Author's Notes: Thank Super Smash Bros for getting me all excited about Xenoblade again. This story would have been the final chapter of Guiding Lights, if I had been uh, more... disciplined in updating that. But given my lack of progress on that story and the fact this story can stand on its own, I figure I may as well post this.

If you haven't already done so, please read the official Xenoblade story At Home that was published in Monad: The Secret Files, as this story draws on events presented in that. A translation can be found at dilly-shilly dot blogspot dot ca, under the Xenoblade category in Translations. I also hope you're familiar with the Heart-to-Heart conversations, particularly Hopes and Plans, though I make references to others.

This story begins right after Shulk tells Alvis of his wish for a world with no Gods. Enjoy!

When Alvis begins to reshape the world, there is nothing in their language that can describe the explosion of ether that envelop them. As Shulk watches their world shrink to the size of a pinprick, gigantic spheres push their way into the sight before him. They are thousands of times larger than the Bionis, but the spheres, too, shrink until all he sees is millions of tiny lights blanketing across an inky darkness. His heart leaps to his throat; he'd always felt so small being just one Homs living on the body of a long dead titan, but he'd never thought the Bionis or Mechonis would be dwarfed by something even larger. The darkness - he has no word for it, but he thinks 'space' is an apt name - stretches far beyond his eyes can see, completely boundless, as far as he can tell. Shulk supposes they are witnessing something that expands beyond life on the Bionis and Mechonis had been capable of discovering, something from the world of the gods, Meyneth and Zanza, back when they were still merely people.

Are each of those lights worlds beyond his? They must be so far away...

The sight before him warps, and his Monado becomes an all engulfing light. He had thrown the strange sword not long ago, but now he feels like he's been cut off from it, as if a solid wall had suddenly slammed down between his Monado and himself. Even his senses seem duller, as if he is unable to see, hear, touch, smell, or taste with as much range as he once had. While he'd never been able to truly control his visions, Shulk had come to understand it had been some kind of ether manipulation. Now, he can't sense the ebb and flow that he'd subconsciously grown accustomed to, the absence like misplacing his jacket; not terribly significant, but a slight irritant that niggles at the back of his mind. For the first time in months, Shulk is blind to the future, and...

Well, he can live with not knowing the future.

Alvis speaks. They listen. And the world grows bright.

"Shulk. Shulk!" Someone is shaking him by the shoulder.

A groggy groan slips out of his mouth as he opens his eyes... which he immediately closes to shut out the flare of light from the sun. "What time is it?" he mumbles, "Did I miss a meeting?"

"Oh, Shulk." Fiora's exasperated voice floats over to him, as if she's speaking from a great distance. "You're not in the lab, you know."

"I'm not? Then where...?" Shulk cracks open an eye and blearily peers out, shielding his eyes from the sunlight with a hand. His friends are gathered around him, their smiles as brilliant as the sun. It all comes flooding back to him. Zanza, the Monado, Alvis... He abruptly sits up and notices for the first time he's on a grassy hill. "Is this the new world I created?"

Dunban flashes him a toothy grin and makes a sweeping gesture with his good arm. "See for yourself."

Shulk stands - a little unsteadily, unused to the sudden lack of a weapon on his back - and turns his gaze upon what he can see of the new world. Before him is an endless sea, much like what he'd seen surrounding the Fallen Arm. Looking down the hill, he can spot a colony nestled along the shoreline.

"Hey..." Reyn folds his arms. "Is it just me, or does this look a lot like Colony 9?"

"You're right!" Shulk's gaze follows Fiora's outstretched arm. "Look, there's the Central Plaza's spire! Wow, it's even fully repaired!"

It does look a lot like Colony 9. But after inspecting the sight for a little longer, Shulk concludes the colony below them isn't quite the same. What would have been the Commercial District has rock walls surrounding it where Colony 9's had none. He can only spot one of the Anti-Air Batteries, and even that is missing its cannon. For some reason, there's a - Shulk mentally fishes for the unfamiliar word he'd learnt in Frontier Village - pier on the shore, too.

"I guess Alvis based the new world on what already existed on the Bionis and Mechonis." Shulk points at the rising mountainous spines breaking the water's surface off into the distance. "Don't you think that ridge is the same as the one around Eryth Sea?"

"But what about everywhere else?" Shulk turns towards Sharla, her hand hovering by her collarbone in worry. "What about Colony 6?"

He raises a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm… I don't think he would have forgotten about them. Not since he created this world at my request. I'd be pretty angry if he did." But then again, Alvis seems to do what he wants. Shulk raises a hand to shield his eyes against the bright sun, turning to look upwards at the sheer cliff behind them. Though the mountainous rock walls off most of what is beyond from sight, Shulk can spot a hint of dark green canopy brushing the sky. "I imagine they would be behind us, hidden from our view."

"Everyone go!" Riki bounces up high, ears raised for the extra height. "Find friends!" He turns, as if to immediately set off.

With practised ease, Dunban hooks his fingers in the holder for Riki's biter and pulls back the Nopon, who immediately lets out a scratchy whine. "Let's not be too hasty. Though we have few wounds after our battle, we're in no shape to be travelling without supplies."

"And we do not know what side effects recreating the world may have had." Melia's gaze, previously fixed upon the colony below them, flickers towards the group. "It would be prudent to investigate what is before us first."

Reyn smacks a fist into his palm. "Right. We gotta make sure everyone in the colony's safe and sound."

Together, the group walk down the hill, the path Shulk used to run all over with Reyn and Fiora after school now overgrown with tall grass. Upon their approach, frolicking bunnits quickly escape to their burrows while the constant buzz of skeeters thrum the air. On all counts, it feels like any other peaceful day at Colony 9. Without any impending battle in his near future - as far as he knows, anyway - it's the first time Shulk has really thought, I'm home.

When they cross a familiar bridge that's outside what appears to be Dunban's house and enter the new colony properly, they're greeted by a gaggle of confused residents. "Dunban! What happened?"

"Where is the Bionis?"

"Did you win? Are we safe now?"

Dunban makes a 'calm down' motion with his good hand. "Easy now. Allow us to explain."

Dunban begins from when they enter the Bionis, weaving the tale of Lorithia's and Dickson's defeat with the skill of an impassioned bard. Shulk's happy to not have the spotlight, even when Dunban begins to describe that strange place they had fought Zanza. But when it comes telling what happened after their battle, Dunban glances in Shulk's direction. Shulk shakes his head.

Continuing, Dunban says, "After the defeat of Zanza... well, I don't understand it myself, but before our world was destroyed, we somehow managed to create a new world without gods."

"Wait, but didn't-" Reyn begins.

"This is our world, now," Shulk cuts in. He doesn't particularly want to share the knowledge that he had been a god with others outside their group. "We can live in peace," he holds Reyn's gaze, "as simple people, nothing more."

"That's our tale." Dunban braces his good hand against his hip. "What is the status of the colony?"

Spokespersons from the gathered residents latch on to this new topic, and begin recounting what they have learned since the world was reshaped. Given how easily Dunban slips into organising the Colony and making plans for exploring this new world to find the Defence Force members that had been sent to defend Sword Valley and Colony 6, Shulk can see the direction Dunban's life will take in this new world, even without any visions.

Instead, he turns his attention to their surroundings. This area is remarkably similar to the old Commercial District, right down to the stalls circling the Ether Lamp at the district's centre. When he looks to the district's fringes, though, Shulk can see there's plenty of space to expand. Unlike Colony 9, which had been hedged in by the surrounding cliffs, this new colony has more room to grow. Nevertheless, there's something different, and it takes him a long moment of staring to realise that the structure of most buildings differ from the old world. Where there used to be single double storey houses, some were reduced to single storeys, while others rose to three or even four storeys.

He still has half an ear on the conversation dancing between Dunban, Melia, and spokespersons of the other residents. Some parts of the districts have no power, including the entire area that would be where the Military District used to be. If Shulk has to take a guess, it'd be because of the modified buildings, which has likely tampered with the ether grid. It's not really his field of expertise, though, so it's better for other engineers to handle those modifications.

Luckily, food does not seem to be in short supply, though someone notes that the water surrounding the area is salty, rendering it undrinkable without distillation, which could prove to be an issue. Previously, Colony 9 received its freshwater from the Bionis' Leg; rain from Guar Plain would travel along the river, which flowed through Tephra Cave into the lake Colony 9 sat upon.

Tephra Cave... which leads to the Regeneration Chamber.

"Shulk!"

The sudden usage of his name jolts Shulk out of his thoughts, and he whirls on Reyn, wide eyed.

"Shulk, what's the matter?" Reyn stares directly at him, as if intense staring will allow him to see everything Shulk is hiding from him. Though, to be fair, it has proven to be a highly effective tactic, especially when they had been children. "Did you have a vision?"

He shakes his head. "No. I don't think I can have visions any more. I was just thinking..."

Reyn folds his arms, but has an amused smile on his face. "Typical. Can't even properly enjoy a victory. Come on, we beat Zanza!"

"I know that! It's just... This colony's different from Colony 9." Shulk points up at the cliff where the High Entia transport ship used to be embedded in rock. Now, it is purely geological formation. "What if the Regeneration Chamber isn't there anymore?"

"You said it yourself, you got that Alvis guy to make this place. He ain't gonna do something like that when it'd make you mad." But Reyn's smile wavers, looking uneasy.

"I want to see for myself. To make sure." Shulk's gaze returns to the cliff. The untrodden path from the new colony to Tephra Cave looks about the same distance it used to be. "It shouldn't take long."

"I'll go with you."

Shulk's gaze snaps back to Reyn. "It's only a short walk. I'll be fine."

Reyn folds his arms, which means Shulk isn't gonna be able to change his mind even if he tries. "I'm still going with. You don't have the Monado anymore. Fiora'll kill me if anything happens to you."

It is true that he doesn't have any weapon with him right now, but...

"I heard my name." Shulk feels a hand thump on his shoulder before he turns to see Fiora's smiling face. "What are you boys up to, hmm? I get the feeling you two are about to get yourselves in trouble."

"It's nothing like that," Shulk insists, trying to play things down. "I just want to check that the Regeneration Chamber is still there."

"He wanted to go alone, without the Monado!" Reyn butts in. "Can you believe him?"

"I was going to go and get an old weapon from my house." Shulk huffs, hunching over and shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm not stupid."

"Then I'm sure you won't mind me tagging along," Fiora says brightly. "If your house isn't there anymore, you can borrow one of my knives." She pats their handles.

It had never occurred to him that his house would possibly be gone in the new world, like some of the other residents' homes. Still, if he's honest, Fiora's Mechon 'knives' are more like a pair of swords than daggers. Shulk nods. "Sure."

Before they set off, Shulk informs the others of where they'll be going. Thankfully, they're let off without much questioning - the current situation of the colony and world is a good distraction - so Shulk leads Fiora and Reyn in the direction he supposes will take him to his house. He takes the time to glance around at the colony around him as they walk, taking in the familiar, yet different, sights. Thankfully, it seems his house is still there. Once they reach it, Shulk quickens his pace briefly, before turning to face his friends.

"Could you two wait here for a bit? I haven't cleaned in a while, and outside the lab, Dickson's..." Shulk trails off, struck by a sudden pang in his heart. "...Well, he was pretty messy." He forces a smile. "I won't be long."

Before his friends can say anything, Shulk opens the door and slips inside.

Contrary to his words, there's hardly any mess; the house is rather sparsely decorated, with only the bare minimum of furniture and few of the knick-knacks that characterise most Colony 9 homes. Much like his lab, there are papers covered in diagrams sketched in Shulk's even hand tacked to boards on the walls. Some distinctly non-Homs trinkets are placed on shelves alongside mechanical toys like the wind-up mouse Shulk had made when he was six. Still, the second bed and clean plates drying on the dish rack serve as evidence that another person lives here.

Lived here, Shulk corrects himself. Dickson won't be coming home any more.

Shaking off those thoughts, he busies himself with searching for one of his older swords. Idly, he wonders what happened to the junk sword he'd dropped in favour of taking up the Monado during the last Mechon attack.

"Ah, here it is!"

From within an old crate, he pulls out a weapon even older than the junk sword he used before the Monado. It's a bit smaller and lighter, made for a younger self, and the handle feels a bit looser than it should be. The edge of the sword is so dull that the weapon is more effective at bludgeoning threats than cutting them down. It doesn't seem worth the effort fixing the thing at the moment, but Shulk lifts the sword and places it on his back anyway, the catalyst - the mechanism that allows him to use healing magic - within the weapon thrumming and connecting with the ether within his own body. This old weapon really can't compare to the Monado, the Monado replicas, or even his junk sword, but it serves as a good reminder of how much he's learnt over the years.

Stepping out from his house - and away from a sense of lingering loneliness - he smiles at his friends. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."

It doesn't take them long to make their way to the entrance of Tephra Cave, even though the old dirt path is missing. Maybe it'll be back again, once more people start walking the same path and crushing the grass underfoot. At the cave's mouth, Shulk takes in a deep breath, relishing the cool breeze feathering across his cheek. There's a different quality to the air, but he can't quite put his finger on exactly what it is. Maybe, since the cliffs only wall off one side of the colony, it's breezier than what he's used to? Idly, he wonders if the Mechon Wreckage Site is still there, even though falling Mechon parts is probably never going to happen again.

"Hey, Shulk! Are you coming or what?"

Blinking, he turns to his companions standing at the cave's mouth. A flicker of memory passes before his eyes, of a time when Reyn's purpose in life was to defend him, when Fiora had been a full Homs carrying Reyn's forgotten ether cylinders. "Yeah, just a moment."

Once he falls into step beside his friends, Fiora asks, "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh... I was thinking about the first time we were all here together." The creatures of Tephra Cave are unusually docile this time around, but Shulk nevertheless gives the caterpiles lounging in their nest a wide berth. It's the first time in a long time it's been just them doing something together, just like when they were kids, roughhousing on Tephra Hill.

Reyn tilts his head and folds his arms over his chest, thinking. "Man, that feels like forever ago. How long has it been?"

Shulk scratches his head. "Honestly, I lost track of time after the first week."

"Me too."

They both look expectantly at Fiora.

Her eyebrows raise. "Why are you looking at me? I wasn't really aware of anything after this," she gestures to her Mechon body, "was done to me. At least, not until Shulk..." Colour seeps into Fiora's cheeks before she goes silent.

It takes Shulk a long moment to recall the exact moment he'd been reunited with Fiora. What was it that had happened on the Fallen Arm...? Oh.

Reyn isn't having any of that. He elbows Fiora, something Shulk has noticed Reyn doing more often ever since he'd found out she barely feels it. "What did he do? C'mon, tell me!"

"That's for me to know, Reyn!" Fiora crosses her arms, puffing her cheeks in mild annoyance. "Anyway, is it really important how long we took?"

Shulk tunes out the pair's friendly bickering with practised ease, keeping a look out for potential danger, given how preoccupied Reyn and Fiora currently are. He can't help a sense of unease in his gut when there's no sign of the Mag Mell Ruins as they press further into Tephra Cave. Even the Mell lizards that had once made their nest in its bowels are nowhere to be seen. Where they once used to be a mass of undulating shadows conglomerating under shelves that would scatter upon sight of an ether light, now they've been replaced by a warren of bunnits that are completely unperturbed by the group's intrusion into their territory. One particularly large one even sits up on its haunches and stares at them, casually chewing on a giant cave cricket. Is the surprisingly docile wildlife a side-effect of his wish to Alvis? Shulk doesn't know. Still, it's rather convenient that the creatures are non-aggressive today, and he relaxes as the rest of their short trip passes completely without incident.

When the dim cave walls give way to bright afternoon sun, Shulk shields his eyes against the blinding light as they step out onto a high cliff overlooking the new colony. Immediately, his eyes scan the surroundings for the Regeneration Chamber.

His knees go weak, and Shulk suddenly finds himself sitting on the grass in relief.

"Oh, thank goodness..." Fiora says, her whisper taken by the wind.

The familiar rows and rows of ether cylinders surround the door that had been burned into Shulk's mind the moment he'd seen it in his vision.

Reyn's guffaw rings loud. "See? What did I tell you, Shulk?"

"Okay, okay, I get it." There's no actual annoyance in his voice, just a grin on him that threatens to split his face. "You were right."

The breeze feels so good. Shulk remains seated on the grass, and both his childhood friends join him. Where the view once had been of Colony 9 and the horizon - a word he learnt from the Machina - had been walled off by the Bionis' rocky shin, it is now expansive and unfettered, much like the brilliant view he'd witnessed with Riki up on the Distant Fingertip. It hurts his head to think about just how much there is out there, but he can't help the quickening of breath and the tiny smile curling at the corner of his lip at the thought of new unknowns before him nevertheless.

Reyn, of course, is the first one to break the silence. "Have you two thought about what you're gonna do now?"

Fiora shoots Reyn a look that plainly says, 'isn't it obvious' while pointing at the mechanical headpiece jutting out from under her hair. "First I want my real body back."

"Well, yeah. But I mean after that."

Fiora shakes her head. "No... Maybe help my brother? It suppose it depends on where Shulk will go."

Suddenly, Shulk finds both his friends' stares boring into him. "Uh..." He scratches his head, sheepish, "I guess I haven't really thought about it. I was too focused on stopping Zanza, honestly."

Reyn makes an annoyed sound - though his expression doesn't express anger - and folds his arms over his chest. "Typical."

What's gotten into him? "You're one to talk. You barely think past our next meal!"

"Oi! I can think about other things too, you know! Besides, it's not my fault we know people who cook delicious grub!"

Fiora shakes her head, her expression a mix of annoyance and surprise. "What's gotten into you, Reyn? This isn't something I'd expect you, of all people, to bring up."

Reyn idly scratches at his scalp, fingers tangling in his hair. "Actually, it was Riki who got me thinking about it. I know, I know," he holds up his hands. "We didn't have a serious talk or anything. But after talking with him, I reckon the others have it all figured out, you know? Riki's got all his kids to raise, and it looks like Dunban's gonna be taking charge around here. Melia's got her people to find and rule, and Sharla..." Reyn shrugs. "She sounded worried about Colony 6. She's probably gonna go with Melia and look for Juju and the rest."

"What about you, then?" Fiora's arm is pressed against Shulk's side as she leans forward to scrutinise Reyn. Even though the metal of her arm jabs him uncomfortably in the ribs, Shulk doesn't move away. "Don't tell me you've planned what you'll be doing?"

"Yeah, I have!" Reyn thumps his shoulder, his expression breaking out into a broad grin. "I'm gonna go with Sharla. If she, uh, doesn't mind, that is."

Shulk just stares, mouth hanging open. Fiora isn't much better.

"C'mon! Don't give me that look!" Reyn looks aside. "Ever since we started travelling, it's like... I can't go back to how things were. I've gotta be doing something."

Shulk lets out a quiet huff of a laugh. "Good old Reyn. You just can't sit still, can you?" He shakes his head at the sudden furrow in Reyn's brow, cutting off the apology before Reyn can say it; Shulk has a good ideaof what his friend is about to say. Like Fiora, Reyn's never really left his side, not since Reyn had declared it his duty to protect Shulk. "No, I understand, and I don't mind. I think it'll be good for you. Besides, Sharla will be in more danger out there than us over here. I'm sure she'll appreciate the backup."

"You're staying, then?" Reyn doesn't sound particularly surprised.

It hadn't really been a conscious decision. "I guess I am." Shulk draws his legs to his chest and loosely drapes his arms over his knees. "I mean, I'm not going to hole myself up in the lab like I used to. I can't. Not after travelling all over the Bionis and Mechonis. There's just so much out there. So much I don't know that I want to learn more about." He takes a breath. "But I want to be here for now." At least until Fiora has her Homs body back. After that... He'll figure out what his future holds. He makes up an excuse. "I guess making a new world really took it out of me."

Fiora looks like she's about to say something, but whatever it is, she stays silent on the matter.

They converse some more, in lazy conversation not unlike the ones they used to have in the days of peace. Little things, like the shapes they see in the clouds, or reminiscing about the various (silly) things they did as kids. Eventually, though, Shulk notices something very different from the world of the Bionis and Mechonis. "Look," he says, pointing towards the sun. "The sun's moved."

Both Reyn and Fiora raise a hand to shield their eyes from the sunlight. "Hey, you're right!"

"Wow! Is it going to sink into the water? What will happen then?"

"I don't know. " But he can take a guess. Instead, he says, "Why don't we watch and see?"

As the sun slowly falls towards the sea, the blue sky gives way to brilliant pinks, painting orange and yellow along the clouds' edges. Soon, the flare of colour gives way to the deep darkness of night, the sky spotted with the same stars as before the new world was created. Shulk stands, brushing grass from his pants. "It's getting late. We should head back."

They make their way back through Tephra Cave and down the hill, chattering about 'what ifs' of this new world. When they reach the new colony, the sight that greets them at the Commercial District - unless they give the locations new names, Shulk sees no reason why he shouldn't use Colony 9 terms - is wholly different from how they'd left it. The district is teeming with colony residents, more than when they'd first entered. Someone has dragged together numerous tables to form a circle around the Ether Light, and placed on the tables are...

"Whoa! There's enough food to feed a pack of armu!" Reyn is visibly drooling.

Shulk is inclined to agree; there is a veritable feast before them. Various dishes from simple sandwiches to huge pots of stew are spread all over the tables, plates and cutlery clearly there for communal use. A Nopon - who Shulk shamefully can't remember the name of, despite being her customer for years - has plated up an entire roast bunnit and is cheerfully standing on the table and carving slices for people to add to their plates.

"We decided to have a little celebration after all that." As one, the trio turn towards Sharla, who's holding out bowls and cutlery. "Eat up!"

Shulk gratefully takes a plate. "Thanks, Sharla."

Once they've relieved her of the extra plates, Sharla gives them a little wave, "I'll see you later," before making a beeline for a slice of a fig and nut loaf.

They, Reyn claiming a deep desire for Giorgio's curry, while Fiora excuses herself to check on her brother. Despite all the delicious looking - and smelling! - food laid out before him, Shulk really doesn't feel like eating much. Taking a modest portion of a stew, Shulk searches out a relatively secluded spot on the bridge connecting the second level of houses together and seats himself down, legs dangling over the edge. While he eats, he watches the throng of people below weave amongst each other. Right now, there are only Homs and Nopon gathered here, but maybe in the future, there can be High Entia and Machina, too. He hopes so.

Shulk looks up when someone sits down next to him. "Fiora."

"Hey." She sits close to him, leaning carefully against his shoulder so she doesn't poke him with one of her mechanical parts. After a brief moment's hesitation, he leans back. "Shulk, I've been thinking…" She trails off.

Shulk takes a moment to take in the way light plays over her face, the blue Ether Light giving her features an ethereal quality. Shadow gently caresses her cheeks while remaining hard-edged along her metal headpiece, which gleams, bone white. Her fingers, sharp edged and claw-like, delicately tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ears.

"Hm? What is it?" He prompts, nudging her gently with his arm.

"I want to go into the Regeneration Chamber tomorrow." She adds, hurried, "I know, it's really soon, and we only just ended the fighting and there's lots to rebuild, but…"

"Fiora," he says firmly, halting her before she can continue listing the full set of daunting tasks they have ahead. Though, after slaying a god, the rest seems easy in comparison. Shulk grins. "It's okay. You fought hard alongside us. You deserve it."

She looks away, a hand drifting uncertainly by her cheek. Shulk notes how the blue light of the Ether Lamp gleams off the metal headpiece by Fiora's ears. "It's just… I feel bad for sleeping while you'll all be hard at work."

Shulk lets out a quiet laugh. "I'm sure there'll still be plenty for you to do by the time you come out." Shaking his head, he continues, his voice hushed, wanting to keep his next words between Fiora and himself, "I'll be here, waiting for you."

He stills the moment he feels fingers - cold and metallic - lace with his, cheeks warming when his gaze drifts towards Fiora's smile. "Thank you, Shulk. It really means a lot to me."

She squeezes his hand, gently, without crushing his fingers like he knows she's can, and he squeezes back, even though he's never been certain Fiora's been able to feel such things since her transformation into part Mechon. His gaze lingers on the smooth metal of her fingers threaded with his, their plated surface reflecting ether light in contrast to the same light turning his already pale skin a ghostly pallor. When he lifts his gaze, Shulk finds himself staring into her green eyes.

It suddenly occurs to him that they're not in private.

"Ah, uh..." He glances furtively around them. Thankfully, no one seems to be paying them any attention. "Do you want me to help tell the others?"

Fiora shakes her head, though there's a gleam in her eyes. "No, it's okay. I want to tell them myself."

"Well... alright then."

"I'll see you later?" At his nod, Fiora's fingers slide out from under Shulk's before she stands.

Shulk watches Fiora approach each of their friends, before pulling his gaze away. As the night grows long, the chatter of the impromptu feast begins to quiet as residents depart for their homes, bellies full of good food and laughter. A few minutes after he finishes his meal, Shulk leaves his perch to return to the tables in order to help with the cleanup. Not everyone's house had been spared in the creation of the new world, however, but thankfully, as he'd overheard earlier in the day, the Military District is still intact, serving as a place for residents to stay until they got their feet under them, as it had during both Mechon attacks during Shulk's lifetime.

There's an unspoken agreement that they'll be spending the night at Dunban's, just as they had when they briefly returned to Colony 9 to confer the technology behind the Replica Monados to other researchers, that brings them all seven of them together in the warmth of Dunban's house. Fiora, Reyn, Dunban, Sharla, Melia, and Riki... his circle of dear friends has expended greatly since the beginning of his journey.

Unfortunately, Dunban's house is disconnected from the ether grid right now, so they use a few miniature ether lamps that are customarily used in cases of a power outage like this. Of course, Fiora is bringing around tea for everyone - brewed with the help of Melia and a summoned flare - which Shulk takes with a grateful smile before setting the topic of conversation. "What's everyone's plans from here on out? I hate to say it, but our journey to stop Zanza is over."

Melia is the first to speak. "Sharla and I have consulted each other, and will be journeying to seek out the peoples of our other civilisations. We are..." She glances over in Sharla's direction before continuing, "...most concerned about the situation of Colony 6, Frontier Village, and Alcamoth."

"I'm coming, too! You ladies will need someone like me with you."

"Are you suggesting we cannot take care of ourselves?" There's no bite to her words, Shulk notes. How different Melia is compared to when they first met her.

Reyn crosses his arms. "Oh, come off it, Melia. You know that ain't true. I've got plenty of respect for what you two can do. After being on the receiving end of it and all..."

Sharla shakes her head, but she's smiling."I'm happy to have Reyn watch our backs. The more the merrier, I say."

"Riki come, too!" the Nopon pipes up, hopping from foot to foot. "Heropon crash-pow for friends! Then go home to Oka and littlepons!"

Riki's declaration is met with nods from the two women and a, "Glad to have you along, furball!" from Reyn.

When attention turns to Dunban, he says, "I will remain here to oversee the reconstruction and expansion of this new colony. I imagine I will be kept busy for months to come."

Fiora shrugs and smiles. "You all already know my plans. But I want to see you all off, first!"

Sharla curls a hand by her cheek and tilts her head. "What about you, Shulk? Will you be staying, or coming along with us?"

"I'll be sticking around the colony for a bit." Shulk tiredly rubs at his face. He summons what energy he has left to shoot his friends a weak smile before he glances over in Dunban's direction. "I'll help with the reconstruction and expansion, of course. But..." While he'd been helping clear away the tables, he'd been thinking. "There's gonna be other Homs who were turned into Faces. It'll take a long time to restore them all with just one Regeneration Chamber. If I can build more, it'll speed the process."

And he's sure the Regeneration Chamber can be adapted to medical use after all the Faces have been restored to their original bodies. If the Regeneration Chamber can restore such drastic changes to a Homs' body, surely the technology behind it can be used for more mundane problems.

He barely stifles a yawn, which is followed by yawns from Reyn and Riki.

"Alright, guys." Sharla brings her hands together. "I think it's time for bed. Fiora, is everything where it was last time?"

They have bedding and blankets out in record time, the others just as eager for a good night's rest after all the fighting they've been doing. The girls take the top floor with the beds, while everyone else got the wooden flooring on the ground floor. Given how accustomed they've grown to sleeping on whatever flat ground - often cold, hard, and uncomfortable - they had, it doesn't really matter. So once everyone says their goodnights and ether lights have been put out, Shulk easily slips into slumber.

Shulk dreams.

He is back in that strange place he'd seen Alvis when he had been shot by Dickson - why does his chest hurt at that thought? - that place they had fought Zanza and won. The inky darkness surrounds him once again, dotted by ether lights and those spheres of streaked colour. Sometimes, a ring circles a sphere, sometimes there are two rings. Shulk doesn't have a word for these gigantic spheres in the darkness. He can only guess that they are other worlds, but he doesn't know for certain; his own world had been the shape of the gods, not a sphere. This place seems like a location that is between consciousness, somewhere that's between dream and reality. A place of destruction and creation.

He doesn't need to turn to speak to the other being here. "Alvis... I have a question." Many, actually, but this one seems like a good place to start. "This new world... Is this the world you, Zanza and Meyneth came from?"

The sun dipping down into the land as night falls, the water around the new colony constantly undulating, the salty smell that lingers in the air... Though Shulk had created a world without gods - without the Bionis or the Mechonis - there's just so many small differences in this world that seems... well, a little unnecessary.

Though Shulk cannot perceive Alvis' body right now, he has the sense that Alvis has nodded in confirmation. "This world is an amalgamation of the world you know and my original world, yes. Given the unstable situation, I did not have time to seek clarification of your instructions, and used what was available to me as templates."

"I see." Shulk closes his eyes. "What will you do now?"

"I have yet to decide." Alvis' voice is as unreadable as ever. "I was the administrator of a facility in my original world, granting permissions for users to conduct their experiments. Then I became overseer of your old world, shaping the world as possessors of Monados saw fit. In this world without gods, I have none to serve. My purpose is indeterminate."

Shulk's voice is quiet, but hopeful, pitifully small in the depths of 'space'. "Will you live among us, then? As a Homs?"

There is a hint of curiosity in the response. "Is that your wish?"

Shulk rouses from sleep, pushing back hair form his eyes as he blinks away the lingering embers of his dream. Now that he's awake, trying to recall it is like trying to catch falling snow in Valak Mountain with his tongue. Considering he hasn't woken in alarm, like the time he'd suddenly realised he left his toolkit at the Mechon Wreckage Site halfway through another dream, Shulk dismisses this one as not being particularly important.

Also, it's hard to think of anything but the loud snoring of Reyn sounding like an angry ardun on Shulk's left and Riki sounding like a whining fledgling flamii on Shulk's right.

He stays there, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling of Dunban's house, just listening to the pleasant rumble of his friends sleeping beside him. He's gotten used to the cacophony from his journey and having to sleep in close proximity to the two noisiest sleepers in the world. For the first time in a while, he can sleep knowing he won't be woken up by someone on watch keeping an eye out for anything that will attack them: wildlife, Mechon, and Telethia. But this is probably the last time all of them will be sleeping as a group like this. It's... almost a shame to go back to a life without companions nearby, back in his - and Dickson's - house.

...It never used to bother him, being alone.

Shulk allows his own breathing to even out, keeping to the relaxed pace of his companions. Riki sounds like he's chasing a particularly tasty looking bug in his dreams, if his sleepy mumbles and twitching limbs are anything to go by. But as Shulk lies there, he becomes aware of a quiet moan of pain. It's something he'd become too familiar with in the last legs of their journey.

"Fiora..." he whispers, forcing his tired body out from under the blankets. Of course, recreating the world of the Bionis and Mechonis doesn't solve all the problems of the old world. Her Mechon body had been giving her more and more problems as time went on, despite Linada's efforts.

Doing his best not to wake Dunban - the lightest sleeper of them - Shulk makes his way to the stairs to where the girls are sleeping, taking each wooden step two at a time. He cringes when the last step creaks loudly, catching the attention of Melia, who is sitting in a chair beside Fiora and is very much awake.

Ah. "Melia..."

"Shulk." She greets him with an incline of her head. It's only then that he notices Melia holding Fiora's hand, squeezing it in comfort to Fiora's pained expression. "I apologise, this should be your role."

He shakes his head before quietly seating himself in a chair on the opposite side of Fiora, pressing his hand in Fiora's other hand. "It's alright. We can both be here for her." Shulk smiles, keeping his voice low as he speaks so he doesn't wake Sharla. "Fiora considers you a great friend, Melia. I think she'll be glad you're here for her, too."

"Ah... yes. She has informed me how much she values our friendship." Melia looks away, though Shulk notes her hand stays in Fiora's when Fiora lets out a quiet gasp of pain in her sleep. "I admire how forthright she is with her thoughts and feelings. That is... not something I can do."

"Because of your upbringing?"

Melia nods. "Yes. I must show an example to my people, especially in the wake of losing so many."

"I can't say I totally understand it, but..."Colony 9 never had a singular leader the way High Entia do. Maybe because Colony 9 had been small enough and peaceful enough to not need leadership. "...I understand High Entia have different customs to Homs. You don't need to hold back in front of us, though. We're your friends. You can tell us anything!"

"I... I do not think I am ready to speak as openly as Fiora does."

"That's okay, you don't have to." Shulk scratches at his head, running his fingers through his hair, his gaze lingering on Fiora's pained expression. "I guess what I'm saying is... If you want to tell us your thoughts and feelings, we're not going to think any less of you when you do."

There's a moment of hesitation, in which Melia wordlessly touches the clasp at her collarbone. "...I suppose there is something. Do you recall the time you had a vision of the Regeneration Chamber?"

"Oh, yes." It is something that replays in his mind whenever he sees Fiora suffering as she is now. Hope, perhaps, that she doesn't need to keep suffering as she has. "You came into my lab and my books fell on you." He lets a quiet chuckle slip. "I'm glad you weren't hurt by my mess. I really should have kept it tidier..." A thought strikes to him. "Actually... Why were you there?"

The corners of Melia's mouth turn up. "Truthfully, I was angry at you."

Shulk blinks, bewildered. "Huh? Why?"

"It was a night where Fiora was in a state much like this." Melia carefully folds her hands over Fiora's. "I was... frustrated that I could do nothing for her except hold her hand through the pain. When I saw you leave for your research laboratory, I felt like you were forgetting about someone special to you in favour of the Monado Replica project." Melia bows her head, the wings on her head drooping heavily. "I misjudged you, and for that, I apologise."

Shulk can't help but grin. "It's alright. I didn't exactly tell the rest of you." He scratches the back of his head. "I can get pretty carried away once I fixate on something. If it weren't for Reyn and Fiora, I'd forget all the important things."

Though her expressions have always been quite reserved, Shulk can spot a mischievous gleam in Melia's eyes despite the dim glow from the Ether Light outside. "In that case, it is up to the rest of us to ensure you remember your other friends."

Shulk puffs his cheeks, protesting, "Like I'd forget that!" Letting out the air in a long breath, he follows it with a sincere smile. "But really, thank you for sharing that with me, Melia. I appreciate it."

She looks aside, but Shulk can see the tiny smile easing across Melia's face. "You are welcome."

There's a long pause before, on impulse, he asks, "Will you still search for your mother's relatives, once things have settled down?"

Melia's head jerks, startled, and looks at him with wide eyes. That moment passes quickly, though, and she looks aside, wings lowering now that her surprise has passed. "Yes. I fear the task will have even more challenges in this unfamiliar world. The locations have changed, and records may be even more scattered than they were before." She returns her gaze to Shulk's, her resolve shining in her eyes. "But it is a task I will see through once I have rebuilt my people's lives."

"I'm sure you will. My offer still stands, you know. To look for them with you." Shulk idly traces his fingers over the back of Fiora's metal hand. "Once she has her body back, I'm sure Fiora would love to join in."

Melia tilts her head. "What of Reyn?"

It's Shulk's turn to look away. The last time they'd had this conversation, he'd offered Reyn, too, hadn't he? "I think he'll have his own responsibilities soon. It wouldn't be fair to tear him away from that."

It's such a strange thing to think about, how easily they just left Colony 9. How little there was for them to consider before they departed. Shulk had simply told the other engineers and Dunban he'd be gone for a while and that had been it. He imagines Reyn's departure had been much the same, only with his fellow squad members and superiors. Reyn had always been the driven one, knowing his goals and working hard to achieve them, gaining his place in the Defence Force as a result. Now it seems like Reyn will continue to work hard, while Shulk doesn't know what he wants to do beyond his day-to-day life.

"...I see." Melia nods, as if in understanding. "Reyn is a very close friend, is he not?"

"Of course! We grew up together, all three of us." All three, orphans, where it was more common to have had lost one parent to the Mechon attack twelve years ago.

Melia's next words take on a lightly chiding tone. "Then I am certain you can trust him to make his own decisions, without you deciding for him."

Shulk winces at the reprimand. "I..."

"You were only thinking of his wellbeing. Reyn is fortunate to have you as a friend..." It's difficult to see the expression on Melia's face when she turns her head, causing her wings to cover most of her face in shadow. "...And I am honoured you all are my friends."

Shulk beams. "I'm glad we're friends, too."

What else can he say to that?

Silence stretches between them as Shulk's gaze lingers on Fiora's pained face, her breath coming in quiet gasps. He lets his other hand rest on top of Fiora's, the cool metal slowly warming under his touch. Hopefully, tonight is the last time he will hold her hand through suffering inflicted by her part Mechon body. She deserves a better life in this new world than a body regularly wracked by pain. Eventually, Fiora's breathing evens, her expression relaxing, the tightness in her jaw easing as pain seeps from her. Shulk barely stifles a yawn as Melia rises from her seat, chair quietly scraping the wooden flooring as she puts it aside.

"Perhaps it is time you returned to sleep," Melia suggests quietly. He can't qutie read the expression on her face. "I do not think Fiora would approve if you stayed up all night."

He shakes his head. "I'll stay awake for a bit longer, just to make sure Fiora's okay." At the flattening of Melia's wings and mouth that indicates silent disapproval, he adds, "Don't worry, I'll go to bed soon." Shulk manages a tired smile. "You should get some rest. You've got a bigger day ahead of you than I do."

"If you say so." A curt nod, and Melia climbs into her bed. "Rest well, Shulk."

"Good night."

Shulk shifts in his chair once Melia's breathing becomes long and even. The chair is a simple wooden one, not made particularly comfortable for long term sitting. He suspects it's one Fiora had used to sit on while she helped feed Dunban, back when he'd just come back from the Battle of Sword Valley. Either that, or it's Dunban's, made purposefully uncomfortable to help focus the mind or something similar, he suspects. It's not actually so different from his own chair back in his lab, but there, he hardly noticed it when he kept himself so busy. And he had often ended up sleeping at his table, because he'd just lean forward against a flat surface - like this bedside table - and pillow his head in his arms...

Before Shulk knows it, he's fast asleep.

Author's Notes: There will be one more chapter after this.