Wuk Lamat paused, taking her time to consider the question posed to her. What exactly did her heart desire from confronting Zoraal Ja?
"I grew up with my brother, trained with my brother," she eventually began. "I do not fully understand why he chose this path-- to even take my father's life. I desire an answer, as does the currently dormant soul of my father." She lightly touched the hacked regulator on her own head.
"Closure," outrunner Cahciua noted.
"And I must return to Tuliyollal with him in chains," Wuk Lamat continued. "His attack has taken the lives of many-- they, too, deserve an answer."
"And if you are unable to?"
"I wonder," Wuk Lamat replied, her eyes downcast. "I can't help but wonder, if I had been more of an intrusive sister, constantly poking my nose into his business and his thoughts… perhaps he would have expressed himself more. Perhaps I would then have been able to pull him away from the abyss. Instead, I travelled the land, more than happy to drown in the sights, leaving him to carry the full burden of succeeding father upon his body and mind…"
The Warrior of Light was silent. Indeed, Wuk Lamat was never particularly interested in the succession rite, and was pressured into participation by Gulool Ja Ja. Even after being forced into it, she treated it more as a leisurely adventure, believing Zoraal Ja to be the proper choice. An assumption that had since been proven absolutely incorrect.
"If he is unwilling to return to Tuliyollal to face the consequences of his actions, I can only strike him down," Wuk Lamat gritted her teeth. "Though he is my brother… It is our responsibility to ensure the prosperity of our people. He has abandoned that…for what?!"
Indeed, the party had already, to an extent, gained some degree of understanding of the society within the purple dome, having explored the Outskirts prior to entering Solution Nine. They had even seen a fighter employ some kind of soul augmentation referred to as feral soul-- which they recall Zoraal Ja and a soldier employing as well.
Before any had the opportunity to console Wuk Lamat, the sound of rapid pitter patter sounded out behind them. They spun around to find the form of a child Mamool Ja speeding out of the hideout!
"That is…?" Wuk Lamat was naturally filled with shock.
"I named him Gulool Ja," outrunner Cahciua sighed with sorrow. "I cannot say if he is a spawn of Zoraal Ja, or perhaps…"
"Or perhaps…?" Y'shtola probed.
"... a clone of sorts." outrunner Cahciua muttered.
The Warrior of Light noticed Estinien narrowing his eyes at these words. Though the dragoon was able to maintain what one might call a poker face, the Warrior of Light could tell that the Ishgardian, internally, was stewing in a chaotic murkiness.
After all, Estinien, in order to inform Zoraal Ja of the absurdity of his desire to 'unite' the world, had spoken of the Garleans and the dragons, and even made mention of the long-gone Allagans.
"Hmmm," G'raha Tia tilted his head. "Or perhaps that is his brother soul?"
"Oh?" Outrunner Cahciua displayed a large O on her monitor, curious.
The party proceeded to inform Cahciua of the ending of the succession rites, where the mysterious voice that they now recognize to be Queen Sphene's informed them that it was her intervention that allowed Zoraal Ja to live. There has never been a child of a two-headed Mamool ja that survived birth, and it was Queen Sphene that informed them that the very reason for this was that those children were born with one head yet carried two different souls within the body.
Of course, that Sphene's goal was to tarnish Gulool Ja Ja's image. Wuk Lamat, however, was unfazed by this revelation. Nor were the Warrior of Light or the others accompanying them on the journey, affected by Sphene's words. They had long gotten used to such twisted circumstances, with no clear solution at hand. The force they now know as The Preservation must have valued the souls of Mamook's children, and desired to encourage Mamook's belief in the continued necessity of creating two-headed Mamool Ja.
"Elene'shpya, my dear. Why did you not inform me of these details and your journey?!" Outrunner Cahciua exclaimed.
"I planned to do so when we meet face-to-face. Some conversations are meant to be…" Erenville's voice trailed off.
"Oh my fussy little bun bun!" Outrunner Cahciua gestured in exaggerated joy.
"Returning to Gulool Ja," Shale interjected. "It is likely that he believes himself to be an abandoned child of Zoraal Ja. After all, their visual similarity cannot be denied. Yet if his soul was simply captured long ago-- Zoraal Ja may have made a deal with The Preservation through Sphene, to give this lost brother of his a chance at life."
"I am… relieved to hear that Zoraal Ja may have rescued that lost soul of a lost brother…" Wuk Lamat's eyes were filled with a renewed light of hope. "We must ensure that Gulool Ja remains safe!"
Wuk Lamat turned towards the exit of the Backroom and dashed off.
"Wait!" Shale yelled after her. "Gulool Ja often wanders in the dangerous Alexandrian ruins to the southwest. For inexplicable reasons, the hostile robotic beings there do not attack him, specifically!"
"Robotic…?" Krile muttered. "Some of Grandfather's mammets may be there!"
"As a member of the Students of Baldesion, I must follow," G'raha Tia stated.
The Warrior of Light nodded, choosing to follow after Wuk Lamat as well. By now, the Warrior of Light saw Wuk Lamat as a mentee, and desired to observe her growth. Zoraal Ja's 'situation' and the complication that Alexandria presents to Tuliyollal, is undoubtedly a true test of her wisdom and mettle. One could say, a trial that truly determines her right to rule.
The rest of their party opted to remain in the Backroom, desiring to gain information from the resistance group, Oblivion. Some chose to observe more of Solution Nine, searching for clues through the lives of the citizens.
As for the Warrior of Light, Wuk Lamat, Krile and G'raha Tia? They returned to the Outskirts, and traveled west, asking all they came across for signs of Gulool Ja's Mamool ja form.
They eventually caught up to Gulool Ja, spotting his blue reptilian scales from afar. Inconveniently, Krile's detection device also began to beep, sensing one of her grandfather's mammets nearby.
The light party hid themselves behind a corner as Krile fumbled to turn off the beeping noise of her mammet detection device.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "I… I suppose I am sometimes a bit of a klutz."
"It's alright," the Warrior of Light gave a shake of the head. Though Gulool Ja turned around to check if he was being followed, they had successfully remained hidden. The beeping noise had blended into the environmental background noise due to their distance.
As Gulool Ja continued walking through the area known as Archeo Alexandria, Shale's words were proven to be true. Gulool Ja easily avoided the attention of all surrounding robotic entities.
"Let's ensure the child's safety, then we can search for your grandfather's mammets," G'raha Tia reassured Krile.
The lalafell nodded in agreement-- the place swarmed with all sorts of robotic entities, and it was not a good idea to go searching alone.
They were very nearly noticed by the suspicious Gulool Ja a number of times, but eventually followed the young Mamool ja into a building.
To their astonishment, they found Gulool Ja conversing with a robotic entity of a rather unique appearance within the ruined building!
A confrontation very nearly ensued, but Gulool Ja surprisingly requested the entity known as Otis to stand down.
Gulool Ja was incredibly mature for this age, and came to understand Wuk Lamat's position. At the same time, he was clearly struggling with the reality of Zoraal Ja's heinous actions-- someone who he believes to be his father.
Wuk Lamat glanced at the Warrior of Light-- she was clearly considering whether it was a good idea to inform Gulool Ja that he might actually be a twin soul that had been removed from Zoraal Ja's body from long ago.
The Warrior of Light felt conflicted but eventually nodded-- it was far better to inform Gulool Ja of the truth, lest this information be used against them by The Preservation in the future. Gulool Ja could be turned or even used against them if they failed to inform the vulnerable child of the truth. Avoiding the truth would only breed future distrust.
"I…" Gulool Ja struggled with the new information of his origins. "So… he's actually my brother, and not my father? But if my soul has been dormant, captured and trapped somewhere… I…"
"Worry not!" The unique-looking robotic entity posed. "I, Otis Velona, Knight of Alexandria, Protector of Queen Sphene, will stand by your side and confront all villains til my end!"
Gulool Ja bowed his head in what the Warrior of Light perceived to be relief. The young child must have been relying on this being known as Otis for comfort.
Otis' words naturally shocked the party. Soon, he elaborated on his identity in further detail.
"How unexpected," Krile wondered. "If you desire-- and your duty is to protect Queen Sphene, should you not be our enemy?"
"When hearing you speak of the circumstances surrounding Gulool Ja, for a short window, I recalled my final moments deep in the recesses of my mind," Otis explained. "I recalled my very memories being preserved in this piece of metal as a conclusive experimental procedure. I was to serve as proof of The Preservation's ability to ensure the immortality of Alexandria's people."
"The Queen Sphene you mentioned… she and her memories are clearly being meddled with. I have spent many years protecting Queen Sphene, and I know her to be a virtuous and kind soul, one that would not tolerate Zoraal Ja's actions."
"I apologize, Gulool Ja," he expressed to his young charge. "I, too, cannot stand aside after learning of Zoraal Ja's past."
"I… I understand." The very reason Gulool Ja had learned to wander Heritage Found while avoiding all danger was Otis' teachings and protection. He carried a deep trust in this odd robotic entity.
With the new members added to the party, Otis came to know of Krile's endeavors, and provided assistance.
"I have a degree of control over the robotic entities. I am not entirely certain as to why, but many of these robotic beings respond to my orders… it's as if they still recognize me as a captain of Alexandria's knights…" Otis explained. "I wonder…"
A possibility came to the Warrior of Light's mind. Perhaps some of these robotic entities might carry imperfect minds from flawed experimentation of the supposed shadowy organization known as The Preservation. The Warrior of Light opted to not express these suspicions to Otis.
Following Krile's mammet sensing device while under Otis' protection, they soon came upon a defunct Sharlyan mammet hidden under a pile of scraps.
"G'raha?" Krile asked.
"Yes, Mistress Baldesion," G'raha Tia quipped as he pulled out a spare energy core for the Sharlayan mammet.
A bit of fiddling, and the mammet came to life.
"I was assigned the task of investigating the reason for the connection between the 'Golden City' and our world by Galuf Baldesion. My trail led me to this ruined castle town, supposedly a bustling place prior to what the Alexandrians deemed as their 'final' moments."
"Strangely, the other robotic entities here carry partial memories of the 'final' moments. I have come to learn that the Alexandrians carelessly began a war against Lindblum against their Queen's wishes."
"At the time, the group known as The Preservation had already developed much influence, with the support of a tribe of lalafells named the Milalla. In the fragmented memories of the robotic entities, the Milalla had magic and technology that could accomplish wondrous feats-- The Preservation had long informed the population that even the most catastrophic events could be avoided with the Milalla's assistance."
Further data presented itself, providing Krile with a more detailed account of the mammet's investigations.
"My parents… they must have been of the Milalla tribe," Krile concluded.
"Indeed. And yet again, the Preservation's hand can be seen," G'raha Tia noted.
"The Preservation…" Otis tilted his metal head. "The Preservation… I struggle to recall much, other than that their influence in Alexandria was growing. The public certainly felt, at a certain point, that their influence had grown too much. Otherwise… I know for certain it is them who tested my placement in this metal body…"
Apprehension filled the air. The Preservation was increasingly prominent, yet remained behind a veil.
"Lindblum, Alexandria…" Wuk Lamat muttered. "They should not exist here."
Of course, many members of the scion were already quite certain that Alexandria did not belong to the source, and was some shard that had been connected physically through some unseen means.
The Sharlayan mammet began to writhe, its systems short circuiting before their eyes.
"What?!" Otis leapt in fear. "Will this, too, be my end?!"
Krile giggled, amused by Otis' fear.
"Hardly," she eventually reassured Otis after calming herself down. "These mammets are designed to function and recharge on magic, and the lightning aether prevalent in your world has caused permanent problems within the mammet. Your metallic body shows no sign of such malfunctions. Are there any regions that have other collections of… robotic entities such as yourself?"
"Yes!" Otis replied. "Further to the south, there is a region that has been flooded only tens of years ago…"
"Thank you!" Krile curtsied in gratitude.
They would soon reach the flooded region, a ruined residential area at a lower elevation. Krile's mammet sensory device soon began flashing-- its beeping had been disabled by Krile earlier.
They were soon directed to a building by the device. Krile pointed it in various directions, attempting to identify the exact position of the third mammet.
"It seems to be in a basement somewhere underwater," she concluded. How troublesome.
"Do you mind?" The one Krile turned to was, naturally, the Warrior of Light. "You can breathe underwater for perpetuity, right?"
The Warrior of Light could only nod. They determined the location of the basement by exploring the surrounding ruined houses of a past ancient era, and soon found a flooded pathway.
The Warrior of Light, upon diving into said basement, made an astonishing discovery. For the basement turned out to be the base of a secretive operative! There were many hidden mechanisms, fake walls, among other environmental disguises. It was only after some time that the Warrior of Light figured out a path through, surfacing into a secure room that had somehow managed to retain some air.
And there, before the Warrior of Light, were various tools of a spy operative, alongside a broken down Sharlayan mammet.
The Warrior of Light attempted to investigate this secretive room for clues. Unfortunately, too much time had passed, and most of the material in the room had turned into dust. The Warrior of Light could only pick up the mammet and return to the others.
G'raha Tia once again activated the mammet with a spare core.
"Information was received from another mammet regarding The Preservation, and the two lalafells that delivered a child to Galuf Baldesion. Investigation parameters were adjusted to focus on The Preservation's claims of the capability of avoiding all catastrophes."
"My investigation led me to an operative named Fiona, who was happy to have my assistance. In investigating the clues, we discovered the two lalafells to be of the Milalla tribe. Fiona successfully fooled The Preservation and we were able to enter through pathways for critical information."
"We discovered that the Milalla was of the Source, and had entered this shard through interdimensional travel. Fiona, after spending years serving The Preservation with loyalty, eventually infiltrated the highest inner circle. It was then that we came upon a remarkable discovery. The device of said interdimensional travel had somehow fallen into the Milalla's hands, and it carried the symbol of Azem!"
The mammet projected an image of the very device, stunning the Warrior of Light, Krile, and G'raha Tia.
"A device created by the original Azem in an ancient era…" The Warrior of Light was naturally the most shaken one, knowing details that others only had secondhand knowledge of.