Disclaimer: I own nothing from Tales of Zestiria. Everything belongs to its respective owners.

Note: This fanfiction contains spoilers for earlier parts of the game. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read on! If you have gotten beyond this point in the game or do not mind being spoiled, then please enjoy~!

Et Cetera

"Oh ye born of the sacred currents of peace…" As Lailah's words echoed off of the ancient walls of the ruins, Mikleo had to wonder how they had gotten into this situation. The events that took place after he and Sorey had left their hometown village happened in rapid succession, leaving no time for debate and very little time for concrete decisions.

Even though the young Seraph had been prepared beforehand for the many… complications that could arise on their journey, he hadn't necessarily thought that some of the events would come to pass… such as Sorey choosing to become the Shepherd. The idea had appeared in his mind before, but his childhood friend had practically sealed his destiny with no hesitation.

Sorey has always been like that; eager to help but not necessarily thinking of the consequences.

With this step on their journey taken – and the difficulties of burdens increased – Mikleo had been fully prepared to help his friend in any way he could except for one thing: Sorey seemingly refused his help, not wanting to put the Seraph in danger. I understand what he's thinking, but he can't do this alone.

They had briefly parted ways, with Mikleo scouting the capital for anything useful (being invisible to humans had its benefits). When he had caught wind of Sorey and their small party (now including the human girl, Alisha) heading to the ruins they now stood in, he had raced after them.

If there was one thing Mikleo knew, it was that Sorey couldn't be trusted to stay out of trouble: the centipede Hellions (1) surrounding them were living proof of that. The ruins were divided into several different corridors, making the small party harder to find. When the water Seraph came across a bow on a pedestal, however, he knew that they had to be close. He knew what the bow was – it had been mentioned in his "preparations" – so he took it with him and continued onward.

The group had been engaged in battle when he had found them. The Hellions were quickly overwhelming them, leading Mikleo to reconcile with his childhood friend. Now, all that was left to do was…

"Here let our pact be forged, that my unquavering incandescence may be as thy purification! Shouldst thou accept this burden, recite aloud your-" The words came faster from the fire Seraph, her hand clasping his as their time quickly ran out. She stopped in the middle of her sentence, glancing at the creature that was now descending on them.

Mikleo didn't turn his gaze to the centipede, instead listening as it came closer. The pause in her speech, however, left him greatly confused. What is she waiting for? She has to finish before…

The next word out of Lailah's mouth surprised him even further. "Et cetera!" This was accompanied by a bright smile, which was probably meant to reassure him.

"Et cetera?!" The water Seraph couldn't help the shock that slipped into his tone, nor could he help the many thoughts that came next. Is that even possible? What if it doesn't work because she shortened it?!

Their forms disappeared just before the Hellion reached them. Mikleo felt a strange sensation run through him, almost like a fierce tugging, but then realized that it must have worked. He heard Lailah's voice start to speak again, echoing through his mind, but quickly realized a problem: he wasn't the only one who had repeated her shortened phrase.

"Et cetera?" Sorey's confused shout had come a moment too quickly, cutting off the fire Seraph's words. His friend's eyes widened as the same thought slipped into both of their minds at the same time. Normally, a Seraph would tell the Shepherd their true name, which would then allow the armatization to occur. In this case…

Mikleo felt the tugging sensation cease as the armatization started. Only one thought crossed his mind at that moment.

Oh no.

Several moments after the battle ended left the group with two of their party struggling not to laugh, one failing at the act miserably, and one who was not happy at all.

"Honestly, Sorey, you knew my true name, but you had to say that instead?" Mikleo was pretty sure he was developing a headache. He didn't get frustrated easily, but this was… Does that mean that the Shepherd has the power to rename a Seraph's true name? If so, that means we all might be in trouble…

"Heh heh, sorry. I couldn't help it." Sorey's attempt at apologizing was sorely ruined by the fits of laughter spread throughout. The new Shepherd was failing at regaining his composure, but the smile never left his face. "I was just as surprised as you were."

"I'm glad it worked out alright. We all could have been seriously hurt." Alisha seemed much better at hiding her amusement at the situation, especially now that she could see what was going on with them. Her light expression almost mirrored Lailah's near hidden one of relief.

"Well, that's nice to know for future reference," Lailah's statement caused Mikleo to glance at the fire Seraph. Her words seemed to hint at the fact that shortening the ceremony allowed it to still work, but it had been risky at the time. His gaze then traveled over to his childhood friend, whose gaze was locked with Lailah's. The teen's smile, however, seemed a bit different…

It's almost like they know something that I don't… Mikleo's eyes narrowed as he thought this. His mind scanned back through the battle and the formation of the pact. This caused him to quickly realize that he almost had missed something. After Sorey said… those words… his mouth still moved slightly, like he was saying something else.

"Sorey…" the water Seraph's voice was completely serious as he turned to look at the Shepherd. "Did you actually say my true name during the armatization?"

The answer to his question would certainly clear things up. If Sorey had managed to change his true name to 'et cetera'… That would be a problem. If he said the words randomly without meaning to activate the Armatus, then it would be an unnecessary drain on his strength.

Sorey's smile grew sheepish as his eyes closed. "Well… I'm not actually sure…" At these words, the young Seraph grew conflicted. Sorey wouldn't lie about this… would he? Or was it all a joke to get back at him? If so, then he's taking it a bit too far.

"I guess we'll just have to see the next time Sorey activates the Armatus again." Lailah stated as she took a few steps towards them, but her smile seemed to suggest that she knew the answer. Mikleo knew he couldn't ask her about it though; she would probably use one of her strange diversion tactics if he did.

Alisha's gaze seemed to convey amusement and sympathy, but her words were direct. "The waterfall should be just beyond here." It was their cue to continue moving forward. The four of them set off again, but Mikleo couldn't help sighing.

Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be something that haunts me?

Sorry for the vague spoilers notice at the top of the fanfiction, but this was an alternate to when Mikleo becomes a Sub Lord. I instantly thought when I saw the scene "what if Mikleo's true name was now et cetera?" but that didn't happen, so I thought this would be a funny one-shot to put out there. Sorry if anyone is a bit OOC; I wrote a bit for this archive before the game came out so I'm trying to expand on the characters' personalities a bit (I haven't gotten much further than this scene, so excuse my lack of knowledge). I hope you enjoyed this and please tell me your thoughts in a review!

-AnimeWolfGirl9