A/N: Hey guys, I apologize for the delay but I'm afraid updates on each chapter might take 10 days or so now. With two stories to update and all, I can only write so much without being too tired. Anyways, let's get to responding to reviews.

That Mysterious Reader: Sure sounds like a fighting game, huhuhu

MysteriousOwl: Thanks! Erm... I guess it was sort of solution huh? lol

TheAnime4Fan: Hehe well, after hanging around Gaius so much, she's bound to pick up something! In this case, she helped to remind Gaius the way around politics so that he can still help :)

chronotimeguard: Yes I know what you mean. Gaius's character quest was fine with the ending but the fact the detective got away with it just left a bad taste in my mouth. So yes! Let's take care of that piece of shit in this story :D

Riku Uzumaki: True. With a guy like him, it's no surprise he could have some dealings with Exodus but as you said, the game never explored too deep on that guy.
Ah yes, with 'fractured' Milla here, it's no surprise to be teased about it on such matters. And knowing 'fractured' Milla's temper, I doubt anyone would want to tease her without tasting her wrath, bahaha

LXPJU5T1FY3R: Yup, I wholeheartedly agree. While Gaius's last chapter was good, the fact the detective got away with it just pissed me off! So yes, it's nice to see that the detective actually got what's coming to him (in this story anyway). Haha, yeah if Alvin and Rowen were present, Ludger would have been teased mercilessly. I feel if Ludger actually had a voice, the skits in ToX2 would be so much more interesting! Too bad he didn't.
Dont worry, we only have one more character chapter (I'm guessing you might know which one) before we finally reach the end of this story! And yes,. I know what you mean. Just seeing the true ending, with the music accompanying it... it's just... ugh! FEELS! T_T

Mango Bunny: Well, they are countries after all. While I can understand seeing it as different world in ToX, it's obvious they are not in ToX2 since Marksburg can connect the two lol. So countries is the rightful term (and I think they said so too in ToX2?).
Yes! Ludger X all the way!

Radomaru: Thanks! And yes, that guy never got what was coming so in this story, he gets it! D:
Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed that little skit there. As for the Muzet bit, I felt she should learn some things after hanging around Gaius for so much. And you know how sometimes it takes a person outside of your own perception to see the flaws? Or something like that, lol.
Yup! After all, I feel in ToX2, Alvin's character development is mostly based on him trying to be a better man, to shed his character from ToX so I like to emphasize that.
Hehe, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter on how the detective get what's coming for him!

Project AE Hachi-Roku: Hmm while the ending was fine since it showed Gaius had to make the ultimate sacrifice as his role as a King, I agree that it feels incomplete due to the detective getting away with it. And while the game never delved too deep into it, the possibility of him being involved with Exodus is always a possibility :S
Ah thanks for pointing out that mistake. It's been fixed :)
Alright I'll check out your story but I'm not sure if i can understand it since I don't watch/play Initial D and I never played the Persona series before so yeah :/ Hopefully I can still go through with it :D
Anyway thanks for your support! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Aldehar: Ah yes, the weekend is always nice! Woooo! But damn, you must be REALLY busy! Hope you do well in your assignments mate!
-Well RPG games I can pace myself and still keep track of time but I prefer to really focus on the game's story and everything without getting distracted on work so yeah. Ah I see... Guess I'll see how ToG is when I'm done with the semester
-I'm glad you know how I feel. Or maybe that's how most who play ToX2 feels, lol. But what really makes me want to have his voice is the part in the game before Ludger kills Julius in that fractured dimension. Just hearing 'Ludger' speaking casually to his brother like... UGH! I CAN IMAGINE HIM SPEAKING NORMALLY IN THE GAME! *sigh* It really frustrates me. While we can get voices in his choices in the 2nd playthrough, it's just not enough T_T
-Oh wow... I completely missed that side-quest! Strange... I didn't miss out on the optional quest on the golems though so I'm surprised I missed out on that. Well, looks like a 4th playthrough will be coming during the Summer holidays, huehue. So this unfortunately means in this chapter, I have made no mention of the recommendation letter (although I did cover my own version of what is to happen to Kyle).
-Mhm, that's right. Spaghetti! hehe. Ah now that you mentioned it, sometimes both choices give points right? Like whether Ludger saves Rowen or Elize from the mob. Damn! Hahaha, okay I don't know which is canon now T_T Screw it, I'll just imagine it as Ludger being a do-gooder, that's his most obvious character, hehe
-Haha well Alvin can be quite a handful at times, trying to act cool and all, lol.
-Ah I did not mean Alvin wanting to make a better Elympios from his memory when he was 6 but of his view when he returned to Elympios in the one-year between ToX and ToX2. And besides, with how Exodus was acting in ToX, he can sort of see how Elympios is (the fact Elympios has a 'new world reactor' plan (or however you call it) to drain the mana of Rieze maxia).
-Haha that's the thing about skits, isn't it? It's really nice to see characters interacting aside from the cutscenes. That's what I really love about the Tales series! And about the Gaius part, I feel making some comedic elements (without turning him into a clown) is how ToX2 dealt with Gaius, lol.
Oh that's an excellent point. Liek I said, Muzet is one difficult character to write, so I forgot about the yakkity strap 2000 thing that can read a Spirit's mind. I guess in this part of the story, Ludger still has it but I completely overlooked it.
-Well Alvin can be quite emotional when the situation calls for it and he goes in without a plan. This is one such example. And about the Ministry of Justice thing, no, nothing too deep about the whole Ministry of Justice being corrupted. What Alvin said was just an assumption abuot the Head of Ministry of Justice.
And yeah, I always wondered what kind of situation Kyle got into that made him kill that soldier? Unfortuanately, even I couldn't think of something that could justify it and I expanded a little bit on what Gaius thinks of it.
-Ah yes, thanks for pointing out that mistake! I've already made revisions on it. Hmm, I guess ToX2 sort of dropped the whole Exodus thing. I mean sure they existed, but they really became a group of people that just... disrupts thing. Like you said, like a bunch of mercenaries. And YES! That scene about the detective being afraid when he saw Gaius, I just needed to put that in! Serve him right for acting so cocky in the game on Gaius's final chapter! RAWR
-Thanks for your support as always! And yes, you barely made it on time with this chapter! I was just finihshing up this chapter when you gave your review, so good job mate! Ah yes, this story will be ending soon (mainly because I really want to focus on "A New Beginning". I got so much ideas for that), but it's still going to be quite a few more chapters before this story ends! Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

Alright guys, that's it for responding to reviews! I hope you will all enjoy this new update!

CHAPTER 26: MEMENTO

The detective could not believe his eyes. The Exodus soldiers he had called for help were being disposed of like insects. Ludger, Leia, Alvin and now Gaius with Muzet were cleaning up the Exodus soldiers easily. He knew they were strong since he had researched about them but he did not expect them to actually defeat all of these Exodus soldiers with just the five of them!

There were no civilians present since they were battling at an abandoned apartment complex, an old area of Elympios. This allowed the party to give it their all without fearing that their attacks might accidentally hurt an innocent bystander. And with each passing moment, the corrupted detective saw each Exodus member defeated. He could scarcely believe how this happened!

"So what brings you here?" Alvin asked as he blocked an Exodus blade with his sword before he shot the enemy in the head, killing him, "I thought you said you didn't want to get involved."

Gaius delivered a powerful slash on two Exodus soldiers simultaneously, killing them. "Do not misunderstand." Gaius said, his eyes fixed on the nearest enemy, "I would not have been involved in this if it was personal. However, by disposing of the corrupt, it is my duty to see it done."

"But this is Elympios." Alvin pointed out, "Why get involved in Elympios business?"

"It is because it is Elympios's business that I must be involved." Gaius responded, "It is my duty to see that both Rieze Maxia and Elympios prosper together. However corruption is a disease in any society and if it is not dealt with, it may even spread to my people. I will not have that."

Alvin laughed while dodging an Exodus attack, "That just sounds like an excuse."

"Why are you even complaining?" Leia grumbled as she smacked the Exodus soldier that attacked Alvin, appearing by the former mercenary's side now, "We'd be outnumbered by now if it wasn't for Gaius and Muzet."

"Come on, can't I even joke a little." Alvin said with a laugh as he and Leia used a linked arte against a group of Exodus soldiers.

Meanwhile Ludger and Muzet worked together, with Muzet enhancing Ludger's sledgehammer with her mana, resulting the head of the sledgehammer to glow brightly with energy. Ludger swung his weapon in a circle, smashing away all of the Exodus soldiers surrounding the pair. Muzet then raised her right arm, shooting several bolts of dark matter energy. Each of the dark bolts of energy pierced through an Exodus soldier, killing them instantly. Then to finish it all, with Muzet's mana still on Ludger's sledgehammer, Ludger swung his weapon one final time, the dark wave of energy on Ludger's sledgehammer being released. 'Hard Chain Reaction!' In a manner of seconds, Ludger and Muzet managed to defeat a large group of Exodus soldiers and their numbers were thinning quickly.

Gaius stepped up next with a quick glance at Ludger. That one second look from Gaius was all Ludger needed to know what Gaius wanted to do and ran next to the King's side.

There were only three more Exodus soldiers and in panic, they all tried to make their escape. Gaius dashed in front of the three remaining Exodus soldiers and raised his katana before bringing it down with precision and strength, killing instantly one of the soldiers. Before the other two could run, Ludger appeared from the sides, delivering multiple slashes while dashing through them, like after-images attacking from different sides. Then finally Gaius and Ludger dashed through the two soldiers at the same time, sending one final slash through the two soldiers' midsection, killing them with multiple cuts on the body. "Star of Oblivion!"

With that, all Exodus soldiers were defeated. The abandoned apartment complex was decorated with the Exodus soldiers, lying on the ground, unmoving. The corrupted detective stepped back in fear and the party's gaze landed on him. Now that his 'bodyguards' were disposed of, he had no one else to rely on. The detective could feel Gaius's ominous presence approaching and while most would tremble in fear, the detective was still standing. It simply showed his tenacity and that was something Gaius had to give him credit for.

Then, out of the blue, the detective started laughing. Leia raised her staff in a threatening manner, "What's so funny?"

"The guy must have got screw loose being frightened." Alvin remarked. The detective was still laughing but he was slowly calming down.

Finally calmed down, the detective had a menacing grin on his face, "It doesn't matter what you all do, but you're just digging a bigger grave for you all!"

"What do you mean?" Gaius questioned, "Do you even see the situation you are in? We've found you being aligned to Exodus. You're guilty, no matter how you look at it."

The detective chuckled, maintaining a confident front, "Well that may have worked if you were in an ideal state or in your spirit-worshipping land but you're in Elympios!" Now Alvin was beginning to see where the detective was going with this. The detective continued, "You can 'accuse' me all you want but as far as Elympios is concerned, I'm a loyal servant of the Ministry of Justice! Furthermore, it's your Rieze Maxian words against mine, an Elympion. You should know how bad 'accusing' me will turn out." The detective turned to Gaius, "Hehe, what're you gonna do, 'King' of Rieze Maxia? Do you want an international incident that badly?"

Now Gaius could see how devious the detective was. Even when he was at a disadvantage, he could still cast a safety net on himself. The King narrowed his eyes, not sure whether to call the man's bluff or not. He had to consider his options now. One wrong move and it could spiral Rieze Maxia and Elympios into a war. By then, trying to create a trade and cooperation relationship with Elympios would be the least the least of the King's concerns then.

And Alvin knew the corrupted detective would stoop to this level. It was not surprising to find Elympions like him. This was what the former mercenary was trying to change. No, it needed to change, for the better of the two nations.

"That man is right." A voice said from the entrance of the apartment complex, "You stand little chance trying to put that man on trial."

Everyone turned towards the source of the voice, not expecting anyone to come. It was a large man, sporting a bright red coat and a dark red suit beneath with white hair. On each of his sides was a Spirius agent, sporting a mask and a suit with a badge attached on the collar signifying them as agents. And slightly behind the large man and on his right side, was his faithful assistant, Vera. The large man, known as Bisley Bakur, had made an appearance.

"Bisley?" Everyone in the party said together, surprised.

The corrupted detective was at a loss as well, "T-the President of Spirius Corporation? What're you doing here?"

Bisley smirked and approached the party, taking notice of the dead Exodus members scattered around the abandoned apartment complex. "I was just returning from… an issue that needed my personal attention. My assistant informed me that my agent, Ludger, has retrieved an 'item' for me and I just had to see him immediately." Ludger narrowed his eyes, since the 'item' Bisley referred to was the Final Waymarker. Bisley continued talking as he got closer to the group, "Imagine my surprise when I find my agent, along with his companions, which includes the King of Rieze Maxia, taking out Exodus soldiers who was under an officer that serves the Ministry of Justice."

Bisley walked past the party, his large figure forcing the party to step aside. For the first time, Gaius felt the overwhelming presence of another that was like him. The President of Spirius Corp. continued walking on, approaching the detective with his two Spirius agents. He could feel the party's gaze piercing through his back but he ignored them.

Bisley looked down at the detective and once again, the detective could feel fear creeping up on him, "It's true that public opinion will not believe that you, an officer under the Ministry of Justice, is in cohesion with Exodus but that won't matter if I put my word that I am a witness of you working with Exodus."

The party could hardly believe their ears and the detective knew he was trapped. "W-what?" The detective stammered, "W-why would you side with them?! I… I…!"

Bisley grinned and glanced at Ludger before his gaze shifted back to the cowering detective, "Because it is in the interest of my top agent." Bisley then snapped his fingers, "Take him in. Once the Ministry of Justice contacts us regarding their 'officer', tell them of the situation. I'm sure they will have no problem of us handling things here."

The two agents next to Bisley saluted their President and apprehended the detective, who did not offer any resistance. The detective there was no point in resisting and the two agents led the detective away. Gaius had never seen the detective, who was always filled with confidence and arrogance, look so defeated and helpless.

Bisley then started making his way towards the party, this time clearly intent in engaging them in a conversation. Ludger and everyone in the party did not know why Bisley was helping them, but they were glad he did. Because while Spirius Corporation was a private company, its influence was huge over Elympios. It was no exaggeration to actually say that Bisley, the President of Spirius, was almost the equivalent of a King of Elympios. There was Chancellor Marcia in the Government, but her influence pales in comparison to what Bisley possessed. That was why if Bisley wanted the detective to be tried for corruption, public opinion would not matter.

When Bisley reached them, Gaius spoke first, "Why are you helping us?"

Bisley turned to Gaius and the rest of the party unconsciously stepped back. It was such a tense atmosphere, considering the two always possessing an ominous aura about them. Now they were staring eye to eye.

After an uncomfortable silence, Bisley relaxed, "I believe I made myself clear. I just wanted to help you because Ludger was involved in this. Or perhaps I did it as a reward for Ludger obtaining the final Waymarker."

Muzet placed a finger on her cheek, "That's awfully kind of you."

"Is that really all it is?" Alvin questioned, "Really generous of you to… go out of your way to do this."

Bisley scoffed at Alvin's words, "With the final Waymarker, I can finally achieve what Spirius was created to do. Helping you all in 'apprehending' that corrupted man and proving him guilty is nothing."

"So what's going to happen to him?" Leia inquired about the detective, "And… what about us?"

Instead of Bisley, it was Vera who answered, "He will be given a trial, with all his criminal offences out in the open. With what evidence we have, there is no doubt he will be receiving a harsh penalty." Vera then paused and fixed her glasses, "You are all free from everything. No charge will be acted upon any of you. As a matter of fact, you have helped Elympios greatly in this and we will be sure to inform the Government of your… good deeds."

"Now then, I have other matters to attend to at headquarters." Bisley stated and started to leave. However, he stopped when he was in front of Ludger, "Ludger… I'm guessing you don't have it with you right now." Ludger shook his head. "I see… as much as I'd like to see the final Waymarker with my own eyes, I still have matters that require my attention. I'd like you to hand it to me in four days. I am a very busy man so four days should be enough for you. Is that understood, Ludger?"

"Got it." Ludger answered flatly.

"Good." With his business done, the President of Spirius Corporation went on his way, leaving the party.

Leia watched Bisley disappear before she commented, "He's scary but… he really helped us out there."

Gaius had to nod in agreement, "Yes… if it weren't for him, the detective might have gotten away once more. However, he is also up to something. We have to be on our guard."

Everyone agreed with that statement. There was no way Bisley helped them as an act of kindness. Even if he claimed it was because Ludger obtained the final Waymarker, they felt that Bisley had an ulterior motive as well. What it was, they did not know.

"By the way… what's she still doing here?" Muzet asked, pointing at Vera. She did not follow Bisley.

The party did not realize Vera was behind them, who had a small blush on her cheeks as she fixed her glasses. "I need to speak with Ludger."

The whole party turned to Ludger and he was confused as well. "Speak… with me?" Ludger asked with an unsure tone.

Vera nodded, "Yes. Well, actually my sister needs to speak with you, something about your debt. She tried to contact you on your GHS but she couldn't reach you. So she asked me to tell you to meet her at the Elympios seahaven tomorrow, the one nearby the inn." Vera then paused, fixing her glasses, "I… will be accompanying you there as well. Knowing my sister, she might get sidetracked and I'd prefer she get straight to the point."

Ludger nodded slowly, "Oh… okay."

Vera then departed as well, walking away quickly in a business-like manner. Just as Vera left, more Spirius agents entered the vicinity but they completely ignored the party. They proceeded to collect the bodies of the Exodus members, cleaning the area up. It was scary how they worked so efficiently, like robots.

"So… I guess that's it?" Alvin said, running a hand through his hair, "I gotta admit, it feels… a little anti-climatic."

Leia knew how Alvin felt, "I guess… we should head back? Not like there's anything left to do here."

"I guess…" Alvin replied, "All I care is that the detective's gonna get what he deserves. I'm sure that's what Gaius wanted as well. Right?"

Gaius nodded, folding his arms on his chest, "That is correct."

An awkward silence fell on the group, with only the sounds of the Spirius agents cleaning the area being heard. Then finally, Gaius started walking and the rest followed, not sure what to do or where to go. To Gaius however, all that mattered was that he accomplished what he came for.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Ludger went to the Elympios seahaven to meet up with Nova, Vera's twin sister. However when he arrived, there was no sign of either Nova or Vera so Ludger assumed they were probably late. Accompanying him was Elle and 'fractured' Milla.

"Guess she's not here yet." 'Fractured' Milla said, speaking out Ludger's thoughts.

"I don't wanna wait here for them." Elle complained, heading for the inn, "Let's go in! I wanna get something to drink!" Before Ludger or 'fractured' Milla even gave permission, the little eight year old went inside the inn. Just a second later, she rushed out, pointing at the inn, "Hey, his Majesty is – I mean, Erston is here!"

Ludger was surprised, "He is?"

"Wonder what he's doing here." 'Fractured' Milla wondered with her hands on her hips.

Elle thought about a moment and then said, "He looks like he's waiting for someone. I wonder who it is. It must be someone important if his Majesty – I mean… Erston is waiting for him." Ludger and 'fractured' Milla looked at one another, not sure who else would make Gaius actually wait for the person. Elle then raised her arm, "I'm going to see who he's waiting for!"

Before Ludger or 'fractured' Milla could stop her, Elle went into the inn. With a sigh, both of them entered the inn as well. The inn was fairly crowded surprisingly, with patrons occupying tables, chatting with friends and enjoying a drink. They found Gaius standing tall with Muzet at his side at the place where Kyle and his friends used to be.

Elle managed to find a table with a good view of where Gaius was. Ludger and 'fractured' Milla sat with Elle, watching Gaius from where they were. The King of Rieze Maxia and the Great Spirit Muzet did not notice them. They just waited for another minute when someone approached Gaius. Ludger instantly recognized who it was. It was Tanner.

"That's the Kyle's friend guy." Elle said, recognizing Tanner as well. 'Fractured' Milla also recalled him from the time they explored the Sapstrath Deepwood with them. Ludger and 'fractured' Milla then shushed Elle, trying to listen in.

"I heard about the trial." Tanner started, avoiding eye contact with Gaius, "That detective was found guilty and Kyle's sentence was shortened." Tanner then finally looked at Gaius, "That was all your doing, isn't it?"

Gaius gave a nod, "Yes, that was me."

"Why?" Tanner demanded, "If you're trying to apologize for lying to all of us, then-"

"That was not my intention." Gaius interjected, "I'm not going to ask you to forgive me. I deceived you and I can understand your anger. But I did not send the detective on trial to help Kyle's sentence either."

"Wh-what was that?!" Tanner was angered now, clenching his fists.

"It may be true that Kyle was unfortunately set up," Gaius said flatly, holding little emotion in his voice, "But Kyle also took the life of another person. He has to pay for it."

That was it. Tanner grabbed Gaius by his collar, but the King did not budge, standing firm. The inn grew silent as they turned to the argument between Tanner and Gaius.

"How can you say that?!" Tanner growled in anger, still grabbing Gaius's collar, "Wasn't he your friend? Or was this all just some sick game of yours, huh?! To lie to the people and hang around them?! Was that all it was?!"

Gaius shook his head and with little effort, released Tanner's grip on his collar. Tanner stepped away in anger but Gaius remained calm. "It's true that I lied to all of you." Gaius admitted, "I hid my identity so that I could learn Elympios society, to understand how you all think. But thanks to you all, that was not all that I learned. I also learned the true values of having friends and how friends support those that need it. That is why I know how much my 'lie' hurt all of you." Tanner's anger softened a little and Gaius moved to his final point, "That is why I did what I did. While Kyle's crimes cannot be reversed, I can at least do something to make sure an incident like Kyle never happen again. To make sure corruption is eradicated from our society. That is why I went out of my way to see that the detective is sent on trial."

"Gaius did it because he does care about you." Muzet added in, "I'm sure you know that. He might act cold, but he's a real softie once you know him." Muzet said seriously.

Tanner said nothing for a while, simply glaring back at Gaius. Nothing was said between the two. Then after a few seconds, Tanner turned around and started walking towards the inn's entrance. Gaius did not budge from his position, watching from where he stood. Everyone at the inn thought it was over and returned to what they were doing.

Tanner stopped himself at the entrance, his hand on the inn of the door. "By the way," Tanner said without looking back at Gaius, "Kyle's sentence… it's been shortened to just two years. Thought you should know. I still haven't forgiven you for lying to us but…" Tanner turned around with a small smile to his face, "Thanks for everything… Big.E."

Tanner then opened the door of the inn and walked out. Gaius wondered if that was a goodbye, a final encounter before Tanner cut off all contact with him. He did not know the answer but whatever it was, he was glad he managed to have one last conversation with him. Unconsciously, he reached into his trench coat and pulled out the camera that was given to him by Kyle as a gift. After staring longingly at the camera, he walked towards a table of the inn.

"Ludger, I need you to do something for me." Gaius said when he reached Ludger's table.

"Aww, you knew we were here all along?" Elle said with a pout.

Muzet giggled, "Well your hiding spot isn't really hard to find."

"What do you need me to do Gaius?" Ludger asked, getting up from his seat.

Gaius took out an item from his trench coat and handed it to Ludger. It was his GHS. He then cleared his throat, "I need you to call everyone over. I'd do so myself but I do not how to operate these devices."

An awkward moment grew between Gaius and everyone. Ludger accepted the task, taking Gaius's GHS and dialing Jude's GHS.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Nova, for the last time, I don't see why we should be a part of this!" Vera scolded as she walked away, "We're here only because you-"

But before Vera could even finish what she was saying, Nova pulled her twin sister back in with the group, "Aw come on, don't be such a spoil sport! Besides, Ludger said its okay, so it's fine! You always sound like a grandma when you complain about the little things!"

Vera's cheeks was blushing deep red at that remark, "Gr-grandma?! Nova!"

While Nova was keeping her sister busy, everyone else was already gathered up, ready for the group photo. Ludger managed to call everyone on their GHS and after a while, everyone arrived. It was then that Gaius explained that he wanted to have a group photo, something as a keepsake of their friendship. Obviously when everyone heard Gaius said that, they thought he was joking. But when Jude saw how serious Gaius was, he rallied everyone for the group photo. And here they were.

Ludger was busy adjusting the camera settings, making sure it was all set. In the meantime, Elle was helping by adjusting the camera stand's height. Ludger finished with the settings and thanked Elle for her help, placing the camera on the stand and returning to the group.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Ludger asked as he returned to the group. Everyone said 'yes' although Gaius said nothing.

"Hey wait!" Teepo said suddenly, "I want to check the camera out!"

"Huh? Teepo!" Elize called out and chased after him. Teepo flew towards the camera.

Just as Teepo reached the camera, the time went off and snapped a picture. Because of that, everyone was not prepared since Teepo went off. The camera printed the picture and Ludger revealed to the group what it took. Everyone had a good laugh as Teepo dominated most of the picture, its large mouth open wide and Elize clearly seen behind him. Gaius's face was covered with the palm of his hand, probably realizing the failure of the picture with Rowen having a hearty laugh next to the King.

"I-I'm so sorry everyone!" Elize apologized once she caught Teepo, "Teepo! Why'd you do that?"

"The camera just looked so new!" Teepo responded, "I just needed to see it!"

"It's okay," Rowen reassured, "We can simply take another one."

Ludger nodded, "I'll set the camera up again."

Once everything was set up, Ludger returned to the group and got on one knee, kneeling next to Elle's side. 'Fractured' Milla was on the other side of Elle, holding Elle by her shoulders like a mother would. Vera and Nova were on the far right, with Vera reluctantly taking part in the picture and Nova posing cheerfully. Next to the twin sisters was Gaius, with a serious look on his face and his arms crossed on his chest. Rowen was next to the King, his usual pose of his hand on his magnificent beard. Behind the pair was Muzet, floating casually in the background. Then there was Elize, just slightly behind Elle, waving at the camera and her plush doll Teepo floating next to her with a cheery laugh.
On the far left was Alvin, with his two hands in his pocket and sporting a cool pose. Next to him was Leia, and being Leia, she had a cheerful pose as well. Then finally there was Jude and Milla, standing next to one another and a smile on their face.

The camera's red light blinked one final time before it finally snapped the picture of the group. Everyone, with the exception of Gaius, ran to the camera and checked the results. The photo was what everyone expected of it. A nice group photo in memory of everyone. When Gaius saw it, he knew this would be a wonderful memento, to remind him of friends he had in this time. At least this time he had a physical representation of it.

"This… is nice…" Gaius commented, a small smile on his face.

'Fractured' Milla nodded in agreement, "Yes... it is…"

'Fractured' Milla mainly focused on how she looked with everyone in the picture. She, Elle and Ludger, all three together. If Ludger did not save her when Milla was summoned, she wondered how the picture would be with her absent. But she quickly shoved those thoughts away because the most important part was that she is in the photo.

"I'll make everyone a copy of this." Ludger said, taking the picture, "Then I'll give it to you all when I'm done."

Everyone nodded in approval. A group photo of everyone. This would be one of the most precious gift for everyone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

President Bisley Bakur sat on his leather bound chair in his personal office, waiting for the report to be handed to him. His personal assistant had called earlier saying she had personal matters to attend to so she would be late for work. Bisley understood and told her to take her time. After all, she deserved it for working diligently as his assistant for so long.

A knock came on the door and a Spirius agent entered the office with a file in his hand. The agent handed Bisley the report and the President thanked the agent before dismissing him. The agent then left the President's office. Bisley placed the file on his desk, getting ready to read the report.

On the file, the title of the report read…

"Report on Julius Kresnik"

Bisley grinned and opened the file, "Let's see what you've been up to, Julius…"

CHAPTER END

A/N: I hope you liked the reference of the group photo happening here from the one in the game's credits :D