The group decided to do some jobs to help Ludger pay his debt, now with everyone getting used to their Allium Orbs.

Jude decided to ask Ludger something. "Ludger, you and Julius live together, right? Just the two of you?" Rollo meowed to get Jude's attention. "Er, I mean, you two and Rollo. So, the three of you."

"Yeah."

"Just like me and daddy!" Elle said. "When I was little, there was a cat named Tammy that was with us, too."

"That reminds me. Where do you live, Elle?" Scott's question got a weird reaction from Elle, but she spoke, a little down.

"I...don't even know. The boat I was on stopped, and there were all of these crates there marked 'To Trigleph'. I hid in one and that's where I ended up."

"So you don't know how to get back home..." David said in thought.

After making a payment of 5,000 Gald, Nova called Ludger.

"Hey, Luds! Nova here with some good news! With that payment you just made, I was able to lift the travel restriction on Duval Station! Just keep making those payments flowing, and everything will go nice and smooth. You go, Ludger!"

Nova hang up at that statement.

Elle made a comment. "She doesn't take things seriously, does she?"

"Nope."

"Anyway, let's get going. Here's to hoping no one will attack us this time." David said.

The gang was surprisingly able to reach Trigleph safely.

"Phew... Made it." Sheena said in relief.

"I'm just glad we made it back safely. There's something comforting about coming back here." Jude said.

"Did you have memories of this place?" Ramona asked Jude.

"I certainly have vivid ones. This is where we came when we first arrived at Elympios. Everything about Trigleph surprised me."

"How so?" Asked Sectonia.

"Well, for one thing... We'd been fighting on a different plane of existence when a rift opened up and we were sucked into it. The next thing I remember, I was waking up in a bed, surrounded by objects I'd never seen before. I was surprised by, well... how much was there to be surprised by."

"I think what surprises us is how happy you looked when you were telling that story."

"You're a giant, talking wasp, so you're hardly one to talk." Ramona said flatly.

After that conversation, Ludger led everyone to his apartment. Ludger was going to make them something to eat when Elle commented that she doesn't like tomatoes. Ludger made them all some soup.

David tries a spoonful. "Mmm... This is really good!"

"It's like I'm eating at a restaurant." Jude commented.

The gang was enjoying Ludger's food and he liked the positive remarks.

"By the way, Elle. Where is your father?" Presea asked.

Elle looked down at that question. "I don't know... Some scary men came to our house. I ran away by myself..." The others couldn't help but feel sympathetic for her. Elle put on a determined face. "That's why I'm going to the Land of Canaan! So I can wish for my daddy to get rescued from those guys!"

David nods at this and smiles. "A noble sentiment. Especially since you have something to protect. My home... My home was pretty much gone... Before I joined up with these guys, I had nothing to protect."

"So that's what you'd do at the Land of Canaan? You'd wish for your home to be restored?"

"Maybe... I don't know." At that point, there was a knock on the door, and it opened, revealing Bisley, and the woman accompanying him.

"Do pardon the intrusion, Ludger." Bisley addressed to the group.

"Mr. Bakur! I'm glad to see you're okay." Jude said in relief.

"I'm one of the lucky ones."

Jude sensed a man in silver hair swooped down on them, and striking Ludger.

"Ludger!" Raine yelled, attepting to heal him.

"No way..." Jude remembers the man.

"Surprised, phony?!" The man asked Jude. The man attacked Jude, but he pulled a reversal and pinned him down. "I...guess not..."

"Ivar..."

Bisley chuckled at the scene. "You're quite the amusing little fellow, aren't you, Ivar? I can use a comic genius as one of my junior agents."

"Thank you, sir." Ivar said, readjusting his glasses.

Ramona looked and saw Raine helped Ludger recover from the attack. "Anyway, what's this about?"

"You haven't been watching the news lately, I take it." Bisley said as the woman turned on the TV.

"New details have emerged about the terror attack, during which a train was hijacked and then crashed into the Oscore Plant. The collision caused a massive explosion that ripped through the facility. More than 2,000 casualties were reported, including passengers and employees alike. Damages are said to exceed 10 billion gald, and experts estimate a final cost of at least 50 billion. Authorities identified the alleged mastermind behind the attack. An employee of Spirius Corporation, one Julius Kresnik."

Ludger was shocked to hear this.

"But, that's impossible! We saw him attack Exodus!" Sectonia tried to reason with him.

"Yes, but he also attacked me at the scene of the crime." Bisley said.

The woman was next to speak. "The police believe Kresnik didn't act alone. They're investigating persons of interest."

"Take a wild guess which person is the most interesting?" Ivar showed them a badly-drawn wanted poster of Ludger.

"Oh, that is just mean..." David muttered. "Ludger has nothing to do with Exodus. We all know that."

"So the suspect's brother just happened to start his job at the station on the day of the attack. Then he vanished with the suspect. Coincidence?"

"Come on. What's it going to take for you to believe us?" Scott asked Bisley.

"Simple. Apprehend Julius. Then the facts are sure to come to light." The group was shocked at the turn of events.

"He contacted the CEO's GHS several hours ago." The woman said flatly.

"He's one of my top agents, and far too skilled to fall into police custody. Around his little brother, on the other hand... he just might let his guard down. Well, Ludger, what do you say? If you agree to catch him, I'll at least keep the police from getting in your way."

While Bisley was naming his terms, David went to Ludger's room to change his clothes. He now wears a navy blue vest with white gloves, white pants and sneakers. "And what makes you think we'll go along with you?" David asked Bisley, suspicious of his motive.

"Because I have something that might pique your group's interest."

Ludger was deep in thought about this. On one hand, he cared for Julius very deeply. But if he agrees to Bisley's offer, he might get some clues as to what's going on. Ludger ultimately decided to agree to Bisley's offer.

"A decisive lad. You've made the right choice." The others were nervous about Ludger's decision, but know he put somethought into it. "As of now, you are all under Spirius Corporation's protection."

"We have a pair of promising leads. First, your brother made contact with a researcher in Helioborg named Balan." Jude's eyes widened at that. "Second, sources allege someone in Marksburg has been asking a lot of questions about Julius."

"Helioborg and Marksburg..." David said in thought. "There's just one problem. If we don't make payments on Ludger's debt, we can't go anywhere."

As Bisley leaves, he looks to the group. "Then it seems you have your objective. I suggest you keep at it if that's what it takes to get you there. Ivar, Vera, let's go."

"Yes, sir." The two of them said as they left with him.

"Sorry..." Ludger apologized to the group.

"You mustn't blame yourself, Ludger. You're just trying to find answers to all of this. We'll help you out." Lloyd said, making Ludger feel better.

"Bisley mentioned something he has piquing our interest. I wonder what he was talking about..." Regal said in thought.

"Well, whatever he has, we're all involved in this now." Ramona concluded.

A/N: Well, things just took a turn for the tense. Anyway, the character episodes won't be available until after Chapter 5, so until then, I made a poll as to which Tales of Symphonia character should be paired with Lloyd in his episodes. You can even make suggestions in the reviews as to what you want everyone's character episodes to be about. See you guys next chapter!

A/N: Inspired by Jexi the Hunter and Hope the Victor