Chapter Text
Despite the hostile silence, Egil stood tall in the center of Junks.
He towered at his full height, tall enough that Shulk had to crane his neck to look up at him. Shulk could see why Egil had been thought of as a leader in his time. He was so commanding, with his chin raised and headdress glowing, it was difficult to look away. It was as if he took up the entire room.
Though he was an ardent child of the Mechonis, Shulk couldn’t help but be reminded of the ether lamps in Satorl Marsh. They were tall, unyielding and bright, impossible not to stare at. Shulk could sense the same resolute certainty in Egil, planted into the ground and unmoving.
Stopping just outside of Junks, the group had agreed that Egil deserved the privacy to address his family on his own, and that the team from the Bionis was better off waiting for him. It would surely be simpler for the two of them and Vanea to sort out. This was a family affair between Egil and his father, after all.
Egil agreed just as Shulk had expected, but what he had not expected was Egil insisting on Shulk’s presence as well. It was with a soft smile and the barest edge of his eyebrow raising that Egil suggested he hold Shulk to his word, and have him stand by Egil’s side.
Shulk wasn’t certain how he of all people could help Egil in this regard. He was a Homs, who hadn’t witnessed Egil and his fathers’ history like they had, and despite his recent success didn’t consider himself much of a negotiator. He was talented with weapons, and machines, but not with words, or with people.
Egil was right, though. Shulk had promised to do whatever he could, and honestly, he would stand by any one of his allies in difficult times. He accepted Egil’s request readily.
As they stood in the still ship, however, Shulk couldn’t help but wonder how Miqol would react. He had ordered Shulk to kill Egil, after all, disgusted with his son’s actions. Would he be happy to see Egil again? Could he forgive his son at all?
If he were in Miqol’s place, Shulk absolutely would. Families should be unbreakable, bound by something deeper than blood. It was the duty of a parent to support their child, to make sure that they weren’t alone.
Miqol’s eyes had locked onto Egil as soon as he entered the ship, and hadn’t left him since. They widened with shock before narrowing to an unreadable gaze that Egil met without faltering even slightly.
Shulk’s heartbeat quickened with anticipation.
Miqol folded his arms, finally speaking in his low voice. “I… was under the impression that we had come to stop you.”
Egil’s jaw set. “You mean kill.”
Shulk winced. There was no way to soften the blow- Egil was correct. It seemed that Miqol agreed, as his sigh was great and shuddering.
“If that was what it took, then yes.”
Egil didn’t seem surprised by the information either, face remaining perfectly controlled.
“I believed myself dedicated to peace.” Egil stood locked in place, eye contact unbreaking. “I thought that it was only possible through the destruction of the Bionis. Shulk showed me otherwise.”
“It seems that we both owe Shulk a great deal of thanks.”
“I owe a great many things to a great many people.” Egil said, noncommittal words paired with a certainty in his eyes- and something that looked much like remorse. Miqol nodded in agreement, and the room returned to the tightly wound silence it had only just escaped.
The two men stared at one another, unbroken, as the navigators in the front of the ship attempted their best to hide their bug-eyed stares. Shulk suddenly felt just as much an accessory as they did, and took the silence as an opportunity to step to Egil’s side.
“I plan on helping Egil repay these debts,” he assured Miqol. “We can have peace at last. I’m not going to let that opportunity go to waste.”
When he looked back to Egil to gauge his reaction, Shulk was struck by the thought that the machina looked grateful. It seemed odd, for someone so composed and certain of himself, but on instinct Shulk offered him a reassuring nod.
“I suppose I may begin here, by apologizing to you.” Egil said, eyes returning to Miqol. “I am sorry, father, for what I have put you and the people of Mechonis through.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “And sister, I am sorry to have involved you in my errors.”
Vanea’s response was immediate, with a shake of her head. “I don’t need an apology. I am only glad that you are safe, brother.”
Shulk felt an undeniable pang at her words. Vanea’s love for Egil was powerful and clear, despite all he had done. It was good that Egil had such strong support. He needed a loving family, now more than ever.
Miqol took longer, shifting over on his seat in deliberation before answering. “…very well then. I accept your apology as well.”
Shulk let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, relief rolling off of him in waves. The support of Egil’s family would help them greatly. Egil’s nod, meanwhile, was curt and professional. It was impressive, how collected he was even now.
“I’ll go let my friends know, then,” Shulk said, but as he turned he felt a hand fall upon his shoulder.
“Shulk.” He heard Egil ask. “If you could accompany me upstairs?”
Shulk blinked, agreeing on instinct. “Oh, yeah. Of course.”
He couldn’t help but wonder why, however. Did Egil wish to speak with him in private? Why?
“I’ll tell everyone else to come in,” Vanea offered, interrupting the questions brimming in Shulk’s head. Egil’s hand lifted from Shulk’s shoulder, and in its absence, Shulk was struck with another deluge of thoughts- it had been warmer than he expected, for metal, with a texture almost leathery- before Egil motioned for Shulk to follow him.
Shulk shook the odd thoughts from his head as he followed Egil up the slope to Junks’ second floor. They hadn’t gone far, however, before they were interrupted.
“Egil?”
Egil paused at Miqol’s voice, stopping like how a rifle ran out of ether cylinders- when the user would click and click the trigger, only for smoke to pour out.
“I… regret giving up on you.” His father rested his face in his hands, clasped over his armrest.
“I believe I am guilty of much the same,” Egil said. Shulk realized, when he turned from Miqol back to Egil, that Egil hadn’t looked back at his father like Shulk had. He simply continued upstairs as the ship was filled with the chatter of Shulk’s friends, and Shulk hurried with him.
“Linada, if I could borrow your medical equipment?” Egil asked, curt and to the point.
The machina in question turned from the medical panel she had been so intensely fixated on, blinking rapidly as her hand froze in place. “Oh- yes.”
She seemed taken aback at seeing Egil, though there was little chance she hadn’t overheard their conversation downstairs.
“Shall- I explain how to use it?” She asked, eyes flicking around the room, as an attempt to keep the conversation.
“That won’t be necessary.” Egil waved a hand towards the medical table, albeit with more grace than Shulk could muster. It seemed clear that he intended for Shulk to lie there, so Shulk obliged, though not without more curiosity.
“What do you plan on doing?” Shulk asked, as he settled back to stare at the lights.
Egil didn’t look up from the panel he was fidgeting with. “I thought I would offer my medical opinion. I am… intimately familiar with Homs biology, after all.”
“Oh.” The face units, of course. “Right.”
“…if you are uncomfortable-“
“No,” Shulk shook his head vehemently. “I trust you, Egil.”
It surprised Shulk how easily he could say it, but Egil simply nodded without comment. The medical equipment hummed and chirped as his nails clicked against the screens, just outside of Shulk’s vision.
It felt surreal being in this close proximity to Egil with no thought of danger, no anticipation or fear, as though he were afloat in a pleasant dream. A part of Shulk still screamed to grab the monado, to defend himself against the metal monster and strike down the man who had ruined his life, but Shulk could silence the voice more easily than ever.
He trusted Egil.
“Do you think it foolish of me?” Shulk asked.
The answer was probably yes as Egil paused, back turned to Shulk.
“I think it kind of you.”
Shulk exhaled, gaze fixed on the ceiling. Dickson would probably say that kindness was a form of foolishness.
It certainly sounded foolish, to trust one’s mortal enemy so deeply. Shulk still hadn’t forgiven Egil for his crimes- for the blood on his hands, and the fear and destruction he had wrought. Yet he felt deeply that despite it all, he could trust Egil. He hadn’t truly meant harm to the peoples of Bionis, and he didn’t hate them either.
He was just the same as Shulk- scared, and angry, and confused, and vengeful. Could Shulk really hate Egil, when he might have done the same in his place?
“It seems that our initial assumptions were correct,” Egil finally sighed, eyes fixed on the tablet in his hands. “Your internal processes all seem typical, save for your ether regulation. It seems that your body was recently overwhelmed with an influx of ether- likely the work of the monado.”
That seemed accurate. Alvis had said that the monado predicted the flow of ether. “Is this the Curse of Zanza?”
“I am not certain.” Egil’s eyes fell to Shulk. “Even now, you retain your sense of self, which is… unusual, for those who bear the curse.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m being injured.” Shulk swung his legs aside, sitting up on the medical table. “Dunban never lost his sense of self either, but he was harmed in the process…”
“It could very well be so.” The medical equipment powered down with droning whirrs, lights dying down at the touch of Egil’s fingertips.
Even though Shulk was hardly a researcher anymore, and was probably in serious danger, he couldn’t help but be fascinated. Despite how badly everyone wanted the sword, how many measures had been constructed to understand it, and all of the legends and prophecies centered around it, it seemed that no one truly understood the monado.
Shulk was jolted as Junks rocked slightly, just as it did every time they made a landing. Air travel was still difficult on the stomachs of the homs, considerably different than the simple movement of automobiles, though Melia had never understood the fuss Reyn made. In Shulk’s case, however, the excitement of flying was enough to quell his nausea, giddy at the thought of the machines powering such a complicated aircraft and how they worked.
Perhaps Egil knew. Shulk made a mental note to ask him, one day.
“You ought to refrain from using the monado for now.” Egil said, turning with an air of finality. Shulk took it as the cue to leave, leaping off the chair to his feet.
“I will, thank you.”
Downstairs, Shulk’s friends were slowly making their way out of the ship and gathering around the Ether Light. It was dark on the fallen arm, and after such an eventful day, everyone was nothing short of exhausted, but that still didn’t stop them from fussing over Shulk.
Shulk could understand their concern- both Dickson and Egil had attempted to kill him, and the betrayal of a man he considered a father hurt too much to think about. Still, Shulk reassured his friends that he was alright, and all they could do now was imprison Dickson and get some sleep.
There wasn’t much resistance to his suggestions. Reyn and Dunban carried Dickson to the ether exhaust system, with Sharla following as their resident medical expert, Melia bade Shulk a good night, and Vanea walked off in the direction of her home, after a few last words with Egil.
Just as Shulk prepared to leave for his room, a small voice sounded at his side.
“If Shulk want to talk about Shulk’s dadapon, Riki here to listen!”
Shulk looked down to see Riki himself, and couldn’t help but smile. He knew that the offer was open for all of his friends, but hearing it from Riki was a relief all the same. He certainly didn’t look like it, but the fuzzy little nopon was quite the comfort.
Shulk crouched down. “I’ll keep that in mind, Riki. Thank you.”
Riki’s eyebrows knit. “Shulk and Riki family.”
“Yes, we are Riki.” Shulk remembered that day on the Fallen Arm well. Hearing that Riki would take him in was one of the happiest days of his life, up with the day they got Fiora back, and perhaps today, too, considering their success with Egil.
Perhaps it had been a bittersweet day.
“Riki help Shulk if Shulk need it.” Riki said with a decisive nod, and Shulk reassured him that yes, he would absolutely seek Riki’s help if he wanted to talk about it.
He didn’t know when he would be ready to, but he trusted Riki all the same. Despite his appearances, he truly was a good listener.
Satisfied, Riki shuffled away, and the other person lingering near Shulk stepped forwards.
“Yes, I’m sure I’m alright,” Shulk sighed as Fiora made her way to his side. “What about you, though?”
“I’m fine.” She laughed. “I won’t keep you long. Meyneth wanted me to pass a message along to you.”
Shulk’s eyebrows raised. He didn’t often hear from Meyneth. “Yeah?”
“She says… thank you.” Fiora placed a hand on her chest, over the emblem where Meyneth dwelled. “She’s very grateful that you were able to help Egil.”
“I am too.” Shulk said. He understood her feelings exactly- that grateful felt like an understatement, considering how impossible their goal had seemed. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”
Speaking of Egil… Shulk craned his neck. Was that him, sitting on the island just off the town?
“Goodnight, Shulk!” Fiora waved.
“Goodnight too, Fiora,” Shulk said, feeling less tired all of a sudden.
He had spoken to Egil many times today, but there was still a novelty to it. Seeing a man Shulk had only ever seen vengeful and angry with casual thoughts and emotions felt wholly unnatural, yet right. Shulk wanted to know more about him- about his work, and his life, and his ambitions. Egil was exciting to talk to.
After making his way through the village, Shulk balanced carefully on the pipe leading off to the secluded island. As he got closer, it became more apparent that it was Egil sitting there, with the low light of the machina village and stars glinting off his metallic plating.
“Did you know?” Shulk asked.
Egil looked up, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“That your father had ordered me to kill you,” Shulk clarified.
“He ordered you to do it?”
“I wield the monado.”
Egil’s sigh was more reserved than sad, despite the circumstances. “I had… assumed it was his decision after failing to convince me otherwise, yes.”
Shulk scuffed his shoe along the grass. He wasn’t sure what to say next.
“Dickson was sort of like a father to me,” he finally decided.
Egil’s frown relaxed as his eyes moved to Shulk. “Shulk… you do not have to discuss this matter with me. I am in no need of comfort.”
Shulk looked up to meet his gaze. “Is that really true?”
“I committed every act with full knowledge of the consequences. It is for that I must atone.”
It was a simple way of looking at things, but perhaps that was what Egil needed.
Shulk sat down beside Egil, on the circular offshoot of the pipe. “You don’t have to do it alone, though.”
Egil’s smile was misshapen. “You hardly share in my crimes.”
“But I know what it feels like, to want nothing more than revenge.” Shulk rested his chin in his hands, leaning forwards. “Trying to make them pay, no matter what… you need friends now more than ever.”
“Focus on the living…” Egil mused, leaning backwards onto his splayed hands. “That is what Vanea told me.”
“It’s all we can do.”
Egil’s smile was back. “As… friends.”
“Well, we are!” Shulk said empathetically. He hoped he hadn’t misstepped. “At least, I would consider us to be!”
“Then we are.” Amused like this was the closest Egil ever seemed to content.
He seemed nothing like the merciless dictator Shulk had met so long ago, now sitting in the low light of Machina Village at night. He was only a man, just as much as Shulk or any of the others were.
“I should apologize to you, Shulk,” Egil said. His eyes were unfocused, distant. “It was my actions which caused you to feel such pain.”
“No, I don’t need it.”
Shulk laid himself backwards onto the platform, staring up at the sky. He had watched these stars for so many nights, laying awake consumed by fear and wondering if he and his friends would live to see the next night.
“Don’t apologize to me until we have peace.” Shulk said. “That’s when I’ll accept it.”
He heard Egil chuckle. “As you wish. I shall await that day eagerly.”
It was strangely comfortable to sit there in silence, so near Egil and yet not afraid at all. Despite his love of machines, Shulk had never had the opportunity to appreciate the craftsmanship in Egil’s metallic clothing and face. His headdress glowed a soft orange, despite the darkness, like the stars come unfathomably close.
How could metal be so soft and expressive? It was beautiful and intriguing all at once, to watch his expressions change.
“Perhaps you should go to sleep,” Egil suggested suddenly. Shulk blinked.
“Huh?”
“You have been staring,” he said kindly, and Shulk felt himself blush despite himself. It wasn’t like that.
“Oh, right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Must be tired…”
“Good night.” Egil looked back over the water.
“You aren’t going to bed yet?”
“No. I must… order my thoughts.”
Shulk nodded. He knew what Egil meant. He’d had sleepless nights like that, himself. “Goodnight, Egil.”
Tonight, however, Shulk was nothing more than exhausted. Between the battles, and convincing Egil to stand down, and the new, tense peace between them, Shulk had spent the entire day consumed only by stress. He was looking forwards to getting some rest at last.
It was just by his room’s entrance, however, that Shulk saw a flash of movement up by the city entrance. Reaching back to make sure the monado was still strapped to his back, he approached with caution.
He recognized the figure as soon as he reached the entrance.
“Alvis?” Shulk stepped forwards, gingerly. It wasn’t odd to see Alvis on his own, but it had been such a bizarre day. He didn’t know what to expect anymore. “What are you doing here?”
Last he had seen Alvis, he was waiting just outside of the Mechonis Core. He had promised they would speak again afterwards, but Shulk hadn’t seen him since. How did he get here?
Alvis’ expression turned serious, and Shulk knew then that he wasn’t going to answer his question.
“The passage of fate has been disrupted.” Alvis explained. “This world lies out of balance.”
Shulk knew exactly what he meant. “I feel it too. Something within me is… not right.”
Alvis nodded with that knowing smile, and Shulk had the none too uncommon feeling that he knew something Shulk didn’t.
“You are on your own now, Shulk.” Alvis said, his back turning to face Shulk.
Despite how vague Alvis’ words were, Shulk felt their weight all the same. “I… understand.”
“I will speak to you again when the time is right.” Alvis walked away, holding his hand in the air.
Shulk wasn’t ever sure what Alvis was talking about, or how he saw so much. He trusted him, though. If Alvis wished to warn him, he would take it to heart.
“Oh, and Shulk?”
Shulk’s head snapped up to see Alvis look back at him.
“Good luck,” he said, as he disappeared in a flash of green light.
Ordinarily Shulk might have been impressed and curious after witnessing such a feat, but this time, he was deep in thought. Despite Egil’s surrender, and the promise of peace it brough with it, Alvis’ words only reinforced a thought that had been impossible to shake from Shulk’s mind.
This wasn’t over yet.