A/N: A skit between Ludger, David, and Julius in Chapter 7 has hinted that David is looking for a name of his team. Since only one suggestion has come up since then, I'll be using that. When you've played Chapter 12 of the original game, you would know why I'm revealing the team name now. This chapter's a big one with loads and loads of spoilers if you haven't played the game or watched playthroughs, so buckle up, and get ready for a ride!
Before paying off another portion of Ludger's loan, Milla had a declaration.
"We have to hurry to Canaan." Milla told the group. "The purification process has reached its limt. And a war is about to erupt for the Universal Core."
"Don't push yourself too hard, Milla." Jude said in concern.
Sectonia added in. "As if having to battle Chronos wasn't bad enough, you've spent a great deal of time trapped in the dimensional abyss."
"And you think I'll listen when you tell me to take it easy?" Milla asked.
"No, of course not."
"Exactly. This is no time to falter. And besides, you all promised Elle. Not to mention...the other me."
"Wait... You know about the other Milla that was with us?"
"I do. I saw everything."
"But how?" Scott asked. "You were trapped in the dimensional abyss."
"I was. I tried using the power of the Four to return to the prime dimension, but couldn't."
"Because the other Milla had come to the prime dimension." Genis said.
"The abyss between dimensions is a void of nothingness, bereft even of the elements. I could only drift through it, using the power of the Four to protect myself. While in that coma-like state, I dreamt of Ludger, David, the other Milla, and all of you. It was as if I was journeying right along with you."
"How is that even possible?" David asked.
"I do not know myself. But her conflict and her wish came through quite clearly. Ludger, David, everyone... I want you to lend your strength to me. Or should I say, to Milla Maxwell."
Everyone nods at this. "You couldn't stop us from helping, even if you tried."
"Our strength is yours to command." Sectonia said with a bow.
Milla nods. "Thank you, everyone."
While paying off more of Ludgar's loan, Elle shows distrust in Milla, which prompts the Lord of Spirits to try to have Elle see her as a friend, Rowen travels to a fractured dimension where he fights his old friend Nactugal again, and Gaius travels to a fractured dimension where he fights all four members of the Chimeriad. The Symphonia characters give more details about their journey, David goes around asking his comrades what Pokémon they would want as Perfect Links except for Sectonia and Leia, who already have one, and Ramona talks about what she's gone through with her Evil Exes. After paying off another portion of the loan, Ludger gets another call from Vera.
"Well done, Mr. Kresnik. I have a message for you from President Bakur. 'I want to meet the real Maxwell. Bring her to Spirius.' End quote. Please follow through at your earliest convenience." Vera hangs up at that.
"Milla is really popular, isn't she?" Zelos asked.
"I don't think that's a good thing when it comes to someone like Bisley." Ramona said.
When the group got to Spirius, they were greeted by Bisley, who look towards the group.
"As I recall, I only asked for Ludger, David, and Maxwell." Bisley said.
"We don't trust you Spirius people." Jude said, causing Bisley to laugh.
"Why don't you tell me how you really feel, Dr. Mathis! I didn't expect that much spine from one who claims to support both spyrix and spirits."
"The accord 'twixt the two nations and Floralia has been ratified." Sectonia said.
Rowen followed up. "Adversity can be a strong foundation for peace."
"How selfless of you two to come all this way to give me your report." Bisley said. "Both as a CEO and a citizen, I am overjoyed."
Milla stepped up. "I take it that you're Bisley Bakur. Looking at you, you do appear to be a formidable man."
"And you, I presume, must be the true Maxwell."
"So was the other Milla." David said. "But that's just how alternate realities are. They can be quite complicated sometimes."
"You are correct." Milla said, still looking at Bisley.
Bisley looks to Milla. "Every inch as proud as I'd expect from the Lord of Spirits."
"The dimensional abyss has stabilized."
Bisley looks to Vera, who nods and looks to the group. "Then I shall transfer you the coordinates of the fractured dimension containing the final Waymarker." Vera sends them to Ludger, who took out his GHS and confirmed it.
"Speaking of the final Waymarker." Scott said. "Do you know what it is yet?"
"No, I haven't." Bisley told Scott. "That said, you should find it easily enough. Focus your search on the divergence catalyst, as in any other case. If Dr. Mathis and his friends are wiling to cooperate, you are sure to succeed."
Jude looks to Bisley. "I'll cooperate with Ludger, but I do it on my own terms, to fulfill my duty."
"That's right." Ramona said. "We're cooperating because we want to, not because we're ordered to."
Bisley chuckles. "Exercising your own free will, huh? That is humanity's strength. You have some steadfast friends, Ludger." Ludger nods, and the Spirius agents salute. "The final Waymarker is within our grasp. In this grand endeavor, I wish you godspeed."
"You seem to have a lot of faith in Ludger."
"And with good reason. The Key of Kresnik is mankind's last hope. Only he can overcome Origin's Trial."
When the group got to the rift, they end up in Sharilton.
"Sharilton, huh? It's been ages." Milla said.
"Yes. It brings me back to when we all first met." Rowen said, reminiscing.
"Conductor Illbert? Queen Sectonia?" asked a man manning one of the stands.
"Yes, I am Rowen Illbert. I was once the steward for House Sharil."
"And I am Queen Sectonia, of Floralia." Sectonia said in introduction.
"It is a pleasure to see you again."
"How dare you!" The man said, attacking the two, only to miss.
"How dare we what?" Sectonia asked.
"You take me for an idiot? I don't know who put together those costumes, but they're not fooling me!"
"Costumes?"
"Don't play dumb! Conductor Illbert and Queen Sectonia died eight years ago! They were murdered! Have you no shame?!"
"Wait... They were murdered?" David asked in shock. "Is this true?"
"Where have you been? It was a big deal in Rieze Maxia and Floralia. King Gaius and Taranza threw them state funerals and everything."
"What...? Do you know who murdered them?"
"No one knows. They found the bodies floating in Lake Epsilla in Elympios."
"Lake Epsilla... Where have we heard that before?" Ramona asked in thought.
"Now, I've heard enough of your sick little joke. Buzz off!"
The group got together after that confrontation.
"Now that's disturbing..." Sectonia muttered. "A fractured dimension in which Rowen and I have been murdered..."
Scott spoke up. "So, if everyone here knows about Elympios and Floralia, and Rowen and Sectonia died eight years ago..."
David finished for him. "Then chances are this fractured dimension takes place several years in the future. In any case, we should investigate the murder scene."
Elle spoke up. "But first, we should check if those time capsules are still here."
"Shall we take a trip to the manor and find out?" Rowen asked.
The group made it to the manor.
(Bonus Scene: Rowen)
"This is where the time capsules are, right?" Elle asked.
Rowen nodded. "Yes. Burying them here was Lady Driselle's idea."
"Should we dig them up?" Scott asked.
"Just ours, I think." David suggested.
"Not mine." Elle said. "I want to keep mine buried for a while. I promised Elize and Driselle."
"Very well." Rowen said. "Then we shall only dig up the rest of ours." The group grabbed some shovels and digged up the group's except Elle's, getting their deposited items back. "These are exactly the same time capsules that we buried."
"How peculiar." Ramona said.
"This dimension's history was identical to the prime's until some point in the past." Jude said.
"Perhaps, me and Rowen's deaths was the point in which the two split." Sectonia said.
Milla spoke up. "The death of a nation's prime minister and another nation's ruler would certainly leave a mark in history."
"While we're here, Rowen... Do you want to meet this dimension's Driselle?"
Rowen looks to the manor sadly. "I'd better not. Nothing good would come of it."
(Bonus Scene End)
As the group leave Sharilton, Elle strikes up a conversation.
"So you used to be Driselle's stewer, Rowen?" Elle asked. "What kind of stews did you make?"
"Stewer? Is that even a word?" Scott asked.
Rowen laughed at that. "I wasn't her stew-er. I was her stew-ard."
"That word I know." Sectonia said. "It's another word for butler."
"Correct. I served Lady Driselle, the Lord of Sharilton."
"A steward wears a pinafore dress and white gloves, and prances around with a feather duster." Ludger explained.
"Wait... Rowen wears dresses?" Elle asks.
"Now, now, Elle. The human heart is extremely complex. You need to keep an open mind." Milla says.
"Wait, what?" Ludger asks.
"It's quite a relief to hear you say that." Rowen tells Milla. "At first, Lady Driselle had to force me to wear the dress, but when I saw my reflection, I was stunned by my beauty." Sectonia shivers at that. "Ah, I'm sorry, Lady Sectonia. I didn't mean to spur up bad memories."
"It's not that. I just remembered what Taranza looked like wearing it." Sectonia said.
"Nonetheless, on that day, I was truly born anew."
Ludger was more confused than ever. "Huh?!"
"Ah, come now, Ludger. Don't think too hard on such playful banter." Ludger sighed, not sure how to feel about Rowen and Sectonia's teasing.
When the group got the border between Rieze Maxia and Elympios, they run into a neon dog. David petted it and it healed him.
"No way..." David muttered aloud.
"It's a spyrite!" Jude exclaimed.
A woman then walks up. "Phew... Found you! Don't go running off like that."
"Excuse me, but is that a spyrite?"
"Huh? Yeah, what else would it be?"
"Does it ever, you know, lose control of itself?"
"Good heavens, no. I mean, he gets into trouble once in a while, but he's a good little spyrite."
"Is there anywhere we can learn more about spyrite technology?" Ramona asked.
"Well... You could try Spirius Corporation, I guess, but I doubt they'll tell you anything worthwhile. It's not really in their interest to spill any secrets. They have a total monopoly on the spyrite market."
"Spyrite technology is everywhere in this world!" Jude exclaimed.
"More like universe. People from other worlds come by to see them, too."
"Perhaps the Jude of this dimension could tell us the secret to making spyrite technology viable." David told the group.
Sectonia looks to the woman. "One last question: Have you ever heard the name Jude Mathis?"
The woman answers. "Sure, in school. He's the guy who brought spyrite technology to the masses."
Scott exclaimed. "That's amazing, Jude!"
"Shame how he died, though... It's been a few years, but I still remember all the news stories about that mass murder. All those bodies bobbing in Lake Epsilla... Ugh."
Jude mutters out loud. "Wait, I'm dead, too?"
"We should probably head for Lake Epsilla." David said. "It's turning into quite the crime scene. However, there is a bright side to this."
"Yes. Sectonia being a well-respected ruler again, spyrite development. Now we know that both of them are possible."
When the group got to Drellin, Elle ran on ahead.
"Look at all the spyrites!" Elle exclaimed.
"Nature seems to be bouncing back." Jude said. He and Milla nod to each other.
"Milla seems happy about your success, too." Scott said.
"On one level, it just pleases me to see this potential for the future." Milla said. The group then start to walk together. "But honestly? It does my heart good to see Jude's hard work come to fruition like this. I know, I know. The Lord of Spirits should probably remain objective in such matters."
"Personally, I prefer a little partiality in the Lord of Spirits, truth be told." Rowen said. "You're fine."
"Why, Rowen. Thank you."
As they were about to leave Drellin, they heard people chatting with each other.
"Wait, so you found something strange in Lake Epsilla?" a woman asked.
"While I was fishing, I reeled it in by accident." One of the men said.
"Wait a minute. I know that thing." A Floralian citizen said. "This is- This is the stuffed animal the governor of Sharilton asked us to look for."
The woman spoke up. "Right. Apparently, it was that poor little girl's most prized possession."
"Why did it show up now?" The fisher asked. "She's been dead for years."
The Floralian picked up the stuffed animal, revealing it to be Teepo. "They never did find the killer, you know. Poor thing's probably cursed."
Scott was shocked at the sight. "Is that...Teepo?!"
"Which means the murdered girl could only have been..." Sectonia said.
Ramona finished for her. "Elize..."
"Man..." Scott muttered. "Just what the hell happened at that lake?!"
"We should hurry to Lake Epsilla." David told the group. "The culprit may be gone, but we might be able to find some information about the deed."
When the group reach Lake Epsilla, the group took in the sight.
"Everything is so lush." Jude said, looking around.
Ramona looked to the lake. "So this is where they found the bodies of all the victims."
"What about that house?" Scott asked, motioning a building connecting to the shore. "Does anyone live there?"
Ludger thought about this. "This house wasn't in the prime dimension, was it?"
"I don't think so. I mean, we didn't see it the last time we were in Epsilla."
"Quite a strange sight." David said.
"It's not strange...because that's where I live." Elle said. "That's my house! I live there with my daddy!" Elle rushed over to the house, calling her father. David saw a figure emerge from inside.
"Who...is that man? Could she be...Elle's father?" When the group got closer they saw a man with black hair wearing a black coat and a mask that covered one of his eyes.
"Daddy..." Elle muttered.
"Welcome home, Elle." The man spoke.
"Where are the bad guys?" Elle remembered that their house was attacked by people with guns when he sent her to Trigleph.
"They're gone now."
"Are you...okay?" Elle asked. The man nods and kneels down for a hug. "Oh, Daddy..." Elle ran to her father and hugged, crying tears of joy as she's finally reunited with her father.
"I knew it." David said. "He really is Elle's father."
"This dimension's version of him, at least." Sectonia comments.
"Right. It's easy to forget sometimes."
"It's strange, though." Ramona said. "In our dimension, this house didn't exist. At least, not yet."
"Does that mean he's the catalyst?" Scott asked. "How are we going to tell Elle?"
"Maybe we don't have to. Let's play it out and see where it goes."
The man turns to the group. "Seems my girl's been in good hands. My name is Victor."
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you." David said in a bow.
"Likewise. Oh, where are my manners? It's been too long since I've had guests. Please, join me for dinner. What do you say, Ludger?" This had Ludger gasp a bit. David was a little suspicious about Victor, but he complied.
"We would love to."
"Excellent. Please, come in."
When the group got inside, Victor treated them to a feast.
"I hope it sufficed." Victor said.
"Sufficed? This stuff is really good!" David said. "Right, Ludger?"
"Yeah, but my cooking's better." Ludger responded.
Sectonia was in thought about this. "It's a close call. You both use similar seasonings in your cooking, so it's tough. But I'll let Victor have this one. The taste just has more depth."
"These bold flavors and delicate accents are the mark of a true artist." Rowen said.
"Oh, stop. You flatter me." Victor said.
Ludger didn't think that there was ever a better cook for the group than him.
"Ludger, you should take some cooking lessons from my daddy!" Elle said.
"I haven't enjoyed a meal this much in ten years." Victor said.
Elle was feeling sleepy. "I think I ate too much. I think it's Daddy's fault for making my favorites." Elle reached out to Victor, who picked her up.
"You earned them all, my dear." Victor gently places Elle on the couch, where she falls asleep.
"Victor." David said. "There's something we'd like to ask you."
"You're curious about the mask, I'd wager. My face was scarred in battle long ago."
"No. It's not that."
"What is it, then?"
"Just...who are you?"
"Elle's father, of course."
Scott spoke up. "In a sense, but..."
"But I'm from this dimension... Is that it?" The group have shocked faces that Victor knows. "Let me dispel any doubts. I really am this Elle's father. I know that you think I'm the divergence catalyst, but don't know how to tell Elle, as you don't want to hurt her feelings."
"But if you really are Elle's father..." Ramona started. "That would that Elle..."
"Correct, Miss Flowers. My daughter was born with a power that only a few Kresniks have ever possessed. She can manipulate space and time, a skill lost in the prime dimension."
"So..." Sectonia asked. "She's the true Key of Kresnik? Not Ludger?"
"Odin was hinting that when he was destroyed. Besides, Ludger knew the truth of it all along."
David asked. "What do you intend to do with the Key?"
"You see, the key has its limits." Victor moves lightning-fast and gets behind Ludger. "And you stand in my way... Ludger."
"That reminds me. How do you know about us before we even introduced ourselves?"
"Same old David. Your observation always was one of your strong points, even more so than most of the Dimensional Heroes and Shining Hope Squad. It's why you've become the reliable leader of the Brave Adventurers." Victor moved lightning-fast to the door. "If you want me to answer your questions, then let's step out. I don't want to wake my daughter." Victor said as he stepped out.
When the group got outside, they met Victor on the shoreline.
"Amazing view, isn't it?" Victor asked.
"Has spyrite technology been perfected in this dimension?" Jude asked.
"Yes. And Sectonia became a well-respected ruler of Floralia. Both of which happened eight years ago."
"I see." David said, happy for the both of them.
"But then...I killed you." This proclamation shocked the group.
"Why would you do something like that?!" Scott asked.
"I didn't stop at Jude and Sectonia, either." Victor motioned to Rowen, Scott, Ramona, and David. "I killed all of you in this dimension, as well. Alvin, Leia, Elize, the Dimensional Heroes, the Shining Hope Squad, Spectra Force, the Brave Adventurers, and even Amadeus Flux. I killed you all. You all tried to stop me from killing Bisley. Even Julius took your side." Victor looked up to the sky. "Bisley made a grave mistake when he tried to take Elle from me."
"I'll ask you once again." David said. "What are you plotting?"
Victor looks back to the group. "I simply wish to live in peace with the real Elle." Victor then looks to Ludger. "But that will never happen, as long as he exists!" Victor then charges at Ludger and they fight each other with dual blades.
"Wait... Then that means Victor is..." Scott starts.
Ramona finishes for him. "A fractured version of Ludger?!"
Victor responds. "Exactly! I'm the future version of you!" Victor knocks Ludger to the ground. "And now I shall become...the real you!" Victor was about to deal the finishing blow before he heard Elle.
"Hey..." Elle starts, and Victor calms down, not wanting to kill the group in front of her. "What's everybody doing here?"
"Go back inside, honey. We're just having a little talk." Victor looks to Elle and feels an immense pain.
"Daddy!" Elle rushes over to Victor, but is pushed back when Victor took off his mask, revealing one of his eyes to be red, much like a divergence catalyst. This causes Elle to gasp.
"No need to be frightened, Elle." Victor reaches out to Elle. "If we go to the Land of Canaan, and the Universal Core... I can make this all go away, I promise. You and I can...live happily ever after, Elle."
Elle starts walking over to Victor. "We really can?"
"Elle... Stay back!" Ludger said, weakly.
"She not yours to order around!" Victor said, keeping a foot on Ludger. "I will make a wish to the spirit Origin and the Universal Core to start my life over again!" Elle stopped for a moment as Victor smiles toward her. "Elle will be with me, of course. Reborn as my daughter in the prime dimension."
Elle was trying to comprehend what he said. "I'll be...reborn?"
Sectonia spoke up. "That makes no sense! You'll be different people!"
"But we will still be together!" Victor pressed Ludger harder.
"Daddy?" Elle couldn't believe what her father was doing.
"Everything will be fine. We'll make...brand new memories." Elle gasped at that, as Victor moved to her. "Come here. This time, Mommy will be with us, too."
"No..." Victor was about to hug her when she snapped. "I don't want that! No!" Elle pushed Victor, causing him to trip over Ludger. Victor couldn't believe what she did as Ludger took this opportunity to scooped up Elle and get her away from Victor.
"Elle..."
{Cue Song: Betting on the Last Guide- Tales of Xillia 2}
"...is mine!" Victor attacked Ludger, who matched him blow for blow, from swords to sledgehammers to guns until they fought with swords again.
"So you lured Ludger into this dimension...to trade places with him!" Milla said.
Jude adds to that. "Using your own daughter!"
Victor was doing well fighting off Jude, Milla, David, Scott and Ramona all at once. "Yes! I knew Elle would bring Ludger to me. After all...I am the final Waymarker!"
Sectonia and Rowen fight him off. "What kind of monster manipulates his own daughter like this?!" Ludger transforms into his chromatus and strikes Victor, who caught it.
"What the hell do you know?!" Victor transforms into a chromtus of his own, which was completely black with red markings. "I killed my father and brother for this power!" Victor then attacks the group. They find that he has no weaknesses but no particular strengths either, and his moveset is completely identical to Ludger's, which is no surprise, since he's a fractured version of him.
"Why, Victor?" David asked as they fight him. "Why are you doing this?!"
"The answer to that is very simple." Victor said, as he fights off everyone while taking some hits. "10 years ago, I was on an adventure much like yours with our own fractured Elle and everything."
"A fractured Elle?" Elle asked.
"Yes, honey. Another Elle much like you with Ludger."
"But let me guess." Milla said as she blocks Victor's sword. "Something went wrong."
"It always does. When we went to Elle's dimension to get the final Waymarker..."
Elle finished for her father. "She died, didn't she?"
"Exactly." Victor then blocked Scott while Ramona hit with her hammer. "We managed to get all the Waymarkers in the end, but Canaan never appeared. It was at that moment that we realized that we were living in a fractured dimension ourselves! All of the other fractured dimensions we destroyed were for nothing!"
"But... Things got better... Right?" Jude asked as he pulled a Demon Fist.
"Eventually. I've met and wed Lara Mel Marta, Elle's mother, and two years later, we had an Elle of our own. However, Bisley told my so-called friends that Elle is the Key of Kresnik, and they tried to offer Elle to the prime dimension as a bargaining chip so that our dimension would keep existing!"
"So that's why you killed them in this dimension..." Elle muttered.
"Wait... Elle actually heard that part?" Sectonia asked.
"Regardless of whether she did or she found out on her own, she's right. I couldn't bear to lose Elle again, so I made the ultimate decision, and went on a one-man rampage to get her back, even if it meant killing you all!"
"I imagine that Lara didn't take it kindly." Rowen speculates as he and David used their spirit artes.
"No, she didn't. After realizing what I had done, her sanity broke and she killed herself, leaving me to raise Elle all alone. That's when I came up with a plan to bring Ludger here."
David shoots Victor with his guns. "And you gave Elle your watch because Julius used Ludger's. That's how Elle ended up in Trigleph in the first place, leading to everything we've gone through now. You're the catalyst behind it all!"
"You should thank me. If it wasn't for that, you wouldn't be where you are now. You wouldn't have known that Leia and Bisley had two of the keys to the Universal Core. But still, that's why I did it! So that I can take Ludger's place and fulfill my wish!"
"Where does Flux come into all of this?"
"He just wanted to travel to Canaan and wish for an evil empire. You know, normal bad guy stuff."
"I'm sorry for the losses you suffered, really I am, but is it really worth all of this bloodshed?"
"I just wanted to live a life with my family again. Is that really too much to ask?!"
{End Song}
David struck Victor one last time, and he got on his knees. "Ugh... My body..." The watch fell off of him as he winced in pain and a dark aura pulsates from him.
"Daddy..." Elle walked over to Victor, but he saw the back of Elle's neck has been blackened.
"It can't be! I'm already out of time." Victor said as he winced in pain. "Listen to me, Ludger! There's a limit to how much...you can use your power."
"A limit?" David asks. "No way..."
"You've become a divergence catalyst?!" Sectonia asked.
"All power comes at a price to pay." Victor said weakly. "That's just the way it is. You see?"
"So that's why you wanted to be reborn." David said. He then saw Victor reach towards the watch. "Ludger, look out!"
Ludger and Victor both got into their chromatus and fought blow for blow again. "What are you going to choose?!" Victor asked as he charged.
"Elle... I'm sorry." Ludger muttered as he let out his spear and struck.
Victor got out of his chromatus when Ludger's spear pierced through him. "Please... Take care of Elle. Open the path to Canaan. Complete Origin's Trial... David... Of all of the people I killed in my rampage... I regretted you the most. Promise me... You do not forget... What this journey has taught you..."
David nods. "Understood."
"I always knew...I could count on you...when it matters most..." Victor smiles as he collapses on the ground. Elle rushes over to him, begging him to get up. "Elle... You must...be strong... Don't hold it against them... They were just...doing what had to be done."
"Believe me... We would've avoided this if we could."
"I'll never forget you, daddy." Elle said with tears in her eyes. "You were...the best friend I've ever had..."
"Elle... Your father may fade away now... But he'll always be with you...in spirit."
"Exactly..." Victor said. "You mustn't give up hope..." Victor hums the Hymn of Proof to Elle as he fades away.
"Goodbye... Daddy..." Elle said as a tear falls and the dimension breaks.
"Trust me, Ludger." David said, breaking the silence when they get back to the prime dimension. "What we did was the hardest thing any of us would've done." He went to check up on Elle, and saw the black mark on her neck. "Oh no!"
"She's becoming a catalyst!" Sectonia said.
"But... That's impossible." Ramona said. "Unless the power...really is within Elle."
"We won't find the answers standing around here." Milla said. "Let's find a room in Drellin."
"Good idea."
It was raining when they got to Drellin, but the conversation was brought up anyway.
"Elle's becoming a divergence catalyst?" Milla asked. "I don't understand how this could happen."
Sectonia spoke up. "If what Victor said is true, becoming a divergence catalyst is the result of using the chromatus beyond a certain limit."
"If Elle is the daughter of Ludger from a fractured dimension, that would make her part of the Kresnik family."
"The problem is that she doesn't seem to have access to chromatus powers." Scott said.
"Sectonia, you started to say something about this earlier." David said. "Do you remember what it was?"
Sectonia responds. "I do. The watch is the key to manifesting the chromatus, right? You, Scott, Genis and Jude were with me when Ludger first transformed. At that time, Elle was holding the watch."
"So, Ludger was using Elle as a conduit for his power." Ramona said. "Scott, Sectonia. Do you remember how Ludger couldn't transform into his chromatus when we first met the other Milla?"
"It was because Elle wasn't with us at that time. We were split up when we escaped from Chronos."
David speculates. "Which means Elle has been paying the price for Ludger's use of the power. It goes without saying that Ludger had no way of knowing this."
"Same goes for the rest of us, apparently. I'm so sorry, Ludger."
"There is no need to apologize." Milla said. "Who could've possibly guessed that the chromatus was linked to the catalysts like this?"
When the group got to the inn, Ludger was making soup in the kitchen.
Jude was coming down. "Elle's not doing so good."
"Is the catalyst sickening her?" Ramona asked.
"No, she's been traumatized. I mean, she just saw her father-" Jude stops, looking at Ludger. "I-I'm sorry. I know it's not like you had a choice in the matter."
(Bonus Scene: Milla and Scott)
"I'm worried about her and you." Milla said. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm...doing alright." Ludger said hesitantly.
"It shows how strong you are." Scott said. "Witnessing your own death would be a shock to anyone. I can't imagine." There were a few flashbacks of Milla seeing her fractured counterpart fall in the dimensional abyss, and Scott of when Gideon killed him. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard, Ludger."
Milla nods. "Scott is absolutely right. We're alive, for better or worse. And that means we have a duty to fulfill."
(Bonus Scene End)
Ludger's GHS buzzed. It's most likely Vera. He hands it to Sectonia to read.
Sectonia took the GHS. "Let's see what they want. 'Ludger, we've confirmed the retrieval of the final Waymarker. Please proceed to Rieze Harbor in Marksburg immediately'. I think it's best we rest up tonight, and head there first thing tomorrow morning." Sectonia hands Ludger back his GHS.
"A wise course of action." Rowen said, stroking his beard.
The group brought Elle down for some soup, however she was still distraught over her father's death and pot tipped over. As the hot soup was about to spill on her, Ludger knocked it out of the way, which caused his arm to get burned. It was soon healed by Jude and David.
"It'll heal in no time." Jude reassured him.
David sees Ludger pick up the pot. "Wait... You're going to make more?"
Ludger nods. "I want to. For Elle."
"But..." David shook his head, knowing there's no talking him out of it. "I understand."
(Bonus Scene: Jude and Sectonia)
"I'll help, if that's alright." Sectonia offered.
"Me too." Jude adds. "Besides, your arm's still injured." As Ludger makes another pot of soup, Jude and Sectonia check on him. "All done?" Ludger nods.
Sectonia looked down. "I'm sorry that... We can't do more for you."
Ludger responds. "Why are you apologizing? I destroyed a world filled with spyrites and where Sectonia was respected again."
Sectonia and Jude shook their heads. "We're just happy knowing that a future like that might even be possible. It helps us believe we can do it. I can gain my rightful place as Floralia's kind and just ruler again."
"And I can perfect spyrite technology." Jude said in determination. They stop, then look to Ludger. "We were trying to cheer you up, but here you are making us feel better." The three of them smile warmingly before Sectonia looks to the staircase, thinking of Elle.
"You know... I think she'll understand someday."
Jude and Sectonia leave to bring Elle down as Ludger finishes up her soup.
(Bonus Scene End)
Elle came down and managed to get a spoonful of soup, saying it's good and that she acted the way she did because she realized something. When someone dies, no one can taste their cooking again. This goes for the other Milla and Victor. Ludger apologizes for the events, but Elle says that she's the one who should apologize as she caused everyone so much pain. She then tries to put on a brave face, knowing that Victor wouldn't want to see her looking depressed.
The next morning, the group get ready to leave Drellin. Then Ludger got a call from Nova.
"Ludger... Hey, do you have a moment? Sorry to pester you again, but..."
"The loan, right?" Ramona asked.
"Yeah... Sorry about that. Just doing my job." The call ends at that.
"Sad as it is." Rowen said. "Even at times like this, the world still marches on."
"I know what you're thinking..." Elle said. "You're worried about me, so you don't want me to be exposed to any more danger... No one wants me, not even daddy... He said that he only wanted to be with...the real Elle..."
"Elle..." David said. "Can you shoulder this burden until we get to Canaan?"
Elle nods. "Yeah. In the end... Daddy said that... I have to be strong... And that I shouldn't hold it against you. You were just doing what had to be done."
"Believe me, Elle. If we could avoid it, we would."
"Yes, but he was the Waymarker... We didn't have a choice..." Elle tried to put on as brave a face as possible. "Let's pay off more of Ludger's loan so we can head for Marksburg."
The group nod and set off.
A/N: Inspired by Jexi the Hunter and Hope the Victor