"A Past Life of Noah and Mio" continues with its second arc! I'm so relieved to be done with the opening chapters because now we can start digging into the main course of the story. As a quick reminder, this takes place before the harnessing of Ouroboros powers and the conception of off-seeing.

Since we're well past the first page now, I can confirm what the title and summary have hinted which is that this is indeed a past loop in the flow for Noah and Mio. When I first saw those fragments of their past lives through M's memories, I had a feeling that I'd end up writing something like this, but I'm getting way ahead of myself here.

So where were we? Noah had just broken Mio out of his own Colony 25 in Dannagh Desert, however, they hadn't exactly seen eye-to-eye. Despite the rules of the world, Noah has yet to claim a life, while Mio dreads what may come her way upon her homecoming. Thank you for coming back, now read on!

Chapter 8 "Lowering the Borders"

Morning had arrived as the sun's rays poked at Noah's closed eyes. It took him a moment to remember where he was and why he was there. The scent of the meadow was decidedly different from that of the desert which he'd left behind. Turning his head to the side, the charred logs of his campfire came into focus while the edge of Eagus Wilderness remained a sizzling blur in the background. For the first time that he could remember, he'd awoken without a single duty to perform. After all, he was a deserter now with no place to call home and nobody with whom to share a word.

"Hey," a soft voice called out to him.

"Huh?!" Noah instinctively called his Blade, crawling backwards until he saw who'd invaded his camp. "Mio?"

"Aw, come on," the sneaky Agnian outwardly whined, "I spoke quietly so I wouldn't startle you."

"W-what are you doing here?" his heart was thumping in his chest. "I thought you'd left."

"I hadn't gone far," Mio motioned by tilting her head back, "just to the lake, up the hill."

"Oh," the swordfighter blinked thrice, "how long have you been here?"

"Um… since last night…" her tone secreted a drip of embarrassment.

"Really?" Noah put away his Blade, still catching his breath. "I didn't hear you, then."

"Obviously," she sneered at him, no longer abashed. "You'd left yourself so vulnerable. Any other Agnian would've taken advantage of you."

"I… suppose you're right," now he was the one feeling embarrassed. "How'd you find me?"

"Seriously? A campfire isn't hard to spot at night, especially in the middle of the field." Mio crossed her arms, staring at the charred logs. "I swear, it's like you were asking for trouble."

"Right," the pacifist scratched the back of his neck, "I'll know for next time."

"Hmph, to think I'd relied on you," the cat-eared Agnian chuckled at how willingly he'd accepted her criticism. "I am glad I found you again, though."

"Were you specifically looking for me?" Noah sat cross-legged with his palms on his knees. A few seconds ticked by before he realized that she'd fallen silent. "Mio?"

"I had… some time to think, after we split," she stared northward at the rocky horizon.

"Yeah…?" the ponytailed soldier felt whatever lightheartedness there was between them whisk away with the next breeze.

"I thought about my homecoming," her arms expanded to wrap around her upturned knees, "being able to… fade away in peace, like you said."

"Uh-huh…" he immediately noticed her fingers quivering.

"It made me feel… lonely." Mio struggled to arrive at the crux of her response, though he'd gotten a rough idea.

"I see," his own hands came together. "Well, I'm glad you found me again, too."

"Shouldn't have thought of it, when I was by myself," her ears flattened out. "Freaked out something awful, back there."

"Mio…" Noah regretted not leaving this spot last night after hearing this, seeing her come undone beside him. "There's no reason why you can't have somebody there with you, when it's time."

"Do you really think you can help me?" she shifted her sullen sights to him now. "Would you… actually come back?"

"Do you want me to?" he hunched over, slightly. Mio hesitated again, both of them recognizing the gravity of his offer from yesterday.

"I don't know," the despondent Agnian shrank in place. "It's asking a lot from you, to come back near my final day, help me fend off my consul, and… stay with me until I…"

"I don't wish to pressure you," the swordfighter spoke again upon noticing her tapering off, "but I think… I'd be happy to help."

"H-how can you be so selfless?" Mio stared at him incredulously, unable to commit to an answer.

"I told you, you're the first person I've met who detests the war like I do," he reminded her from their contentious conversation yesterday. "Besides, I'm not totally selfless here."

"Hmm?" she straightened out her back.

"I'd like to meet your consul," the mettlesome Kevesi revealed his newer, secondary motive.

"What?! Why?" Her sudden excitement caused a nearby group of kapibas to abdicate their corner of the pond. "My consul's a menace! She might not torture us like yours did, but she's never let anyone escape their homecoming."

"I want to know what she knows," Noah angled his contemplative gaze towards Dannagh Desert, "regarding the battles between our two colonies."

"Didn't your consul cause it?" she recalled his accusation of the now-deceased despot.

"Yes, but if he was my consul, then how'd he know your name, as well as your allies'?" the pacifist presented the mystery that he wished to solve. "Also, how'd he know about your… er, wish?"

"Oh," the bewildered Agnian hadn't yet considered these peculiarities. "You think our consuls colluded?"

"Possibly," his suspicions were already rising, "but it's too late to interrogate him now."

"S-sorry…" Mio's response was automatic, misconstruing disappointment from his words.

"You needn't apologize for killing him," the pacifist absolved her. "In fact, I'm glad you were the one to finish him off."

"Why?" she remained recessive. "Because you don't take lives?"

"Exactly." It gladdened him that she no longer appeared to doubt his claim. "If a confrontation with your consul necessitates drastic measures, then I hope for a similar outcome."

"You think we can do it again?" Images from yesterday's battles replayed in her head.

"I should be careful not to get overconfident, but I think we'd make a pretty good team," Noah couldn't prevent a smile from growing on his face. "Er… that is, if you want me… to help."

"I-I want to accept, but…" she stumbled with her thoughts once more.

"Yeah…?" his voice softened to match hers.

"I'm used to having to rely on myself," Mio tried again, thankful that he hadn't rushed her. "I'm not worth anyone's time."

"Every soldier on Aionios has someone who cares for them," the ponytailed soldier recited what he'd told his former teammates.

"What rubbish. Who would care about me?" A good ten seconds passed before the abject Agnian realized that he'd gone quiet, their roles reversed from the first break in their dialogue. Turning her head, she discovered him staring at her with the most commiserative of countenances. "You? But… we're supposed to be enemies."

"Are we?" Noah climbed to one knee. "You could've killed me when you caught me sleeping, but you didn't. A-and yesterday, I told you to run away when I was fighting my consul, but you stayed to help me." Merely recollecting these instances humbled him while he absentmindedly watched the wind-teased greens flutter before him. "Thank you, by the way."

"Oh… uh… y-you're welcome." Mio was almost at a loss for words, practically stunned by the notion that someone could care.

"When I'd initially offered to help you… I-I guess it was a bit spontaneous of me," he admitted to his running mate, shyly tracing his gaze back up to her partially covered face. "But now, I genuinely want to return the favor. I want you to be able to spend your final term carefree, without the dread of your homecoming. It's something we all deserve."

"My final term… without the dread of…" she repeated faintly, her ears wilting again. Simply thinking about the possibilities afforded by freedom overwhelmed the grief-stricken Agnian.

"Mio?" the gentle swordsman slowly approached her after rising from his spot.

"I've lived my whole life… lookin' over my shoulder… even though it's not my turn, yet." Her eyes brimmed with scalding tears that fought to streak out. "Ugh… I'm so sick of bein' this way."

"I hear you," Noah dug into his bag for a clean gauze swab. "Er… here, this should be soft enough."

"Thank you," she removed her gloves before accepting it.

"Does this mean…?" he started to ask.

"Like spark am I gonna spend my final term livin' in fear," Mio gritted her teeth while she dabbed her eyes. "I would like your help, yes."

"Well, as I said, I'm glad to help," the pacifist openly smiled at her, hoping to incite her to do the same. "We'll use our time wisely."

"You're an… eighth-termer?" she glanced at the mark on his hand.

"Ninth, actually," he corrected her, "and early into it, at that."

"Regardless, don't strain yourself," the frazzled Agnian finished drying her face. "If you'll look out for me, then I'll look out for you."

"So, we're a team, now?" Noah sought for reconfirmation, perhaps a little wary himself now that they were moving swiftly through the planning stage.

"Y-yeah," she, too, momentarily contended with second thoughts before putting them to rest. "With any luck, my consul will show up the minute you set foot in my colony, or whatever's left of it. She's on top of everything, our battles, our homecomings…"

"It might even be to our benefit that she does," his hands extended down to her. "The sooner, the better, right?"

"Right." Mio reached out for him, having sat in one place for long enough. The warmth from their bare hands holding felt foreign yet inexplicably comforting to her. Unfortunately, the good feeling was quickly overturned by the pain in her injured shoulder the moment he pulled her off the ground.

"Are you okay?" he noticed her wincing.

"Ah, don't worry 'bout me," the tender Agnian brushed him off. "I'm just… stiff from sleeping in a cage, and out here."

"A-alright then," the concerned Kevesi was hardly convinced but opted not to push it for now. "I guess I'm a little stiff, myself. What say we hunt for breakfast? Get the kinks out of our joints?"

"Good idea," she concurred, having nibbled on nothing more than a handful of berries that she'd picked. "I should warn you, though."

"Hmm?" he paused checking his supplies seconds after starting.

"Last night, I saw some people up the hill, past the lake," his running mate recounted from her time alone, "but I couldn't tell if they were Agnian or Kevesi."

"Huh," the ponytailed soldier glanced around before resuming his task. "I guess it would've been hard to see at night."

"I saw them well enough, thanks to their ether lights," she rubbed her forehead, picturing the scene that she'd spied. "But their clothes… they were gray and brown."

"Gray and brown, you say?" Such a color scheme confounded Noah, knowing how traditionally Kevesis wore black while Agnians adorned themselves in white. "Doesn't sound like anything we'd wear."

"That's what I was thinking." Ironically, her own uniform was nearly dirty enough to fit this description. "Haven't seen 'em today, so hopefully they're gone."

"Thanks for letting me know, though," he zipped up his crossbody bag.

"Yeah," Mio put her gloves back on, almost reluctantly, "it's why I came back for you."

"I thought you said you came back because you felt lonely," her rescuer tapped his lower lip.

"Well, I… mmph… shut it, you," she puffed out her slightly rosy cheeks at him. "I'm hungry, okay?"

"Right," his palms were out, "what do you like to eat?"

"Fish," her answer needed no deliberating, "but I didn't see any in the lake ahead."

"There'll probably be some in the bigger lake beyond it," Noah activated his Iris for a map, "the one with the waterfall."

"You know the area?" she did the same, only her map lacked the details that his contained.

"I went up there on a mission once," he informed her before hitting upon an idea. "You know, if we're going to be traveling together, then we should probably register each other's Irises."

"Why?" his running mate focused on him without deactivating her Iris. "In case we get separated?"

"Yes, but also it'll make sharing information a lot easier," the forethinking Kevesi added as he approached her again, "if that's okay with you."

"Oh, uh… sure," Mio allowed him to come within breathing distance of her. It only took a few seconds for their Irises to synchronize, however, the two youths found themselves spending a little longer staring into each other's eyes. His cobalt blues mesmerized her like nothing she'd ever seen before. Meanwhile, her shimmering ambers were now the closest that they'd ever been to the boy who'd once ached to see them at all.

"Wait, what's this?" something else caught his attention.

"Huh?" she snapped out of it, feeling a sudden urge to pull away.

"Your Flame Clock," he slowly slid his hand from his temple to his mouth, "it's running low, dangerously low…"

"I… am aware," the discomfited Agnian retreated this time.

"Spark… I didn't even consider it," Noah attempted to swallow a mounting throe of panic. "With my colony wiping yours out, you and the other survivors have been unable to tend to your lifeline."

"That's the long and short of it," she deactivated her Iris now that both the registration and revelation had been made. "Bowan told me they'd hunt some monsters to fill our Flame Clock a little bit."

"R-right, that is an option," the distressed Kevesi deactivated his Iris, too. "Hang on, Bowan? So, you've been in contact with them by now, yes?"

"We communicated last night, shortly before I found you again. They're heading for Colony Phi to recover and he asked me to meet them there." Eager to start the morning hunt, Mio walked ahead to circle around the ridge. "Anyway, can we go now?"

"Huh?" the pacifist shook the dithers out of his head. "Ahem, right behind you."

Decently rested but famished nonetheless, Noah and Mio hardly covered a metri before they came across a giron volff pack. While not exactly either soldier's first choice in protein, any one of the aggressive quadrupeds would provide them with more than enough sustenance to make the long hike ahead.

Without the help of any sort of transportation, it took the whole afternoon for the two stray soldiers to ascend the first hill of Ribbi Flats. Just past sunset, the sounds of rushing water began filling their ears, indicating the final stretch of their trek for the day. As the incline leveled off, the impressive Magglia Lake came into view. From its towering waterfall to its bustling stream, it was quite a sight to behold.

"We made it," the well-exercised Agnian wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Indeed," her travel partner stretched his arms. "Is this where you saw those mysterious people last night?"

"No," she glanced behind them, "We're well past that."

"Still, we should stay vigilant for them," Noah observed all that he could with the dwindling light. "By the way, where exactly is your colony? I never got the name of it."

"Oh, right," his running mate activated her Iris to send him coordinates. "It's Colony Rho, located in the northern Pentelas region."

"Along the Urayan Trail?" he accessed his map as well. "Haven't been there, before."

"It can be quite nice," Mio removed her glove and dipped her hand in the water, delighted by the temperature.

"For now, we should find a spot to rest for the night." Scanning the area, the swordfighter eyed a relatively secluded bank of the lake a third of the way along the curving path. "How about there, between those rocks and the tree?"

"Fine with me," she flicked the droplets off her fingers.

"Also, you still want fish tonight?" he remembered her wish from earlier.

"Of course," the mere mention of it perked her up, "and I see a piranhax upstream."

"Good," it delighted him to see her react positively for once. "While you wrangle it in, I'll build us a campfire. Shall we meet at the spot?"

"Yeah, I shouldn't be long." And with that, the cat-eared Agnian kicked off her boots before wading into the water. Meanwhile at the proposed campsite, her Kevesi cohort constructed a new makeshift spit over a fresh pile of branches which he'd cut from the tree. Within the hour, the two survivalists had themselves an ample amount of skewered fish fillets.

"Never expected to have a full stomach after leaving the colony," Noah remarked after his last bite. "That was a good catch, Mio."

"Thanks, and you're good at preparing it," she, too, was satisfied with her share. "Personally, I'm better with soups. Too bad we don't have a cooking pot."

"Among other things," the ponytailed soldier focused on his modest bag of necessities. "We're really roughing it, out here."

"Speaking of which, I desperately need a rinse," Mio climbed to her feet as the water beckoned her. "I've still got sand in my hair."

"Me too," her travel partner was well aware of his own uncleanliness. "And our uniforms are a mess."

"It's completely dark now, so I'm going in," she announced before stepping away from him. Now barely out of the firelight, Mio attempted to remove her shirt, but her shoulder injury sent a searing reminder through her upper body. "Ow!"

"Hmm?" the attentive Kevesi swiveled in her direction. "You okay?"

"Spark…" the still-stiff Agnian cursed under her breath after trying and failing again. "I think… I need your help."

"It's your shoulder, huh?" the pacifist watched her clutching it.

"Y-yeah, it smacked against the iron bar when your consul yanked me from the cage," she recalled from their final morning in Colony 25. "I haven't been able to use my left arm effectively ever since."

"I'll be careful," Noah moved behind her, their two shadows becoming one.

"Please do," Mio peered over her other shoulder to him.

"Oh, wow… you've been bruised," he could tell even in the darkness. "I'm sorry, but I didn't pack anything that would allevi-"

"C-can you… not look?" her tremulous request interrupted him. "You're a Kevesi, after all."

"Huh? Oh, s-sorry." His eyes quickly averted upon his second apology in ten seconds.

"Thanks, I can handle the rest," she held her shirt against herself as she circled around him.

"I'll stand guard," he stayed put until he heard her enter the lake. Both soldiers had bathed in the company of others several times before but never with anyone from the opposite side of the war. Despite lowering the borders between them all day, some yet remained. "H-how's the water?"

"Not bad," her submerged legs swished around. "Feels good, actually."

"It's late summer," the ponytailed soldier inhaled the grass-scented air, "so it should be another warm night, even away from the desert."

"No offense, but good riddance to your desert and its heat," she decried before momentarily dunking herself.

"It's hotter in Eagus Wilderness where I was once stationed," Noah rotated northward, realizing that the overhanging rocks were keeping her hidden.

"You weren't always in Colony 25?" his running mate scrubbed her uniform next.

"I began at Colony 17 near the northern border," his arms were crossed. "Since Keves controlled the area, I hardly needed to engage in battle."

"That's how you became the person you are now?" Mio attempted to connect the dots.

"It enabled me, at least," he stared solemnly into the campfire. "I learned to value the lives of others. Friends transferred away, or they died upon our eventual defeat."

"Defeat?" her curiosity wouldn't settle. "But you said you controlled the area."

"The aggressor was a roving entity, Colony Nu," Noah remembered the fateful battle clearly. "That was… a despicable day. I even saw Agnians crying for their dead."

"Must've left an impression on you," she watched the firelit ripples expel from her movements.

"Attending our homecoming ritual at Ecto Hollow did as well," he added to the list. "By then, I'd already transferred to Colony 25 where I befriended somebody who was… running out of time."

"Out of time… right." Feeling waterlogged, Mio began swimming for dry land. "Ahem… I'm coming out, so get ready to switch."

"Understood," her travel partner turned away before undressing. The firelight illuminated his skin for her wandering eyes to behold, averting just as he pivoted towards the lake. "So, you've got… less than a year to go, huh?"

"Nine months, that's all," she answered whilst laying her clothes by the campfire to dry. "Feels like I've wasted my previous terms worrying."

"Watching so many homecomings must've been tough," Noah took the plunge with his kit in hand. He'd gotten ten seconds into his scrubbing when he realized that she'd fallen silent. "Mio?"

"S-still here," her voice barely registered to him. "You got me thinking about my old commander."

"You two were close?" he assumed from her tone.

"Very much," she prepared to dig out her story. "I'd transferred from Colony Phi, and we hit it off instantly. She looked out for me when I struggled, got me to write down my thoughts when my head became too jumbled."

"Sounds like she was your mentor," the swordfighter freed his hair before taking a quick dunk like she'd done earlier.

"She was… until her homecoming," Mio started shivering not from the breeze but from her memories. "She'd already been falling apart leading up to it, her body going weak at random times. It was… hard to watch, and then the consul…"

"You don't need to delve further if it's too much," he returned to shore to set his clothes beside hers.

"I-I'm okay," she got a grip on herself. "She chose to accept her fate, but… that's not how I wish to go out."

"You won't," Noah sat with his back towards her, scouring the sky for the moon. "We'll make sure of it."

"I hope so," the tenth-termer espied every drop which he'd wrung from his cascading locks.

"By the way, isn't Colony Phi where your allies asked you to rendezvous?" he recalled her prior mention.

"Yeah, it's on the way to Colony Rho," she activated her Iris to update his map data.

"I see…" the pacifist proceeded to study it, "maybe I should keep my distance during that leg of the trip."

"I know Colony Phi's commander, so maybe we can vouch for you," his running mate offered, observing his shoulders sink. "You did save us, after all."

"Still, seems risky, don't you think?" Stopping by any other colony wasn't part of the original plan, but the ninth-termer was nothing if not adaptable.

As the chatter subsided, Noah resumed his surveillance of both ends of the curving path. By the end of the hour, the two youths were dressed again and ready for another slumber with nature. The first day under their new alliance had gone rather smoothly, but they knew full well that the long road ahead wouldn't be without its challenges.

Extra notes:

A flashback to Noah's life at Colonies 17 and 25 plus a flashback to Mio's life at Colonies Phi and Rho are available to read in "A Past Life of Noah and Mio: Extras," rated M. This supplementary collection contains scenes which didn't quite fit in the main story. If you're interested and need help finding it, visit my profile! Thank you!