Memory of Mirrors * Chapter Two
Memory of Mirrors
Rating: R
Pairing: Asch x Luke (Much later.)
Summary: Having to choose between his duties to Akzeriuth and finding out more about the twin he’s suddenly been confronted with, Luke chooses to pursue Asch instead, and ends up finding out more than he wanted sooner than he should have. Just how will his fate and the fate of thousands be changed?
CHAPTER TWO
The desert sun was ridiculously hot, and Luke found himself out of breath rather quickly as he ran away from the Tartarus. He had long lost his pursuers, though he guessed they did not really put much of an effort into following him; from what Asch said, they were probably not going to try and stop him from getting to Akzeriuth. That fact alone made his stomach twist, realizing just how vital his roll was, and how he very nearly screwed that up. Some Ambassador of Peace he was turning out to be.
Of course at that moment, his stomach decided to give a twist of a different kind, reminding him that he had yet to eat these past few days. He could not recall ever going this long without food, and the sooner he got to that oasis, the better. Of course, the desert seemed to stretch on forever, and it was beginning to look like there was not an end in sight. Had Asch led him off in the wrong direction? Luke was his replica, after all, and he clearly hated his existence... He shook that thought off quickly; no, he may have hated him and beat the crap out of him, but Asch clearly had other things to worry about that revolved around him still being alive.
Luke reached up, running a hand through the short strands of hair, grimacing at the reminder that it brought to him. He was just a replica... not even a real human being, just a copy of one. His position in the royal house was fake, his engagement was fake, even his own name did not belong to him; and it was all because of Van. Why would someone who loved and cared for him all these years do such a thing, though? Was that fake too?
"Gah!" he exclaimed, mussing up his hair before flailing his arms and stomping his feet. "Stop thinking! Just stop thinking! It makes things easier that way!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth did his head suddenly start to throb, bringing with it one of those all too familiar headache. Luke let out a startled cry, holding his head as he fell to his knees in pain.
"Stop thinking? Makes things easier? That explains a lot."
Luke's head shot up; though he regretted it a moment later as his vision swam. He whimpered softly, holding his head again. This voice was not the same as the usual voice in his head; it was...
"Asch...?" he asked aloud. "How can you...?"
"I told you, idiot, we're perfect isofons," Asch snapped back at him. "Only perfect isofons can talk to each other like this."
"Oh..." Luke replied, doubting he could even do that, so he did not even bother to try. Besides, Asch seemed to be able to hear him just fine.
"You're 'thinking' so loud it's giving me a headache. How long have you been walking?"
"An hour, I think," Luke replied, flinching as he staggered back up to his feet. His head was still throbbing, but it seemed to lessen a little bit. Maybe the pain when Asch talked to him varied depending on his mood? "How much farther is this oasis?"
"Shouldn't be too long; another hour at most."
Luke let out a sigh. "Good. This heat sucks."
Asch let out a snort on his end. "Poor pampered little noble."
"H-hey, you were a noble once too!" Luke shot back, turning to glare like Asch was really there... only he was not. Well, this wasn't awkward or anything...
Another rude noise came from Asch's end of the line. "I got better."
"Yeah, sure..." Luke muttered, starting to walk toward the oasis again. It was weird... it kind of felt like he was walking side by side with Asch; like he was just out of the corner of his eye, a rather neutral look on his face as they trudged through the sand dunes together. Of course if he looked, he was not really there, but he swore if he just reached out in that direction, he could probably touch his hand. After a moment, he shook his head, trying not to dwell on it.
"What are you doing now?"
"Escorting the Fon Master through the Zao Ruins," Asch replied calmly. "I think I hear someone above us; seems like your friends beat us to the punch."
Luke stopped, whirling in surprise.
"But if they're there, then what should I do?"
"Continue on to the oasis and wait for them, of course!" Asch snapped back in response. "Don't ask stupid questions!"
Luke hesitated a moment, looking up in the direction he had been traveling in, before shifting his gaze north, to where he could just barely see the spires of Chesedonia peeking up over the sand dunes. He could see it, so it could not be that far away, and as long as the tops of the buildings stayed in his sight, he could make it.
"No..." he began. "No, I'm going to go on to Chesedonia."
"Dreck..."
"Hey, you're not the only one that wants answers from Master Van!" Luke snapped before Asch could start yelling again. "Besides, you said yourself that the world is watching me and waiting for me to get to Akzeriuth. Isn't that important?"
Silence met him on the other end, and Luke blew out a breath, turning toward Chesedonia. "Don't worry... I'm not going to use my power or anything until you get there. I promise."
Asch grumbled under his breath at that, and for a moment it almost felt like he would take over his body and make him march over to the oasis. He seemed to think better of it, however, and Luke could feel the original back off just a little.
"Don't screw up, dreck."
~.oOOo.~
As soon as Luke got to Chesedonia he forced himself to mold in with the crowd, just until he found a place where he could trade the Oracle Knight sword for a weapon that stood out less, and a cape with a hood to cover his mutilated hair. He went immediately to the dock afterwards, saving the rest of his money for a much needed meal on the ship.
It was not until he was safe onboard with a hot chicken sandwich dangling from his mouth (and another on his plate waiting to be consumed) that he felt a faint tingling in the back of his mind. He paused, waiting for the pain, though he blinked when it did not come. Pulling the sandwich away, he frowned, tapping the side of his head, as if he were a radio trying to tune in to a certain frequency, before he shook his head, turning his focus back to his much needed meal...
...and then the headache struck.
Luke let out a hiss of irritation, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead as he dropped his sandwich back on his plate.
"Gah...! Asch, you bastard," he hissed. "What do you want now?!"
For a moment, the headache eased away, and then came back again in full force.
"Replica? What are you going on about?"
Luke paused, blinking back the pain. "That wasn't you before...?"
"What are you..." Asch began, before trailing off, and Luke could almost picture the concerned look on his face. "Luke, no matter what, do not let that boat sink."
"What?!"
On cue, the boat suddenly rocked violently, and Luke let out a frustrated noise, gazing forlornly at his precious food, before tearing off a piece and stuffing it in his mouth. He was up and out of his seat before he could even swallow, rushing up to the bridge to see what was going on.
"What's going on?" he asked of the captain.
The man shot an irritated look at him. "Don't worry about it, boy! Just get into your cabin and keep it locked!"
Luke put his hands on his hips, opening his mouth to snap at the man, but deciding against it. Really, what right did he have to get mad at this man? He was not really in any important position to order people around...
He darted out of the bridge, but instead of going to his cabin, he headed out to the deck, sword in hand as he burst out into the open air. It was fortunate that he had thought to ready himself first, because he was attacked almost immediately by some kind of weird fonbot. His sword snapped out, cutting the creature in half, before looking down at it, toeing it with his boot.
"...Ugh, Dist," he grumbled, rolling his eyes as he pulled the hood of his cloak down further over his eyes.
"Careful, dreck," Asch warned. "Dist may be a weakling, but his fonbots can move mountains."
"Comforting," Luke groused, pounding his way down the deck.
More of the fonbots came to assault him, his sword lashing out to cut them in half. Sparks flew around him as he forced his way through, stabbing one and flicking it out to collide with several others. He darted out onto the starboard deck afterwards, looking around and surprised to see it so vacant. Carefully he edged his way further out, looking around for any clue of where Dist could be...
...and then he heard that obnoxious laugh as a shadow fell over him.
Luke jumped out of the way just as Dist and his ridiculously huge fonbot came crashing down onto the deck, splintering wood and the screeching noises from the metal joints making his hair stand on end. He skidded around as the drill arm of the massive fontech came crashing toward him, spinning dangerously close as his cape whipped around him.
"D-dammit, maybe this wasn't a good idea," Luke hissed. "I don't know any fonic artes!"
"Of course you don't," Asch grumbled, sarcasm heavy in his voice as he started nudging almost gently at Luke's mind. "I'm taking over."
Luke tensed up, and then it almost felt like he was outside of himself, watching helplessly as his body moved on its own. He could feel himself drawing in third fonons, his mouth moving and saying words that he did not even know.
"O darkened storm cloud loose thy blade and run mine enemy through! Thunder Blade!"
The clouds gathered overhead, before a sudden jolt of thunder in the shape of a sword speared the fonbot, making it shudder as the electric current shorted out its circuitry. Luke felt himself returned to his body again, trembling as the last vestiges of fonons drained from his body. He shook himself, forcing to hold onto those fonons as he darted forward, his sword humming with the wind.
"Feel the roar of lightening!" he shouted, striking the machine as he jumped up. A bolt of lightening cast out from his sword, shorting out what little of the machine still worked, before his sword came crashing down on top of it. "Lightening Tiger Blade!"
The machine shuddered, before it finally collapsed forward, sparking and trembling, but otherwise remaining still. Luke stumbled away, his heart hammering in his chest as he gazed at it, taking in the heavy scorch marks and hardly believing that so much damage had been because of him and the voice in his head. He trembled, before falling to his knees in exhaustion as the cockpit to the fonbot cracked open, letting loose a huge plume of smoke. Coughing came out as the smoke cleared, revealing an annoyed Dist. He opened his mouth, trying to stay something witty, but all that came out was another horrible cough. After a moment of trying and failing, he gave up, starting his chair up and zooming off into the air.
~.oOOo.~
Luke did not stop once the boat docked at Kaitzur; he started out immediately, heading for the Deo Pass like they planned to do together. Asch had fallen disturbingly quiet after the boat ride, and he was starting to worry that something may have happened to his original. He tried to reach out to him on his own, trying to follow the same thread of fonons that Asch always seemed to announce himself on, but the channel either was not there for him or not open to him.
Asch still had not answered by the time he reached the summit, and he was starting to really get concerned. He broke out into a run, hurrying down the path as fast as he could; the faster that he got to Akzeriuth, the sooner he could hear Asch's voice again and know that he was all right.
He got to the foot of the path on the Malkuth side, when a bullet shot rang out, the actual bullet piercing the ground at his feet and forcing him to jump back. Luke's head shot up, spotting the form of one of the God Generals that had been at the Tartarus up on a cliff above him. She stepped forward, out of the sunlight and into the shadow of a cliff so he could better see her.
"You're... Regret, aren't you?" he demanded. "What the hell do you want?"
Regret gazed down at him, her eyes flicking back and forth as if looking for something, before she finally answered him with a question:
"Tear is not with you?"
Luke frowned privately, remembering how Tear had reacted to the God General's presence at the Tartarus. Perhaps the two of them were connected somehow...?
"We got separated," he bit out. "Why?"
Regret hesitated a moment, bringing one of her fonic guns up and training it on him, as if trying to gauge if he was telling the truth or not. After a very pregnant pause, however, she lowered the weapon, turning her back to him.
"...my apologies then. I have no business with you."
Luke hesitated a moment as she moved to leave. "What happened to Asch?!" he blurted out before he could stop himself, taking a step forward. Regret paused, frowning as she turned slightly to glare down at him.
"Rather compassionate toward someone that tormented you, aren't you?" she asked, her voice a mask, giving him no indication if she knew what happened to Asch or not. "The welfare of a God General should be of no concern to trash like you."
With that, she darted off, with only Luke shouting at her back.
~.oOOo.~
He stirred awake, feeling pain all over his body, and knew that he had to be the host of several ugly looking bruises at this point. He refused to let it bother him, however, shaking himself and forcing himself to ignore the pain. It was not the first time he had been on the wrong side of a prison cell, and with the way his life was going, it would most likely not be the last. Crawling up to his feet, he forced himself to stay standing despite the fresh wave of dizziness the action brought him, looking up to the only light in the room, coming from a thin window high above him.
"And here I thought you would not awaken this time."
He paused at the voice, before letting out an irritated growl, not even bothering to look back at the smug face of the owner of that voice behind him.
"What do you want, Van?" he bit out.
Commandant Grants stood, chuckling in an almost admonishing manner. "Now, now... no need to be so harsh with me. You know I only do this for your own good."
An irritated growl was the only answer he got to that. Van shook his head, his tone turning almost sad.
"When will you understand? I'm doing what I must to ensure a peaceful world. You cannot interfere with what is about to take place anymore, Asch."
Asch whirled around at that, green eyes blazing in fury.
"I am not a child anymore, Van!" he bellowed. "I'm not so blind as to let myself be fooled by your lies anymore!"
Van smiled patiently, though there was a hidden malice in that smile he had known since he was a boy, one that made Asch take a concerned step backwards even though the bars were there to protect him... at least he hoped they could. The commandant stepped forward, resting his hands on the support bar that ran perpendicular to the cell bars, his tone still sounding patient, though his manner seemed anything but.
"One day, Asch, you will understand how ugly this world truly is," he said. "For now, you will wait here, and no more filling dear young master 'Luke's' head with lies."
He turned then, and it was not until he heard the slam of the door down the hall that Asch allowed himself to snarl in frustration, kicking a bucket in his cell toward the bars. It splintered on impact, falling to the ground in pieces as he forced himself to calm down, focusing on the fon slots some distance away that were open only to him.
"Dreck, look out," he hissed softly, hoping he would not be heard. "Van's plotting something big. Don't let him trap you in it!"
He paused, listening for a response... but none ever came. Asch felt his heart freeze in his chest at the silence, eyes widening. Was he already too late? Had the replica... no, no he could not have; Van would have said so if he had.
"Dreck! Answer me!"
No matter how hard he tried, the connection remained silent.
Rating: R
Pairing: Asch x Luke (Much later.)
Summary: Having to choose between his duties to Akzeriuth and finding out more about the twin he’s suddenly been confronted with, Luke chooses to pursue Asch instead, and ends up finding out more than he wanted sooner than he should have. Just how will his fate and the fate of thousands be changed?
CHAPTER TWO
The desert sun was ridiculously hot, and Luke found himself out of breath rather quickly as he ran away from the Tartarus. He had long lost his pursuers, though he guessed they did not really put much of an effort into following him; from what Asch said, they were probably not going to try and stop him from getting to Akzeriuth. That fact alone made his stomach twist, realizing just how vital his roll was, and how he very nearly screwed that up. Some Ambassador of Peace he was turning out to be.
Of course at that moment, his stomach decided to give a twist of a different kind, reminding him that he had yet to eat these past few days. He could not recall ever going this long without food, and the sooner he got to that oasis, the better. Of course, the desert seemed to stretch on forever, and it was beginning to look like there was not an end in sight. Had Asch led him off in the wrong direction? Luke was his replica, after all, and he clearly hated his existence... He shook that thought off quickly; no, he may have hated him and beat the crap out of him, but Asch clearly had other things to worry about that revolved around him still being alive.
Luke reached up, running a hand through the short strands of hair, grimacing at the reminder that it brought to him. He was just a replica... not even a real human being, just a copy of one. His position in the royal house was fake, his engagement was fake, even his own name did not belong to him; and it was all because of Van. Why would someone who loved and cared for him all these years do such a thing, though? Was that fake too?
"Gah!" he exclaimed, mussing up his hair before flailing his arms and stomping his feet. "Stop thinking! Just stop thinking! It makes things easier that way!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth did his head suddenly start to throb, bringing with it one of those all too familiar headache. Luke let out a startled cry, holding his head as he fell to his knees in pain.
"Stop thinking? Makes things easier? That explains a lot."
Luke's head shot up; though he regretted it a moment later as his vision swam. He whimpered softly, holding his head again. This voice was not the same as the usual voice in his head; it was...
"Asch...?" he asked aloud. "How can you...?"
"I told you, idiot, we're perfect isofons," Asch snapped back at him. "Only perfect isofons can talk to each other like this."
"Oh..." Luke replied, doubting he could even do that, so he did not even bother to try. Besides, Asch seemed to be able to hear him just fine.
"You're 'thinking' so loud it's giving me a headache. How long have you been walking?"
"An hour, I think," Luke replied, flinching as he staggered back up to his feet. His head was still throbbing, but it seemed to lessen a little bit. Maybe the pain when Asch talked to him varied depending on his mood? "How much farther is this oasis?"
"Shouldn't be too long; another hour at most."
Luke let out a sigh. "Good. This heat sucks."
Asch let out a snort on his end. "Poor pampered little noble."
"H-hey, you were a noble once too!" Luke shot back, turning to glare like Asch was really there... only he was not. Well, this wasn't awkward or anything...
Another rude noise came from Asch's end of the line. "I got better."
"Yeah, sure..." Luke muttered, starting to walk toward the oasis again. It was weird... it kind of felt like he was walking side by side with Asch; like he was just out of the corner of his eye, a rather neutral look on his face as they trudged through the sand dunes together. Of course if he looked, he was not really there, but he swore if he just reached out in that direction, he could probably touch his hand. After a moment, he shook his head, trying not to dwell on it.
"What are you doing now?"
"Escorting the Fon Master through the Zao Ruins," Asch replied calmly. "I think I hear someone above us; seems like your friends beat us to the punch."
Luke stopped, whirling in surprise.
"But if they're there, then what should I do?"
"Continue on to the oasis and wait for them, of course!" Asch snapped back in response. "Don't ask stupid questions!"
Luke hesitated a moment, looking up in the direction he had been traveling in, before shifting his gaze north, to where he could just barely see the spires of Chesedonia peeking up over the sand dunes. He could see it, so it could not be that far away, and as long as the tops of the buildings stayed in his sight, he could make it.
"No..." he began. "No, I'm going to go on to Chesedonia."
"Dreck..."
"Hey, you're not the only one that wants answers from Master Van!" Luke snapped before Asch could start yelling again. "Besides, you said yourself that the world is watching me and waiting for me to get to Akzeriuth. Isn't that important?"
Silence met him on the other end, and Luke blew out a breath, turning toward Chesedonia. "Don't worry... I'm not going to use my power or anything until you get there. I promise."
Asch grumbled under his breath at that, and for a moment it almost felt like he would take over his body and make him march over to the oasis. He seemed to think better of it, however, and Luke could feel the original back off just a little.
"Don't screw up, dreck."
~.oOOo.~
As soon as Luke got to Chesedonia he forced himself to mold in with the crowd, just until he found a place where he could trade the Oracle Knight sword for a weapon that stood out less, and a cape with a hood to cover his mutilated hair. He went immediately to the dock afterwards, saving the rest of his money for a much needed meal on the ship.
It was not until he was safe onboard with a hot chicken sandwich dangling from his mouth (and another on his plate waiting to be consumed) that he felt a faint tingling in the back of his mind. He paused, waiting for the pain, though he blinked when it did not come. Pulling the sandwich away, he frowned, tapping the side of his head, as if he were a radio trying to tune in to a certain frequency, before he shook his head, turning his focus back to his much needed meal...
...and then the headache struck.
Luke let out a hiss of irritation, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead as he dropped his sandwich back on his plate.
"Gah...! Asch, you bastard," he hissed. "What do you want now?!"
For a moment, the headache eased away, and then came back again in full force.
"Replica? What are you going on about?"
Luke paused, blinking back the pain. "That wasn't you before...?"
"What are you..." Asch began, before trailing off, and Luke could almost picture the concerned look on his face. "Luke, no matter what, do not let that boat sink."
"What?!"
On cue, the boat suddenly rocked violently, and Luke let out a frustrated noise, gazing forlornly at his precious food, before tearing off a piece and stuffing it in his mouth. He was up and out of his seat before he could even swallow, rushing up to the bridge to see what was going on.
"What's going on?" he asked of the captain.
The man shot an irritated look at him. "Don't worry about it, boy! Just get into your cabin and keep it locked!"
Luke put his hands on his hips, opening his mouth to snap at the man, but deciding against it. Really, what right did he have to get mad at this man? He was not really in any important position to order people around...
He darted out of the bridge, but instead of going to his cabin, he headed out to the deck, sword in hand as he burst out into the open air. It was fortunate that he had thought to ready himself first, because he was attacked almost immediately by some kind of weird fonbot. His sword snapped out, cutting the creature in half, before looking down at it, toeing it with his boot.
"...Ugh, Dist," he grumbled, rolling his eyes as he pulled the hood of his cloak down further over his eyes.
"Careful, dreck," Asch warned. "Dist may be a weakling, but his fonbots can move mountains."
"Comforting," Luke groused, pounding his way down the deck.
More of the fonbots came to assault him, his sword lashing out to cut them in half. Sparks flew around him as he forced his way through, stabbing one and flicking it out to collide with several others. He darted out onto the starboard deck afterwards, looking around and surprised to see it so vacant. Carefully he edged his way further out, looking around for any clue of where Dist could be...
...and then he heard that obnoxious laugh as a shadow fell over him.
Luke jumped out of the way just as Dist and his ridiculously huge fonbot came crashing down onto the deck, splintering wood and the screeching noises from the metal joints making his hair stand on end. He skidded around as the drill arm of the massive fontech came crashing toward him, spinning dangerously close as his cape whipped around him.
"D-dammit, maybe this wasn't a good idea," Luke hissed. "I don't know any fonic artes!"
"Of course you don't," Asch grumbled, sarcasm heavy in his voice as he started nudging almost gently at Luke's mind. "I'm taking over."
Luke tensed up, and then it almost felt like he was outside of himself, watching helplessly as his body moved on its own. He could feel himself drawing in third fonons, his mouth moving and saying words that he did not even know.
"O darkened storm cloud loose thy blade and run mine enemy through! Thunder Blade!"
The clouds gathered overhead, before a sudden jolt of thunder in the shape of a sword speared the fonbot, making it shudder as the electric current shorted out its circuitry. Luke felt himself returned to his body again, trembling as the last vestiges of fonons drained from his body. He shook himself, forcing to hold onto those fonons as he darted forward, his sword humming with the wind.
"Feel the roar of lightening!" he shouted, striking the machine as he jumped up. A bolt of lightening cast out from his sword, shorting out what little of the machine still worked, before his sword came crashing down on top of it. "Lightening Tiger Blade!"
The machine shuddered, before it finally collapsed forward, sparking and trembling, but otherwise remaining still. Luke stumbled away, his heart hammering in his chest as he gazed at it, taking in the heavy scorch marks and hardly believing that so much damage had been because of him and the voice in his head. He trembled, before falling to his knees in exhaustion as the cockpit to the fonbot cracked open, letting loose a huge plume of smoke. Coughing came out as the smoke cleared, revealing an annoyed Dist. He opened his mouth, trying to stay something witty, but all that came out was another horrible cough. After a moment of trying and failing, he gave up, starting his chair up and zooming off into the air.
~.oOOo.~
Luke did not stop once the boat docked at Kaitzur; he started out immediately, heading for the Deo Pass like they planned to do together. Asch had fallen disturbingly quiet after the boat ride, and he was starting to worry that something may have happened to his original. He tried to reach out to him on his own, trying to follow the same thread of fonons that Asch always seemed to announce himself on, but the channel either was not there for him or not open to him.
Asch still had not answered by the time he reached the summit, and he was starting to really get concerned. He broke out into a run, hurrying down the path as fast as he could; the faster that he got to Akzeriuth, the sooner he could hear Asch's voice again and know that he was all right.
He got to the foot of the path on the Malkuth side, when a bullet shot rang out, the actual bullet piercing the ground at his feet and forcing him to jump back. Luke's head shot up, spotting the form of one of the God Generals that had been at the Tartarus up on a cliff above him. She stepped forward, out of the sunlight and into the shadow of a cliff so he could better see her.
"You're... Regret, aren't you?" he demanded. "What the hell do you want?"
Regret gazed down at him, her eyes flicking back and forth as if looking for something, before she finally answered him with a question:
"Tear is not with you?"
Luke frowned privately, remembering how Tear had reacted to the God General's presence at the Tartarus. Perhaps the two of them were connected somehow...?
"We got separated," he bit out. "Why?"
Regret hesitated a moment, bringing one of her fonic guns up and training it on him, as if trying to gauge if he was telling the truth or not. After a very pregnant pause, however, she lowered the weapon, turning her back to him.
"...my apologies then. I have no business with you."
Luke hesitated a moment as she moved to leave. "What happened to Asch?!" he blurted out before he could stop himself, taking a step forward. Regret paused, frowning as she turned slightly to glare down at him.
"Rather compassionate toward someone that tormented you, aren't you?" she asked, her voice a mask, giving him no indication if she knew what happened to Asch or not. "The welfare of a God General should be of no concern to trash like you."
With that, she darted off, with only Luke shouting at her back.
~.oOOo.~
He stirred awake, feeling pain all over his body, and knew that he had to be the host of several ugly looking bruises at this point. He refused to let it bother him, however, shaking himself and forcing himself to ignore the pain. It was not the first time he had been on the wrong side of a prison cell, and with the way his life was going, it would most likely not be the last. Crawling up to his feet, he forced himself to stay standing despite the fresh wave of dizziness the action brought him, looking up to the only light in the room, coming from a thin window high above him.
"And here I thought you would not awaken this time."
He paused at the voice, before letting out an irritated growl, not even bothering to look back at the smug face of the owner of that voice behind him.
"What do you want, Van?" he bit out.
Commandant Grants stood, chuckling in an almost admonishing manner. "Now, now... no need to be so harsh with me. You know I only do this for your own good."
An irritated growl was the only answer he got to that. Van shook his head, his tone turning almost sad.
"When will you understand? I'm doing what I must to ensure a peaceful world. You cannot interfere with what is about to take place anymore, Asch."
Asch whirled around at that, green eyes blazing in fury.
"I am not a child anymore, Van!" he bellowed. "I'm not so blind as to let myself be fooled by your lies anymore!"
Van smiled patiently, though there was a hidden malice in that smile he had known since he was a boy, one that made Asch take a concerned step backwards even though the bars were there to protect him... at least he hoped they could. The commandant stepped forward, resting his hands on the support bar that ran perpendicular to the cell bars, his tone still sounding patient, though his manner seemed anything but.
"One day, Asch, you will understand how ugly this world truly is," he said. "For now, you will wait here, and no more filling dear young master 'Luke's' head with lies."
He turned then, and it was not until he heard the slam of the door down the hall that Asch allowed himself to snarl in frustration, kicking a bucket in his cell toward the bars. It splintered on impact, falling to the ground in pieces as he forced himself to calm down, focusing on the fon slots some distance away that were open only to him.
"Dreck, look out," he hissed softly, hoping he would not be heard. "Van's plotting something big. Don't let him trap you in it!"
He paused, listening for a response... but none ever came. Asch felt his heart freeze in his chest at the silence, eyes widening. Was he already too late? Had the replica... no, no he could not have; Van would have said so if he had.
"Dreck! Answer me!"
No matter how hard he tried, the connection remained silent.