Chapter 39

Raine's bag had never felt heavier.

Enough so that it wore her out to take it up stairs, and she almost took her bag off her shoulder to drag it down the hallway towards the bridge. Digging through the rooms was so much fun, but now she felt depleted, both physically and emotionally. Of course she did. Carrying this much of a burden up a flight of stairs would exhaust anyone. She ignored the feeling that suggested it was something else.

When she reached the bridge, she heaved her bag to the floor and let it drop. The noise drew everyone's attention and Jade, Tear, Anise, and Ion all turned to see what was going on. Huh, Natalia was gone, too. Raine turned her back to them before she saw any of them frown at her. It was bad enough seeing that look on Guy's face when she refused to tell him. She didn't want their judgment, too. Raine stared at her bag.

She had too much stuff. There was no way she could haul everything she found and run away if she needed to. Maybe she should give up a few things. Raine began digging through it for anything she could get rid of. Anything. This ancient ribbon, the silver hat, and those silk gloves, suddenly even the funding they would give her didn't matter.

She threw down a faerie ring and the nut and tossed the angel bracelet aside, purging her own bag of things she'd found on the Tartarus—

Until she found a life bottle.

The one she found at Choral Castle. She stared at it, frozen in time. They used these things back in Sylvarant, too, and normally they weren't that special. They were medications used to revive someone who had passed out and helped heal some wounds, though they weren't as effective as healers. This thing… one of the few things that could be found in both places. It was such a small, simple thing, but Raine clung to it as something that connected the two worlds. Something that proved that she wasn't crazy. She picked up a cloth that she found in one of the rooms and had tossed aside. It looked like a noble's silk scarf, threaded with stitches of gold. She wrapped the life bottle in it and set it carefully back into her bag. She would make sure that if it was ever used, it wouldn't be before she returned to Genis.

"Oh, wow!" Anise's voice shrieked. Raine startled, spinning around to see her. "Where did you find a faerie ring?!" Anise hurried to scoop it up. "Do you have any idea how much this is worth?"

"A lot, I presume." Raine said, still stunned.

Anise's face condensed into a devious grin. "Of course. I know what stuff sells for."

"Really now." Actually that explained a few things. Anise did seem to have her moments when her compass pointed towards riches, and as far as Raine could tell, the only reason she would still be interested in Luke.

"Yup! There's a blue butterfly that'll net you four million gald if you catch one, or the purple magic lily you can find at super wet places that's worth 800,000 gald. The purple is what makes it special, but good luck of ever seeing those." Anise held the ring up close for a better look. "This Faerie Ring will fetch you ten thousand gald." She nodded rather proud of herself as she played with the ring, slipping it on and off her finger even if it was too big for her.

Raine picked up the angel bracelet she'd removed from her bag and studied it. A lot of things she valued were not so much worth gald as much as they were worth the history contained in them. Now she began to wonder about the gald value of things she tossed aside thinking they weren't that historical. Some of it would've been helpful for returning home. Especially if Class M wanted reimbursement for fixing up the Rheaird.

"So… where did you…?" Anise began, but the answer dawned on her as she eyed Raine's overstuffed bag and then the doorway to the bridge where Raine had come from. "Oh, you're such a genius!" she whispered in a voice of awe. Before Anise moved, though, the excitement stifled. "Don't you think it's bad manners taking things like that?"

"Is it better to let this stuff rot here?" Raine retorted as Anise closed her fist.

"Some of it's probably no good anyway," Tear said from across the room. "The cafeteria wasn't the only place that saw damage."

"Maybe," Ion said, "But just like the food, we probably shouldn't let what's still good go to waste." Wow, Raine had more support for this than she thought. Perhaps it would be worth going back and picking up a few other things she found and run them by Anise for appraisal.

"At your own risk, then." Tear returned to watching the station monitor. Of course, with nothing in the Qliphoth there would be nothing to see. Tear must just be watching for Yulia City to appear on the map even though it would still take a while before they got there.

"There's more to the stuff than perishables, Tear." As if to prove her point, Anise held up the ring. "And in this condition we can still make some gald."

"Besides," Raine reasoned, "If we take it with us and sell what we find, the odds are better that the deceased's family will come across it at some point."

"That's just an excuse," Anise said, though Raine could tell she was about to use that excuse for herself, the way her eyes darted to the side as she thought it through.

"What if the family can't afford to buy it?" Tear asked with a little more censure than Raine expected. It almost sounded like Tear had some experience with this. Interesting. Raine shrugged it off.

"I've found ways to get what I want," Raine said as if that solved the problem. Tear shook her head at the monitor.

"Yeah, I bet," Anise cut in. "So, where have you been so far?"

Inside, Raine laughed. At least she wasn't the only one thinking ahead in regards to money and supplies. "Deck four is picked clean, and I don't recommend deck three. The smell of rice was pretty strong down there. I'd almost guess that's where the ghost is."

"Ghost? You don't really believe that, do you?"

Raine returned with a serious smile. "Oh yes. Why do you think I wandered down to deck four instead of hanging around there?" Tear stood up and headed back out of the bridge with a restrained trot. Clearly she couldn't leave fast enough but she didn't want to appear too anxious about it. Raine and Anise both watched her leave and Raine waited for her footsteps to taper off some before continuing. "The rice smell came from somewhere and we're all accounted for when we hear the doors creaking. Besides, what you really want is probably in the higher quarters, where people like Jade kept their rooms." Raine snuck a peek at Jade who raised his eyes from his book. "I think Guy said they were towards the front of the Tartarus if I remember correctly."

"I know where they are…" Anise muttered. "But I never thought about that… I wonder if the Colonel left anything there?" She looked around at him, too.

"Nothing special," Jade said finally, "but you're free to explore anyway. Perhaps one of lieutenants left something behind you'd be interested in." Anise smirked from the permission. And then Jade checked the doorway and added, "On the other hand, what you do find could be haunted…."

"Yeah, sure…." Anise didn't believe it any more than Raine did. She wandered past Raine, lost in thought. "Someone might've left something…." She skipped off, her pigtails betraying her excitement. Raine smiled at her back. Good. She shouldn't bother Asch. Hopefully, he could ride the rest of the trip in peace like he wanted. Raine just hoped she was right about his intentions.

She sighed.

The ancient ribbon laying on the floor probably did have some value. And she really would need money to return to Genis. Nothing, after all, was free. Not even travel. Raine picked up all of her stuff and stored it back into her bag. That's when Raine noticed it. Anise took the faerie ring.

Damn.

By now, the ring was probably nestled in the pits of Anise's pocket.

Oh, well. Not like it was actually Raine's ring to begin with, but maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have Anise appraise the stuff. She might lie about their value and then the most valuable stuff would disappear.

Yulia City was behind a big waterfall.

Finally! Some sign of life.

Raine stared through the window of the bridge at a massive waterfall where Tear had just said Yulia City was. The excitement in Raine's heart soared. Something about seeing that waterfall validated for her that there was still hope of returning to the surface, of returning to Genis.

She pulled her bag over her shoulder, stepped off the Tartarus to the dock, and browsed the Qliphoth. The whole area looked the same until she turned her eyes to Yulia City, domed beneath a massive structure that reminded her strongly of a cathedral. There were thousands of glass windows. Interesting, Raine thought. Those windows must've come from the days when the Outer Lands rested on the surface of the planet since now there was nothing to see but storms and miasma. It made sense considering that she now stood on a dock where ships could come and go. There was also a door into the dome building that looked maintained but hardly used.

Why would they maintain it knowing that nothing would be out here? They certainly didn't want to come out for fresh air, did they? Did they still use this dock? Did they keep it for the rare instance of visitors? Or perhaps they hoped someday the Outer Lands would return? Thousands of questions followed her through the doors into the dome and for once, she could actually ask the inhabitants. As excited as she was, she walked slowly, staying at the back to view the whole structure for as long as she could, study it for as long as she could. At least that's what she told herself. The weight of her bag dragged down her speed, too.

Guy strode just ahead of her with Jade, Anise, Ion, Natalia, and Tear ahead of him. The only person behind Raine was Luke and he took his time walking past the doors, judging by how long it took for the doors to close behind them.

Inside the dome looked just as impressive as outside. Yulia City itself rested in the distance like a massive ring with one side taller than the other and within the shorter side, a smaller ring raised up with a strong light shining from its middle. The road towards the city branched out, suggesting that at some point, the land here was attached to other land. While it was an island now, it hadn't always been. The road to Yulia City looked extensive but along the way were pillars of light fluctuating in a rainbow of blues and purples. When she looked up, the dome looked more like a dark ribcage filled with transparent stained glass. Oh, this place was breathtaking!

Even Anise raced to the front and exclaimed her delight. "Wow...! This is Yulia City?"

"Yes," Tear replied from just behind Jade. "The mayor's inside. Let's go."

Raine didn't want to. She set down her bag. It was a good excuse to go slower. Oh, how she wanted to savor exploring this place. After all, she had the time. Who knew when they'd leave? Ahead of her, everyone else walked on, but then Tear stopped, allowing everyone else to overtake her. She turned around.

"How long are you going to stand there? We're headed to the mayor's house." Raine stared at her puzzled. Then she turned around and saw Luke hadn't budged from just inside the doorway, Mieu at his feet. He didn't look at them. Oh, right. She wasn't at the back this time.

Sure enough, he said, "All they'll do is keep accusing me of stuff. I don't want to go."

Of course not. Raine sighed. They can't talk about what to do next if they don't explain to the mayor what happened to get here. Why would he want to listen to that?

"You're even more pathetic than I thought, reject!"

Uh, oh.

Asch!

Though startled from his sudden cry, Raine wasn't surprised to hear the anger in Asch's voice. He walked out from the shadows, apparently having slipped in before the door closed. Of course he had to join them to Yulia City, how else would he learn how to get out of the Qliphoth, but why did he have to appear like this? Well, she wouldn't have to worry about keeping Asch's secret anymore.

Luke, Tear, and Mieu were all surprised to see him, with Tear's jaw hanging open slightly and Raine saw the whites of Luke's eyes before he turned his back to her while Mieu leapt to hide behind his master's leg. Sure enough, Asch marched towards them. Raine could still feel his contempt even with her eyes closed, but she didn't dare. Even with the small gesture of trust she gave him on the Tartarus, his motives and intention were still unknown.

"...You!" Luke shouted. "What are you doing here?! Where's Master Van?!"

"Hah!" Asch scoffed, coming to a stop within feet of him. "You still call him 'Master' even after he's betrayed you?!"

"...Betrayed me?" Luke turned back to Tear. He didn't want to believe it, and Raine saw the fear that it might be true after all. "Then, Master Van really did want me to destroy Akzeriuth?" Tear avoided his question. Surely it was easier than bringing up the accusations again.

When Tear didn't say anything, Raine asked her, "Did he know what was going to happen?" Raine saw the confirmation in Tear's lowered chin. No… "This really was on purpose."

Asch bared his teeth with scorn, approaching her instead. "Of course it was! Do you really think Van is that stupid?"

Almost… Raine, thought to herself. Her justification had been that people followed the Score and did what it said to do. No one had to really think about what it meant. Though on this side of things, she bore the burden of stupidity herself. Van was a Commandant after all. Hopefully they didn't just put him there because the Score said so. "I suppose he couldn't have pulled this off if he wasn't that bright." Though the implications of that thought bothered her. If he really did do all of that on purpose, his goals were indeed sinister. Just what she was afraid of. But she still didn't know why, what he was working towards.

"It's the reason I went to Baticul," Tear admitted. "I wanted to stop him from what he was trying to do."

"So you knew about this?"

Tear blushed. "Not this specifically, but I knew he was planning something." Raine swore in her own mind. Of course! Tear was after Van for a reason. How had Raine forgotten about that?

"Damn it!" Asch swore and turned his back to all of them. "If I'd realized what Van was planning sooner, this never would've happened! And you!" He rounded on Luke, facing him head-on. Mieu cried and hurried off towards Tear. "Why didn't you think before using your hyperresonance?!"

Luke snapped out of his stupor. "S-so you're saying it's my fault, too?!" He began breathing heavily.

Asch trembled from his anger. "Of course it's your fault! Don't even try to deny it!"

Luke clapped his hands to his ears in a faint attempt to block out the accusations. "It's not my fault! It's not my fault! It's not..." But Raine knew no matter how many times he repeated it, he would have to face this reality eventually. The trouble was, he was too young to really understand how he felt. As explosive as his reactions had been before, Raine worried what he would do now, especially with Asch here to make him feel worse than everyone else had. She reached her hand out towards him, but Asch didn't skip a beat.

"Are all replica brains this defective?!"

"Asch!" Raine said sharply. "Stop that!" She touched the back of Luke's shoulder.

But Luke heard it and uncovered his ears. "'Replica'?" He spoke as if a sudden realization gradually dawned on him. Raine held her breath. Not like this. Luke shouldn't learn the truth like this. "Master Van used the word 'replica' too…" Had he? When?

"You still haven't figured it out?! Is this someone's idea of a joke?" He turned to Tear and then glared at Raine. "Tell me at least you two knew." Both women stared at him, Tear from embarrassment and Raine just didn't know what to say. Finally, she nodded.

Luke saw her. "But…"

"Why haven't you told him yet?!" Asch yelled.

"You're right, we should've," Raine said. And back when Legretta attacked would've been a good time. Or before that, even. When Raine sat with him outside the Zao Ruins when she first asked him about it. But how could she have been sure that's what was going on then? Was that really the best time?

"Wh-what the hell are you talking about?! What's going on?"

Asch frowned and spoke in a low voice, "I'll tell you Luke."

"Asch, stop!" Tear shouted, finally broken from her own immobility.

Raine sighed. This wasn't they way to tell him. "Let us tell him. After he's calmed down a little."

"You had your chance!" Asch snapped at her. "And look at what happened! How long have you known and you didn't tell him?"

Luke volleyed his confusion between all three of them. "Tell me what? What are you talking about?"

Raine lowered her chin, ashamed. "Since I saw you…." She told Asch, who frowned, looking about to snap. Red seeped into his face and she saw him clench his fists. Not that she blamed him. She traveled with Luke for quite a while before now. That was just after she realized she wasn't in Tethe'alla…. That felt like forever ago.

"Tch. Why did you wait so long? You could've done something about this sooner!"

"You can't blame everything on us," Tear replied. "Van was behind it all and I was trying to stop him! Even without knowing what he was actually up to."

"He's right," Raine said, "I should've done something."

"Stop ignoring me and just tell me!" With his standing next to her, Luke's voice nearly set her ears ringing.

"Master…."

Asch advanced towards Luke. "You want to know the truth? Think about it! Why do you think you and I have the same face?"

Startled at the question, Luke shouted back, "...H-how should I know?"

"I'm a noble who was born in Baticul," Asch said, pointing at himself. "Seven years ago I was kidnapped by a villain named Van." Raine closed her eyes. Now what? There really could've been better circumstances for this, but now that Asch had said it, Raine feared for the depth of Luke's reaction. After all, he was younger than Genis and finding out something earth-shattering was hard enough when it came to exspheres. A crisis like this could be worse.

But at first, Luke seemed confused; then the realization slowly spread across his face. "You can't mean..."

"That's right! You're a second-rate copy of me!" Now, Asch pointed at Luke, threatening, as if the accusation itself was a crime. "A mere replica!"

"All right, that's enough," Raine said, stepping in front of Luke, but Luke shook his head.

"You're lying…. It's not true!"

Denial, well that was a decent start. Maybe Raine could work with that. Luke bent to his knees once again covering his ears. "It's not true! It's not! I can't be!" Then he stood up and drew his sword.

"Luke, don't!" Raine tried to hold him, but he shoved her back. From the look in Luke's eyes, he was beyond reason. He was on instinct. He pointed his sword at Asch.

Asch smirked. "You want to fight, replica?" He drew his own sword from its sheath.

"Stop lying!" Luke shouted. He roared and charged at Asch who merely stood, waiting, gritting his teeth. Judging from the hatred in his eyes, Asch waited for a long time to unleash how he felt. And now Luke would be the recipient of that. Raine prayed this didn't turn ugly.

"Luke!" Tear yelled. "Stop!" Everyone knew he wouldn't. He swung at Asch with all the energy and tirade of an angered liger and Asch didn't have to do much to block each strike. Raine thought it looked a lot like the early training sessions between Lloyd and Kratos when Lloyd thought he had skills but Kratos beat him easily every time. Except with Lloyd's rage, it was more about frustration and he was much more controlled. Luke swung with all the practice of a child with very little training except with a much more explosive force behind it.

"You liar!" Luke cried as his sword clanged against Asch's block.

"I don't want to acknowledge it either!" Asch spat, shoving him backwards. "To think that dreck like you is my replica!"

Luke swung his sword horizontally as if doing so would shrug off Asch's words. Raine slightly shook her head, stunned by her indecision and the sheer display of anger. What should she do? Luke's eyes began watering as he blindly swung again, missing Asch by a wide distance.

"Pathetic. To think that trash like you stole my family, my home... everything from me! I'm going to be sick!"

Even though Asch could block or dodge every attack easily, the brunt of each attack Luke landed pushed against him. Raine realized Luke actually had a lot of power but it was his unwillingness to kill that inhibited from using it before. Even Asch seemed to underestimate it, but even so, it was nothing he couldn't handle. With each successful strike, he shoved off Luke's blade with ease, though he didn't even have to evade half the time but with a small side-step, especially with how much Luke missed. Van definitely had a favorite among the two. Where Luke was barely taught anything, Asch clearly had learned skills. Every time that Luke struck, Asch threw him to the side, several times dropping him to the ground, but Luke got back up and tried again, now with tears streaming down his face as he roared and vented his anger.

"Die!" Asch hollered as Luke closed the gap between them one more time. This time, Asch didn't bother retaliating with his sword and knocked Luke across the face with his fist. He fell to the ground and Asch raised his sword, blade down for a final strike. Luke didn't get up.

Raine had enough. "Stop!"

She gripped her staff in a tighter hold and forced herself between Asch and Luke. Watching the fight told Raine just how much she didn't have what it would take to stand against him, her heart shouted its own fear about how stupid this was, but she had to try. "He's just a child! You didn't want to be responsible for our deaths before. Do you really want to be responsible for the death of a child, no matter how stupid he was?"

Asch growled as he put his sword away.

"Raine's right. I understand your anger," Tear said. She had Mieu in her arms and the cheagle shivered as he had when they first fell into the Qliphoth. "But right now is not the time or the place."

"He's passed out anyway," Asch muttered and Raine looked. Sure enough. Luke didn't get up and she saw the blood drip from his temple. At least his breathing finally leveled out.

"We'd better get him somewhere where he can rest." Raine bent to check on Luke's pulse. He was fine, physically anyway, but for the bump forming beneath the blood. She decided to leave it. Maybe the resulting headache would teach him something.

"Let's put him in my room," Tear said. "He can rest there."

Without saying anything, Asch scooped up Luke and pulled him up onto his back. He glared at Raine and then Tear who took it to mean "lead the way". She turned down the road to Yulia City with Asch behind her and Raine bringing up the rear. She picked up her bag as she reached it. With her blood pumping now she barely felt its weight.

As Raine watched Luke's limp body draped across Asch's back, she had a strange sensation of trust for Asch. He was angry for sure, but he clearly didn't mean it when he said he'd kill him. He had the strategy and skills and against someone as ill-experienced as Luke, Asch was in control of the whole fight. Just like at the Zao Ruins, if he really wanted to kill him, he would have.

But he didn't.

Raine harbored no delusions that she had actually stopped Asch. No, she just gave him an out, an excuse for not following through. She realized this as she followed him. He was simply another victim of his circumstances, not that he would admit that. He had become severely abrasive, like Luke had been, but in his actions, she saw it. Asch wasn't a bad person. He had no intention to kill.

That didn't necessarily mean the party could trust his motives, but Raine felt a small amount of solace knowing that he wouldn't kill her unless he had to. But would that mercy extend beyond finding out that she was foreign to Auldrant? Where he was a God-General, she doubted it. At least for now, he wasn't a threat, but she really needed to leave before anyone learned the truth about her.

They caught up to the rest of the party at the doors of the giant ring. They all seemed a little surprised to see Asch, though with Jade, it was a little harder to tell. He had his arms folded across his chest. It was then that Raine realized the purpose of Jade's multiple explorations. He was looking for the survivor that made all the noise. Had he found him? Raine didn't know.

Natalia ran up to Asch. "It's you! Where did you come from?"

He hiked Luke a little higher on his back before he answered. "I was on the Tartarus."

"I knew it!" Guy hollered in triumph. "That rice was picked up by someone." Then he let out a deep breath as he studied Asch. Something flickered in his mind, though Raine couldn't tell what.

"Oh, there was no doubt that," Jade said. "But whether that someone was alive or dead was up for debate."

"No it wasn't!" Tear snapped. She did seem relieved to find it wasn't ghosts, though. Anise, however, enjoyed watching Tear lose her composure. She smirked.

"So what are we going to do now?" Natalia asked.

"We need to get back to the surface," Asch said. "If we can bring the Tartarus up with us, all the better."

"That might be impossible," Anise muttered.

"It might not be," Jade replied. "But I'll have to find out more details about how the Sephiroth work."

The Sephiroth? Raine thought about it. Yes, the Sephiroth! If they were powerful enough to hold up land, they could be powerful enough to push up a landship. Could that really work? She didn't know, but it was the kind of hope she yearned for. It really could be possible to return to Genis!

"You can talk to my grandfather about that," Tear said, "but first, I'm taking Asch to a place where he can set Luke down to rest." Raine nodded. Fair enough.

"Hey, did you want help with that?" Guy hung back with Raine as everyone else started for the door into Yulia City. He pointed to her bag.

"Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you." She pulled the strap higher up on her shoulder. "I've got it."

"If you're sure…." He frowned at her insistence on carrying it.

"I've had to carry Genis a lot when he was young. This is hardly his weight." It was a lie, but it got him to shrug and move on. There were times when Genis got pretty heavy, though, especially when she was such a young kid herself.

Once inside Yulia City, the structures began looking more like buildings though she couldn't see them quite as well. Despite the lights littered all over, Yulia City wore a cape of darkness. If it wasn't for the Qliphoth residing in its own dark atmosphere and the low lighting from the Tartarus, it would've been harder for her eyes to adjust.

The excitement rose in her chest. This place had a note of familiarity with the ruins beneath Akzeriuth and this time… well, it was like exploring ruins except this place still bustled with the ancient people who once lived there. Such a rare treat! The few people in this part of Yulia City wore robes of black and brown trimmed in gold and they all stopped to stare at the new group of outsiders. Apparently, they didn't see many visitors, let alone from the docks.

Raine hobbled up to one of the citizens, startling them into a wide-eyed expression. "Excuse me, but how did they build this place? Was Yulia City ever a capital? Did you ever expect visitors at the port? Is that why the door was maintained?" With every question, she watched his fear intensify as he pulled back away from her, but she couldn't help it. Here was a living specimen of an ancient ruin! "Was the stained glass dome here even before the Outer Lands went into the sky? I'm sorry that last one was a silly question, of course it was."

"I-I-I don't know! I just live here." The man stumbled back and ran away, shoving past a few of his peers as he passed them. They watched him go, returned to staring at Raine, and then took a step back away from her when they realized she might not be done interrogating them.

"Why not?" Raine wondered aloud. "They didn't pass along that knowledge? Didn't they write down the history? This isn't something they're teaching in the schools?"

Tear sighed and laid a hand on Raine's shoulder. "Not everyone knows the entire history of Yulia City. Not even me. Anyway, my grandfather is through that doorway there. You can ask him about going back to the surface." She pointed and everyone turned to look. The doorway shimmered with a strange light and on the other side looked brighter. Raine nodded. Through there would be a way home, though she felt the disappointment at how poor the education system was here. How could they not pass along all of that knowledge from the past?

Tear turned to Asch. "Please bring him this way." She led him away, leaving everyone else behind.

Now that she had to wait for Asch to return, this was Raine's chance. She needed to find a merchant and so was the first to wander through the doorway into what looked like the main building of the city. There were lamps everywhere that flashed her eyes until she could see again. There was so much light! Lamps lit up at each doorway, along the walkways, and even within the floor designs themselves. This… this was where all the people were! She'd thought Baticul had an impressive display of power, but this place had its own majesty to it. Extravagant support beams and intricate designs decorated the mostly gray walls. This place reminded Raine a little of the Renegade base where they focused more on utility than beauty, though she thought Yulia City had a beauty of its own.

The further she stepped into the main building, she saw even more people, one of whom stood at a merchant's booth. He wore the same robes as everyone else. Raine inhaled a sharp breath and heaved her bag over her shoulder as she approached him.

"Are you interested in purchasing?" she asked, dropping down her bag on his counter.

The man narrowed his eyes in suspicion when he saw her bag. "Where did you get the goods?"

"Oh, I've been collecting this and that." Raine dug through her bag and pulled out some of the heavier stuff, including the angel bracelet, though she hesitated as she set it on his counter. "How much would you pay for these?" She didn't want to unload everything since gald itself could be heavy, but she wanted enough to get her by.

"Hmm…" He looked over each item. "Obviously used wares, but still decent condition. I'll give you eight thousand gald for the lot."

"How about ten thousand?"

"No good. In case you didn't notice, we don't have a lot of soldiers down here that need to fight off enemies. I have to make a profit and buying it at that price, I wouldn't make much off selling it. Eight thousand is the best I'll do."

"Fine. Eight thousand it is, then." She supposed that would get her by. He stashed all of his new items below the counter and handed her the gald, which she dropped into her purse and back into her bag. Now it should be much lighter, and when she pulled the bag over her shoulder she felt the difference. Maybe she should just hoard some of the stuff in one of the rooms Anise had already pillaged. Then she could sell some more stuff at the next stop and not have to carry everything everywhere. The most important things can stay with her. They were planning on taking the Tartarus to the surface anyway. It should work. Yes, that's what she would do.

Heading back the way she came, she wondered where she should wait now. The others had apparently scattered, exploring Yulia City, all except for Jade who stood next to a door on the upper level, overlooking Yulia City. Either he wasn't interested in this town, or he had just found the mayor and decided to be the beacon that told everyone else where to go. Whichever it was, Raine didn't care at the moment.

No one was close enough to him and anyone who was could be seen from quite a ways away. It would be private enough. Now was a good time. She wandered up the stairs and approached him. As soon as he saw her, he sighed heavily.

"You are quite persistent."

No, Raine didn't want to start with that. She had something else on her mind. "You were right," she said as they stood near the wall. Just for the sake of it, she set her bag back on the ground but kept her staff in hand. After all, her shoulders and back were a little sore. "Back on our first day of the Tartarus, I wasn't thinking about the consequences of directing everyone else down my line of thinking." For once. She was usually a bit more careful about that. But it certainly wouldn't do the party any good to suddenly realize the higher-ups intentionally sent them all to their deaths.

"I appreciate your heeding my warning this time," Jade replied. He put his hand in his pocket. "You haven't proven apt to listen before."

No? Hm… Raine supposed not. "Thank you for intervening."

"That's not really why you're here. Did you finally have a question for me? Three in your favor, if I recall correctly."

Raine smiled. Right to the point. Why not? "Unless you wanted to add more?"

"Actually, I do have a question for you: how do you reconcile convincing everyone you're an elf when there are no elves in Auldrant?"

Was that what didn't add up for him? Hmm… Now that she thought about it, it really didn't make much sense to claim being a replica and an elf. Still, she had a simple answer. "It was much more believable and acceptable than calling myself what I really am. How do you think the general public would really feel about that?"

Confused, apparently. He raised one eyebrow as he studied her. "What's wrong with claiming to be a human?"

"It's hard to overcome years of programming," Raine replied, "that have always told me I'm lower than a human. Lower than everything else."

A shadow flickered through Jade's eyes. "That's not really what you were told," he said solemnly.

"I'm afraid so."

"Even your mother?"

"A mother can only shield from so much." Raine thought back to the love Virginia and Kloitz had always given her. They were the main reason she didn't hate what she was now, but it was still quite a blow when she was abandoned. She hated feeling less than and hoped to spare Genis at least some of that. At the very least, she always told him she loved him and that he mattered to her. Even at times when he was too embarrassed about it, she knew he wanted to hear it. Needed to hear it.

"Do you still believe it?" Jade asked.

Raine didn't answer right away. That really depended on who was saying it, where she was, how she felt at the time. Living in Iselia, though, she began to feel the same as others in the village. But anytime someone shouted hateful words about Desians and half-elves, she felt the slap of what she really was. A harsh reminder to never speak the truth about her race, about the importance of blending in as elves. She didn't look him in the eye. "Sometimes."

Jade's silence spoke volumes to her. He had no idea what to say. Perhaps this was misleading. Was it wrong to let him think it was replicas who were treated so badly? Perhaps they were, Raine really didn't know. She'd only ever met Luke and possibly Sync was a replica, too, and both of them definitely had attitudes. Not that they lived poorly like Raine and Genis did. In fact, one was a God-General and the other was the king's nephew. Not bad places to end up if she was being honest. Certainly much higher than filthy half-elves had any right to be.

"Whatever you're telling yourself about that," Jade said suddenly, "You're wrong."

"I wonder…."

"Anyway, you had a question."

Where did she want to start, though? Questions that came with a price… how many could she ask before they were even again? Well, there was one now that she thought about him. "Are you aware of the possibility that Ion has a replica?"

"Indeed he does. How do you know about it?"

Raine gasped. It was true? "That was Guy's theory. Sync is a replica of Ion."

"Hmm…"

She watched his face closely. How long had he known about Sync? The lack of surprise suggested quite a while. "I got curious how they would've gotten away with that since Ion is supposedly the leader of the Order of Lorelei. But he's just a figurehead. Mohs can cover up any strange disappearances. Do you know anything about that?"

"No," Jade replied. He pushed up his glasses again. "I only recently picked up on it myself. Even though I banned fomicry, it seems there's been a lot of it lately." And he certainly wasn't happy to see it. He wasn't quite as angry as he was when he faced off against Legretta, but Raine saw it.

She nodded. "Is that a surprise for you?"

"Given my former associate, not really."

"What were you trying to do?"

Jade grinned at her. "Ah-ah, you'll have to answer a more significant question to get an answer to that."

Oh? Raine's curiosity piqued. What would be an equivalent answer? "What's the exchange?"

"Your full background for mine."

Fair enough. But Raine wasn't about to agree to that. Too expensive. "I'll pass." Jade smiled, knowing.

"Well, well, there's nothing more to say to me. It seems we're right back where we started: four questions in your favor."

"You're right," Raine replied. "Guy is a much better person to tell. In fact, I think I'll take this time to whisper some to him now."

"Of course. Don't let me stand in your way."

Raine excused herself, gathered her stuff, and started off down the stairs, though not really with the intention she'd just declared. Her secret wouldn't be any safer with Guy than it would be would Jade, just because anyone knowing the truth would be too dangerous. She glanced around for somewhere as she walked along. Maybe she should go find Guy. If nothing else, he was good company. She thought she had seen him go back out into the darker part of Yulia City, but she couldn't remember for sure. She headed that way anyway.

Sure enough, he stood on the side of the road. But Raine stopped.

He was talking to Asch. So much for that…. She pretended she hadn't noticed and wandered along the road anyway. To her left, she saw Natalia standing by, not paying attention to Guy and Asch either. In fact…

Natalia was clearly lost in thought. Raine figured she was thinking about Asch by the way she stared vaguely in his direction, but when Natalia noticed her, her face lit up, and she approached her.

"Excuse me, Raine," Natalia said, "do you have a moment?"

"Sure." Of course there was little else to do until they were all ready anyway. They walked past Guy and Asch, both of whom tried to ignore the women heading towards the dock. Raine wondered what Natalia even wanted, especially since she didn't say anything yet. There wasn't much in common between them. So she waited until Natalia stopped and looked up at the massive windows and the rib-cage design that contained them.

"I never thought about it before," Natalia finally began. "But I suppose elves have different beliefs than do humans."

Confused, Raine didn't answer her. Where was this coming from? Though Raine suspected she might know why Natalia suddenly brought this up. It was a distraction from whatever she thought about before. When Raine didn't speak, Natalia continued, "You mentioned Martel. Who is that? You spoke like they were a spirit."

Martel? As far as Raine remembered, Natalia wasn't there when she asked the others about her in Baticul. How could she know who she was now? "W-when did I mention her?" She glanced back towards Yulia City's main entrance where apparently Guy and Asch wrapped up their own conversation. Asch walked away now.

"Back at the Tartarus. You mentioned her."

Did she? Raine couldn't remember. If so, it was automatic. Damn it! Raine let out a small breath. It was enough that Guy was asking her questions about Martel. Now Natalia? Who else? Jade already got his answer, and Tear was the only other one who Raine knew had heard the name before. Maybe she should gather everyone and give them all the same damn answer and hope it stopped all of this inquiry. Or would that make Anise more curious? Raine sighed. It probably would.

Natalia glanced down at the floor. "When we looked over the fallen soldiers to see if any were alive, you said she knew you tried. That's why I thought she was a spirit. But I'd never heard of her. Does she go by a different name, perhaps?"

Oh.

What should she say? The truth was out of the question. Then again… Natalia asked as if she thought it was an elven religious deity. Perhaps she could use that? "She is the goddess responsible for banishing sadists for the sake of peace," Raine said flatly.

"Oh, my. Don't you still believe in her?"

"Not since I learned there might be more to the story." But Raine didn't want to talk about that and hoped her hostile tone suppressed too much inquiry. But just for good measure, she added, "but I'm not going into details about that." Natalia thought it over.

"The people that you said betrayed you, is that what you mean? You did say someone was supposed to protect you, and they didn't."

Raine nodded. Even if Natalia knew this much, she couldn't deduce the whole truth. "Yes. They were the ones spouting lies about Martel. I don't know who she is really, if she's anyone at all."

"I've never heard of her before," Natalia said, thoughtfully. "The lore about her must be a very well-kept secret; otherwise, I would've heard something in my studies." Something about that struck Raine's interest. A princess who had access to so much knowledge and so many books and she didn't think it strange that she hadn't heard that elves actually existed before meeting Raine? How could she believe in them? Especially when everyone else carried a lot more skepticism about it. "Not as much as where elves are from, though. I can't figure out where you guys live, though I'm sure it has something to do with elven magic."

For that, Raine smiled. Natalia was gullible. Unlike Guy and Jade, she would accept whatever answer she was given. Maybe it would be better to tell her something just so Natalia would be pacified. Maybe she could tell her anything and get away with it, even an old story she'd heard somewhere. Raine didn't care whether it was true or not. Natalia would buy it. "There is a village in the sky, even higher up than the Outer Lands. It's a sanctuary for those who don't belong on the earth."

"Oh! Hence the Rheaird. Yes, that makes sense."

But since the others weren't as gullible as Natalia… "But please don't speak of it with anyone else. I don't want to draw attention to the elves. If word spread that they were up there, well… things would change dramatically for them. Since you're a princess, you understand the importance of protecting the people."

"Yes, of course." After all, it sounded like Natalia did a lot for her people. This was surely something she'd know to hide. "It's a little strange, though, isn't it? They don't come down here, but yet they have the Rheaird."

"The Score doesn't show them." Raine said simply. "And the Rheaird has its uses. There are places humans can't reach on the surface without one." Sure enough, Natalia nodded.

"Thank you for telling me. Their secret, and yours, is safe with me."

"Here," Raine pulled out some of the healing items she carried and passed them off to Natalia. "It's probably a good idea to spread these among us so that we each have some."

"Where did you get these?" Natalia asked, surprised, as she took handfuls of the stuff.

"Isn't it better to use them rather than let them waste on the Tartarus?" After all, that argument Ion used worked on Tear. Sort of.

Natalia scowled at the realization where they came from. "No. These belong to other people." Would it have been better to tell her Raine bought them? But then, with what money? Natalia knew she wasn't rolling in gald.

"At the risk of sounding cold, these things won't bring any of them back from the dead. We might as well use them."

At first, Natalia didn't say anything but then she put the items in her own bag. "Yes, I suppose you're right…" Still, judging from her furrowed brows, she didn't like the idea of stealing from the dead. She turned and headed back towards the city. She looked up. "Oh, it looks like we're ready to go now. Asch is coming."

Raine smiled. Perfect timing.

Replica

When the Tartarus reached Yulia City, Asch was there. Asch said that Master is a replica of him. Is that why they look the same?

Master got angry and said that he wasn't a replica, and Asch was really angry about Akzeriuth, so they got into a fight.

After the fight, Master passed out. I can understand, with all the sad things that happened. Poor Master.

The Eyes in the Mirror

...What does Mieu think he's doing, writing in my diary? Oh well.

While I was unconscious, everyone cut their ties with me. Not that I blame them. I really was an idiot...

Anyway, they all decided to work with Asch, so they could get back to the Outer Lands and he could use the Tartarus to get around.

Of course, I only heard that secondhand, because I was still out at the time. But I'm kind of relieved... At least I didn't have to see them giving up on me.

Afterwards, Asch sent his voice into my head again. He says it's a channel that connects the two of us, usable because the two of us are isofons...because I'm a perfect replica of him, down to the fonon frequency. That's why he's able to talk to me like that. ...I don't want to admit it, but I guess I really am a replica.

Asch told me to try and control him. Of course I tried, but in the end, I couldn't tell whether I really was controlling him or he was just moving on his own. In any case, for a time I was able to see things with Asch's eyes and send my voice to him.

Asch plans to meet with Tear's grandfather Teodoro, the mayor of Yulia City. I guess I'll just watch for now.

A/N: Hi, Everyone!

I wasn't going to show the fight between Luke and Asch, but esonic1 wanted to see it so I figured, why not? :) I could flesh out a few other things and then it led to making chapter 40 so much better! So thank you, esonic1! I appreciate your input. You'll see why when I get that chapter posted. That one should come the 10th or the 17th of December. I'm on track to getting it finshed so that's a comfortable deadline.

Actually, while I'm at it... so Anise just stole a 10,000 gald ring. I'm having a little trouble deciding what she does with it and/or the money she could get from it. I'm curious what you guys think. What do you think Anise would do with the money she got? You can think of this as a small poll that will influence what happens down the road. ;)

As always, thank you all so much for reading. I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

~~Kat =^-^=