Chapter 28

Headaches and hearing voices? Now Raine was really suspicious. If Luke could hear Asch's voice, that meant there was definitely some real connection there. Would creating a replica somehow allow this? Without knowing the true nature of replicas and their originals and how the process worked, she couldn't form a solid conjecture about it, but if they truly did find Asch and Ion in the Zao Ruins, it would seem that Luke really could hear his voice. There must be more clues here.

Of course, Raine had decided this wasn't worth bothering with, but solving this mystery beat worrying about Genis, especially with this new development of disembodied voices only Luke could hear. Now they were headed out of the desert oasis and towards the Zao Ruins, a trek that came close to robbing Luke's mystery from the forefront of Raine's mind in favor of hating the desert winds. It felt like shards of blades scraped her face until she pulled the flaps of her jacket up over her head. Still, sometimes, it was harder to see. Having a landship would've been great right about now.

On the other side of the sand storm, the blue skies peeled back the clouds. Finally, she could see the whole party again. How did anyone not get lost?

"This had better not be a trap," Luke muttered as he cleaned his face of sand. Raine wanted to retaliate that of course it was a trap, but who was she to complain? Zao Ruins sounded like the perfect place to go. Why not explore more of this planet's ruins before she left? She might learn a little more about this world and the more knowledge she had, the better off she'd be.

The first sign of trouble, though, she resolved to run for it. She needed to survive so she could get to Tethe'alla and find Genis.

Guy soaked a rag and wiped his face of the sandstorm, too. "Man, this is rough."

"Worse than the Meggiora Highlands, Raine?" Jade asked, obviously fishing.

Raine shrugged. "Deserts are deserts. They're hot and sandy and sometimes windy."

Even Tear gave her a startled frown, not that Anise and Natalia enjoyed this desert any more than the others did. Natalia had cuddled Mieu to her collar after Luke refused to shield the little cheagle from the winds.

"How can you be used to this?" Luke asked, disgusted.

"I just have the wisdom to know what's worse," she said. "If you really did hear Asch, and if we can believe him that the God-Generals are ahead of us at the ruins, we think sandstorms are a problem?" She waved at the landscape, sand for miles with some dunes and a sand fang digging around way over there. "This I can at least somewhat predict and counter." She pointed ahead. "Them? Not so much. Maybe if I knew them a little better…." No, even that wouldn't help. How well had she known Kratos and he still turned out to be a traitor they couldn't defeat?

Guy fell into deep thought, enough that he didn't notice everyone leaving until someone called to him. He caught up to Raine and Tear.

"You must've dealt with a lot of troublesome people," he said. "If you can trust sandstorms..."

"I trust nature because it is bound by specific rules of science," Raine said. "Even if it seems unpredictable, there are patterns that you can reasonably prepare for, although that isn't to say there's no risk involved. Humans do whatever they wish." Natalia glanced over her shoulder, confused. "And even if you know them really well," Raine continued without concern, "you can't always predict what they're thinking or what they'll do. You are proof of that." She teased him with a smile.

"What about elves?" Guy asked, indicating her specifically. "Aren't they unpredictable, too?"

"Elves?" Natalia asked, but Raine ignored her.

"You're right. I suppose everyone is."

They wandered in a vague direction, spreading out enough that even Raine thought they would lose sight of each other if another sandstorm came up. This time, Jade led the way, and Natalia walked behind him. For some reason, flanking her was Anise. The two of them seemed to be discussing something.

Raine sidled up to Luke, Tear, and Guy and followed them instead.

"Wow, really?" Natalia asked. Jade peered over his shoulder and Raine recognized that grin of mirth the man always carried. Whatever he heard, he loved it.

"Yeah," Anise said with her own sly grin. "Some are even known for causing illnesses, so you'd better watch yourself."

"Oh, my." Natalia's voice dropped low and she peeked over her shoulder at Raine, who casted them all a suspicious glare. What were they talking about?

"Huh, there's people over there," Luke said, pointing. Sure enough, a small group of people slogged through the sand, though they didn't look distressed. They carried their own weapons for defense. Who wouldn't? Out here in the desert where they found dangerous monsters of all kinds. So far, Luke's party had run into some sand fangs and a large group of rustlets, none of which stood a chance against them. The only reason Raine managed to kill something with a photon was because of the sheer number of birds in the flock kept everyone else busy on their own rustlet. And then Jade walloped the remainder with one arte. Jeez, he was strong. But Raine didn't mind everyone else taking out all of the monsters.

As soon as one of the strangers noticed Luke's group, they also pointed, and they started right for them. Raine moved to stay behind Guy.

"Jade!" Raine hollered. Anise, Natalia, and Jade, seeing the other party, wandered over.

"It's not like they're dangerous, are they?" Luke asked as Mieu floated over from Natalia to sit on Luke's shoulder.

"You never know," Raine replied. "If they are dangerous, it's better if we pooled our resources." The rustlets didn't stand a chance against Luke's group, but Raine didn't know what these people were capable of. They certainly looked like they've traveled the sands a long time. They wore sand-colored clothing. Were they lost or did they just need supplies or something? Among them was a woman with a staff and she was dressed to distract men. Swindlers were good at dressing like that. Something about her reminded Raine of those casters in the Triet desert. Right down to the moment when the woman stamped her staff right down in the sand.

Immediately, Raine felt the fonons gathering.

"She's casting!" Tear shouted. The team scattered, Luke the last to move with his moment of confusion. Mieu clung to his shoulders and cried, "Mieeuuuuu!"

Three other men traveled with that woman, the sand shaman. Raine decided to leave the men to Luke, Guy, and Anise. She focused her attention on the sand shaman. I'm not ready to die here. She concentrated on light fonons.

But Guy raced straight for the sand shaman. As the fastest, he would be able to reach her before she could finish her arte, but with the sand shifting his footsteps, he didn't make it. She felt the fourth fonons converge into a splash arte, but Raine wasn't about to get hit by it.

"What made them think we'd be easy targets?" Luke complained as they carried on through the desert. The four people realized that they were severely outmatched when their heavy hitter with the ax fell at the swipe of Tokunaga's paw. Raine suspected the thief had been too stunned to move at the sight of the puppet reaching full height. To be fair, it was startling if you'd never seen it before. Even so, all of the strangers fought to the death in a battle they learned early on that they couldn't win. Raine had hoped they would run away, but perhaps they didn't know this group would be merciful to those withdrew from an unnecessary fight.

At the very least, Raine would've been, and she knew Luke would've wanted to avoid fighting them, too. It wasn't just Luke on her mind, though. She noticed something in that battle that got her curious, and she walked up to Guy, with respect to his boundaries. "You didn't hesitate at all to target that shaman."

"No, I knew I could get there faster than anyone," Guy said matter-of-factly, "and she was the most dangerous in the group."

She smiled at Guy with a mischievous smile. "So what you're saying is that it's easier to approach a female enemy than it is a female ally." By the worried quiver of his eyes, he wasn't sure what to think. Or what to say. She knew her comment would feel like a trap.

"What I'm saying is that it's harder to be afraid of women when I'm fighting for my life." He paused as something dawned on him. "I never really thought about that before."

"It's the same concept as Luke being afraid to kill. His desire to seem competent overrules the unwillingness to kill."

But Guy shook his head. "No, it's not that. Before you joined us, he hesitated to kill someone and Tear got hurt because of it. He just doesn't want us to get hurt again."

Oh? She didn't know that. "He's not over that."

"He really struggles with it."

"So do I." But she wouldn't elaborate. The first time she was forced to kill someone… well, she would protect Genis no matter what. His life was worth more than the man she killed. But in a way, she was glad it happened because she learned she had the strength to fight to the death when necessary.

And without hesitating.

Guy nodded. Definitely a life of fear. But life didn't necessarily have to be all about fear. He knew that, because he spent so many years dealing with fear himself. The maids at the Fabre Manor were relentless and never let him forget his had his phobia. But why should she have to live like that, even with regards to him? Even he found down time when he didn't have to face that fear. What could he do to help her feel that sense of freedom, too? Then it occurred to him. Maybe there was something he could share.

"You know, there's something about being around you," Guy said suddenly. Raine lifted her head a little. "Mostly women like to tease me all the time, claiming it's the only way to overcome my phobia. Perhaps it is, but you haven't done anything like that."

She had taken several steps before she responded. The news didn't sit well with her, as he noted when she frowned at the sand. "Well, if it's truly a phobia as you say, I have no reason to tease you that way. Phobias are not funny… or fun to have." She truly meant it. He could tell.

"You really think so?" Wait… "Don't tell me you have a phobia, too."

Raine glanced away. "I nearly drowned in the ocean as a little girl. Ever since, large bodies of water make me feel like I'm dying."

Guy's eyes widened. No way was he expecting an answer like that! Sure, she lived in fear, but having an actual phobia, too?! "That must've been your worst nightmare, falling off the cliff at Choral Castle." Raine didn't answer still didn't look at him to hide her shame. Come to think of it, back then, Guy thought the scream he heard sounded like someone dying. Now he knew why. "I'm sorry you know what it's like."

"I'm sorry you know what it's like, too," Raine said. "But I do feel more comfortable around you. You're a very kind man, I can tell." Wait, so was it working? She had it wrong, though. Guy wasn't who she thought he was.

"Yeah, well, I haven't always been," at that, he felt nervous. Should he have said that? He looked away. Maybe that was a little too much information. He'd rather she didn't know about his past. She might be afraid of him, or think ill of him. No, he shouldn't have said that.

"Don't worry. I won't ask." When he looked at her again, she wore a soft smile. "What matters is who you are now."

"I just don't want you to be afraid all the time," he said. "I have my phobia, too, but I don't live in fear that a woman is going to pounce on me. If I lived like that, I would probably never leave my room at the manor."

"It's nice having a place to feel safe, doesn't it?" Raine replied.

No way was she getting away with that comment. "Come on. You act like you've never had a safe to place to go. I'm not buying it."

She fell silent.

A safe place, huh?

Of course she had a safe place. Back in Iselia, she and Genis lived for a few years in their own home. She did feel safe there, after a while. The villagers and the mayor accepted them as elves and no one suspected otherwise. Perhaps Guy was right. It felt like forever since she'd been at that house, and she and Genis left a lot behind when they went on the Journey of Regeneration, but while she was the school teacher there, she really did feel a sense of safety. At the very least, she and Genis had their own beds to sleep in, their own stove to cook on, their own fireplace to keep warm by. They could afford food. They could afford blankets and clothes. And the humans in the village had no idea they had welcomed half-elves, the most-hated creatures in existence.

Raine just didn't recognize it for what it was for fear that the humans would learn the truth about them. That feeling always followed her from village to village with every lie they told about their race. Now, though, it wasn't about race, and that thought struck her as odd.

For once, it wasn't about what she was as much as where she came from. Or rather, that she wasn't from here, wherever here was. How would these people react if they found out about that?

"Yes," she said finally. "I suppose we did. Once."

"I thought so," Guy said with a smug smile. She silently thanked him for not asking about it. They carried on through the endless desert.

The ruins had to be getting close. Sloughing through sand was exhausting. Guy had no idea why the people out here bothered. Why not just take a ship? Oh, right. The ports had closed. And besides, people probably rarely came this way anyway. With ruins so far out here, most people probably avoided this area. Why would the God-Generals come all the way out here, then? Luke, you'd better damn well be right about this. He grit his teeth.

After walking the sands in silence, Raine held her staff up to stop him from taking another step.

"What? What's wrong?" He looked around for more sand fangs or rustlets. He didn't even see other people.

"Jade is at the front," she said.

Huh? Yeah, so he was, but what was the significance of that?

"I've been waiting for a moment when he was out of earshot," Raine checked for the positions of the others, so Guy did, too. Jade and Luke led the party with Tear, Anise, and Natalia walking behind them. Even Mieu floated around Tear who smiled and reached out to pet him. But Raine and Guy? They were at the back of the party without anyone close enough to listen in.

"Uh, okay. What's going on?" But he realized his heart beat just a little faster. Was there another secret she wanted to share? Or was she afraid of Jade for some reason?

"I just wanted to ask you about something," she said, walking more slowly than before, not that the pace changed much in these sands. "What are your thoughts on Asch and how he looks similar to Luke? Don't you think that's strange?" She wanted to ask about Asch?! Why not have Jade around for that? Something was amiss.

What's more… should Guy mention his true suspicions? After all, Raine was a replica herself, right? Maybe he should see what she had to say first.

"It's preposterous," Guy said. "Natalia said Duke Fabre only had one son. From my experience, I think that's right."

"Maybe so. The God-Generals wanted Luke, they're studying isofons and fomicry, and now we see the sixth God-General who looks just like Luke? These facts seem to suggest it's possible to replicate humans." She waited for him to say something but he didn't. He started rubbing his arm and looking around more. Why would she have doubts about human experiments and subjects in fomicry? What was going on? "If Luke isn't one of them, or possibly even the first, I'd be curious about an alternative explanation. Didn't you say Luke's personality changed when he came back?"

"Raine, aren't you..." He faced her again but when he saw her face, he floundered as if struggling to speak. Where was she going with this? She sounded like this was the first time she'd heard of it. Not only that… but she was older than Luke was, having been around for at least twelve years over Luke's seven, and yet she thought he was the first one to be created? Why didn't this make sense? He had to say something, though. What was she expecting to hear? Finally, he said, "They were talking about creating replicas of objects, not people."

"You're right," she said. "But among other things, Jade's reaction to that machine tells me he knows something about it."

"He said he couldn't be sure, and how do we know that it's actually related to the fon disc?"

"We don't, but he knows more than we do," Raine insisted, "whether he wants to admit it or not. You see, Guy, I've learned to pick up on subtle cues like that. I'm beginning to think fomicry on living things is real—" Only beginning to? Guy wondered. "—and that they created Luke."

"What makes you so sure of that?" He agreed, but he was genuinely curious. What reason would she give him?

"Think about it. The God-Generals take Luke to Choral Castle where he was found as a child and then we see him wake up on a strange machine. While we're there, one of them drops a disc containing information on creating copies. That alone is suspicious. Then we see a man who looks just like him? Do you have another explanation for why Luke and Asch share the same face?" By the time she finished speaking, he was frozen in astonishment.

Wow, her intellect was incredible! If it wasn't for raising Luke and seeing Sync's face, Guy himself wouldn't have been sure it was all connected. How did she do it without all of that experience? No, she had to be a replica… She just had to be. So why was she talking like she'd never heard of it before? He still couldn't speak.

"Of course, it's possible that the God-Generals' disc about replication had nothing to do with Luke and that machine, but when I thought about how he had relearn everything, I found it hard to believe the disc and machine weren't connected. You see, I've learned from Cruxis that there's no such thing as coincidence." At that, Guy lost his breath. Crusious? What the hell was she talking about?

But she wasn't finished yet. "Luke being a replica explains far too many strange coincidences for human replication to be impossible. It's a dangerous idea to toy with, so I think Luke might be the only one for now." The only one?! Was she seriously not a replica?! It was as if all sense fled him with the windy sands. "As his servant, I assume you would've—"

"I'm sorry. Excuse me," he said and he hurried to catch up to Luke and Jade, leaving her to no doubt wonder what she said wrong.

Jade noticed him and immediately smiled with delight. "Oh, dear. In trouble again, Guy? It might behoove you to have a gel with every dose of Raine."

Wait, what? "No, of course not," he gasped with what little breath he had. "She's not angry with me." He paused and glanced over his shoulder to see her still at the back of the party. She didn't look angry. Confused, maybe…? "I think…" Luke wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"You look really pale."

"I'm fine, Luke. I just…." Wait, he didn't want to say that. "No, I'm out of breath because I spent a lot of energy catching up to you."

Jade grinned but didn't ask. He knew Guy lied about it. Oh well. It doesn't matter because he kept his weird conversation to himself.

Luke, however…. "Why? You weren't that far behind me, were you?" He looked over his shoulder and saw how far back Raine was. "Jeez, what's she doing way back there?"

"Yeah, I was thinking I should probably keep closer in case we run into some monsters." It was a lame excuse that even Luke saw through.

"Whatever." Thank goodness his master didn't care enough about it to ask.

Okay, I must be losing it, Guy thought. Raine comes to him asking about Luke being a replica—the only replica—as if she herself had only recently learned of it, as if she wasn't sure it was possible…. Did she not know she was a replica? She acted like she knew. Maybe she wasn't. But then… what did all of those things mean? All of those times she mentioned being "caught between both sides" and claiming to be an elf instead of a human—no, being insulted at being called a human. He pulled out his list again and looked it over. Her knowing she was a replica fit, but… her not knowing she was didn't. What the hell was going on with her? Why couldn't this woman make any sense?!

And then she mentioned something called Crusious. What in the name of Yulia was that?! Still, he added it to the list.

What was with all of these strange words she kept saying? What was she really if she wasn't a replica? Confused, Guy kept to the front with Jade and Luke, both of whom seemed too spry for people walking in a sandy desert with high heat. Gradually, he fell behind them. The whole trek, he spent puzzling over Raine's bizarreness and finally they saw the ruins in the distance. The heat gave it a mirage quality, but he could tell, this time it really was there, unlike the hazy ponds that seemed to appear in the distant sands, pretending they were real.

Then he finally understood. That was why she acted like she didn't know replicating humans was possible. It wasn't that she didn't know she was a replica; she didn't want anyone else to know she was. It was the only thing that made sense. At the very least, it matched the fear he saw written all over his paper.

Raine watched Guy run to the front of the pack. After a moment, he stole a glance at her and turned his back when he realized she watched him. Well, that had a more severe consequence than she anticipated. Apparently, Guy wasn't ready to talk about that yet. In fact, she noticed a strange shift in Guy's mood. What happened? Did he not put the pieces together, too?

She thought he might've, since he raised Luke, but apparently that wasn't the case. Well, she decided, he can just stew over it for a while. Eventually he would come around, right? Even so, it felt good to finally talk to someone about something and be frank about it.

A/N: Hahaha! Kat can also be early! :D

Chapter 29 needs a little more tweaking, but it shouldn't be too long. I'm comfortable saying early February again, but because it's me, I'll actually say it's more mid February.

I know these last couple of chapters probably feel a little slow plot-wise, but there's a lot of stuff that I have to set up before the fan flings crap everywhere. Hang in there, and I guarantee you'll be rewarded. =^-^= But if you're truly enjoying the bonding moments, then Yay! Because they're necessary.

Anyway, next time: Fight with God-Generals! * sigh * I hope I do it justice... See you soon! And thank you all so much for reading.

EDIT: Yeah, I know it says "February" and it's already half-way through March... I am writing in the midst of several life events, so the progress has been slower than I thought. Plus, I got some great advice from someone about how to write the scene and I'm putting more thought into what it should look like than I initially thought I would. So, in the end, you'll get an even better chapter once I can get it done! I appreciate your patience. :)

EDIT 2: Hi! So, quick update. May is the month to post. I have a much better draft forming and things are finally calming down with life. So, without promising... I'm going to try shooting for May 15. I'm also doing these edits because I noticed peeps are checking this last chapter, so I might as well edit these notes and update ya'll. For those who are checking. ;)

~~Kat =^-^=