The Siege of Evermere: Reunion

While Yuna initiated her mission against the Goddess, Itsuki was busy dealing with his own turmoil. 

The blue flash of light subsided and his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. He was standing in a sleek metallic room straight out of a science fiction movie. It was a small room, but well lit with artificial floor lighting that gave it a futuristic glow. 

The room had only a table and two chairs in it. Both chairs were empty, but there was a man standing behind one of them. He was in his late seventies and was dressed like a scientist. It was completely out of place in the post-apocalyptic world that had lacked much in the way of technology. 

That was not Itsuki's primary focus, though. As soon as they made eye contact and Itsuki registered his facial features, everything else went out the window. 

"No way..."

Tears immediately began streaming down his face as Itsuki resisted the urge to burst into full-on crying. He had suspected this would be the outcome - it had been obvious ever since the first Directive soldier spoke to him. 

-- The Truth will set you free...

Shin met his gaze with a gentle smile. 

"It's great to see you, Itsuki. It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

He didn't have a chance to say much beyond that. Itsuki barreled over the table and ran right into Shin with a tight embrace. Shin was startled by the sudden intensity, but couldn't help but chuckle. 

"I suppose that's always been your method," Shin reminisced aloud. "When your emotions flare up, you always get just a bit jumpy..."

"I'm so sorry!" Itsuki wailed, gripping Shin tighter. "I wasn't here for you! Years of your life - decades - with no family by your side! What kind of horrible older brother does that?!"

"That seems a bit silly, don't you think?" Shin questioned with a laugh. "You had no control over your time of arrival. With how vast the Fallen Lands are, I'd actually say it was impressive how fast you got here..."

"That wasn't my doing, though," Itsuki admitted. "You found me, and you came up with a plan to get me here to safety..."

"To safety, huh?" Shin pondered. "That's a curious way to have phrased that..."

"What do you mean?"

Shin - gently but firmly - pulled Itsuki off of him to meet his gaze. It wasn't as if he wasn't happy about the interaction - it was the first time seeing his brother in over half of a century. 

But time was short, and the attack on Evermere was raging on. 

"When Yuna first arrived here, she was much more cautious and had the impression we were the enemy," Shin explained. "Yet you showed up here assuming you'd find allies and safety. While I'm thankful you have given me that trust, I have to wonder what changed? Yuna surely didn't have time to explain everything to you during your escape..."

"Perceptive, as expected," Itsuki chuckled. "It's true - things have changed. After Yuna departed, I managed to break into the forbidden section of Evermere's Archives. While there, I was able to learn quite a bit about the reality of what was going on..."

"Interesting. I'm surprised the Goddess didn't retaliate with hostility."

"I think she likely would have," itsuki admitted. "That being said, she didn't find out I was there until the Cataclysm began in earnest, so she had to choose which battle to focus on. Granted, she was about to lob off my head just before Yuna arrived..."

"At least luck is on our side, then - for the moment."

Shin stood there and began digging deep into his thoughts. It was almost a terrifying thing to witness. Even as a kid, he had always had a habit of getting very focused when he was calculating how to approach a challenge. Whether it be a game or a homework quiz. 

This, though, was not the same as when Shin was a child. He had decades of intellect and experience behind him now. What was once an almost-cute quirk now felt very intimidating. 

Itsuki didn't expect Shin to be the same kid he was after spending so many years here in the Fallen Lands. Even still, such a change was hard for him to digest. 

"Let's not waste too much time, then," Shin finally came back to life. "Come with me, Itsuki."

Without another word, he turned and opened the door behind his chair. It opened into a futuristic-looking teleportation pad. He gestured for Itsuki to follow him in. 

The door closed behind both of them and the device whirred to life. Another blue flash of light covered his vision, and he felt a slight tug as he was transported from one part of the facility to another. 

A vastly larger part. 

They stood at the center of a gigantic atrium that rose several stories high and was filled to the brim with hydroponic plants and gardens. It was a circular chamber that had to be at least a few hundred yards in diameter. Futuristic doors lined the walls, that appeared to lead off to different areas of the facility. 

Not only that, but this place was populated. He could see several dozen people just working the gardens alone. Not to mention several others that just seemed to be passing through on their way to another destination. 

"It's insane," Itsuki commented aloud. "It's like something out of a video game."

"This particular room is known as the Ark," Shin commented. "it's the most central location in terms of how the facility is mapped out. It provides food for the Directive, which houses a population that is likely twice that of Evermere..."

"Twice?! That's incredible! How has this not been discovered or destroyed by a Cataclysm?"

"A fantastic observation," Shin noted. "The key is building underground. Specifically, under areas where settlements or towns exist directly above our heads. Cataclysms tend to happen randomly in areas with larger population, so by building facilities directly underneath those towns..."

"You effectively blend in," Itsuki surmised. "If the Cataclysm 'starts' from the sky, then it will rampage above rather than realizing you all are down here..."

"That's effectively the strategy," Shin admitted. "We have to be careful that we never have a facility that's too large in comparison to the settlement standing above, otherwise we end up vulnerable. As such, we are spread very wide across the Fallen Lands and use teleportation to link things up."

"So that's why you're so hard to find - because you really aren't 'located' in one specific place."

"I knew you'd catch on quick!"

Shin chuckled with his statement. For a brief moment in his laugh, Itsuki could hear the younger version of Shin coming through - despite his decades of change. It was bittersweet - but not something that Itsuki could brood on given their circumstances. 

"The real question I have," Itsuki continued, "is how? I'm not sure if you've been out there, but the Fallen Lands is an absolute nightmare. How could something like this have been built?"

"A loaded question which will, unfortunately, take too long to answer," Shin admitted. "Fortunately, I have a solution. "

Shin immediately pressed a couple of buttons on the teleportation pad, and it began to whir back to life.

"If we were planning to go someplace else first, why didn't we just teleport directly there? Were you just trying to show off your giant vegetable stash?"

"Never transport directly from your starting point to your destination," Shin declared. "Circle about and take detours. It may make the journey lengthier, but it's a natural protection against detection from those above."

Seemed a bit excessive - Itsuki hadn't seen anything above that had the capacity to detect them. Even Evermere hadn't been able to pinpoint their location. 

That being said, Itsuki was only familiar with a tiny fraction of what the Fallen Lands had to offer in terms of adversaries. 

A few more moments later - they reached their destination. A lavish office-like room with a large desk and several filled bookcases. 

"Your office, I presume?"

"One of many," Shin admitted. "Can't be too careful, you know?"

He ushered for Itsuki to sit in the chair across from his. While Itsuki did so, Shin switfly moved to one bookcase, pulling out a small handful of large books. 

"Yuna informed me of your power while she was here. Quite convenient - all things considered. Why spend hours explaining everything when we can just do it this way?"

After a minute, he placed several books on the desk directly in front of Itsuki. 

"Have your way with it," Shin instructed him, sitting in his own chair. "Once you're done, I'll answer any remaining questions you have."

Itsuki nodded in acknowledge, and swallowed his swelling anxiety. The last time he had absorbed knowledge out of important books, it had rocked his world. There was no going back once he initiated the knowledge transfer...

He shook his head to clear his mind. There was no time for this. 

"Alright, then. Let's learn about this Directive of yours..."