Well, we're heading into the finale of this arc now; the next two chapters should wrap most of the major things up. My writing really took a nosedive this semester because of all the busy work for my classes (two online classes were less than pleasing to me, especially when they were my first two online classes), and I'm about to head into finals week now. Nevertheless, I did manage to finish this chapter up, and with any luck, I'll have this arc wrapped up by New Year's or thereabouts.

Begin!

Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery

Chapter XIII—Recovery

[July 4, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Infirmary | 9:10 AM]

The faint whispers of voices are the first things that I notice upon regaining consciousness…the second being that I'm still lying down, but not on solid concrete – rather, on something soft. Slowly, I reach up and wipe my eyes as I start to open them, trying to ignore the stinging of the sudden light in order to look around.

"Where…?"

The word comes out as little more than a murmur, my voice cracking slightly, and I realize that I'm no longer outside in the parking lot of the Sorceress Memorial, but in the polished white interior of the Trabia Garden infirmary. Not only that, but I feel groggy, like everything's a bit fuzzy and dulled.

"Still with us, huh?" I hear a voice say from beside me. "Glad to see it."

My head rolls to one side to see Angel – albeit from a sideways viewpoint – sitting in a chair beside the bed I'm lying on, once again dressed in his familiar black duster that shows no signs of the battle we were just in.

"…Seems like," I mutter, reaching up and yanking the small, yet annoying oxygen tube away from my nose. In the process of that, I catch a glimpse towards my chest and find that I'm covered in bandages from around my sternum to just below my stomach. "How bad is it?" I ask, to which Angel shakes his head.

"You've been out for…about fourteen hours," he replies, taking a quick glance at a clock up on the wall of the room. "You nearly got cut in half. Curative magic is good, but it can't do everything for something like that. They did some minor surgery on you to make sure everything was still in one piece; you're probably still under some of the effects of the anesthesia."

The grimace on my face likely tells Angel everything he needs to know about my opinion on the matter. "Lovely," I say, eyes shifting around the room to take in the surroundings. "Destine…?"

"Gone. Took her little minion with her."

"…We shouldn't even be alive right now, you know," I start, finally looking back at Angel. "How'd you manage to get out of there?"

"I'd say it's because I'm just that good," he jokes, "but sometimes…you just get lucky."

Flashback

Angel's breath came in rapid pants as he looked over at his foe – definitely an Arrancar, he realized. Very few normal Daiesthai were that powerful, and even fewer could manage to use Cero to any degree of effectiveness. The question of what Destine was doing, being all friendly with a Nether Plane being such as Manes, came back to the forefront of his mind as he tried to catch his breath. With Ben down, he was outmatched…granted, with Destine around, they had been outmatched from the beginning, but they might've had a chance against the Arrancar at least with both of them fighting.

"I must say, I expected better from you," Manes said, his face twisting into a sneer. "The infamous Scourge of Dollet should be able to put up more of a fight than some run of the mill Hume."

Angel's eyes narrowed to slits at the mention of the title.

"How did you…"

"Know? Please. Destine has her nice points from time to time…she already filled me in on who both of you are and what you're capable of."

Angel's grip tightened on his blade, his voice coming out in a sharp hiss as he reined his irritation back under control.

"That's all in the past. I'm one of Freya's loyal chosen now."

"Which, while all well and good, will get you nowhere in the long run, Liam." Destine's voice interjected as the Pillar reappeared beside Manes, causing the Arrancar to lower his blade. "Look at the strength of just one of those who've turned to my cause. Your friend had little chance, and you're looking pretty ragged yourself."

As much as he wanted to protest otherwise, Angel knew that Destine was at least somewhat right. The Cero that Manes had used had done quite a bit of damage, and even with his enhanced durability he knew that he would be hard-pressed to take another one or two of them. Not to mention that he now had other concerns, namely getting the both of them out alive and informing Katanas.

Discretion was the better part of valor, after all – no sense staying and fighting until the end when the mission isn't complete.

"Then far be it from me to stay," he stated, vanishing from the Pillar's sight. Before Destine or Manes could move to stop him, he appeared beside Ben's body and hefted him over one shoulder, opening a gate to the Crystal Path and stepping through all in the span of barely two or three seconds.

End Flashback

"I see what you mean," I say quietly, listening as he finishes his brief recounting. "She could've done you in any time she wanted…wonder why she let you go?"

"Don't know, and can't say I really care," Angel responds, shrugging. "One thing does bother me, though. She mentioned Manes as being one of the ones who'd turned to her cause…I wonder how many more she has on her side?"

"Even one's too many, if you ask me," I reply. "Why's she even doing this? I thought she was supposed to be upholding reality, not trying to kill Planeswalkers…"

Angel's gaze turned down to the floor of the room, and his voice lowered in a presumable attempt to keep others from hearing. "You know of the war in the Ethereal Plane a few centuries ago, correct?"

I nod a moment later, wondering where he's going with this. "Yeah…what about it?"

"How many wars were there that can you think of in which everyone was happy at the end?" he continues, glancing back up at me. It takes a few moments, but I'm starting to see what he's getting at with this.

"So, you think Destine got screwed over by all of that somehow, and she's out for revenge?"

"Maybe not revenge, per se, but she might be after something in particular. If that's the case, then only Freya, Odin, or Xeios would really know what that might be."

"Gonna go ask?" With a bit of difficulty and some pain, I manage to shift myself by using my elbows and forearms to where I'm in a sitting position – I'm getting a bit tired of lying down.

"Probably, but not yet. I have a contact that I want to get some information from before I decide to do anything further," he comments.

"Contact? Anyone I k-"

Rapid footsteps nearby cause me to stop in mid-sentence, turning my attention towards the rapid clapping sound of shoes on tile, and I'm rewarded after a moment by the sight of both Tetsuya and Yuki quickly approaching where Angel and I are at, both looking decidedly anxious about something.

"Did you guys hear the news?" Tetsuya asks, his voice marred by moments of heavy breathing as if he'd run all the way from his dormitory room to the infirmary – which, from the looks of things, might not be too far from the truth.

"News?" I ask, my thoughts immediately turning to curiosity about what he could mean…and if it has anything more to do with Destine.

"They just found the President of Galbadia dead at his home!" Yuki says quickly, sounding a bit upset by the news.

"It's all over the news networks," Tetsuya continues, ignoring the look of absolute shock on my face. "Here, check it out!"

Before I can react, he moves to the table beside my bed, picking up what looks like a remote control and turning on a television mounted across from my bed, hanging down from part of the lowered ceiling. It flickers for a moment before coming on, audio beginning to stream from the speakers a few seconds later as the broadcast comes through. The image on the screen shows what I assume are Galbadian police officials scurrying across the perimeter of a fairly sizable mansion, apparently the home of the Galbadian leader.

"…can see, police investigation is still underway as to the death of Vinzer Deling Jr., President of the Republic of Galbadia. Officials report that Deling, as well as his wife, Maria Deling, were both found dead in their Galbadia City home at approximately 7:30 AM. The cause of death is still under investigation, but police suspect that foul play was involved. GNN will keep you posted on all the latest breaking news regarding this national tragedy-"

"What the hell…someone just assassinated the President of Galbadia and his wife?" I exclaim, unable to contain my shock. Angel looks calmer about it, but still uneasy about the entire thing, and from the looks of things his thoughts are moving in the same direction that mine are.

"Yeah…unbelievable, right?" Tetsuya replies, nodding – he seems to have gotten over most of his surprise; likely, he knew some time before he told us. "It's been all over the news since about a quarter past eight."

"You've got to be kidding me…" I mutter quietly. First, attacks on the Presidential Palaces of both Galbadia and Esthar, and now the assassination of the Galbadian President? "Who's running Galbadia now?"

"We don't know," Yuki replies, her voice calmer and more collected now. "No one on the news has mentioned it yet."

"Think there's any connection between our SeeD exam and Deling getting knocked off?" Tetsuya asks, putting one hand on the hip of his white trenchcoat.

"Not a clue, but there could be, if any of those disloyal soldiers were left," I remark, shifting on the bed and sitting up a bit straighter. As I do, Angel stands up from his seat beside the bed.

"This just gives me something else to ask about. I'm headed to Dollet, if anyone needs to know. Maybe I can find out something about what just happened in Galbadia while I'm there."

"Take care of yourself," I say, nodding to Angel.

"You just rest up," he replies. "I'll let you know what I find out."

Without another word, Angel departs the room, his dark-colored duster flapping lightly behind him as he leaves. I can't see it, but I can feel the telltale flash of magic in the air that accompanies his Planeswalking, letting me know exactly how important he must consider this. I've asked Angel before why he prefers normal transportation over Planeswalking, and the answer I got boiled down to the fact that in his eyes, it seems practical yet boring – there's no journey, no great wonders to take in along the way, and that's something that he takes great enjoyment from.

"…Could either of you get me a nurse?" I ask, looking at Tetsuya and Yuki, who are still standing at the foot of my bed, quietly conversing among themselves. "I want out of this place already."

"…I…I'm not sure that's a good idea," Yuki says after a moment's consideration.

"Why not? I mean, I'm feeling better, and I don't think I'm gonna bleed to death now, so-"

My words suddenly stop as I try to swing myself over the side of the bed to stand up, replaced by a short and surprised cry of pain as another burning spike of pain rises up from my abdomen.

"See?" Tetsuya remarks, folding his arms as Yuki gets me to move back to a resting position, somewhere in-between helping and forcing me to do so. "Bad idea. So, sit down, and let the nurses take care of you, for Hyne's sake."

Try as I might, I can't seem to be angry at Tetsuya…especially considering that they are right.

"…Maybe another hour couldn't hurt."

[July 4, 2152 | Dollet, Jacinto Street | 9:27 AM]

Dollet was, by its very nature, a rather luxurious place to live despite its relatively meager size as compared to places such as Galbadia. However, what it lacked in quantity of architecture and wealth, it more than made up for in the quality of those very same features. It was a place where nobility and upper-class atmosphere practically radiated from even the most low-standing among citizens, and the refined attitude of the general populace generally seemed to lead to an enhanced style and standard of living for everyone in the small provincial area.

Ruled by the duke Edwin Haroldington, Dollet had enjoyed much prosperity over the time since its separation from the Galbadian region's control, and it showed greatly with just a simple, sparing glance over any section of the city. The last few months in particular had shown a great increase in sea trading for the coastal area, and Dollet's government had put that money to great use rebuilding outdated structures and cleaning up vestiges of disarray and instability in the city's layout.

The street Angel stood upon now was paved in fine stone, a throwback to more rustic and vintage times that still managed to carry an air of the modern about it. He was in the more upper-class area of the fine city, he knew, but he still had great admiration for the lavish surroundings every time he visited. Just across the street, behind a wrought iron fence topped with spear-shaped tips on its posts, laid a large two-story mansion crafted out of some kind of fine, dark wood, the shade roughly a dark brown or ebony hue. Four exquisite and towering windows were set into the front of the house, each of the stained-glass windows stretching nearly from ground to roof and giving the house a shimmering quality in the sunlight, along with the numerous other single-pane windows set into the walls. Architecturally, the house was more modern in its shaping and design, with smoothly-curved sections over the windows, a gently-sloping roof, and a polished exterior, contrasting with some other houses nearby along the same street done in a more historic style. Angel walked calmly across the stone-paved street, seeing very little traffic around the blocks he was currently near, and approached the gate to the lavish mansion.

It was open, the tall arches of the gate's doors swung back into the comparatively tiny yard preceding the house, and Angel's step didn't waver as he walked down the tiled path that led up to the front door of the mansion in peaceful silence. His hand rose as he stepped up to the door, ringing the doorbell set into the wood beside the frame and listening as the echoing chime sounded from inside the house. After a few seconds of silence, footsteps came to the door, and a man wearing a dark suit with a white dress shirt underneath – perfectly tailored and immaculate, Angel noticed – as well as dark shoes answered the door, his neatly-cut blond hair and blue eyes framing a rather boyish face seeming to place the man as in his early-twenties.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Is Miss D'Angelo in, by chance?" Angel spoke, watching as the young man nodded politely, stepping back slightly and gesturing for Angel to enter the house.

"I'll fetch her immediately, sir. Who should I say is calling?"

"Liam Bayloh," Angel responded. The young man gave another curt nod before closing the door and turning, beginning to head upstairs with haste. Angel watched the butler ascend the stairs, admiring the maroon carpeting in the main entranceway, as well as the elaborate and massive pair of curved staircases leading up to the second floor. Several paintings hung along the walls of the room, some depicting what could've been scenes from Dollet's history, others simply modern art in all its different styles – the hostess' tastes were wide and varied, Angel knew, and she had an eye for art that other aficionados often called "finely cultured."

It only took a minute more before Angel saw another figure begin to descend the stairs. Unlike the butler he'd seen earlier, the woman he saw now was dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a yellow shirt, the bright color of the shirt seeming to draw even more attention to her long, reddish-orange hair.

"Liam," she began, a warm smile on her youthful face as she walked down the steps leading into the main hall. "It's been a while."

"It has, Maya," Angel responded as the woman crossed the room, embracing him for a few moments before pulling away. "How've you been? Haven't seen you since Locke and I left Dollet a few months ago."

"I've been just fine. Riding took up most of my time for the past few weeks, since I'm training for the upcoming Meadowlands Cup semifinals."

"Congratulations," Angel remarked, earning a bright smile from his friend as she motioned him over towards a sofa and coffee table sitting nearby. "Hate that I missed seeing you run in the first rounds."

"No worries," Maya replied as she sat down, "I know you had your own business to attend to."

"That's actually the reason I'm here," the SeeD stated, also sitting down beside Maya. "I need some answers, and you were the first person that came to mind who I knew could help me find those answers."

"What kind of answers?" Maya asked, now openly curious.

"I suppose 'answers' isn't the right word…more like verification. Something that only an organization like Scientia could give…you understand."

Maya shifted somewhat uncomfortably in her seat, but kept the smile on her face. Scientia was, in most circles and common knowledge, little more than a suspicion in the hearts of many. It was rumored to be an organization with ties all over the world that dealt in knowledge of all kinds – electronic, written, word of mouth, information of any and every form supposedly went into and out of Scientia's hands on a frequent basis.

The thought of such an organization scared many, as it was said that there was no information Scientia couldn't acquire with enough time, but there was next to nothing in the way of evidence that the organization even existed. Such rumors were highly exaggerated by the general public, which was one of the things that kept any real information about Scientia's assumed existence from surfacing.

"I'm not sure I do," Maya said, her smile giving way to confusion. "Scientia doesn't exist."

Now it was Angel's turn to smile. "Then let's run a hypothetical. If Scientia did exist, then they would be the ones I would be turning to. Which is why I'm here talking to you."

"I don't belong to Scientia. They don't exist – I can't be in an organization that's not real, Liam."

"Of course not. So, shall we get down to business?"

"I don't know how much 'business' we can 'get down to,' as you put it, but I'll see what I can do." The smile was back on her face now, and it was clear to both participants that they each were enjoying the verbal game.

"I'm sure you know all about how Galbadia's in an uproar after their President just died this morning, right?"

"Of course…" Maya said, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, there was a bit of an interesting event yesterday that I heard about which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Deling likes to go out to eat like any normal person – it was one of his more endearing traits to the populace that he didn't keep himself locked in his palace all the time. Normally, he goes out to a trendy little restaurant by the name of Rubedo's. The problem is simple. Yesterday, there were people who saw him go into the restaurant and come out of the restaurant…but no one actually recalls seeing him inside the restaurant around the time he went in."

Maya's brow knitted as she processed the information Angel had given her. "People saw him go in and out, but never saw him inside? How is that possible?"

"I was hoping you had an answer to that question."

"I don't think any of my people know anything more than you just told me," Maya said after a few seconds' thought. Angel just nodded, expecting that answer from his friend, before speaking again.

"Anyone happen to remember seeing a dark-haired woman with veins on her face walking around about that time?"

Maya's confusion grew even deeper at the question. "That's oddly-specific of you."

"Situation calls for oddly-specific, it seems. Did they?"

"I'd have to ask to be sure, but offhand, I don't recall anyone saying anything about someone like that."

Angel sighed lightly, nodding. "I figured as much. Next question, then. The attacks on the Galbadian and Estharian Presidential Palaces happened in a fairly short time frame, and now we have Deling's assassination to deal with. Any idea whether they're all connected – same person, same group, anything like that?"

"This one I do know," Maya answered, having guessed where Angel was going with his question. "None of them are actually connected with each other at all."

"Really?" That was not the response Angel had been expecting to get at all; the time frame was so closely connected that he was almost certain there was a common link.

"Yes. As you already know, Marcus Duran was behind the revolt in Galbadia. That much is as close to a certainty as possible; the Galbadians got him to admit everything soon after SeeD pulled out of the area. However, the attack on the Presidential Palace in Esthar was undertaken by a group calling themselves the Royal Thieves Guild. As far as I've been able to discern, neither have anything to do with the other. The murder of Deling and his wife, also, has no ties to either Duran or the Guild."

"So that was someone or some other group entirely," Angel stated. "Does Galbadia have any leads into that?"

"I'd guess so, but everything's so tightly-wrapped now that my associates can't even begin to think about prying into it yet."

Once again, Angel nodded, deciding as he did so to back up for a moment and ask the other question now on his mind. "That makes sense. Going back just a bit, though, what about this Royal Thieves Guild? What were they after that would make them attack the Presidential Palace to get their hands on it?"

Maya grimaced just enough for Angel to know before she even spoke that whatever she was about to say, it wouldn't be good. "If my source working with Esthar's government is correct, then there were two items taken. An experimental bracelet with properties similar in function to an Odine Bangle…and a Philosopher's Stone."

Angel frowned, the only outward sign of his displeasure. He wasn't much for the Alchemy talents that Trabia Garden taught, but he had learned enough – mostly through Katanas – to know that a Philosopher's Stone was an artifact that did not need to be in the wrong hands…and those of thieves qualified as 'wrong.'

"I also know that they weren't doing this solely for themselves; someone hired them out to do this. Quite the hefty sum of Gil exchanged hands for this endeavor, but whoever it was desired complete and total anonymity. I've not been able to find out yet just who arranged the deal, even with all the resources at my disposal."

"You've already given me more than I hoped for, Maya," Angel replied, waving off the faint tone of dejection in the girl's voice. "I'll need to let Katanas know about this as soon as I can."

"Katanas? Katanas DeValle?" Maya asked, recognizing the name. "He sent you out here?"

"I came on my own," Angel stated, "but I'm sure that he'll find this information just as interesting and useful as I did. And if I know him, he'll have a plan by the time I get back to Garden."

Maya laughed at the comment as Angel stood from the couch, following a moment later as he prepared to leave. "He really is the soldier that I've heard he is, isn't he?"

"One of the best and brightest SeeD has to offer," Angel said, nodding. "Your information is, as always, extremely helpful, my lovely Chief Inquisitor."

Angel was one of a very select few outside of the organization itself that were actually aware that Scientia was not just a myth or a rumor. It had taken him years to pin down evidence of the well-cloaked organization's existence, but the payoff had been well worth his time – having a link to Scientia meant that he had access to information that not even Garden could get their hands on in certain situations, something which gave him a decisive edge in investigations. He was also one of only a few people who were aware that the young Dollet heiress Maya D'Angelo was, in actuality, the head of the most well-connected organization in the world.

The young woman smiled brightly at the compliment, accepting it graciously as she began to follow Angel towards the door of the mansion. "Let me know if I can do anything else to help, Liam."

"You've done more than your share already," Angel began, his face suddenly solemn. "Just be careful, and keep doing what you do best."

"I'll let you know if I hear anything else that might interest you about what we've talked about."

"Thanks. I'll make sure to visit again soon, Maya."

The door swung wide, and Angel walked back out into the morning atmosphere of Dollet, his hand already reaching for the GLD on his belt. The circumstances required decisive action, he thought to himself, but fortunately, decisive action was what SeeD excelled at.

As I said, I hope to have the finale to this arc written up, if nothing else, by the start of the new year. I'll be going a bit more into Scientia and what they do in the future, but suffice to say that they have a hand (or ear, as the case may be) in just about everything.

As always, please read and review.