Chapter 5: Connection

Melia looked up at the huge golden gate as it spun open, sensing the twinge of past familiarity that heralded receiving knowledge from the mystery voice.

"This is...the First Zebrai Bulkhead."

"You must have a traveller in there," Dunban mused, "for her to know every landmark we've come across like the back of her hand."

Melia didn't think so. "I think it's more akin to the species' theoretically indefinite lifespan. It's not difficult for one to become familiar with one area of the Bionis in fifty years, so when extended to a thousand years..."

"I guess that's true."

Shulk looked up through the sunlight falling across the newly revealed long open-air corridor. "Looks like this connects straight through the Mechonis' hip. Wow, those elevators are really shooting us up fast."

"Looks like a great checkpoint to set," said Reyn. "Open air, no Mechon to speak of. I bet we oughta push on though, eh?"

"Yeah, we don't need to take a break yet. Might as well-" Shulk interrupted himself as he dashed back towards where they came from. "Get down!"

Before anyone else could react, the floor behind Shulk exploded in a huge blast of energy.

"There are Mechon here!" Dunban turned to face the corridor as everyone prepared for battle. "Can anyone see them?"

Shulk pointed up. "Right above us."

A Face Mechon, one the group had never seen before, descended from the sky and landed in front of the group. It had a sharp face and was coloured an aqua-like green. Unlike the previous Faces, it was holding no weapons, instead equipped with two long-barrelled laser cannons on its back.

"You did well to evade me," he said. "Just what you'd expect from he who wields the Monado."

Sharla gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth, unable to contain a breathy "That voice!".

Melia felt a similar pang of strange feelings. It was the first time she'd come upon a Face Mechon since the voice had moved in, and the immediate instinct it provided was sorrow. She shook her head to try and oust the emotion before it could distract from whatever was upcoming.

"What's the plan then, Shulk?" asked Reyn. "There's someone inside, isn't there?"

Shulk nodded. "We fight. But don't kill him."

"Just what I thought."

Reyn tried to be the first to move in, but the enemy leaped into the air and landed at the far end of the corridor. From there, he bent down and began charging up a cannon blast.

Shulk pointed towards the nearest obstacle, one of many freestanding walls. "Get to cover, guys!"

Everyone ran to the safety zone. But while they were now out of the Face Mechon's aim, they had to contend with a bunch of lesser Mechon that had been hiding behind the obstacle. They weren't much trouble, but the distraction was unwelcome, and much care had to be taken to not accidentally step out into the line of major fire.

Once the pocket was clear, it wasn't too challenging to dash towards the next piece of cover before the Face Mechon could ready another shot; presumably it couldn't keep its charge readied indefinitely, or it would have fired immediately upon seeing them. From there, the fight fell into a pattern of slowly moving up the corridor from wall to wall, keeping out of sight as much as possible while dealing with any Mechon stationed in the safe zones. It was pretty clear this is what the Face Mechon wanted - to wear them out before even reaching him - but there wasn't much choice in the matter.

Reyn peeked out from behind the final barrier. "All right this is it, no more cover, just us and him."

"Spread out as we approach," Dunban suggested, "so one shot can't get us all."

"Yeah, that's-"

Reyn was cut off by Sharla dashing in with weapon stowed.

"Sharla, what're-" Reyn groaned and followed, motioning for the others to join him. "Forget it, move!"

As the party rushed to catch up, Melia had a thought - this sort of foolish action was exactly like those Shulk showed towards Face Nemesis, placing affection before common sense. While it was likely to be revealed within a few moments anyways, she guessed that this Face Mechon was piloted by Gadolt, Sharla's fiancé believed to be lost in the destruction of Colony 6. It would explain both the choice of weapon and Sharla's distracted behaviour since the battle began.

The Face Mechon didn't appear interested in fighting as the frenzied Sharla approached and fell to her knees.

"Gadolt! It's you, isn't it? Please answer me! Let me see you!"

For a moment it seemed like there wouldn't be a response, but then a rugged man appeared from the rear of the unit, climbing up to stand on its shoulder. Like the other transformed Homs they'd seen so far, his body was mostly replaced with mechanical components coloured to match his suit, though his right arm appeared fairly intact.

"Gadolt!" Sharla fell down to her elbows and looked up. "I knew you were alive."

"So that's Gadolt?" Reyn wondered.

Gadolt did not appear to care about what was being said. "Lord Egil's will is to destroy the Monado. Nothing less."

"What does that mean?" Shulk could tell something was wrong; a Homs would never willingly call Egil a "lord". "What's Egil done to you?"

"The true enemy of our world is disorder." Gadolt completely ignored the other half of the conversation and continued speaking in monotone. "It is my duty to eliminate the cause of the disarray and restore integrity to the universe."

Sharla was back on her feet and screaming in frustration. "That's not you, Gadolt! Come back to us!"

"The time has come to restore order!"

Gadolt raised his arm, which caused the Face Mechon to begin charging up its right cannon.

"NO, STOP!"

"Get down!" Reyn attempted to force Sharla to move out of the way.

The shot was fired, sending a huge ball of bluish energy towards the unprepared group.

Melia suddenly had a singular thought fill her entire mind, far heavier than any other subconscious message that the voice had passed to her.

PROTECT

The train of thought had no time to look at any alternatives to her first instinct. Melia leaped to the front of the party and spun her staff around in the air, creating the familiar twelve hexagonal panels of Reflection around herself. Independently sensing the incoming attack, they swung together and interposed, forming a barrier large enough to protect a single person around her. Melia didn't see how this was going to help, since there wasn't nearly enough time to gather everyone directly behind her, and the attack felt like a talent art and so would just cut through the shield like nothing. But she'd done what she could and had to trust that the voice knew what it was doing.

Just as the blast was about to connect with the barrier, a wave of red energy burst forth from the chestplate. As it passed over the panels, they each took on a red specularity and ballooned in size, each one as large as the full barrier just was. Now enhanced, the panels naturally assumed a new defensive formation: two protecting each member of the party, angled towards the predicted epicentre.

The attack hit the barrier in front of Melia and turned into a deafening fireball. The world turned white for several seconds.

After what felt like a few minutes, the blinding light started to fade away, leaving an unpleasant smoky smell behind. Everyone was defensively hunched over on the floor, seemingly unharmed. Gadolt and his Face Mechon were nowhere to be seen.

Shulk was the first to get up. "Is everyone okay?"

Most of the party assented with murmured "yes"es as they righted themselves.

Melia sat up but didn't move further. She felt more exhausted than she could remember in a good long while, but at the same time it was fading more quickly than expected. The reason was obvious: she had to supply some of her own energy to power whatever defensive art the chestplate released. It was a bit disappointing that the drain was so extreme; it precluded the ability from being used on a regular basis. Maybe she could work with the voice to harness and train it somehow?

Having not yet received an answer from her, a worried Shulk kneeled down to look Melia in the face. "Are you okay, Melia?"

"Oh. Er, yes." She quickly stood up, a bit red in the face from having accidentally ignored him. "Sorry, I was...rather spent."

"I'm not surprised." Shulk nodded and also got up, still making eye contact a lot stronger than he normally did. "Whatever you did saved us."

Melia figured it would be best to explain. "I utilised Reflection, and the voice added her own power to boost its effectiveness. I wouldn't assume that it can be done again in the future, but if so, it-"

"YOU!"

The new female voice had no obvious source, but it became clear after a few seconds. A Machina woman dashed in as if from nowhere and violently pinned Melia to the ground, holding some sort of large white-hot throwing blade to her throat.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SILVER FACE AND LADY MEYNETH?!"

Melia was in a fair bit of pain from having a person-sized hunk of metal slam into her and bash her head against the floor; she had no comprehension of what had been said. Her instinctive reaction was to spew forth a mess of nonsensical syllables.

The look on the Machina's face suddenly changed from unhinged anger to a mixture of shocked regret and pained sorrow. She immediately stowed her weapon and carefully lifted Melia into a sitting position. "I...I am so gravely sorry, Lady Meyneth. I hope you can forgive my rash behaviour towards this most unexpected circumstance."

Consciousness started to move back into Melia's mind. "...Pardon me, but I am quite confused as to what has just transpired. Did you just attack me only to immediately back off?" The metallic face in front of her seemed eerily familiar.

The Machina quickly presented a more understanding and friendly expression, and helped Melia return to her feet. "Yes, I did. It was a case of mistaken assumptions, and I deeply apologise. I owe you all an explanation for my actions."

Dunban was the first of the party to step in. "Are you Vanea? Miqol suggested we keep an eye out for you."

"I am." Vanea looked in the direction of the Fallen Arm. "So my father has sent you here?"

"Yes," Shulk responded. "We agreed that Egil must be stopped, so he helped us out. He said you were working with Egil but would join us once we got up here. I'm hoping you have some inside knowledge about what he's doing."

Vanea nodded slowly. "I don't know what he's doing right now, but I did do a lot of work on Face Mechon. And I will answer your questions, but first I must ask one of my own: What happened to Face Nemesis? I constructed her with the finest materials and craftmanship available as the newest of all Faces - what power could have destroyed her so utterly for Lady Meyneth to have been forced away?"

"It was Egil," Melia answered. "Both the Homs pilot and the voice controlling her rebelled in his eyes, and he unleashed his full force into them."

Vanea accepted the answer but seemed discontent about it. "You speak as if you do not know the people involved, Lady Meyneth. Has your memory been damaged by the transfer of your host?"

"Why are...You say..." The pieces came together in Melia's head. "Is the voice within this chestplate Lady Meyneth?" It suddenly felt very obvious, making it likely to be the case.

Vanea was newly confused. "If you do not know, then...Who am I speaking with right now?"

"My name is Melia. We had never heard the name Meyneth before landing on the Fallen Arm."

"Then...then Lady Meyneth remains dormant within her vessel?"

"She does indeed. Only once have I managed to communicate directly with her, when I was first saddled with her. Since then I have only felt her presence in the form of instincts...such as just now, when I spoke in your language to gain your trust." And apparently just now again to realise that it was a language instead of a random assortment of sounds.

"I see." Vanea shook her head. "I was the one who placed Lady Meyneth within the core of Face Nemesis. She wished for the freedom and avenue to change Egil's path. I never expected her vessel to require migration, but I did plan for it, providing her the means to survive within a being from either Bionis or Mechonis. But she was supposed to have the capability to fully control an organic body with the same ease as a mechanical one. If you have only felt her presence in minimal ways, then perhaps the organic interface is faulty. And this could be a significant detriment to her goal."

Melia recalled her diagnosis. "We met with Linada at the earliest opportunity. All evidence suggests that Lady Meyneth has chosen to keep me unfettered. She can see and hear as I do, but cannot force me to take action."

Vanea considered the statement. "Lady Meyneth was always a champion of kindness, and it did pain her even then to require full control over the Core Unit of Face Nemesis. I wouldn't put it past her to restrain herself, even at risk to her success, for the benefit of a stranger from another world. Very well. My curiosities for the moment are fulfilled."

Shulk wasted no time. "So what's the deal with the Face Mechon then? Why does Egil use them? And why did the green one act so differently than the rest?"

"It all comes down to the Monado," Vanea began. "The Monado is ineffective against all the races of Bionis, Homs and High Entia alike. After his defeat a year ago at Sword Valley, Egil theorised he could exploit this weakness by integrating organic life from Bionis into his Mechon."

"It worked pretty well too," said Reyn. "Metal Face was a massive pain everywhere he showed up, and Xord was no pushover either."

"Those Faces were early models, experimental more than anything," Vanea continued. "Even a year old, their traits proved effective for their chosen task of combating the Monado. But many Faces retained memories of their former Homs lives, and it was their undoing."

"Very true," added Dunban. "As we pushed him back, it became obvious that Mumkhar's only goal was to take the Monado for himself. He didn't care much for Egil."

Vanea nodded. "Egil decided that memories and emotion are nothing but a hindrance to the proper operation of the Faces. He has begun to erase all memories from the newer models, to ensure their loyalty and effectiveness. The one you have just survived, Jade Face, is the first you have seen under this new regime. He knows nothing of his previous life as a Homs."

"You're lying!" Sharla's knees were shaking just a little bit, and her jaw was shuddering slightly. "Gadolt would never try to hurt us!"

Shulk looked down over the Monado. "But that's all changed. The Monado can hurt people now."

"Yes, it can." Vanea also looked across the blade's relatively new shape, both hopeful and worried. "Zanza broke its only constraint, that it cannot harm those who share his blood - as all of you do. Er, most. I am...not quite sure whether Nopon fall under his domain."

"Riki hope not! Riki no think that big ugly giant man could be super-great-daddypon!"

"Regardless, he most certainly is ancestor to the rest of you." Vanea looked up towards the Mechonis' head, ignoring the building confusion amongst the others. "But perhaps the rest of this topic would be better covered once we reach Agniratha. It will be quicker to show than to explain, and you must know well the true history of the two titans before you can hope to stop Egil."

Melia remained silent. It was rather challenging to come to terms with the fact that her body was housing the goddess of the Mechonis itself, and Vanea's dialogue was raising some of Meyneth's scattered memories to her mind. Most of them were simply living amongst the Machina and being worshipped by them, which as royalty wasn't out of place for her to experience secondhand. But one in particular greatly troubled her. It was from the perspective of the Mechonis itself, standing idle and watching the Bionis draw its blade and take the first swing, with a cloud of flying creatures streaming out of its interior that could not be clearly resolved but she somehow knew were Telethia. If this was indeed a memory, its implication was clear: the Bionis started the battle against an unwilling opponent.

"We should get going then," Dunban said. "There's only going to be more resistance as we keep climbing."

"Then it is good we have met," Vanea responded. "I don't wish to sound conceited, but a guide that walks alongside you will be more effective than a smattering of Lady Meyneth's memories and instincts filtered through another person."

"Sounds good." Shulk nodded. "And it looks like you have a weapon too."

"I do." She retrieved the object from inside her right arm and unfolded it; it could now be resolved as some sort of three-bladed wheel. "It is a Pyroscopic Boomerang. Its heated blades are capable of cutting through most substances that are borne by the mobile beings on our titan, and it bears a limited capacity for returning to an easily-catchable position once thrown. I am not much of a fighter, but should things turn dire, I will support you as best I can. And I will gladly give my life to protect you, Melia."

Melia forced herself out of her introspection. "That's...brave of you to offer, but-"

"No, I mean it." Vanea's face was serious. "You are a victim of terrible circumstance, to be the emergency carrier of a soul from another world. I will not allow anyone else to be forced to bear your burden."

"...very well."

Riki turned to point to the currently unopened gate. "New friend lead friends onward!"

"I have one more question before we really get going," Shulk said. "Who is Silver Face?"

Vanea had to think for a moment. "Oh, I did let that name slip by, didn't I. Yes, Silver Face was the original title for Face Nemesis. Lady Meyneth requested a more powerful name, befitting of a challenger to Egil - much like he did the same to Gold Face, naming it Yaldabaoth after our grandfather."

Reyn chuckled. "When you put it like that, Metal Face sounds like a downright sissy."

"Metal Face was the first of all Faces. Were he to be created today, he would likely be named Black Face or similar, but at the time Egil did not believe they needed to be given new names. Xord's wandering mind forced Egil to reconsider, giving him the name Bronze Face to try and separate him from his former life. Bronze Face then began calling Mumkhar Metal Face in jest, and despite his dislike of it, it stuck."

Vanea continued to discuss the history and finer details of the Face Mechon with the party as they continued inward. Surely, something she knew would be useful once they came upon Jade Face again.

Melia glanced back at the clock. Eleven-fifteen. Not too much longer to go; one more game was probably safe. She collected the cards and began shuffling.

It was a strange feeling to be playing solitaire games in Dunban's kitchen late at night, the only light source being the flare in the staff she had propped up between her back and the chair. But she needed to keep herself up for a bit longer than usual and didn't want to disturb her roommate Sharla.

The cards were shuffled and dealt to form the FreeCell tableau. Unsurprisingly, Melia found the game much easier when played with the Homs deck, with its two fewer suits than the High Entia one.

About halfway through the game, the fourth stair from the top gave its distinctive creak.

Who would be coming downstairs at this hour? Melia could use her ethersense to find out, but she decided to just wait the extra five seconds instead.

Somehow, it wasn't a surprise to see Shulk come into view, wearing his fairly boring-looking set of blue pyjamas and socks. By contrast, he appeared very surprised to find Melia in the kitchen.

"What are you doing up, Melia? Is something wrong?"

Melia couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. "Am I not allowed to control my own sleep schedule?"

"Uh...I mean, it's just different than usual, that's all." Shulk began shuffling towards the fridge, his expression gloomy.

I shouldn't have done that. "I apologise for being short with you, Shulk. I interpreted your question as infringing on my decision-making rights."

"Yeah, I get it." Shulk sat down with a cup half-full of milk. "You're used to people telling you what to do, not people who are worried about you."

Melia wasn't sure whether she appreciated the sentiment. It was a true fact - she wasn't used to being around people who actually appeared to care about her well-being, and Shulk was certainly one of those people. But at the same time, she didn't like continuously having her status questioned.

Shulk continued. "So I just couldn't sleep, so I'm trying the milk trick. But you're still fully dressed and everything, and I've never seem you stay up this much past the rest of us before. What's up?"

Melia sighed; she didn't exactly want to get anyone's hopes up, but she couldn't ignore such a direct question. "I am hoping to increase my chances of finding Meyneth tonight by having my dream cycle begin exactly at midnight. There's not much science to back up the idea that midnight is a special time for directed dreaming, but I have not had much luck with any other techniques I've researched thus far."

"That's interesting." Shulk held the cup in both his hands to warm it up gently. "So everything's still okay in there then?"

"As far as I can tell, yes."

Shulk nodded slowly. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder what it must feel like to have someone else living inside you. But then I realised today that I might already know."

Melia continued to play the game laid out on the table. "How so?"

"Well, it's like...I kind of think that I picked up some of Zanza. Or maybe the Monado did, and I'm feeling it through that way. But sometimes I think I hear him telling me what to do. It's all obvious stuff I already know, like "don't leave that Mechon standing" or "remember what Egil did to you", so I don't really need it, but it's still there."

"That is far more overt than my experience," Melia said. "I only sense Meyneth's presence as instinct and recommendation, not direct communication and orders."

Shulk shrugged. "Well I mean we're both from Bionis so I'm not surprised there's a better connection there. And it could be a personality difference too; maybe Meyneth can tell you things directly but doesn't want to."

"Very true." Melia moved the last card before the finishing sequence became obvious, then checked the clock - not enough time for another game. She decided to spend the remaining time playing out the final moves, rather than simply end the game immediately. She wasn't sure what to make of Shulk having a similar experience as her. It made a degree of sense, but at the same time didn't feel as genuine.

Once all the piles were completed, she stacked them up to finish the deck and gave them a last shuffle before placing them in the middle of the table where they were last left. She then looked up to see that Shulk was still sitting motionless, staring at her. It was a little creepy; Shulk generally didn't stare at things he wasn't actively trying to figure out, and it sure didn't look like he was thinking very much.

Please stop that. It's...unnerving. "I must be on my way before it is too late."

"Okay then, goodnight." With no sudden movements that suggested he had been staring by accident, Shulk picked up his cup and began to head back upstairs. "Good luck with finding Meyneth."

Melia dispelled the flare, leaving the kitchen in darkness, and waited before she heard a door close before going upstairs herself. A thought was trying to surface that it was actually quite soothing to have Shulk stare at her, that it was comforting to have command of his attention without having to do anything. But she had to work to get it stuffed - she couldn't have anything interfere with her upcoming attempt to speak with Meyneth, least of all a confirmation bias-fuelled sensation that he cared more about her well-being than any of the others'.

Melia looked around at the featureless metal landscape with its red sun. Things looked good so far - hopefully her luck would continue, and her new knowledge of the voice's name and nature would help her make the connection.

"Hello?" she asked into the void. "Are you there, Lady Meyneth? Goddess of the Mechonis?"

There was no response, but the red sun above fluctuated, as if trying to spit something out.

Melia waited for something else to happen for what felt like a few minutes before wondering if it would be best to simply be direct. "I wish to inquire about the nature of your presence within me."

The sun immediately lost about half of its brightness and continued to warble as if made of some sort of suspended liquid. It then continued to shrink and darken until Melia was barely able to see her own hands.

But unlike the last time she'd been in this dream world with a dimming sun, it continued to persist. And it almost looked like a person was emerging from the shadows.

Melia blinked a few times and stared hard into the darkness. It was certainly another person's silhouette. There wasn't nearly enough light to make out any colour or detail, but it was a long-haired woman with a flowing gown and several ring-like decorations floating around her. By itself these two attributes were interesting, if only because she had never before seen a Machina in a dress.

Meyneth approached slowly until she was within comfortable conversation distance, though even this close her face was featurelessly dark.

"I can give you one answer tonight," she whispered.

Melia understood; Meyneth probably had to expend a fair amount of energy to even initiate the mental connection with her, let alone maintain it long enough to converse. And in the grand scheme of things, using that energy to protect the party against massive laser blasts was far more important than direct contact with her. She quickly decided which of her burning questions would be solved today.

"How much of Fiora did you draw into me?"

It was impossible to tell if the light went even dimmer, but it did feel like it became even harder to see anything.

Meyneth appeared to look up into the sun. "Exactly what she wanted to preserve, no more and no less. It is ingrained in your mind as if it has always been, completely indistinguishable from all else from my perspective; I did not control the transfer myself, and so cannot tell you exactly what it consists of. But I do know this: She declined my offer to carry on her entire state of being. She did not want to be reduced to a third voice in your body, with no foreseen avenue of future departure. She wanted to be freed from this world and remembered as a hero, saving only the experience and knowledge that she wished to pass on. You possess none of her instincts, personality, desires, or other conscious characteristics."

"Thank you." Melia rushed to get the words out before the world went pitch black. In the moments before the inner reality dissolved completely, she considered what knowledge she could have been granted. She never felt anything special come to her even when in Fiora's bedroom, at didn't recall having any extra insights about any people in Colony 9, not even Shulk - perhaps cooking experience was all that Fiora wanted her to have. Or maybe there was something else that had simply not yet been triggered.