The Aegis Awakens
//Chapter Five; Two in One//
"Stop them. Open fire!"
Mythra watched with anger in her expression as Azurda flew away with Malos with them. The man had even managed to taunt her before he had somehow managed to get on Titan's back without even giving her a chance to stop him. "Get them! Ready the cannon!" She ordered as they were now getting farther and farther away.
"It's no use. They're out of range."
"Shit...they got away...!" Mythra practically growled out.
Jin watched her for a moment before shaking his head. "Turn around." He told her, and Mythra gave him a confused look.
"We're not chasing after them?"
"The Aegis has awakened, that's enough for now."
"That'll have to do..."
He turned around and started walking towards the black ship. "Hey, Jin...what do we about her?" Mythra asked as she put away the Sword Tonfa.
Jin paused in his movements, "It's obvious that she won't allow us to take Malos but...something is different about her... She almost seems...human."
The blonde nodded, "Yeah... Maybe, we can use Rex as leverage. Clearly, she cares about the kid a lot... Hey, Jin...why didn't you kill her? Killing her would have made things a little simpler for sure." Jin was silent for a moment before he finally spoke.
"It was a promise..."
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Regan could not recall anything after Azurda had flown away with all of them. Her head, which already hurt from when she had been knocked out, was pounding. She could not be sure, but she believed that she was resting on top of something. It was not soft by any means, and she was more confused about what it could possibly be than anything. Her eyes opened and at first, she was not sure what she was looking at. It almost looked like...armor.
The armor was black plated, and she looked up a little further and spotted the purple, crucifix-shaped Core Crystal. She knew then that she was most certainly lying on top of Malos, who was still unconscious. Regan raised her head until she could get a good look at his face. "Malos...?"
He did not respond, and Regan suddenly felt the urge to do something strange... something familiar. The Elf was silent as she hesitantly raised a hand and rested it on one side of his face. Malos moved a little, but he did not open his eyes. She watched him for a moment before she looked back at his Core Crystal. The center of it was missing, and Regan had no doubt that the missing part was now in Rex's chest.
"Y'know...it's been a while since the last time you did that."
Her head snapped up at Malos, and he was awake now. It took her a moment to register what he said, but she eventually nodded her head. "Yeah..." She answered before her face flushed red as she realized that she was still on top of him. Regan hurriedly got off of him before she flinched as a sharp pain came from her head. Malos wore a confused expression as he got up from the ground and watched as she gripped her head in pain.
"Regan...?"
She was silent before she suddenly shook her head as she removed her hands from her head. "Sorry... I think Mythra hit me pretty hard on the head back on the ship..." Regan explained before she looked up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her, and she had to refrain from getting on her tiptoes so she could be a little less short.
"Just pain, right...? Are you still injured?" He questioned as he took a pointed glance at her hand. Nia's poultice was still there, but her head had not yet been healed.
"I'm pretty sure I don't have a concussion...so at least we don't have to worry about that." She told him before she watched as he stepped closer. Regan was not sure what he wanted at first, but she realized as he suddenly hugged her. It was a bit strange, considering that Malos had never really been one for hugging people. He had always shown that he cared about people in other ways.
"Malos..."
He was quiet for a moment before he suddenly pulled away from her. It was only then that she noticed that something seemed wrong with his left shoulder as he moved his arm."We need to find the others." Malos told her as he looked around the area that they were in. "This place seems familiar... Gormott...? It has been five hundred years, so I can't be too sure."
The Elf glanced around before she nodded in agreement, "It's been a few years since I was last here...but yes, it's probably Gormott." She looked back at him and spoke again. "Rex is your Driver now. Can you sense him anywhere nearby?" Malos was quiet for a moment before he nodded.
"Yes. He's...somewhere in that direction."
Malos started walking towards the direction that he had sensed Rex in, and Regan quickly followed. They walked for a little bit, while simultaneously avoiding any potentially hostile creature, and they finally heard the sound of someone crying. "That's probably the others. Come on!" She told him before running towards where the sound was coming from.
She avoided a Brog as she ran then stopped as she saw Rex kneeling on the ground in front of Azurda. It only took her a second to recognize just how badly injured the Titan was. "The days I've spent with you Rex, were the best days of my life...until we meet again..."
"No, Gramps!" Rex cried out as the Titan's body disappeared with flashes of blue light.
"Azurda..." Regan said softly before she then called out to Rex as she walked towards him. She was unable to walk any further when Rex suddenly turned, ran, and threw his arms around her. "Rex...?" The fifteen-year-old was still crying, and Regan wished that could help. She had never been very good at comforting people, especially when it came to death.
"Now, now... I told you not to cry...didn't I, Rex?" A somewhat familiar voice asked, and Regan wondered it was even possible. Rex either did not seem to hear the voice, or he simply ignored it.
"Rex...?" The voice called out again, and Rex still did not seem to react to it.
"Gramps...!"
The voice finally seemed to have enough and said Rex's name much louder. Rex, as the voice had finally caught his attention, removed his arms from Regan and turned around. At first, he did not see anything. On a hunch, he looked down and spotted a strange creature on the ground.
It was small, with its features somewhat resembling Azurda's. An object, that was most certainly a Core Crystal shone brightly in the center of its chest. Regan honestly had no idea what to say, and she almost considered the thought that she was dreaming. Malos had not said a word since Azurda had seemingly died and was now back, but he raised a brow in confusion. "What...? Gramps...h-how is th-that...?" Rex questioned as he stared down at Azurda.
"Use your eyes. Don't you recognize me?"
Regan finally moved to where she could see him more properly. It was definitely Azurda, but Regan wondered just how this had happened. She had never heard of a Titan doing such a thing, but she would wager that anything was technically possible. "Sorry, Azurda. You don't exactly look...the same as you did before."
"I am so confused right now," Rex stated.
•°•°•
"So you see, by maximizing cellular regeneration to retain all vital bodily functions...I seem to have reverted to a larval stage." Azurda explained.
"Well, that sounds quite handy. Must be nice, being a Titan and all." Rex wiped at his eyes, likely in an attempt to cover up the fact that he had been crying.
Azurda flapped the small wings on his back and hovered in front of Rex. "This isn't something that just any old Titan can do!" The Titan stated before he noticed Rex's expression. "Uh, Rex...are you angry?" Azurda asked, and Rex closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I'm not... I just didn't want you to see me blubbering like a baby." Azurda smiled at that.
"Oh, it's okay to be angry."
The fifteen-year-old opened his eyes to look at Azurda and decided to change the topic. "Just out of curiosity...how long will it be until you're back to normal?"
Looking thoughtful at that, Azurda responded after a couple of seconds of silence. "Good question. No more than three hundred years."
Rex's eyes widened, "Th-three hundred years...? But I'll be long dead by then...!"
"Hmm... I suppose that's true."
"Wh-what about my house? Do I have to live on the streets...?"
"Perhaps this is a chance to finally fly the nest."
"And...pay rent?" Regan sighed as she saw Rex's face flicker with agitation. It was evident that Rex was not looking forward to having to pay rent.
"It's not that bad, Rex. It'd be good for you." Regan told him, and he looked surprised at that.
"It's a major extra expense..." Rex tried but let out a sigh and spoke in a softer tone. "Still... I'm glad you're okay, Gramps." The Titan gave a thumbs up in response.
"Anyway, we need to go ahead and find Nia and Dromarch." Rex stated.
Azurda tilted his head, "You mean that Driver and her Blade from before?" The boy nodded his head.
"Yeah... They kind of saved our lives."
"I hope Eva's with them... She's in that direction." Regan pointed towards the trail of broken trees. "I sure hope they're okay...they did risk their lives to save us."
"Yeah..." Rex said in response.
"I do recall crashing through many trees before I landed here... They probably fell off then." Azurda informed them.
"Well...the direction that Eva's in has a lot of broken trees. It's likely that she's with them. Let's go that way." Malos said, and Rex almost looked startled. She honestly could not blame Rex for being startled, for Malos had been silent the entire time since they had found Azurda.
"O-okay... That sounds like a good idea." Rex said before he looked at Azurda as the Titan suddenly spoke to him.
"By the way, Rex, is that a Core Crystal I see shining on your chest? Just what exactly happened to you?" Rex shook his head.
"We can talk about that once we find Nia and Dromarch. C'mon." Rex stated before picking Azurda up and putting him in the salvager's helmet.
"Huh, well this makes a nice change!"
The fifteen smiled at that before he noticed that Regan was staring at him, more specifically at his left shoulder. "What...?" He asked before he realized that she must have noticed.
"Does your shoulder hurt, Rex?"
He decided against lying to her, already realizing that she would see right through him. "Yeah... It's not dislocated though, so I'm fine. If it makes you feel any better... I'll ask Nia to take a look at it once we find them." Despite the fact that she was concerned, she nodded her head.
"You better."
•°•°•
"I hear fighting. Could it be?" Rex asked and looked up as Malos spoke.
"I feel a ripple in the ether. A Driver is using a Blade in battle. No doubt about it."
"That's gotta be them," Rex stated before he ran in the direction of the sound. Regan and Malos quickly followed behind him, and it did not take long for them to reach the location. Nia had the Twin Rings out with Dromarch standing by her side. To Regan's relief, Eva was fluttering in the air near them. A Brog was currently in the process of trying to attack them.
The Brog went to lunge at Nia, but Rex sent a dark slash at the creature. "Rex?" Nia questioned as she turned her head and spotted him and the others.
"We can talk later. Let's go ahead and take care of this." Rex told her, and Dromarch nodded in agreement.
"He's right, my lady. Now's the perfect time to attack."
It took little time to defeat the Brog, and Regan sighed once the Brog was dead. She felt a little bad, for she had always felt closely connected to all creatures. Regan had no problem with hunting; however, killing a living creature while not using all the parts, bothered her. In this situation, she understood. After all, the Brog had attacked them and had not looked willing to back down anytime soon.
"Why are you guys even... Well, I guess that's a stupid question." Nia said as she put away the Twin Rings.
"Indeed." Dromarch nodded his head.
"Anyway, good to see that you're all okay," Rex said as he put away Malos' sword.
"Right back at ya. Oh, by the way, what happened to the big guy that saved us?"
Azurda pulled himself up and peeked at her out from behind Rex's shoulder. "Are you talking about me?" Nia's eyes widened at that.
"What...? How?"
Rex looked a little sheepish.
"Well... It's kind of a long story."
•°•°•
"I see. So you are all off to Elysium then?"
Nia spoke again, to Azurda this time. "Listen, I never got to thank you properly...for saving us, I mean. Dromarch said you carried us all the way here."
"Indeed... We owe you a great debt, Titan. You saved our lives." Dromarch bowed his head.
The Titan gave a quick shake of his head, "No need to thank me. After all, you were the ones who saved Rex."
Nia looked away, almost looking to be embarrassed. "Don't mention it... Anyway, sounds pretty nice to be a Titan."
The Titan looked a little offended at that, "This isn't something just any old Titan-"
"You can retire that line now," Rex told him.
"Excuse me, I'd like less of that attitude. If you had just listened to me and Regan, we wouldn't be in this mess. 'Take a nap' you said like I was some kind of doddery old man."
"You are a doddery old man, Azurda." Regan stated but looked away from him as the Titan gave her a 'stay out of this look.
"Okay, okay. I know what a terrible disappointment I am... Look at how sorry I am!" Azurda looked very unamused at Rex's words.
"Can you not even muster a shred of sincere remorse...?"
"Sorry but I can't."
"What?"
"If I hadn't taken the job, they would've gotten Malos. No way that they can ever take him." Malos' eyes visibly widened at this. It was clear that he was surprised at Rex's words.
"Even still... If you hadn't touched the sword, or if it did not react to you...there would have been nothing that could've saved you." Rex flinched a bit at Regan's harsh tone, and he knew that she was really upset. He could not blame her for being upset, and he wished that he had listened to her...even so, he did not regret actually accepting the job. He just wished that he had more carefully taken her feelings on the matter into consideration.
"Sorry... Uh, Reg...?"
Regan tilted her head, "What is it?"
"Uh... What happened after I...?" He could not bring himself to say killed, but she already knew.
"I'm not sure...but I think that Mythra knocked me out... It's a bit odd that Jin didn't kill me though..." Regan explained.
"Pyra did. I was surprised that you even woke up back on the ship...she hit you pretty hard." Nia stated before she looked at Rex as he spoke.
"Wait. Which one is it...Pyra or Mythra?"
Nia shrugged, "She never changed her appearance like that before... She seemed completely different though."
"Her name was originally Mythra... I have no idea why she would have created a completely separate personality and appearance..." Malos told them.
"So, she created Pyra as a separate personality and appearance... But...how can she do that...?" The fifteen-year-old questioned.
Regan let out a sigh and looked down in response. "Let's talk about this after we get some rest...okay?" The boy looked at her expression for a moment before he finally nodded.
"Okay."
•°•°•
As he looked around at the scenery, Malos could not help but let thoughts run through his mind. He glanced behind him at Regan, who was currently sleeping with her back facing towards him. Malos honestly had no clue what was going on with her...he thought that it might be something similar to his situation with Rex. Even if that was the case, it did not explain her current appearance.
Regan also seemed to be acting way different, considering the fact that she seemed to be a lot more flustered around him. It had been five hundred years, but it was still strange to him. Her appearance reminded him a lot of Mythra's change in appearance. He also knew that Regan was deeply affected by something; however, he was not sure what exactly that something was.
His arm still hurt, but he refused to tell anyone about it. He knew that Regan had likely noticed; however, he was reluctant to bring it up to her. Malos knew that he was now vulnerable to receiving injuries that would not heal. He was also aware that Regan had probably noticed that both he and Rex had hurt their left shoulders.
"Hello. Still awake I see."
Malos looked to his right and spotted Azurda fluttering towards him. The Titan hovered in the air next to Malos. "I just...can't sleep." It was the truth, as he was far too preoccupied with his own thoughts to sleep.
"I see."
The Aegis looked down at the ground, "I have to admit...it's nice to see you again, Azurda." The Titan nodded his head, and Malos looked back in his direction.
"Likewise. Although...you have changed a lot since our last meeting, Malos."
"There are things I can't let go... You're probably already aware of that, aren't you?"
"Indeed... Listen, I wanted to thank you for saving my dear Rex...and I have to know. What you told him...is that what you really intend?"
Malos nodded, "Yes... However, I do have a couple more goals now."
The Titan gave a look of realization, "Jin and Mythra." Malos gave another nod before he let out a sigh.
"In truth, I would prefer to just talk to Jin... Considering what he did back on the ship; however, fighting him may be the only option...especially since he's working with Mythra."
"That's very true... And you plan on letting Rex be involved in all this...?"
Malos looked back down at the ground, "I'm not blaming you. No matter how much you tried to stop him, that boy would've found some way to get involved." Azurda said while looking back at where Rex was sleeping.
"He's very stubborn," Malos commented, and he had no doubt that Azurda was being truthful with him.
"True," Azurda said before he took a quick look at Malos' Core Crystal. "Huh, I see half your core is missing... Seems you've taken on quite the burden."
"Azurda, I-"
"Promise me that you'll look after Rex."
The Aegis visibly froze at that, and he looked shocked and worried. His eyes widened a bit, and he finally decided not to just settle for saying yes. Malos genuinely did not like the idea of promising to keep Rex alive. To be honest, he should just say that he would try. Something snapped in him in that moment.
"I make no promises... If you hadn't noticed, I have a tendency to get people killed." The words spilled out with sorrow and guilt in his tone. Azurda almost appeared to be shocked at the words and said nothing else before flying away. The Aegis wanted to keep Rex safe; however, he refused to make any promises. Promises were nearly impossible to keep, and he was not going to risk making one.
He took one more look at the scenery before he turned and lied on the ground near Regan. Malos made sure not to be too close, for he would rather not startle or make her uncomfortable. He stole a glance at her and took a moment to look at her sleeping form. Regan was no longer wearing the light green armor; rather, she was now just sleeping in her under armor. After he looked away, he then remembered her words to him before she had gone to sleep.
"I know I owe you an explanation...come to talk with me tonight. I promise to explain." It was strange, but he found himself curious. Malos knew that something was off; however, he knew that she meant no harm. He had always been very good at reading her. He wanted to know just what exactly was going on with her. After a moment, he finally shut his eyes.
•°•°•
He expected to be in the memory version of Elysium, but he was in a completely different place instead. The very large building in front of him very much resembled that of a castle. Malos inspected the scenery around him and found that many trees were prominent here. He then finally spotted a banner on the side of the castle, and an emblem was on it. Malos honestly did not know which country the emblem belonged to.
"Elvuen." A familiar voice said from behind him. Malos quickly turned around only to see two people standing side by side. The one on the left had snow-white hair and the other had reddish-brown hair with a single snow-white streak. Both of them had ocean blue eyes; however, their eyes displayed completely different emotions from one another. They were both Regan.
"What-" Malos started, but he was interrupted by the one on the left.
"That's the emblem of Elvuen."
"This is Elvuen, then...? But...why here...?"
The one on the right shrugged, "This is my home... Since meeting Rex, I don't often go back home." She explained before the two of them stepped closer to Malos.
"Are...are you just another personality she created...?" He questioned as he looked pointedly at the one on the right. She let out a soft laugh before she shook her head.
"I mean, we are different people... but I'm not just another personality and appearance that she created. In fact, everything except that white streak and one other thing is the appearance that I was naturally born with."
At Malos' silence, the one on the left spoke. "She's Ant's biological daughter, Malos. Her life was to be ended quickly the day she was born, so I gave her my Core Crystal." She explained before she placed a hand on her Core Crystal for a moment. This movement turned his attention to her Core Crystal, and he quickly realized that the centerpiece of it was missing...much like his.
"You gave her half, right?" She shook her head.
"No... I gave her all of it."
"But...why is the center of your Core Crystal missing then...? And how are you even still alive if you hurt all your core?"
The one on the right spoke again, "Essentially, her soul lived on since her Core Crystal is currently in the center of my chest... As for why half of it missing...it's the same as your situation with Rex."
"Then... Who has the other half?"
"A close friend of mine... He's a mercenary at the moment." She explained.
"You... Do you mind telling me his name?"
The white-haired one looked surprised at that, "I'm surprised that you want to know that... Regan, what do you think?" She asked as she looked over to the one on the right.
"It's fine with me." The other one stated before she let out a sigh. "Just so you know, he's an Elf like me. He's one of the closest friends that I've ever had, and I trust him with my life. His name is Ethan, and when he was dying I gave him half of the Core Crystal... Ironically, much like Rex, he also received a fatal wound to the heart."
"It seems awfully risky to not have him by your side..."
"It is. We used to stay closer together, but he joined some mercenaries in Uraya...and I refused to join with him."
"Why'd you refuse?"
She looked down at her feet, "For one, mercenary work is high risk. Two, I'd much rather actually help people by traveling to different places on my own rather than being a part of a mercenary group... Three, my family pleaded with me not to join."
"I see..."
The two girls looked at each other before they looked back at Malos. "So...is there anything else that you want to know...?" The one on the left asked. Malos appeared to think for a moment before he answered.
"Yeah, actually... Why didn't you just give her half of your life force?"
The white-haired one looked down at that, "It's... complicated." She said simply.
She was definitely hiding something.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
*Bonus Scene*
The room was cold...that's all Regan could think about as she slowly started regaining consciousness. She managed to open her eyes after a moment, and she quickly realized that the room was very small. The room was fairly dark, and the only thing allowing any light to be in the room at all was a window that was somewhat covered by curtains.
Regan looked around and attempted to move, but she could not move. She struggled for a moment before she can to the realization that she had been tied to a chair. The ropes tied around her wrists and ankles were tight, and she knew that escaping would not be easy. She also realized that she was wearing nothing more than her underwear, which was what she had fallen asleep in. It scared her to know that someone had kidnapped her while she was sleeping.
She tugged at ropes a bit of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Regan looked in the direction it had come from, and she took notice of someone just standing there. Looking at them for a moment, her eyes widened as they took a step closer. They just stepped close enough to where she could see their face. Regan's posture relaxed as she recognized them.
"Drew... What is this place? Why am I tied up...?" She asked, and she took note that he did not look hurt at all. Regan figured that he had likely broken in stealthily to wherever she was held captive. It was a bit odd that he was just standing there instead of helping her. The man was quiet for a moment before he suddenly chuckled.
"Drew...?"
He still did not say a word and instead walked closer to her. It was then that she noticed the knife he was holding in his left hand. Regan quickly recognized it to be that of his hunting knife, and she hoped that he was coming to cut the ropes currently binding her to the chair. Once he got close enough to be able to cut her binds, he stopped moving and finally spoke.
"You know, I always thought that there was something off with you. I always had a hunch about it... Now, I know for sure." He stated as he motioned towards the center of her chest. The Core Crystal shined strongly on her chest, and Regan froze as he suddenly raised the knife and place the tip of it on the core.
"Dr-Drew, what're y-you-"
She cut herself off abruptly as he applied pressure to the Core Crystal. "Huh... I wonder what'll happen if I break it? Normal Blades can't survive without their Core Crystal; however, an Aegis is far from being a normal Blade." She was speechless at that point, and she was terrified that he would actually break it.
Drew had always been one to joke around, but she knew that he would not dare joke about something like this. He was completely serious...and that scared her more than the knife he was pressing against her Core Crystal. The man suddenly moved his other hand to run through her hair. The gentleness of it caught her off guard for a moment, but she flinched as he gripped her hair tightly in his right hand.
"Feris got your tongue there, Aegis?" He asked before he moved the knife and pressed it against her throat. The cold metal against the soft, warm skin of her throat naturally caused her to shiver. She instantly regretted not stopping the movement, but it was too late. The blade of the knife nicked her throat. A little bit of blood dripped down her throat, and she could do nothing but let out a small whimper.
All of a sudden, the only door leading into the room opened. "Got impatient, did you?" A black-haired woman asked as she walked into the room. A scar ran along the left side of her face, and it was most likely caused by a severe burn. She walked fairly close to them before she stopped and crossed her arms. Regan quickly took note of the ax hanging from the unknown woman's belt.
"Well, she's not even saying anything anymore. I expected her to beg for her life by now." Drew responded and he removed the knife from Regan's throat; however, he kept his firm grip on her hair. The woman nodded before she motioned for him to move away. He complied and released his grip on Regan's hair before he backed away.
"Hmm, that's a bit surprising... as much as I'd like to cut her, let's wait until tomorrow. Give her some time to change her mind. After all... she knows exactly what we want." The woman stated before she pulled her ax off of her belt and raised it. Regan's eyes widened, but she had no time to react as the woman swiftly knocked her out.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
*This chapter took me a while to get written, so I apologize for the delay. I'd like to thank everyone who's read this story and everyone who has commented. I appreciate any feedback you can give me, and I'll try to respond to comments as soon as I can. Hope you enjoyed.*
*Sincerely, Talleybear.*