Chapter 29

Mohs crushed Anise's latest news in his fist. "Damn that woman!" She had lied. This "Raine Sage" said she intended on going to Belkend, but she ended up traveling with Luke's group instead anyway. Maybe it wouldn't matter. But it made him nervous.

Why the hell wasn't she anywhere in the Score? He pulled paper out of his desk and began penning a letter. But then stopped.

Or did it matter? Raine would be traveling to Akzeriuth after all, a city doomed to be destroyed. Maybe she would die with everyone else.

He just couldn't figure out where she came from. What her motive was. Was she trying to interfere with the Score? Or was she up to something else? What if she knew what was going to happen?

What if she was going there to stop it?

That could explain her weird behavior when King Ingobert asked her about going to Akzeriuth, he supposed. What other reason could she have for going? But everything must go according to the Score. How could he guarantee that she wouldn't interfere if that was indeed what she was after?

No, there was a better way to handle this.

Raine saw a range of spiked pillars ahead, some standing tall, others leaning to the side or at an angle, and still others had fallen completely over, but all were made of stone with their bases covered in sand. There were also the remains of what looked like a demolished ziggurat, leaving Raine to wonder what it really was. The Zao ruins? They certainly looked different from the surrounding plateaus and sand hills. They looked man-made.

Thank goodness!

The closer they got, the more excited she felt. These ruins were seriously two thousand years old? They looked much older! She could see the worn stone, punished by the same wind that had previously blinded the party. The weather and the time definitely took their toll. Finally, she couldn't restrain herself anymore.

RUINS!

Raine ran ahead but the slogging slowed her progress. Everyone else stopped at the sandstone where the sand ended and the ruins began, but Raine threw her hands up and shrieked, hurrying to grab the stone of the nearest pillar and feel it with her cheek and palms. The original builders had used massive heavy stones, piled on top of each other.

"This construction! They didn't even use mortar but just left the weight of the blocks to keep the structure sturdy." The people who built this city had interesting techniques. How did they move such giant blocks?! Mostly in Sylvarant, the masons had used bricks for the temples, much like the buildings here on this planet, but seeing such massive blocks of sandstone was a first. There must be some clues inside about how they built this place!

"This must be it," Guy said, approaching a large doorway into the ziggurat. Jade and Anise joined him.

"Inside there?" Luke asked with Mieu still sitting on his shoulder. Natalia and Tear headed for the doorway as well.

"I should look around some more," Raine said. "Ion is likely here somewhere, and we'll find him if we just wander around." She hurried to feel the rough texture of the walls of the main structure, marveling at them. Not that there was much difference between the pillars and the ziggurat itself.

"Hey, this isn't a field trip! Honestly." Anise said, shaking her head.

"Somehow," Natalia said, "I get the feeling that finding Ion is just her excuse to explore…."

Guy nodded. "Yeah. Boy, she's sure scary when she's happy about ruins."

Again, Raine ignored them, but she felt a tinge tugging her heart. Lloyd had said something similar once. She remembered wandering the ruins in Triet desert. This was like then. Entering hot ruins with a reason and creating a stir. No, this was different. For one thing, Genis wasn't here to hide behind the shame of his sister's Ruin Mode, as the kids called it. Funny… she hated that term at the time. Now she'd give anything to her them say it, just so she'd know they were okay.

She stepped into the shade of the ruined building, felt instant relief from the sun, and continued perusing the ruins. The heat, however, still remained. This place was wonderous! She even exclaimed as much as the others appeared in the doorway from the outside.

"It sure looks dark in there," Natalia said as she peered in behind Raine.

"I'll breathe fire!"

"You're going to keep breathing fire the whole time?" Luke asked Mieu. "That'll never work." The entrance was actually the top of a tower by the looks of it, rather than a ziggurat. Raine forgot all about the others.

"Oh, look at this sandstone!" Raine hollered as if there weren't God-Generals somewhere in these ruins. She felt the light shining in her own eyes and she widened them to absorb as much of the ruins as she could. Sand gradually drifted between the stone like an hourglass that spent years counting grains.

"Jeez, talk about letting them know we're here…."

"Fear not, Anise," Jade replied, "she did the same thing at Choral Castle and the God-Generals still waited for us." Raine examined the lights on the wall as Anise scowled. Were these eternal lanterns made of sixth fonons? It appeared that way.

"You say like that it's a good thing," Luke said sarcastically. Raine ran back towards a banister to see stairs leading down. She couldn't see the bottom very well from up here, but she could see two dots of lights down there, barely illuminating vague differences in color. Oh, she couldn't wait to get down there!

"In a way, it is," Guy said, "If we really do find Ion with them."

"Are they really here, though?" Natalia asked. Once again, Raine returned to the wall to study the embedded column and its carvings. She nodded, humming to herself. Yes, these pillars must be structural columns, but they only added to the mystery of how these ruins were built!

"There aren't any landship tracks here, though it could be just the wind," Jade answered her.

"It's hard to know if they're still here or if they've left already," Tear said.

But Anise didn't have patience for that. "Whatever the case, we might still find clues about Ion. Let's go!"

Huh? Go? Raine turned and noticed they hadn't moved from the ruin's entrance. "What's holding us up? I thought we were in a hurry?"

"Oh, nothing," Jade said in his sing-song voice. "Just observing a rare specimen in its element." Unamused, Raine furrowed her brow in annoyance. But her annoyance washed away the moment she turned her back to him and saw more of Zao.

And as dark as the ruins were, the eternal lanterns lit up small sections of the wall so she could see how the path curved in a spiral downwards. The massive spiral staircase also had flat walkways breaking up the steps. Interesting! Why did they build it that way? She ran back to the wall, examining it. Look at the crevices and carvings etched into both the embedded and the protruding pillars! Did the designs have meaning? Or were they just carved for aesthetics?

"They must've used those crevices for something other than lighting," she commented as she peered into one. "Or maybe the eternal lanterns are a new addition, relatively speaking. I wonder which it is…?" The party walked past her, one at a time.

"You really are crazy about ruins."

Raine glared at Guy as he passed her up. "Says the man who married fontech instead of a woman," Raine retorted. Caught, Guy laughed nervously and occupied himself elsewhere.

"Do you suppose she's manic?" Anise whispered to Tear who shrugged. Raine's eyes narrowed.

"It would certainly explain a few things."

"Oh, but she fits right in with the rest of you," Jade said from behind them both. "You youngsters with your mood swings." He directed his mischievous smile at Luke who definitely noticed. Even Natalia huffed in anger.

"H-hey!" Luke upstarted. "What are you trying say?!"

"Nothing at all."

Of course not, Raine thought. But this was enough! "And what about you, Jade? A colonel with the skills of a general, finding delight in misery, with the ability to manipulate multiple elements, and yet you manage to get slapped with a fon slot seal." Jade wasn't the only one to smile. Guy laughed and Anise purely enjoyed Raine's jab. "If that wasn't enough, you chose to journey with us. Half of the insanity is yours to own."

"Oh, dear. It seems I've been called out." But it didn't bother him a whit, Raine could tell. As she suspected, he could accept as many joke shots as he dished out. What was up with this man? It was actually kind of fun, though, knowing she could get away with throwing it back at him. How far could she go with that? She wondered.

As a group, they made it to the bottom of the staircase and carried on.

The ziggurat turned out to be just a tower that led into an underground city. The walkways were held up by massive pillars and arches. Raine noted how the design was very simple when compared to Sylvarant's elaborate designs and even to this planet's modern designs, but it was clear the architects knew what they were doing with the sound construction. As impressive as it was, Raine wondered why they built their structures to be so tall. Were they building up or down? Were these ruins ever in the sunlight? So many questions!

"What were the Zao Ruins originally?" Natalia asked Jade as the group wandered.

"Hmm. History is not my specialty," he replied, "so I'm afraid I don't know. I would guess, however, that they are in some way related to the ruins at the oasis."

"Perhaps I can lend a conjecture," Raine said. "I would suggest Zao was a hub of architectural technology, masonry, and science. These people clearly understood how to best use Gnome's resources for phenomenal structures using simple materials. It's a shame it was reduced to this, but judging from the lack of devastation, I would say they knew the catastrophe was coming eventually and weren't caught up in it. It looks to me like they simply fled instead."

"Wow, you can tell so much just from this?" Natalia asked, impressed.

Raine chuckled. "I am only guessing. I don't see any signs of mass casualties, and there's nothing to show that the people here were demolished. I would guess the loss had something to do with the main water sources drying up, seems as this is a desert and these ruins are so well preserved. They couldn't have built a city like this without having some sort of spring nearby and yet there isn't one now."

"Hmm, so my guess about the connection to the oasis might be valid," Jade offered.

"It very well could be," Raine said, "but the water source had to be much more expansive if this was all a giant city. How else could they afford to live and build all this?"

"Suddenly," Guy said, "I have a little more appreciation for this place…."

"Yes," Natalia said, "Now that you mention it, it's amazing to pull off this much architectural work."

"I just wonder about the purpose for such height. Was this place always underground? Or did the sand bury it after so many years? But perhaps that is why the designs are so simple…." Raine muttered to herself. "There's so much here that they couldn't afford to get too fancy with it, but the carvings they do have is just enough to give this place some character."

"And there she goes… off in her little world…." Guy said, sounding a little amused. But Luke turned to Jade with a smirk.

"Heh, you don't know everything after all."

"I'm honored. But I'm still young. There are more things that I don't yet know than those I do."

"Young...?" Anise asked, confused. "Colonel, you're over thirty!" Actually, according to elf years, Jade really was extremely young, Raine mused. But for a human, she supposed he was starting to get up there in age.

"Indeed," Jade replied with a smile that Raine didn't trust, "but one's personality does not become truly well-rounded until their forties, at least. I intend to make good use of my youth to develop a memorable character, much as these ruins have been remembered over the ages."

"My, such an admirable goal," Natalia said.

"To that end, I'm devoting myself to driving you youngsters crazy."

"My... such a ridiculous goal..." Natalia glared at him. Figures. Raine ignored them all.

Everything about the ruins fascinated her. It was like wandering the streets of a mole city. She wondered several times if the carvings had once been letters, but the consistency of the designs suggested otherwise. She picked up several pieces of artifacts, exchanging some less complete specimens with ones that had more promise of exposing its secrets. She found several clay pots with designs like the wind in a harsh desert, much as they experienced on the way here. She found a piece of metal, tossed it, and found a better one, its thatched, chipped edges of a square rod revealing a little more of its purpose. There were all kinds of things littering everywhere that hinted at the lives of Zao citizens.

This place wasn't Tethe'alla, but the ruins were just as good.

This, after all, was what she lived for.

Suddenly, Guy understood. Raine loved ruins as much as he loved fontech, and while the others seemed concerned over her drastic mood swings, he smiled just knowing she was finally back, as Jade said, in her element. As he looked around the ruins, they no longer looked like just a bunch of pillars and structures. People lived here once, and it seemed true that they were master masons and architects. The way Raine just took whatever she wanted, though… he did make a note to hide anything interesting if she ever came to his room.

Known thief – seriously, hide what you don't want stolen

Her flight pattern had changed as well. She no longer stuck to the back but ran ahead like an excited toddler, sorting and exploring, allowing them to overtake her until she noticed she fell too far behind again.

Anytime a monster showed up, she let the others handle it. Until a pan got too close to her. She thwacked it with her staff and lured it away to the others, where its interest shifted to someone else. He was certain she could've just taken care of it, but she had more important things to do, apparently. Unfortunately, Anise noticed.

"Stop that! We're not your bodyguards, you know!"

Raine didn't care and carried on digging through the ruins as if she'd never heard her, though Guy wondered that she actually had.

He shook his head. Now that the initial surprise of her discovering the ruins had worn off, he found himself amused. For a grown woman, the behavior seemed odd, but it was fun to watch. Right down to the strange noises of excitement. As he suspected, that maniacal laugh back at Choral Castle was definitely her. He never did figure out what it was she found there. Maybe if he asked, she'd tell him?

There wasn't much that could destroy her mood at this point, he was sure, and it was worth it to watch. Besides, that Raine trusted them enough to leave the fighting to them had to mean something, right?

"What are you smiling about?" Luke asked him.

"Huh?"

"This place is dusty, hot, and boring."

"Yeah…." But somehow, Guy couldn't help but feel, as he watched Raine, that Luke was only partially right about that.

Deeper into the ruins, Raine circled one of several pillars at the base of stairs. The others walked past her across a bridge, but she didn't pay them any mind until she heard Luke's voice.

"What's that?"

Hm?! What did he find? Anything that got Luke's attention was sure to be interesting, especially because Tear didn't think it was something he should just approach.

"But it's beautiful," Natalia said. Raine hurried across the bridge. This definitely sounded like something of interest! "It doesn't look like something dangerous."

"Well, well, what have we here?" Jade knew. Raine heard it in his voice.

As soon as she saw it, Raine knew exactly what it was, too. A small cluster of second fonons had gathered as a shimmering semi-transparent clump. Forget what Tear said, that thing wasn't dangerous! Raine approached the fonons with all kinds of recklessness and felt the energy from it. "Marvelous!"

"Oh, man…."Anise sighed, rolling her eyes. "Here we go again." Mieu joined Raine and stood within the cluster.

"But what is it?" Luke asked.

"They're second fonons!" Mieu said.

"What?" Surprised, Anise approached it, too. "How come we can see fonons?"

"They must be quite concentrated here. This area is most likely a fon slot."

"There's no likely about it, Jade," Raine said. "These ruins are definitely a fon slot. And what's more…." Her eyes shined as she thought about it. No, I shouldn't say anything about that. Still, to reach out and touch it….

"I still don't really understand what fonons are..." Luke said.

Tear answered him. "Every structure and living thing has its own intrinsic vibration and emits a corresponding sound. Those are divided into six fonons. Tiny differences in their vibration and connections distinguish individual matter." Or, in terms they used in Sylvarant, everything had its own mana signature. Mana and fonons were definitely related on the same scale. The frequency was the only thing that differed, as far as Raine could tell.

"They're one of the basic elements that compose matter," Guy said. "You're made up of fonons and elements."

"It's rare to find so much of a single fonon bonded together that it becomes visible like this." Perhaps Tear was right about that, but Raine wasn't sure it was unheard of. After all, when they saw the Summon Spirits in Sylvarant, they looked like pure clumps of mana, too, before they solidified into the forms recognized as a spiritual body.

With Mieu soaking up the fonons into the Sorcerer's Ring, Raine felt herself transfixed. What would happen? Of course, the moment she found out about the fon verses, the ring disappeared from Jade's hand and she looked it over, completely awed.

"Amazing!"

"Umm… Raine? You should probably give that back to Mieu…."

"R-right. Yes, of course." Though disappointed, she returned it to Mieu at Guy's request. The next time she had a chance, though, she was determined to spend more time examining it. The ring was nothing like the one Lloyd found in Martel's Temple.

They made it deeper into the ruins, searching until even Raine felt a bit spent. They had hoped to run into the God-Generals and find Ion, but the more they walked, the more Raine worried Luke really had heard hallucinations. Was it true that the God-Generals kidnapped their own leader and brought him to a place like this? Now that she knew it wasn't the difference between the Order of Lorelei and the Church of Martel, Raine wondered what caused the fracture because the Order absolutely was fractured if this was the case.

From what she'd heard so far, Mohs's views were more traditional, but without knowing what was considered traditional and what wasn't, she had no way of knowing whose side to be on. No matter how she thought about it, the person she needed to approach about her problem would be the person who knew about the summon spirits. Even as they rescued Ion, she didn't know if he knew about them or not. He had mentioned once before that the truth becomes stories but that didn't necessarily mean he believed in them. Even if he did, would he help her find them? Or would Mohs be the better person to ask?

She doubted that…. But she also couldn't discount the possibility.

Or was it better to find them on her own? Now that was possible. And probably the most likely to happen, she thought as she sighed heavily.

Jade had commented that these ruins sat over a fon slot, but Raine privately suspected a full spirit seal. There were too many fonons, and second fonons at that. How else could anyone explain the sheer amount of fonons and the extreme heights of the architecture? Gnome's spirit seal must be here. They hadn't run into it in Sylvarant, but maybe Auldrant shared the summon spirits, too. But she wasn't about to bring up Gnome at a time like this. Not when these people didn't even believe in summon spirits.

What's more, fonons weren't the only source of energy here. It was faint and very weak, but she also felt the presence of mana, though Jade was likely the only one who knew about that, at least in this group. Meaning, she probably gathered mana all along but she hadn't collected enough to notice or use. Just to try it out, she tried gathering light mana, but she still couldn't tell if it budged. There likely just wasn't enough here to find, let alone use. How had these humans managed it, converting so much mana into fonons? How could anyone convert the mana of nearly the entire planet?

But yet they had. Jade was correct that mana still existed, though she felt how low the levels were.

Or could it be related to the low mana levels of Sylvarant?

They finally found a clearing in a natural cavern where up ahead, a beautiful pattern shone brightly across an arched doorway. In front of it stood Ion and Asch. Well, Luke wasn't hearing things. What did this mean, this connection between them?

Standing between Asch and Luke's party were two more God-Generals, Sync and huge man with a scythe. All of them turned as the party approached.

"The Fon Master is in the middle of a ritual," the man with the scythe told them. "We'll have no interference from you." Raine would've liked to oblige judging from his sheer size, but then again, leaving Ion behind with these people would be unacceptable. She glanced around at her own party. No, they had the numbers to take him, depending on how skilled he was. She hadn't seen much of Sync back at Choral Castle, but Guy had been able to chase him out, and while she didn't know much about Asch, Van was able to chase him away pretty quickly, too. How strong were they really?

"Such impudence," Natalia said, pointing at him, "after you kidnapped the one you're supposed to serve!"

Anise demanded, "Sync! Largo! Give Ion back!" Ah, so the man with the scythe was Largo. Good to know.

"No," Sync replied, "We still have work for him."

Luke unsheathed his sword. "Then we'll take him back by force."

At that, Largo laughed. "This should be fun. Let's see how you've grown since I last saw you, cowering on the Tartarus." Luke's party readied their weapons.

"That's nice," Luke retorted, "coming from someone who was half-dead after one shot by Jade."

Sighing, Raine tighted her grip on her staff. At the same time as she knew it would come to this, she kind of hoped it wouldn't. Getting into a fight that was more than they could handle would be bad news for going home. Still, it wouldn't hurt to gather information about their adversaries before actually diving into the fight and find out what they were really getting into. If things looked too bad, though, she could always run away. She prayed it wouldn't come to that.

Largo was big and wouldn't be easy to bring down, and after he berated Luke about cowering on the Tartarus, Luke charged at him, yelling his battle cry the whole way.

"I see you've progressed to running towards the enemy this time," Largo told him. He blocked Luke's attack easily. Anise's puppet Tokunaga grew to full size and sauntered after him as well. Perhaps the two of them would be enough? With Jade, Tear, and Natalia's attack support from a distance, maybe they would be. Sync chased after Guy, slashed at him with his fist and then took off in another direction with Guy right behind him.

Sync was fast, like Guy, and the two of them sparred in a touchless cat and mouse as they dodged each other's attacks. Even so, Sync targeted anyone he could as he raced around the battlefield with Guy on his heels.

That's when Raine noticed something odd.

Sync and Largo both engaged, but Asch stayed at the door with Ion. Raine stood off to the side, waiting to see what Asch would do. Yet he merely frowned at them as he watched the fight. He didn't even tell Ion to finish the ritual. Why didn't he engage? Perhaps his purpose was to protect Ion from being rescued? Which meant he wouldn't want to join the fight unless he had to. Well, if he wasn't going to fight, she wasn't about to attack him and force his hand.

Instead, she turned her sights to Sync and Largo.

Sync targeted Tear and ran towards her, obviously to interrupt her casting. Raine gathered her fonons to target just in front of them so he would run into a nasty surprise.

But Sync was a God-General for a reason. He felt the fonons and jumped back before he ran into the trap, and he took off again, focusing on someone else. Raine sighed. Fine. She could make adjustments, too. With Sync too fast to follow, she decided to focus her attack on Largo instead, just like everyone else. Take out the heavy hitter, and then they could overwhelm Sync as a team. Largo swatted Tokunaga aside, throwing Anise from its back, and turned his scythe to Luke, rebuffing his sword, yet again. Even Natalia's arrows couldn't quite reach their mark for the blade of his weapon. They'd need better timing or some sort of distraction.

Raine could provide that. She gathered sixth fonons when she saw Sync double-back to Guy who stopped for a moment to strike at Largo. Before he got a chance, Guy had to block Sync's attack and returned to chasing him. Sync grinned as he scurried past Natalia, hitting her, too.

"Ah!" Natalia clutched her shoulder. "Such cowardice!" She aimed an arrow and followed Sync with it, but then he went behind one of her allies and Raine lost track of him. Maybe there was something else she could do.

Back in Sylvarant, Raine used Ray to attack, but without the precise control, the different rays from the center explosion of mana went all over the place. But with fonons, she wondered if she would have more precise control. After all, Fonic Photon did exactly what she wanted it to every time, and she found she had a higher degree of precision with it. With Largo pushing Luke and Anise back so easily, Raine decided now was her chance to try it. She gathered up light fonons and allowed the different offshoots to explode from the center, targeting Largo specifically.

"Ray!"

"O darkened storm cloud, loose thy blade and run mine enemies through!"

"Agh!" Largo buckled. Sure enough!

"How about another one?" Raine asked. Then Jade was ready with his own arte, "Thunder Blade!"

"You're more trouble than I expected," Sync cried out, but Raine wasn't sure who he was talking to. He struck at Tear and then chased down Natalia. Of course, he knew they were healers and would want to take them out first. His movements still puzzled Raine, though. He kept circling the battlefield, batting at anyone he could. He let Guy chase him around until he saw an opening to attack him. What was the thinking behind his strategy?

She began to wonder, as she turned her attention back to Largo, that maybe Largo's purpose was to take on the close-range fighters and Sync would attack the distance fighters. That would require him to run all over the place. He would constantly be on the move. Maybe he just had the stamina for it…?

To her right, she saw movement. Guy was running towards her! So much for running away from allies—wait, why—

"Pay attention to your enemies!" Sync hollered and she turned to see Sync had targeted her. She held up her staff to block him, but it was a well-timed arrow from Natalia that gave her the chance to run. Damn that boy was fast! Guy dashed past her as Sync took off in another direction. But she wouldn't let him get away with that again.

Raine watched him run a wide circle around the battlefield before finally setting his sights on someone else. She gathered more fonons for another attack and then realized Sync was headed for no one in particular. His movements were rather odd as he raced along the clearing.

No, wait! He was heading for her again; his grin told her everything. He thought he was being clever about something.

Raine jumped back, prepared to block him, but as soon as he noticed, he veered away. What was he up to? Raine watched him circle again. He struck at Jade who also had to block with his spear, and he took off again, this time charging for Tear. He kept to the outside of the battlefield, targeting anyone who was trying to cast. Maybe that was his plan? Interfere as much as he could so they couldn't use their artes? He did seem super focused on Tear and Natalia, but Raine caught him glancing back at her a lot, too.

He left Anise and Luke completely alone, but they were also focused on Largo. Sync was definitely paying attention to something. Likely openings. Maybe with Guy chasing him, Raine could use the Fonic Ray as a defensive attack. She closed her eyes and gathered as much as she could, trusting that Guy would keep an eye on Sync.

But then Natalia cried out. Raine opened her eyes to see the princess fell from Sync's attack.

Jade cursed. "Damn, I wasn't fast enough." He shouted, "Tear, Natalia needs help!" Sync targeted Tear next. She raised her spear and prepared to jump back as necessary, but even Raine saw there was nothing she could to do help Natalia. Even with Guy bringing up support, Sync refused to let him get too close. Natalia didn't get up again, which meant she was either knocked out or too weak to stand.

So it was up to Raine. Should she try? She hadn't healed someone using fonons before, only mana. Would there be much difference?

"How about a life bottle?" Guy grunted as he intercepted Sync's route towards Tear, but now they knew who he wanted to focus on. Raine agreed it would take more than a single healing arte to help her. But if she could manage the initial arte, Natalia might be able to heal the rest of her wounds herself. "Someone have one of those?"

Raine did. But she didn't want to use it. This life bottle she found in Choral Castle was the only thing she had that spared her sanity when everything about this world seemed wrong. It was strange, but she had an attachment to it and didn't want to give it up. She'd rather try healing with fonons. After all, she healed with mana just fine, and if Fonic Photon wasn't that much different from its mana counterpart, she should be able to heal just fine, right?

"I think I can use healing artes," Raine said. "Jade, cover me!" She hurried to Natalia who still hadn't moved. Seventh fonons were the strange wave of energy Raine felt Tear using a couple of times, so she searched for the matching frequency. Sure enough, she felt the fonons gathering.

I can do this! Joy buoyed her and she brought the healing fonons to Natalia's wound. Natalia finally opened her eyes and managed to speak.

"Thank you."

Raine helped her to her feet. "You're welcome. Let's go." Natalia finished the rest of her healing herself, but now Raine felt a sense of urgency. Sync and Largo were a lot stronger than she thought they were. What strategy could they use to win? Sync had returned to racing around the battlefield, striking anyone within arm's length, with Guy chasing behind him. He really annoyed them with his constantly interrupting the spell-casters. Largo continued to fight off Anise and Luke as if they weren't much of a threat.

But everyone seemed a little closer than they did before. Battles do that normally, but something about Sync's running the rim of the battlefield still seemed strange.

That's when she realized it. He was gradually closing everyone in towards Largo, who stood at the dead center, knocking back anyone who was close to him. If he could get everyone within the range of Largo's scythe, Largo could do damage to everyone all at once. At first, it looked like their attacks were separated and random, but now that Raine paid attention, she could see their concerted effort.

"So that's how they're holding their own…." Raine muttered. Luke's team, on the other hand, had been so used to their numbers breaking down one strong enemy or many weak ones that they didn't have a formed strategy. The enemies so far had been overwhelmed by their numbers and strength, and it had been fair to just attack one at a time. But Sync and Largo didn't just blindly attack as other enemies had. They had a strategy and worked as a team. She ran to the edge of battlefield, still watching Sync. He suddenly stopped, noticing her. He grinned and ran straight for her.

"I don't recommend that!" Raine gathered as many fonons as she could before he arrived.

"Grr!" And with Guy tailing him, Sync couldn't afford to stand around for long. That didn't stop her from gathering the fonons and holding them for the right moment.

"Heh, you won't defeat us with such haphazard tactics," Largo taunted. "You might as well die here if you can't work as a team." He was right…. Raine saw the frustration in everyone's faces, but only Jade seemed able to coordinate an attack with anyone in particular. They needed a strategy and they weren't paying enough attention to each other to form one.

And finally, Guy made the wrong move. Sync turned against him and knocked him to the ground. Immediately, Sync began casting. Largo only need a few steps before he came within striking distance of Raine, but he left an opening for her to run.

She took it….

"Turbulence!"

…running straight into a wind attack trap set by Sync. No matter what she could've done, she was stuck! She felt the winds from Turbulence swirl around like a tornado. The energy from it was almost overpowering and she collapsed to the floor from the sting of it, but as much energy as she felt, the attack didn't seem as strong as she expected. In fact, the circle of wind seemed distorted.

"Damn." It wasn't as put-together as she would've expected. Then she saw why.

Largo laughed. "Nice try, Necromancer! The fon slot seal is still bothering you, huh?" Apparently, Jade had stolen the fonons and redirected them to attempt his own version of Turbulence, but from the looks of it, he failed. That damned fon slot seal! Without it, he probably would've been able to pull it off. Either way, his effort saved her. She was still able to heal herself.

"Jade!" She caught his eye and he nodded to her. Then he started casting. Raine understood. He would support her. She pointed to Sync and he nodded again. She began her own cast, gathering fonons. The good news was, most of the fonons she had gathered before were still in the vicinity. She could easily gather more and use them to pay Sync back.

"Natalia!" Tear shouted.

"Right!"

Raine then heard Sync's disgust from too close as a stream of arrows whipped by between them. Finally! They began to catch on. Raine knew she could finish her arte. In fact, she could probably get away with trying the Fonic Ray again.

"Largo, forget that reject! Get her!" Sync pointed at Raine. Oh, crap. Sync wasn't talking about Jade as the bigger threat! Largo turned and started right for her. He wasn't anywhere near as quick as Sync, but she couldn't stay where she was long enough to finish her arte. Rather than risk losing the fonons, she released a haphazard Fonic Photon in front of Largo as a warning shot.

"Damn it, Sync!" Guy hissed.

Raine turned and saw the both of them behind her again, and this time, Guy held his stomach. He had dropped his sheath. Sync straightened and grinned at her. He took off after Jade who waited with his spear at the ready. No point in attempting to cast with Sync so close to him. Then Raine turned back to Largo, his scythe raised above her.

"Ah!" Raine dove to get away and felt the wind graze the back of her clothes. Oh, that was too close. But now she caught on to their new strategy. Distract, distract, distract. As long as she paid attention to one of them, the other could be right there, attempting to strike. And it didn't matter that behind Largo, Luke had come up for his own attack. The two God-Generals were focusing on her. Was she really that dangerous to them?

Sure enough, as soon as she stood up to see where Sync had gone, she peered over her shoulder just in time to get a punch to the face.

"Hey, man, back off!" Guy growled.

Sync laughed. "Jealous? You're not much of a threat."

Staggering to her feet, now she was miffed. She'd learned a new Ray and Sync would be sorry to be its recipient. She gathered more fonons for yet another round as she watched Sync's behavior. He would search for his next target as he ran. All she had to do was accurately predict who it was and release it at exactly the right moment.

Luke!

"Luke, come this way!"

"Eh?! Why?" But he did it anyway, coming closer to Largo on his way to her.

"Huh?" Largo prepared for an incoming attack from Luke, but Luke hesitated. He didn't seem sure Raine wanted him to attack, which was perfectly fine. Whether he attacked or not didn't matter.

Raine waited to release Ray until Sync was close enough to strike. He'd felt the fonons gathering, but this time, there'd be nowhere to run.

Just like he'd done to her. She laughed.

"O mighty explosion…."

Her Fonic Ray completely surrounded him and Largo both, firing pinpoint shots of sixth fonons at the both of them until its fonons expired.

"Energy blast!" That combined with a well-timed arte from Jade and Guy finally landing a hit on Sync brought him to his knees. Like a fly in a spider's web, Sync's vulnerability left him as easy prey for Guy.

Now they could focus completely on Largo.

As much of a heavy hitter as Largo was, he wouldn't be able to fend off everyone if Luke and Anise kept him busy and everyone else focused on range attacks. Raine smirked and closed her eyes. This would be much easier now. Sure enough, it didn't take much more to take Largo down either, as he managed one more advance on Luke before becoming overwhelmed himself.

Asch didn't look too happy about that.

He stepped down from the colorful doorway, drawing his sword and leaving Ion behind.

"Tch! Even the both of you can't handle them?" Asch hollered. Great, they forced his hand after all. How powerful was he compared to Sync and Largo? Raine didn't want to speculate, but then Luke, having recovered from Largo's assault, charged at Asch. Jade began casting another arte as Anise once more leapt for Largo with Tear just behind her. Natalia and Guy teamed up against Sync, pinning him in place. Now that their enemies had split up a little, Raine had to choose a target again for her Fonic Ray. With Asch facing off only against Luke, he seemed like a logical choice, but then Luke and Asch fought like both sides of a mirror, using the same attacks and deflecting each other. Knowing Luke, targeting Asch might distract Luke and cause a mistake.

Raine choose Largo and gathered more sixth fonons for another Fonic Ray.

Natalia nodded and withdrew another arrow. But when Raine surveyed the battlefield, it was clear which direction the tides favored. With Sync at Guy's mercy, Largo was overwhelmed by Jade, Anise, and now Natalia. Even with Asch focusing all of his energy on Luke, this battle wasn't going to last much longer.

And then Asch and Luke's one-on-one created a clash of fonons with a force that Raine had felt once before, back at the Katsbert Ferry. The blast of energy shot straight up into the ceiling of the cavern, and Raine paled. The ceiling could collapse! More than that….

"HEY!" Raine stomped towards the identical fighters. "Are you trying to destroy these ruins?" Everyone else stopped fighting long enough to watch, despite debris falling from the weakened ceiling. With the distraction, Sync broke away from Guy and took off to the other end of the battlefield. "This area is a spirit seal and you'll close it off permanently if you keep that up! I won't allow that!" Even so, she began gathering more fonons for a Fonic Ray.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Asch snapped. When he looked at her, his face turned from anger to horror. Sometimes it was helpful knowing that she could so easily instill fear in people.

"Regardless," Sync said, panting from an injury someone had apparently landed. Raine hadn't caught who. At the very least, it wasn't an arrow wound. "She's right that we should stop. You like to get carried away."

"Tch. You guys are weak." Asch sheathed his sword. "Fine. Ion, let's go."

"No way!" Anise shrieked from Tokunaga's back. "Have you forgotten why we're here? He's coming with us."

"Okay, let's make a deal," Sync said. "In exchange for ending the fight here, we'll let the Fon Master go."

"We won't need any deals if we just wipe you out," Guy replied. Raine gasped and released her fonons. They dissipated harmlessly. She knew it… even Guy had it in him to be cold.

"Tch," but then Sync grinned. "Don't forget we're standing beneath the desert. We can bury you along with us." He was right. Luke and Asch's attack dropped a chunk from the ceiling and who knows what flinging more fonons around did next.

"We'd die too, of course," Largo added, "but that is a sacrifice we're willing to make."

Raine shook her head. "That's pointless," she said. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to die here."

"Luke," Tear said, "let's agree to their offer. Right now we need to recover Ion and hurry to Akzeriuth."

"We're already late from traveling by land," Jade said.

"...All right."

Grateful at the battle's end, Raine followed Ion and the others out of the clearing, shaking her head at the God-Generals. What a weird group. Then Guy stopped to glance back at the three men they left behind.

"They really are the same." Guy muttered.

"Come on!" Luke told him.

"Hm?" What was Guy talking about? Raine wondered. Asch, Largo, and Sync watched them as they left, but Guy seemed distracted by something. He followed everyone up the path back out of the ruins. This time, Raine's curiosity piqued elsewhere. After the last time she tried talking to him and he got weird and took off, she didn't dare ask.

Natalia huffed as she walked with Raine. "I can't stand being ordered around by filth like him." That seemed to break Guy from his thoughts.

"What? Oh... yeah. But you need to deal with it for now, Natalia."

"I know that. On this journey, I'm not traveling as the princess."

"Natalia…?"

She turned back to Largo, who for some reason had called out her name. "What is it?"

"Let's just go!" Luke said. Raine didn't care any more than he did, and she started up the path behind Jade, Anise, and Ion. At least they survived this encounter, but Raine felt uneasy. Now that the God-Generals knew what everyone in the group was capable of, they might be better prepared for a future encounter. For one thing, Sync now thought of her as a major threat, enough that they targeted her without concern for the others.

Guy had been angry about that. Strange how that thought actually made her feel a little better. She turned to see Guy walking distracted behind her and she couldn't help but smile.

We found the Zao Ruins buried in the sands. At least it'll be a little cooler underground than out in the sun. Okay, let's go find Ion!

Ion was deep down in the ruins. There was some sort of weird door, and Ion was being made to perform a ritual there. The God-Generals Sync and Largo tried to stop us from taking Ion back, but we knocked them out of the way.

Asch had been just watching us, but then all of a sudden, he came and attacked me-using the same sword techniques I learned from Master Van. The timing, the distance-everything was the same. It was disturbing.

Anyway, Sync came in and broke us up, then offered to give back Ion as long as we left. That worked out well for both sides, so we agreed, and headed out of the Zao Ruins.

Come to think of it, Guy seemed concerned about Sync. I wonder why...

On the way out of the Zao Ruins, I asked Ion what he'd been made to do here. He said that there's a Sephiroth here, and that the Six God-Generals wanted him to remove the "Daathic seal" that was protecting it.

But he didn't say anything about what the seal was for. I don't like this Order of Lorelei... They keep too many secrets.

If he's not going to tell us anything, there's no point in staying here any longer. Master Van's waiting for us in Chesedonia. Let's get moving.

Mizuho was a beautiful village. It reminded Genis of Iselia with how picturesque it was, unlike Palmacosta or Meltokio that had big buildings everywhere. The people seemed kind, though they refused to interact much with the party due to being outsiders. That didn't stop some of the party members from wandering; Colette ran around naming the dogs she found and Zelos was trying (and failing) to flirt with the local women.

As for why they were there, their trip through Gaoracchia Forest ended up in complete disaster. The Papal Knights got air of their location and ambushed them, although they weren't much of a challenge to repel at that point. The forest wasn't any better, dark, winding, and full of dangerous monsters. Zelos even told Genis and Lloyd a horrible story about the place; Genis still trembled when remembering it. In the end, they were forced to run away from the Papal Knights. Sheena took them to Mizuho to hide, which the party didn't know was forbidden but she didn't seem to care at that point.

And the cherry on top of all that mess, they again met the prisoner with blue hair, who had attacked Zelos in the sewers, and were forced to bring him along after knocking him out in a battle. While waiting for Vice Chief Tiga to meet them, the prisoner woke up and stayed quiet after understanding his situation, but Genis sometimes caught him watching Presea. Genis was curious about that since the sewers. The prisoner said he didn't know her but showed interest anyway. The childish part of him was jealous, yet his more rational part wanted to know what was going on, especially since he and the others knew almost nothing about Presea at that point.

When they were allowed to meet Tiga, Genis entered the hut and sat beside Lloyd. Everyone else, including the prisoner, took their seats around the room. Sheena was on Tiga's right, her expression neutral. Genis saw a green curtain on her right, where someone appeared to be asleep.

Hearing the conversation, Genis thought back to the day he and Lloyd were banished. Even though they carried on with the guilt, both had been excited to join Colette and return with her a savior. He realized how out of their depth they were. Organizations with different stakes were after them, people who had nothing to do with were dragged into this, an innocent village was accused of treason because they stopped Sheena from killing Colette. The worst for Genis was he got separated from his only family with no way to know where she was.

He couldn't understand how Lloyd was able to go on despite everything. He held his ideals close to his heart, declaring to Tiga he would change the system as if it were so easy, but his enthusiasm is what pulled Genis into believing he, they, actually could. It was infectious because Tiga also seemed convinced, comparing Lloyd's idealism to the Great Hero Mithos.

To everyone's surprise, Tiga expressed his interest in helping preserve the two worlds. It wasn't for free though; in exchange he wanted them to help the people of Mizuho move to Sylvarant when the conflict was over. Genis saw it as a small price compared to the whole. These people deserved better, a place where their culture wasn't threatened, allowed to live freely as they wanted.

Tiga allowed them to use Mizuho's information network, sparking Genis's interest.

"Wait," Genis said, standing up.

"Genis, what's wrong?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah, seriously," Zelos added. "I wouldn't think you of all people would have a problem with this deal." Genis ignored him.

"Can you help us find my sister with your information network?"

In private, most times at night, Genis's anxiety over Raine's absence grew. He clung to the idea she was safe somewhere, but negative thoughts continued to drift across his mind. Sometimes, he felt reassured she might be with the Renegades. Other times, he could only imagine her lifeless body being dumped in a corner.

His brain could play horrible pranks sometimes. Even though he knew he was safe with the party, the anxiety would drag him back to those times he and Raine were hiding from people who discovered their secret. Genis was never prepared. After escaping or being sure they weren't being followed, he would have so much trouble calming down. Raine's lullaby and her warmth were the only things that brought him back from that spiral.

When those thoughts surged, he hid under the blanket and covered his mouth to silence the sobs, trying to remember the lullaby and Raine's warmth in hopes of calming down and that no one would hear him.

Then, he remembered she was Raine. She knew how to survive. She managed to protect both of them for all his life. All that experience had to count for something.

Tiga looked confused at Genis's ply.

"My sister Raine has been missing since we stole the Rheairds." He felt a faint hope that maybe they could find her this way. "Hers went a different way."

"Hey, yeah!" Lloyd looked back to Tiga. "Your information network would be useful for that, right?"

Sheena stood up, too. "Sir, we think she might be with the Renegades or back in Sylvarant. But if she's wandering Tethe'alla, finding her would be much easier."

Tiga looked at Genis with sympathy.

"Understood," Tiga nodded. "We can also aid in the search for Raine. I have no doubt we will find her."

Genis smiled. "Thank you! She looks like me, her clothes are orange with white, and carries a staff."

"Okay then," Lloyd turned back to Tiga with a confident smile, "it's settled. We're going to look for a way to change the two worlds. Let's work together."

Tiga hummed. "Agreed. Then I hereby order Sheena to continue to accompany you. Not as an observer, but as a representative." His eyes looked at Sheena. "Make us proud."

"Yes, sir!"

Genis cheered up at this. Minus Raine, the party would be back together again. Soon enough, she would be back too, welcome back Colette, meet all the new additions to their group, find they didn't mind what they were. He was sure she would be so proud of how far they've come on their own.

As they left Tiga's hut, the group turned towards the prisoner. They hadn't discussed what to do with him. Sheena suggested asking some of Mizuho's ninjas to guard him but from the monstrous strength he displayed in combat, Genis doubted that would be enough to keep him still.

Not surprising, Lloyd was unwary enough to ask his name.

"Regal."

Regal was a man of short words from the looks of it. Genis was sure he'd get along with Raine, especially because there would be another adult traveling with them. He also seemed quite wise for some reason, which piqued Genis curiosity of his origins and interest on Presea.

"How about lettin' pops here fight, too?" Zelos proposed.

Genis thought better. "Even though he might betray us?"

"He has business with Presea, right?" Zelos turned to the unresponsive girl. "Then, he's not going to try anything before he gets a chance to speak with her, you know?"

Genis wasn't convinced. Jealousy and curiosity aside, Regal was too suspicious for them to bring along.

"I don't know about this, but I won't make a fuss. I also started off as your enemy," Sheena said.

Genis couldn't deny she had a point. Everyone else apparently agreed, so Genis sighed. "Alright." He gave Regal a pointed look. "If you do anything even the slightest bit suspicious, I'll burn you to a crisp, got it?"

"I swear upon my good name, and these shackles that bind me, I shall not betray you." Regal said solemnly.

"Well, then, welcome to our group, Regal!" Colette chirped.

The party, with their new addition, moved to Mizuho's exit. Genis let the wariness towards Regal wear off for the moment. Maybe having someone older come along wouldn't be so bad, though he didn't count Zelos as a good example of an adult. Instead, Genis was relieved they had a more reliable way to search for Raine. He just hoped they weren't too late.

A/N: So there you have it! :D Extra long wait for an extra long chapter, but worth it, I think. If Raine seemed a little overpowered compared to the others, part of that is because at this point in the games, Raine is a much higher level than the others. As soon as I realized that, I realized I should probably show her strength. But don't worry, the others will catch up to her. :) I'm also assuming that Jade is a level or two away from Turbulence, apparently, and used that to my advantage. Personally, I think it's neat to see him learning and trying so it'll be more believable when he does use it. Hmm... I should probably do something with that somewhere, now that I mention it... Ahem, anyway!

The God-General fight was miles better than the first draft thanks to advice from AngelAdept, so thank you very much! Also, thank you to Raven Tsurara for her part of Genis's side of the story! While the initial draft was mine that ya'll read like... eons ago... she made vast improvements to it, fleshing it out and adding to it, and now it's awesome. I just love Genis's introspection.

Thank you to everyone else for your patience and your continued support. You guys are so amazing! The next few chapters are basically done as well (and have been for months...), so the next update won't be long. I will see you then!

~~Kat =^-^=