Chapter 11

What You Strive For

Taking a moment to collect my bearings, I proceeded to stroll down the mechanical corridor I found myself in. Whilst I walked through, I took a moment to survey the mechanical architecture; no matter where I looked, the castle was clearly made with overtly futuristic technology giving it a mix of an industrial and cyberpunk edge. I also couldn't help notice how sterile and clean the corridor was; there was no dirt, no grime and no litter whatsoever. "Weird.", I said to myself. Unnerved at how absolutely clean the castle was, I then found myself in another section of the castle where I came across a man with way dirty blonde hair and greyish-blue eyes wearing a red jacket, a black jumper, grey shorts and red boots. He was also holding a red sword with a hole near the hilt. Wanting to make conversation, I asked, "Hi, my name's Jack. What's yours?". The man looked to me, his face lighting up unexpectedly. "Oh, it's you, the key. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Shulk.", the man said. Before I could reply, Shulk then asked, "By the way, do you know where Melia is?". "Oh, she's in the capital of this place calling itself the Sovereign Empire.", I replied. "So she is there after all.", Shulk said to himself. All of a sudden, another man with short and spiky brown hair and golden eyes wearing a blue, brown and gold jumpsuit and a dark gold diving helmet rushed in. "Shulk, bad news!", he said with a strong Northern accent; I didn't exactly think it was odd given how lots of planets have a North. "What is it now, Rex?", Shulk asked the man. "I've received reports that Moebius and the Sovereign Empire are planning to attack us in a bid to acquire the red and blue Chaos Emeralds! We need to prepare stat!", Rex hurriedly replied. "Wait, Moebius and the Sovereign Empire?", I asked. "Yeah. Rumours say that many of Moebius's Consuls are also nobility in the Sovereign Empire.", Shulk replied. "Well, that makes it all quite clear.", I said. As per Rex's little prediction, alarms suddenly blared. Having nothing better to do, I followed Rex and Shulk to the castle's war room.

Entering a room that was surprisingly well furnished with lavish carpets and well chiselled tables and drawers, I noticed a man with long black hair and grey eyes with tanned skin wearing a handsome maroon and black suit; a girl with long blonde hair and green eyes with a red ribbon wearing a suit of white and golden mechanised armour; a man with spiky auburn hair and brown eyes wearing a suit of dark brown and orange armour; a woman with waist-length black hair and brown eyes with tan skin wearing a blue and lavender dress slightly exposing her cleavage; a woman with black hair tied in a bun and brown eyes wearing a very militaristic outfit and a man with spiky dark grey hair and grey eyes wearing a suit of grey and dark cyan armour. Eyeing me, the blonde-haired girl said, "Well, Shulk, you certainly have brought home a winner.". "Yeah, I have, Fiora.", Shulk said to her. She had somewhat of an Estuary English accent, like the Tenth Doctor. "Still, what concerns me is how Moebius and the Sovereign Empire have found us so easily.", the black-haired man said. "Maybe they've used the Chaos Emeralds in their possession, Dunban.", the woman with long black hair said. "I hope you're right, Sharla.", Dunban replied. "We'll need to shore up an absolute defence.", the black-haired woman in the military dress said. She had a very strong Scottish accent. "Yes, Morag, but we need to find the green Chaos Emerald as well. It doesn't matter if the Sovereign Empire has 4 or 0 Emeralds; if they've already found the green Emerald before us then we're as good as done.", the dark grey-haired man said. "Still though, Zeke, we mustn't give up hope.", Fiora said. "Shouldn't we be planning for the attack?", the auburn-haired man asked. "Nice to see you being useful for once, Reyn.", Dunban said to the auburn-haired man. "What do you mean, for once?", Reyn asked indignantly.

Walking outside the war room to clear my head, I then felt an acute pain in my right eye. Clutching it instinctively, I then had a vision of a phoenix; strangely, I felt that it wasn't really dangerous so much as misunderstood and alien. "You must remember.", the phoenix said before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. I then found myself in the strange jungle temple I found myself in before I was warped to the mechanical castle. I saw a girl with short purple hair and purple eyes with her right eye covered by the hair wearing a black jumpsuit with grey armour holding a gigantic shield in front of me; turning around to face me, she said, "So, you've seen the vision too?". "Yeah, every night.", I replied. "But what about you is causing Cyber Space to warp you to random locations, though? Why does this virtual world feel the need to keep warping you around? Interesting, isn't it?", she continued. "To be honest, I'd tell you if I knew myself.", I said. "Oh, where are my manners? My name's Mash Kyrielight of the Chaldea Security Organisation.", the girl said. "Nice to meet you, Mash. My name's Jack.", I replied. Suddenly, I then heard a very familiar voice behind me. "Oh, this is where you are. You had me scared to death.", the voice said; I turned around apprehensively to find Goldmary, only she was wearing a sinister red suit of armour and had a vacant smile on her face. "Wait, you know Consul G?", Mash asked. "Consul?", I asked, confused. "Oh, did I not mention that before? Yes, I am part of Moebius; you may also call me Consul G.", Goldmary explained. "But why are you part of Moebius?", I asked. "Oh, that's simple. When I died during the final part of the initial set of wars YHVH waged on the Multiverse, I saw a man calling himself Z and heard him speaking to me. I accepted his offer to live in the Endless Now and so I was knighted as Consul G.", Goldmary said. "But why did you try to get me to join in the attack on Garreg Mach then?", I asked. "Oh, we didn't really want you to join us; we just wanted to confuse you.", Goldmary replied, her smile never fading.

Noticing Mash kneeling behind me, I then asked, "OK, so why are you here?". "Oh, that's simple. Me and the rest of Moebius want you to join us. We have an empty spot for Consul J and the previous holder of the office sadly died in battle against the suicidal maniac Ashera; we strongly feel that you would be a perfect fit for the role of Consul J. You don't have to accept immediately, though. You're free to think it over but we would like it if you joined us. You wouldn't have to worry about finding a purpose; all you would need to really do is live in the Endless Now forever.", Goldmary said, getting more passionate. "Interesting proposal. Here's my counter offer.", I said, before proceeding to run. Goldmary looked at me, not even angry as a red infinity symbol appeared in her right eye. "Mash, you know what to do.", Goldmary said. "Yes, master.", Mash said robotically, jerking up in a very unnatural manner.

Rushing out of the temple, I raced through the forest, paying no heed to what was behind me. And my lack of concern was warranted as I then found myself at Garreg Mach Monastery, albeit a monastery now protected by a thick crimson darkness. Forming Tao mandalas in front of my hands, I clawed through the crimson wall and found myself in a strange field with a giant mechanical colossus. The giant had a very broad torso and comically large shoulders juxtaposed with very thin arms and legs. Its head was composed primarily of a large mouth with multiple nested jaws of squared teeth with a pair of protrusions extending from the "chin". Its arms ended in three fingered hands and its legs ended in rounded stumps. I also heard the Sonic Frontiers song "Undefeatable" start up; I shrugged and prepared to fight the monster. I rushed at the giant, dodging its dark crimson eye beams and retaliated with a blast of fire; undeterred at this, the giant unleashed a giant onslaught with its two equally giant fists which I expertly dodged. Feeling time moving slower, I warped above the Titan and punched down, my fist coated in dark orange energy. The Titan then unleashed a dark red beam of energy from its fists; I parried this and skewered the monster with a barrage of icicles followed by a watery laser; the Titan responded to this by unleashing a considerably larger blast of dark red energy in the shape of a sphere. I effortlessly punched through the sphere and moved in for the kill, spearing through the Titan and destroying it as "Undefeatable" ended. As if it was bitterly acknowledging my victory, a dark crimson mist which I swear was the Titan's "essence" as it was entered my body, covering me in a dark crimson aura which swiftly dispersed and briefly covered my fists. I then heard the mysterious voice I heard in the Leicester Space Centre, with it now saying, "You are the key. Be empowered with this technique.", before it then disappeared as well.

Mysteriously finding myself in front of Garreg Mach again, I then saw what appeared to be a young girl with short white hair styled into a bob cut with a long bang covering her right eye and red eyes wearing a suit of red armour with a purple core in the chest. She also had a purple scar on the right side of her face and a purple butterflyesque hairclip in the shape of an X on the left side of her hair. She was looking at me, smiling. "Can I help you?", I asked. Gracefully walking up to me, she said, "So you defeated Giganto already. Very well done.". "You mean that giant mechanical thing?", I asked. "I do. You have three more Titans left to go too- Wyvern in Ares Island, Knight in Chaos Island and Supreme in Ouranos Island, though I guess they're now part of Mahag Saar, Orbus Calaglia and Ganath Haros.", she said. "What's your name anyway?", I asked. "Oh, how rude of me. Just call me X.", the girl said. "Just X? Nothing else?", I asked. "That's right.", X said. "What are these Titans anyway?", I asked. "All in due time.", X said before warping away. "Weird.", I muttered before I entered the monastery yet again.

The story continues in the next chapter.