Chapter 31

They fought a door of all things. A stupid malfunctioning door. And it took too long to beat it. Genis thought the journey couldn't get any more ridiculous after this.

After making sure it was not going to attack again, the party went inside the mine and started exploring. There were some monsters inside, forcing them to avoid or fight in case they got too close for comfort. When there wasn't anything attacking them, Genis quickly noticed the equipment inside the mine. It looked quite old, but it worked fine for some reason, which left him confused. Regal pressed a button and a platform on the other side of a hole started to move towards their position.

There hadn't been any choice but to come here. Their visit at Altessa's was not pleasant, the dwarf kicked them out the moment Presea's name was mentioned and refused to listen to them. That said, the young lady living with him, Tabatha, guided them to find inhibitor ore to make a new Key Crest for Presea since hers was made from something else apparently. She didn't tell them where to find it though.

And there came Regal to save the day, who knew exactly where the ore was mined and its location. Genis scoffed in his head. This guy was something else entirely, the more time he spent with the party. So, they went back to sea and arrived at Toize Valley, where the exsphere mine was located.

The platform arrived and Genis looked at it slightly terrified; he didn't want to ride something that could break down at any moment. Not like he had a choice.

"Why are the machines running?" Lloyd asked with interest.

"This is an automated mine, so it runs by itself," Regal replied.

Genis sighed. "No wonder. I don't think anyone would ride this thing of their own will."

"Do not worry, there hasn't been any accidents like that before," Regal explained as they got off the platform. "This was a mine from the ancient time. These machines are also from that time."

"The professor would be really happy if she was here," Colette said, though she immediately looked towards Genis with concern.

Genis shrugged. He didn't know if to call this a blessing in disguise when Raine's whereabouts were still unknown. Her ruin mode would have gone out of control here. She would probably scream in horror at the state of the machines with how much she loved to preserve things, demanding to know who made such an ignorant choice, and then imagine herself dismantling the machines to study them. Typical Raine behavior. And Genis missed even that.

Regal told them where the inhibitor ore was mined, and they followed the directions. Zelos made a strange comment of his knowledge of the place, Regal quickly deflecting he used to work there. Zelos didn't seem convinced, showing his typical smug grin.

Genis didn't understand Zelos's sudden interest in Regal since Mizuho and didn't feel like questioning it. After the argument in Ozette, he would have preferred to ignore Regal's existence, but it was next to impossible when they traveled in the same group. The convict was nothing like the image Genis had. He was too polite, quiet, and quite knowledgeable for someone who claimed to have worked on a mine and spent a long time behind bars. Adding to that his monstrous strength, no imagination was needed as to why the other convicts back in the sewers listened to him so loyally. His cooking was really good though. It rivaled Genis's skill—and he wondered how Regal could cook with the shackles on. Even if it stinged a little, it was nice to have someone else in the group who knew what they were doing when it came to food instead of another lost case like his sister.

Besides Zelos, Lloyd was also fascinated and asking Regal all kinds of things, but knowing him, his friend would get bored real fast.

They continued their trek through the mine. A strange creature was wandering around but approaching made it start calling them rude things and asking for a potion. They ignored it. Then, Lloyd stepped on something, and they heard something heavy rolling towards them. Sheena reacted fast and grabbed both Genis and Colette and ran. When they rounded a corner, Genis saw a boulder falling off the edge.

"What the—?!"

Sheena's swearing was cut off when they heard Zelos speaking from somewhere else. "Whoa, that was close! What was that?" Genis saw him, Lloyd, and Regal huddled in a corner out of the way of the boulder.

"I'm sorry, I had forgotten. That's a trap to stop intruders."

Seriously?! What were the people who designed this place thinking? At least Regal looked apologetic over them almost getting crushed.

"Pay attention to what you're doing!" Zelos complained.

Genis agreed with Zelos for once. He couldn't wait to leave this place.

Finally, Chesedonia—or more accurately, Astor's conspicuous mansion—came into view. Raine couldn't help but feel the excitement. But that also meant they'd be hopping on a ship again soon. Far less exciting, but at least she'd be out of the sand. It seemed to Raine only Luke had the energy to keep pushing. Something drove that kid, something no one else in the group had. Why was he so agitated? Natalia fell behind and Guy, Tear, Ion, and Anise hung back with her, though Raine suspected Anise just stayed with Ion who was just as slow as Natalia. Guy had a paper in his hands, mulling something over. Their exhaustion was evident. Would they push to get to the city? Or would they rest?

Raine caught up to Jade and wondered if now would be a good time to test Guy's theory. It was too late to back out when Jade noticed her.

"Well, well, welcome back. Gotten over your surprise in Baticul, have you?"

"Heh, I suppose you could call it that." His lighthearted mood helped her feel a little lighter, too. As sarcastic as he was, there was a sort of comfort in how he found delight in pretty much everything, including the misery of others.

"I see. Still, our answers to your strange questions in Baticul told you something you didn't want to hear." More fishing. He was also trying to solve her puzzle was that it? Well, he did have one for her, too. She supposed it was fair.

Raine turned away from him. "Things are just not going as expected. Anyway, I gather you're feeling better about my contributions."

"I suppose it is a relief you decided to show us your true capabilities," he replied, "although I do wish we hadn't had to worry about protecting you before. As you assured us."

"If it helps, I was looking at using fonons in the wrong way. I tried to use an element I wasn't suited for."

"Ah. Interesting that would be the problem."

No kidding. Now that Raine thought about it, she really should've known. It was obvious which elements Jade used in his attacks. But she was so desperate to find mana and use their magic that she hadn't noticed the incompatibility. She chalked it up to stress.

"Someone should've told you about people having an affinity for certain elements. Why didn't Sheena?"

"Why not you?" Raine retorted.

"I thought my explanation at Fubras was clear enough." Oh yeah… She forgot about that. Still, she hadn't caught on, but she didn't remember that he focused specifically on elements. No, he didn't say anything about that.

Regardless. "It was unnecessary for Sheena to tell me anything. I'd been using mana before I met her."

"So you met her during your travels." Where was he going with this? Raine wondered. She watched him carefully but didn't detect anything strange. "I suppose that makes sense. She does sound like she's very well connected, being acquainted with Class M and King Ingobert… evidently." Unlike his usual sarcasm, this one was subtle. They both knew King Ingobert claimed he never met Sheena and Raine frowned at his dig at her friend. So that's what he was thinking, huh?

"She's an invaluable ally. With her around, I can breathe better knowing that the kids are safe." Even if Lloyd was with Genis, Sheena knew Tethe'alla and she had a lot of connections. She was also the oldest person the group and she still was a teenager! Who knew what trouble the boys would get into without her, especially since Colette was still a doll. Of course, none of this, Raine could say aloud. She still wondered, would they ever find a cure for Colette's condition? It was too much to hope that they already had.

"Hmm… I wonder then, what was her motive for lying to you? Especially when you believed her to be honest to a fault."

"Tch." It wasn't Sheena's fault that Raine was confused about where she was! Sheena hadn't lied about anything that Raine knew of, but of course, it wouldn't look that way these natives. Raine relaxed her jaw and simply shrugged, refusing to commit to anything. It's much better to let him believe whatever he wanted than try to guide him on it. "I'm not worrying about that right now. I need to focus on finding Genis."

"Given the source of the information, how do you think you'll find him now?"

She flashed a smile. Of course, she'd have to actually look in Tethe'alla, which meant she had to fix up the Rheaird first. But telling him that would be suspicious. "It's just like I'd said before. I should probably try Sheridan, but I'll look into Grand Chokmah, too. If I don't find he's been there, I'll think of my next move at that time."

"So you'll depart at Chesedonia? Or will you go by land through Kaitzur and Engeve?"

Depart? As in by herself? She didn't like that idea at all. "It's in my best interests to stay with you all for now. My association with you has put me in danger with the God-Generals." She paused. No, that wasn't the real reason she wanted to go with them. "And besides, I'm sure you'll appreciate the help with Akzeriuth." Humans were humans, but that didn't mean she should leave them to suffer. With a group this small, they would need all the help they could get to save them.

"For shame, Raine. You mean you don't want to leave it in the hands of our goodwill ambassador?" She raised in eyebrow in disbelief. He laughed. "I don't mind the support of a vindicated fonist," he said. "Especially if she can heal." Raine rolled her eyes but was amused all the same. If she could heal? What? She didn't prove it well enough back at the Zao Ruins? Or was he, for once, not paying attention? She brushed it all aside. Enough letting him take stabs at her. It was time to test him.

"Anyway, I'm curious about your opinions of Asch and Luke. Do you know why they look the same?"

His body language didn't express his surprise, but his eyes did. Momentarily. "You mean you don't know?"

Annoyed, Raine responded, "Maybe I do, but what if I'm not certain?" Or did that mean he somehow overheard her theory and knew she was right?

But Jade stopped, regarding her with confusion. He dropped his sarcastic smile and then continued walking, this time without looking at her. She followed him but at a much slower pace. What just happened?

Wait…. Guy picked up on her being a replica because he knew about Sync and Luke. If she truly thought Jade had something to do with fomicry, then surely he would've come to the same conclusion, given the same information about replicas that Guy had. Did he suspect the same about her, then?

She caught up to him. "You…" she began in a low voice, "you th—you know I'm a replica, don't you?"

"I thought you'd figured that out at the ferry."

So that's what was going on! He hadn't figured out her past at all. But he thought she thought he had. "I umm… I connected some dots about you, actually." It was a blatant lie, but it offered perfect deflection.

"Oh?"

"It's nothing you're concerned about I'm sure. Besides, I'm…" No, I shouldn't say anything. But his mischievous smile returned. Startled, she blurted, "Elder McGovern asked you to protect me. Even though you completed your obligation and I followed you here, I doubt he'd be all that impressed with you harming me."

"I could still crucify you at any point, you know. Your coming along almost guarantees that will happen, don't you think?" He smile widened. She glared at him. "I suggest you remain useful so I have no reason to."

That feeling in her heart returned. That tone of voice, that smirk he'd used all along. He was thoroughly teasing her. He really wouldn't hurt her. But that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy every opportunity he could get to toy with her.

"Well, I know the least useful I can get away with is to be kidnapped by the God-Generals and carted away, like Luke was," she said.

"I don't recommend that. Luke was fairly important to our mission."

There it was. He had no intention of protecting her. Raine frowned and pulled away. Of course, even if Jade didn't know she was a half-elf, he still had no reason to come for her if anything happened to her. Would anyone? She stopped at the gate to Chesedonia and waited for the rest of the party. Luke, absolutely not, even with Mieu begging in his ear. At least, not unless she was right in front of him. Tear maybe would, if she wasn't busy with something else. Natalia might, again if she wasn't helping someone else already. Anise wouldn't. Ion…? Only if he could convince Anise to help. The odds probably weren't great there. But Guy…? She really hoped so.

He might be her only chance at being rescued.

Raine gulped. Hopefully the God-Generals never saw reason to harm her.

The Curse Slot

We finally reached Chesedonia, but just as we were about to take care of things at the Malkuth consulate, I got another one of those headaches and started hearing voices again. We decided to take a little break at the inn, just to be safe.

The encounter with the human named Vharley was unpleasant to say the least. As the party left the mine, Genis saw Regal walking slower than the others. Despite no one casting any judgement on him after what they learned, Regal was probably not comfortable having his crime told out loud like some common gossip. And the anger shown back there made it crystal clear there was some bad blood between Regal and Vharley.

Although his petty side still wasn't comfortable, the man had saved them a lot of time by guiding them to the mine. Now, they had a working charm for Presea to wear until they could make a better Key Crest. Also… he'll surely understand. Genis approached him. Regal looked at him but didn't say anything, which was just as good.

"You've killed a human being," Genis said dryly. There wasn't any point in hiding what he wanted to talk about.

"That's right," Regal looked away. "I apologize. I imagine it's not easy traveling with a criminal. I hope you can tolerate me for a short while. Just long enough for us to save Presea."

Genis didn't understand how Regal could sound so calm about his situation. After many months since that day, Genis was still assaulted by guilt at the mere reminder of killing someone.

"I-I'm a murderer, too," Genis looked down.

Regal turned to him confused.

"I've hurt countless people to protect myself and my sister. I was forced to kill someone I wanted to help." Marble's screams echoed in his ears.

Regal stayed silent.

"I don't know what it was you did, but I won't tell you to leave just because you've killed someone."

"I see."

"Because… we're all the same."

"Thank you," Regal said with a ghost of a smile.

Genis didn't know how everyone else coped with what they've done. At the beginning, when he believed the lie of saving the world, their actions felt justified, righteous even, when they fought off the Desians and blew up the ranches. Until the truth came out. Now, what was all the killing for?

Survival. It was his friends or them. Nothing else. No matter how much Lloyd spouted they were looking for a way to save both worlds, until they found it, their killing was not justified beyond trying to survive in a hostile world. Genis didn't mind as long as he could keep his loved ones alive.

Raine would agree with his thought process. She hadn't been a fan of killing before. Whenever they were found out, she chose running rather than fighting back. Even when Genis learned his first spell, she always forbade him from using it with killing intent.

Then, a certain incident took place.

Back when Genis met with Colette, Raine, and Kratos in the desert, his mind was too focused on learning where Lloyd was taken, and his relief at finding them was immeasurable. That said, when sundown came and they were still in the desert without any clues, they returned to Triet since camping out in the sand would not be a good idea.

In the inn, Genis couldn't sleep. The nightmares had become a constant since he and Lloyd were casted out of Iselia. He would always dream of that fight, the hurt, the screams, and then the look of hatred from an old woman he was unable to help. So now that Raine was back, he went to find her.

To his luck, Colette was already asleep. Genis loved his friend but wasn't sure if he was ready to share his sin with her or what really happened. Colette didn't deserve to hear about their beloved village's ugly side yet. He and his sister left the room and went for a walk. There, Genis spilled his guts about what happened in Iselia.

Raine hugged him to calm the tears that came to his eyes. She let him cry everything out, at times humming the lullaby. The sounds of the familiar song comforted him. When he was a little calmer, Raine explained that what he felt wasn't wrong, it would just take time to heal. He'd tried to help out of the goodness of his heart but, sometimes, things didn't go as one wanted. That's when his sister started to tell him a story of a memory, one that seemed so distant but was a grave reminder of her role in Genis's life.

Raine was carrying a feverish four-year-old Genis during a storm. They had no medical supplies, her healing artes weren't strong enough, and the scarce food supplies were all for him until his body could break out the fever. Raine was hungry but ensuring Genis's health was her priority.

She found a barn, seemingly abandoned, and entered to shelter them from the rain. It was supposed to be safe… until it wasn't. The human who owned it found them in the middle of the night. Worst of all, it was one of the humans who casted them out of the village they'd been living in a few days ago. Raine tried to run at first, but there was no other way out than the one being blocked, and her strength was nothing due to lack of food. When she was thrown to the ground, she saw him advancing towards Genis, who was so weak he could barely keep his eyes open. That's when she saw a pitchfork.

She took it and hit the man on the back to grab his attention. Raine only wanted to protect Genis, and that's what pushed her body even though her stomach hurt so much. She and the man scuffled over the pitchfork for what seemed like minutes when it was barely seconds. Raine was able to push the man away and hit him hard in the head, hoping to leave him unconscious. The man didn't move after that. Raine panicked. She shook him but no response. In case, she checked his head and then felt something in her fingers.

Blood. Horror.

She took Genis in her arms and ran out of the barn. The rain had stopped during the fight.

Raine found a hole under the trunk of a tree and crawled inside it, curling up to Genis to keep him warm. When the adrenaline subsided, reality sunk in. She killed someone. She killed someone.

She killed someone.

Raine couldn't handle it. It wasn't her choice, she just wanted to protect Genis. If she hadn't fought back, her little brother….

Raine didn't sleep that night, albeit due to the guilt or the worry if Genis would wake up the next day, she didn't know. In the darkness under that tree, she bawled until the sun rose high in the sky, never letting go of Genis.

She never spoke of it. The damage was done, and it was better to spare Genis of her crime. That said, after a few days of processing and crying in silence when her brother was asleep, Raine realized something. Kill or be killed. Her brother or the humans that hated them out of prejudice. If she had to bloody her hands to give Genis a future, then so be it. They would survive, no matter what, until they found a home. A true home.

From that day on, Raine took to killing if necessary and when provoked. It was them or the humans, she said, yet never allowed Genis to do the same.

"I always wondered what happened in those days. I couldn't remember," Genis said in bewilderment at the whole story. "You never told me anything. And I knew not to ask."

"And I wished you'd never have to find out," Raine stroked Genis's cheek. "Now you understand why. But remember this, Genis. We don't kill because we want to, we do because we need to survive. In this world that hates us because we were born, we need to fight. Your actions were not out of evil, you didn't wish for Marble's death…"

Genis grimaced. "I'm sorry for what I said in Ozette. It was wrong. But that doesn't mean I like you, understand?!"

"I see."

Genis ran back to the front, stopping behind Lloyd and Sheena who were talking. He looked back for a second, seeing Regal much more relaxed while he caught up with the party. Genis relaxed too as if some of the weight was lifted off him.

"…so, it's okay to forgive yourself."

We headed for the inn, but all of a sudden, I couldn't control my body. It seemed like Asch was controlling me instead. He made me pull out my sword and attack Tear, even though I didn't want to. The headache got so bad I passed out and got carried to the inn. How embarrassing...

Jade says that Dist probably did something to me back in Choral Castle. I'd actually forgotten about that. He said that unless we can find Dist there's not much we can do about it.

Then we started talking about what to do with Ion. He said he wanted to go to Akzeriuth, and everybody else decided that we could protect him from the Oracle Knights that way. They all ignored me. I'M the ambassador, dammit! Don't leave me out of things!

Ion and Anise ended up coming along, making eight of us. I just want to catch up to Master Van.

Master Van should be in Chesedonia. We'd better hurry to the Malkuth consulate.

I just feel that Luke ought to be the first to learn of matters that concern him. Jade had said that just before Luke woke up.

It turned out to be a stupid thing to say.

He had noticed it after they put Luke to bed in the inn. Raine had a look of horror on her face and then she had turned to Jade for answers, no doubt thinking the same thing would happen to her. It wouldn't unless the God-Generals opened her fon slots to her original, too, but they didn't seem interested in her. Something about that lack of interest still bothered him. Even so, he had shaken his head at her. This is not the time. She understood, but he underestimated her desire for answers. She waited until Luke was up and they were leaving the inn before trying again.

They were headed to the Malkuth consulate when Raine followed him outside and thrust her chin as indication to follow. What a nuisance. Well, he still appreciated how much she valued secrecy, at least in regards to his secrets, but judging from the fire in her eyes, this wasn't going to be a conversation he wanted to have.

"Where are you guys going?"

"Don't be jealous now, Guy," Jade told him.

"J-jealous? Of what?" Still, he blushed.

"Just a quick jaunt," Raine said, smiling as she shoved Jade in the back with her staff to get him moving. "We'll catch up to you."

"Huh?" Natalia exchanged glances with the other party members. "What's going on?" Tear shrugged.

"Forget about that, Natalia," Luke replied. "We need to speak with the Malkuth Consulate. Do we really need Jade for that?"

"Yeah," Guy said, "we kinda do…."

But it wouldn't matter. Jade would make sure this strange bout of Raine's audacity wouldn't last long. Still, what did the woman want? And why right now?

Was she finally ready to ask about fomicry? She might be concerned about something similar happening to her that happened to Luke. As far as Jade knew, there was nothing to worry about, but how would she know that? She certainly seemed emboldened by this recent conversation.

When they found a spot that was fairly private, she didn't waste any time speaking.

"You don't seem concerned about what I know of you." Oh? That's what Raine wanted to start with? Interesting.

"I don't care, honestly." He shrugged. It was true. He didn't. She could know or believe of him what she wanted. Nothing would change.

"You can be dangerous when you want to be," Raine admitted. "But something tells me that you don't see me as a threat." Indeed her body language seemed to indicate she didn't think he was much of a threat, either. Rather than making herself small, she stood as tall as she could and faced him squarely. This was new. Before, she'd barely wanted to look him in the eye.

"It's true," He replied. "You are no threat to me whether you speak about what you've learned or not." Raine tilted her head, studying him, likely weighing whether or not it really was true. "You won't get the reaction you're expecting if you do." Mostly because there was no authority in Auldrant who didn't know of his past. The worst that would happen is that more people would recognize Colonel Jade Curtiss as Jade the Necromancer. That could become a problem only in slowing them down, but Jade would reach his goals regardless. Anything Raine could say wouldn't compromise this mission.

Besides, she'd be stupid to do so. If she wanted to find Genis, starting a war and shutting down ports would severely limit her ability to find him, so she wouldn't want to do anything that would jeopardize that.

"I'll take that as an assent to speak freely without fear of reprisal." Hm? Raine must have decided to believe him. "As much as you denied it," she said, "you and Dist were friends once, despite one of you being part of Malkuth military and the other is a God-General from Daath. Those documents you gave to him… perhaps that technology is the connection. If the machine that Dist used truly is connected to the isofon research, your relationship would explain why you'd recognize it and how you memorized the contents of those documents so quickly, and why you'd give them up so easily right away. You didn't need time to digest the material, which means you were already familiar with the research." Jade's eyes widened from the surprise. She certainly didn't share Luke's naivety. Anise had mentioned in passing that Raine kept a journal and that she wrote for a purpose; was this the consequence of that practice? Jade would have to be careful around her.

"Now, now, tread lightly on the past. I don't think you'd enjoy the regrets."

"I can't make you answer," Raine stated, "but if you're colluding with Dist, that might become a problem for you if anyone found out. Given that you're on a mission of peace."

"In that case, I suppose I should alleviate your concerns," Jade said, "I haven't had anything to do with Dist since before he became a God-General. So, no, I am not colluding with him. Now, I do not wish to discuss that further, just as much as you have your own secrets to hide."

She had to know it was a threat, but the look in her eyes was rebellious and reckless, as if it wouldn't matter if he mentioned Martel. He realized it in that moment. His threats had no bite. Why not? Wasn't she worried about people knowing about Martel anymore? As further proof, she didn't stop there. "The fact that you don't want us to know what's entailed in that research suggests there's something there worth hiding. I'm even inclined to think you let Dist have those documents so he could make progress on what the both of you were doing.

"Now, it's possible I'm wrong about all this," she said, "but the alternative is that you are a very busy man with a lot more to hide than anyone wants to guess. Which would you believe is more likely, given that you can 'make Dist remove' whatever he did to Luke? After all, you do seem to know a lot more about him—about us—than you let on."

Jade's face remained stoic, but he was impressed. This woman was sharp! What else had she noticed? And surmised from her observations? Not only that, she had the confidence to approach him about it knowing that he wouldn't retaliate. Where did this come from? Did he say something wrong somewhere? "I suppose there's no point in denying it then. Yes, I am familiar with the research."

Her face turned smug. "That's what I thought. I'm surprised you even told us about replicas if you don't want anything known about this." Meaning what? That comment sounded like she wasn't a replica. There were some things about her that didn't quite make sense. No, it wasn't that. She must be referring to telling the others about it, too.

"In a spark of compassion and morality," Jade replied, "I felt that certain people had a right to know about it."

Raine's eyes widened. She realized something. What? Or was it so hard to believe he had compassion? Perhaps it was. At the time, half of the party was made up on replicas, though it appeared all but the one didn't know it. She was the one currently staring him down with sheer challenge. The others had no idea they were replicas, as far as he could tell. But letting them know without singling them out as replicas… Jade felt how he handled it was a natural way to clue them in without letting the others know too much.

"However," he said as he leaned towards her. "Please consider my reasons. Sometimes knowledge is better left unacquired." Especially considering a replica's usual lifespan. He didn't know the extent of Raine's knowledge of the experiments, but considering how little information subjects usually received about themselves, was she likely to know about the Big Bang and its consequences…? She might be a little more concerned about time if she did.

But apparently she wasn't about to buy it. Raine frowned and leaned towards him herself. "How can I protect myself with ignorance? I'd rather know what they want to hide from me." After a pause she pulled back and added, "I won't let myself be taken advantage of again."

"Again?" But she didn't elaborate. Was she referring to Sheena? Or the researchers who created her? Or as there something else entirely?

"Perhaps even now Dist is continuing the research on fomicry and somehow, that will benefit you. Though it will be an indirect benefit."

Damn this woman was persistent. What happened to the restraint she'd shown before now? She was definitely more confident than she should be. Good grief, he said the wrong thing. He really should watch that. "Shall we drop this matter now? Or maybe you'll suddenly find you have a lot more of your own history to explain." If he had to, he'd pin her down and make her talk about who created her and what on Auldrant Martel was.

Still, that wasn't enough of a threat.

"How involved were you?" Raine asked. "I get the feeling you were more than hands-on." She must know much more than he thought. This confrontational side of her seemed strange for someone whose main focus is self-defense. And she was definitely sure she knew what she was talking about.

And that he wouldn't retaliate. Was it something Guy said? They did spend a lot of time whispering secrets together.

"What makes you so sure of that?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I wouldn't throw much weight behind this theory, except that if you truly weren't deeply involved, your behavior doesn't make sense."

"Interesting. I'm sorry, but it's enough you know about the technology. I won't speak any further of it."

"Fine," Raine said, and then, no doubt capitalizing on her replica status, "If you ever do speak of it, Luke and I had better be the first to hear it, as you promised." With that, she walked off, heading for the others clustered in a group in the middle of the road. They'd preferred to wait, apparently.

Damn. He really said the wrong thing.

Oh, that was so gutsy…. Raine felt her heart pounding so hard as she hurried back to the others. She'd better watch herself. Perhaps she pushed it a little far, but sure enough, he didn't retaliate. He turned serious, but he wasn't angry. Annoyed, but not angry.

He also didn't deny anything.

One thing was no longer speculation, though: Luke definitely was a replica. And Jade knew it. Even confirming some of her thoughts about what was going on, there were still too many things that didn't make sense. If Jade wasn't responsible for Luke, and she still wasn't convinced he had nothing to do with him, then what did Dist want with Luke? Or Sync? Nobody seemed interested in him beyond what happened at Choral Castle. What was the purpose for taking Luke back to that machine? And what exactly had they done to him?

Jade indicated that it was connected to Luke's body moving automatically. Could it also be connected to hearing Asch's voice? But Luke had been hearing voices before Choral Castle. Guy had said as much at the oasis. So what did Dist do to him?

Pondering about it endlessly still left nothing but conjectures, but even with her anxiety about having tested Jade, it still beat worrying about Genis.

At the Malkuth consulate, we found out that Master Van had already left for Kaitzur. Dammit, if only we hadn't gone off to save Ion! Just as we were about to go after him, this time Guy suddenly grabbed his arm like he was hurt, and then he threw me back like he was being controlled. Apparently somebody used something called a curse slot on him, which allowed him to be controlled. We were going to call a doctor, but he said not to worry, and that we should go and get on the ship. Ion said the power of the curse slot weakens with distance from the user, too, so we decided to leave Chesedonia as soon as we could.

As soon as the ship left Chesedonia, Guy started feeling better. I guess the user of the curse slot must have been in Chesedonia. That's a relief.

Now we just have to catch up with Master Van.

A/N: Greetings, Readers! :D I hope you are all doing well.

Yeah, I know I said I had this one finished a long time ago, but a certain part kept nagging at me and I decided to just deal with it. I couldn't decide if I wanted to show the conversation in the Chesedonia inn or not, and I finally decided not to include it because it really didn't add anything. But I needed some form of transition there. So... I tweaked until I was happy. This section had a lot of "deleted suggestions" in my comments panel in Word for how the conversation should go. It looks like a mess, but I hope it paid off. :D

Also, the conversation from Jade's perspective wasn't quite what I wanted. I'm still not 100% happy with it (more like 95%), but it's factual to what I want it to be, so it's posted! I will post Chapter 32 by the 19th. I'm still working on Akzeriuth so I don't want to rush things too much until that one gets closer to being finished. 33 is also giving me some fits, but meh. I'll tackle that one next.

Thank you again to Raven Tsurara for her part with Genis! I absolutely love what she's doing with Genis and Regal, and I hope you all do too. Raven already knows this, but I love her rhetorical choices in this chapter.

Thank you all so much for reading, kudosing, commenting, sharing, and whatever other "ings" you do, especially being amazing! Here's hoping your week holds the same awesomeness that you do. Be well!

EDIT: * sigh * I give up making promises, even if they seem 99% possible. Unfortunately the delay wasn't laziness since I had a rough week last week, thanks to some of those "blindsides" you don't think to worry about until they happen. :( I won't be able to do much this weekend, but early next week, I'll have a chance to finalize things, so, again without promising..., I'm going to try getting 32 posted by the end of the month. I know ya'll understand, so I really appreciate your patience and your continued support, even in spite of all my empty promises I'm so good at breaking.

EDIT: Yup. :) Hi. * waves * I've noticed some of ya'll are still checking this chapter for updates. So... here's what happened: I didn't have a good feeling about chapter 32, and I decided that I just plain didn't like it. So I scrapped part of it and am now rewriting and fixing it. I'll be honest... I don't know how long this will take because it's been such a struggle even making the bones feel right, let alone finalizing it. I know they say perfectionism is the opposite of done, but if I don't like what I've written, how can I expect you to enjoy it?

But I do promise this much: I am still working on it. My many files of rewrites be my witness! * shakes paw * Now come together, 32! My beloved peeps are waiting!

EDIT: I've noticed some loyal readers are still checking for updates (I'm assuming that's what you guys are doing...), so I thought I'd update ya'll since the last time. :) I have the bones of 32 finished. Now I just need to make tweaks and improvements. As a special treat for your keeping this story in mind and watching these updates, I'll give you a sneak peek into what I've finalized thus far:

Raine approached his door and raised her hand to knock but stopped. How absurd, feeling a pull to come visit with him. He was, after all, a human from another planet. Getting too involved with anyone from this world was stupid. But there was something comforting about being around him.

Oh forget it. It wasn't important.

She knocked on the door but he didn't answer, even after she waited for several breaths. She felt her heart beating a little faster. Did that mean he was okay? Or was he actually sleeping? Should she open the door and check on him? The curse slot could still be bothering him. She really didn't know enough about it. No, that couldn't be it. He seemed fine later once they'd left Chesedonia.

He must be outside.

-End Blurb

I probably won't get this finished before the end of August, but I am seriously putting in some effort now that I'm not struggling so much with the bones of the chapter. I know what it's trying to do now, I just need to make it pretty. I'm strongly anticipating September. We'll see! Thank you for your continued support!

~~Kat =^-^=