Well I've heard that some twins can telepathically think of the same thing.

Gaius: Ah yes… I, too know of this theory. Rowen, are you suggesting that our two Millas could do that?

Jude: Err… I don't think that works… I mean, they're the same but they…

Rowen: Yes, perhaps they can Gaius. We should see and find out.

Jude: But that's...

Muzet: I'd like to see that too!

Jude: Listen guys, they cannot…

Rowen: Are you willing to give it a try Milla? How about you Milla?

Milla: Hmm… I guess it won't hurt to try.

'Fractured' Milla: Err… but… we're not… ah fine, I guess it won't hurt.

Milla & 'Fractured' Milla: Hmm… *Deep in thought*

Gaius: So… what is it you're thinking?

Milla: Food!

'Fractured' Milla: Rainbows… and… stuff…

Rowen: ….

Gaius: ….

Rowen: Well… I guess it's expecting a little too much.

Gaius: Indeed.

Jude: *sigh* I was already trying to say that it won't work.

Ludger: *Nervous laugh*

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The party was currently at the commercial district as they retold the events to Gaius and Muzet about the fractured dimension. They told everything about Ludger's Chromatus powers and its drawbacks, encountering Victor and that Victor was a fractured version of Ludger that had killed most of the original party. The only part they did not tell was that Ludger was technically Elle's father. Technically.

Muzet was partly shocked about it, "Oh my… to think that Ludger is capable to… kill everyone. Was I alive in that dimension?"

Ludger looked uncomfortable as he answered, "Well… I think the 'Muzet' of that dimension was still alive. Victor mentioned that Milla was… so…"

"So you have the final Waymarker then?" Gaius asked, changing the subject. Ludger nodded. "That's good then. We have all that we need to get to the Land of Canaan. All we need to know now is how to use them."

"Well we'll need to wait for Bisley. He's the only that probably knows how to use the Waymarkers." Jude said.

"And just where is he?" Gaius questioned.

Ludger shrugged, "Vera said he's away at the moment. She didn't say what he's doing."

"I see…"

Gaius was eager to pass Origin's Trial for the sake of humanity. But it was annoying that he could do little about it since he was not a Kresnik. In the end, he would have to rely on Ludger to accomplish what he wanted. Ludger could feel Gaius's gaze fall on him and even without a word, Ludger knew what Gaius wanted. Ludger was now key for everyone to get to the Land of Canaan for the sake of the world. But his mind was focused on other matters. For one, he was still worried about Elle's condition. Also he needed to speak with 'fractured' Milla, to sort things out. Everything was just so complicated for him.

Jude then noticed a familiar sight approaching from a distance. It was Alvin. He was running towards them and he seemed to be out of breath. Jude had never seen Alvin in such a state before.

"Guys!" Alvin called out, "We… we have a problem!"

"Calm down Alvin." Rowen said, moving to assist him, "Now tell us… what's wrong?"

Alvin was panting heavily and Jude could tell from experience that Alvin should have fainted from exhaustion. But his eyes held something deep, something that kept him from stopping. It was filled with determination, an unbreakable spirit.

Alvin caught his breath and then he said, "It's Leia… she… she's been kidnapped!"

Those words caught everyone's attention.

CHAPTER END