Chapter 32

The Papal Knights were waiting for them in Ozette, a villager practically turning them in the moment he saw them before he ran away. Lloyd was right, these people didn't deserve Presea. More importantly, how did the knights find them again? Gaoracchia Forest was massive, and they hadn't exactly run in Ozette's direction the first time.

There wasn't any time to ask questions though. They were surrounded.

Lloyd didn't waste another second and threw the first hit at the obnoxious leader. The power of the Beast arte broke the Papal Knights' formation, some even fell thanks to their heavy armor. With that opening, the party moved on instinct. Genis ran to the center of the party's formation. Sheena and Colette passed him while running to the back. With his rear covered, he brought the kendama out.

Eyes on Lloyd, he started to direct his casting towards the Papal Knight in yellow armor but caught Zelos releasing an Air Thrust in the same direction. The Papal Knight barely flinched from the air blades trying to cut through his armor.

Strange. Genis released a lower-level spell, an Air Blade, and saw the magic bounce off the armor. Were they now strengthened against magic? Either that or the party was tired from the whole trip to the mine and back. Nonetheless, this wasn't great for Genis's current stamina.

With Lloyd covered by Zelos, Genis turned to his left, and found Regal struggling against a pile of green armored knights. Cowards! They were trying to overwhelm him. Genis started to cast again but remembered his little discovery; he would need to charge more mana even in medium level spells. Not only that, but Regal was also too close and risked being hit. If he tried to get his attention, the knights would get a hint of his plan.

That's when…"Honor us with the splendor of thy song... Holy Song!"

Pink light passed him, the warm energy enveloping his whole body. He saw Regal covered by the light too. Right on cue, Genis heard Colette's battle cry as the signal and knew what it meant. There was no need to hold back now.

Genis bounced the ball of the kendama rhythmically, concentrating the mana on his hand through the movement. It's them or us. He released a Stalagmite under the mob of Papal Knights. It sent them flying. Some of them, Regal caught before they fell, releasing mighty kicks upon them. The formations of rock completely ignored him and did no damage.

Colette's spell had done its job.

Genis started to cast again, this one much faster. He released an Icicle to hit the falling knights on the back after they landed. It wasn't enough as some of the sharp ice broke upon contact and the knights stood up again. Genis didn't stop casting.

Those armors are so annoying! These normal humans can take this much damage and I'm going to run myself to the ground here!

While Genis debated how bad it would be to cast an advanced fire spell on top of a big tree, Regal took out some of the knights and diverged his attention for a second. He nodded at him before going back to the fray. Genis flustered, was that gratitude? He would ask later.

He turned towards his back where Sheena was fighting a couple of Papal Knights. Genis charged enough mana into the spell and raised the kendama.

"Pancake time! Grave!"

One knight got impaled through the armor, a rasp coming from him before going limp. The other barely avoided the spikes. Still, one of the smaller spikes impaled his arm, leaving him open to Sheena's attacks.

As he whirled to the right, a knight was coming his way and swung his halberd. Genis pivoted away from the attack. While the knight recovered, he lashed the kendama's ball against the knight, yet it bounced off the armor no matter how many times he hit. Even his physical attacks were useless!

I can't cast!

A chakram came into view and hit the knight in the head, who fell to the ground. Genis didn't have time to make sure if he was unconscious or dead. He moved closer to Colette's position.

"Are you okay, Genis?" Colette caught the flying chakram and twirled the other one towards a knight running straight to them.

"Thanks, Colette! Cover me!"

"Sure!"

The numbers of the knights started to deplete, but there was no visible end to them as some came running from other areas of the village. How many had he helped beat? Five? Seven? He had no idea. How many did they bring this time?! Genis wasn't doing great in terms of mana from all the overcharging.

He casted a few Fireballs towards the knights fighting Colette. He knew it would do no damage but that didn't matter. Distraction was the key here, get them bewildered by the fire before getting whacked real hard by Colette.

Genis just hoped it wouldn't start an actual fire later.

With only a few knights left on her side, Genis backed away to his position in the center to let his mana recover a little bit. He looked around quick, seeing no more knights descending upon them. Only the ones still fighting his companions, maybe six or seven, were left. Lloyd and Zelos were struggling against the Papal knight in yellow armor. Guess the leader was no joke unlike the rest. Too bad for him Lloyd wasn't ready to throw in the towel either.

They were on the last legs of the fight. With Colette keeping his back safe, he had an idea. Unlike Sylvarant, Tethe'alla was the flourishing world. Genis could get mana from anywhere. He took a deep breath and started to play with the kendama again.

Let's get a little wild. Genis smirked.

The casting circle shone brighter as Genis delayed the spell. The more mana gathered, it started to become slightly visible to his eyes. It created a trail while it followed the dance of the ball. Genis always thought this sight beautiful, as barely as he got to see it back in Sylvarant.

"Wave full of wisdom, swallow the misfortune done by the ravages of war!"

Focused on the task, he didn't notice the Papal Knight he thought unconscious getting closer to his position. When he heard the clang of the armor, Genis turned with a gasp. The knight took another swing with the halberd. If he dodged, his casting would be interrupted. If he didn't…

"Die, you dirty half-elf!"

Overthinking was a mistake on the battlefield. Genis closed his eyes. Raine!

"Genis!"

He heard something colliding against the metal. He opened his eyes and saw Regal sending the knight to the air with his mighty kicks. Genis was mesmerized by the sight. That guy's strength was something to be jealous of.

Genis looked back at the casting circle at his feet. This would probably be his last spell for the fight. He was so tired and frustrated, and wanted it to be over already. He wanted to see if Presea was okay. He wanted to give her the Key Crest. He wanted to thank Regal. He wanted to get the Rheairds back so he could go look for Raine. He wanted to tell her everything she missed. He wanted his sister to see how much he's grown while she was gone. He wanted her to recognize he can protect her and his friends.

Genis wanted Raine back.

Needing to release all that frustration, he raised the kendama.

"Tidal Wave!"

A vortex of water formed around the whole field. As it spiraled, the waves hit the Papal Knights mercilessly, even dragging some to the ground. They were now easy prey for the rest to pick. Genis could have almost felt bad…

Too bad, these humans deserved even worse to be able to pay for all their crimes.

Some of Ozette's residents that watched from afar would later say a Summon Spirit had descended upon their humble village. However, the screams of the Papal Knights would make them think of this event as a curse rather than a blessing.

Aboard the Katsbert Ferry.

Again.

Raine sat slumped in a chair, her hands hanging to the side, gazing at the ceiling as if she could see the stars outside beginning to appear. As much as she loved seeing the stars, she couldn't bring herself to go out and watch them. Instead, the rivets and beams above her served as their own constellations, stressed about something. She understood that stress, though she couldn't quite comprehend the source of her own. Must be because she was on the ocean again.

Of course. Being on the sea was never comfortable, even in something like an iron can with wooden planks. Sure, the wood might float and maybe she could find something to use as a small raft, but everything else was bound to sink and drown.

Guy wouldn't drown, though. She felt assured of that. He was, after all, a trained life guard. He would be there for her, but what about Genis? Would someone be a good enough swimmer to help him? No, it wasn't that she worried about him drowning. She worried about Cruxis catching up to him. Suddenly, she sat up, clapping her hands down on the table. Yes, that was it. Genis might be in trouble and she wouldn't be there for him. Scooting the chair back as she stood up, she picked up her bag and her staff and began wandering, first towards the porthole window, then past the bed, and eventually, out the door of her room.

Up and down the hallway felt like a good place to be, just to get rid of her nervous energy.

Cruxis was capable of a lot of things. The Desians and the Renegades had technology that she couldn't imagine. Most of it seemed to make life easier, such as the Rheairds and building a base with electricity and powered doors. Even with that technology, they relied on whips, crossbows, and mana users, both as half-elves and weird machines they called Raybits. Perhaps there was a reason for that. But what if they could control someone the way Luke and Guy were controlled? What if they had some way of controlling Lloyd or Genis? Or even someone who was helping them?

No. They couldn't. Raine shook her head. That was impossible. Luke was a replica, momentarily controlled, presumably, because he was a replica, though the specifics of why and how eluded her. As startling as that was, seeing Guy shove Luke aside because of a curse slot… well, that had its own implications. Ion had called it a Daathic Arte applied to a person's fon slots, but what did that really entail? He mentioned that the curse slot can read a person's brain and use those memories for control, which would mean Guy had some bad memories somewhere. Why would a curse slot work? Was it just about stirring up negative memories about something, human or otherwise? Or did it have to be something specific? What memories did Guy have that could be triggered? Or more specifically, what happened in his past that Guy could be overcome, even if only for a moment?

Something about these answers seemed important to know, just because Yuan had shown a sudden interest in Lloyd just before they boarded the Rheairds and fled, an importance that she had no answers to. That's right! How had she forgotten about that? What possible use could Yuan have for Lloyd when they initially wanted Colette?

She stopped walking and removed her journal from her bag, flipping back to the last couple of pages of when the whole group was together, the day they found out the true nature of the Journey of Regeneration. Raine hadn't remembered everything, but she wrote down all she could when she had a chance. Unfortunately, she saw nothing to indicate what Yuan could've wanted Lloyd for. So why…? Were the kids still okay? Her mind flickered back to the curse slot.

What if the Renegades had something like that?

It was possible, actually….

These people on this planet had found a way to convert mana into fonons, a more stable form of energy. With that came a lot of different abilities, including fomicry and fon slot curses. With the stability that fonons possess, she could see how it was possible to at least test theories like these. She snapped the journal closed and hung her head as she continued pacing down the hallway.

The thing is, though, Cruxis and the Renegades didn't use anything like that at all. Sure, they could create exspheres and Raybits, but when it came to controlling others, they used things like manipulation, human ranches, blackmail, and deceit. If they had the ability to control people using fon slots, they probably would've. It would be easy enough to create memories intended to enrage someone towards a specific target. Instead, they resorted to things like the "alternative human cultivation techniques" such as controlling the Mayor of Palmacosta through the demon seed in his wife. They wouldn't have had to send Kratos with Colette on her journey to make sure she did as she was supposed to.

Raine sighed, coming to a stop and staring through the wall at the end of hallway. It was possible for Cruxis and the Renegades to do those things, but they definitely didn't know it. The kids had to be safe. So why did she still feel so uneasy? She stuffed her journal back into her bag, turned around, and continued back past the doors of the other sleeping quarters. This feeling had nagged at her ever since they left Chesedonia, but she just couldn't figure out why.

Genis was with Sheena, and they were in Tethe'alla where Sheena had connections with the king. And certainly, to obtain the kind of technology that the Order of Lorelei had, it would take a lot more time than the short time she'd been here on… this planet, whatever it was called. Yes, he had to be safe. Believing otherwise would drive her insane.

Maybe she just didn't want to be alone. Was that it? It could be. Without Genis around, she'd felt more vulnerable, even if it was her job to protect him. After all, she hadn't been without him before coming here, and even now, everyone else was elsewhere on this ferry. Yes, perhaps it was that. But who would she see? Jade might not be too happy to see her after how much she pressed him in Chesedonia. No, that wouldn't be a good idea. Luke was too unpleasant for company. Tear? She was nice enough….

Actually, the answer was obvious. She only wanted conversation, someone to sit with and pass the time to Port Kaitzur.

Yes, that's all it was.

Counting the doors on the left, she searched for the room she saw Guy claim when they first boarded. Was he still in there? How else would she know if she didn't check?

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 way he looked when he disappeared into his room the first time had been a little disconcerting, especially since he brushed it off with his usual optimism, but in his behavior she saw it. He had ducked into his room as quickly as possible…. 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 the morning after they'd left Chesedonia, almost back to his usual self, even if she couldn't shake the image in her mind of him avoiding eye contact when they boarded.

He must be outside.

Raine trotted down the rest of the hallway, up the stairs, and through the door to the deck where the salty breeze outside reminded her of why she wanted to stay inside the ship, not that the temperature was terribly cold, but the damp air didn't help. Even so, she stepped out onto deck, finally slowing. The sun was nearly hidden by the ocean's horizon and a few people were out to enjoy the last of its set, including Ion who offered a warm smile before turning back to the ocean. Anise stood near him, half-asleep on the middle rail, and even though Anise was in no danger of falling, Raine briefly thought about pulling her back just in case. The ocean's roar from the ship changed her mind. That and Ion was with her. He wouldn't let her fall either.

Raine roamed around the cabin walls looking for Guy until she saw him on the starboard deck, leaning on the rail with his arms draped over and his forehead resting on the bar.

Well that wasn't a good sign.

Raine approached him, though now that she saw him, something in her fears felt confirmed. Was he really okay? That posture sure didn't look okay.

She stamped down the staff a little harder on the deck as she stepped towards him. When he raised his head, she stopped, just a few feet away and next to the cabin wall. He peered over his shoulder at her. She could see him clearly but for the shadow cast across half his face from the cabin lighting. He smiled at her. Oh good. He really was back to his normal self.

"Why are you way over there?" he asked her. Because the ocean is there… Like hell she would admit that. Raine settled on glancing off to the side. "You can come closer, you know." Amused, Guy turned away to laugh and stood up straight. "Man, didn't you say that to me once?"

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Raine replied, though she herself felt a little better. He really did look okay now. Especially since he was laughing.

"Nah, it's okay." He waved her over, but she didn't move. That's when he faced her more full-on and his smile disappeared. He noticed her bag and frowned. "Does your room not have a key?" It wouldn't matter if it did. She didn't want to leave her stuff unattended just in case. He might've guessed as much.

"It's a habit. How is your arm?" She thrust her chin in his direction and stepped towards him.

Guy covered his cursed slot with his hand. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"It doesn't hurt?"

"It's not bad." Guy turned back to the rail, returning his attention to the water. The way he ran his hands along the rail returned that sinking feeling to her heart. He seemed happy to see her, and now he didn't even want to look at her? Disconnecting could mean that something about that curse slot bothered him. The timing of his reaction certainly shot that option to the top of her list. Was it his memories that the curse stirred up? Was it that he had pushed Luke without meaning to? Or something else? Maybe he wasn't doing as well as she hoped.

"I imagine it's not easy finding out you can be controlled like that. I know it would bother me." Raine saw the gasp of his breath disappear into the sea air. As much as he tried to stand as straight as possible, his shoulders sagged. She was sure if she could look him in the eye, she'd see the truth. But he wouldn't dare show her that. It wasn't his style.

Sure enough, when he looked at her again, he had plastered on a strained smile with an empty version of his usual brighter mood. His voice had changed to something more confident, more a projection of himself. "You know, I can't figure out what Jade meant. What he told Luke."

"What?" That's not what you were just thinking about. But he'd just invoked their pact. Raine sighed, resigning herself.

Guy continued as if he'd been thinking about it all along. "I mean, back at Chesedonia." He leaned on the rail again, this time splitting his attention between her and the ocean. "He said he would make Dist remove whatever he did to Luke. I couldn't quite figure out what he meant, you know?"

This was a diversion, but he sounded genuine in his confusion. Was this a real question? If it was, Guy apparently wasn't as skilled as connecting the dots as she was. That's weird. He always seemed way smarter than that. Flighty, but smart. Okay, she might as well play along. "It's just as it sounds," Raine said.

"No, I mean, he can make Dist do something because they were old friends, but that seems like a strange way to put it. I almost wonder if it confirms your suspicion that he knows more about that stuff than we thought."

Confused, Raine just watched him as he once more turned his face to her. The way the ferry's light traced his face highlighted his youthful features. Huh. After traveling through the sand so much, he sure cleaned up nice—she shook her the thought from her mind. "Well," Raine started but really wasn't sure what to say. He flashed a boyish smile and blushed before turning away, dipping his chin onto the bar to hide his face. What was that about? She spoke slowly, "It's probably because he used to work with Dist. He all but confirmed he researched that technology, fomicry."

Guy's head snapped up from the bar. "Seriously? Even Luke?" He pulled away, leaving just the one hand on the rail. He didn't need its support anymore. Finally, everything about him looked normal as he stood up straight. Raine felt relieved to see it and released a deep breath.

"Still denies that much," she replied, "but he definitely had a larger hand than just knowing about it. He was deeply involved." The news seemed to take him off guard. It puzzled him and threw him right back into deep thought. Why? She lifted her head, curious. "What is it?"

"It's…" Guy said. "I figured he knew a lot more about what happened to Luke than he really wanted us to know, I mean… after what you've told me before, but I didn't think it meant he knew exactly what it was that needed done." Oh…

Raine supposed that was true. She assumed he had something to do with it, but now that Guy said that, she knew he was right. Jade fully understood what happened to Luke and knew it could be changed. With Jade and Dist working on the project together, of course that would be true. Otherwise, why would he say "remove" it instead of something more vague, such as "take care of" it. "Perhaps there's something in that," Raine said finally. "I do know it's safe to say Jade researched fomicry hands-on."

"So he knows a lot about Luke…" he muttered, "but he wasn't involved in his kidnapping?" His thoughtful expression was a nice change from the distressed expression he wore a moment ago. Did he think Jade was lying about the kidnapping, too? It certainly didn't make sense that Jade knew so much but had nothing to do with Luke, but his never being at Choral Castle didn't make sense either. As Guy had pointed out, Jade was surprised to see the machine there. After she saw the glimmer of him returning to normal, Raine noticed the shadow's echo return. Guy returned his hands to the rail and leaned forward across it like a seasick passenger about to feed the ocean. As salty as the rails were, that had to be uncomfortable. At least he finally admitted it to her that he didn't feel right. She took a couple steps closer but remained close to the cabin.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Raine asked.

He nodded and tossed her another smile. "You really don't have to worry about me. I haven't felt anything for days, not since we left Chesedonia." Raine nodded but didn't believe him. She couldn't quite identify specifically what was wrong, but now she was absolutely sure it was about the fon slot curse. He stood up again and watched her. Something seemed to occur to him as he tilted his head. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. Why?"

"You just seem so uncomfortable."

"Do I?" She found herself unsure what to say. Of course she felt it, but why admit that? He certainly didn't need the extra worry. "If I do, it's because I'm on a ship. We are in the middle of the ocean. It'll go away when we land."

"Ah, yeah…" He turned back to the water. "Okay. If you're sure about that." Damn. He didn't believe her either. Well, he had no reason to, she supposed, but she didn't like that he picked up on hers as much as she picked up on his. After a few moments of silence, he said, "It sucks being afraid all of the time." Suddenly, he slapped at the top rail. "Hey, I know! It's drowning that you really fear, isn't it? You won't drown if you know how to swim. I'm a solid swimmer. I can teach you." Oh yes, she could find a way to drown. No amount of flailing her limbs would prevent her from panicking, no matter how controlled she tried to be about it. She stepped back and shook her head.

"No, I don't think so."

"Well, not here obviously, but for now, maybe just hold the rail."

No. It was her small hands losing their grip that initially dumped her in the ocean as a child. Regardless, wouldn't taking the rail only prove she was nervous about something else? Raine hesitated. It was a long time ago when she fell off the ship. Genis wasn't even conceived yet, but the memory returned in full force when she thought about taking a step towards the rail.

"You can do it. I won't let you fall."

"Fall or drown?"

"Come on!" He waved her over, encouraging with more energy than she could ignore. Even despite her fear, she found herself laughing.

"If I do fall, you'd better damn well come get me."

"Haven't I already? I promise, you're safe with me."

Raine nodded and held out a shaky hand, almost tempted to lay down the staff so she could use both hands. Of course she could do this. Guy was here to help if anything went wrong. But even as she stood there, staring at the bar and shivering, the memory of the biting cold and choking on the water flooded her mind's eye. It was everything she could do to get into the washtub that took her and Lloyd's group to the Thoda Geyser. How could she manage standing at the rail?!

She dropped her hand to her side and stared at the deck below her in defeat.

"What's wrong?"

"You tell me, Guy."

He nodded, turning back to the sea. "The one thing that could conquer you, I guess."

Ashamed, she fell back against the wall of the cabin. "No, it can conquer us both. Don't pretend you don't let your fear overcome you as well."

"There's a slight difference here…." Guy said. Oh really? Raine felt the heat rising in her chest. "You have nothing to fear if you learn to swim. What can I do to overcome my own fear?" Hmph! Well, she wasn't going to let him get away with that!

Raine smirked and set her staff and bag on the deck next to the cabin. "Fine. You think you can teach me to swim and that will take away my fear of the water?" He nodded. "I'll bet you it won't work."

Guy waved her over. "Come on! Let's start with step one. You grab the rail and stand here with me—well, within a couple feet of me."

"Hypocrite." But she reached for the rail all the same. The hard part wasn't so much sliding her feet to the ship's edge as much as it was to peer down into the darker waters. The waves splashed by beneath her. The sight of it made her sick. She kept swallowing just to be sure nothing escaped her stomach. Her knuckles felt numb, either from the grip or the cold of the salt-watered rail, she wasn't sure which. She almost had to check for her legs to see if she was even still standing.

"See? This isn't so bad. Let's just start here." He clutched the rail in the same way she was, though she thought he looked far more relaxed than she felt. As far as she was concerned, he could do all kinds of tricks from that rail, maybe even jump into the ocean and somehow find a way back aboard like a well-trained starfish. The sheer talent he must've possessed. But instead, he kept his hands on the rail and watched her with a face that was slowly losing its enthusiasm. Too bad, since he had all of hers.

He started looking around while Raine focused her attention on not the ocean, anywhere but that damn deathbed of water. The numbness definitely came from her grip. It had to.

"You know, I never really appreciated the sky before I met you," Guy said suddenly.

"Hm?" Distracted, Raine looked up at him.

Sure enough, he eyes were fixed on the stars and he pointed to the sky where a narrow sliver of moon shone just below the belt of fonstones. Oh, so the sun was gone. Since she could still see him in the lamplight, she hadn't noticed. "Those have been there since forever but I never thought about how pretty they were until I saw you staring at them." Guy smiled in her direction.

"I take it you've never made up constellations?" Raine asked. He shook his head.

"But let me guess, you have." He turned back to the sky. Raine watched the tiny sliver of the moon floating in the water instead. The reflection was way over there, but it glowed harmlessly far away from her, like one of the distant sand fangs in a dark desert. Huh… suddenly that didn't seem so bad.

Realizing she hadn't said anything, Raine turned back to Guy. "It's useful if you don't know which ones are officially recognized."

"Oh, I'd love to see one of yours. Where is it? What's the story behind it?"

Raine laughed and turned to the south where an arc of three stars shown brighter than others. Clinging to the rail with one hand, she raised the other to point about half-way up in the sky. Guy followed the invisible line with his eyes. "Do you see that arc over there, the three really bright stars?" He nodded. "Just below it is what looks like a small arc and a small body. All of those together looks like a bird with a bladed beak. It's on its back, but…"

"Oh yeah… I remember Luke's monster book had one of those," Guy said. Luke had a monster book? Puzzled, Raine thought back. Maybe he had been doing more than writing in a journal. "An axe beak. From the Cheagle Woods, I think?" Really? Raine studied him until he looked at her again. He wasn't lying. So they had axe beaks here, too? But she couldn't tell him where she saw hers.

Disappointed, she replied, "Yes, an axe beak." From the Cheagle Woods, huh? More brightly, she said, "The axe beak constellation is how I know I'm looking south. If you draw a line from the top star of his beak to that star of the small arc of its tail, it points directly south."

"Wow…" Impressed, he drew an imaginary line with his finger, from one star to the next and down to the ocean horizon. "You sure know a lot about navigation. Who taught you that?"

"Who else?" Raine said with a note of amusement. "My parents did."

He gave her look of disbelief. "So are you the same as Luke, then? You replaced your original? Or was that why you think you were abandoned?"

Raine pulled away from the rail and wandered along it, running her hand along the bar. She could just say she didn't want to talk about that…. But this lie really bothered her. Why?! She'd never had so much trouble lying to people before. She'd lied to the villagers many times. She'd lied to Kratos and Sheena and even Lloyd.

"I'm sorry," Guy said from behind her. "Th-that was inappropriate."

"No, it makes sense why you'd ask." After all, how can a replica speak of having parents? Maybe there was a way to tell the truth without exposing herself to danger. She looked up at the sky. "I grew up knowing the truth about me, that I wasn't like the others in my village, that they didn't really trust me. But my parents, the ones who raised me, cared about me. We ran away from the village, I presume, for my safety. I don't know why they abandoned Genis and I, but I suppose you could argue that one way of stopping your pursuers is to get rid of the ones they're chasing you for." After all, considering how half-elves were the problem, and only Raine and Genis were half-elves, it might be one way to evade pursuit.

"I don't think that's what happened." Raine heard Guy's strong skepticism and still kept her eyes to the sky.

"It might be why they taught me how to survive and read nature; so they could leave us." Raine stopped at the stern and then turned to face him again. "You wouldn't have to worry as much about kids who could fend for themselves."

Guy shook his head and walked up to her barely a couple of feet away. Surprised, she watched him until she realized something. "I know that's not what happened," Guy insisted. "You can't raise kids like that and not care about them."

"Speaking from experience?" She asked, grabbing the rail again, this time, not quite as tightly. "You raised Luke into the spoiled brat that he is, but you still care about him."

"Heh, of course!" He leaned against the rail himself and thought about something. She knew that look. They way his eyes shifted back and forth, half-glazed over. He was debating whether to say it or not, whatever was on his mind. "The truth is, I know there is more to him than this. That's how I knew that, despite your barbs when we first started traveling together, I knew there was more to you as well. You're not just that fearful, defensive woman you project yourself to be."

So that was why he continued being so nice, huh? It had nothing to do with his being Luke's caretaker and servant? Regardless, she felt jealous of his casual no-hands contact with the railing. If only she could be that close to the edge with that kind of confidence. Could she ever be like that? Seeing the ocean made her feel queasy, but looking up made her feel less so, especially with Guy around. She rather liked the idea, and as she stood there, clinging to the bar and watching Guy stargaze, she knew it was possible. He had been improving since the first day they met, having cut down the distance between them in half. And he had already managed to distract her away from feeling so afraid of the ocean. Is that what it would take? How far did this go? She wondered. "You know," she said as she looked up at another cluster of stars. "Those stars over there look like something, too."

"Yeah, look at that long neck!" He followed a small string of stars, some brighter than others, at the top of the cluster. "Where is its head?"

"That reminds me of a tortoise…"

"Even the spikes on the back," Guy laughed as he explored the new constellation. The back wasn't quite curved like a shell, but she saw what he meant. Then she returned her attention to him. What if he was right? What if all it would take was to learn how to swim? Maybe that was true? But she certainly wasn't going to try that on herself. No, she had a much better idea. Could she get away with it? She slowly walked towards him.

"The tortoise from the Fubras River?" She asked.

"Ugh, I hated those things. They go into the shell and then what?"

Raine leered at him but he didn't notice. "The famous swordsman had to find his own way to defeat it," she said. "When the sword alone wouldn't work, he tried fonons."

Guy laughed again. Oh, she loved hearing it. "You're talking about Luke, aren't you?"

"Maybe," but she knew her smile said it all. This time he saw it and looked away. Somehow, she doubted his disappeared. "The lore is all anyone cares about."

"Then he learned how to wield wind and fire. Forget the shell," Guy said, "That tortoise needs something more to defend itself." He scoured the sky until he found what he was looking for and pointed to it. "And that hunter used a spear that came out of nowhere once the tortoise emerged from its shell."

"Oh, it's in trouble now," Raine added, but then she saw a small triangle of stars and had another idea. "But there's a seaspin, a known tortoise mutualist that strikes from behind."

"Seaspin?" He asked, confused. The stars didn't help him much even as he checked where she pointed. Good, he was very much distracted. She sidled closer to him, wondering if he'd notice. Her smile grew wider.

"Yes, it's a type of fish." Er wait… a fish from another world! Ugh, she did it again. But clearly they did share some animal species. Just because he'd never seen one didn't mean they didn't exist here. With more confidence, she raised her chin and said, "they attack beaches and use their triangular heads like a drill as they spin around."

"Huh…. I'd never heard of that."

Now would be a good chance! She'd see if he could improve his phobia in the same way hers did. In a swift motion, Raine leaned towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder. She pointed back to the hunter, making sure he focused on it instead. "He's closer to the seaspin than the tortoise."

Guy looked up at the hunter and laughed. "Well that should be easy! The seaspin can't get too close to the hunter without—" Raine felt him tense beneath her hand.

"Without…?" She asked as if nothing had changed. He didn't answer but stared first at the hunter and then, slowly, towards her. "What?" He looked down to her feet and then back up again to her face. Then his eyes followed the trail of her arm to her hand on his shoulder. "Is something wrong?" She asked again just before he leapt back, scuttling like a crab against the cabin. "Oh…." But she grinned victoriously. He'd proven it to her that she could face her fear, and now she showed he could too. What was the difference he mentioned again? Ha! Didn't exist.

From his place on the deck, Guy finished with an awkward nervous chuckle. "Th-the hunter slayed the seaspin and the swordsman cut off the tortoise's head."

"No, I think the seaspin won that round." She folded her arms and made to lean against the rail but the sensation of falling backwards caught her and reached out to grab the rail instead. Nope, too soon for that. She clung with both fists again and glanced back at him. "The hunter needs to work on his comfort with women."

"Hey, the hunter was originally Jade, not me." But Guy laughed anyway. "Remember the spear that came out of nowhere?" Well, that was true. Then, as his breathing leveled out, he shook his head at her. "I knew you were up to something. That look in your eye gave you away." Raine move away from the rail to sit down on the deck a couple of feet in front of him. She folded her legs beneath her.

"Do you know why you're so afraid?"

"Just… ever since I lost my family," he said. "I don't remember exactly what happened to cause it." Yeah, he'd said that before….

Raine shook her head. "That's not what I mean. That happened, but why are you still afraid?"

"My body just reacts."

"I know, but why."

His reply came in a low voice. "I can't answer that." Raine sighed. She couldn't either, but something was going on. There had to be a way to explain this. Why were they only afraid part of the time? She took comfort in one thing, though. As far as she knew, she was the only woman to have touched him without his immediately panicking. Something about that warmed her.

"What's that grin for?" He asked.

"Huh?" Raine blushed. "N-nothing."

"What about you then? You're afraid of water. Why?"

Her eyes narrowed in a glare. Oh, so that was it, huh? She knew why he asked her that. Didn't mean she'd let him get away with it. She understood her fear, even if he didn't fully understand his. "We're talking about you."

"You know what?" Guy gave her his boyish grin. "I'm okay now. Thanks." He got up from the deck floor and returned to leaning on the rail. This time, he truly looked it and Raine realized she felt more relaxed, too. Even if he didn't see it himself, she at least saw a way to overcome their fears. For the first time in her life, she actually felt that she could.

And seeing how limber Guy looked, she felt a pull to try. Raine inhaled a sharp breath. I should go. She turned on her heels and headed back for her room. Even as she closed the door behind her, she simpered. Finally, she could focus on translating more of Elder McGovern's book. She set her bag on the table and sat down to get to work.

Yes, she definitely felt less anxious. Genis was okay.

And so was Guy.

Rodyle played them. Genis had been right to suspect him, but it was too late. Colette was taken. Worse of all, Presea was involved. They hadn't considered the possibility she would be used against them. It was the perfect plan; there's no way anyone would have suspected her. Still, it was wrong to blame her.

The only one to blame for this was Rodyle, who had revealed himself as a Grand Desian Cardinal before taking off…. What was a Desian doing in the flourishing world, and why? That, and Colette's situation, would have to wait for any prying.

Genis felt hurt. Colette had been hurting, probably for a while (Lloyd had mentioned her falling more constantly but Genis shrugged it off due to her characteristic clumsiness) and hid it from them… again. He had known something was wrong since Sybak, and still wanted to trust Colette would come around and share it with him or Lloyd.

Good old sweet Colette, always worrying about others first, leaving whatever she wanted for last unless it was something she thought was her fault.

If Genis felt terrible, Lloyd's insides probably were a storm by now as he stood looking at the sky where the dragons disappeared. Genis wanted to go to him, but Regal beat him to the punch. The two spoke for a bit, then Lloyd sighed and turned towards Presea. Genis noticed his eyes were downturned.

In Lloyd's hand was the Key Crest the party spent many resources and time to get, even lost Colette over. Genis wouldn't blame him if he refused to give it to Presea; if he himself wasn't so concerned over her wellbeing, he probably would be apprehensive too. Proving Genis wrong as always, Lloyd approached Presea quietly and put the Key Crest over her exsphere.

"I've carved the charm. With this, she should return to her real self."

It took a moment before Presea uttered a sound, one that didn't sound as robotic as her usual ones. Genis walked closer to her.

"Presea? Are you okay?" Genis didn't dare touch her, for if the Key Crest failed, she could attack immediately, or in the other case, she could get scared after being freed from what Genis imagined was a thick fog over her heart.

Presea moved her arms a little, and then looked around slowly. What started as calm movements turned frantic in a moment; the glow of disorientation in her eyes and her whole visage tensing gave away everything.

She looked back at Lloyd. "What? What am I doing?"

No one hurried to answer, uneasy and unsure of how to explain all the events that would sound outlandish to a young girl like Presea. Where to even start? Was she as aware as Colette said she was during that state, or was Presea's heart so buried deep inside that fog she didn't even remember anything since the beginning of her torment?

Genis was about to speak when Presea flinched.

"Where's my daddy?"

Oh no, then… the faces of his friends gave easy way to horror.

Presea rushed towards her house. Everyone else hurried after her. Genis's legs felt like jelly after the fight with the Papal Knights, but that didn't keep him from trying to outrun everyone else. He wanted to stop Presea from finding that ghastly view, to protect her, though he had no right to keep it hidden. If that body used to be her father, as his daughter, she deserved to know the truth of his fate.

When they arrived, Genis saw Presea walking inside the house with slow steps. As she went deeper, her reactions became a reflection of the party's when they first entered; bewilderment, revulsion, dread, and then… panic.

"I—what have I been doing?!"

Presea's screams echoed to the far reaches of Ozette.

A/N: Phew! I finally got this one to where I'm happy with it. Special thanks again to AngelAdept for her suggestions. I finally got the thread I needed to make this chapter feel whole.

Okay… so seaspins are around the Meltokio area, but I'm going to say Raine's heard of them anyway. She was in Tethe'alla for 11 years, it's possible. * stubborn * But "Fish", the Sylvarant equivalent, didn't have the same effect or zing. So yeah... I've decided to be a little fluid about the fauna of the biomes, apparently. LOL

Plus I just love the name "seaspin". Those and Peepits are my favorite monsters just because. Anyway...

Kudos to Raven Tsurara for her work on the Symphonia side. Thank you, my friend! You're doing awesome!

~~Kat =^-^=