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Chapter Text

The Cloud Sea was split by an Ardainian Titanship crossing it. Legions of soldiers rushed across the ship’s interior, defending it from the unknown attacker that boarded the ship a few minutes prior. Deep inside the Battleship was a female Gormotti in a yellow Jumpsuit, imprisoned in a cell. She was too far away from the battle to know what was going on and so she didn’t move at all in her cell, trying to prepare herself for all the things that could happen when the ship would reach it’s destination.

A few corridors down the battle was turning into a massacre. The attacker, a single masked man, dressed in white and armed with a long sword was cutting his way through the Imperial Soldiers, walking towards his goal, the Core Crystal vault. Yet on his way he overheard an interesting order from one of the generals.

“Don’t let him reach the prisoner!“

‘So, they are holding someone captive,‘ the man thought to himself. ‘A little detour can’t hurt. Let’s see who this prisoner is.‘

He turned around and took one of the smaller passages towards the cell block. The two guards who were guarding the cells were no match for him, having already killed one or two legions of soldiers.

Inside the cell, the Gormotti noticed strange noises coming from outside. It sounded like someone was fighting there. Before she could ask herself further questions, the door opened and a masked man with white hair and white clothing entered the cell.

“So…“ The man began. “You’re the prisoner…“

“Who’re you?“ The Gormotti asked.

“Not important right now.“ The man replied, trying to analyze the woman. “Can you fight?“

“Sure.“ the woman replied.

“Good. Follow me.“

He reached out his hand and helped the Gormotti up. Together, they walked through the hallway back towards the vault.

“Excuse me.“ The Gormotti began. “Could we head towards the second cell block? My Blade is held there.“

“Very well, after we collected what I came here for.“ The man replied.

“Thanks.“ She muttered, trying to keep up with her new ally.

The few guards standing in their way were wiped out, opening the way to the vault.

“Stay back.“ The man said to the Gormotti.

She did as he asked and watched as he sliced open the door with speed she had never witnessed before.

After that display of skill from her new ally, she looked past him into the room, and was astonished as she found herself looking at around 40 Core Crystals, all ready for resonance.

“So,“ The man turned around and looked at her. “Where is your Blade?“

“Oh, right.“ The woman took her eyes of the Core Crystals to focus on the task at hand. “Follow me.“

The two hurried to the rest of the cells and the Gormotti went from door to door until she felt her Blade behind one of the doors.

“Here.“ She said.

The man took his sword and sliced the door into pieces, revealing a white, tiger-like Blade behind it. The Blade looked up at the man confused, before laying eyes on the second person before him.

“My Lady.“ He said, slowly walking out of the cell. “I’m glad to see you well.“

“Save it, Dromarch.“ The Gormotti replied. “Let’s get outta here first, then you can continue.“

“Very well.“ The Blade replied and followed the two humans out of the Titanship.

They set foot on the starboard balcony of the Battleship, where a smaller ship already awaited them. The door opened and another man dressed in blue and with red glasses walked out.

“Welcome back, Jin.“ He said. “I trust you have cut the way for us.“

“Yes, you can collect the Core Crystals now.“

“Very Good.“ The man in blue replied. “And I see you brought new allies as well.“

“They were prisoners of the Empire, presumably also on their way to Indol.“

“I see. Then I leave it to you to decide what to do with them.“

“I will.“

The man in blue walked down the ramp and entered the interior of the Battleship, while the white haired man went on board the smaller ship. The Gormotti hesitated until the man gave her a sign to follow her. She followed his example and headed up the ramp into the small ship.

It was much smaller on the inside as well. The man couldn’t even stand up in the entrance and even the Gormotti only barely fit through the entrance. The hallway were a bit higher and so much more comfortable to walk in.

“Follow me.“ The man instructed.

Not knowing what else to do, the Gormotti and her Blade followed the man deeper into the ship. The man opened the door and entered the room, signalizing her to follow. As she went through the door, she recognized this room as a bedroom of some sorts.

“This is your room.“ The man instructed. “The actual owner is on a mission right now, so you can have it for the time being. But you’ll need to share with your Blade.“

“Thanks, I appreciate it.“ The Gormotti made herself comfortable.

“By the way, what’s your name?“

“It’s Nia.“ The Gormotti replied.

“Very well, Nia. Make yourself comfortable.“ The man made his move to leave the room.

“Thank you, Jin. That was your name, right?“ The Gormotti asked.

The man nodded and then walked out.

“So, my lady.“ The Blade called Dromarch looked at his Driver. “What now?“

“I think I’ll stay with them for the time being.“ She laid back on the bad and quickly fell asleep.

Chapter Text

"So, Jin. I see you brought someone new."

Jin turned around to look at Malos, a man with short, black hair and black clothing with Golden accessories.

"Yes, I have." Jin replied.

"You think they have what it takes?" Malos still wasn't convinced about what he heared about the new member of Torna.

"She's more capable than you think."

"I'll look forward to meeting her then." Malos exited the room, leaving Jin alone again.

Jin himself wasn't completely convinced by the Gormotti, though he sensed something within her he couldn't really explain. He decided to let time tell if he was right.

Nia was woken up by the touch of Dromarch's nose on her arm, which was hanging out of her bed.

"My Lady." He said, keeping his voice quiet while waiting for Nia to be fully awake.

"What is it, Dromarch?" The Gormotti answered, a bit annoyed to be woken up after being imprisoned for a while.

"Jin was just here to deliver a message. There will be a meeting in 30 minutes and your presence is required as well."

"Alright, just let me get myself ready, okay?"

He nodded and left the room to let his Driver make herself ready for the day.

10 minutes later, Nia stepped out the room and followed Dromarch down the hallway, past the entrance towards the bridge.

The door opened automatically and she was greeted by the man in blue from yesterday.

"Good to see someone well rested around here." He said with a smile. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah." Nia replied, a bit surprised by the kindness in his words.

"That's good to know. I'm Akhos by the way."

"Oh, er, right. I'm Nia." She responded quickly.

"Well then. Jin and Malos will be here in a few minutes, so you have time to look around the bridge if you want."

"Malos?" Nia asked.

"He and Jin are sort of the heads of this group. He was eager to meet you."

"Is that so." The Gormotti was already half lost in thoughts again.

She strided around the bridge for a few minutes, trying to make it look like she knew what she was doing to seem professional, though she was pretty sure Akhos wasn't being deceived by her. Then, Jin and Malos walked through the door and assumed position in the center, looking down at the other two.

"So you're Nia." Malos looked at the Gormotti.

"Yeah. Jin was kind enough to take me in." She wasn't really sure how to talk to him.

"Well then, I hope Jin was right to choose you. Prove yourself useful and we'll get along nicely. Understood?"

"Understood." Nia replied, not really sure what it meant yet.

"Alright then." He focused back on the whole group. "We'll be returning to the base soon. Until then, you can use your time as you see fit." He left the bridge again, Jin following behind him, leaving Nia and Alhos alone.

"So, that's Malos." Nia wasn't sure about him.

"You'll get used to it." Akhos replied, also leaving the bridge and Nia alone to her thoughts.

"Well," she said to herself. "I guess I'd better use my time here useful."

First, she went back to her temporary quarters to check on Dromarch and tidy up a bit. She left after and told him that she'd be back in half an hour.

She then used her free time wandering around the hallways until she stopped in front of a single door at the back of the ship. Jin's room.

She took a deep breath, then knocked.

"Jin?" She asked. "May I enter?"

"Sure." Was the response she got.

She entered the room and took a look around. It was pretty basic, like most rooms here, with just a small wooden bed, a small closet and a table with two chairs, one of which Jin was sitting on with a book in his hands.

"Huh, didn't take you for much of a reader." The Gormotti said as she sat down on the other chair. "What's it about?"

"It's a diary." He replied, still focusing on the book in front of him.

"You write diaries?" She was surprised. The man who rescued her from the Ardainians, who could slaughter legions of soldiers on his own, was keeping a journal.

"I used to." He finally focused on the girl in front of him.

"Used to?" Nia was still confused.

"I'm just reading old entries, not writing anything new. I haven't for quite some time."

"So keeping a journal was a trend I've missed or what?"

Jin was reminded of a certain scene many centuries ago with a certain blonde-haired Blade on the other side of him.

Nia noticed he was lost in thoughts, though she couldn't quite tell what brought him out of focus.

"Sorry, it's nothing." He quickly replied after seeing Nia's concerned expression on her face. "You wanted to talk about something with me, I presume?"

"Right." Nia said, focusing on what she actually came here for. It took her a few moments to find the right words. "I...I wanted to thank you, for rescuing me, I mean. No one has ever done something like this for me before. Giving me a home, protecting me. Everyone I've met either looked at me terrified or even tried to kill me."

"Because you're a Flesh Eater."

Jin's words completely took Nia by surprise. How did he know that? She wasn't sure how to respond to that. In fact, it took most of her effort to remain on the chair she was currently sitting on. After a few seconds she finally found her words again.

"H-How do you- How did-"

"There aren't many reasons for the Ardainians to transfer prisoners to Indol. And...I could feel it. I knew there was something about you. That's why I helped you escape."

His response shocked Nia even more. "But why would you save me if you knew? I'm a cannibal. I killed a human to extend my life, to keep my memories. Why did you-"

"Come with me." He said, moving towards the door.

Nia was quick to follow him, still trying to process what he had just told her. Jin guided Nia through many hallways before finally reaching a big door at the end of one of the hallways. He opened the door and entered the room behind, instructing Nia to follow him.

The room was big, easily four times as big as the bridge, though pretty much empty aside from a small tank, a control panel in the center of a room and a block of ice...with a person inside.

"Wha-Who is she?" Nia couldn't believe what she saw and was actually close to punching herself in the face.

"My Driver." With these words, Jin took of his mask, revealing a Core Crystal on his forhead, completely in red.

Nia wasn't able to move, frozen in place, she looked closely at his Core Crystal, unable to move her eyes off it.

"You-You're-"

She wasn't able to finish the sentence.

"I am just like you. That is why I saved you."

She was torn in two. One side of her was shocked and terrified of the man who stood before her, but her other side was actually heartwarmed by what he just said, that she wasn't hated by the whole world.

"What's her name?" She asked with a warm smile.

"Lora."

Chapter Text

Nia was woken up by a rather harsh knock at the door.

“Get up! We’re at the base!“

It was Malos’s voice shouting through the door. ‘Great‘, Nia thought. His voice was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. Annoyed, she stood up and made her hair ready. Dromarch was already awake and ready to leave, patiently waiting for his Driver at the door.

After finishing up her look by putting her hair ties in, Nia stepped out the room with Dromarch at her side and walked towards the exit. Malos, Jin and Akhos were already waiting for her.

“You certainly took your time.“ Akhos said as Nia arrived at the exit.

“Save it, Akhos.“ Malos spoke up. “You can continue with your comments later.“

Jin left the ship first, followed by the rest of the group. Nia entered the ramp last and once she left the ship, she stopped to take a look around the base. The room she was in appeared to be a kind of dock of some sort with massive doors on both ends for the ships and a hallway on one side of the wall that leads deeper into the base. She then hurried to catch up to the others.

Two persons entered the room from the hallway, heading towards the group.

“Hey, Jin. Malos.“ The blonde-haired man in red greeted the group. “Was the mission a success?“

“Of course, Mikhail. What did you expect?“ Malos replied. “How about your ‘hunting‘?“

“It was a piece of cake.“ The black-haired girl responded. “We got a few new cores for our collection.“

The blonde man stepped forward. “And I see you’ve collected more than just Core Crystals. Who is she?“

“That’s Nia.“ Akhos said before Nia could respond. “Jin picked her up while on the battleship.“ He then turned around at her. “Nia, that’s Mikhail and Patroka. They’re our Core Crystal hunters.“

“A Gormotti girl, huh?“ Mikhail said. “I like Gormotti. Wanna get to know each other more personal?“

“Shut up or you’ll get to know my claws real personal.“ Nia replied, showing of her claws.

“I like her.“ Patroka said with a smile.

"Alright, that's enough nonsense." Malos cut into the conversation. "Were meeting in 15 minutes to plan our next move. Don't be late."

Malos and Jin then left the dock.

"Well, I guess we'd better hurry. I wouldn't keep Malos waiting." Akhos said, also leaving the room.

"My Lady?" Dromarch reminded Nia of his presence.

"We still have a bit of time. I'll take a look around here. Maybe I'll find something interesting in here." With these words Nia left Dromarch alone with Mikhail and Patroka.

"Well, Patroka, I guess we should head to the conference room as well." And they also left the dock.

When Nia entered the conference room at the given time the others were already awaiting her.

"So," Akhos started. "Jin mentioned you are a Flesh Eater. What's your power?"

"He told you about that?" Nia was a bit disappointed Jin had told them something Nia wasn't really comfortable about herself. She thought Jin would have at least a bit more sympathy to her.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Akhos added as he saw the look on Nia's face. "We're all the same here."

"The same...You mean you're all Flesh Eaters?" Nia was surprised to hear this, and it actually made her feel more at ease, knowing that these people probably had the same problems as her.

"That's right." Mikhail replied. "You don't have to hold back anything. We can help you."

"I see." Nia gave them a small smile. "I'm a healer. I can heal almost every wound that can be inflicted. Including wounds that would take lifes."

"She'll probably be very useful then." Patroka said.

"That's enough about that." Malos interrupted the conversation. "Let's focus on the next mission, shall we?"

Jin nodded and stepped forward. "We've recieved reports of a Core Crystal transport from Uraya to Indol. The content is around 50 Crystals ready for cleansing. The transport will be protected by a group of mercenaries, so it'll be hard to get it. The Cores will be transported in two ships, so we'll split into two teams. Mikhail, Patroka, Malos, you will form the first group, Nia and I will form the second group. Akhos, you'll need to get us to the ships and distract them while we're inside. Got it?"

The group gave a nod in agreement.

"Very well. The shipment will set out in two days, so we'll leave tomorrow and cut them off on their way to Indol. Use your time until then however you like. That's all." After the last sentence, Jin and Malos left the conference room.

"That was quiet straightforward." Nia said after they left the room.

"That's how it always goes. Jin isn't a man of many words." Akhos responded to her.

"Let's get outta here for now." Patroka was the first of the four to exit.

"Come on, Nia. We've prepared a room for you and your Blade. I'll show you." Mikhail said before turning around a corner and disappearing.

Nia hurried to catch up to him while she went through everything in her head again. She still couldn't believe it. She wasn't alone anymore, she finally met others like her and they decided to take her in. She was astonished by the kindness she was shown around here, though Dromarch might not be too happy with what exactly they were doing here, but Nia didn't care about that right now. She would figure out what exactly she wanted later. For now, she just knew that she will try to get to know her new crew.

Shortly after Nia had settled into her new quarters, she was disturbed by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

She didn't know who she was expecting, but she was still surprised when Jin walked into her room.

"Jin? What are you doing here?"

He took a look around Nia's room and then settled on one of the small chairs.

"Are you adjusting to life here?" It was the first time she saw him worried in some kind of way.

"What makes you ask?" Nia wasn't sure how to reply yet.

"Well, you are a part of our group now, so I wanted to check on you."

"Thanks, I appreciate it, really." She gave him a warm smile. "It's more than anyone has ever done for me in a while."

"We're all equals here. I know the troubles you habe all too well. That is why I helped you."

"Well, thanks again. I really don't know what would've happened if you hadn't rescued me."

"I'm glad I could be of assistance." It was the first time she saw him smile. "That's all I wanted to talk about. I'll take my leave now." He opened the door, but then turned around one last time. "Oh, and...make sure you're well rested tomorrow."

"I will." She replied. "Thank you, Jin."

He nodded and took his leave.

"What are you going to do now, my lady?" Dromarch asked after Jin had left.

"We'll see." Was all she responded.

Chapter Text

“Listen up, everyone. We’ll be meeting at the dock in 30 minutes.“

Nia never had a problem with getting up early. In fact, she had always been an early riser who would never sleep past 8 am, but after being on the run for a few months, the lack of sleep really messed up her normal schedule. And being woken up by a voice through a speaker this early also didn’t help with her lack of sleep either.

Still pretty tired, she got out of bed and tapped Dromarch on the nose to wake him up as well. She got into her yellow jumpsuit and put her hair ties in. When she had finally finished, Dromarch was already waiting at the door.

At the said time she met up with the rest of the group at the dock, though she was still pretty tired and kinda pissed off. Jin and the others didn’t seem to notice or care and rather prepared for the mission ahead.

“Is everyone ready?“ It was Malos who spoke up in his slightly arrogant tone.

The rest nodded.

“Let’s board the ship.“ Jin was the first to move. “Akhos, you know what you have to do?“

“Sure.“ He replied.

“Good. Everyone, get ready.“

Nia was the last to enter the ship which was used to rescue her, now ready to help her new crew in any way she could. She took a deep breath, then walked towards the bridge along with the rest.

The next hour was uneventful. The ship swam closely beneath the Cloud Sea’s surface to avoid attention from anyone in the area while keeping a look out for the shipment from Uraya. The bridge was pretty quiet as well, no one really was in the mood to talk.

After what felt like an eternity for Nia, their target finally appeared on the horizon. And the mood on the bridge changed as well.

“Akhos, ready the cannons.“ It was Jin whose Order broke the silence.

“Understood.“

The Monoceros broke through the Cloud Sea’s surface and fired at the two Titanships above. A second wave of shots came closely after, damaging the ships enough to stop them from moving.

“It’s time. Malos, Patroka, Mikhail. Take the ship on the left. Nia, come with me.“ The group stormed out the bridge and towards the ships exit.

“Jin, don’t get reckless.“ Malos said before parting ways.

Nia and Jin boarded the Urayan ship and quickly took a look around for any guards. When they realized they were alone, they took a few moments to go through their plan once more.

Jin started talking. “They probably know what we’re after, so we’ll have to fight a lot of guards at once. They are the strongest mercenaries in Uraya, so they’ll be a lot tougher than the Ardainians from before. You stay back and cover me. Understood?“

“Yeah.“ Nia responded.

With that, they moved forward towards the back of the ship. The first few Drivers they encountered were quickly dealt with by Jin, the Blades returning to their Core Crystals. Nia and Jin then moved further inside, reaching the bridge of the ship.

“From our intel, there should be two fighters at most. Think you can handle them?“

“Sure, leave it to me.“

“Very well. Join me when you’re finished here.“ Jin then moved forward towards the Vault.

Nia and Dromarch, who was with her since the start, opened the door to find a single mercenary in the bridge.

“So, you’re with this masked man. Are you a rookie? There aren’t any reports of a Gormotti in Torna’s ranks.“

“You think that’ll save you?“ She stood ready, her weapons in her hands and ready to dodge the clumsy attacks of the man in front of her.

“I would fight the same way in any situation. Don’t get your hopes up.“

“Then come at me.“

As she predicted, the man rushed forward with his Greataxe in hand to try and take her out with one strike, though because the axe was too heavy, Nia was able to dodge easily. The man advanced towards her, pushing her towards the wall. She played along, giving him the feeling of advantage over her, before jumping against the wall and then from the wall over his head and striking him down with a precise hit against his knee. With a second strike she disarmed him and he fell down to the ground. However, instead of giving into defeat, he tried to roll to the side to get his weapon. Surprised, Nia was too slow to stop him from getting back up and had to dodge a few more strikes from the man in front of her who now gave up any form of strategy and blinded with rage and pain swung his axe from one side to the other. Nia waited patiently, trying to find an opening. She waited and after one of his clumsy strikes, she slid through his legs and gave him a few quick blows herself before he fell down, covering the floor around him with his blood.

“Are you done now?“ She asked while standing above him, one foot on his side.

She then saw something else. Looking over his body to the hand that was holding the axe, she saw a ring around his finger.

"Do you...have a family?" She asked.

"Does it matter?" The fear in his eyes was still present, though he tried to look tough.

"Just answer me."

He gave into defeat. "My wife and my daughter..." It was a struggle for him to talk, but he continued. "We lost our homes...due to a flood and were taken in by Vandham's crew... He gave us a new home and I've been working for him ever since."

Nia didn't dare to breath. She couldn't take his life. Not if there were people waiting for him, trusting he'd come back. She guessed he probably even promised them to return. And now here she was, stopping him from keeping that promise.

She took a deep breath and switched to her Blade form. Her grey hair and ears grew longer, her yellow jumpsuit was replaced by a dress of some sort and her crystal was shining on her chest. The man looked confused and shocked at the same time, trying to keep his distance from her.

"You...You're a cannibal."

"Shut up or you wish you'd have never entered this ship." She said to his face, then turned her attention to his wounds and started healing them.

"What...are you doing?"

"You'll be fine. You have family waiting for you, right? I wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

His wounds were completely healed as she finished her sentence.

"Thank you. I-I don't know how-" He was cut off by the Flesh Eater in front of him.

"Just get outta here while you can. And don't be spotted. I can't help you then. Understood?"

"Y-Yeah." He stumbled a few steps forward before finally finding balance and then running through the door.

“Alright, Dromarch. Let‘s go back to Jin.“ Nia hurried out the bridge and in the direction Jin went.

Dromarch looked like he wanted to protest, but kept his thought to himself and followed his Driver.

When the two arrived at the Vault, Jin had already opened the door and started collecting the Core Crystal‘s.

“You took your time.“ He said when Nia entered the vault.

“I decided to have a little fun with him, if you think I wouldn‘t be able to handle one merc.“ She didn‘t feel comfortable telling him what exactly happened on the bridge.

“Very well. Go back to Akhos. I‘ll be done in a minute.“

“Sure.“

She turned around and headed for the exit where the Monoceros was waiting. She quickly headed for her quarters on the ship and closed the door behind her. She needed a bit of time to process everything that happened and what she should tell Jin if he were to check the bridge.

"My Lady?" Dromarch said with a questioning tone. Nia didn't have to ask what he was wondering about.

"I couldn't take his life. Not if he has family." Her neutral expression gave away to reveal a sorrow look. "I don't want others to lose their family, least of all because of me. I just can't bring myself to part a family."

"Because of what you've told me about your time in Gormott?" Dromarch was referring to her previous Driver and his daughter who Nia already viewed as family by the time she reawakened Dromarch.

Nia's respond was limited to a single nod towards Dromarch. His concern only grew.

"Can you ally yourself with these people while having this mindset?"

"I don't know yet." She stared on the ground, not able to look in Dromarch's eyes at the moment.
"I just feel like I owe it to Jin. He did save me from Indol, so I feel like I need to stay with them. Besides, what else am I supposed to do? Wander through Alrest alone again? It'll only be a matter of time until we're detected by the Praetorium again if we should leave here."

"I'll be with you whatever you decide. Just think about what I said, my Lady." He then curled up on the ground to take a rest.

Nia still wasn't sure what to do. Sure, she trusted Jin, but was it enough to take the lifes of so many people just to repay a debt. She would have to figure that out eventually.

Chapter Text

Nia was exhausted. The last few days she had been doing all sorts of errands for Torna. Rookie business, As Malos had said. For her, it was just more lost time for her much needed sleep. And so she wasn't happy as a knock on the door stopped her from sleeping once again. This better not be another annoying task from Malos, She thought to herself as she opened the door, and found the blonde-haired guy in front of her.

"Mik?! What do you want?" He never really talked to her since their first meeting a few days ago. In fact, none of the Crew except Jin had.

"Not much. May I come in?" He entered without waiting for Nia's response and sat down on a small chair in the corner of her room.

Still annoyed, Nia sat down on her bed to keep a sizable distance from him. She analized his eyes, trying to figure out what he wanted from her at this time of night.

They stayed like that for a few moments until Mikhail finally said something, though he was struggling clearly with it.

"Y'know, I saw that one guy who escaped you and Jin. I'm guessing Jin doesn't know anything about it?"

Her heart immediately sank to her knees. This is it, isn't it? She messed up with the one group that gave her a roof above her head. And now Mikhail was going to kill her for it. She slowly backed away from him towards the wall.

When Mikhail looked up and saw her almost cowering against the wall, he laughed out.

"Do you really think I'm gonna kill you?"

He burst into laughter after seeing her face. Nia was more mad at herself now. Of course if they would want her dead they wouldn't send Mikhail. She gave him a punch against the shoulder to stop him from laughing and sat back down onto the bed.

"What do you want then?" She couldn't take another second of this humiliation.

His face turned into a serious expression as he sat up on the chair firmly again. He looked her in the eyes and took a deep breath.

"Look, I know you spared that guy on the bridge. I won't harm you or tell anyone else, but..." He stopped to think about his next words carefully.

"But what? You wouldn't have come to me if it were just that." Nia returned his gaze, her expression became more concerned.

"It could be that Malos saw the guy as well." He finally managed to get out. "And if he did, he won't be as compromising as myself."

She understood the meaning of his words, and was afraid by it. Her worst fears may come true.

"So what now? You want me to leave? Want me to run away from the Praetorium and Malos?"

"I don't know..." He admitted with his gaze at the floor.

They sat in silence for a minute before Nia gave a loud sigh from her. Her thoughts were going crazy in her mind. There was a good chance she wasn't safe here anymore, but on the other hand she wasn't safe anywhere else anyway. So it didn't matter if she stayed, right? Her heart was racing as she finally sat up straight and looked at Mikhail to give him her response.

"Listen Mik, I may not be safe here anymore, but I'm not safe anywhere else. So I'm gonna stay here. And if Malos should confront me, we'll see what happens..." She quieted down at the end as she felt her confidence slowly go away.

"Alright." He sighed himself and stood up from his chair. "If you've made up your mind I'll see what I can do for you."

He was about to leave when Nia stopped him again.

"Hey, Mik." She stood up herself and stepped up closer towards him. "I've been meaning to ask you for a while, but I never got the chance to ask: You're not a Flesh Eater, are you?"

He was surprised by the sudden interest in his form. "How'd you get that idea?" He asked.

"I'm a Blade myself, you idiot. I can tell you're not a Flesh Eater like you claim to be. Your Core Crystal is as blue as the sky. I'm guessing you're a normal Blade then, but who is your Driver?"

"Close enough." He replied with a smirk. "I'm not a normal Blade, but a Blade Eater."

"A...Blade Eater? I've never heard of that before. You sure you're not making this up?" She still had her suspicions.

He decided to provide the information she was after and started explaining.

"As you know, Flesh Eaters are Blades fused with human cells in the quest of ever stronger Blades, first created in Judicium. With that, they lose their immortality, however they can keep on living after their Driver dies and they are able to keep their memories, and sometimes gain powers stronger than any normal Blade could imagine."

"Yeah, yeah, you can skip the lecture. I'm a Flesh Eater so of course I know this basic stuff." She was getting annoyed by how he was stretching the time instead of just giving her a straight answer.

She glared at him angrily and he gave in with a nod.

"Fine, fine, just chill, kitty." He said. "I'm a Blade Eater, an experiment which had been conducted in Indol, fusing Humans with Core Crystals. It has pretty similar effects as the Flesh Eater technology, so it's not a big deal and it was easier to say that I was a Flesh Eater as well then it would've been explaining Blade Eaters."

She was both shocked and amazed at his response. She had never heard of other experiments conducted on Blades and she wouldn't have guessed that humans would be able to take part in the same experiments that lead to the creation of Flesh Eaters. Nia herself didn't take part in any experiments, her decision to become a Flesh Eater was rather rushed, and not exactly her decision as well, but that didn't really matter right now. Of course though she had heard of the experiments conducted by Judicians on Blades and she could only imagine how most Blades weren't taken there by free will.

She realized her mouth was hanging open and quickly closed it. She replied to Mikhail to not seem rude.

"I had no idea such Blades even exist. I can only imagine how painful it must've been for a human to get a Core Crystal implanted."

"Now don't worry your pretty little head about it. It wasn't really all that painful. It felt weird, sure, but nothing that stayed as some kind of trauma, or even a scar. Besides, that all was almost 500 years ago, so I'll be fine."

He gave her a warm smile, the first sincere one he gave her at all in fact. If he ever gave her a smile before, it was after one of his stupid jokes, so she did indeed feel happier after.

Mikhail then finally went out on the hallway through the door to finally give Nia some alone time. However, before he fully left her to her thoughts, he gave her a promise.

"Hey, Nia. If you ever need anything, just ask me. Got it?"

"Yeah." She replied with a smile of her own.

He nodded and walked out. Nia had a lot to think about, but right now, she decided, it was time to sleep.

The next morning started with another announcement out of the blue.

"We got a new mission. We're meeting at the dock in 5 minutes."

Nia was not looking forward to it. Can't they let her get at least some sleep? With a loud sigh she got out of bed and finished up her looks as quick as possible. Dromarch was already awake and took the time to stretch and then waited patiently for his Driver.

Four minutes later, Nia was ready and ran through the hallways to make it to the dock in time. She was last, as always, but she did manage to make it in time. The others looked at her with amusement as they boarded the Monoceros.

Great, Nia thought, I guess I'll make fun of myself every day now.

She boarded the ship last and went to the bridge to catch up with the others. As she entered the bridge, Patroka asked a question Nia was burning to know the answer to.

"What's the mission, Malos?"

It'd better be a good one because she felt tired as hell and there was no way she could keep her cool if this job wasn't extremely important.

"Our informant has found something interesting. Even Jin and I don't know what he's found, he wanted to meet in person, but he told us to meet with him quickly. He's waiting at the shoulder area of the Gormott Titan. We don't want to draw attention, which means we'll travel a lot by foot."

Everyone except Jin and Malos gave a loud sigh from them and turned around to whatever they could do on the bridge.

Nia was not looking forward to it. Both traveling by foot and returning to Gormott. The place didn't hold many pleasent memories for her and she'd rather not be reminded about these things right now. That said, she supposed she wouldn't have to visit Torigoth at least, and if they're traveling to the shoulder area they wouldn't pass another specific place. Though Nia wondered if she actually wanted to visit the place.

They arrived at Gormott at sunrise. The ship was docked at a spot near the Lyta Oasis.

"Why are we docking here? This way is much longer than if we had stopped at the shipyard on the left side?" Nia asked Malos.

"Like I said, we don't want to draw attention, and a shipyard which is too small for our ship would cause the opposite effect. Now stop whining and get moving, we don't have all day." He turned around and followed the rest of the group which had already set out for the Titan's shoulder.

Dromarch gave her the offer to take her on his back, but Nia refused. She didn't want them to think that she couldn't walk for that long on her own. She had already made fun of herself enough today.

She quickly catched up to the others and looked around to take in the scenery of Gormott. Her homeland was, without a doubt, a beautiful place, and she barely ever had the time to take in these sights while she was on the run or trying to save her sister. She looked over the Oasis where all different kinds of animals would stop to refresh themselves, the Waytree on the other side as a guiding pillar for all travelers, and the outlines of Torigoth in the distance, a place she knew all too well. She quickly brought her mind back to reality and focused on their destination: The mountain-like shoulder area atop the hills. She gave another sigh and went along with the rest quietly.

That is until she saw something very familiar. A stone path, partially overgrown with grass. She held her breath for a moment as she thought about what to do next. Could she return already? Could she bare the pain it would inevitably bring her?

Dromarch looked at her with a questioning look. Nia turned around to the others and made up her mind.

"Jin?" She got the attention of the masked man. He turned around at her, as the others did.

"What is it?" He asked with his neutral tone.

"Would you mind if I sit this one out? There's something I'd like to do while we're here." She didn't want to reveal the reason for her question.

"Sure. Go ahead." Jin replied and the group continued on with their walk into the hills.

"My Lady?" Dromarch asked her, not understanding what it was she was worried about. Because he could feel it through their link that she was worried ever since they stepped foot on Gormott. However something in this area drastically increased her worriness.

"Could you wait here, Dromarch? This is something I need to be alone for. Get me when the others come back, alright?"

"Very well, my lady."

He lied down underneath a nearby tree, and Nia got tears in her eyes immediately. She let out a quiet sob, and then tried her best to brace herself for what was to come.

She slowly followed the stone path until she reached a small, wooden house, the door standing wide open, moss and other greenery already claiming the house for themselves. The house wasn't big, it only had one story and a couple of windows to let light in.

Nia stepped through the doorway into a small hallway with doors leading to different rooms. She was drawn to one particular room at the back of the hallway, the door closed to hide the room behind. She slowly walked over and opened the door.

It was a small room with only a bed, a small nighttable and an empty closet standing against the wall. She walked up to the bed, the blanket and pillow still on it, and bursted into tears. She held her face inside the pillow and let all the tears, welling in her eyes for minutes, finally out.

When she had calmed herself, she sat up, still sobbing, and looked over to the night table, where a picture of two Gormotti could be seen. The one on the left was a strong man, clothed in fancy attire and accessories, the one on the right was a small girl which looked a bit like Nia, the resemblance almost uncanny to an outsider. She wore a weak smile and was clothed in a dress, her hair filled with accessories. Nia put down the picture with a smile after striding her hand across it and left the room.

She fought back the tears already welling up in her eyes again, and entered another room. It was much like the room she was in before, though this one had a desk and a much larger bed in it. There was another picture on the desk, similar to the one in the other room, with the same two Gormotti on it, and a Blade in the background. Nia shuddered as she saw herself behind the two Gormotti, all three smiling in the camera. She knew exactly when this photo was taken. It was the last day they lived in welth, only two weeks before the girl on the picture would fall victim to her illness, and Nia's life would go downhill. A few sobs left the Blade and she left the room to prevent bursting into tears a second time.

She didn't dare going into the other rooms, too afraid to find more of her past in them, and so she left the house to wander in the area a bit.

"You know we can't trust her." It was Malos voice that broke the silence.

"What do you mean?" Jin was surprised by the statement Malos just made.

"The guy on the bridge. She let him escape." Mikhail had to try his best to not make a sound. So Malos did saw it. He could only hope Nia wouldn't come to harm.

Jin stopped to think about what Malos said. Malos looked at him challenging while the others all had a confused expression on their faces. It took a few moments for Jin to respond.

"Even if she let him go, I didn't sense any plot to run."

"And if she would fight us she'd be easily outmatched. So what do you think we should do?"

Malos couldn't care less about the Gormotti and her Blade, but Jin was the one who recruited her so he saw it for the best to let him decide.

"I'll check after her. Then we will see." He turned around to head back towards the plains.

"Fine by me. I'll tell you what our informant had to say back on the Monoceros."

Jin nodded and walked downhill again to confront the Gormotti.

Nia had left the house to walk around in the garden-like area behind the house. Her eyes were fixated on a stone tablet between red and blue flowers. She had picked some flowers on her way here and layed them in front of the stone memorial. It was a memorial for her sister.
A propper funeral was never held and so this was all she and her father could give her. Tears welled up once again, and this time Nia didn't fight back. She let all her emotions free and completely forgot about the world around her.

That is until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Nia quickly backed up a few steps and turned around to find none other than Jin in front of her. She quickly wiped away the leftover tears and tried to put on a brave face, though she knew it was pointless. He had already seen her in the state of sorrow. She was still trying to sort her emotions when Jin started talking.

"Your home?"

It was a simple question but Nia was not prepared for it.

"Yeah." Was all she could give him as an answer.

A small smile ran across his lips as he kneeled down to inspect the stone memorial Nia was looking at a few seconds ago. He shuddered a bit at the realization what exactly it was.

"Who's grave is it?" He showed more of a concerning face towards Nia than his familiar neutral expression.

"My..." Nia was struggling to talk about it. She knew Jin had similar problems, and she knew she could trust him, but she still didn't feel comfortable talking about it. Even Dromarch only knew the most important things. Did she want to confide in Jin? Did she want to tell him about her past?

She thought about it for a minute before she finally made her decision. She took a deep breath and told him what he wanted to hear and more.

"It's...my sister's grave. The one who lives on inside me."

Jin noticed she clearly struggled to tell him about her past, and he could imagine this place didn't help her with it.

"Nia, you don't need to tell me..."

"N-no, it's fine. Just need to calm down first. Don't worry 'bout me, okay." She wiped the tears away which were already forming in her eyes again and slowly stood up and looked into Jin's eyes. "Could we talk somewhere else?" She asked him.

"Sure." He signaled her to lead the way.

They walked to the front of the house again and sat down on a nearby bench. Nia tried to calm herself which worked semi-good. Nonetheless, she wanted to tell Jin and so she took another deep breath and began talking again.

"This was our house after my father lost his position as a Gormotti Lord. He, my sister and I became Drifters and this was the first home we had made for ourselves. However my sister was very sick at the time and the constant traveling took it's toll on her. My father resonated with many Blades to find a healing Blade which could save her, and I was the one he put his faith in. But my sister's condition was too bad at the time I was awakened, and so I couldn't do anything to save her..."

Nia broke down into tears again and Jin tried his best to comfort her, putting a hand on her back. Nia got her composure back and continued talking after a while.

"Thanks, Jin. My father ordered me to take her flesh and let her live on inside me. A side effect were the incredible healing powers I was gifted with in the process. It's ironic, really. I got the power over life and death because I failed to save the life of the person I cared for the most."

They then sat in silence for a while. Jin couldn't bring himself to tell her about Malos and what could await her, but he knew what could happen if he would not tell her. However, he decided that this wasn't the right time. And so they continued to sit there until the rest of the group arrived.