Mathis, Guardian of Alrest

The boat rocked back and forth, slowly pushing and pulling along with the waves. The ancient warrior, Mathis, was taking a short leave from Silver Wolf to check on his homeland of Alrest, though he had promised to bring some items back from Alrest for research purposes, as opposed to simple souvenirs. Alrest had many such items to bring back, so it was no issue for Mathis in the slightest.

His reason for return, however, was not homesickess. He had spent too many years away from Alrest to even get homesickness. His travels had led him far and wide across the world, and never once did he truly have naught but yearning for his homeland. Alrest was a fine place. The beauty the archipelago had was never lost on him. Rather, his return was nothing more than a checkup on the state of the lands he hailed from and he had been revered as a protector to. It was his duty - his obligation - to ensure that war was not to ensue. Several of the island nations had been brewing the beginnings of a war since his last visit, or so he heard, and Mathis wished to ensure that they had not broken into a war, as it would surely spell the pointless end of one of the nations, whether by the hands of the other or by the swift judgement blade of Monado. The peace was to be ensured, certainly, but of note was the confrontation of whomever had given the AI for Poppi. Her actions were strange, certainly, though her combat was top of the line. Mathis wished to see what the seller had to say for himself about the matter.

Sitting in his reserved cabin, Mathis quietly read to himself a book: The Elysium Wars. The book claimed to be an account of the titular war from many years hence, but it, in truth, was a basic telling of the myths surrounding the affair. The noble Driver King Langbalt of Torna, leading his people against the rebelling people of Alrest, only to fall in battle, entrusting the fabled Sword of Alrest, Monado, to his Blade, Mathis. While it was true that during this war, Mathis acquired Monado, the claim of Langbalt being his Driver was not as much. Mathis had already transformed into his...unique situation by this point, but it was not for them to know. They claimed that Monado made Mathis a Blade without a Driver, that Monado was the Driver, but...

He let the legend persist. It would be easier on the hearts and minds of his people if they did not know the truth. How he had broken a taboo amongst Blades. How he was no longer a real Blade.

"Master has been very silent about his past," Poppi spoke up, rising from her armchair in the corner of the room. "All Poppi knows is that Master is a Blade, yet not a Blade, and that Master has lived for many years. Poppi wishes to know all about Master!"

Mathis looked up from his book. "I suppose there is little harm in telling you, Poppi. Just ensure that, under no circumstances, is this story to be told to others unless I explicitly permit it. That is a direct order."

Poppi saluted. "Poppi is ready to hear all about history of Master!"

Mathis smirked. Poppi truly was like a little child. "Very well. The first thing that is needed to be mentioned is that, while I am now more than a Blade, I once was an average Blade. I had a Driver. When the Driver died, I would return to a Core Crystal. Each time I turned into a Core Crystal, I would lose all my memories, being left with nothing but a basic personality and a weapon. Before I had Monado, my weapon was a katana. The same silver katana that Monado turns into on occasion. Perhaps Monado senses the connection to it and makes its ultimate form into that, I cannot say. It is no matter. I cannot remember the exact date, but several thousand years ago, I had a Driver. Her name was Lorelai. She had, in a fit of desperate fear, accidentally awakened me from a Core Crystal she had found washed up on a beach, thinking that it was nothing more than a fancy-looking gem. Before even getting to introductions, I was thrust into a battle with a few ragtag bandit wannabes. They stood little chance at defeating a Blade. They were simple farm folk, unable to resonate with a Blade, and thus they were weak. Then, I got to know Lorelai.

She was the kindest woman I had ever met, and still the kindest to this day. She always had a smile on her face, even through the toughest times. No matter what, she was smiling. Whether it was in combat, or simply at rest, there was never a time in which she feared her lot in life. Though she had resonated with my Crystal at a young age, she never changed, even as she grew older. She always kept a bright look on life. There was never an exception. As hard as I am sure you think it to be believed, I, back then, was much more stern and serious. I rarely smiled, nor did I ever bear emotions, truly. Lorelai changed that. Her smiles, in time, wore me down to begin to smile myself, and she finally made me into a...perhaps passable human.

Then, ten years after I had become her Blade, the Elysium Wars started. She was roped into the war as a member of a local militia in her home island. Even when she signed up, she looked ecstatic for the opportunity. Within no time, thanks to her natural charisma and leadership, she became an officer. Of course, her being a Driver helped, and I was considered strong, even by Blade standards.

A full year of warring passed before we were betrayed. A group that we thought were deserters assailed our squadron. We tried to fight them off as much as possible, and though we eventually succeeded, we were not without our losses. Lorelai did not take this well. She had felt as though those brave men and women died at her hand. She was their commander, and she failed to protect them. We did not even have the time to fully recover before we learned the truth. A holy order had orchestrated the entire war. We were already weak, demolished by the loss of life in our previous attack. We stood no chance. If only barely, I had managed to convince Lorelai to flee. It took many good men and women alongside me to convince her to escape, but we finally did. Though, it was not without its consequences.

Lorelai was shot. A sniper from this holy order had fired a round into the back of her neck while we fled. I did my best to keep her from dying, finding a suitable place out of the way. She knew she could not survive such a wound. In her last breaths, she told me of something that could at least spare me. A ritual she had read about in one of her books. She sure loved to read, that one. We both knew she was going to die anyways, so I attempted it all the same. And it worked. Her human blood and heart fused with my Core Crystal. That is why, when I say I am not a true Blade, I mean it. I am a Flesh Eater, as she called it. It was then that I began to wear the mask. She had always kept it around, said that it was a keepsake from her father. It was the least I could do in remembrance of her name."

Poppi tilted her head, much as a dog would do, in confusion. "So...Master is part human? And this Lorelai is still alive?"

Mathis smirked. "If only she were still alive. No. She is dead. And...I am not truly part human. I am still fully a Blade, yet I am a different type of Blade. But the story does not end there. Before the betrayal, I worked alongside the rebels. I assisted them, as many did, against the tyrannical King Langbalt. But after seeing that this holy order was behind it all, manipulating the masses into a war that would cost thousands of lives, I could not help them. I turned my attention to serving Torna. Langbalt accepted me with open arms, and, to keep the truth away from his people, claimed I had resonated with him as Driver and Blade. He certainly used the rhetoric that the holy order had betrayed the people as a means to keep morale high, though he feared letting the knowledge of my true being a secret. I was immediately appointed as a commander, and I was sent immediately on a mission to destroy a convoy of the holy order.

The holy order was worse than I had thought. I had merely thought them as liars and traitors, people willing to claim the lives of others to improve their own lot in life. This was not merely the case. As I raided their convoy, I saw the truth of the matter. While much of my army engaged the ships and people surrounding the primary vessel, I boarded it alone. I was more than capable of handling them by myself, and I found the truth of them causing the war. There, I saw thousands, tens of thousands...Core Crystals. Everywhere. They started this war to get their hands on all the Core Crystals they could possibly have. I found out that they wished to monopolize the entire industry of Drivers for their own gain. Drivers are the most powerful people in Alrest, you see. The people of Alrest cannot bear magic, like the people of Fiore can. The most they can get is resonance with a Blade. So, if you control the Drivers, you control Alrest. That is what they wished to plan. Bearing in mind the consequences of my actions, I took as many of the Crystals as I could and I found out that, despite being a Blade, I, too, could resonate with other Blades. I had become both Blade and Driver. I searched through the entire cargo, seeing if I could find any Blades that were particularly powerful, ones that I could not risk letting get to the wrong hands. Those are the Blades I summon now. The Aegises were the first priority to find. They were the true jewels of Alrest, and I suspect the reason the holy order wished war against Torna. Torna held both Aegises. Malos was a crown jewel, while Pyra and Mythra were the same being that was passed down from King to King, with Langbalt being their driver. As soon as I figured this out, despite the possibility that it may cause me to be an enemy of all of Alrest, I snatched Malos's Core Crystal from the Crown of Torna.

Langbalt, despite his tyrannical reign, was a smart man. He knew within an instant everything that I had figured out just from my action of stealing Malos's Core Crystal after raiding the convoy. He was accepting of it, and wished for me to keep it away from the holy order. I had fully planned to. The war continued. I continued to be assigned to convoy raids, and each one bore more and more crystals. The rebels seemed to catch on to our plan quickly, as they noticed an increase in Drivers despite our lessening numbers. They began sending fake convoys, or heavily guarding them, or both. Soon enough, it was too big of a loss to send entire squadrons at these convoys, and my talents would be lost going after a fake convoy, so we ceased the plan.

Three years, to the day, after the war began, the rebels began their final assault on Torna. The island was littered with fortresses and military engagements. I fought on the front lines constantly. I was the strongest fighter that Torna had. I had no Driver, yet I was a Blade with plenty of experience on my own, fighting constantly, plus I had naturally been a strong Blade anyways. Even as the rebels advanced further and further into Torna, I fought them off. Deep within the heart of Torna, Auresco, lay the Temple of Zanza, where the ancient blade Monado slept. None were able to remove the blade from the confines of its cursed shackles. Langbalt had a number of reasons for fighting there. It was an easy location to defend. The steps slowed enemy movement, and the consistent high ground left our archers and gunmen ample advantage to work. Yet, most importantly of all, was that he had hoped and desired that Monado would have its shackled released in such a dire moment, and that removing Monado from its sealing would hinder the morale of the enemy. I was to slow them down as they prepared their final stand, as they knew in their hearts they could not win without Auresco falling and laying their hopes and dreams of the future into the hands of a risky gambit. Just as we had both predicted, as soon as the holy order stepped foot into the city, they ordered the arrest of all that bore Core Crystals. They claimed it to be a way to prevent more deaths from new Drivers appearing in the world, yet it was not too longer after that I found out the truth of the matter, though knowing what we knew, both Langbalt and I knew that they were executing these people for their Core Crystals if they would not comply and hand them over. Six minutes after I had stepped foot into Auresco and fled to the Temple of Zanza, the city was ablaze. Though the holy order certainly planned this, it was not their fault, for once. A careless man of Uraya and his Blade had set a single house alight in a looting attempt, and the fire quickly spread. As the steps of Zanza became slick with blood, a raging fire bellowed below: a war above the sea of fire. The Temple was not so tall as to pierce the heavens, but it was certainly large enough to be able to sink into a world of thinking that the world revolved around it; the entire, burning world. I fought my damndest to keep the gambit alive, but they simply had more numbers. There was another Blade I fought, by the name of KOS-MOS, who had Driver of Royal Ardanian descent. Me and her clashed, and it was a tough fight. She was a powerful Blade as well, though our battle ended when a lucky shot from one of our snipers pierced the heart of her Driver. I abandoned the fight for the briefest of moments to gather her Core Crystal, returning only to come across another strong Blade in Zenobia. I struck her Driver down myself and retrieved the Core Crystal. I could not fathom to think what the enemy thought of my actions. This crazed, emotionless Blade, cutting down Blade, Driver, and soldier alike and gathering Core Crystals? It was certainly a strange sight to behold.

Eventually, we came to the Dais of Monado, the peak of the Temple. All that was left was me, Langbalt, and the Holy Guard. Though we were only six strong, the Dais provided a terrific place to fight, and all of us had immense power. I still fought alone, so as not to let the holy order know I could resonate with Blades as a Driver, yet all of the Holy Guard and Langbalt were great fighters. Though the years had made him complacent and tyrannical, Langbalt was a warrior to his core, and this war prepared him for it. He could dash through the fields of enemies, wielding the Aegis Sword alongside Mythra and Pyra, who danced between forms and cut down so many foes. Curros, the youngest of the Guard and the newest appointed, master of the spear and the Blade Patroka. He was a sprightly young lad, barely an adult. He had turned fifteen just before the war started, yet he was a prodigy beyond his years. Agrena, the lady of destruction. She was an experience member of the Holy Guard, and her great shot led her and Herald along as a fine commander in the attack force the army provided. Cushah, the Marquis of Relief. He was a nobleman from Torna's city of Cuoresco, yet he abandoned his birthright to join the guard. He was a strong grappler and brawler, yet he had a kind heart and alongside Ursula provided respite to anyone and kept us all alive for such a long time. Finally, King Langbalt's daughter, Lucy. She reminded me of Lorelai, and I am sure the two would have been friends. Kind, yet possessing an air of authority befitting a princess. She wielded whip swords, the likes I had not seen myself. They were custom made for her, so I had heard, and she wielded them well alongside Brighid, another royal heirloom. The six of us fought for what seemed like an eternity, cutting down foe after foe. Agrena was the first to fall. Her gun jammed, and she was met with an ax. Not long after, Cushah and Curros died as well. Cushah had failed to parry away a flurry of spear strikes while Curros took an arrow to the chest, still fighting until it finally wore him down. Lucy, Langbalt, and I were the last ones remaining. The three of us knew that we were the last hope for Torna, and we all knew that Lucy and Langbalt's deaths would mark the end of the holy blood of Torna. Langbalt fell first. A sword had pierced his chest, yet he kept fighting, despite the wound. Finally, he ordered me to draw Monado. That was his plan. For me to draw Monado. I did so, in hopes that it would save Lucy, who reminded me so much of Lorelai. I was too late. I drew Monado and slew all who neared me, ensuring I grabbed the second Aegis Crystal before looping to Brighid's.

Then...they disengaged. They had won. I could not lead Torna, so the holy order gave me a 'pardon,' if only because I wielded Monado now. They had also ordered me to hand over the Core Crystals I stole."

Poppi, who was fully engaged in the story, leaped up to her feet. Mathis had not even noticed she had taken a seat on the floor in intent listening. "What did Master say?"

Mathis smiled. "I said, 'You may have the Crystals if you kill me for them.' They refused to press the matter. The holy order was against me, though they listened to my request to rebuild Auresco. Such a beautiful city should not be lost to a war. Over time, I turned from 'the pardoned guard of Alrest' to the Jewel of Alrest. As people died over and over again, they became more fond of me until I became a hero to them. I would be lying if I did not say I enjoyed the love, yet it was not something I felt necessary. I knew the holy order still preyed on the weak. They still held complete control of Drivers. I had to leave. Before I left most recently, however, a fellow by the name of Bana handed me an AI chip. He said..." Mathis sighed as he recalled the exact dialogue the furry puffball used. "...'Guardian man take crystal, meh meh! It help on long journey through world beyond Alrest!' That is how I obtained your AI. Similar situations have happened each time I leave. Someone somewhere would give me an item of great use on my journeys. An AI, armor, machinery to fix my gear...the people of Alrest certainly are kind to their supposed 'Guardian.' I suppose I can be grateful for that."

Poppi smiled. "So Master return to get good gift?"

A smirk rose on Mathis's face. "No, not quite. I am here to keep the peace and check in on my people. We shall not remain for long. I wish to merely investigate the nature of Alrest and to show to Bana what the gift he gave me has done, as I have made a tradition each time I return."

As if perfectly on time, a knock came to the door. "Mister Lora, sir! We've arrived at Port Goetius, Kingdom of Tantal!"

Mathis nodded. "Ah, and I suppose you've figured this out, already, Poppi. Blades do not bear last names, yet I do. Why is that?"

Poppi mulled it over in her head for a moment. "People ask less questions if Master have last name? So, Master take name of Driver for last name, but shorten it?"

Mathis smiled and nodded. At the very least, the AI given to him was a smart and competent one, if not a strange one.