It was the Oracle Knights' Six God-Generals that had blocked off the town-though only five of them were here. They weren't able to find us, so they opened up the entrance again and left. If only they'd left earlier, we wouldn't have had to go to so much trouble to get in.

Anise wasn't in the Malkuth base.

When she found out that the Oracle soldiers were watching St. Binah, she left a letter for us and went on ahead. The letter said that she'd gone to Kaitzur, which Jade said is on the other side of the Fubras River to the south. So, now we're heading for the Fubras.

Elder McGovern also pawned a woman off on us. Her name is Raine and she's from Sheridan in Kimlasca. Apparently she's pretty mysterious, at least according to Elder McGovern, but I don't really care about that. Jeez, why do we have to take her with us? At least she doesn't seem to be as obnoxious as Jade is.

Chapter 4

"Actually, can we rest here?" Fon Master Ion said once they reached the front gates of Saint Binah.

"Overworked yourself again?" Jade said.

"I'm sorry."

He did look a little unhealthy to Raine, and her disappointment melted away from the concern. Was his job that hard on him? Ignoring Luke's objections, nobody else had a problem with taking a break, so they stayed the night at an inn. Raine watched Mieu with a sort of fascination. She'd never seen a cheagle before and Sheena certainly never mentioned them. For a beast to be considered sacred, the Order of Lorelei must be a religion, adding fuel to her theory about Daath. If Daath was autonomous, it was highly possible the religion was based there. As she watched Luke grab Mieu by the ears and swing him around, a thought occurred to her. There were an awful lot of things Sheena never told them about Tethe'alla. Were there just as many questions Sheena had about Sylvarant? Did the Renegades have to tell her so much information, too?

Mieu fell onto Luke's bed, his eyes spinning and he fell in a dizzy faint into the blankets. She supposed it made sense that two different worlds would also have different writing systems, but she was sure Sheena mentioned they had the same religious beliefs and followed the teachings of the Church of Martel. She never once mentioned the Order of Lorelei or the God-Generals. Then again, mentioning them would have been alarming.

"Anyway," Jade turned to Ion. "Where did the God-Generals take you when they abducted you?" Immediately, Raine paid attention. Abducted?

"To the Sephiroth."

Raine tilted her head. Sephiroth? What were they talking about?

"Sephiroth?" Luke asked.

She sighed in relief. At least she wasn't the only one who didn't know what they were. But his question drew exasperation from the others. She remained silent, but was almost certain they could hear her heart beat louder. This was something she'd be expected to know as well.

"They are the planet's vital points where fonons gather. They're the world's most powerful fon slots." Tear said. Raine simply stared. It was like she had switched brains with Lloyd. Even more terms came up that she didn't recognize. But vital points sounded like spirit seals... At least spirit seals were the most powerful places in Sylvarant. What were fonons?

"Are you all right, Raine? You look as pale as Ion." Guy asked.

"Yes, thank you." She turned away and listened with her back to them. So, he was watching her. She'd rather appreciate his not drawing attention to her.

"Anyway, there are ten Sephiroth and they are where the memory particles gather." Tear continued. Yes, Raine decided, they are definitely the spirit seals. But in Sylvarant, they only found four with spirits. Why did the Chosen's journey only need four of them? Fonons must be another term for mana, which meant they must have different names for the same thing, and memory particles were something else entirely. The Renegades absolutely helped Sheena transition to Sylvarant. There was no other way Sheena could hide her origins so successfully from Raine, knowing all of these differences.

Luke groaned. "Okay I get it, jeez. You don't have to talk to me like I'm an idiot."

"Well, you did ask." Guy said.

"As you said, you're not expected to know everything." Tear added, and Raine wondered why. Was Luke just as inadequate with learning as Lloyd was? Why did they expect so little out of him?

"Hm, so what did they do at the Sephiroth?" Jade asked. Ion shook his head.

"I'm not allowed to say. That's confidential to the Order."

Confidential to the Order. Raine had heard that before and her face tightened from anger. Cruxis sealed away secrets as well, and those secrets turned out very different from what the Church of Martel stood for. Angry, she stood up and headed for the inn door. "I'm going for a walk."

"Don't get lost now. We're leaving in the morning." Jade said.

The stress must be getting to me, she thought. She wandered the streets of Saint Binah and glanced around. Her deep distrust of humans had only ever been surpassed by her the wounds she got from visiting Cruxis at the Tower of Salvation. Finding out everything was fake and then hearing more secrets from another organization—one that sounded religious—frustrated her that much more. God-Generals sounded just like the kind of military an "order" would have.

Not to mention the new terms they used to describe the things she knew in Sylvarant by a different name.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Startled, Raine turned and saw Guy walking closer, though he stopped several feet away. He wore a tan vest over a white shirt, but it was the green choker at his neck that enticed her curiosity. It had a small gold pendant that contradicted the rest of his appearance. He said, "Taking a walk does help. You look better already." He definitely was paying too much attention to her. Why? He watched her with an amused smile. "You kinda remind me of Luke with that blank stare."

"Oh, sorry." Raine turned away again.

"Is everything okay? You looked a little upset..."

"I'm just not sure what to say."

"What do you mean?" Guy asked. When she didn't answer, he added, "Is it about Luke? I know it's weird that he's asking questions about how the world works, but please don't fault him for it."

"How the world works… I wonder why he wouldn't know." Raine laughed then. "Then again, Lloyd is the same way. I can tell him the same thing over and over and he wouldn't absorb any of it."

"Ah, one of your students, I take it?"

"What? Oh, Elder McGovern told you I'm a professor."

"Yeah. Actually, Luke's problem is that he lost his memory after his kidnapping seven years ago." At this, Raine gasped, but Guy shook his head. "Everything's okay now. He's just trying to remember everything." Hence, Tear explaining to him about Sephiroth.

"That was seven years ago. Didn't they teach him what he couldn't remember about his world?"

"The thing is, he didn't remember anything. They taught him how to walk and to relearn his parents' faces all over again. And he never left the manor until now, so he's learning the basics."

"How serious," she whispered. He must have forgotten literally everything... And yet, they didn't bother to reteach him everything he'd forgotten. She smiled, then, a soft smile from comfort. If she stuck close to Luke, she would learn right alongside him. The trick would be to figure out what questions were okay to ask.

Guy stared at her, apparently torn between opening his mouth to speak and keeping silent. She guessed he was trying to decide if he should ask what was on his mind or not. It might be better to interrupt his thoughts.

"I just... Luke was so rude when we first met."

"Nah, don't let him get to you. Crossing into the Malkuth Empire was an accident and yet he was treated as a criminal. He's just a little cranky." So Luke didn't belong in Malkuth either. Were they just dropping him off at Chesedonia, too? Is that why Jade agreed to take her?

"Yes, I can understand that." Raine said. "I came here accidentally myself. The Rhe—the flying machine crashed, and I'm afraid I've been stranded here."

"Ah, that explains it. But if you're from Sheridan, why are you heading for Belkend?"

Raine blushed with panic. Guy knows, too! "I'm not actually from Sheridan."

"Huh…. Elder McGovern seemed to think so."

Is that true? she wondered. Hadn't Elder McGovern figured out she was from Sylvarant? Oh, he was covering for her. But was it okay to let Guy think she was from Sheridan? They could all easily guess she's a half-elf if they thought she was one of the Renegades. She couldn't afford that. "No." Raine said firmly. "He's mistaken."

"Really? Where'd you get the flying machine then?" So, the flying machines were definitely connected to Sheridan and the Renegade Base.

Raine didn't realize she'd held her breath until this moment. He was watching her with curiosity, not disgust. In fact, she thought she saw his eyes light up. Was he actually friendly with the Renegades and half-elves? Is that why Elder McGovern said something to him about her being from Sheridan?

"I borrowed it." Raine said simply. She still felt tense, but she could relax a little. Guy didn't seem to be hostile towards half-elves.

"You must be really close friends with Class M to borrow one." Class M, there it was again. Were they half-elves working on the machines? "Were you heading to Class I to show them Class M's hundredth win?"

Raine didn't respond, but merely took interest in a garden full of flowers she'd never seen before. She sidled up to them. Would Guy know she was from Sylvarant if she admitted to being confused about Class I and Class M? It began to sound like half-elves were in classes, though she wasn't sure why or what that meant exactly. He followed her, but she noticed he still maintained his distance. Suspicious, she kept to the river rock wall that enclosed the garden, running her fingers along it.

"So… tell me about the flying machine. How does it work? I heard they excavated a hover drive. Is that really how it flies?"

"Possibly," Raine said. "But I'm afraid I don't know much about it. It's just called a Rheaird and it—flies."

His shoulders sagged as he sighed, clearly disappointed. Oh, it was the flying machine he was interested in. But he quickly recovered and smiled again. "Oh, well. I was just hoping. Perhaps someday I'll get to go to Sheridan and see it for myself. I'm sure they have another one there."

"Did you want to see it now?" Raine asked. He watched her wander to the other side of the garden, but he didn't approach her. At the suggestion, though, his eyes brightened and he bared his teeth in a big boyish smile. "I'm not sure where exactly it crashed, but I remember the city was on my right as I was falling. It was just across the river, if memory serves."

He seemed strongly tempted, peering back over his shoulder as if he could see it through the front gates of Saint Binah. For several seconds he stood there and she was sure he would say yes, but then he heaved an exaggerated sigh, faced her again, and said, "I'd better not. If we don't get enough sleep tonight, Jade and Luke will probably have our hides. We need to be well rested for tomorrow."

Raine gave him a teasing smile as she half leaned, half sat on the garden wall.

"Oh, I don't mind staying up a little longer." Even if he did keep his distance, he was rather pleasant company. He had a passion for the flying machine and she wanted to know more. She found herself a bit curious about his story as well. "So how did you get to be traveling with them?"

"When Luke accidentally arrived in Malkuth, I came after him." When Raine raised an eyebrow, Guy laughed and continued, "I'm his servant. I've been serving House Fabre for thirteen years." Ah, a servant! That explained his clothes. While he had collected some dirt from travel, he didn't quite look poor, but he didn't look from an elevated status either.

"Really? You must have been awful young when you started."

"I was seven. That's why I got the job of entertaining Luke. I was too young for any real work." Guy paused. "What are you smiling about?"

"I was just thinking about Genis." Raine pulled herself up to sit on the rock wall. She noticed his puzzled expression. "My younger brother. I traveled with him ever since—" She stopped. "Well, we were both very young, too."

"I see. An itinerant professor traveling the world. Didn't you think of settling down anywhere?"

Raine looked up at the few stars visible with the lamplight. Of course she thought about it. Everywhere she and Genis tried to settle down, humans were friendly until they found out they were half-elves. It didn't matter how long the humans had known them or even despite the positive experiences, the humans always turned against them. She must've had a lonely expression on her face.

"You really miss your brother." Guy said.

"We… just weren't welcome in many places." Raine replied, smiling at him again. He seemed to be just as curious about her. Perhaps he was genuine? "I'm afraid it's been a long time just the two of us. Twelve years, actually."

"Where is he?"

At this Raine stood, avoiding his eyes. "I don't know." She jumped down and continued around the rock wall, coming around the corner to be on the same side as he was. He turned around to face her but took a step back. "We got separated when my Rheaird failed." She leaned against the wall, but he still kept his distance, though she noticed a mix of wonder and concern in his eyes.

"I'm—I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Raine said. She watched him, wondering if he would come closer. Usually, if a man seemed interested in talking to her, he would approach her and try to console her, so long as he thought she was an elf. He didn't even bother moving closer and she lost her smile. "He's somewhere in this world. That's enough for me," she said softly. Maybe he wasn't such an ally after all. It figures. Maybe she should test this theory.

"Man, that's just rough," Guy said. He scratched his nose, not looking at her. She stood straight and walked closer to him. As soon as he noticed her, he stepped back, step for step. "I can't imagine why you wouldn't be welcome in many places though."

Raine nearly scoffed and stopped where she was. "You can't?" Was he for real? He just backed off as she approached him!

"Well, I mean the tension is a little strong lately, but why should that mean you'd be rejected so much?" She glared at him in disbelief and he noticed. He started talking faster, "People can be a bit mean," he said, not looking at her. "But how bad can everyone be—" She cut him off.

"—I'll enlighten you. They're just plain prejudiced. We can be friends yesterday, but tomorrow, things will change. It's been like that my whole life. Don't pretend you're any different."

"Whoa, hey! What's with the attack all of a sudden?" He truly looked surprised.

"You backed up as I approached you." She paused. "Just now." She pointed at his feet, and his eyes followed. A wash of embarrassment and panic flooded his face.

"I don't approach women in general because… well…" His voice trailed off as he looked away again, this time scratching the back of his head, but Raine wasn't fooled. He was just trying to drum up some excuse for avoiding proximity with her.

She'd seen it before in humans who realize she's a half-elf. They can sometimes be friendly to her face, but inside, there's an ulterior motive. There's always an ulterior motive. Yet they always show themselves in their body language. He shivered, visibly withdrawing from her.

In this case, Guy's motive was obvious. The way his eyes lit up at mention of the flying machine… He wanted to know all about the Rheairds. A sense of anger and disappointment poisoned her stomach. She knew it. His passion for Rheairds was why he wanted anything to do with her. He certainly wasn't any different from anyone else.

"I'll spare you the excuses. I'm going to bed." She didn't answer his call to come back.

Ion's Situation

Ion collapsed yet again. Man, he sure is weak. I guess we'll have to stop and rest for the night.

Apparently Ion collapsed because the Oracle soldiers were dragging him around to the Sephiroth. Sephiroth are something like the planet's vital points. I wanted to find out what they were doing there, but Ion said it was a secret of the Order and wouldn't tell me.

We just saved his butt and this is how he acts?!