The Meaning of War

When I woke up in a cell, Jade and Tear started talking about rescuing Ion and escaping from the Tartarus. That means we'd have to fight people again, but they don't even blink at that... And they even started saying I was a burden, so I decided to fight too. I mean, it's not like I want to swing a sword at other people, but I can't stand them making fun of me like that.

Jade broke out of the cell and activated an emergency shutdown system he'd put in the Tartarus.

We waited in ambush for the Oracle Knights to show up again, and eventually a woman named Legretta came back with Ion. Apparently Legretta used to be Tear's instructor.

Come to think of it, Tear was with the Oracle Knights too, wasn't she? How come they're all fighting each other? I remember her saying something about factions...

Anyway, just when it looked like we were going to be able to get away, another Oracle Knight named Arietta appeared, and we almost got captured instead. But then Guy came from out of nowhere and saved us. He said he'd come looking for me after I disappeared from the manor. That's Guy for you!

Ion said that when Anise came to rescue him, she got into a fight with an Oracle soldier and got thrown out of the Tartarus. He didn't know whether she survived, but if she's still alive she should be heading for a town called St. Binah.


Chapter 1

Once again, Raine had to run away. It was the same story all her life.

The scenery had changed from being inside a village to being inside a Renegade base, green metal panels for walls and pillars with exposed electric cables replacing the wooden huts and trees. Half-elves chased them with sharp blades instead of humans chasing them with broomsticks and rakes.

She checked behind her. This time, she had more than just her twelve-year-old little brother Genis with her. Behind him, his best friends Lloyd and Colette ran, with his guiding her with the tug of his hand. They also had Sheena, a woman from another world called Tethe'alla, who had been sent to Sylvarant to kill Colette. Just as Raine hoped, no one else followed them. They lost the Renegades, for now.

"What are we going to do?" Genis asked. "We can't just run into the desert without a plan." He had a point.

They stopped in a room at the Renegade Base where the red emergency lights flashed, warning about intruders, but no Renegades had found them, yet. A generator in the middle suggested this room was a type of engine room.

"Yeah," Lloyd said, "anywhere we go now, the Renegades or… or Kratos will come looking for us." His voice trailed off, and Raine understood why. Kratos had traveled with them on the Journey of Regeneration and betrayed them. But she wasn't going to worry about that right now. They needed a place to go, and anywhere they could get information would be best.

"Sheena, where did you get your exsphere?" Raine asked.

"Huh? Well that came out of nowhere." Sheena absent-mindedly covered her left hand where her exsphere was hidden by her fingerless gloves. "I got this from the Renegades. They put it on me before I came to Sylvarant."

"Is it common for people to have?"

"No, though Tethe'alla has been getting some for use on machines. Only the Desians have them, really."

"Yuan said that Cruxis Crystals are just evolved exspheres. Is there anywhere that people are studying them?"

"Yeah, the Imperial Research Academy is doing some research. Why do you ask?"

Raine smiled. "Then let's go to Tethe'alla. Perhaps they would have more information about Colette's condition and how to reverse it." Raine glanced at Colette who stood next to Lloyd with an empty expression on her face. She was basically a 16-year-old doll with a suppressed soul. He still held her hand, though.

"You mean that's possible?" Lloyd asked.

"If nothing else, we can get more information about Cruxis Crystals," Raine said.

"I agree." Sheena said. "We can get to Tethe'alla using the Rheairds. They should be in the hangar. I'll lead the way." Raine followed with the three kids behind her.

Sheena ran for a door that led to a hallway, leading everyone else through a maze that Raine wasn't familiar with. Everything was green metal walls, sizzling fixtures, and blinking lights. To be in one room was to be in any other as far as she was concerned—as long as Genis, Lloyd, and Colette were together with her.

"Come on! They're this way!" Sheena hollered from a door just ahead on the right. Raine stopped at the door to let the kids through and then closed it behind herself, locking it with the panel just to the side of it.

When she turned around, Sheena had already unlocked the hangar, and a huge door opened in the floor where four flying machines rose on a platform. The wings were folded up, and Raine was reminded of a bird preparing for flight. So, these were Rheairds. As the wings dropped to the side, a turbine beneath the wings folded out the back. Those must be what propelled the machine forward.

Lloyd helped Colette board a Rheaird while Sheena, Genis, and Raine each took their own. Raine stowed her staff and bag of supplies and boarded.

"You just push the big button to start. They're really not that hard to control, but the important part is remembering where the accelerator and the decelerator are." Raine watched Sheena's instructions and understood immediately. This shouldn't be too hard.

"Okay, let's go." Sheena yelled. Raine pushed the large button on the panel and Rheaird fired up. The other Rheairds fired up as well, but she was distracted by a strange high-pitched sound coming from hers. What did that mean? Was that normal? She pulled the lever as Sheena had instructed, and the Rheaird rose from the platform.

Raine was last out of the hangar and they flew into what felt like a world beneath the ocean. Weak waves of mana flowed in different directions. She could feel it shift and change, as if it was pulsing to and from forms she couldn't recognize. She followed the strongest draft of mana, though she felt a weak push attempt to drag her back towards Sylvarant.

Her Rheaird choked.

"Huh? What's happening?" She tried revving the engine again, but the machine clanked as it struggled to stay within the mana slipstream. Another draft caught, and the engine died. She glanced up. "GENIS!"

She saw him look over his shoulder, saw his horrified expression, as her Rheaird took a nosedive in a new direction. The machine had no power. She screamed when she realized it.

She was falling.

The tear in the distortion returned, and a new world appeared. She caught a glimpse of a landscape similar to Sylvarant, only greener. Tall trees, fields and forests, mountains, and a large city enclosed by several layers of walls. Within the center was a tree taller than any of the buildings—

"Wait, what?" Raine gasped. She didn't have time to stare at it. The Rheaird was still falling. She gripped the controls tighter. There was a river just beneath her, and as she turned the controls to veer away from it, she realized she had absolutely no control.

She braced for impact, praying she didn't hit water. If she did, that would be the end of her.

The Rheaird struck ground and the impact broke her grip. She flew over the crushed nose of the Rheaird and face-planted right into the dirt.


"Are you okay?"

Raine moaned from the aches in her body as she slowly regained consciousness. She was lying on something soft.

"Oh! She's coming around!"

"I'll get Master McGovern."

Raine opened her eyes. Directly above her was a white ceiling with ornate trim. Within seconds, a woman entered her line of vision, though the woman was blurry at first. She looked concerned with her eyes wide and alert. Judging by the woman's outfit, she was a maid.

She reached a hand to touch Raine's forehead and brushed some of her short white bangs aside for a better view. "Are you okay?"

Raine sat up and winced. Actually, she wasn't sure whether she was okay or not. Far too much had happened.

"Maybe you should lie down," the maid said as she reached to push her back down, but Raine gently shook her head. "At least have some water."

She took the glass of water from the maid but didn't drink. Instead, she looked around. The room had finer furnishings than any she'd ever seen in Sylvarant. Green banners hung on the wall, each one bearing a symbol she didn't recognize but reminded her of a harp. The room was furnished with lush chairs covered in green velvet. She noticed her staff leaning in the corner of the room, surprisingly unbroken, and she recognized the small bag on the bedside table as her own bag of holding.

Then she remembered how her Rheaird had fallen and died. Clearly, she was in a new place. This time, alone. An awkward shiver ran through her. Being alone like this had never happened before.

Just then, a door opened and an elderly man entered, his full beard tied into several ponytails covered him down to his knees. She could barely see an eye beneath one of his bushy eyebrows, but she watched his moustache twitch into an obvious smile. She'd never seen anyone with so much hair in her life.

"You're awake!" He said, approaching her.

"Yes," the maid replied somberly, "but she hasn't said anything."

Raine glanced down at her glass of water. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little shocked."

The man nodded. "That's understandable. You took quite a fall. I imagine you didn't expect to wake up indoors."

"How did I get here…?"

"Oh, several of our men saw a streak of light in the sky," he said. "We sent some scouts to investigate and they found you near some sort of crashed flying machine. We're really surprised to find you alive."

"I see. So, you saved me. You have my gratitude." Raine said.

"Don't mention it." This man must be Master McGovern.

"Where am I?"

"You're inside the Malkuth base in St. Binah." Saint Binah? That's not in Sylvarant…. Which meant Malkuth was likely a military establishment, probably a state or country. Could she really be in Tethe'alla? If so, all she had to do now was find out where the others went and meet up with them.

"Are you feeling all right?" the maid asked again. "Are you hurt?"

Before she could respond, another man entered the room. This one looked in his late 30s and his crisp blue uniform suggested a formal military position, confirming Raine's suspicions about a military base. His expression was much less warm, and with his hair pulled back in a restrained ponytail of his own, she knew he wasn't one to cross. He marched to the bed and stared at her, frowning. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"Oh, come now, Glenn, don't treat her that way," the old man said. "Can't you let her orient herself before grilling her?"

"She had a flying machine. I want to know where she got it." Glenn turned back to Raine. "Well?"

"I…" Raine didn't know what to say. The Renegades had convinced Tethe'alla to kill Sylvarant's chosen, though she considered it a poor choice to mention being affiliated with them without knowing how the military felt about them. The Renegades were half-elves after all, and Sheena said they weren't necessarily allies. She also didn't think it was a good idea to mention she was from Sylvarant, especially because she was found alone. Would they believe the Renegades gave it to her instead of her having stolen it? Whatever she said, it was probably best not to mention Sylvarant or the Renegades by name until she had more information. "My friends let me borrow it."

"Your friends? Who are your friends?"

She hesitated. "Sheena."

The gentlemen exchanged glances. "Someone from Sheridan?" So, they don't know her, Raine realized. That meant these men were not of the organization who hired her. They were not close with the king.

Master McGovern shrugged. "It would explain a lot."

"I thought Class M were working on those?" Glenn's suspicion seemed to deepen. "I'm sorry. I think I missed it. Where did you say you were from?" He asked again.

Sheridan seemed like an obvious choice, but Raine didn't want to answer questions about Class M. They knew more about Sheridan than she did. What if they didn't believe her? "I'm an itinerant. My name is Raine."

"An itinerant?" Glenn sounded skeptical. "From where?"

"I'm a drifter," Raine said. In essence, it was true. "That is to say, I'm from everywhere." When Glenn raised an eyebrow, she continued. "I'm a professor."

"A traveling professor?" The older man asked.

"Why won't you tell us where you're from?"

"Oh, stop it, Glenn. I think we both know the answer to that." His words froze her blood. It was sheer discipline and stiffness from the fall that she didn't jump up and flee. Usually when she saw indicators that humans knew something she didn't want them to know, it was time to find a new home, a new village. Did they guess I'm from Sylvarant? Raine wondered. Or do they know I'm a half-elf? The old man turned back to her. "What do you teach?"

Raine hesitated. He kept his kind and curious tone, and that unsettled her. Maybe it could be safe to say she taught kids, but she felt saying so might upset Glenn further. She had to come up with something a little more specific. "I study ruins," she responded. Finally, Glenn's expression softened, and she knew she finally said something that wasn't suspicious.

"I see. So, have you done much research at the Zao Ruins or are you digging around Choral Castle?"

Raine didn't answer immediately. She stole a glance out the window to stall for time. Of course, she had never heard of either of those places, but would it sound strange to say so?

"Give her a rest," the old man said. "She really did take quite a fall."

"Fine."

"Don't be rude."

"Hmph." Glenn paused and then said, "I am Glenn McGovern, General of Malkuth. This is my father, Field Marshall McGovern. Please, stay here for now, but I ask you to forgive me. I have a meeting to attend to." With that, Glenn turned back for the door. Raine wasn't at all sorry to see him leave.

"Please leave us," Elder McGovern told the maid. She bowed and exited the room as well. Raine's heart beat a little faster. What did the elder McGovern want? Her whole body tensed, prepared to get up if needed. But when he looked at her, she saw he still wore a warm smile. "The research on the hover drive seems to be progressing well for you to make it this far. It seems you flew quite a ways before you crashed."

Raine wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing at all. Elder McGovern waited as well as if hoping to hear something more, but when Raine turned away to look out the window, he spoke again.

"You're not from around here," Elder McGovern said in a clearly knowing voice. He wasn't referring to her traveling as a professor. She felt her chest tighten. He really did know something... "That's why you're not talking to us. I realize it must be scary ending up in Malkuth. As soon as we can arrange it, we'll see if we can't send you back to Sheridan so you can go home."

Raine breathed through her nose to keep calm and closed her eyes.

"Oh, don't you worry. You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm a retired Field Marshall. Don't be afraid of my son either. He takes his job seriously, but he won't hurt you." He paused. "But," he said, "You're wise not to say too much. As you might've guessed from my son's hostility, people have been on edge lately."

On edge, meaning they knew about Sylvarant's Chosen and Sheena's mission? Sheridan must be the location of the Renegade Base, home of half-elves, and the likely place where they could go back to Sylvarant. "I really need to meet up with my friends before I can think about going home."

He nodded, but his smile was no longer visible in his moustache. "I understand."

"How bad is it? The tension, I mean…."

"I imagine it varies, but some people… well, let's just say it's best if they don't know." She gave him a stiff nod, her mouth going dry.

"U-understood. Um… do you mind keeping all this a secret? I don't want to face persecution."

"I don't blame you. It's a good thing people can't tell just from looking at you, isn't it?" He chuckled but she saw little humor in his comment; he definitely knew she was a half-elf. Why else would he warn her about saying too much? Why was he taking it so lightly? If he saw her ears, he certainly wouldn't be laughing. She flattened her hair over her rather human-looking ears. "Don't worry. We'll see if we can arrange an escort somehow."

So Tethe'alla had prejudice against half-elves that was worse than Sylvarant's. A pang in her heart stung as she thought about Genis. He was, after all, in Tethe'alla without her. Would he still be okay?

"You are welcome to stay here until then."

"Thank you," Raine said softly. She met his eyes. "Really, thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm sure you didn't intend to invade Malkuth."

Invade? Raine paled, but Elder McGovern was too distracted to notice. A maid had knocked on the door and called for him.


Raine kept to herself in her room, feeling every sore muscle and bruise from her crash. Several times, she got up and retrieved her staff to heal herself, but she couldn't find the mana to pull to her. Even the unicorn horn didn't help her draw enough mana. Was it because they reversed the flow of mana from Tethe'alla? But something about that didn't make sense to her. Tethe'alla should've had plenty of mana...

The only visitors she had were maids offering food and drink or medicine and she ended up not needing her healing magic after all. Even as they came and went, she didn't say anything to them beyond "come in" and "thank you," but she actually preferred it that way. She didn't have to explain herself any further to anyone, though it did leave her worrying about Genis, Lloyd—and Colette.

It still stung what happened to that poor girl. Of course, Raine always knew that the Journey of Regeneration would end in Colette's death, but she thought it was necessary to save the world. What she thought were allies awakening the Goddess Martel had turned into an uglier truth.

The Journey of Regeneration had been a hoax. All those ideals she thought she could trust, the Tower of Salvation, Martel the Goddess, even the angels… all of it was a hoax. She couldn't even trust any of the people involved. Remiel and Kratos, or Yuan who saved their lives at the Tower of Salvation. Yuan led the Renegades, intending to kill Colette, but they were too late. Colette's Cruxis crystal had suppressed her soul and turned her into a shell of girl. But then Kratos, the mercenary hired to help Colette through her journey, turned out to be a traitor working for Cruxis, the organization responsible for spreading gospel about the Journey of Regeneration for the Chosen.

None of them were trustworthy.

She hoped she could at least trust Lloyd and Sheena. They were the only ones with Genis and the only people who could take care of him. But what if they found out Genis was a half-elf? How would they react? Would Genis be abandoned? Or worse…?

"No. Don't think about that." Raine rolled over in her bed. Genis was all she had left. She couldn't let herself lose hope over him. But maybe, maybe Genis's friendship with Lloyd was enough that it wouldn't matter. They've spent about six years growing up together, it had to account for something. But then, she was getting ahead of herself. As far as Lloyd knew, Genis was an elf. There's nothing to fear from him finding out the truth anyway. Even at 17, Lloyd wasn't the kind of kid who would question race unless someone else did, and Genis was smart enough to know he shouldn't let out any hints of his true race.

No, he would be fine. Besides, Sheena had direct connections to a king in Tethe'alla. Certainly, her authority would be enough to protect him. Raine just needed to worry about herself for now. Without proof of any connections to Sheena and the Imperial Research Academy, she had to be extremely careful not to let anything else slip.


The next morning, Elder McGovern invited Raine to breakfast. She agreed but ate in complete silence. Both McGoverns sat across from each other at the end of the table, and she chose a seat next to Elder McGovern for security. Not that this made her any more comfortable. Maids stood about the room, waiting patiently to serve, but Raine knew that if they found out she was a half-elf, they wouldn't be so eager to serve her, not if tensions really were that high.

Glenn ignored her, but she still worried. Clearly, they recognized the Rheaird and knew it was from the Renegades. They correctly deduced that she was a half-elf as a result, and she realized she shouldn't affiliate herself with the Rheaird for now. She would find the children first, and then figure out what to do.

She took a drink of mead and swallowed, more to keep herself calm than anything.

"Oh, why are we sitting in silence?" Elder McGovern said. "Raine, why don't you tell us about your latest research? What are you studying?"

Glenn paused in his eating to watch her from across the table.

Raine stared at him. "I've been studying the ruins around spirit seals."

"Ah, so you were headed for Shurrey Hill. A lot of fonons tend to gather there, I think." Elder McGovern asked.

"Actually, I was going to meet Sheena at the Imperial Research Academy first. That's why she lent me the Rheaird."

"Imperial Research…? Oh, do you mean Imperial Research Institute?" Elder McGovern asked.

"I suppose so…" Raine frowned. She was sure Sheena had called it an academy. Did that matter?

"Huh."

"That's pretty out of the way for you to wind up here." Glenn said. Already she could see his suspicion rising.

"Well, we need to see the king." Raine picked at her food, but felt more and more like she shouldn't volunteer much more information. After all, hadn't Elder McGovern warned her about Sheridan?

"The king? Are you lost?" Glenn asked sharply.

"Clearly," Raine said. Great, she had said the wrong thing anyway. "Why else would I end up in St. Binah?"

"You're an itinerant, where's your map?" When Raine didn't answer, he continued. "Even so, Malkuth is run by an emperor, in case you didn't know." Glenn set his silverware down. "If you're going to lie about your intentions, at least put some effort into it." Offended, Raine glared at him. This human was definitely too aggressive. Couldn't he at least hide his prejudice so the maids around the room wouldn't catch on? And what was this about an emperor? She didn't remember hearing about any emperors. Sheena mentioned a king. It seemed Tethe'alla was divided….

"Oh, come now. I'm sure there's a solid reason for this confusion."

"She's looking for the king, yet she's headed to the Imperial Research Institute… in Grand Chokmah. Did something happen to Emperor Peony last night that I don't know about?"

"I'm not lying. The king shouldn't be far from the research academy," Raine said. "At least, it didn't sound like it was too far."

"Oh, you must mean the research facility in Belkend!" Elder McGovern said. "King Ingobert must have a project out there."

"Well, sort of…." Raine said. She supposed studying exspheres must be one of the king's projects.

"Malkuth has a research institute as well," Elder McGovern explained. "That's why I thought you were here." Glenn nodded, but his facial expression adhered to deep distrust.

"I'm in St. Binah by accident."

"We're well aware of that," Glenn said. "We'll send you back to Kimlasca soon enough."

Raine wrinkled her forehead in confusion. Kimlasca? What is Kimlasca in relation to Sheridan?

"What's the matter? Is there a problem?" Elder McGovern asked.

"No, it's nothing."

"You don't want to go back to Kimlasca?" Glenn's eyes narrowed. He was testing her, she could tell. But what should she say?

"I need to find the research facility first."

Glenn slapped the table and stood up, upsetting dishes and with his body facing her head on. "Just who are you?"

Even Elder McGovern's jaw dropped a little, a significant achievement for Raine to see considering his full moustache and beard. The panic rose in her chest. She'd said the wrong thing. Even the maids started whispering amongst themselves, glancing at each other as if trying to make sense of her. They knew.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Glenn asked. "Sheridan and Belkend are both part of Kimlasca, a fact you should know since you borrowed the flying machine from your 'friends'." Ah, so Kimlasca was the name of the continent or country. Raine understood now. She wouldn't make that blunder a second time, but for now, she needed to pull herself out of very deep trouble with General McGovern. "Why are you really here?"

"The flying machine malfunctioned," Raine said, stung. "Are you saying you're talented enough to keep track of where you are while losing control of your flying machine, because I had my mind on other things." She paused for effect. "Such as how I was going to land safely with a machine I could no longer control."

At that, Glenn lowered his eyes and looked away. It was several moments before he finally said, "yes, I suppose that would be difficult, but it still seems an awful long way. St. Binah is nowhere near Belkend or even inhabited parts of Kimlasca for that matter."

"The machine is very fast," Raine said. "I couldn't tell you how far I flew before it crashed."

"Still, having come from Sheridan, there's no reason to wind up here. It's the completely opposite direction you'd have to fly! Not to mention..." His voice trailed off, and his eyes unfocused in another direction. "Why wouldn't you know that...? You'd have to be from another world not to—"

A bolt of fear shot through her as Elder McGovern gave his son a "cease and desist" warning expression, which Glenn noticed and went silent. Raine glanced around at the maids who stood politely quiet. They didn't appear any more disturbed by what Glenn said, however. Sylvarant's existence might be known to some people of Tethe'alla, but apparently not all.

Raine pushed her plate away from her and stood up. "I should go." She headed for the door, sensing Glenn glaring at her back. It's not that she blamed him for being hostile. She supposed that was his nature as a soldier, though she couldn't help but feel that she was intruding. The maids made her feel welcome and Elder McGovern certainly was very nice to her, but Glenn's distrust was unsettling. How much of the rest of the world would be so suspicious of her?

"Certainly," Elder McGovern said, throwing an angry look at his son. He stood up as she closed the door behind her, but before she made it to her room, she heard Elder McGovern call from down the hallway.

"Raine," He had followed her. "Please don't mind Glenn."

She ignored him and hurried to her room to gather her staff and bag. She headed down the hall towards the front door of the Malkuth base where he waited in the hallway, watching her. She stopped long enough to peer back at the door to the meeting room. "I'm sorry." And she rushed for the front door.

"Is that what your Score says to do?"

Raine paused with her palm almost against the front door. She turned back to face him. "What?"

"Does your Score say it's time to leave?"

She stared at him, unsure what to say. What did he mean by Score? Was someone keeping track of something?

"Are you all right?" He asked, approaching her. She didn't answer. "Have you consulted it lately?"

"No."

"Really?" Elder McGovern took her hand.

"Have you?"

"Well… not since—it didn't say anything—Oh, who needs to check it daily? Why don't you stay anyway? We have a shipment coming from Engeve. They can help you find a way to Kimlasca." He tugged at her hand as she tried to leave. "Please, Raine. I insist. It will be far too dangerous for you to go alone."

She supposed that was true. If Glenn's attitude was any indication, she'd be in trouble if people outside of the manor knew she was a half-elf, let alone someone from Sylvarant.

"They should be here soon, either today or tomorrow. I promise you, it will be much faster and safer than on foot." Of course, he was right about that. "I know Rose. She'll protect you."

Raine sighed and closed her eyes. Putting up with Glenn for that long shouldn't be hard if she stayed out of his way. "Very well."