"A Past Life of Noah and Mio" has returned for a fourth arc! I would say that we're now in the second half of the story, but it's too early to know how long it'll last. For sure, we're into the City chapters, and that alone is great! As glad as I am that Noah and Mio have finally arrived, they have a lot to learn about life and the world. With this comes another spoiler warning for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Future Redeemed, more so for the former.
This story will be taking a shift similar to that of the main game when the City came into play. In short, you can expect to see both missions abroad and life at home. These are the ideas that have been cooking in my head since I'd decided to write this story, and I can't wait to share them with you over the course of the next two or three arcs! For returning readers, I've made several minor edits to older chapters, mostly due to Future Redeemed. Below is a list of these changes, in the style of game patch notes.
-The first arc has been updated to meet the current grammatical standards of this story.
-In chapter 1, the deceased character Waveney from Colony 25 has been renamed Haleney.
-In chapter 18, a claim that Agnus Castle's location was near the City in Cadensia has been retracted.
-In chapter 27, the featured area was inaccurately labeled Swordmarch, but it has been corrected as the Great Sword's Base.
-All mentions of the Great Sea and its vortex have become the Cent-Omnia region and its moating chasm.
So, what happened last time? Noah and Mio had just reached the City after sneaking through Keves Castle territory and subsequently fighting two Moebius in the Great Sword's base. Now that they're where they belong, it's time for class to begin. The lesson comes from my own understanding of the lore, including what the citizens of the past knew themselves. Also, this chapter contains nonexplicit text pertaining to the education of human reproduction, nothing beyond what's taught in school. While this story won't betray its T rating, there may be implications ahead of mature themes having occurred in the background. Thanks for coming back, folks! Let's read on!
Chapter 29 "Facts of Life"
Aionios was once two worlds before becoming one under the seizure of Moebius, a mysterious entity born from an unflinching desire for eternity. Noah and Mio thought that they'd prepared themselves for anything upon sitting down for class the morning after their arrival to the City, but this lesson had already gone where their minds hadn't ever dared to imagine. Along with the five Agnians from Colony Upsilon who'd registered with them last night, the two deserters of war needed more than a moment to digest this opening information which their teachers for the day treated as fact.
"Absurd though it sounds, it's the collective claim of those who've experienced everything." Professor Jinsolm, a thin man with a dusting of hair on his chin stood on the other side of the table in one of military headquarters' strategy rooms. Behind him was a projector screen where visual aids were displayed, most of which had thus far been artists' renditions based on this apparently widely accepted story.
"Please, let us know when you're ready to continue," Dr. Partha, a woman with curly, dark brown hair tried her best to keep the soldiers' consternations from spiraling out of control. In her hand was a terminal which she was using to direct the slides of the presentation.
"I think we're ready," Mio looked to her fellow Agnians on her right and to Noah on her left, "right?"
"Yeah," the lone Kevesi nodded before turning his attention forward.
"Very good," the professor tapped his fingertips together. "As I said, Moebius maintains control of our world, forcing this war onto you soldiers who pay the price with your lives."
"Your previous masters told you that the opposing nation was your enemy," his colleague added her commentary as well, "but it's nothing more than a ruse."
"Additionally, your queens as you've known them are false figureheads, enthroned by Moebius to ensure that you unknowingly swear your allegiance to their cause." As he spoke, a sample picture from the battlefield appeared on the screen, with a particular focus on one of the Ferronises. "The crux thereof is that they feed off the embers collected in your former colonies' Flame Clocks. This is why Moebius makes Keves and Agnus fight constantly, lest their eternity be threatened."
"What would anyone want to do with eternity?" one of the Agnians blurted out before realizing their interruption of the lesson. "Sorry…"
"Questions are fine," the doctor assuaged their discomposure. "Every member of Moebius has their motive, though we can only speculate."
"We accept no reason," Professor Jinsolm crossed his white-sleeved arms, "not while it means that you soldiers are stuck in an infernal cycle."
"A cycle of… fighting?" the pacifist wondered aloud.
"It goes beyond that," the thin man prepared for the next part with a new picture on-screen. "Observe, the pods from which your lives had begun. We call them growth modules, and every soldier has one in their respective nation's castle."
"Be warned, you may find this equally confusing and disturbing," Dr. Partha interjected, her tone having taken a sterner turn.
"While your lives are limited to ten years, they may be subject to reincarnation upon premature death in battle," her colleague lowered his head, eyes closed. "In other words, if you fail to reach your natural homecoming, you will be reborn from your growth module so you can fight in the war again." Silence recaptured the room while the teachers let it sink in for their students. Although Noah and Mio were already accustomed to hearing seemingly outlandish claims by City folks, this particular one hit them differently.
"Reborn, you say?" Noah gripped the edge of the table, while Mio's own hands fumbled in her lap.
"Y-you mean like… back to the first term?" another one of the Agnians sought clarification.
"Yes, but with a few caveats," Professor Jinsolm observed the various degrees of conflictions in the countenances from across the table. "Only one life of a soldier can exist at a time, with no memories retained per each."
"A fresh slate, then…" the swordfighter summed it up.
"W-what happens if we manage to reach natural homecoming?" the zephyr asked after taking a deep breath, this question unsurprising to her partner sitting beside her.
"Then you're free from the cycle," their male teacher's response was bittersweet at best. "They cannot manipulate those who've escaped."
"So, that's why our consuls seek to execute us when we're near the end," Mio stared at her fists now on the table.
"Precisely," he nodded stiffly, arms behind his back. "The more soldiers they lose from the cycle, the less sustenance they have for themselves."
"What do you mean by cycle, though?" the lone Kevesi's brows slowly lowered, one a little more so than the other.
"It's an ideology that the City has picked up from Moebius over the years," the professor proceeded to pace back and forth. "Metaphysically, our struggle against them is a periodic flow of the world's decree, destined to repeat until we are successful."
"Flow…" Noah mumbled to himself before momentarily facing Mio. "My consul mentioned it once, when we were breaking out."
"Moebius represents stagnation, eternity," the goateed man ceased his walking, "while we are represented by Ouroboros, the symbol of change."
"Ouro… boros…?" the cat-eared Agnian tilted her head.
"History has it that Ouroboros and Moebius will come to blows every so often, either by our attempt at overthrowing them or by their attempt at squandering our progress." The air in the strategy room was tense while Professor Jinsolm continued to describe the unfortunate reality. "That is the cycle, or flow, usually resulting in great damage to the City and the loss of innumerable lives."
"This… is awful," Mio's defeated tone spoke for every soldier at the table. "Is fighting our only option?"
"We can also starve Moebius," he offered his students a reprieve from the dolefulness. "As I said, they can't touch you soldiers if you've left the cycle. The best way to do so is to free you from your Flame Clocks and provide protection until your natural homecomings."
"We were told the City could do that for us," the ponytailed soldier recalled Verna's claim from the Urayan Trail, "but we never learned how."
"Then please observe," the thin man directed everyone's attention back to the screen as a new picture appeared. "The Ouroboros Stone. Not only can its power override your indenture to the Flame Clock system, but it can also greatly enhance your abilities."
"All of our militia enjoy the power of Ouroboros," the curly-haired woman took a turn to speak, "whether they came from the colonies or from right here in the City."
"It's no exaggeration to say that we exist thanks to this power," her colleague prepared to move onto the next part of the lesson. "The earliest soldiers who opposed Moebius were aided by an Ouroboros Stone. With enough Kevesis and Agnians banded together, they built the City and proceeded to populate it with their descendants."
"Descendants?" Noah repeated another new word like both he and Mio had become accustomed to doing when in the company of City folks.
"People who were born naturally," the female teacher roved to the front of the room, "outside of the Flame Clock system and therefore without a ten-year limit."
"What do you mean by naturally?" the moonblades-wielder straightened her posture in her seat.
"The human body is capable of reproduction, to create new life," Dr. Partha aimed the terminal over her shoulder and clicked, having taken Professor Jinsolm's place for now. "It's a process that requires one male and one female to copulate, should they consent."
"Whoa…" the two vocal Agnians of the Colony Upsilon quintet reacted together. All seven soldiers beheld the latest picture, a textbook drawing of two humans in a most unusual position. Noah and Mio found themselves captivated by this too, while the doctor defined the depicted interactions and further added to their vocabulary.
"Upon fertilization, the female will undergo pregnancy during which a new human body will develop with traits inherited from both parents until birth." By now, several more images and a couple of charts had graced the screen behind the curly-haired woman. "This is how new life can exist outside of Moebius' bounds." For the third time this morning, the students were speechless from the contents of the lesson.
"Y-you're saying that even us soldiers are capable of this?" Mio broke the short spell of silence, her fingers interlacing over her gem.
"Yes, but only someone who is physically female, known thereafter as the mother, can bear the child." Dr. Partha's clarification appeared to have drastically different effects on the girls at the table, with expressions ranging from delight to disgust.
"So, that means that I…" the zephyr's voice faded as she considered the possibilities.
"Mio?" Noah leaned near her left ear, unable to see the hint of a smile on her face.
"It's worth noting that pregnancy takes nine months," the doctor made sure to include the vital detail. "Additional education beyond what's been presented here will be provided for soldiers who wish to start families of their own."
"W-wait," Mio cut into Dr. Partha's instruction again, "did you say nine?"
"On average, yes," the female teacher confirmed, almost emotionlessly. "Therefore, it is discouraged for soldiers with insufficient time remaining."
"Oh…" the moonblades-wielder's ears soon wilted, her enthusiasm already gone. "That… makes sense." With Mio no longer curious and instead disenchanted, the lesson resumed with new visuals for all to see.
"The individual created from this union begins life as an infant and slowly grows through childhood, a stage of physical and psychological development which is unethically accelerated for you soldiers by your growth modules. Thus, you don't experience the first ten years of a natural-born life, instead being limited to our equivalent of age ten to twenty." The drawn timeline on which Dr. Partha was focusing put everything into perspective, comparing the typical lifespans of soldiers and citizens. "However, natural maturation and life expectancy go far beyond a mere ten years, health permitting."
"You may have noticed many such people in the City already, including Dr. Partha and myself," Professor Jinsolm's exemplifying signaled his return to teaching duties. "Citizens are fortunate enough to have the chance to reach old age. Since we cannot provide Moebius with embers, they view us as excess and thus want us eliminated."
"If not for them, we could live freely and expand our civilization," his colleague reassumed her previous spot on the side, still in control of the presentation.
"This is our goal, as the City militia," he pressed his palms together, "to remove Moebius from Aionios."
"Is this even achievable?" the pacifist became uncharacteristically restless in his seat.
"Possibly, and based on our past attempts, we know that they reside in Origin," the professor turned towards the screen which now displayed a picture of a dark, ominous sphere. "It's an arc, a massive Ferronis presently cloaked in the sky, roughly over Prison Island of the Cent-Omnia region. This is where the last few known teams of Ouroboros had traveled to rescue the true Queen of Keves and challenge Moebius after its numbers had been whittled down."
"Nobody heard from those Ouroboros after each expedition, though, and the result was always a retaliation on the City as per the flow." The mood in the room took another downturn with the curly-haired woman's retelling of their grim history. "Over time, both sides recovered their populations before meeting once more."
"Can Moebius reproduce as well?" the swordfighter kept the questions coming.
"They cannot, as their bodies are frozen in their eternity. Instead, they recruit soldiers and citizens who've harbored desires to live forever." The goateed man became slightly agitated at this sad truth upon saying it. "We don't know how this is possible, but Moebius allegedly brings the deceased back to life as new members before appointing them consuls of the colonies."
"We've been able to confirm this whenever a Moebius is defeated or caught in one of our traps," Dr. Partha put up a picture of the latter in action. "Once they're unmasked, their personal data is retrieved so they can be added to the City's Wall of Shame."
"Wall of Shame?" curiosity arose from the first unnamed Agnian.
"It's a room in the City registry, though I suppose you didn't see it," she started to explain. "On display are pictures of every confirmed person who's joined Moebius."
"We've witnessed this occurring to our own consuls," Noah shared his and Mio's experience with their teachers, "assisted by you City folks and your traps."
"Besides our traps which we've set up all over Aionios, we've fitted the City, harbor, and every Cadensia island under our control with antennular disablers to keep Moebius at bay." Now displayed behind Professor Jinsolm was a map of the region with pins marking their territory. "Most of our technology and Blade upgrades are built from metal that has fallen from Origin."
"Is the Ouroboros Stone also from Origin?" the ponytailed soldier remained inquisitive.
"No, it's a gift from the true Queen of Agnus," the doctor corrected him, though vaguely.
"While her castle floats at Moebius' will, she keeps herself hidden from their clutches," her colleague let his eyes drift over their students' shoulders to nowhere in particular. "Some say that her majesty is the one who begins the cycle anew every time she visits the City to deliver an Ouroboros Stone, for that is when Moebius deems us a threat again and launches a devastating attack."
"To kill the queen?" the lone Kevesi assumed apprehensively.
"Yes, but also to destroy the stone," the professor's sights ceased their wandering.
"Moebius knows we have one due to its traceable radio signal, but they don't know its precise location within the City and its disablers." Dr. Partha brought the presentation to its final slide, a map of homebase itself.
"There are multiple non-residential sites where the Ouroboros Stone and replicas emitting similar but false signals are housed. On random days, they are covered and rotated between these sites to keep Moebius guessing." The thin man's forehead gained a few wrinkles upon preparing the lesson's conclusion. "Before we take you to the real one, I must have your word that you shall not disclose its location with your former superiors in the colonies."
"I swear," the pacifist vowed first, soon followed by his classmates.
"Thank you," Professor Jinsolm relinquished his intensity and circled around the room towards the door. "Now then, please follow me so we can complete your orientation." While Dr. Partha stayed behind, her colleague and the seven soldiers exited to the outdoor quad of military headquarters. Wasting no further time, he proceeded to lead them through the streets under the late morning sun. Due to their arrival to the City the night before, this would be Noah's and Mio's first time viewing it properly.
The City skyline was like nothing that the soldiers had ever seen in their colonies. Rather than temporary tents and canopies, these buildings were solid, stacked, and high as the eye could see. Nearly every one of them had windows with drapes inside, a lovely decorative touch which never would've been accepted in a sterile Ferronis.
Stares from the local passersby came their way, though none were of confusion or disdain. As bewildered as Noah and Mio felt at the moment, they slowly gathered that what they were doing was a normality here. The further they walked away from the main drag, the less crowded the streets were. Momentarily accessing his Iris to view the map provided by Verna, the curious Kevesi tracked their position to the records district, an area not quite up to the northwest corridor of the City. The structures here were noticeably more uniform and less dressed up than what'd previously been observed.
Seemingly but not actually choosing at random, Professor Jinsolm headed for a building with no distinguishable features or signage, plain as any other on the block. In the dim, drab interior full of filing cabinets stood four armed City personnel who'd been anticipating the group's arrival. Soon, Noah, Mio, and the others were being escorted down a hall to a room containing the Ouroboros Stone.
"Please gather around," the professor instructed the soldiers in a procedural tone. Several nervous looks were exchanged before they complied, standing within a metri of the mysterious, egg-shaped contraption. "When I open its cage, the stone will release a brief wave of energy, converting your Flame Clocks into the marks of Ouroboros."
"Will it hurt?" the second unnamed Agnian inquired what every soldier was wondering.
"The sensation may be awkward at first," his hand settled on top of the stone, "but as I said, it will be brief."
With no further qualms coming his way, Professor Jinsolm pressed downward to unlock the stone's holding mechanism which allowed its curved walls to drop open. All soldiers' eyes were on the mysterious blue light expelling from the center until their Irises lit up automatically. A rush of both heat and cold soon passed through their bodies while afterimages of themselves appeared to temporarily escape. True to the professor's words, it was over almost as soon as it'd started. Nearly slipping past their initial notice, a new symbol had indeed replaced their Flame Clocks.
"Is this…?" the swordfighter started to inquire of the change.
"Congratulations," the man in charge stepped back, "you have been officially liberated and empowered by Ouroboros."
"So, we're… truly free now?" Mio alternated her focus between him and her converted Iris.
"Your ten-year limit is all that holds you back now," his answer wasn't exactly direct, though it was sufficient enough. "Neither can you feed any Flame Clock nor can you die to the draining of one."
"Thank you," Noah extended his hand to shake the professor's. "How can we ever return the favor?"
"As mentioned in the lesson, your status as a freed soldier now living amongst us citizens is already a major contribution to our efforts against Moebius," Professor Jinsolm reminded him before providing an option for repayment. "However, our military is always open to your participation."
"To fight Moebius?" the ponytailed soldier deactivated his Iris, as did the others.
"That is one type of mission, yes," the goateed man adjusted his white coat. "We also send out folks to gather materials, guard our bases, and recruit soldiers from the colonies like you all recently were. You need only to return to military headquarters."
"We shall consider it," the cat-eared Agnian interjected before Noah could say another word.
"Very well, the choice is yours to make," the professor moved by the doorway to face all seven soldiers at once. "Since we are done here, please make your way outside to enjoy your first day as City residents." A sterile farewell as any, he dismissed them thusly before tending to the Ouroboros Stone in their wake.
Back outside and now privy to the facts of life, none of the newly liberated youths quite knew what to do first. After talking among themselves for a minute, the Agnian quintet from Colony Upsilon turned southward and left Noah and Mio as the only two left in front of the unmarked building.
"We've done it," the ninth-termer turned to his partner, ready to share in the merriment. "We made it to the City, and now we're free."
"Yeah…" Mio's heavy eyes failed to meet his.
"Mmm? Is something wrong?" It took Noah no time at all to pick up on her doldrums. "I would've expected you to be, um, happy about this."
"I am happy… a-about this…" the zephyr's frame seemed to shrink as the gap between them diminished.
"I must admit I'm not convinced," the pacifist softened both his tone and his stance.
"Fair enough," she finally upturned her gaze at him. "I'm relieved to finally be free from my Flame Clock. At the same time, what the doctor said has kind of… messed with me."
"You mean how we soldiers can reproduce?" he recalled from class which already seemed like hours ago.
"It sounds amazing…" Mio tentatively slipped her hands into his, "something I never knew I wanted to do."
"You want to?" his brows were raised.
"Yes, but… it takes nine months," another frown formed on her face, "a-and I've got less than eight now."
"Oh… eight, huh?" Noah was taken aback by her unexpected update, his expression now mirroring hers. "Honestly, I-I've been too afraid to ask…"
"Is that so?" A brief pause ensued while the moonblades-wielder studied the sudden concern on his face. Though familiar to Mio after their travels and travails, the depth of Noah's forlornness made her self-conscious of her own. "Maybe… you were right. I shouldn't be down when we've just been given a new lease on life."
"Huh? Are you sure?" With a few blinks, the ponytailed soldier retreated one step to recompose himself.
"I feel both defeated and victorious," Mio likewise eased the rumples from her forehead. "May as well focus on the latter, yeah?"
"I mean, it's not a bad idea per se," he temporarily peered over her shoulder, "but I hope you're not forcing yourself to feel better."
"Well… I suppose I am," the tenth-termer admitted, sighing against his chest. "Don't worry, I'll sort it out when I return to my journal."
"Alright then," Noah cautiously left it at that, their hands no longer together. "What would you like to do until then?"
"It's still early yet," the cat-eared Agnian scooted ahead of her Kevesi companion without separating their shadows casted by the morning light. "Shall we tour the City?"