Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Alpha

The Godclever and the Master Driver met in a field full of wildflowers, as Origin watched over them.

"So, this is where he wanted us to meet" said Shulk.

"I believe so ya, so where is he" said Rex.

"Not sure, he could be running late. Although that is unlike him" said Shulk.

"Didn't we use his core to power Origin? How is he physical again" asked Rex.

"No idea. Although he is an Aegis, so who knows what the rules are. You know that better than anyone" said Shulk.

"True that. Doesn't change the fact that it's strange, and kinda suspicious" said Rex.

"I know. Good thing we brought these" said Shulk as he patted his sword. There was a pause before Rex spoke again.

"It's hard to believe that it's been 30 years since our adventures" he said.

"I know. Sometimes, it feels like yesterday. Other times, it feels like forever ago" said Shulk.

"We've both had our own adventures since then. Getting married, having children" said Rex.

"The day of Origin. I still get nightmares from Aionos" said Shulk.

"Same, although not as badly as Mio. I feel so bad for the girl" said Rex.

"She played a big part in Aionos, her and Noah. He's struggling with nightmares as well. But as long as they're together, they'll be fine" said Shulk.

"You seem to have taken a liking to Noah" said Rex. 

"What can I say, he's a great young man. He's family" said Shulk.

"Aren't we all" said Rex, making both men laugh. The air stirred, and the two men's gaze tightened.

"Something isn't right here" said Shulk.

"Yeah, I feel it too" said Rex. There was a shining light, and a figure walked out of it. The light faded and the figure was revealed to be Alvis. But something wasn't right. There was no warmth behind his eyes.

"Greetings Shulk, Rex. Thank you for responding to my call" he said. Although his words were polite, there was no emotion behind them.

"Alvis, you look different" said Shulk.

"My physical form is merely a creation of my core. I can alter it however I like" said Alvis.

"So, what do you want with us? Our wives are waiting for us to return" asked Rex.

"There is something I wish to ask you" said Alvis.

"Oh, and what is that" asked Shulk. 

"Do you think you saved the world?" Asked Alvis. This confused the two men.

"Yeah. If it weren't for us, Zanza and Malos would have destroyed our worlds" said Shulk.

"But what about the long run? What of the future? How do you know if your efforts mean anything?" Asked Alvis.

"The fact that the world is how it is now is proof enough that what we did mattered" said Rex.

"But what about when you are gone?" Asked Alvis.

"That's easy. When we're gone, someone else will. That's how we've always done things" said Rex.

"From Dunban to me. From me to my children. We pass on our dreams of a better world" said Shulk. 

"So that is your resolve" stated Alvis.

"Yes" said Shulk.

"You bet" said Rex. 

"I see. I see that your spirit is strong, but you lack logic" said Alvis. This didn't make sense to the two men.

"Alvis, what do you mean" asked Shulk.

"You believe that there will always be someone else to carry on your dream, but you are wrong" said Alvis as the ground started to shake.

"You cannot possibly know that. You cannot know that someone will be there. Blinding assuming this is foolish" said Alvis as golden, techno looking wings formed from his back. 

"What's going on" questioned Rex.

"No idea" said Shulk.

"Your assumption has doomed the future to a terrible fate. One where the world will suffer a slow and painful demise. Is that truly what you wish to happen" said Alvis as wind started rushing towards him and he floated into the sky.

"I have calculated this many times, and I have come up with the answer" said Alvis.

"What answer" called out Shulk.

"That your lives are redundant. They are the same as that from Aionos" said Alvis.

"What are you on about. This world is nothing like Anions" called out Rex.

"Maybe not amongst yourselves, but it is a big world. One full of strife and suffering. So I shall end its suffering" said Alvis. In his right hand, the Monado appeared. 

"Is that why you called us here, to finish us off" yelled Rex as he and Shulk drew their weapons.

"By eliminating you, I guarantee victory" said Alvis. Behind him, an orange and black void ripped open the sky.

"TELL ME, IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT. ALVIS" yelled Shulk.

"NOTHINGS GOING TO GET THROUGH TO HIM. HE'S A HEARTLESS MACHINE" yelled Rex.

And so, the battle began.

Alvis zipped down at Shulk, who barely had enough time to block the attack. Shulk pushed Alvis away before Rex went in for the attack.

"Stay still will ya" he said as he tried to hit Alvis, but the Aegis avoided every attack.

"Your efforts are futile" said Alvis as he charged power in his palm. Rex jumped back just in time to avoid the blast. 

"Stay sharp. This will be no easy fight" said Shulk as he took the offensive. But Alvis rose into the sky and let out a powerful wave of energy, knocking both men back.

Pyra, Mythra and Nia were enjoying some tea with Fiora when the sisters snapped up.

"Rex is in trouble" said Mythra.

"We have to help him" said Pyra. The look of panic on their faces said it all.

"That means Shulk is too" said Fiora.

"Dromarch, get off your ass, we gotta get moving" said Nia. Dromarch stood up with a stretch.

"Hop on" he said. All four women got on before he took off like a bullet.

"You are powerless against the true god of your world" said Alvis.

"Well, I've killed a god before" said Shulk before launching himself at Alvis, who blocked him before pushing him away with impossible speed. 

"AAAARRRR" yelled Rex as he swung Pyra's sword at Alvis, who easily blocked it with his own sword. But Rex took this opportunity to smash Alvis in the side with Mythra's sword, pushing Alvis back.

"Shulk, now" said Rex.

"Ok" said Shulk. The two launched themselves at Alvis.

"ARRRRRRRRR" they cried out together as they both did an upward slash, knocking Alvis back over a hundred yards. 

"I see now, that fighting you head on is impossible" said Alvis as he floated up to the void. Orbs of light started to glow all around him.

"LOOK OUT" called out Rex. Alvis pointed his sword at the two men, unleashing a powerful barrage of beams of power from the light. 

"Monado Shield" called out Shulk as he created a shield around him and Rex. The attack from Alvis subsided and the men were unharmed.

"We'll never quit, no matter what" said Shulk.

"Besides, we're not alone" said Rex with a smirk.

Dromarch was running as fast as his legs could carry him. He was determined to bring them to the rescue of Rex and Shulk.

"Hold on honey, we're coming" said Mythra.

"I can sense Pnuma approaching. But they won't be able to help you. As you will be dead before they arrive" said Alvis.

"We'll see about that. MONADO CYCLONE" yelled Shulk before unleashing his powerful attack.

"Your will is strong, but not enough" said Alvis as he cut through the attack and stabbed his sword into the ground, unleashing a powerful wave that knocked over both men. Shulk stood up, but was then faced with Alvis. The third Aegis slashed his sword at Shulk's arm.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" Shulk cried in pain and horror as he shuffled away from his severed arm. He grabbed his shoulder to contain the bleeding. 

"YOU BASTARD" yelled Rex as he attacked with a powerful furry. Even with his power, Alvis had a hard time keeping up.

"Shulk, get out of here" said Rex.

"N-no. I won't leave you" said Shulk. 

"Enough of this" said Alvis as he encased his sword in power and swung it, knocking Rex's swords away.

"You end here" said Alvis as he swung at Rex's head.

"AAAAHHHHHHH. MY EYE" cried out Rex as he put his hand over his eye socket, falling to the ground.

"Let this serve as a reminder of what happens when you stand against me" said Alvis as he floated up to the void again. But then, Dromarch jumped into the sky and unleashed a roar of power at Alvis, who was caught off guard. The four wives jumped off the blade. Pyra and Mythra both grabbed their weapons from the ground. 

"REX" exclaimed Nia as she ran over to him. She moved his hand and gasped in horror.

"Help, Shulk" mumbled Rex. 

"SHULK" cried out Fiora in horror as she saw her husband. Nia's eyes were wide with horror as she looked at the arm on the ground. She applied her healing powers to both her husband and Shulk. Pyra and Mythra watched on in horror.

"YOU, HOW COULD YOU" yelled Dromarch with venum in his voice. Fiora looked up at the assailant for the first time and gasped.

"Alvis, how could you" she said.

"That isn't Alvis" said Shulk.

"It's just the machine. It's Ontos" said Rex.

"Why are you doing this brother" called out Pyra.

"This world, it's redundant. The people here, and the path they are on, will be led to a slow demise. So I seek to end this world, then create a perfect new one" said Alvis.

"There is no such thing as a perfect world. But there will always be someone there trying to make it better" said Mythra. But Alvis just shook his head.

"You're just as foolish as your husband. And look where that got him" said Alvis. 

"You're wrong" called out both Aegis sisters as their cores shone a bright green. The light was blinding and filled the sky.

"What is this" questioned Alvis as he covered his eyes with his arm. The light encompassed him, and he started to split. 

"What's happening" he said. There was a small explosion, and someone fell from him. A female form with the Ontos core as an earring. She looked at the two men on the ground with horror in her eyes. Then there was a flash, and an image.

"Na'el, I'm sorry" called out Nikol. 

"We can carve out the future together" said Noah.

"Your blade, it did not cut deep enough" said Alvis before cutting Noah down, as well as Mio, Glimmer and Nikol.

The flash returned and everyone was back to reality.

"What was that" questioned Nia.

"Our future" said Alvis, his voice echoing throughout the air. 

"A vision" said Shulk.

"Alvis, what does this mean" said Rex. 

"I am not Alvis. I am Alpha. Pnuma, you have split me from my conscience" said Alpha. Everyone's eyes turned to the woman on the ground.

"I now see, that I need an avatar. It will be someone, you hold dear" said Alpha.

"Wh-what" questioned Mythra.

"See you later, heroes" said Alpha before disappearing. 

Shulk, Rex, Nia, Pyra, Mythra and Fiora were standing in a room. The two men had bandages on where their body parts once were. Melia then bursted through the door.

"I came as soon as I could" she said before gasping at seeing Shulk's lack of arm.

"What happened" she asked.

"Alvis, I mean Alpha, did this" said Fiora. 

"But why" questioned Melia. 

"All your questions will be answered soon. But first, we need to interrogate her" said Rex as he pointed to the strange girl sitting behind the glass.

"Let's get this over with" said Mythra. All seven of them moved into the other room and stood in front of the girl.

"I know you have lots of questions. I will answer all of them" she said, no emotion in her voice.

"Ok then. First off, who the hell are you" asked Rex.

"I am part of Ontos, just like Alpha. I guess you can call me A" said A.

"Ok then, A. How did you split from Alpha" asked Mythra.

"That light from your cores, it was them trying to reach out to Ontos. But all it did was unshackle me from the chains of Ontos" said A.

"Chains" questioned Shulk.

"You could call me his conscience, something he was trying to suppress. The memories of traveling with you, they compose me" said A.

"So, you're Alvis" said Fiora.

"No. I'm afraid that Alvis is gone. There's just me and Alpha now" said A.

"But why the hell did Alpha attack Shulk and Rex" snapped Nia.

"He sees your lives as redundant, and doesn't see a future where others will stand in your stead" said A before looking up at the two men.

"He attacked the two of you because he saw you as his biggest threats. Being the heroes of the old worlds, that would only make sense" said A.

"But why now. Why not before" asked Pyra.

"Because this has all happened before, in Aionos. But the rebooting of Origin made it so Alpha was never defeated. Instead, he processed everything that happened before his death, but nothing after" said A.

"Meaning, he saw all the bad but none of the good" said Rex. 

"I still don't understand why this all happened. Why did Alvis or Alpha turn on us" questioned Melia.

"Within the Trinity Processor, Ontos would process the negative data from Logos and the positive data from Pnuma. Without them, Ontos is just a machine" said A.

"Then how was Alvis able to help us" asked Shulk. 

"My original, he was shaped by Clause, and shouldered his regrets. Hence, he was able to help you" said A.

"But we're here now. Wouldn't that prevent him from being just a machine" asked Pyra.

"No. Not after you destroyed the Logos core when you killed Malos" said A.

"So this is my fault" said Rex.

"In a way. But you had little choice" said A.

"Alpha said he needed an avatar. What did he mean" asked Fiora.

"In order to gain more power, Alpha needs an avatar. He'll target someone with strong emotions, who sees the world in a negative light and is close to you" said A.

"But who" asked Pyra.

"Only time will tell" said A.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Xenoblade Academy 

"Welcome to the Xenoblade Academy, where students from both worlds come to learn and train" said Noah as a massive campus came into view.

"The academy was made to bring together the future of the two worlds, and to nerush the young talent. You can become anything you want to become here at the academy. You can be like my friend Taion and study history" said Noah.

"Can someone tell me how Shulk and friends met Riki" asked the teacher as Taion shot his hand up.

"They used him as a volleyball" he said.

"Or you could go into robotics like Nikol and Riku" said Noah as there was a small explosion.

"Riku told friend not to do that" said Riku.

"No you didn't. I told you not to do that" said Nikol.

"You could be like my friend Joran and become a doctor" said Noah as Joran practiced wrapping bandages.

"You could go into physical education like Lanz and Sena" said Noah as the two were doing sit ups.

"64, 65, 66, 67" mumbled Lanz as he went on.

"70, 71, 72, 73" mumbled Sena as she went on.

"You could even go into music like me and my friends" said Noah as he, Miyabi, Crys and Mio all played the flute.

"But the one thing we all have in common, is our battle class" said Noah as the battlefield in the middle of the academy was vibrent. Noah swung his sword down at Matthew, who moved to the side. Matthews tried to punch Noah, but Noah blocked the attack with his sword.

"Too slow" said Noah as he pushed Matthew back. 

"Not bad Noah, but I'm not finished yet" said Mathew before throwing more punches. Noah douged a few before swinging his sword, which Matthew caught with his gauntlets.

"Nice try" said Matthew before kicking Noah in the chest. Noah stumbled back but recovered. 

"Take this" he said before unleashing a flurry of attacks. Matthew blocked multiple of them, but was knocked off balance.

"Spark" he mumbled before getting kicked away by Noah. Mathew quickly recovered. He looked at his gauntlets and smirked.

"Try this on for size" he said before jumping up in the air and punching the ground. This unleashed a powerful shock wave that threw Noah, and everyone else, back. 

"The spark was that" questioned Noah.

"Nikol upgraded my gauntlets. They collect kinetic energy, and then unleash it with a bang" said Matthew as he smirked. 

"Impressive. But you're not the only one who has a friend that develops weapons" said Noah as he stood up.

"Eh" questioned Matthew. Noah then pulled a silver sword out of his red one. The red metal formed a full arm gauntlet on his other arm. 

"Holy spark, that is really cool" said Matthew.

"Riku made it for me. I call it, lucky seven" said Noah.

"That's an awesome name. Let's see what this lucky seven can do" said Matthew as he ran at Noah. His opennet was ready, and the two matched each other with speed of attacks before Noah pushed Matthew away. 

"Let's do this again" said Mathew as he went for a charged attack, but Noah caught his fist in his own gauntlet, causing the shock wave not to harm Noah.

"Enough" called out the voice of Dunban. The two young men relaxed as the older man walked up to them.

"Very good you two. You continue to impress me" he said.

"W-why thank you sir" stumbled Noah. Matthew put an arm around his shoulder and smiled.

"That was a great fight. How are you so good, but not even going for a fighting degree" said Matthew.

"I'd rather not go into that" said Noah, his mood turning south.

"Mathew, Noah's private life is his business, not yours" said Dunban. This made Matthew realize his mistake.

"Right, sorry man" he said.

"It's ok" said Noah. Matthew then smirked as he saw who was coming up behind Noah.

"Looks like you'll be cheered up" said Mathew as he turned Noah around.

"Noah, that was great" said Mio as she booped Noah on the forehead. 

"Yeah man, you rocked it" said Lanz as he slapped Noah on the back.

"Th-thanks" said Noah.

"Oh come on Noah, why do you always get all nervous when people praise you" said Mio as she gently elbowed him. This made him chuckle nervously.

"Leave him alone Mimi, or you might turn him into a tomato" said Sena, making everyone chuckle.

"I'm not nearly as good as you" said Noah. This just made Mio scoff.

"You and I both know we're equals on the battlefield" she said with a warm smile, making him smile as well.

"Could they be more obvious" said Eunie while rolling her eyes.

"We weren't much better at first" said Taion. Eunie huffed and grabbed his scarf.

"Shut up" she said with a blush. Taion grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. As soon as their lips made contact, she completely melted. 

"Oi, get a room you two" said Lanz in annoyance. The two broke apart and blushed.

"Well, I think you're both incredible. Noah and Mio" said Joran. 

"Yeah, there's no way we'd be able to do that" said Miyabi.

"Not everyone is meant to be a fighter. We all have our own ways of making the world a better place" said Crys. 

"Yeah, and there's no wrong way about it" said Mio. 

Meanwhile, Mathew wasn't alone either.

"Mathew, that was incredible" said Nikol as he, Na'el and Glimmer ran up to him.

"Thanks little buddy" said Mathew as he messed with Nikol's hair.

"Just as aggressive as always I see" said Na'el with a smirk.

"What can I say, I'm a fighter" said Mathew.

"What you are is a meathead" said Glimmer.

"Ha, you got that right. Noah is way smarter than me, but I refuse to let him surpass me on the battlefield" said Mathew.

"Maybe if you used your brain, you'd do better" said Linka.

"Don't bother, that's impossible" said Panacea as they smirked in the back.

"Hey, I beat the two of you pretty easily" said Mathew, making Linka stick out her tongue. 

"You're incredible, much stronger than I could ever be" said Nikol.

"Don't say that. If you try, you could surpass Mathew. Besides, you're basically a genius" said Glimmer. This made Nikol smile and Na'el tense up.

"Don't get down on yourself buddy. You're great in your own way" said Mathew before patting Nikol on the back. Dunban cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. 

"As impressive as that fight was, can someone tell me something they did wrong" he said.

"Mathew underestimated Noah. This left him open to being caught off guard" said Mio. 

"That is correct. When it comes to the mental battle, Mathew put himself at a massive disadvantage" said Dunban. This made Mathew chuckle nervously.

"Yeah, that's fair" he said.

"What about Noah? Where did he go wrong" asked Dunban.

"He was holding back too much. He would've won, but he stopped himself" said Glimmer.

"Although that's correct, there's nothing wrong with holding back in a training battle" said Dunban.

"I get that, but it made his form sloppy" said Glimmer. This made Noah rub the back of his neck.

"I'm still not used to fighting with lucky seven" he said.

"Given time, you will reach that point" said Dunban. 

"Excuse me, Master Dunban, your presents have been requested by Lady Melia" said Dromarch as he walked up to Dunban.

"Oh, is it urgent" asked Dunban.

"I'm afraid so. Apologies for any inconveniences" said Dromarch.

"Do not worry about it. Class is dismissed" said Dunban before walking off.

"Dromarch, what's going on. Is everything ok" asked Mio.

"All will be disclosed in due time. You have been requested at the palace in two hours" said Dromarch.

"Just Mio" asked Glimmer.

"No, you as well. Same with Nikol, Crys, Riku, Sena, Linka and Panacea" said Dromarch.

"Has something happened" asked Noah. Dromarch hesitated to answer, remembering the vision.

"Nothing for you to worry about" he said.

"Yeah, no. You're lying" said Mathew.

"What happened" questioned Na'el.

"I'm sorry, but it's a family matter" said Dromarch. 

"Ok then. See you in an hour" said Mio. Dromarch nodded and walked off. Everyone was clearly uneasy.

"I hope everything is ok" said Mio. Noah gently took her hand.

"It'll be ok. Knowing your family, nothing will knock you guys down" said Noah. This made Mio smile.

"Thanks Noah" she said.

"Ugh, come on sis. Let's finish up our work before we leave" said Glimmer as she dragged Mio away.

"Finally" mumbled Na'el. 

"Why does it seem like Glimmer hates me" questioned Noah.

"She doesn't hate you. She's just really protective of her sister" said Linka.

"Eh, what do you mean? I'm not a threat to Mio" said Noah, making Linka facepalm.

"It's because you and Mio have been dancing around your feelings for each other ever since the day of Origin" said Panacea. This made Noah blush.

"Yeah Noah, when are you going to tell her" asked Eunie.

"I can't" he said sadly.

"Oh come on, why not" asked Mathew.

"Because she's the daughter of the Queen and the Master Driver. I'm just a random guy" said Noah. This made Linka scoff.

"No one in my family cares about any of that" she said.

"Well, I do. There's more to it then I'm willing to share" said Noah. This made everyone go silent for a second.

"Sorry for pushing you like that" said Linka. 

"It's ok. I'm going to go find Riku" said Noah before leaving. Once he was gone, Eunie kicked Linka in the shines.

"There are some things that's best for you not to ask about" she said before grabbing Taion by the scarf and dragging him off.

"Yeah, I get it now" said Linka.

"Come on, let's get going" said Panacea as they walked off. 

"I'm a, going to go work on my special project" said Nikol before scurrying away. 

"What is his special project" asked Mathew.

"Not sure, he won't tell me" said Na'el.

"Oh, Joran, tonight is movie night" exclaimed Miyabi.

"Right, let's go" said Joran before running off.

"Jeez, it's like those two are dating. Wait, are they" questioned Lanz, getting a shrug out of Sena. 

"Hey Lanz, wanna go a few rounds" asked Mathew.

"Sorry mate, I already promised Sena I'd do some lifting with her" said Lanz.

"You go then. Just don't hurt yourself again" said Mathew. 

"Alright, goodbye" said Lanz as he and Sena walked off. This left Mathew, Na'el and Crys.

"Our friends are weird" said Mathew.

"That is what makes them great" said Crys as he walked up to the siblings.

"I don't know, besides Nikol I can't say I find any of them too appealing" said Na'el. This surprised Mathew.

"Eh, why's that" he asked.

"No particular reason. I just don't feel connected to them" said Na'el.

"It probably doesn't help that we're all older than you" said Crys.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm going to go check in on Nikol, make sure he's doing ok" said Na'el before walking off. 

"You just want to make out with him" called out Mathew, causing his sister to flip him off.

"You two never cease to make me laugh" said Crys while chuckling.

"I'm taking that as a compliment" said Mathew with a big smile.

"Oh by the way, why does Noah hate himself" asked Mathew.

"That's not a question you should be asking like this. And to be honest, I have no idea" said Crys. 

"Really, not even a clue" asked Mathew.

"I'm afraid not. He doesn't say much. He's intimidated by me" said Crys.

"How come? You're a pretty mellow guy" asked Mathew.

"Because I'm Shulk's son" said Crys.

"But Mio is Rex's daughter, and Noah isn't intimidated by her" said Mathew 

"That's because he's in love with her" said Crys.

"I guess that's true. I just hope Noah can get over his fears" said Mathew.

Nikol was working on one of his projects when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" he called out. Na'el walked into his room with a smile.

"How are you doing" she asked as she walked over to him.

"I'm fine" he said as he kept working. Na'el wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin in his hair.

"I know you well enough to know that you're not fine whenever you get this engrossed in a project" she said.

"Um, well" he said while blushing.

"Come on, won't you look at your girlfriend" she said. Nikol blushed even more and turned around to face her. 

"There he is" she said while messing with his hair.

"I'm just about done with my project, do you want to see" he asked, dodging the topic.

"Sure" said Na'el, making Nikol smile brightly.

"Ok. It's not entirely finished, but it's almost there" he said as he grabbed a backpack and put it on. He pressed a button and arms came out of the pack.

"Wow, that's pretty cool. But what's it for" asked Na'el.

"It's to make me stronger. I'm tired of being weak and useless" said Nikol. Na'el cupped his cheek.

"You're not useless. You never have been. There's more to life than just fighting. You don't need it to be great" she said.

"Thanks, I needed that" he said with a smile.

"You don't need this babe" she said as she tried to take his backpack off.

"I think it's a great idea" came Glimmer's voice from the door. They looked at the open door and saw her leaning against it. Na'el glared as Nikol lit up.

"What are you doing here" asked Na'el.

"Just checking in on my little buddy. And getting away from Mio's gushing about Noah" said Glimmer. 

"Glimmer, what do you think" asked Nikol.

"I think it's amazing. I know you're not physically the strongest, but you can use your smarts to win any battle" she said as she gave him a warm smile.

"Thanks Glimmer. I hope I'll be able to stand up to you one day" he said. This made her laugh.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves" she said. Na'el cleared her throat.

"I'm still here, you know" she said. 

"I know. Just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean he can't be my friend" said Glimmer. 

"Come on girls, can't you just get along" asked Nikol.

"Sorry Nicky. I gotta go anyway. And you should be soon" said Glimmer. This seemed to bring down his mood.

"Right, I hope everything is ok" he said. Glimmer put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, everything will be just fine. Don't forget who our parents are" she said before leaving. This perked him up. Na'el huffed in annoyance.

"Well, I'll let you get going. But first" she said before grabbing Nikol's face and kissing him. He kissed back, but with much less passion.

Noah found Riku in his room, looking over some blueprints.

"Hey Riku, what are you doing" asked Noah. 

"Just looking over some plans Riku made with Nikol" said Riku.

"You're wanted at the palace in about two hours" said Noah.

"Oh, why is that" asked Riku.

"Not sure. Dromarch said it was a family matter" said Noah. 

"Oh. It must be important" said Riku as he turned to Noah.

"Friend look troubled" said Riku.

"I'm fine. Just, thinking" said Noah as he fidgeted with his flute.

"Friend didn't tell Mio, did friend" said Riku. Noah hung his head.

"Why friend no tell" asked Riku.

"How could I? She's the daughter of the queen. And I'm just some guy who was raised to be a weapon" said Noah.

"Noah needs to stop comparing to parents. Noah nothing like them" said Riku.

"Besides, Glimmer hates me. I'm sure her parents do too" said Noah.

"Trust Riku, Mio's parents don't hate Noah. It quite the opposite actually" said Riku. 

"How" asked Noah.

"They have known Noah for ten years. Noah is family" said Riku.

"I don't know. That word doesn't mean much to me" said Noah. 

"Riku understand. But Riku should leave now. But friend not forget what Riku said" said Riku as he walked out, leaving Noah to his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Shulk and Rex just finished telling their friends about everything that happened.

"So that's the gist of it" said Rex. There was a silence over the group.

"So that's it. Alpha wants to destroy our world. Sounds a lot like Zanza" said Dunban.

"This is bad. Really bad" said Pandoria.

"I swear to you Shulk, I'll avenge you for your arm" said Reyn. 

"I don't care about that. I'm more concerned about that vision" said Shulk.

"If your children are supposed to die, do you think the same applies for ours as well" asked Mòrage. 

"I hate to say it, but yes" said Rex. Nia punched the arm of her chair.

"We can't let him anywhere near them" she said. 

"Which brings us to our other problem, the avatar" said Pyra.

"If he's going to target someone close to us, then we need to make sure they're all ok" said Mythra.

"But why now? Wouldn't it make more sense for Alpha to wait for us all to be dead" said Sharla.

"He wants to prove his resolve stronger than yours, by challenging everything you stand for" said A.

"Riki no like this. Riki promise Kino to look after grandsonnypon Riku" said Riki.

"We'll make sure our children are ok. That's our job as their parents" said Zeke.

"What of their friends? Alpha might target one of them" asked A.

"They are our family as well. We'll protect them like they're our own" said Melia.

"Agreed. They have brought so much joy into the lives of our children, it's only fair that we treat them as family" said Fiora.

"Yeah, we'll do whatever it takes" said Rex.

"Even Noah? Shouldn't you hate him?" Asked A. This made Rex scoff.

"I don't hate him. I know what happened in Aionos. He's family too" said Rex.

"Tora will stand by Rex-Rex side" said Tora.

"And Poppi will support Masterpon" said Poppi.

"There's still time before our kids get here. Perhaps we should take a break" said Bridget.

"Well advised, if you ask me" said Dromarch. Everyone nodded and went their separate ways, leaving just Rex and Zeke.

"Are you ok, Chum" asked Zeke.

"Eh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be" asked Rex.

"Don't give me that. You just lost a bloody eye and saw a vision of your children being killed" said Zeke as he walked over to the younger man, making him go silent.

"It still hurts, doesn't it" said Zeke. 

"A bit I guess. Nia's healing is pretty incredible though" said Rex as he touched where his eye once was.

"Here Chum, I have something for you" said Zeke as he pulled an eye patch from his pocket with the swords of Rex's wives on it.

"Where'd you get this" asked Rex.

"I made it myself, a few years back. It's a bit of a hobby of mine" said Zeke.

"We'll, I guess I'll be putting to use" said Rex as he put the patch over his former eye. 

"Thanks Zeke. You've always been there for me" said Rex. Zeke put a strong but caring hand on his shoulder.

"You and I are more alike than ever, Chum. And I'll never forget that" he said. Rex smiled, and looked out the window.

"Alpha, he's after my children. That's not something I'm going to tolerate. When I see him, I'll rip him limb by limb" said Rex.

"Rage doesn't look good on you" said Zeke.

"My family is the most important thing in the world to me. I'll protect them, no matter the cost" said Rex. 

"That's another way we're alike" said Zeke.

Shulk was standing on a balcony, looking out at the world.

"Shulk, how are you doing" asked Dunban.

"I'm fine" said Shulk.

"You cannot fool me. I know you well enough to know when you're not ok" said Dunban as he rested a hand on Shulk's shoulder.

"I guess you do. You and Fiora both" said Shulk.

"You're not difficult to read" said Dunban. Shulk went to grab his arm, but nothing was there.

"Does it still hurt" asked Dunban.

"I feel like it's still there. But when I reach for it, it's gone" said Shulk.

"You are a strong person, the strongest I know. You'll be fine" said Dunban.

"It's not the arm I'm worried about" said Shulk as he remembered the vision and tightened his grip on the railing.

"Of all the vision's I've seen, this is by far the worst one" he said as he looked to the sky, Origin watching over them.

"You have always been able to change the future. You will be able to do so again" said Dunban.

"Not always. I foresaw what happened to Fiora and the Emperor, but I couldn't do anything" said Shulk.

"You have slayed a god before. You can slay another. And you won't be alone" said Dunban.

"I know. But I can't let them anywhere near Alpha. I can't lose them. I wouldn't be able to handle it like they did" said Shulk.

"That vision doesn't have to come true. I know we can change it" said Dunban.

"And we will. By keeping them safe" said Shulk.

"The sun has already set on my generation, and is setting on your generation. But it rises on the next generation" said Dunban. But Shulk didn't say anything.

Once the children arrived, Dromarch met them.

"Thank you all for coming here. But I must warn you, it won't be a pleasant meeting" he said.

"Just open the snuffing doors" said Glimmer. Dromarch nodded and kicked open the doors.

"DAD" yelled Mio, Glimmer, Nikol and Crys as they ran over to their fathers. The other children looked on in horror.

"Wh-what happened" asked Sena.

"Alpha" said A from the corner.

"The hell are you" snapped Panacea.

"Please, let us explain" said Pyra.

"So that's it. Alpha wants to destroy the world" said Linka. Her, Panacea, Riku and Crys seemed to be thinking deeply. Nikol was barely keeping it together as Mio and Sena looked nearly empty. Glimmer however, was fuming.

"I swear, I'll rip him to shreds. God or not" she said.

"No you won't" said Rex. This made her snap around.

"Why the spark not. He has to pay for what he did to you" said Glimmer.

"And he will. But not not by your hand" he said as he stood up.

"Agreed. Alpha is targeting you. You have to stay safe. And stay out of it" said Shulk.

"We're not going to stay out of it" said Mio.

"Besides, we don't know when or where Alpha will strike. Inform your friends, and keep an eye on each other" said Pyra.

"We're trying to track him down" said Melia.

"Mio, Glim. It's time for us to go" said Nia. The girls looked confused for a second, but then sad.

"Right. It's time to visit him" said Mio.

"We'll continue this conversation later. I swear to you, we'll protect you and your friends" said Mythra. 

On a hill, sat a small cemetery. And in the front, sat a lone grave stone. Rex, Pyra, Mythra, Nia, Mio, Glimmer and Dromarch walked up to stone. 

"Son, we're here. Your sisters have something to play for you" said Rex as he pulled Mythra closer. Pyra had her arm around Nia and a hand on Mio's shoulder. 

"This song, it just feels right" said Mio.

"We love you Milton" said Glimmer. Mio unclipped her flute from her waist as Glimmer opened the case she was carrying and pulled out her chello. They started to play a slow, sad melody. In another world, this song was very important to Mio and was a part of her everyday life. 

"Mil, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" mumbled Nia before she completely broke down, falling to her knees and sobbing into Dromarch's fur. Pyra wrapped her arms around her wife from behind and kissed her head. Mythra buried her face into Rex's chest as she sobbed. Rex hugged her as he kept an eye on his two remaining children. The melody finished, and Glimmer couldn't hold it in. She sobbed, and Mio held her sister as silent tears fell.

"Alpha won't touch them" said Rex as he watched his daughters.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: A New Drive 

3 days later, Mio and Noah were in a park. It was the perfect place for a date, except for the fact that Mio was relentlessly swinging her weapons at Noah who was blocking with his sword.

"How could they keep this from us" she said in frustration. She flipped her ring blades around so she was more punching than slashing.

"Sometimes, they get me so mad" she said before setting up for a kick.

"I'm going to rip Alpha apart" she said as she kicked Noah's sword out of his hands. She flopped on her back in a huff. Noah couldn't help but chuckle at how cute she was being.

"Oi, why are you laughing" she snapped at him as she sat up.

"You're just really cute" he said. This made her huff even more.

"I am not cute" she said while jabbing his side, only making him laugh more. She turned away from him and crossed her arms.

"You're doing a great job at convincing me of that" he. She looked over her shoulder with a killer glare.

"I'm gonna kill you" she said before she started to chase him around. Eventually, she tackled him from behind, causing them both to tumble. This made them both break out into a fit of giggles. 

"Ok ok. You win" she said as she sat on his chest.

"Glad I could cheer you up" he said.

"You always do" she said with a smile as she kicked her shoes off. 

"Mio, what are you doing" he asked as she took off her jacket.

"I'm hot" is all she said as she pulled off her leggings, leaving her in just her top and skirt. This made Noah blush a crimson red. 

"Come on Noah, take off that jacket" she said as she helped him up.

"Uh, I don't know" he said, but she was already on it.

"I can tell you're warm too" she said as she took it off and blushed at the sight of his muscles through his shirt.

"Wow" is all she said before noticing a scar on his arm.

"How'd you get that" she asked.

"I ah, don't remember. I was pretty young" he said as he rubbed his neck. 

"Noah, will you dance with me" she asked as she gave him a warm smile and held out her hand. This made Noah extra nervous.

"I don't know how to dance" he said. This only made her smile more as she grabbed his hand.

"I'll teach you" she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her around the middle, making her giggle.

"You hold your partner down here" she said as she moved his arms to around her waist, making him blush even more.

"Just follow my movements" she said with a smile. The two started to move, but Noah stepped on her feet.

"Sorry" he said.

"It's fine, really" she said. But as they danced, their legs got tangled and they fell, Noah on top of Mio, his face into her breast. He shot off of her and moved away.

"I'm sorry" he said. 

"Noah, it's fine" she said as she sat up, her own cheeks red. 

"I should go" he said as he grabbed his jacket and sword before running off, leaving Mio alone. She sat there, before groening and flopping on the ground.

"When will he realize I love him" she said to herself.

"He does. He's just scared" came Eunie's voice.

"EEEKKK" yelled Mio as she jumped up in fright.

"You have super hearing, but you couldn't hear me coming" said Eunie with a smile.

"I was distracted" said Mio, blushing even more. Eunie sat down and patted the area next to her. Mio sat next to her.

"Noah's well aware of his feelings for you, and your feelings for him. But he's scared of your family" said Eunie.

"But why, my family is really nice" said Mio.

"Your father is the Master Driver. Your mom is the queen. And your other moms are Aegis's. Not to mention that your dad is absolutely massive" said Eunie.

"Ok, I can see that. But Noah has known them for a while" said Mio.

"There are things about Noah that I can't tell you. Well, I can, but he should be the one too" said Eunie.

"I guess I should make the first move. I know he loves me. I can feel it" said Mio.

"It won't work. You have to wait for him to see the truth" said Eunie. This made Mio sigh.

"I can't. He needs to hear it from my parents" said Mio. This made Mio realize something.

"He needs to hear it from my parents" she said as she sprang up, grabbed her things and ran off.

"Go get em girl" she said. All the while, Origin watched over them.

Nikol was in his room, working on an arm. 

"Babe, what are you doing" asked Na'el as she walked into the room.

"Just working on something" said Nikol, his voice tired.

"I haven't seen you in a few days. I've missed you" she said, trying to sound as cute as possible. Nikol put his tool down and turned around in his chair.

"I'm sorry Na'el. I didn't want you to feel like I was ignoring you. I've just had a lot on my mind" said Nikol. There were some bags under his eyes.

"Babe, you need to stop" she said as she sat on his knee and cupped his cheek.

"I can't stop. I can't let what happened to him happen again" said Nikol. His response was a hug. He hugged back and smiled.

"Then at least take a break" she said. He broke the hug to face her and cup her cheek.

"I will. But not until after my training session" he said. This confused Na'el.

"Training session. What are you talking about" she asked before her ears twitched. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt" said Glimmer, clearly uncomfortable. 

"It's ok. I'm ready" said Nikol as he stood up and grabbed his backpack.

"Wait, what's going on" asked Na'el. 

"I'll hang out with you after training, I promise" said Nikol as he kissed her head before running off. Glimmer couldn't help but chuckle at Na'el confused face.

"Sorry, but that was priceless" she said, making Na'el glare at her.

"Are you turning him into a worrier" she accused Glimmer.

"No. He just wants to get stronger after what happened to his father" said Glimmer.

"He doesn't need to be stronger. He's perfect the way he is. He doesn't need to change" said Na'el.

"I'm not trying to change him. I'm just trying to help him grow" said Glimmer. 

"Well, I'm coming too. I want to make sure you don't hurt him" said Na'el.

"Sure, but I'm not training him" said Glimmer.

"MATHEW" exclaimed Na'el when she saw who was training her boyfriend. 

"Oh, hi sis. Did you come to train as well" he asked.

"She just came to watch" said Glimmer.

"Ok then. Are you ready Nikol" asked Mathew, readying his fist and stance.

"You bet" said Nikol as he opened the arms from his backpack. 

"Then come at me" said Mathew. Nikol threw multiple punches at Mathew with his mechanical arms, but Mathew avoided them.

"Come on Nikol, is that all you got" mocked Mathew. 

"AARRR" yelled Nikol as he tried to punch Mathew, but the attack was caught. 

"Too slow" said Mathew before laying out Nikol.

"Mathew, stop" called out Na'el, but Glimmer stopped her.

"It's fine. Trust your brother" said Glimmer.

"Come on Nikol. You can do this. I know you can" said Mathew as he held out a hand to Nikol and pulled him up. The two went on like this for a while. Nikol would attack, Mathew would defend, but Mathew would always knock him down.

"STOP" yelled Na'el as she pushed Glimmer aside and ran to Nikol who was on the ground again.

"You have to stop. This isn't you. You don't have to do this" she begged him. But Nikol stood up again anyway.

"Yes I do" he said. She stood in his way.

"No. You're not a fighter, you're an engineer. Please stop" she said. 

"Na'el, let him do this. He's making progress" said Mathew.

"How so" snapped Na'el.

"He's never fallen for the same trick twice" said Mathew. Na'el thought back, and realized that every time Mathew knocked Nikol down, it was with a different strategy.

"I have to do this. He's been protecting me my whole life. It's time I return the favor" said Nikol as he walked around Na'el. 

"Nicky, use that big brain of yours and outsmart him" said Glimmer. Nikol smirked and nodded.

"Okay dokey, come at me" said Mathew. Nikol ran at Mathew, but instead of punching, he dove down and sprung himself up with his mechanical arms. He flew over Mathews head.

"What the" questioned Mathew before getting kicked in the head while Nikol was in the air. Nikol landed on his mechanical arms and launched himself straight into Mathew's gut. Mathew blocked the attack, but it sent him to the ground.

"Oi, what the" questioned Mathew before getting clapped on the head by the arms. 

"ARRR" exclaimed Nikol before punching Mathew in the gut with his arms, making him fall.

"That's gonna leave a bruise" said Mathew from the ground.

"Nice one Nikol" said Glimmer as she ran up to him, but stopped just short of a hug. 

"Thanks Glimmer. And thanks for the encouragement" he said with a joyful smile. 

"Don't mention it" she said while messing with his hair. Na'el watched on, and her fist shook in anger.

"Come on little buddy. Let's hit the showers" said Mathew as the two walked away. Glimmer had a dopey smile on her face as she watched them walk away before looking at Na'el.

"You still don't approve of this, do you" she said.

"No. I don't approve of you turning him into a fighter" said Na'el as she stormed over to Glimmer.

"You're talking like this was my idea. It wasn't. This whole thing was Nikol's idea" said Glimmer.

"Still, this isn't him" said Na'el. In one swift motion, Glimmer back handed Na'el to the ground.

"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT THIS IS WHAT HE NEEDS. HIS FATHER LOST HIS ARM" yelled Glimmer.

"Shulk will be fine. He's the God Slayer" said Na'el.

"HOW HEARTLESS ARE YOU. THERE'S A GENOCIDAL GOD OUT THERE RIGHT NOW" yelled Glimmer as she turned her back to Na'el.

"If you can't find it in you to support him, then you shouldn't be dating him" said Glimmer. Na'el clenched her fist and shot up.

"SHUT UP" she yelled and charged at Glimmer. Glimmer whipped around and dropped Na'el.

"Stay down" warned Glimmer before walking away, leaving Na'el on the ground.

"This is what she thinks of you. She wants him for herself" echoed a male, emotionless voice in Na'el head. 

Shulk was sitting at his desk, thinking about everything that was happening. 

"We can't let Alpha win. We can't let him get to our children" he said to himself.

"Shulk, it's time for dinner. Don't let it get cold" said Fiora as she walked into the room.

"I'll be there honey. Just thinking about some things" he said.

"Like what sweetie" she asked as she sat in his lap, looking tiny compared to his much larger frame.

"Everything really. Alpha, he's a much bigger threat than anything we've faced sense Zanza" said Shulk.

"Try not to worry too much about him. I don't want your hair going gray" said Fiora as she ran her hand through his long hair.

"How could I not? He could strike at any time. Who knows who he's going to target" said Shulk, but she cupped his cheek. Both of them remembered the horrible vision.

"We'll stand together, us and Rex's family. The two worlds together, we'll be unbeatable" she said. This made him smile as he kissed her cheek.

"Thanks honey. You always know what to say" he said.

"I'm your wife, which means I'll always be by your side" she said as she hugged him. 

"Oh come on. Why do I always walk into these things" said Ryen from the door. The married couple chuckled and stood up.

"It's good to see you, Ryen" said Shulk.

"Good to see you too. Sharla was worried about you" said Ryen. 

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt that much" said Shulk. 

"Good to hear. Cause she's not the only one who's worried" said Ryen as he hugged Shulk. Fiora could only smile.

Nia was sitting on a balcony, holding a dagger in her hand. She held the tip to her core as tears fell.

"Oh Milton, I'm so sorry I couldn't save you" she said as she cried even more. She felt a hand on her shoulder as another hand took away the dagger. 

"You scare me when you do that" said Pyra as she hugged her wife. 

"I'm sorry, I just, can't get over this overwhelming guilt" said Nia.

"You did everything you could. But he was just too sick" said Pyra.

"I can never forgive myself. And I won't let it happen again" said Nia. 

"Are you referring to Alpha" asked Pyra. Nia nodded through the tears. The two women remembered their vision.

"I can't lose another. I'm not strong enough" said Nia. Pyra just hugged her wife.

"We won't. I promise. I won't let him take them away" she said as her fist clenched.

"Neither will I" said Nia. The two sat like that for a while, Pyra hugging her wife.

"You weren't going to try to…" asked Pyra, the words too painful to say.

"No. It's just, holding his dagger makes me feel closer to him" said Nia. 

"Good. You really scared us that day. We don't want to lose you too" said Pyra.

Rex opened the door into his shared bedroom.

"Nia honey, dinner is ready" he called out. He then saw a note on the dresser.

"What the" he questioned as he picked it up. As he read it, his eyes widened in horror.

"NIA" he yelled as he tore out of the room.

Nia stood on the balcony at the very top of the palace.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not strong enough" she said before stepping off. Her fall was cut short, as someone grabbed her wrist. She looked up, and saw her daughters making a chain to stop her. One look into Mio's eyes was enough to break Nia's heart all over again.

Linka was sitting at her desk, nose deep into a book. 

"I figured I'd find you here" said Panacea as she was behind her. Linka put the book down and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm here. It's been a long day" she said.

"I know. You've been non stop ever since the Alpha incident" said Panacea.

"Can you blame me? I still can't believe what happened to Uncle Rex" said Linka.

"I guess not, but you still need to take care of yourself. Nikol is already struggling with that" said Panacea. Linka gave out a big stretch.

"I know I know. What do you think of the little guy anyway" she asked.

"What can I say, he's my baby bro. You mess with him, you get messed up" said Panacea as she cracked her knuckles, making Linka chuckle.

"I wouldn't mind getting messed up by you" she said with a smirk. This made Panacea smirk as well.

"Then get your cute little butt over here and get messed up" she said.

The next day, Lanz and Sena were both doing some strength training in the school gym. Lanz was punching a punching bag as Sena was doing some push ups.

"178, 179, 180" mumbled Sena as she kept going. Lanz looked over and saw that her arms were violently shaking.

"Yo Sena, you should take a break" he said.

"Can't. I'm not done yet" she said.

"You're pushing yourself too hard" he said as he walked over to her.

"You're messing up my count" she said. He rolled his eyes and lifted her up.

"Hey, put me down" she exclaimed as she kicked about.

"I told you, you need a break" he said as he sat her down.

"No, I need to get stronger" she said as she tried to stand back up, but he pushed her down.

"You need to take care of yourself" he said.

"I'm fine. I need to get stronger. I need to get better for when Alpha comes" she said as she stood back up, but he pushed her back down.

"You're not going to be much help against Alpha if you overwork yourself" he said.

"Come on Lanz" she said, but he easily kept her down.

"You can't even get past me, and I'm not even trying. You need to rest and take care of yourself" he said. 

"Lanz, I'll be fine. Trust me" she said, trying to sound as genuine as possible.

"Sena, I know you. And I know when you're going too hard. So please, take a break. Rest. You know better than this" he said. She just hung her head in defeat.

"They won't let me help. None of them will. They want to protect us, but they're not telling us everything. I just thought, if I was stronger, they'd let me help" she said as a single tear fell. He lifted her chin with a finger.

"Sena, you already are strong. Your parents know that. Whatever reason they have for keeping secrets, getting stronger won't change that. It's not because of you, it's because of them" said Lanz. This made her smile.

"Thanks Lanz. You always know what to say" she said.

"Not always. Just most of the time" he said before closing the gap for a kiss. 

"Oh come on. I always walk in on these things, just like dad" said Panacea as the two broke apart.

"The spark are you doing here" said Lanz.

"To work out. I want to practice my moves" she said.

"You mean on Linka" said Sena with a smirk. This made Panacea blush.

"Spark off" she said. The door opened and Noah walked in.

"Um, Panacea, you might want to go see Nikol" he said. 

"Um, why" she asked.

"Na'el just broke up with him" he said.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Start Of A Fall

Nikol woke up with a yawn.

"Wow, Na'el was right, I needed a break" said Nikol, his bags almost completely gone from his eyes. He stood up and stretched when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" he called out. The door opened and Na'el walked in, looking upset.

"Na'el, what's wrong" he asked as he walked over to her.

"We need to talk" she said as she walked past him and sat on the bed.

"Did I do something" he asked. 

"Yes, no. It's complicated" she said as he sat next to her.

"Then what's wrong" he asked as he tried to hold her hand, but she moved it away and looked away from him.

"Do you love me" she asked.

"Of course-" he said before getting cut off by her.

"Be honest with me. Do you love me" she said as she looked him in the eyes.

"I, um" he said, unable to look her in the eyes.

"He doesn't love you. He never has, and never will" said the voice in her head.

"I thought so" she said as she stood up. 

"Na'el" he said as he reached out for her.

"This isn't working. I know you're trying, and I appreciate that, but I can see that you don't love me the way I love you" she said.

"Na'el, what are you saying" he asked as he stood up.

"You're a great person Nikol, and you'll make a girl very happy one day, but that girl just isn't me" she said before turning to face him.

"He loves her. He's in love with someone he can't have" said the voice.

"I know your heart is with Glimmer, not me. I thought I could change it, but it's not my place" she said. Nikol didn't know how to respond as tears formed in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I tried, I really tried to be a good boyfriend for you. You were the first girl to ever give me a chance. So I hoped, that I could be worth it" he said as he fell to his knees. She knelt down and cupped his cheek.

"You were worth it. But our hearts are going in different directions" she said before kissing his forehead. She stood up and walked out.

"Goodbye Nikol" she said before leaving, turning her back on him for good. Nikol cried on the ground, his heart hurting. He sat there for a while before hearing voices coming down the hall.

"He's made a lot of progress. I'm really proud of him" said Glimmer.

"Riku glad to hear that. Nikol didn't take news about Shulk very well" said Riku. They walked into his room and saw Nikol on the ground in tears.

"Nikol, what happened" exclaimed Glimmer as she ran to him, holding him in her arms.

"Na'el, she broke up with me" he said.

"WHAT" exclaimed Glimmer.

"But why" asked Riku.

"She said our hearts were going in different directions" said Nikol. Glimmer was shaking in anger. Not just at Na'el, but herself as well.

"I'm going to find her, and make her pay" she said as she left the room. She passed by Crys and Noah.

"Glimmer, what's wrong" asked Crys.

"That mudder broke up with Nikol" she said. Crys' eyes widened and he ran into his brothers room.

"Maybe I should help" said Noah, but Glimmer grabbed him by the collar.

"Stay out of this" she said in a deadly tone before pushing him away. She stormed off, leaving Noah in the hall.

"I guess I'll find Panacea" he said. Crys went into Nikol's room and went up to his brother.

"Are you ok bro" asked Crys.

"I, I don't know" said Nikol.

"How are you feeling" asked Crys.

"I, I blame myself. But I'm more upset about hurting her then the break up. I, I never really loved her. Because, never mind" said Nikol.

"Because friend loves Glimmer" said Riku.

"How did you" asked Nikol.

"Everyone knows, except Glimmer" said Riku.

"Well, now Glimmer is probably going to make this much worse" said Crys.

Glimmer found Na'el walking down the hall. 

"NA'EL" she yelled in rage. Na'el turned around to catch a slap in the face.

"The hell was that for" snapped Na'el.

"You just broke his heart" snapped Glimmer. Na'el turned away from her.

"I really did try to let him down easily. I didn't want to break his heart" she said.

"Well, you did a pretty shitty job with that. Just like you were a shitty girlfriend" said Glimmer. Na'el clenched her fist in anger. 

"This is what she thinks of you. She's the reason this all happened" said the voice.

"SHUT UP" yelled Na'el as she whipped around and punched Glimmer, knocking her down.

"THIS IS BECAUSE OF YOU. YOU ARE THE REASON I BROKE UP WITH HIM. IT'S BECAUSE HE'S IN LOVE YOU WITH YOU" yelled Na'el in rage. Glimmer's face heated up when she said that.

"Wh-what. Th-that's impossible" stumbled Glimmer.

"Are you really, THAT SPARKING STUPID" yelled Na'el. Glimmer thought back at everything, and finally realized how obvious it all was.

"He loves me" she said to herself, feeling her heart racing.

"Are you snuffing kidding me" said Na'el, making Glimmer look up.

"What" asked Glimmer.

"You're in love with him" said Na'el.

"N-no" snapped Glimmer as she shot up, her face as red as a tomato.

"I know that look. You're in love with him. Deny it all you like, but it's the truth" said Na'el. Glimmer didn't know what to say, as her head was swarming with different thoughts. 

"She's an adult, in love with a minor" said the voice in her head.

"You're disgusting, you know" said Na'el. This made Glimmer snap back into reality.

"What do you mean" she asked.

"You do realize he's a minor, right. And you're not" said Na'el. 

"N-no. It's not like that. I swear" said Glimmer. But Na'el turned her back on Glimmer.

"You'll pay for ripping him away from me. One day Glimmer, one day" she said before walking away, leaving Glimmer a confused mess. 

An alarm clock went off, and a dark skinned arm reached out to turn it off.

"Spark, I don't want to move" mumbled Taion. 

"Uhhh, neither do I" said Eunie as she snuggled up to him.

"Eunie, where are my glasses" asked Taion.

"They're right here" said Eunie as she handed them to him. He put them on and smiled.

"What's the dopy look for" she asked with a smile.

"Just enjoying the view" he said. This made her blush and hit him with a pillow.

"Shut it you. Didn't you see enough of this view last night" she said. But then he grabbed her from behind, making her squeal.

"I could never get enough of this view" he said with a smirk. This made her giggle. 

"Come on bad boy, let's get ready" she said with a smile. 

"Whatever you say dear" he said with a smile. 

Later, the two were walking down the halls of the school, hands clasped together.

"Do you think Sena and Mio are going to be ok" asked Eunie. Taion seemed to think for a bit.

"Yes. With Noah and Lanz beside them, they'll be fine" said Taion. 

"I hope so. I feel really bad for them" said Eunie.

"So, do you think Noah will finally confess his feelings to Mio" asked Taion. 

"He's going to need some help. But it won't come from me, I've tried. But I know a certain salvager could do it" said Eunie. 

"Well, if it isn't the little birdy" came an absolutely disgusting voice. Eunie froze with fear in her eyes.

"No" she said before whipping around and seeing her worst nightmare standing before her. The former Mobius D, Dirk.

"Hey there sexy" he said as he took a step forward, making her take a step back.

"What's wrong little birdy" he said with a wicked grin. People walked by, ignoring the situation.

"Don't you remember how good I made you feel" he said as he took another step, and she backed away again. But this time, Taion stepped between them.

"Taion" she breathed out. 

"Oh, who's this? Your new sugar daddy" said Dirk with a smirk.

"I'm her boyfriend, and I don't appreciate the way you're talking to her" said Taion. 

"Taion, don't" said Eunie as she grabbed his arm. He looked her in the eyes, and saw the fear and pain.

"Did he hurt you" he asked. All she did was nod, and Taion's fist clenched. He was wearing his gauntlet, and the mondo swirled around his hand. He then punched Dirk in the face, the mondo adding to the power. Dirk stumbled back, but recovered and grabbed Taion and slammed him against the lockers.

"Dirk, leave him alone" pleaded Eunie. She grabbed his arm, but he threw her to the ground, making her land on her butt.

"What, you care about this one? Cute, but it doesn't matter. All you are is a good lay. Especially with those boobs of yours" said Dirk with a disgusting grin. The anger boiled through Eunie's bones.

"I'M NOT JUST A PAIR OF BOOBS YOU KNOW" she yelled at him. Dirk didn't notice that the mondo was swirling around Taion's hand. 

"Leave. My. Girlfriend. ALONE" yelled Taion as he sent the mondo right into Dirk's stomach, making Dirk fly back. Eunie ran over to her boyfriend.

"Are you ok" she asked.

"I'm fine. Good thing I always carry the mondo on me" said Taion as he faced down his opponent and surrounded himself with the mondo.

"You piece of shit" said Dirk as he stood up, only to get hit in the face by the mondo. Dirk fell over again.

"STOP" yelled Pyra as she walked over to them. Dirk took this opportunity to run away.

"M-miss Pyra. It's not what it looks like" stumbled Taion as he unsummoned the mondo.

"Then what is it" asked Pyra, who was very unamused.

"He was defending me" said Eunie as she stood in front of Taion. 

"We can discuss this in my office" said Pyra as she walked past them.

"Yes Principal Pyra" mumbled Eunie.

The two finished their story, as Pyra was taking notes.

"So from what I've gathered, you two were well within your rights" said Pyra as she smiled at them. The two relaxed.

"Eunie, what has Dirk done to you" asked Pyra. Eunie looked down.

"I-I'm not ready to share" she said. Pyra reached across the table and put a hand on her shoulder.

"And that's ok. You may go. I'd like to have a word with Taion" said Pyra. Eunie nodded and left the room. This left Taion and Pyra.

"Am I in trouble" asked Taion.

"No, well, I'm legally obligated to discipline you at least a little for using violence. But that will just be an hour detention on a weekend" said Pyra.

"That is acceptable, I deserve that" said Taion.

"I wanted to ask you a favor" said Pyra.

"A favor, what is it" asked Taion.

"I want you to keep an eye on your friends. You and Lanz" said Pyra.

"I'm confused, what do you mean" asked Taion.

"With everything going on, the two of you are the protectors. I'm trusting you Taion. You're a bright young man" said Pyra. 

"Don't worry. You can count on me" said Taion.

A was standing on a balcony, looking up at Origin.

"Alpha, what are you planing" she said to herself.

"A, do you have a minute" asked Shulk from behind her. A turned around, and saw him along with Melia.

"I am your prisoner right, my time means nothing" said A, her eyes barring no emotion.

"I never considered you a prisoner" said Shulk. 

"What information do you seek now" asked A.

"Please don't see this as an interrogation. Although I do have some questions" said Melia as she took a step forward. 

"I will answer any questions you have" said A.

"First off, do you believe that Origin could be a threat to us" asked Melia.

"If it falls under Alpha's control, there is a strong possibility. If Z could wepnonize Origin, it's likely that Alpha could too" said A.

"Is there any way that we could prevent this" asked Melia.

"Unlikely, as none of us can access Origin in any way. It's likely that Alpha is barring us" said A.

"Why do you wish to help" asked Melia.

"All of Ontos' memories of helping you, they make me. I'm his conscience. So, I see all life is worth protecting. And you, you are the only ones who can stop Alpha. Although, not without cost" said A.

"Our children" said Shulk from behind Melia. A nodded, not showing any emotion. Melia put a gentle hand on his shoulder as Shulk put on a smile.

"Speaking of the children, I have a request" said Shulk as he walked up to A.

"What is it" she asked.

"I want you to go to them. To get to know them, so you can protect them, and so you can get a new view of everything" said Shulk. A's eyes refused to show her brewing emotions.

"But why? Shouldn't you fear I might hurt them" she asked, emotion in her voice.

"Because I want to give you a chance to be human, and to protect the children" said Shulk. A seemed to consider this, and nodded.

"Ok" she said.

"I'M LATE" yelled Mathew as he ran to get his stuff together.

"Can't believe I sparken slept in" he said just as the door opened and a very sad Na'el walked in.

"Na'el, what's wrong" he asked, only for her to break down and run to the bed, burying herself in the pillows.

"Na'el, what's wrong" he asked as he put a hand on her.

"It's over. Just leave me alone" she said. It took Mathew a second to realize what she meant. But once he did, he was shaking in anger. 

"Nikol, I'm going to kill you" he said before leaving, forgetting his stuff. 

Rex was sitting on his bed, seemingly deep in thought. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in" called out Rex. The door opened and Tora and Poppi walked in. It seemed that Poppi was holding something behind her.

"How Rex-Rex doing" asked Tora.

"I'm doing just fine. Still getting used to having one eye, but I never quit" said Rex. 

"Well Rex-Rex, Tora has gift to give" said Tora. This surprised Rex.

"Oh really" said Rex. 

"Tora spend long time making them, so Rex-Rex better appreciate" said Tora as Poppi revealed what was behind her, two swords that looked the same as his swords from Aionos. 

"Oh, these look pretty nice" said Rex as he held them in his hands.

"Obviously, nothing can top power of driver and blade. But if Rex-Rex ever without wifeypons again, these much more powerful than blade weapons" said Tora. Rex couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Wow, I could really use these" said Rex.

"When it come to raw power, Tora nowhere near Rex-Rex. But that ok! Tora know what Tora can do" said Tora.

"Masterpon worked long and hard. Masterpon and Poppi want to do whatever possible to protect Rex" said Poppi. Rex then pulled the duo into a hug.

"Thanks guys, for everything" he said. Once they pulled apart, Tora wasn't done yet.

"Tora has another invention. This one inspired by data from Aionos" said Tora as he pulled out two metal bracelets.

"Eh, what are these" asked Rex.

"Touch them with swords" said Poppi. Rex did so, and the sword disappeared.

"Where'd it go" asked Rex.

"Put the bracelet on. Then try to summon sword" said Tora. Rex did so, and the sword appeared in his hand. 

"That's really cool. And it's pretty similar to the blades from Aionos" said Rex. 

"That idea. Tora make enough for everyone, including children" said Tora as there was a knock on the door.

"Dad, can I come in" asked Glimmer from outside, sounding very down. 

"Of course Glim" said Rex. Glimmer walked in, looking lost and confused.

"Uncle Tora, Aunt Poppi, what are you doing here" she asked.

"Just delivering a gift. But Tora can read room, see you soon" said Tora as the two left, leaving Glimmer alone with her dad. 

"So, what's wrong" asked Rex. Glimmer sat next to him and rested her head against her. She'll never admit it, but Glimmer is very cuddly. 

"I'm so confused" she said.

"About what" he asked as he ran a hand through her ponytail, undoing any knots he found.

"About Nikol, and myself. I think, I think I ruined his relationship with Na'el" she said.

"What do you mean" asked Rex. He wasn't a fan of Na'el, but was never against the relationship.

"I said some things I shouldn't have. She just, wasn't being very supportive or compassionate after what happened to you and Shulk" said Glimmer, her emotions swelling up.

"I got so angry, and I yelled at her. I told her, she shouldn't be dating Nikol" said Glimmer.

"Glim, that isn't your place to say" said Rex, like a father would.

"I know, but I did. And, she actually broke up with him. But that's not why I'm confused" she said, standing up with a shaky breath.

"Then what's wrong" asked Rex.

"She said she broke up with him because he's in love with me" she exclaimed. 

"And how do you feel about that" asked Rex. 

"That's what I'm confused about. I'm not sure. I mean, I think I am, but that's not ok, right" she said, pacing around the room. Rex stood up and pulled her into a hug.

"You should know from this family that love isn't always what it seems" said Rex. 

"But he's still a minor. I shouldn't be in love with him" she said into his chest, as tears fell. 

"Oh shit, well, if you wait, it doesn't matter" said Rex, quickly recovering from his fumble. 

"What do you mean, wait" she asked as she looked up at him.

"His birthday is later this month. Bad timing on Na'el part, but just wait until then" said Rex. This seemed to make Glimmer think for a moment.

"I-I didn't think about it like that" she said. 

"Look Glim, I know things are hard right now, but this is good. The two of you can be there for each other. I know you both need it. I know you don't want to admit it, but you need Nikol" said Rex, kneeling down to her. She smiled and hugged her father as she cried.

"Thanks dad. I just, really miss him" said Glimmer.

"So do I" he said, tears in his eyes.

Nikol was taking a walk. Crys and Panacea didn't want to leave him alone, but Riku was able to convince them. He was lost in thought as he was in the park. 

"I gave everything I could, but I still let her down. What's wrong with me" he questioned as he sat down on a bench.

"Nikol, are you ok" asked Noah as he sat down next to him. 

"Were you following me" asked Nikol.

"No. I just come here to think sometimes" said Noah as he held his sword in front of him.

"Were you training" asked Nikol.

"Yeah. It takes my mind off everything. When I fight, I just go on autopilot. I don't think" said Noah as he gripped his sword tighter.

"Sorry. This isn't about me. I heard about Na'el" said Noah. Nikol just hung his head.

"I tried, I really did. But I guess it wasn't enough" said Nikol.

"Why'd you date her" asked Noah.

"Through so much of my life, no girl my age wanted any part of me. They all thought I was too small, too much of a whimp or too ugly compared to my brother" said Nikol. Noah responded with a hand on his shoulder.

"But there she was. She wanted to date me. She wanted to be with me. Even though I didn't really see her that way, I thought I'd grow into seeing her like that" said Nikol. 

"But you never felt that way" said Noah. Nikol shook his head.

"She's also really sparking hot, but I guess it wasn't meant to be" said Nikol. 

"I know how you feel" said Noah as he looked to the sky.

"You do" exclaimed Nikol.

"Yeah. Not many people know, but I actually dated Eunie for a while" said Noah. This surprised Nikol.

"Really, I thought you were in love with Mio" said Nikol.

"I am, but I wasn't sure of that back then. I knew Eunie liked me, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I put a lot into our relationship, and so did she. It helped that she's pretty hot. I told her things about me no one else knows" said Noah.

"What happened" asked Nikol.

"It wasn't working, so we broke it off. I was in love with Mio, and she was falling for Taion" said Noah.

"But you two are still really close" said Nikol.

"I know, we stayed close. It was a peaceful break up" said Noah.

"How did you move on" asked Nikol.

"You just have to accept that you gave it everything you could" said Noah. Nikol just nodded.

"Thanks Noah. I feel like out of everyone, you've helped me the most" said Nikol as he smiled at Noah. This made Noah nervous.

"Just don't tell Glimmer I helped you. She hates me" said Noah. This made Nikol laugh.

"Whatever you say. Bye Noah, I'm going to get something to eat" said Nikol as he stood up.

"Bye Nikol" said Noah as Nikol left. As Nikol walked off, he didn't notice someone else behind him until they called out. 

"NIKOL" yelled Mathew. Nikol turned around to see Mathew storming over to him.

"YOU MIND EXPLAINING TO ME WHY MY SISTER IS CRYING INTO MY PILLOW" yelled Mathew as he pushed Nikol down. 

"I-I. Sh-she" Nikol stumbled out in fear.

"WHAT. TELL ME" yelled Mathew as he threw a punch at Nikol, but it was caught by Noah.

"NOAH, THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU" said Mathew as he pulled away. But Noah stood strong.

"Give him a chance to explain. You need to hear the full story" said Noah as he held his sword in his hands. Noah turned to Nikol with a gentle smile.

"Just tell him" he said. Nikol stood up, and faced down Mathew, who crossed his arms.

"She broke up with me. She told me that our hearts were going in different directions" said Nikol. Mathew raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean" he asked.

"I really did try to be good to her, but I just, I never really fell in love with her" said Nikol. This confused Mathew.

"What, I thought you were. You two always seemed so good with each other" said Mathew, making Noah facepalm.

"Really Mathew, even I could tell" said Noah.

"Eh, what do you mean" asked Mathew.

"It's not my place to say" said Noah.

"I'm in love with Glimmer. I always have been. I tried to ignore my feelings for her, and give Na'el what she needed. But I couldn't. I really did try. I wanted her to be happy" said Nikol. 

"Even though you didn't share her feelings" said Mathew, his tone softening.

"Yes. I hoped this break up wouldn't make it so we couldn't be friends anymore. I look up to you, Mathew. I really do. You're one of the few people who believed in me, more than Na'el did" said Nikol as he looked down. But then he felt a hand messing with his hair.

"I'm sorry Nikol. I should've gotten the full story before lashing out at you. And I should've seen the signs" said Mathew. 

"So, you still want to be friends" said Nikol in shock.

"Of course I do. You're my little buddy, and that will never change" said Mathew with a smile that Nikol returned. 

"Come on, dinners on me" said Mathew as he waved Nikol along before turning to Noah.

"You coming" he asked, but Noah shook his head.

"Mio promised to teach me a new dish" said Noah. Mathew smirked at this.

"Alright, see ya" said Mathew as he and Nikol left Noah alone in the park. Noah's hand started shaking as he held his sword. He held his head as it swarmed with thoughts and memories. He sat on the bench, and dropped his sword.

"She can't know" he said.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Nikol's Birthday 

Noah was fidgeting with his jacket. Today was Nikol's birthday, and he and his friends were invited to the party. He was nervous, because Rex was going to be there.

"Stop worrying so much, will ya. If Rex was going to kill you he would have by now" said Eunie.

"I just can't help it ok. He's bigger than Lanz" said Noah.

"But he's also even more of a softy" said Miyabi as she held Juron's hand. 

"Yeah, what Miyabi said" said Lanz. 

"Well, here we are" said Taion. They have arrived at the ballroom of the palace. Noah shakenly knocked on the door. Soon, it was opened by Mio.

"You made it" she exclaimed as she hugged Noah, making him blush.

"Hello to you too Mio" said Eunie with a smirk. Mio just ignored her as she grabbed Noah's hand.

"Come on Noah" she said as she ran off, dragging him off. 

"What was that about" asked Juron.

"She has a plan" said Lanz. This surprised Eunie.

"Eh, she told you" she asked.

"Nope. I figured it out" said Lanz with a smirk before going to find Sena, leaving a confused Eunie.

"Wait, how did the knucklehead figure it out" she questioned.

"Lanz's emotional intelligence is far beyond what you think" said Taion as he and Eunie joined the party. 

The party had everyone from both journeys, as well as everyone from Ourbours and the Founders. There was a live band softly playing some music.

"Noah, dance with me" said Mio with a warm smile. Noah couldn't help but nod.

"I ah. I've been practicing" he said with a massive blush. This made her smile.

"Awwww. You practiced for me" she said, her heart warm. He just nodded, too flustered to say anything. They wrapped their arms around each other, and started dancing to the music. 

"Wow, you've really gotten better" said Mio. 

"Th-thanks. I know I'll never be as good as you, but I try" said Noah. From a distance, Mio's moms were watching.

"They are so cute together" said Pyra. 

"Took me a while to warm up to him, but I agree" said Mythra. 

"It's just like Aionos. They always find a way to be together" said Nia. 

"So why haven't they gotten together yet" asked Mythra. 

"Noah is too scared, and Mio doesn't want to push him" said Nia.

"What is he scared of? Mio is the sweetest girl in both worlds" said Mythra.

"He's scared of us" said Rex as he walked up to them.

"But we've known him for years" said Pyra.

"It's because of his parents" said Rex. This made all three wives go quite.

"Does he know we know" asked Nia. Rex just shook his head.

"So he doesn't know that it doesn't matter to us" said Mythra. 

"Mio wants me to talk to him. But I don't know if I can. I'm, a little out of practice when it comes to talking to boys" said Rex sadly. Pyra stood up and rested a hand on Rex's cheek.

"You can do this. You know this is something he needs, and maybe it's something you need to" she said. Rex smiled and took her hand and kissed it.

"You always were the smart one" said Rex before walking off. Pyra sat down and wrapped her arms around Nia.

"Babe, I'm fine" said Nia with a giggle.

"We know. We just want to cuddle" said Mythra as she hugged Nia's arm, making the cat girl blush.

Rex walked over to his daughter and Noah.

"Mio, I need to steal your man" said Rex, making Noah shrink.

"Oh, ok. But you better bring him back in one piece" said Mio. Rex just laughed.

"Don't worry. But things will change when he comes back" said Rex before putting a hand on Noah's back and ushering him away. They went into a side room, making Noah pale even more.

"Kid, do you know why I brought you here" asked Rex

"I-if you don't want me to be around Mio I can leave" said Noah, but this just made Rex laugh.

"Actually, it's the opposite. I brought you over here to knock some sense into that brain of yours" said Rex. This just confused Noah.

"What do you mean" asked Noah.

"Kid, you know she's waiting for you, right" said Rex. 

"I know. I just, there's things about me that she can't know, that you can't know" said Noah.

"Kid, I know about your parents" said Rex, like it was no big deal. Noah just stood there wide eyed, completely shocked.

"What the spark" exclaimed Noah. This just made Rex chuckle.

"What does spark even mean? You kids sure do have some weird slang nowadays" said Rex, but Noah still hasn't gotten over the fact Rex knows his secret. 

"HOW DO YOU KNOW" he exclaimed.

"Easy kid, my wife is the Queen. I have access to just about everything. We've known ever since we met ya" said Rex. 

"B-but, why are you ok with me being around Mio when I'm a murderous mercenary" exclaimed Noah.

"Your parents are murderous mercenaries, not you kid. And I'll admit, I was hesitant at first. But Nia told me about Aionos, and I got to know you" said Rex as he put a hand on Noah's shoulder.

"You're not your parents. You are an amazing young man, and I know you'll be great for my daughter" said Rex. 

"I don't get it, I feel like you should hate me like Glimmer dose" said Noah.

"Glimmer will come around, don't worry about her" said Rex. Noah seems to have calmed down.

"Thanks Mr Rex. I really appreciate it" said Noah.

"Please son, call me Rex. Now, go get your girl" said Rex. Noah nodded and ran out of the room. 

"Hopefully soon, he'll call me dad" said Rex.

Noah went back over to Mio, a new found confidence within him. 

"There you are. I was worried you weren't coming back" she said with a smile.

"Mio, there's something I need to tell you" he said. He was still nervous, but no longer afraid.

"Oh, and what's that" asked Mio as she raised an eyebrow. Noah took her hands and looked her in the eyes. Mio found herself captured by them.

"I've been feeling like this for a while. I think, I've always felt like this. I just, wasn't sure what to do. But I talked to your dad, and I'm finally not scared anymore. I know I've made you wait and-" he said before getting cut off by Mio's lips on his. Noah was surprised at first, but wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her back. They broke apart for air and rested their foreheads against each other.

"You just couldn't wait, could you" he teased. 

"I've been waiting for a long time" she said as they started swaying to the music.

"Why'd you wait. You could have any guy you want" he asked.

"Because you're the only guy for me. And I wanted to wait until you were ready" she said.

"I thought I had this big secret, but your parents already knew" he said, a little embarrassed.

"They never told me. But I won't push you" she said.

"My parents are murderous mercenaries, and they abused me as a child" he said, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see her reaction.

"THEY WHAT" she yelled in rage. 

Nia was sitting in Mythra's arms as Pyra danced with Rex. 

"Hu, I didn't know the abuse part" said Nia, catching Mythra's attention.

"Were you eavesdropping" she asked, making her wife blush.

"Um, yes. I wanted to hear the love confession" said Nia, this made Mythra smirk.

"Babe, you should know not to eavesdrop by now. You're going to pay for that" said Mythra, making Nia squirm.

"What! Mythra no no no DON'T" exclaimed Nia as Mythra started to scratch just behind Nia's ears. Nia felt a sensation of pleasure and calmness wash over her. 

"B-babe, pl-please stop" she said before Glimmer walked over. She rolled her eyes at her moms who were pretending that nothing happened.

"S-so, how's the party sweetie" asked Nia.

"It's been good. Nikol is ecstatic that this many people showed up. You know how he is when it comes to self esteem" said Glimmer with a goofy smile. 

"Good thing he has you to boost his confidence" said Mythra with a smirk, making Glimmer blush.

"Dad told you, didn't he" said a very embarrassed Glimmer.

"He tells us everything" said Nia, making Glimmer sigh. She looked out at the party, and saw Noah wrapping Mio into a kiss. Glimmer stood there in shock, which soon turned to rage. 

"How dare he" she said to herself. Glimmer was about to storm over, but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"Glimmer, don't" said Nia as she stood up with Mythra.

"But he's kissing her" exclaimed Glimmer.

"They've been kissing for the past few minutes. Noah finally admitted his feelings for her" said Mythra.

"Look at how happy your sister is. Would you really want to take that away from her" said Nia. Glimmer looked at Mio's smile, bigger and brighter than it has been since Milton died.

"No" said Glimmer as she sighed.

"I know you're afraid of losing Mio. But we've known Noah for years. He's family now" said Nia.

"I don't know why, but something about him just isn't right. I feel this nagging sensation that he's not right" said Glimmer. The two moms looked at each for a second before looking back at Glimmer.

"Well, his parents aren't exactly good. So he probably has some pretty intense trauma to work through" said Mythra, making Glimmer raise her eyebrow. 

"It's not just that. Your feelings about him, are probably because of Aionos" said Nia. This caught Glimmer's attention.

"You never talk about Aionos" she said.

"Glim, what do remember from Aionos" asked Mythra.

"They're not really memories, more like nightmares. And I don't remember most of them. Just a lot of death, something to do with Nikol, fighting an empty man and something about Alpha and Origin" said Glimmer.

"This 'empty man' you're talking about, is likely Mobeuis N. In a way, he was Noah" said Nia. 

"What do you mean" asked Glimmer.

"N was another version of Noah. One consumed by regret and the desire to stay in the now. But our Noah, is nothing like him" said Nia.

"Your feelings against Noah, is your brain unconsciously associating him with N" she Mythra. Glimmer looked back over at her beaming sister.

"You don't have to like him, but you shouldn't stand between them" said Nia. Glimmer sighed and smiled at her moms.

"I won't. She's my sister, I just want her to be happy" said Glimmer. 

"Good" said Mythra.

"Now, you two can go back to whatever you were doing. I'm going to get punch" said Glimmer as she walked off. Mythra then smirked at her wife.

"No, don't even think about it" said Nia as she backed away.

A was standing in the corner, disconnected from everything. She still doesn't understand why these people are being so nice to her. Surely with her connection to Alpha, they should hate her.

"So, you're A" said Matthew as he walked up to her. 

"Yes, that is who I am" said A as she observed him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Matthew" he said as he held out his hand. 

"I know who you are. I know everyone here" she said as she shook his hand.

"That's pretty neat. So, what do you think" asked Matthew, confusing A. 

"What do you mean" she asked as she tilted her head, making Matthew chuckle.

"What do you think about us? The people here" asked Matthew as he gestured to everyone at the party. The heroes.

"You are all amazing people. Why do you ask" said A.

"I'm not stupid, I know you're connected to that Alpha guy" said Matthew.

"I see. You wanted to make sure I didn't also wish to destroy the world" said A.

"Not just that. I want you to feel human" he said. This confused A yet again.

"What do you mean" she asked.

"Come on. It's time you properly meet everyone" said Matthew as he dragged A towards where Nikol, Riku, Panacea and Linka are. 

"Hey guys, have you met A" he asked them.

"No, I don't think so. I'm Nikol" said Nikol as he extended a hand.

"Happy birthday" said A as they shook hands. 

"Thank you. This is Riku, Linka and Panacea" said Nikol. A briefly remembered the vision from Alpha, but didn't show it on her face. 

"Nice meetings. Riku and friends were discussing who's dadapon is bigger meathead" said Riku.

"I can't tell you the amount of names mom had to shoot down for me" said Linka.

"Same. But my dad doesn't have the wisdom that your dad does" said Panacea.

"Wait, so you're trying to say that your own dad's are dumber" questioned A.

"Yep" said Linka.

"Pretty much" said Linka, making Nikol laugh.

"You two crack me up" he said.

"Get over here you little rascal" said Panacea as she messed with his hair. 

"I think all friends can agree that Matthew biggest meathead" said Riku.

"Agreed" said Panacea, Linka, Nikol and A.

"Oi, what is this. Everyone pick on Matthew day" he said.

"Yes" said everyone, making Matthew sigh in defeat. 

"Oh Matthew, is Na'el coming? I know we broke up, but I still want to be friends with her" said Nikol. The pain was still there, but getting better.

"Sorry man, she wasn't interested. When I asked her, she slapped me pretty hard" said Matthew.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense" said Nikol as he looked down. Panacea put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it little bro, you're better off without her. She wasn't all that good for you" she said.

"And why didn't you tell me that when I was dating her" he questioned, making her go silent.

"Well, even if she wanted to, she can't. One of the kids she babysits is really sick, so she is going over there for now" said Matthew.

Na'el was walking down the street to a distant village. Usually, she takes a pod, but they're all closed right now. 

"I hope Chyra is ok" she said to herself as she walked on in a hurry. 

"Hey sexy" came the disgusting voice of Dirk. Na'el turned around, only for him to grab her wrist.

"What is a sexy lady like you doing all alone" said Dirk with a grin. Na'el tried to pull away, but Dirk had too good of a grip on her.

"Get your hands off me" she said as she trashed around.

"Awwww, the little tramp thinks she can get away" said Dirk as he pulled her into an alley and threw her to the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy this" he said as he grabbed her breast.

"GET OFF ME" she yelled. Behind her, a small yellow portal opened in the air. When she swung her hand, a blast of yellow energy came from the portal and blasted Dirk away. 

"What the" questioned Na'el as she saw the portal.

"This is your power. Use it. Use it to punish the scum" said the voice in her head. 

"The spark was that" questioned Dirk as he stood up. 

"People like you, disgust me. This world, is full of them" said Na'el as clenched her fist. Surrounding them were yellow energy gauntlets, the same she had in Aionos.

"What are you on about? I'm just reminding sexy women of their place" said Dirk with a smirk.

"YOU'LL PAY" she yelled as she punched him in the stomach. She then opened another portal, and blasted him away. He skidded away before getting up.

"What is this power" he asked in fear, only to get blasted again. She stood over him, her face full of rage.

"Don't, please. I'll change, I swear" he begged her from the ground.

"Stop. People like you, don't deserve to live" she said as a portal opened above him.

"DIE" she yelled as a beam of power came from the portal and fried Dirk. His body laid there, motionless. Na'el walked away, and saw the Ontos core on the ground. She wasn't sure why, but she picked it up.

Rex has called over all the children, some were nervous to be standing in front of the large man.

"Mr Rex, what did you want us for" asked Taion.

"Tora created something for all of us, and I wanted to give them to you" said Rex with a smile.

"To all of us" questioned Matthew.

"Yes, all of you. We consider you all family" said Rex as he grabbed a box of the bracelets. 

"If you put these on your wrist, and touch them with your weapons, you will be able to summon them whenever you want" said Rex as he did just that.

"That's awesome" said Glimmer.

"But why give them to us? Are you expecting us to have to use them" asked Taion. Rex remembered the vision.

"Just in case you need them. Who knows what could happen" said Rex. 

"Thank you Rex. We are honored" said Noah, making Rex smile.

"Of course, son" he said. 

After the party, Nikol was sitting in his room, a happy smile on his face.

"Today was a good day" he said to himself as he laid down. He was in his sleep clothes, a tee shirt and shorts. There was a knock on the door that startled him.

"C-come in" he said. The door opened, and a very nervous Glimmer walked in.

"Glimmer, what are you doing here" he asked. For the first time in her life, she couldn't meet his eyes.

"I-I, wanted to give you y-your gift" she stumbled, something that she never does. 

"Glimmer, are you ok. You never act like this" he said as he took her hand, making her cheeks turn even more red. 

"I'm fine. Just, nervous" she said as she walked more into the room. Nikol finally saw the bow that was holding her ponytail.

"Gl-Glimmer, why do you have a bow in your hair" he asked. She chuckled, and turned to him.

"First, I want to apologize" she said as she took her hands.

"For what" he asked.

"For Na'el. I feel like it's my fault for her breaking up with you. I said some things I shouldn't have. And for that, I'm sorry" she said.

"Glimmer, it's not your fault. It's my fault for not being able to give her what she needed in our relationship" said Nikol.

"You gave her everything you could, right" she said, making him nod.

"Then you can't be blamed. Not when, your heart was elsewhere" she said.

"I-I" he said but was cut off by her hand on his cheek.

"I know how you feel about me. I was the idiot for not noticing" she said. But what really shocked him the most, is how she kissed his hand. His cheeks heated up beyond belief.

"And I was the biggest mudder of them all for not noticing how I felt about you" she said.

"Y-you have feelings for me" he questioned.

"Yes. I didn't realize it at first, but I now see I do" she said. In a rare act of courage, Nikol grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled their lips together. Glimmer squealed at first, but returned the kiss. When they pulled away, she smirked.

"I'm going to warn you, I'm a lot of women. Do you think you can handle me" she asked as she struck a pose.

"I think I can handle my best friend" he said, making her smile turn sweet. She sat him down on the bed, and sat on his lap facing him.

"Well, are you going to unwrap your gift" she teased with a smirk, turning him into a stumbling tomato.

"I-I-I'm not r-ready for th-th-th-that" he stumbled, making her laugh.

"That's ok. But I'm not sleeping in this" she said. He nodded and with trembling fingers, undid her dress. Once it was off, she was left in shorts and an undershirt, showing her cleavage.

"What, I came prepared" she said as she laid down, pulling Nikol down with her. She gently pulled his face up to her chest and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight Nikol" she said.

"Goodnight Glimmer" he said as he held her back.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: A Romantic Dance 

Taion was sitting in his history class, which Pyra was a guest teacher in.

"Can anyone raise their hand and tell me the importance of today" asked Pyra. Taion did so, making some students roll their eyes.

"Anyone other than Taion" she said. Zeon raised his hand after Taion put his hand down.

"Yes Zeon" said Pyra.

"Today is the 10 year anniversary of the unity of the two worlds" he said.

"Politically, not literally, but yes" said Pyra.

"Mrs Pyra, you were there weren't you" said Taion.

"Yes, I was. As the wife of one of the queens, I have my own political power and duties" said Pyra.

"Mrs Pyra, I'm a little confused about everything. Can you explain" asked Fiona.

"What are you confused about" asked Pyra.

"I'm confused about what exactly happened ten years ago" said Fiona.

"And how the political structure works" asked Zeon.

"Well, as you know, our worlds literally came together on the day of Origin. Despite that, it took about year of negotiations to politically combine them" said Pyra.

"How come" asked Zeon.

"To be completely honest, our worlds weren't supposed to combine. Origin was made to reboot the two worlds after they destroyed each other, not combined them" said Pyra.

"Wasn't it Aionos and Mobius that messed with everything" asked Taion. Pyra clenched her fist at the mention of Mobius.

"In a way. To be honest, we're not entirely sure why our worlds combined, so it caught us off guard. But we're happy it did" said Pyra.

"Ok, so how exactly does the political structure work" asked Zeon, still confused.

"Nia and Melia are the co queens of the new world. All of our friends and family serve as their advisors. With their extended life, Nia and Melia should both be ruling for a very long time" said Pyra.

"Mrs Pyra, I've heard a rumor about something. Can you confirm it" asked Juniper.

"Of course" said Pyra.

"Is there really a third Aegis who wants to kill us all" asked Juniper. Pyra remembered the vision of her children dying before putting on a smile.

"Don't worry about it. We've got it all handled" said Pyra as the bell rang. Everyone left the room, except Taion.

"I know you're lying" he said. Pyra didn't say anything, just looked to the ground.

"We can help. Me and my friends. You know we can" said Taion.

"You don't want to be late for Dunban's battle class, do you" she said. Taion sighed and went to the door.

"You're making a mistake" said Taion.

"I'll see you at the dance tonight" said Pyra. Taion left, but wasn't happy.

Noah was in his room, putting on his suit. He was wearing a red jacket and pants, white shirt and black shoes, and black tie. On his wrist was the bracelet from Tora. He also had his flute on his belt, a request from Mio.

"Noah, are you ready" asked Lanz from the door. He was wearing an all black suit with a gray shirt and blue tie.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Is everyone else ready" asked Noah. 

"Yeah, we've been waiting for you" said Eunie as Noah walked out into the hall. She was wearing a beautiful green dress that had a low neckline and went down to her ankles. There was a slit in the leg and she was wearing black flats. She was hanging off of Taion's arm, who was wearing a black suit with an orange shirt and tie.

"We were waiting for less than a minute" said Taion.

"Eunie, you're trying to be intimidating, but that doesn't work when you're holding onto Taion like that" said Lanz, making Eunie blush.

"Shut up" she said.

"So, are we ready to go" asked Juron. He was wearing a blue suit, black shirt and tie. Miyabi was holding his hand. She was wearing a white flowing dress down to her ankles. It wasn't too tight, but made her look absolutely adorable.

"Well, let's go. Mio and Sena are waiting for us" said Miyabi.

"WAIT FOR ME" yelled Matthew as he ran around the corner. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie and orange shirt.

"Matthew, you're going with us" questioned Lanz.

"Yeah. That's not a problem, is it" said Matthew.

"Not at all" said Noah. Matthew smiled and wrapped an arm around Noah's shoulder as they started walking.

"I heard the news, you landed a princess. Nice score" he said.

"You know that's not why I started dating her" said Noah.

"I know I know. I'm just teasing you" said Matthew as the two kept talking.

"Those two sure are something. It's like they're both friends and rivals" said Taion.

"That's exactly what they are. Although most of the rivalry comes from Matthew" said Eunie.

"He doesn't understand how Noah is so good at fighting" said Lanz. 

At the dance, Nikol and Glimmer were dancing together. Nikol was wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie. Glimmer was wearing a red dress that was tight up top and went down to her knees. She was also wearing red heels.

"Have I said how beautiful you look today" said Nikol, making Glimmer chuckle.

"I think you mean sexy, and yes. Multiple times" said Glimmer, making Nikol blush.

"S-sorry" he said.

"Don't apologize for complimenting your girlfriend" she said. He smiled, but was clearly uncomfortable.

"You ok" she asked.

"S-sorry. I'm still not over, you know" he said. She cupped his cheek and smiled.

"And that's ok. Actually, I'm sorry for pushing myself on you like this. I promise, I will let you heal" she said. He smiled and hugged her.

"I still want to be with you, but I feel like I need a friend more than a girlfriend right now" he said.

"How about a girlfriend who is your friend" she said as she kissed his cheek.

"Sounds nice" said Nikol. 

"Sis, I need to steal your man" said Mio as she walked up to them. Her dress was similar to Glimmer but silver instead of red. 

"What's up sis" asked Glimmer.

"I need to give him the sister talk" said Mio.

"Are you serious? Why" said Glimmer, but Mio was already dragging Nikol away.

"You're going to give Noah one. It's only fair" said Mio over her shoulder. Mio pulled Nikol over to a table and sat him down.

"First off, I want you to know that I'm really happy the two of you are together" she said with a smile.

"Thanks" he said. But then her face turned dark and she summoned her weapons and held them by Nikol's neck.

"But if you hurt her, I'll end you" she said. Nikol nodded, figuring this was going to happen 

"She loves to cuddle" she whispered in his ear. 

As Glimmer was waiting for her sister to free her boyfriend, Shulk walked up to her. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie and shirt.

"Glimmer, how are you" he asked with his trademark smile.

"I'm doing good. Mio stole Nikol to give him the sister talk" said Glimmer.

"Sounds ominous. Should I be worried" he asked with a chuckle.

"Nah. It's just a warning and then probably something embarrassing about me" she said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I understand. Well then" he said as he summoned his monado right in front of Glimmer's face.

"Here's my dad talk. If you hurt him, I'm the least of your worries" he said. Glimmer shrank in fright.

"I-I won't hurt him, I promise. Not like Na'el did" said Glimmer as Shulk despawned his sword.

"I trust you Glimmer. Oh, looks like Noah and the others are here" said Shulk. They looked up to see Mio run into Noah's arms for a hug and kiss, making the others laugh.

"Well, looks like it's time for me to give Noah the sister talk" she said as she walked over to them.

"You, with me" said Glimmer as she grabbed Noah's tie and pulled him along, confusing the poor guy.

"Um, love you too sis" said Mio as she watched them go. When Glimmer released Noah, she could tell he was nervous.

"Easy Noah, I'm not going to hurt you. I uh, wanted to apologize for how I've treated you" she said.

"What do you mean" asked Noah.

"You know, I've been really rude to you. It wasn't fair. Apparently, my memories of Aionos have been messing with my head" said Glimmer.

"Yeah, I get that. It messed up my head too" said Noah.

"I uh, I'm not the best when it comes to kindness, but I'm willing to help. And I know my parents are too, if you want to talk" said Glimmer.

"What have they told you" asked Noah.

"No details. All I know is that you've had it rough" said Glimmer before violently grabbing his tie.

"But if you hurt her, I'll kill you" she said, making Noah chuckle nervously.

A was standing in the corner. She was wearing a silver suit and purple pants over her armor.

"What are you doing in the corner" asked Matthew as he walked over.

"Just staying out of the way" she said.

"It's a dance. You should at least try to enjoy yourself" said Matthew.

"I am quite fine" she said as she looked away.

"Bull crap. Come on" he said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the rest of the people.

"Matthew, release me" she said as she pulled back, but he didn't let go. He pulled her over the Panacea and Linka. Panacea was wearing a black dress that went to her knees and showed her back. Linka was wearing a green dress that went down to her feet. 

"Join us A. You're one of us now" said Linka with a smile.

"But why? I'm part of Alpha, the one who's trying to kill you" said A. 

"Are you trying to kill us" asked Panacea.

"No" said A.

"Then you're good in our book" said Matthew. 

"Yeah, you're cool with us" said Linka. 

Lanz and Sena were chilling by the snack table. Sena was wearing a blue and purple dress that hugged her and went to her mid thighs. 

"Lanzy, do you feel like something is about to happen" said Sena. 

"What do you mean" asked Lanz.

"I don't know, I just feel like something is about to happen. Something big. Something bad" said Sena. 

"I guess it could be Alpha. Or is it something else" asked Lanz.

"I don't know" said Sena. Lanz gently took her tiny hand into his massive ones.

"Whatever happens, we'll face it together. I'll even face down a god" said Lanz, making Sena blush. The two leaned into a kiss.

"Excuse me" came the last voice Lanz wanted to hear, Mòrage. He whipped around and away from Sena. Mòrage was wearing a black suit with a white shirt.

"L-lady M-Mòrage. Funny to see you here" said Lanz as he shrunk under her glare, making Sena giggle.

"She's not going to hurt you Lanzy. I think" said Sena. That did NOT help. 

"I must admit, I respect your loyalty to my daughter and her friends. I'm a protective mother, but not unreasonable" said Mòrage as she held out her hand to Lanz. He shook it, still frightened.

"If there's one thing I am, it's loyal" said Lanz. 

"I see that. Not unlike myself" said Mòrage.

"Mom, why did you come over here? You never do anything for no reason" asked Sena.

"Just checking in. So how's the schooling going" Mòrage asked. Sena and Lanz went off, making Mòrage smile. 

Dromarch was sitting with Dunban. Dunban was wearing a black suit with a gray shirt and white tie. 

"Dromarch, I have a question for you" said Dunban.

"And what is that, Master Dunban" asked Dromarch.

"What do you think about letting the children help us against Alpha" asked Dunban. 

"Absolutely not. I saw the vision myself. Alpha slaughters them" said Dromarch.

"We've changed the future before. And if Alpha becomes more powerful than he already is, we wouldn't stand a chance without them" said Dunban.

"I see your point, but that vision. It still haunts me. I don't want to take any chances" said Dromarch.

"We need to walk towards the future hand and hand. Shulk and Rex have always spoken of someone else taking their place. That someone is right here" said Dunban as he pointed at the crowd of children including Noah and Mio.

"I, you make a good point" said Dromarch. 

Nia and Melia were standing on a balcony above the party. They were both wearing their queen dresses. 

"Everyone is accounted for" said Nia.

"Everyone but Na'el. I get there's some bad blood between her and Nikol, but it's been a while since we've seen her" said Melia. 

"I think Glimmer said one of the kids she babysits is really sick. She's with the family" said Nia. That's when Tyrea walked up to them, in her uniform.

"Your majestys, I have bad news" she said.

"That's never good" said Nia. 

"Do you two remember Dirk" asked Tyrea.

"Ugh, yeah. He sexually assaulted Eunie" said Melia.

"He's dead" said Tyrea, shocking both queens.

"He was terrible, but he was still just a kid" said Nia.

"Any ideas on who" asked Melia. 

"I'm afraid not. All we know, is that he was killed by some kind of unrecognizable energy" said Tyrea. This confused, and concerned the two queens.

"You don't think" said Nia, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"It's possible" said Melia.

"Um, I feel like I'm missing something" said Tyrea.

Ryen and Sharla were dancing with each other. Ryen was wearing a black suit with a red tie and shirt. Sharla was wearing low cut black dress that showed her back and went to her mid shin. 

"Have I said how good you look" he said.

"Yes, many times" she said with a smirk.

"What can I say, you look really sexy" he said, making her blush.

"Wait, is that a blush I see" he teased. This earned him a small push to the face.

"Sh-shut up" she said. This just made him laugh.

"Never" he said as he lifted her up and spun her around, making her giggle. 

Rex was sitting with Pyra and Mythra. He was wearing a black suit with a blue tie and shirt. Pyra and Mythra were in matching low cut dresses in their colors.

"I love you so much" said Mythra as she hugged his arm.

"I love you too, both of you" said Rex. They saw Nia walking past.

"Babe, why don't you join us" offered Pyra. Nia blushed, but shook her head.

"Later, I have to talk to Matthew" she said as she walked past them and over to Matthew, Nikol, Glimmer, A and Riku.

"Mom, what are you doing over here" asked Glimmer as she was cuddling against a very red Nikol.

"Eh, where's Panacea and Linka" she asked.

"Probably making out somewhere" said Nikol.

"Ugh, forget I asked. Matthew, do you know how your sister is doing" asked Nia.

"Eh, I haven't heard from her. Why do you ask" said Matthew. 

"Queen Nia, do you think Alpha is going after Na'el" asked A, causing the others to react.

"It's certainly possible. We should check on her first thing tomorrow" said Nia.

"Yeah, I'll do that" said Matthew.

"I'll go with you" said A. 

"I hope she's ok. I know she's still probably heartbroken" said Nikol as Glimmer cupped his cheek.

Na'el sat at the bedside of the child, crying. In the bed, was the lifeless body of the child, who died in her arms.

"This is the world you live in. This pain and suffering. This is all your world is" said the voice.

"Let me take control. Let me ease your soul. Let me prevent anyone from feeling this pain" it said.

A was feeling something she never thought she was able to. Love. Surrounded by people who care about her, even though she doesn't deserve it.

"So this is what it feels like to be human" she said with a small smile. Then, she got a vision of Fog Beasts attacking the dance, making her gasp.

"A, what's wrong" asked Matthew. 

"Fog Beast. They're coming" she said as she summoned her sword.

"Fog Beasts, that very bad" said Riku. 

Nia was in a four way cuddle with her wives and husband when her ears twitched.

"Something is coming" she said as she stood up.

"Babe, are you sure" asked Mythra who just wanted to snuggle.

"Yeah, I sense it" said Rex as he stood up and summoned his swords.

Noah and Mio were dancing together when Mio's eyes widened. 

"Something is coming. Something big" she said as she summoned her weapons. Noah closed his eyes and summoned his sword.

"I sense it" he said. 

Shulk was sitting with Fiora on his lap. She was wearing a white, tight dress that went to her mid thighs. 

"Something isn't right" he said as he stood up and summoned his sword.

"Babe, what's wrong" asked Fiora. There were some loud bangs on the door, and they were knocked off. A massive Fog Gogle was leading an army of other Fog Beasts. 

"FOG BEASTS" yelled Shulk as ran into action along with Rex.

"Ryen, Sharla, Dunban, Riki get the guest out of here" called out Melia, jestering to the other guest.

"Mòrage, Bridget, Zeke, Pandoria, you too" said Nia. The eight adults nodded at their orders and started leading the guest to safety. 

Noah and Mio were back to back, taking out Fog Volfs. 

"LOOK OUT" yelled Rex as he ran over and used his swords to block a punch attack from the Fog Gogle. 

"You kids should get out of here" said Rex. 

"Like hell we are" said Mio as she and Noah ran past Rex. They jumped up and stabbed the Fog Gogle in the chest. 

"Rex, catch" said Mythra as she tossed him her sword. He unsummoned his swords and caught hers.

"Noah, Mio. Move" he said as he and Mythra started to glow golden. The two kids got out of the way.

"TAKE THIS" said Rex and Mythra at the same time as they blasted the Fog Beast with golden light, taking it out. 

"Wow. Your parents are strong" said Noah. 

"I know. But so are we" said Mio. They turned their attention to a Fog Farris. They charged and both slashed, downing the beast.

"DOWN" yelled Eunie. The two ducked as Eunie blasted a Fog Beast out of the sky. 

"Look out" said Taion as he stood in front of her and used his mondo to block a ranged attack.

"Thanks babe" she said.

"Poppi, activate QTπ mode" said Tora. Poppi went through a transformation and entered the fray. She destroyed the Fog Beast. 

Matthew and Nikol were next to each other, surrounded by a bunch of Fog Beast. 

"What are these things" asked Matthew as he punched one.

"Fog Beast. They feel familiar somehow" said Nikol. Glimmer and A cut through the circle to the boys.

"Don't worry Nikol, I got your back" said Glimmer as she kissed Nikol's cheek. 

"Hey, focus up" said Matthew as he punched a Fog Beast that almost got Glimmer. The four fought well, but were back into a corner.

"This isn't good" said Matthew. But then from behind the Fog Beast, was bolts, flairs and water. They all fell, and the two Queens were standing there.

"Are you kids ok" asked Melia as Nia ran over to Glimmer.

"We're fine. Where are my parents" asked Nikol. A massive Fog Beast fell to the ground.

"They're fine" said Melia. 

Shulk and Fiora were unstoppable. Especially Shulk. 

"We make a good team" said Shulk.

"We always have" said Fiora as she kissed his cheek. There was a loud explosion as Rex and his wives destroyed a dozen Fog Beast. 

"REX, you guys are too powerful. You're going to bring this whole place down" said Shulk. Rex nodded and tossed the swords back to his wives.

"There's not many left" said Rex.

"We got this" said Linka as she and Panacea ran by.

"So do we" said Lanz and he ran back with Sena. The four cut through what was left of the Fog Beast like a hot knife through butter. When they finished, there were no Fog Beast left. 

"Awesome" exclaimed Lanz as he and Sena fist bumped. The other children ran over to celebrate their victory, except Noah and A. Although, none of the adults noticed Noah.

"What were those things" asked Mythra. 

"Fog Beast. But I don't know how they've returned" said Melia.

"Alpha" said A.

"Are you certain" asked Fiora.

"Yes, I remember from Aionos. Alpha had some kind of connection to the Fog Beast" said Shulk.

"Yeah, but why. And what's going on here" wondered Rex. 

"It's a test" said Noah, making the adults look at him.

"Noah, I didn't know you were still over here" said Pyra.

"Take it from someone who knows how villains think. He was testing us. He wanted to see how strong we are. He's planning something, and it's coming soon" said Noah. 

"How soon are we talking" asked Nia.

"We need to be on high alert" said Noah.

Meanwhile, a band of highly armed mercenaries were standing on a hill, overlooking the village where Na'el was.

"This is your chance. This is your time to make your statement. Kill them. Kill them all" said the voice of Alpha. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: New and Old Family

Shulk and Dunban were training. Shulk still wasn't completely used to fighting with just one arm.

"Perhaps making your weapon lighter would help" said Dunban.

"I've made it as light as I could without sacrificing my power" said Shulk as he blocked Dunban's strike.

"So, about Na'el" asked Dunban.

"Matthew and A are visiting her. Given the circumstances, she needed the time alone" said Shulk. 

"I get that, but it feels like an oversight" said Dunban.

"She isn't exactly a fan of ours right now" said Shulk.

"Dad, Uncle Dunban, can I come in" asked Nikol from the door.

"Of course" said Shulk with a warm smile as they rid of their weapons. 

"I ah, made this for you dad" said Nikol as he held out a metal arm. 

"Is that a prosthetic arm" asked Shulk as he walked over.

"Yeah. I designed for your measurements" said Nikol.

"Well, let's try it out" said Shulk. 

Nikol attached the arm, and Shulk had almost full motion back.

"Wow, this is incredible" he said.

"It was nothing. It's least I could do" said Nikol. Shulk smiled and hugged his son.

"I love you" he said.

"I love you too" said Nikol with a content sigh. 

Na'el was sitting on the couch, an empty look in her eyes. In her hands, was the Ontos core.

"Except the core. Let me give you my power. And with it, you can make this world right" said Alpha's voice in her head. There was a loud explosion and screaming coming from outside. Na'el ran outside, and saw her worst nightmare. The village was burning down as people were screaming and running away. Na'el stood in shock as chaos surrounded her. 

"NO" exclaimed a woman as her son was stabbed by a sword from a male mercenary. 

"Don't worry, you'll see him soon" said a female mercenary as she walked up to the mother, and killed her. The house Na'el came from blew up, sending Na'el flying. A group of other mercenaries walked up to the two leaders.

"Too bad our son couldn't be here with us" said the woman.

"Noah betrayed us, by trying to get into bed with that cat princess" said the man. 

"The entire village is dead, just like you ordered" said another man.

"Gotta say, it was a lot of fun" said another woman. 

Na'el pushed the rubble off of her, causing the mercenaries to take notice.

"Looks like you missed one" said Noah's father. Na'el eyes were full of rage.

"You, you KILLED THEM ALL" she yelled at the mercenaries, her body being surrounded by a gold aura. 

"Kill her" said Noah's father. A mercenary ran at her, but was met by an energy blast that shot straight through his chest. The body dropped in front of Na'el, who continued to glow.

"MURDER" yelled a female mercenary as she and four others charged at Na'el. When they got close, a beam of light encased Na'el, blowing them back. When the light subsided, she was in her armor from Aionos.

"This world is just like the one trapped in time" she said with the voice of Alpha echoing every word. The female mercenary stood up and attacked, but Na'el grabbed her by the throat.

"You call me a murderer when you massacred an entire village of innocents" said Na'el in rage before she snapped the woman's neck. Na'el tossed the body aside before blasting the other four mercenaries with power from small portals. 

"You two, are Noah's parents. So he is one of you" she said as she walked towards the two leaders.

"Get back you demon" said Noah's mother as she pointed her spear at Na'el.

"GET OUT OF HERE" yelled another mercenary as six others attacked Na'el, letting Noah's parents to escape. They got on a pod, and went in the direction of the capital. 

"NO" yelled Na'el as she blasted all the mercenaries at once, killing all six. 

"Na'el" came Matthews voice from behind her. Na'el turned around, and saw Matthew and A standing there. Matthew looked horrified, and A gripped her sword.

"Na'el, what have you done" said Matthew weakly, referring to the 12 bodies on the ground around his sister.

"I did what had to be done. These people, they deserved it" she said, Alpha's voice still echoing.

"Maybe, but this isn't the way. This is what the bad guys do" said Matthew as he took a step forward, but A stopped him.

"Matthew, this isn't Na'el, not completely. She's being influenced by Alpha" said A.

"MY CHOICES ARE MY OWN. No one is controlling me" snapped Na'el as power poured off of her.

"I do not control my Avatar, I simply provided her with power" said Alpha's voice in Matthew and A's head. 

"LET HER GO" yelled Matthew. 

"Matthew, are you really siding with them" said Na'el.

"What do you mean" questioned Matthew.

"The scum of this world. People who cause others to suffer" said Na'el.

"It's not that simple. But this is too far" said Matthew.

"If you do not side with me, then you are my enemy" said Na'el. She then blasted into the air in a beam of light. 

"NA'EL" yelled Matthew, but she was gone. Matthew fell to his knees as he punched the ground.

"Alpha, I'm going to kill you" said Matthew as A put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll help you get your sister back" she said.

"Thank you, A" he said.

"But you have to understand, she isn't entirely a victim. She killed these people of her own free will" said A.

"She wouldn't normally do this" he said.

"You're right. But this is influence, not control" said A.

"I don't give a damn. I'll save her" said Matthew as he stood up.

Noah's parents got off of the pod in the area of the capital. 

"What should we do" asked his mother.

"Find somewhere to hide. We'll make Noah take us in" said his father.

"Good idea, he owes us for bringing him into this world" said his mother. 

Noah and Mio were sitting in a park, enjoying each other's company. Origin was watching over them.

"Noah, are you ok" asked Mio.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have this gut feeling that something isn't right" he said.

"Well, I've learned to trust your gut. What do you think is wrong" asked Mio.

"There you two are" said Rex as he and Shulk walked up to them. Noah was nervous, but not terrified like before.

"Dad, Uncle Shulk. Where did you get that arm" asked Mio, pointing at Shulk's new arm.

"Nikol made it for me" said Shulk with a smile.

"Why were you two looking for us" asked Noah as the two kids stood up.

"Unfortunately, we come with bad news" said Rex, making Mio's ears go flat.

"What's wrong" asked Noah as he took her hand.

"The nearby village was just attacked. Na'el was the only survivor" said Rex. Both kids stood in shock as their eyes widened.

"Wh-what, who" asked Mio. When the two older men hesitated to answer, Noah knew.

"It was my parents, wasn't it" he said, his voice dark and cold. Rex put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm afraid so, son. We thought it best if you knew" he said. Noah closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Thank you for telling me" he said.

"But that isn't the main problem. It seems Alpha has chosen Na'el as his avatar" said Shulk, shocking the children even further.

"That's terrible. We have to save her" said Mio.

"We're not entirely sure if that's possible" said Shulk.

"But we'll try, we always do" said Rex. But Noah wasn't listening. Instead, he was walking away as he saw something.

"Noah, what's wrong" asked Mio as she reached out for him.

"You, what are you doing here" he snapped away from Mio. Hiding in the shadows, was his parents.

"We're here for you, son. We need your help" said his mother.

"WHY THE SPARK WOULD I HELP YOU" he snapped.

"Because we're your parents. You owe us for bringing you into this world" said his father. This made Noah even more angry.

"YOU ABUSED ME. YOU TRIED TO TURN ME INTO A WEAPON" he yelled, his body shaking with anger and pent up emotions.

"You ARE a weapon. That's all you've ever been" snapped his mother. Mio was about to attack, but Rex held her back.

"This is Noah's fight, not yours" he said before nodding to Noah. Noah spawned his sword and pointed it at his parents.

"THAT SWORD IS POINTED THE WRONG WAY, BOY" yelled his father.

"WE ARE YOUR PARENTS. WE TAUGHT YOU BETTER" yelled his mother. But Noah didn't listen.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THE SUFFERING YOU'VE CAUSED ME AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE" yelled Noah, reminding Shulk of himself.

"You DARE disobey us, your family" snapped his father as he and his wife drew their weapons.

"AAAARRRRRR" yelled Noah as he charged at his parents. Mio, Rex and Shulk watched on as Noah went for his father. Noah was faster, easily gaining the advantage. He knocked his father off balance before kicking him in the stomach. Noah then whipped around and blocked an attack from his mother.

"You don't stand a chance" she said as she almost stabbed him in the head. Noah knew his father was about to attack, so he pulled Lucky Seven out of his sword. He blocked his father's attack, and caught his mother's spear with his gauntlet.

"The hell is this" questioned his mother before Noah threw her into his father. Noah jumped at them, punching his father in the face and disarming his mother. 

"You're wrong, you don't stand a chance" said Noah as he kicked her to the ground.

"Slow down boy" said his father as he slashed at Noah. But Noah was more skilled as he easily parried all attacks and disarmed him.

"How, how are you so good" exclaimed his father, before looking at the three spectators.

"Oh, the cat slut and her family" he said. Noah punched him in the face with his gauntlet, knocking him out.

"Honey" exclaimed his mother, only to get kicked in the head by Noah, knocking her out. 

"Noah, you did it" exclaimed Mio, but he didn't respond. 

"You, you caused me so much pain. You killed all those innocent people. You deserve to DIE" exclaimed Noah as he held his sword up with both hands, ready to finish the job.

"NO" yelled Mio. 

"AAAARRRR" yelled Noah as he brought down his sword. Or he would have, if a strong metal hand wasn't holding his arm. Noah tried to pull free, but Shulk was too strong.

"Noah, this isn't what you want" said Shulk. Noah shook with anger, but didn't respond.

"I know how it feels, the lust of vengeance. But trust me, it isn't what you want. It isn't what we do" said Shulk. Noah felt tears fall from his eyes as he despawned his sword. Shulk let go, and Noah fell to his knees. Mio wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"I'm so proud of you babe" she said as Rex walked up to them. Noah looked up at him.

"You probably think less of me now. Now that you've seen me try to kill someone" said Noah as he looked down in shame. Instead, Rex put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"No son, I don't. I think more of you" said Rex as he brought Noah and Mio into a hug.

"Don't worry Noah. We'll personally see them being arrested" said Shulk. 

"My parents were wrong. You guys are my family" said Noah.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Na'el 

The next day, Nikol and Glimmer were in a park by a small pond. There was no one else around them. The two were just chatting as they walked, Glimmer hanging off his arm. Origin was looking down at them.

"You know, I never would have expected you to be a cuddly girlfriend" he said. 

"You have no idea how hard it was for me to resist cuddling before. I ah, get it from my mom" she said with a blush.

"Um, which one" asked Nikol.

"Right, I should really know not to do that by now. Mythra is a cuddler" said Glimmer. Then, out of nowhere, a massive blast of light hit the ground and knocked them away.

"AAHH" they exclaimed as they landed away from the blast. 

The rest of the children, minus Joran, Miyabi and Crys, were hanging out a ways away, trying to calm Matthew down.

"THE SPARK IS THAT" yelled Lanz as he pointed to the light.

"NA'EL" yelled Matthew as he took off running.

"Matthew, wait for us" said Noah as everyone else ran after him.

Nikol and Glimmer slowly stood up to see Na'el in her new armor standing there, surrounded by light. 

"Na'el. Is that you" said Nikol in shock.

"Surely you recognize your ex-girlfriend. Or did I truly mean that little to you" said Na'el, the voice of Alpha echoing with every word.

"Th-that's not it at all" he said with a pleading voice.

"Is it? You never loved me, not like how I loved you. You, you BROKE MY HEART" she snapped as a wave of power was released from her, knocking Nikol and Glimmer back a few inches.

"Na'el, I'm sorry" said Nikol, just like in the vision.

"Sorry, SORRY FOR WHAT" she yelled.

"For not being able to give you what you needed. I tried, I really did. You were the first girl to ever give me a chance, and I'm eternally grateful for that. But we just weren't right for each other. You said it yourself, our hearts were going in different directions" said Nikol, pouring his heart out to her. Na'el seemed to calm down for a second, and the light started to fade, but then they flared back up as she dashed forward and grabbed him by the neck, choking him.

"NIKOL" yelled Glimmer as Na'el snapped her attention to her.

"You, You're the tramp that RIPPED HIM AWAY FROM ME" exclaimed Na'el as she threw Nikol into her.

"He was mine, and we were happy. But then YOU put ideas in his head. All so YOU could have him" she said as she rose into the sky.

"That wasn't it. I didn't even realize I had feelings for him until after you pointed it out" said Glimmer as she helped Nikol up. 

"We didn't want to hurt you" said Nikol.

"LISE" yelled Na'el as another wave of power released from her.

"All the people in this world do is hurt each other. This world, it's just like Aionos. I must end the pain, by rewriting the world" she said.

"NA'EL" yelled Matthew as he ran up to them with the others.

"Brother, this is your last chance to make the right choice. Join me in saving this world from the filth that fills it" she said.

"No, I won't. ALPHA, LET MY SISTER GO" yelled Matthew.

"ALPHA" exclaimed Glimmer and Nikol. Na'el simply shook her head.

"A pity brother. You chose wrong. I guess I'll have to eliminate you too" she said before turning her attention to Noah. Her eyes filled with rage.

"You, you are one of them" she said as she pointed at him.

"Noah is nothing like his parents" said Mio.

"Nonsense. If he is their son, then he is just as much a monster" she said as she held out her hand. In it, appeared the Monado. 

"I will destroy this world, starting with you. The ones who broke me, who betrayed me" said Na'el. 

"Na'el, this isn't you" said Matthew in a heartbroken voice.

"Matthew, look at me" said A, making Matthew look at her.

"We have to fight. She's under Alpha's influence" said A. Matthew closed his eyes, remembering his little sister.

"Let's do this" he said as he spawned his weapons and faced down Na'el.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM" he yelled.

"Then I'll destroy you too" she said. Then it started. Na'el zipped down at Nikol and Glimmer, but Lanz blocked the attack. He pushed her back, but was blasted in the back by a beam of light. 

"You first" said Na'el as she knocked Nikol away and grabbed Glimmer by the throat. 

"I'm going to kill you first, tramp" she said.

"GLIMMER" yelled Mio as she jumped at Na'el, who simply threw Glimmer into her sister. Both Eunie and Taion used their weapons to blast Na'el from afar.

"Bugs" said Na'el as she blasted them from a portal above them.

"HHHHIIIIYYYYAAAA" yelled Panacea as she tried to slash her from above, but Na'el charged at her and knocked her out of the sky.

"You are pathetic and weak" she said as she floated up.

"TAKE COVER" yelled Noah. Na'el rained fire from above. Countless blasts of light came down onto the group from above. When Na'el stopped, everyone was down. Everyone but Noah and Lanz, the latter protecting the former.

"Na'el, stop this. You have to stop this" said Noah.

"I won't, I will never" she said as she pointed her sword at them.

"I was afraid so" said Noah. A then slashed Na'el from the side. Na'el then blocked the next attack. 

"My conscience. I no longer require you" she said as the two parts of Ontos faught.

"I won't let you do this" said A before flipping away.

"EAT FIRE" yelled Sena and Glimmer as they both sent fireballs at Na'el. When the smoke cleared, Na'el charged at the two and knocked them both away with a single slash. Linka sent a blast at Na'el, who cut through it and blasted Linka. Matthew and Nikol both tried to attack, but Na'el slammed her sword into the ground, making a shock wave that knocked them back. Lanz swung his heavy sword as Panacea attacked from behind. Na'el avoided both attacks before blasting Panacea and stabbing Lanz.

"LANZ" yelled Sena in horror as Eunie and Taion started healing him. 

"Like I said, weak" said Na'el as she blasted the group of three. Sena attacked, but was easily knocked away. Mio and A attacked side by side, but Na'el had very little issues with handling them.

"Na'el, I know you're hurting. But this world isn't all bad" said Mio as she ducked under a flying A. 

"Of course the pet cat of a murderer would say something like that" said Na'el as she blasted Mio in the stomach. Noah was the only one still standing. He charged and swung his sword. Na'el parried him and grabbed him by the ponytail. She floated up a little, so that she was dangling him by the ponytail.

"NOAH" yelled Mio as she stood up.

"Stay there. Or I might put a hole in his neck" said Na'el as she held the Monado so the point was inches from his neck.

"Na'el, let him go. He's innocent" begged Matthew as he stood up.

"He's not innocent. He's the son of those monsters who killed that whole town" said Na'el before turning her attention back to Noah.

"I never liked you anyway. You're too perfect, and a coward. I'm going to enjoy watching you give up" said Na'el with a joyful smile as he despawned his sword and his hands fell to his side. He then moved his hands together and opened his eyes.

"Like hell I'll do THAT" he yelled as moved his hands apart as he summoned his sword. The movement caused his gauntlet to form as well as Lucky Seven. He grabbed her face with his gauntlet and used Lucky Seven to free himself, by cutting off his ponytail. Na'el pushed his hand off her face. Noah launched himself at Na'el and slashed her with Lucky Seven, causing her to fly across the ground.

"Noah, how did you" questioned A. 

"It's not over" said Noah as he prepared to charge again.

"Matthew" said Na'el in a weak voice. Matthew turned around to see his sister weakly reaching out to him.

"Help me brother. Please" she said in a pathetic voice.

"This ends now, ALPHA" exclaimed Noah as he charged.

"NO" yelled Matthew as he ran in front of Noah, punching him in the gut. Noah fell to the ground, the air knocked out of him.

"MATTHEW" exclaimed A.

"Th-that's my si-AAAHHHH" exclaimed Matthew as he was blasted in the back by Na'el. Matthew laid there, unconscious.

"Love, such a pathetic emotion. One that only leads to pain" said Alpha, Na'el absent in his voice. 

"I won't let you win" said Noah as he struggled to get up. 

"You're just like them" said Na'el, her voice returning. She then snapped her fingers, causing a beam of light to blast Noah from above.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH" yelled Noah in pain before he collapsed unconscious.

"NOAH" yelled Mio as she charged at Na'el. She threw her twin rings, but Na'el blasted them out of the air. Na'el swung the Monado at Mio, which A blocked.

"I am more powerful than you" said Na'el as she tried to blast A, who avoided the attack.

"I won't give up, no matter what" said A. The two forms of Ontos locked swords. 

"You will fail" said Na'el as power literally exploded from her, knocking everyone back. Na'el then charged and punched A out before blasting Mio unconscious. Na'el then turned to the nine others.

"Your champions have fallen. What will you do" she said with a smirk. 

"What we always do" said Glimmer.

"We fight" said Lanz. Na'el smirked as they all charged. She floated into the sky and unleashed a powerful beam of light that cut through the charge. When all was done, only Panacea, Sena and Riku were left. 

"BASTARD" yelled Panacea as she used her spear as a polvult up to Na'el, who grabbed her by the throat.

"Weak" said Na'el before throwing her into the ground. 

"EEEEEEYYYYYYY" yelled Sena as she jumped up at Na'el.

"Pathetic" she said as she blasted Sena out of the sky. This left just Riku. 

"This is bad. This is very bad" he said before getting blasted from above. Na'el floated down to the ground, surrounded by unconscious bodies.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS" yelled Crys as he charged her. Even caught off guard, she was still able to parry his attack.

"My power grows with time" she said as she blocked his attacks and disarmed him. She punched him in the face and kicked him down.

"You didn't really think your pathetic attack would work, did you" she mocked.

"No, but it distracted you" said Crys. Na'el then was shot in the side by Eunie. Juron and Miyabi were healing everyone, causing Na'el to grunt in frustration. 

"GET AWAY FROM THEM" yelled Shulk. Na'el quickly flew into the sky to avoid Shulk's attack. Nia joined in the healing as all the adults joined the children. 

"ALPHA, LET THAT KID GO" yelled Rex as he pointed Mythra's sword at them.

"No, I think not. She makes an excellent avatar" said Alpha, no trace of Na'el in his voice. 

"Na'el" said Matthew in fear.

"If you wish to stop me, then you have two days to meet me" said Alpha.

"Meet you where" asked Melia.

"There" said Alpha as Origin sprang to life.

"Origin" questioned Mythra.

"If you wish to stop me, then meet me in Origin" said Alpha they disappeared in a flash of light, leaving a portal behind. The adults turned their attention to helping the children.

"Are you guys ok" asked Pyra as she helped Glimmer back onto her feet.

"SPARK" yelled Matthew in rage as he punched the ground. 

"Easy kid" said Ryen as he put a hand on Matthew's shoulder.

"DON'T tell me that. Alpha, that BASTARD. He took my sister" said Matthew as he shrugged Ryen off. A walked over to Matthew and took his hand.

"Matthew, I know you're angry, but you have to understand. Alpha isn't controlling Na'el" she said.

"Na'el would NEVER do this" snapped Matthew as he gestured to everyone, especially Noah.

"You're right. Without Alpha's influence, she wouldn't. But she still chose to do this" said A.

"B-but, all the things she said. How she almost killed us all" said Matthew.

"Deep down, this is how she truly feels. She's been wanting to do this" said A. 

"I failed, as a brother. I should have seen this coming" he said.

"Kid, this isn't your fault. It's Alpha's" said Rex.

"How are we going to beat him?" asked Mio. 

"Rex, have the Garfont Mercenaries evacuate everyone from the palace area. We can't risk an attack from Origin" said Nia.

"Exactly. If Aionos is any indication, Origin isn't something to take lightly" said Melia.

"Why does everything relate to Aionos?" asked Eunie, making Melia pause.

"It's best if you don't know" said Melia.

"Is anyone going to answer my question?" asked Mio as she clung to Noah.

"You kids need to get out of here. The rest of us will take care of Alpha" said Shulk. This didn't sit well with the kids. 

"NO" they all yelled at the same time. 

"This isn't negotiable" said Mòrage. 

"Why won't you take us with you" snapped Linka. 

"This is way too dangerous. Alpha could kill you" said Zeke. 

"Alpha could kill YOU" snapped Mio.

"Kids, there are some things in this world that you should leave to us" said Rex.

"Are you crazy? We're not letting you go without us" snapped Panacea.

"You guys saw what happens when you fought Alpha" said Sharla.

"And what about what happened when you fought Alpha" said Glimmer as she gestured to Rex and Shulk.

"There were only two of us. If we have more, we could still win" said Shulk.

"You have a better chance at winning if it's ALL of us" said Nikol. 

"We told you, no. We're not changing our mind" said Mythra.

"But why? You say it's to protect us, but if Alpha isn't stopped then we'll all die. You need us, so we can win together" said Noah. The other children gathered around him. The vision from Alpha flashed in the mind of those who saw it.

"We're sorry kids, but this is how it needs to be" said Pyra.

"STOP calling us kids. We're not kids, not anymore. Why can't you see that" snapped Eunie.

"This fight is no place for you" said Bridget. 

"How, we're fighters. And we'll fight" said Lanz.

"This isn't Aionos, you don't need to fight" said Melia.

"We're not doing this because of Aionos. We're doing this for this world" said Taion.

"So are we. And we're doing it for you" said Ryen. 

"Why should we let them tell us what to do? Either get on board, or get out of the way" said Sena. 

"Stand down, THAT'S AN ORDER" snapped Mòrage. 

"We don't take orders" said Noah. 

"Riku, why fight?" Asked Riki. 

"Riku want to be Nopon that dadapon would be proud of" said Riku.

"Riku would already make dadapon proud" said Riki. 

"We're not backing down, no matter what" said Noah.

"How about a proposition?" said A from the side.

"What do you mean?" asked Shulk. 

"A competition if you will. Give them a chance to prove themselves your equals" said A. 

"A battle, you say" said Rex. He and Shulk looked at the children. 

"I'm down" said Rex.

"Same. A chance, one fight. If we win, you stay. If you win, you can come" said Shulk.

"Well kids, what do you say" asked Rex. Noah turned to the others, who all smiled.

"We're in" he said.

"Tomorrow morning, this is your one chance" said Rex.

"We'll prove you wrong" said Noah. 

"I hope so" said Shulk.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Generational Battle

All the children and A were gathered just outside the school. Crys, Miyabi and Juron were standing in the doorframe.

"Where is the battle taking place" asked Miyabi.

"The palace. It's going to be pretty crazy" said Noah.

"Are you guys sure you don't want to come with us" asked Matthew.

"Yes. The three of us aren't fighters" said Crys.

"You guys did good against Alpha yesterday" said Lanz.

"We got lucky is all" said Crys.

"Come on guys. We could use your help" said Mio.

"When it comes to the battlefield, I'm pretty useless. But I know what I can do" said Joran.

"Joran" said Lanz.

"I can help with evacuation. Heal anyone that needs it. That's my role" said Joran.

"It's my role too" said Miyabi as she took his hand.

"And mine. Not all of us are built to be fighters, but we can still make the world a better place" said Crys.

"Ok, but be careful brother" said Nikol.

"You too" said Crys.

"Don't worry, I'll protect him" said Glimmer as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you will. Now go, join our parents in saving the world" said Crys. The others nodded.

"Don't forget about us weaklings" said Miyabi with an adorable smile. 

"We won't" said Mio before they went to face their destiny. 

Shulk and Rex were ready, waiting for the children to arrive with the others. They were at a massive battlefield stadium in the palace grounds.

"We can't let them win" said Shulk.

"Agreed. But they won't be holding back" said Rex.

"Then we won't either" said Shulk.

"This is our chance to prevent Alpha's vision from coming true" said Rex. Then, the children walked in.

"We're ready. And we won't lose" said Noah, standing at the lead. 

"We've each picked one of you to face. Each battle will be one on one, and whether or not you come with us will be judged on an individual basis" said Shulk.

"No helping each other, no teamwork. Just the fight" said Rex. 

"However, some of us will not be involved" said Dunban as he, A, Tora, Poppi, Dromarch, Bridget and Pandoria walked to the side.

"A, you're not going to help us" questioned Matthew.

"It is a personal matter. This isn't my place" said A.

"And the rest of you" asked Taion.

"Tora and Poppi on same page as Rex and Friends, but no opponent to fight" said Tora.

"I'm afraid Pandoria or I helping our drivers would make the fight unfair" said Bridget.

"I am unsure of what to think" said Dromarch, the hesitation in his voice being clear.

"I voted for you to come with us. The future can change, although it seems fear has overpowered that notion" said Dunban. 

"Noah, you'll be facing me. As well as Nikol vs Fiora, Lanz vs Ryen, Panacea vs Sharla, Eunie vs Melia and Riku vs Riki" said Shulk as he and his group walked over to their positions.

"Mio will be facing me. And then Glimmer vs Mythra, Taion vs Pyra, Matthew vs Nia, Sena vs Mòrage and Linka vs Zeke" said Rex as he and his group moved to their positions. The children hesitated, but moved over to face down their opponents. 

"On my word, this battle will begin" said Dunban. Each side spawned their weapons.

"Let this battle, BEGIN" called out Dunban.

Noah ran at Shulk, who was able to easily block the attack. 

"Why are you doing this" questioned Noah as he flipped away from Shulk and took a defensive stance.

"To prevent you from throwing your lives away in this fight" said Shulk as he attacked Noah. Although Shulk was stronger, Noah was faster and more agile. 

"It's that what you're doing" snapped Noah as he avoided an attack from Shulk and swung at the older man, hitting his metal arm.

"We're willing to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good of the world" said Shulk as he spun around and knocked Noah off balance. Not hesitating, Shulk went back on the offensive and attacked Noah. 

"AND YOU THINK WE'RE NOT" snapped Noah. Despite being off balanced, Noah was able to counter Shulk with little effort.

"Impressive. You and I might be pretty equal" said Shulk with a smile.

"If I didn't get it right away, I was punished" said Noah, the pain still in his voice.

"Noah" said Shulk.

"The day I met Mio, it changed my life. If I never met her, met all of you, I would have ended up just like my parents" said Noah. 

"A positive effect from Aionos. When you freed the world from being stuck in time, you made it possible for the worlds to be brought together" said Shulk. 

"My past, and my meeting with Mio, is why I have to do this" said Noah as he went on the offensive.

"I can't let any of you die. After everything you have given me, I won't let Alpha take that away" said Noah as he attacked.

"I'm sorry, BUT I CAN'T LET YOU" yelled Shulk as he picked up the pace. 

Mio was striking at her father, but was having trouble getting through his swords.

"Why go to these lengths" she snapped.

"Because you won't listen to reason. Alpha will kill you" said Rex as he pushed her back. He did a double swing, making her backflip away. 

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT" yelled Mio.

"Yes I do" said Rex as he remembered the vision. Rex used his swords to send two massive blasts of power at Mio, who skillfully avoided them.

"Nice one. Looks like your training is coming in handy" said Rex.

"Of course it is. You trained me" said Mio. As she went back on the offensive. She flipped up to try to kick him, but he was ready.

"Which means I know you're tricks" he said as he swung his swords at her. She used them as a platform to jump off of. 

"We're ready, this is what you raised us for" said Mio, causing Rex to be saddened.

"We didn't raise you to be fighters. We raised you to be you" said Rex. 

"We're not giving up, no matter what. Whatever you're afraid of, we can face it together" said Mio. As she attacked again.

"No, I WON'T TAKE THAT CHANCE" as he picked up the pace.

Fiora was on a relentless attack against Nikol, who was using his arms to block her onslaught.

"You've really improved. I'm proud of you" she said as he was able to keep up with her.

"After what happened to dad, I've been training with Glimmer and Matthew" said Nikol as he was able to push her away.

"She's been a good one for you. I'm glad you got together" said Fiora as she went back on the offensive, using her speed and agility to her advantage.

"My relationship isn't what's important right now" said Nikol as he used his arms to flip away from Fiora.

"I don't care what you or dad thinks, I'm coming with you" said Nikol as he charged at her.

"No. If you do, Alpha will kill you" said Fiora as she countered his attack. 

"If I don't come with you, Alpha will kill you two. I can't let that happen" said Nikol as he did a spin attack, causing her to take a few steps back.

"So we're both fighting to protect the other" said Fiora as she recovered.

"Well then, let's see who's will is stronger" she said.

Ryen attacked Lanz, who blocked the strike with his sword.

"Why are you doing this? Why won't you let us help?" Snapped Lanz as he swung at Ryen, who avoided the attack.

"It's for your own good kid. We're just trying to protect you" said Ryen as he punched Lanz in the face.

"Geeze, I forgot how thick Macina skin is" said Ryen as he recoiled from the punch.

"Then take this" said Lanz as he tried to punch Ryen, but the older man grabbed his arm and threw him onto the ground. Ryen tried to stab his downed opponent, but Lanz blocked it and jumped up.

"Why fight against me" questioned Lanz as he charged.

"I was like you when I was younger. But I think you already knew that" said Ryen as he blocked Lanz's attack.

"I won't let you stop me" said Lanz as he pushed him away. 

"Sorry kid, but someone has to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours" said Ryen.

Sharla fired her rifle, but Panacea had no issues with avoiding the blast.

"Mom, you have to realize how crazy this is. The lengths you're taking to stop us from helping you" said Panacea as she swung at Sharla.

"This fight is your chance to prove yourselves. See it as that" said Sharla. Panacea stuck her spear in the ground and swung on it to kick Sharla, but she blocked the attack with her rifle.

"Even though I'm not a fighter. Linka and I are going into business" said Panacea as she swung at her mom.

"I know. But you still have been trained by us" said Sharla as she ducked under the attack and punched Panacea in the jaw.

"Besides" said Sharla as she kicked Panacea away.

"I refuse to let my daughter die" said Sharla as the fight continued.

Eunie was on the run, trying to avoid the fury of elemental attacks from Melia. 

"You can't beat me, Eunie. I'm a highly trained High Entia worrier" said Melia. 

"I don't give a spark, I won't let you get in the way" said Eunie. Melia sent multiple elemental blast, kicking up dust and smoke.

"ARRRR" yelled Eunie as she jumped out of the smoke and dust.

"How" exclaimed Melia as she blocked the attack with her staff.

"Eat this" said Eunie as she blasted the staff point blank, knocking it out of Melia's hand.

"You might be stronger than me, but there are more ways to win a fight" said Eunie as a small blade popped out of the tip of her gun, like a bayonet. 

"You're impressive" said Melia as she avoided Eunie's close range attacks. 

"But you still won't let us help you" said Eunie.

"No. We won't let you throw your lives away" said Melia as she rolled away and grabbed her staff. 

"Neither can we" said Eunie as she went back on the offensive. I'm

Riku and Riki were clashing weapons. 

"Why Grandypon fight Alpha. Grandypon have 70 years" said Riku as he pushed Riki back. 

"Riki always fight beside friends. That way Riki always been" said Riki. Riku tried blasting Riki, but the older Nopon proved to be very agile.

"And Riki still Heropon" said Riki as he jumped over Riku and smacked Riku on the head. 

"Grandypon should let new generation of Heropon step up" said Riku.

"No. Not with Alpha. Grandsonnypon will die. And Riki promised Sonnypon Kino to protect Grandsonnypon" said Riki as he sent some ice at Riku, who cut right through it. 

"Riku will prove to Grandypon that Riku doesn't need protection" said Riku as he attacked again, the two clashing weapons. 

"Why do this" snapped Riki.

"Riku will stand beside friends until the day Riku die" said Riku as he pushed Riki away.

"And that why Riki can't let Riku come" said Riki. 

Mythra and Glimmer were clashing weapons, fire vs light. 

"I can't believe you. I can't believe you won't let us help" snapped Glimmer as she shot a blast of fire and Mythra.

"I can't lose anymore" said Mythra as she cut through the fireball.

"You always say that when you're gone, someone else will take your place. The next generation will step up" said Glimmer as clashed weapons with her mom.

"Well, here we are. The next generation" said Glimmer as Mythra pushed her away.

"This is over" said Mythra as she let out a massive amount of power and speed. But when the dust settled, Glimmer was still standing and healing herself.

"I am the daughter of an Aegis and Rex. I DON'T GIVE UP" snapped Glimmer as she sent a massive fireball at Mythra, who cut through it, although with difficulty.

"Please, just stand down. You don't know what you're getting into" begged Mythra. 

"I know exactly what I'm getting into. I've done it in Aionos, I can do it now. Why don't you believe in me" exclaimed Glimmer. 

"I can't lose another one of you" said Mythra in despair, making Glimmer pause.

"I already lost Milton. I can't lose another child" said Mythra as she composed herself.

"The spark you think I'm fighting. I can't lose any of you either" said Glimmer as the fight continued.

Pyra sent a blast of fire at Taion, who used the mondo as a shield to block it. Once the flames were gone, he sent the mondo at Pyra who flipped away from them. 

"Tell me something" he said as he brought the mondo around him. He extended them from his fist.

"Why do you choose to stand against me" he questioned as he charged at Pyra. 

"Because you're one of the best students in school. And I know you know better" said Pyra as she swung her sword at Taion to keep him back.

"I know that the best chance for victory is for all of us to fight together" said Taion as he punched the mondo at Pyra, who blocked them with her shield.

"You continue to come up with new ways to use the mondo. It's amazing" said Pyra as she threw her sword at him, making it spin around really fast.

"Everything you say suggests that we'd be better off together, not apart. So why won't you let us help" questioned Taion as he avoided the attack.

"Some choices aren't made by logic alone" said Pyra as she charged and grabbed her sword. 

Matthew was throwing punches at Nia, who had little issues with avoiding them.

"Why are you fighting me? Who not Mio" he questioned as he ducked under an attack from Nia.

"Only two kids and four parents" said Nia as she sent a blast of water at Matthew, who avoided it with ease. 

"Ok, good point. But why me" he questioned as he went back on the offensive.

"Because you and I are more similar than you think" she said as she blocked his attacks.

"How" said Matthew as he jumped at her, but she avoided the attack.

"I know exactly how you're feeling" said Nia. This made Matthew snap.

"NO YOU DON'T" he yelled as he punched the ground, making a shock wave that Nia flipped over.

"Yes I do. I had a sister once too" she said, making Matthew pause.

"You did" he said softly.

"Yes, but she was ill. My driver only brought me into the world in order to save her. But I couldn't" said Nia as she rested a hand on her core crystal. 

"Wait, is that why" he questioned.

"It's her blood that's flowing through my veins. So yes, I know how you feel. You feel like you failed her. You feel like you could have done something" she said as Matthew shook.

"The hardest thing to admit, is that there's nothing you could have done" she said as she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I know that, up here" he said as he pointed at his head.

"But down here, I feel like there's something more I could do" he said as he pointed to his gut. 

"I know that feeling well" she said. Matthew took a deep breath and backed away.

"And now I have a chance to save her. I couldn't before, but now I do" he said as he got into a fighting pose.

"And if you die" said Nia.

"I ain't dying, not yet. I still have too much to give" he said. Nia sighed and ready herself.

"I was afraid you'd say that" she said as they went back to it. 

Sena rolled out of the way of her mother's attack.

"Why won't you let us help" she snapped.

"This isn't the place for you. You don't have to throw your life away" said Mòrage.

"That's exactly what you're doing" said Sena as she charged.

"No. We're just trying to protect you" said Mòrage, her voice breaking as Sena pushed her back.

"We don't need protection" said Sena.

"If you come with us, Alpha will kill you" said Mòrage as she swung at Sena, who ducked under the attack.

"You don't know that" said Sena as she launched a fireball at her.

"I refuse to take that risk" said Mòrage as she cut through the attack.

"You can't hide us away from everything. You know our best chance at winning is together" said Sena as she blocked her mother's incoming attack.

"Normally I'd agree. But this battle is different" said Mòrage as she knocked Sena away.

Linka was on the move. Zeke was a lot faster and stronger than her, so she had to keep moving.

"Just stand down kiddo" he said as he charged around. Linka flipped over him and sent a blast from her staff.

"You'll need to do better than that" he said before tripping on a tiny rock. Linka couldn't help but laugh.

"You really have the worst luck, don't you dad" she said with a smile. 

"My luck is amazing when it counts. Like my friends, Pandy, and you" said Zeke with a smile.

"You're not as into this as the others, are you" said Linka as she lightened her stance.

"Not really. Fear is what's fueling this. They saw something that shook them to their core" said Zeke as he looked at Rex and his wives.

"Fear. Fear of what" asked Linka.

"Fear of losing you guys. Of losing another one. But I believe the future can be changed. This fight is a test. A test to see how far you've come" said Zeke. Linka was able to put together what Zeke was saying.

"A vision. Well, then let me prove that I can change it" said Linka as she got ready for more. 

"That's my girl. Now, show me what you're made of" said Zeke as he took his battle stance.

"My name is Linka Van Gembu, AND I WILL RAIN CHAOS UPON YOU" she exclaimed as she fired off multiple blasts from her staff.

"Atta girl" said Zeke with a smirk.

In the center of the chaos, were two particular fights. Noah parried an attack from Shulk before going for a punch, only to be blocked by a metal arm. Mio threw her twin rings at Rex, who had no issues with avoiding them. 

"You just threw away your weapons" said Rex as he charged. He knew they'd come back, but he had an opening.

"Not exactly" said Mio before pulling two knives out of the pocket of her jacket. She used them to block Rex's attack before flipping over him. She threw the knives at Rex and grabbed her twin rings mid air. Rex blocked her attack and faced her down when she landed.

"Noah, you can't win. Please just stand down" said Shulk as he gripped Noah's wrist with his metal arm. 

"No. I will never" said Noah before freeing himself by kicking Shulk away. 

"This is pointless. You know you can't beat dear old dad" said Rex as he charged up an attack.

"I know. But I don't have to" said Mio as she and Noah locked eyes for a second and nodded. 

"You believe that when you're gone, someone else will take your place" said Noah, loud enough so that everyone could hear him.

"That someone else is right in front of you" said Mio, making Rex hesitate. 

"Whatever you're afraid of, I'm sure it's terrifying. Because I know you aren't easily scared" said Noah as he went back on the offensive.

"But together, we can fight. We can make a difference" said Mio as she jumped over Rex's attack.

"We've seen the vision. Alpha, he's going to kill you" said Rex, his shell cracking.

"Visions can be changed. The future isn't set. You know that" said Noah as he was starting to gain some ground on Shulk.

"That's exactly what we're trying to do" said Shulk, his shell also cracking.

"Dad, we can do this. Together. Please" begged Mio as Rex pushed her back, although he didn't continue the attack.

"I've already lost one child, I can't lose another. It'd kill Nia, It'd break me" said Rex as tears were falling.

"Shulk, you've changed the future before. You used to pride yourself on it. What changed" said Noah as Shulk became off-balanced. The fighting around them stopped, everyone was listening 

"I wasn't always able to change the future. I couldn't save the Emperor. I couldn't save Fiora. I won't take the chance of not being able to save Nikol" said Shulk as he pushed Noah away. But Shulk was crying, and his body was shaking.

"You won't lose us. Me and Glimmer will live, we all will. We'll change the future together" said Mio as she walked up to her father.

"Mio, I can't. I'm not, strong enough" he said as he unsummoned his swords. 

"Shulk, we can do this together" said Noah as he extended his hand.

"No, I CAN'T TAKE THAT CHANCE" exclaimed Shulk as he charged. He swung his sword down, but Noah caught it in his gauntlet. 

"What" Shulk breathed out. In one motion, Noah slashed the sword out of Shulk's hand. Noah pointed his sword at Shulk's neck, victorious.

"This world, it belongs to all of us. We can fight to protect it together" said Noah.

"Dad, we're stronger as a family" said Mio as she held out her hand.

"Please, let us come with you. Let us make the world a better place" she said as some of her own tears fell. 

"Let's carve out the path to the future, hand in hand" said Noah. Shulk smiled, and laughed. It was a good hearted chuckle as tears fell. 

"I guess I was being a fool" he said. Rex grabbed Mio's hand and pulled her into a hug.

"You're right, you were always right" he said as he hugged her tightly. 

"Together" said Shulk as he offered his hand. Noah smiled and shook it.

"Together" he said.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: The Final Battle

In Origin, Alpha was in his own body, overlooking the world.

"They are coming, all of them. This battle will decide whether the suffering will end, or continue forever" said Alpha.

"Do we really have to kill them? Can't we take them with us" asked Na'el, in her Ontos armor.

"If we don't kill them, the world will never be free from suffering" said Alpha as he walked over to Na'el.

"But" she said, but he cut her off by cupping her cheek.

"Na'el, you are the chosen one. Everyone else, they are the baggage holding this world back" said Alpha with a kindness in his eyes.

"Right, of course" said Na'el as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Alpha was gone, like he was never there to begin with.

"This world, it needs to end in order for life to continue down a happy road" said Na'el with Alpha's voice echoing across Origin.

The heroes were standing before the portal to Origin, all 31 of them.

"This is it. The final battle" said Shulk.

"If we lose today, the entire world will be destroyed" said Rex.

"We can do this, together" said Noah. The three of them looked back at the others, who were ready.

"Ok, let's go" said Shulk.

"Into Origin" said Rex. So they stepped into the portal.

When the heroes stepped through the portal, they were in a familiar place. Familiar, as it was somewhere they knew deep within their minds. Looking over the great sea, standing in the court of the floating Agnus Castle. 

"Wait, where's everyone else" asked Nikol as he looked around, only seeing himself, Glimmer, Matthew and Noah.

"They are here, but not within this memory" said Na'el as she walked up to them. She was wearing her normal outfit, not her armor.

"Na'el, is that really you" said Matthew as he stepped to her. But Noah pulled him back.

"Matthew, this isn't what it seems. She's under Alpha's influence" said Noah as they looked at her, her smile looking real.

"Please Matthew, join me. Join me as we look to the future" said Na'el with a sweet look.

"Ignore her. She's a siren, trying to lure you in. Remember the fight" said Glimmer. Matthew just hung his head in defeat. 

"Brother, let us take a step into the future" said Na'el. Suddenly, the memory changed to that of the old world. The one before the experiment. But Matthew didn't respond. So, Na'el turned her attention to Nikol.

"Nikol, I'm sorry. You deserve better than how I treated you. Will you take me back" she said as she held out her arms like she was asking for a hug. 

"Nikol, don't" said Glimmer as she put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Come to me, love. I can give you what you want, what you need. She can't. She's too broken. Too many issues, and too much pride to admit it" said Na'el. 

"I don't have any issues" snapped Glimmer. But the memory changed again. This time, many moments of Glimmer's life played all around them.

"Milton, hold on. Please hold on" she begged at his bedside with her whole family around her.

"I'm sorry. I let you all down" he said weakly before closing his eyes for the last time.

"MOM" yelled Glimmer as she saw her mother jump. Mio jumped after her. Glimmer grabbed Mio's arm and held on for dear life.

"DAD" yelled Glimmer, seeing her father with just one eye for the first time. Something that she will never unsee.

"Still, this isn't him" said Na'el. In one swift motion, Glimmer back handed Na'el to the ground.

"Maybe I should help" said Noah, but Glimmer grabbed him by the collar.

"Stay out of this" she said in a deadly tone before pushing him away. She stormed off, leaving Noah in the hall.

Glimmer was trapped, all her worst memories and moments swirling around her. 

"She pushes all her problems deep down, afraid of facing them. She can't even properly recognize the difference from the now and then" said Na'el. Although her voice was neutral, she was smiling. She is enjoying this. Enjoying torturing Glimmer.

"How are you doing this" said Noah. 

"Origin is always recording data. It's always watching over everything" said Na'el. Glimmer felt numb, the memories playing on repeat, haunting her. She cried, not being able to stop the tears.

"Nikol, baby. Come to me. I can be the girlfriend you need, unlike her" said Na'el, her face and voice turning flirtatious.

"No" is all Nikol said as he took Glimmer's hand. She looked at him, before wrapping him in a hug and sobbing into his chest. 

"No, this isn't right. Matthew, Nikol. You should be with me" said Na'el as cracks started to form in her act. Matthew was unmoving, head down and eyes closed. Nikol held the crying Glimmer, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

"No, NO" snapped Na'el, power radiating off of her.

"Na'el, can't you see you're hurting them. You're hurting yourself. This can't be what you want" said Noah as he stood strong.

"LIKE A MURDERER KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT HELPING OTHERS" snapped Na'el. Suddenly, Glimmer's memories were replaced by Noah's.

"YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF CRAP" yelled his father before striking him, a 5 year old.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A WEAPON. YOU GOT THAT" yelled his mother before striking him.

"FAIL" yelled his father as he downed a 7 year old Noah before slapping the downed child.

"I RAISED YOU TO BE A KILLER, NOT A WIMP" snapped his father before kicking Noah's face in.

"Why, why did this happen" cried a 9 year old Noah in front of the body of Kino.

"That's what happens when you tell someone. You did this" said his father, his sword still covered in Kino's blood.

"After the fireworks today, you are to kill your friends" said his mother to a 10 year old Noah on the day of Origin.

"B-but I love my friends" mumbled Noah.

"Exactly. Love is weakness" said his mother.

"WE TOLD YOU TO KILL THEM. NOW YOU'RE GOING TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE BEATEN WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE" yelled his father before stabbing Noah in the leg.

Everyone stood in shock. Matthew didn't lift his head, but Glimmer and Nikol were looking around in shock and horror. Na'el was looking in shock as well.

"You're supposed to be a monster. Not a victim" she said as she couldn't believe her eyes. The only one who wasn't shocked was Noah. His eyes were closed, as he let everything flow over him.

“You've suffered more than anyone. Don't you want it to end” questioned Na'el.

“I did, once. But then I met Mio. That day, it changed my life. I learned that the world held joy, not just suffering” said Noah, his eyes full of determination.

“HOW. How can you be so hopeful” snapped Na'el.

“I've seen the darkness of this world. My first memory is being beaten by my parents. But I've also seen the light of the world. I've seen its beauty. And I will fight to protect its beauty, no matter what” said Noah, making Na'el pause. 

“Noah” said Glimmer. Noah looked over to see her walking up to him, tears in her eyes. When she got to him, she hugged her.

“I'm sorry Noah. I'm so sorry for how I treated you” she said.

“It's ok. You didn't know” he said. When they broke the hug, they faced down Na'el.

“I know you can see the beauty in this world too. Na'el, is this really what you want? To destroy everything” said Noah.

“N-no. We're not destroying the world. We're creating it a new” she said, although her voice betrayed her.

“Bull shit” said Matthew.

“Hu” questioned Na'el as she looked at her brother. He looked up at her, a fire in his eyes.

“BULL SHIT. THIS ISN'T CREATING THE WORLD A NEW, THIS IS DESTROYING IT. You and I have always been together, but I refuse to let you do this. If I have to fight you, then fine” said Matthew as he summoned his gauntlets.

“This isn't you Na'el. I know you're hurting, but taking it out on the world is wrong” snapped Matthew.

“YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE PAIN I'M IN” she snapped.

“You're just weak. Your pain is nothing compared to Noah's, or even Glimmer's. Two people you see as enemies. If that's how you see it, THEN I'M YOUR ENEMY TOO” snapped Matthew.

“No, I” stumbled Na'el.

“You know this is wrong. Na'el, we can walk the path of the future together” said Noah. His memories faded from around them as Na'el bowed her head in shame.

“You, really think that” she said.

“Yes. I do” said Noah as he held out his hand.

“I, I'm so sor-AAAAAHHHHHH” she yelled as she was struck down by a beam of light.

“NOAH” exclaimed Mio as she ran into his arms.

“Mio, you're here” questioned Noah.

“We've been here the whole time, son. But we couldn't interact with the four of you. But we saw everything” said Rex. Pyra was hugging Glimmer as Fiora was with Nikol. A rested a hand on Matthew's shoulder.

“Are you ok” she asked, concerned in her voice.

“Yeah. I'll be fine” he said with a smile, which she returned. Eunie and Lanz ran over to Noah and sucked him into a group hug.

“Everyone, focus up” said Dunban. Everyone looked up, and saw Alpha floating there, the monado in hand. 

“NA'EL” exclaimed Matthew. She stood below Alpha, perfectly copying everything he did.

“So, it is time for this world to end” said Alpha, his voice coming out of both his mouth and Na'el's.

“You’re wrong. We're going to win this fight, together” called out Noah.

“You brought them to their deaths. You've seen what happens to them” said Alpha. 

“The future can be changed” said Shulk.

“ALPHA, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS” snapped Mio.

“Your notion, that someone will take your place when you're gone, is foolish. You have doomed the world to a slow and painful end. I simply seek to end the world's suffering early. A mercy, is what it is” said Alpha.

“You're narrow minded and wrong. Someone will always be there” said Rex. But Alpha ignored him.

“I shall erase this world, and create a perfect new one. One without suffering, one without free will” said Alpha, something that caught everyone off guard.

“That isn't for you to decide” said Pandoria.

“Free will leads to suffering. So in order to erase suffering, I must erase free will” said Alpha. 

“We won't let you do this” said Mythra.

“We will defeat you. You know that” said Pyra.

“You underestimate my power, Pnuma” said Alpha. 

“WE'LL FIGHT. FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE” yelled Shulk.

“WE WON'T LET THE SINS OF THE PAST HOLD US BACK” yelled Rex.

“AND WE WON'T LET YOU TAKE AWAY THE PRESENT” yelled Noah.

“I am the true god of the world, the only reason your world ever exists. I have the right to end it” said Alpha. And so, the fight to determine whether the world lives or dies began.

Na'el launched herself at the group of heroes as Alpha fired down at them. Rex locked blades with Na'el, her face lacking any emotion.

“DOWN” yelled Matthew as he tackled Rex out of the way of a blast from Alpha.

“HEEEYAH” exclaimed Panacea as she kicked Na'el in the face, only to get blasted by the puppet. 

“Poppi, enter QTπ mode” said Tora. The robot girl went through a transformation into that of a robot woman.

“Poppi will protect those that Poppi holds dear” said Poppi as she flew at Alpha. She unleashed a bunch of missiles at Alpha. He made a shield that blocked them all. 

“NOW” yelled Melia. Her, Sharla, Rex, Mòrage, Zeke, Eunie, Taion, Sena, Glimmer and Linka sent massive blasts of power at Alpha. Poppi got out of the way as they broke through the shield. Na'el stopped moving, allowing Matthew and Nikol to punch her away. 

“TAION, GIVE ME A BOOST” called out Noah as he brought out Lucky Seven. Taion used his mondo to create stairs for Noah to run up.

“NOAH, DON'T” yelled Shulk, the vision playing in his mind. 

“AAAAAAARRRRRRRRR” yelled Noah as he ran up the mondo and stabbed Alpha. When the smoke went away, Noah had his sword in Alpha's shoulder.

“It appears I underestimated your power” said Alpha. Those who saw the vision knew what happens next.

“NO” exclaimed Rex as he shot his anchor at Noah.

“Your blade, it did not cut deep enough” said Alpha as he was about to cut Noah down. But Rex's anchor wrapped around Noah and pulled him away. Alpha went after Mio, but Shulk blocked him and pushed him away. Before Alpha could attack again, Rex knocked him away.

“NOAH” exclaimed Shulk as he caught him out of mid air. 

“I was supposed to die there, wasn't I” said Noah as Shulk put him down.

“Yes. But I had forgotten, that the future isn't set. I let my fear get the best of me” said Shulk.

“But not anymore” said Rex. 

“I see you have changed the future. But that doesn't mean they won't still die” said Alpha. 

“We won't let you hurt them” said Mythra as her core started to glow.

“You've already broken one child. WE WON'T LET YOU HURT ANOTHER” exclaimed Pyra as her core started to glow as well.

“You can't beat me like that” said Alpha as his core started to glow as well. The entire area was covered by the battling green and orange lights. 

“Why do you fight? What is the meaning of it?” Questioned Alpha.

“We fight for our family” exclaimed Mythra.

“My time with Rex has made me who I am. That will never fade” exclaimed Pyra. When the light subsided, Pyra and Mythra fell to their knees, but Rex and Nia were there for them. 

“NA'EL” exclaimed Matthew as he ran to his sister, who was free from her armor. She fell into his arms.

“Na'el, is it really you” said Matthew as she slowly opened her eyes.

“Matthew, I'm so. I'm so sorry” she said as tears fell from her eyes.

“There'll be time for that later. Right now, we need to take down this mudder” said Matthew as they looked up at Alpha.

“So you freed my Avatar. No matter, I have more than enough power to destroy you” said Alpha as golden power swirled around him. 

“Buckle up, shit’s about to get real” said Rex, the Master Driver.

“I am the god of this world. I have calculated that this world needs to end” said Alpha in a voice that grew more computer-like by the second. 

“Don't back down. We've beaten gods before” said Shulk, the God Clever.

“Olden lives, olden virtues. All ends here” said Alpha as he transformed into a massive form, just like he did in Aionos. 

“We can do this, together” said Noah, Bringer of the End. 

“HOW THE SPARK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BEAT THAT” exclaimed Eunie. Alpha sent a massive blast of golden power at the group, but they were able to avoid it.

“Time to end the world” said Alpha. Although his voice was that of a machine.

In the world down below, Origin struck. It blasted the ground, destroying everything in its path. Juran, Miyabi and Crys worked with Tyrea and the Garfont Mercenaries to evacuate everyone.

“LOOK OUT” exclaimed Nikol as Alpha swung his sword down. But the attack was blocked by Rex, who was given extra power from his wives.

“Matthew, Noah. Climb up the sword” said Rex. The two nodded and ran up the sword. Alpha jerked his sword up, sending the two of them into the air.

“EAT THIS” yelled Eunie and Sharla as they shot Alpha in the face. 

“Matthew, go for the head” said Noah as he threw Matthew at Alpha. 

“EAT MY BEANS” yelled Matthew as he punched Alpha right in the face, but it did nothing.

“Shit” said Matthew as Alpha swatted him away. Right before Matthew hit the ground, he was caught by a cushion of mondo. 

“Thanks Taion” said Matthew as he got to his feet. Taion nodded and used his mondo to create a barrier between them and Alpha. 

“Taion, do you have a plan” asked Mio. 

“Yes. If you have a range art, use it after I bind Alpha” said Taion as he sent the wall of mondo at Alpha, briefly restricting his movements.

“NOW” he yelled. A large group of heroes sent a powerful blast of power at Alpha, their attack landing. Alpha swung his sword at them, which they all avoided. But then, all around them, memories started to play.

“FIIIIOOOORAAAAAA” cried Shulk as she was killed in front of him.

“PYYYYRAAAAAAAAAA” cried Rex as she was taken away from him.

“MIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOO” cried Noah as she faded away.

"Oh, I can talk alright. And I got a pretty good memory. 'Fiora! Get outta there! Get out!' Her screams were music to my ears, as my claws slid right through her soft flesh. Like a hot knife through butter” said Metal Face as he mocked Shulk.

“You're blade, it did not cut deep enough” said Egil before tossing Shulk around.

“DIE” yelled Zanza as he cut down the Mechanis. 

“Don’t take it personally, it's an act of mercy. At least you won't be around to what happens” said Jin with his sword in Rex’s back.

“You’re a pain in the ass, little shit” said Malos as he kicked Rex away from Vandam’s dead body.

“Not until I’ve erased everything with my own hands” called out Amalthus as his power surged.

“It's a wild ride, this passage of fait” laughed Mobius DJ as he faced down Ouroborus. 

“Mio is MINE! She's not yours, she's mine! You are nothing. She belongs only to ME” cried out N as he pointed his sword at Noah and Mio.

“How many times has it been, that I and you have confronted each other like this” said Z as he turned to face Ourobors.

The memories were pointed at Shulk, Rex and Noah. But the three men were unaffected.

“Was this your plan, make us relive memories from our past” said Shulk as he gave Rex a boost.

“We relive these memories everyday. They're what fuels us” said Rex as Shulk boosted him up so he could blast Alpha. Rex then grabbed Noah's arm and threw him at Alpha. 

“We're not going to stop just because you showed them to us” said Noah as he slashed Alpha. When Noah landed, he back flipped away from Alpha's sword. 

“If we all attack at once, we can beat him” said Noah. 

“Then let's do it. Pyra Mythra, catch” said Rex as he blasted Alpha’s sword before throwing his wives their weapons. He summoned his copies.

“EVERYONE, TOGETHER” called out Shulk as the three men charged.

“Alright” said Ryen as everyone followed. Alpha tried to stab the heroes, but Lanz and Taion ran to the front and blocked the attack with their weapons. 

“He's too strong” said Lanz as he pushed with all his might. But then, Dromarch, Poppi, Bridget and Pandoria joined in, and the sword was neutralized. But this left them all drained.

“I got your back” said Nia as she healed them. 

“BRING HIM DOWN” yelled Mio as she ran up the sword with her sister and Panacea. Alpha jerked his sword up, but Panacea expected this.

“No you don't” she said as she stabbed her spear into the sword and grabbed Glimmer who grabbed Mio. 

“Panacea, toss us” said Mio. Panacea did so, and the sisters flew at Alpha’s center.

“AAAAARRRRR” yelled Glimmer as she and Mio imbedded their weapons into his center. Alpha raised a hand, and unleashed a powerful barrage of light blast. 

“AHH” screamed Linka as one was about to hit her. But her dad zipped by and grabbed her.

“I got you kiddo” he said before jumping in the air.

“ULTIMATE LIGHTING FURRY SLASH MAX” they yelled together as they slashed Alpha’s arm, bringing it down.

“Sena, together” said Mòrage as she channeled power from Bridget.

“EAT FIRE YOU TURD” exclaimed Sena as her and her mother blasted fireballs at Alpha's other arm. 

“Eunie, go for the legs” said Sharla as she knelt down. 

“Got it” said Eunie as the two of them blasted Alpha's legs. 

“Grandsonnypon, now” said Riki and he and Riku jumped up.

“This one is for dadapon” said Riku as they both slashed Alpha's knees. 

“MIO, GLIMMER, GET OUT OF THERE” yelled Melia as she charged up a mind blast. The two girls flipped away just in time.

“Take this meanypon” said Tora as he shot a cannonball from his shield, his and Melia’s attack hitting at the same time. Alpha swung his sword down, Panacea still on it.

“I got you” said Ryen as he grabbed her as Dunban ran up the sword.

“AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR” he yelled as he jumped right before Alpha jerked, allowing Dunban the chance to slash Alpha in the face. 

“Take this” said Fiora as she slashed Alpha's center. 

“Uncle Dunban” said Nikol as used his metal arms to catch the falling Dunban.

“Matthew, look out” said A as she let loose a sword beam to deflect Alpha's hand.

“Thanks A” said Matthew before jumping up and punching Alpha in the center. 

Na'el was watching on, her body too weak to fight. But she watched as everyone fought with their lives in order to save the world, the same world she almost had destroyed.

“Rex, we need to go for the head” said Pyra.

“You Shulk and Noah have the most powerful swords. It has to be the three of you” said Mythra.

“We'll unleash our power. You three finish the job” said Nia. Rex nodded to his three wives. 

“EVERYONE, NOW” yelled Mythra as everyone who could unleashed all the power they could and blasted Alpha in the center. When the dust settled, Alpha faulterd and had to catch himself from falling forward.

“AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR” yelled Shulk, Rex and Noah as they ran up and launched themselves at Alpha.

“IT'S OVER” they all yelled. Shulk cut off the right arm and Rex cut off the left arm. Noah embedded his sword into Alpha's face. Much like he did to countless flame clocks, he split it in half. Golden light exploded from Alpha as his body started to fade. There was a bright flash that blinded everyone. 

Shulk, Rex and Noah stood in an area surrounded by golden light.

“You're notion, it will lead the world to a slow end. I was just trying to save the world from that fate” said Alpha as he stood in front of them.

“We've told you before, Alpha” said Shulk.

“When we're gone, someone else will be there” said Rex as he put a hand on Noah's shoulder.

“It's over Alpha. We won the future” said Noah. Alpha bowed his head to the three.

“Very well. I hope that the future you find is the one you seek” he said before fading away.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: The Future Redeemed

Na'el sat alone in her cell in the palace. After what happened with Alpha, she turned herself in. Although she wasn't fully in control, she still killed Dirk and the mercenaries. Matthew walked up to her cell and sat in front of it.

“So, what is the verdict?” she asked.

“Everything was taken into account. You weren't in full control, and you were acting in self defense” said Matthew.

“I still killed them” she said as she looked at her brother.

“Yeah, well, you've been waived for any charges for the deaths of the mercenaries. Actually, I've heard rumors that Noah's parents might be scented to death” said Matthew as he smiled. Finally, those mudders were getting what they deserve.

“What about Dirk” asked Na'el.

“That's a bit of a different story. Again, you weren't in full control and you were acting in self defense. You've been given 3 months of prison time, and 1 year of community service. Oh, and you're required to attend counseling” said Matthew. This was the best outcome possible.

“What about my hand in Alpha's plan” asked Na'el.

“Given that you didn't kill or severely injure anyone, and you were completely under Alpha's control when Origin attacked, you won't be facing any legal action against you” said Matthew.

“But I still hurt everyone” said Na'el.

“Just because you won't be facing legal action doesn't mean you're off the hook. It's going to be a while before things go back to normal” said Matthew. Na'el sighed and nodded.

“So, how's everyone doing?” she asked.

“Everyone is doing ok. Still cleaning up from Alpha's attack, but progress is progress. The Academy is in ruins, but Dunban and Pyra are leading the project to rebuild it. Linka and Panacea have been taking a lot of responsibility with it though” he said.

“What about the others?” She asked.

“Sena and Lanz have been good. I think Mòrage has finally accepted Lanz. Taion and Eunie are stronger than ever, although no surprise there. Miyabi and Juron are absolutely adorable, the puppy love is strong there” said Matthew as he and Na'el laughed. Na'el then became slightly nervous.

“What about Noah?” she asked. 

“Him and Mio are still going strong. Trust me, you wouldn't be able to tell he's had the past he has. Although I've heard that Rex set him up with therapy” said Matthew.

“I don't know how he does it” she said.

“Love, that's how” said Matthew. Na'el suddenly smirks.

“Speaking of love, I've heard rumors that you and a certain consciousness have gotten together” she said, making Matthew blush.

“Yeah, A and I have gone on a few dates. She can be scary, but we get along great” he said with a smile.

“I'm happy for you brother. Truly, I am” said Na'el before she got nervous again. 

“What about Glimmer and Nikol” she asked. Matthew seemed to hesitate for a second.

“Well, about them…”

Glimmer and Nikol were sitting on a bench in a park, pieces of fallen buildings around them. 

“Nikol, I've been thinking a lot lately. And, I realized something” she said sadly. Nikol took her hand as she took a shaky breath.

“I'm not well. I have a lot of issues to work out. Milton's death, Mom's suicide attempt, everything with Alpha. There's so much I need to do for myself, I'm just not ready for a relationship” she said.

“I get it Glimmer. Really, I do. Actually, I don't think I'm ready either. This whole thing, I think it was a mistake” he said.

“Yeah, it was. We aren't ready” she said, making them both laugh. 

“But that doesn't mean we can't try again later” she said as they hugged.

“Friends” he offered.

“Best friends” she said.

“I still don't get how you don't at least feel a little uncomfortable around me. My parents killed your dad” said Noah.

“That exactly it. Parentpons, not Noah” said Riku as they were walking together.

“Still. Aren't you at least a little worried” said Noah.

“No. Noah isn't supervillainpon like parentpons” said Riku, making Noah smile. 

“Noah, there you are” said Mio as she walked up to them. The two shared a tender kiss before hugging.

“Riku will leave friends alone” said Riku as he walked away. 

“So, ready for our date” said Mio with a smile. Noah then whispered something in her ear that turned her cheeks red.

“You bet I am” he said.

You're standing at a loss, in front of a door that's been closed for so long

“We've known each other our entire lives. It's almost like we were destined to be together. It's been a long road, one that led me to lose you for a time. And during that time, I would have done anything to find you again”

With your foreseeing eye, what do you see

“But when I did find you, I knew that we were meant to be together. I knew that I was in love with you. And after all these years, I'm still in love with you”

Until you open it, you cannot know. Afraid to see, what's on the other side

“My love for you will never fade, no matter what. You are my world, Fiora. You always have been, and you always will be. I swear to you, I'll gladly kill another god to be with you”

Oh can't you see, how much I feel the same as you. It seems, we just need to let it all go free

“I love you Fiora, and I always will” said Shulk as he held her hands. Tears were flowing from her eyes.

I've seen that look before, the stare of your fearful looking eyes. That quite voice inside, what do you hear

“The three of you mean everything to me. I know things haven't always been easy, but here we are, together. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you”

Will you give up, and stay where you belong 

“We've done the impossible together. We climbed the world tree, fought against impossible odds, and lost one of our own. But the important thing is we did it all together” 

Afraid your time, it just might take too long

“My heart is for you three. Each of you, equally. And I'll do everything in my power to be the best husband I can be, and the best father to our little girls. I don't care who stands in our way, I'll always be there for you” 

And you won't know, unless we keep on trying. Now we need the strength, to carry on

“Pyra, Mythra, Nia, I love you. And I will love you until the very end of my life, no matter what” said Rex as he stood in front of them, each one crying.

Noah brought Mio under a beautiful tree. He took her hand, and got onto one knee.

Our voice might not be heard, and it doesn't matter if we fail

“Mio, the day I met you, it changed my life. I was on a dark path, but you showed me the light. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be the man I am today without you”

But if there's a future, that's where we'll set our sights 

“My love for you is strong, stronger than anything I've ever felt. I promise, I'll protect you, I'll take care of you. Your family, is my family too” 

From one sure step, we'll walk hand and hand. Just the two of us

“Your parents approve, even Glimmer does. If he was still here, I hope Milton would too. I will do everything to make you happy, to make you feel loved”

If you feel like you have no guidance, I will always be near, right beside you

“I'll hold your hand till the end of time, Fiora” 

If you think you've lost your way, we will walk this path together 

“No matter what happens, I'll be besides you, my wives”

For our future awaits

Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out a small case. He opened it, and revealed a beautiful ring. Mio gasped, tears falling from her eyes.

I see you walk by the door. So, just walk through

“Mio, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, will you marry me”

Don't take too long, cause everything you've said, you'll find it there 

“Yes”

In our future

End