Notes- Happy seventh birthday, Kohma! And here we go, the one piece I was trying to figure out to explain how Zeta fit into the timeline. Kohma: Zeta is the fifth saga in the timeline.

Kohma is copyright Mamba Studios. Do not redistribute or claim as your own.



"Alarice." The name came to her ears as foreign. "Alarice, wake up."

Her struggle to hear was matched by her fatigue and blurred vision- And her pain. Something had happened to her, and it hadn't left much room to debate risks, either. She had to fall back, or face her end. Trouble was, she was unable to do so- And unable to carry herself. She seemed dead, for certain- Lying still as could be, eyes barely open and glassed over, the pungent stench of blood coming to her. A metallic, unpleasant taste in her mouth confirmed the source of the final note, and upon further struggle to hear, she did pick out the voice calling.

"Alarice!"

That was definitely Lin. His voice was unmistakable- if not for its tone than for its ability to pierce her ears. What had happened? She would not know- And neither will we, because she blacked out.

Her eyes drifted open slowly, catching the sun against them. The smell was gone, and her hearing was doing slightly better, but she was staring into the sky- Endless blue, making testing her sight hard. There was only the sound of a slow, deliberate step to alert her that things were happening around her. Closer it came, and she tensed- She felt better now, save the throbbing in her side, but her nerves still caught her better judgment.

"Is she going to make it?" she heard.

"Yes, but..." the second voice stopped. "I'm not sure if she'll wake up."

"She has to. We have too much riding on this job."

"I know, but brother-"

"I'll drench her in freezing water if I have to! We need her awake, dammit!"

"Lin..." Alarice spoke. Her voice did waver as she had thought it would. A clear, feminine tone with a below typical pitch.

"About time!" Lin replied.

"Lyn, please... Hit your brother for me..."

She did so.

"What... Happened?" asked Alarice, struggling to sit up.

"Well, we were attacked by some... Snake thing. It was huge- Bigger than anything I'd ever seen alive. It had feathers, but no wings, and it kind of resembled those bird things they kept telling us about on the Nova." Lin trailed off his thoughts, momentarily pausing to offer a hand to her comrade. "Here, sit up."

"And... Zeta team?" she replied, reaching and failing once before managing to grasp Lin's hand. "How is Lucya? Daedra?"

"No sign of them." Lyn chimed in. "We were scattered upon landing. The crash site is none the prettier either... To be honest, I'm impressed we even survived the landing." she chuckled under her breath, kicking at the dirt below them. "If this is the best they could do for entry, I don't even want to think about getting home."

"Here here." Alarice sighed. "How's my Exo?"

"Full power." Lin shrugged. "Can't say the same for your bones though. I think you broke your hip." he shook his head. "We're lucky the damn wind rifles did anything. One wrong move and that... Thing would have been the only thing we saw here."

"Okay, so first impression of this world? Not good." Alarice took a gasp as she pushed herself up, the pain causing her to stumble while doing so. Eventually, she settled on leaning against something nearby for support- Something she confirmed was a tree. "This is Null huh? Ridiculous jungles, giant snakes, and heavy oxygen? How do you guys plan on surviving the full fourteen days?"

"Finding something edible and staying the Hell underground." replied Lyn. "I'm going to scout ahead a bit. Stay within range of my radar, got it?"

"Got it." Said Alarice and Lin in unison.

"While she does that... We should try and contact the other two." Alarice flicked down the visor to her suit and saw her HUD come up, as normally as it would have otherwise. The names and relative locations of her allies displayed against a small radar in the top left of it, while the bottom left displayed the temperature and oxygen levels. The suit was a form-fitting white with scattered, glowing blues that emphasized where her muscles would be separated, and black lining on the insides of all her movable joints, such as her inner thighs and the back of her knees, and her elbows. The suit climbed up until it reached her neck. Her headpiece was a mix between headphones and helmet- the earpieces exposed her ears, but wrapped around them, and attached to a band atop her head. Her visor connected like glasses to those earpieces, able to move it atop her head or into her face where it would lock into some grooves on the top of her gas mask. Two black tubes went from either side of the gas mask and over her shoulders, then down into the back of the suit against where wings would go, and that gas mask completed the headpiece. A small clip between the tubes for her weaponry, as well as a few pouches on a belt for any other supplies stood out against her otherwise nearly skintight outfit, especially since they were blackened.

Lyn, Lin, and the rest of Zeta team sported similar suits.

On the right side of the HUD, a face popped up- Lyn's face. It was as if they were talking through a webcam, but clearer.

"You're not gonna believe this... There's a huge view from here, and I see some structures down the cliff- definitely man made! This place has human life!"

"No kidding?" Lin remarked. "How far out?"

"Not even ten minutes walking! I'm surprised nobody came up to see us!"

"Good. Maybe they're friendly. If not, what do we do?" Alarice snapped in.

"We defend ourselves." Lin said smugly. "Besides, on this rock? Probably pretty uncivilized people."

"We'll see." Lyn announced. "I'm coming back. We should stay together in case more of those... Snake things are out there."

It didn't take long for Lyn to return, and even less time to pack up what they needed from the temporary camp- Something Alarice felt guilty over having to create, considering it was for her safety. The three of them really were a sight to see in these lands- Futuristic looking for the environment they were in, one with shimmering blue hair, the others an elegant blonde. Twins, Lin and Lyn, and the odd one out, Alarice- To their knowledge, the only surviving members of Zeta team- A team sent to Null planet to study it, in hopes of re-establishing society on its surface and finally leaving the space station.

There wasn't another word spoken among the group as they carried on- the twins carrying Alarice in their arms at a slow pace. Lyn was spot on with the time though- Apparently she factored carrying Alarice into her calculation for time it would take. As they arrived at the new area, they were greeted by structures made of wood, stone, and glass- Not good glass either. This is the glass that a person could punch through without breaking a sweat. The streets were a cobbled stony, flat surface, and some of them seemed overgrown from underneath. The civilians, while giving the trio some very odd looks, were by themselves not too different. Slightly taller by a noticeable margin though. The tallest of their group was a head shorter than the smallest person they encountered. All of them seemed dirty, but not too badly- It was a one day dirty, at best. If that gave them any clues, it was that the day was close to over and their little entourage had taken a considerable amount of time to heal Alarice.

"H-hello" spoke Lyn. What she received was a language she had never heard before, followed by a few motions. Suddenly, more people came to greet them- With steel in hand.

"S-so... What was that about defeinding ourselves?" said Alarice, feeling herself slowly lower to the ground.

"Hang on." Lin took point, stepping toward the strange people. "These guys have some sheet metal converted into a melee weapon. This stuff couldn't cut the exos, not without a lot of force." His bravado was complimented by his smug expression. "Best we try to communicate anyway. I'm not really in the mood to deal with some cavemen and their toys."

One of the men stepped forward from the group, and bowed his head. He had black hair, and deep red skin as if he had been in the sun for a long time. His ears were pointed and his eyes relaxed themselves in diagonals, against his face, almost as if he looked perpetually tired. He didn't speak, rather, he drew in the ground below him- A rather odd but admittedly effective way of conveying information. What the twins saw was a symbol that looked like a cross with some hooks extended out of the bottom of it, both of which hooked upward. The man then spoke, but the only thing he managed to say that the trio understood was the word "Nova."

"Nova. That's where we're from!" Lyn said excitedly. She quickly realized her mistake however, and also began to draw. She drew the symbol of the Nova- A serpentine figure which began and ended at the same location, but which shaped a doubled circle. The man in question seemed to recognize the symbol, and urged the townsfolk to bow as well. After only minutes, they all stood again and eagerly went back to their daily activities- Cutting wood, painting, baking, it was all visible. The one man stayed, and beckoned them to follow. As they had little idea of what was happening and less of a choice due to medical restriction, the twins picked Alarice up again and followed. They were lead past the cobbled homes, down a paved road that resembled brick- All things that the three of them had never seen before. Then again, the three of them had never seen most of the things they were seeing now except from storybooks and crude drawings- None of which ever depicted the giant snakes.

When the man stopped, he knocked on a wooden door before him. It took only a second to be greeted by one of the women from the earlier mob, this time bearing a table with wheels on it. She had the same unnatural hair color as her apparent patient, Alarice, but it was short and boyish. Her physique indicated she was probably somewhat stronger than the general rabble, and her height would have to back that up, as she was at least a full head taller than the man she was with- Who was already pretty tall to begin with. The man gestured for them to place Alarice atop the table, and to her surprise, it was comfortable- Like a cloth lining had been layered atop it. She was wheeled back into the building, now an apparent doctor's office, and the entire ensemble was welcomed in as well. At the slightest sign of trouble, they did have their rifles on them- A recent yet effective device, which concentrated the wind around it into a superheated wave.

"So... Are you guys sure this is the best option?" asked Lyn.

"More like the only one." Lin said with a sigh. "We're dead meat if more of those snakes come at us, and these people are the closest thing we have to refuge right now. Besides, they apparently know about Nova. That means maybe they know more. Don't you think we should dig?"

"I'm kind of not moving, so I don't see how I'm even going to put up a stink about it." the incapacitated Alarice replied. The woman who was apparently the doctor urged Alarice to stay still, and then she got on her knees beside the table. It was at this point that the twins noticed a chalk circle outlining the spot the table was, and that the circle was now starting to glow. The woman began speaking again, this time slowly and quietly, before the glow from the circle came to her hands. It was an eerie pink glow, and it seemed to then flow into her hands again and fade. The man they were with seemed unphased by this, while the twins watched on in awe as the woman placed one hand atop Alarice's head, and another on her ankle. She ran both hands along the entire length of the bluenette's body, meeting at the hip that was injured, and the pink glow came back- This time it was Alarice's entire body. The glow seemed to trail the woman's hands, and then it faded into Alarice's hip after a few minutes.

"What in the..." Lin shook his head. "I'm hallucinating right? That or these people have some tech we should get our hands on."

"Afraid not. That was no tech I'd ever seen. Ally... You okay?" Lyn asked.

"Numb... Completely. And slightly creeped out. Otherwise, I'm okay. Not going to risk standing just yet, but I think I know what's going on here." she said, her voice a tad stronger than before. "What they just did reminded me of that old book about those, uh... Magi? Maje? Maga? Something like that. It's like a spiritual thing."

"Not ringing any bells." Lin shrugged. "Besides, the books from Old Null are worthless now. Nobody can read them and the ones with pictures don't show anything real, just drawings."

"I know, I know. Just hear me out. I'm going to try something to communicate."

"Better know what you're doing, girl." Lyn said reluctantly. Alarice took in a deep breath and glanced around the room- The stone walls were barely clayed together, and the surface still seemed structurally sound. The windows were glassed, the floor was wood, and there was distinct metal objects in the room outside the exos and equipment of the trio. Everything seemed to match up. The only thing left to do was to see how outdated those books really were. She reached a hand up, and with it she took the woman's hand down toward her face and kissed it, after peeling her gas mask and visor off.

The woman responded with a bow, and did the same gesture in return. The man who lead them in was surprised at last, and laughed. All seemed to be going well- This was one of the drawings that was in the old books. A man and a woman, kissing each other's hands, one of them lying along a surface not entirely unlike the one she was on. Alarice pulled back, and smiled at the woman and the man. The numbness was definitely helping things here. Now, the only thing that remained to find out was...

"Maje?" Alarice asked.

"Mage." the woman replied. The twins were shocked once more, with the man slowly calming himself.

"Did she-" Lin began

"Yep." Lyn shrugged. "Well, looks like we know who's learning their language first."

"Mage..." Alarice repeated the words. "I don't know why I knew that word. Everything just reminded me of something magical, and it sort of... Whispered itself to me." she sighed. "If only it would keep being that easy."

"No kidding." Lin sat up and approached the table. "Mage huh? Well, I'm no believer in magic or anything, but if it's a word they use, then it's a word we can use too." he turned to the woman, and repeated their bowing motions from before. "Thank you, mage."

The woman laughed and shrugged before returning gaze to Alarice. "Key." she spoke, pointing at herself. It wasn't hard to guess that this was her name.

"Alarice."

Key stopped in her tracks and approached the man, before they both stepped out for a moment. The trio, alone, began to observe the town from the window. Alarice had sat up by this point, still not quite healthy, but her hip did feel slightly better. What they saw was the man throwing a red cloak over his body before walking off into the distance. Key returned, and smiled at the fact that Alarice was sitting upright already.

"Alarice." she pointed at the bluenette. She then reached into her pocket and retrieved a small flask, and with the lid on, made the motion to show that this was something to drink before handing it to Alarice and unscrewing the lid. It was a potent smell, but a pleasant one- Something of a floral nature, with a fruity scent as well- A scent she actually recognized. She drank it down and handed the flask back, again bowing and thanking.

"Guys... That drink smelled of Roseapples."

"I guess the plant life here is the same as the plants we have on the Nova." Lyn noted. "I wonder if they also have the same livestock?"

"If they have beef, I'll just be the happiest guy alive." Lin jumped in. "Still, that is pretty important to note. But, what did it taste like?"

"Kind of... Like the sedative fluids we have back home, but thinner. It just went straight down."

"Sedative? Ally..." Lyn approached.

"Relax, I'm not tired. I think this was for something else." she turned to Key, who had been very patient in waiting for the aliens to finish their conversation. Pointing to the door, and then the seat where the man was, is about all she could do to ask where he went? Key replied by pointing in the direction he was heading in, and then made a gesture as if reading a book.

"I guess he went to the library?" asked Lyn. "Well, we should thank him when we can. But I'm not splitting the team now, not when we have no idea what the intentions of this town are."

"They're making me feel better. Let's throw them a bone and trust them." Alarice sighed, falling backward onto the table. "Key." she stated. The woman turned to face her and then approached. Alarice reached for her hand and kissed it again. "Thank. You." she said slowly. That was all she could do to connect the gesture and expression.

"Thank." Key replied. She returned the gesture and then approached the door again. There were new faces, one joining the man from before- A woman with green hair, with a small reptile on her shoulder, in a long, flowing white dress. She looked like a bride.

"Ahh..." the woman sighed. She said something to the man and Key, and then turned to the twins.

"Thank you for bringing Alarice here." she said, in their language.

"You... You can-" Lin was cut off.

"I can. You two are descendants of the first cycle, correct?"

Lin shrugged. "I'm not sure what you mean. We came from a city in the sky to study the planet."

"Yes, yes, Nova. I have been there many times." she smiled. "I apologize, my manners are lost to me. My name is Saoirse. Might I ask yours?"

"Saoirse..." Alarice murmured.

"Lin and Lyn." Lyn said. "What do you mean you've been to Nova?"

"I travel often, you see. I have ever since my brother passed away. Lin, Lyn... You do not know of your city's heritage?"

"Only that we're up there because of something that supposedly ended the world."

"Yes, the cycle's end... Your city, the Nova? It obtained its name because of the great Nova that nearly destroyed this world. That was, oh... Fifty thousand years ago now? I lose track of my years easily. I apologize."

"Our city's old, man..." Lin said with a whistle. "You sure you have your facts straight?"

"Quite." she smiled again, and approached Alarice. "At last, you've come..."

"Saoirse... That name is familiar."

"As it should be. I would certainly hope you remembered your own mother."

"H-huh?!" Alarice picked herself up, her shock blinding her from the fact that her hip and feeling in general were back to normal. "No way." she said. "I was born on Nova."

"Yes, you were." Saoirse took a seat next to her. "I travel often, you see."

"How?" Lyn asked.

"I simply desire to relocate, and I do so. It is not so hard for one of my nature." Saoirse smiled. "Alarice, honey... You were indeed born on Nova. You cannot deny, however, the familiarity you hold for many of the things you are encountering right now."

"I've been trying to." she sighed. "There's just no way I can believe you're my mother, if you can travel so easily and have never visited, and you look nothing like me!"

"Perhaps I should explain."

"Perhaps." Alarice sat back slightly. "For starters, how am I already in perfect condition?"

"I wanted you to be." Saoirse replied.

"That doesn't make sense. A bone takes--"

"A bone is a physical thing, and physicality is easily distorted." Saoirse cut in. "One simply requires the willpower, the knowledge, and many generations of practice."

"Generations? Exactly what does that mean?" Alarice was standing by this point, forfeiting her headgear for a more personal conversation.

"It means, in essence, that anything I want to happen, can happen."

"Oh yeah?" she scoffed. "Teach me Key's language so I can understand her."

"It is done." Saoirse replied. "Milday?"

"I was wondering how long that would take." said Key, which Alarice understood. "And kid, no need to kiss my hand like that. It's a cheesy scene from some old text."

"... Alright, I believe you." Alarice said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, doctor. I am simply in a bit of a culture shock." Alarice said, in the language she five seconds ago did not understand.

"Lin..." Lyn began.

"I see it." he replied. "What are you, some kind of goddess?" he asked.

"Some kind of one, yes." Saoirse replied. "One that cares about all her creations, even the ones that do not live on the world she created for them."

"A goddess? And my mother?" Alarice started chuckling softly. "I'm sorry, it gets to be a more and more ridiculous story by the second, and yet the proof is right here in my hip and my language skills. But how do I know you're my mother? Or is this one of those cheesy 'all people are my children' thing?"

"Watch it, kid." Key said. "This gal is a friend of mine."

"You know what? I'm done sitting here saying nothing." the man spoke. "Alarice, you're right on one level. Saoirse here isn't directly blood related. She did, however, provide you with one thing that makes you stand out. I don't think I even need to state that one."

"... My hair?" she asked. The man shook his head.

"Yes and no. I'm talking about your mind's eye. You probably don't even know, but you've got a gift that your cycle never saw- Magic. To be specific, a form of mental ability. The statement 'mind over matter' has never been closer to the truth. Magical beings always seem to be born with unnatural, sometimes bizarre hair colors."

"I see..." Alarice took a moment to think before speaking again. The silence in the room was only uncomfortable because nobody seemed to want to break it- Everyone just waiting to see how Alarice would take this news.

"So how exactly does that make you my mother?"

"I gave birth to you." Saoirse replied. "Your father and I did not conceive you, but I did give birth to you. You see, when your mother and father married, and you were planned, something happened that would have meant the end for you. I was not willing to let that happen, so I-"

"What happened?" Alarice cut in.

"Your mother and father..." Saoirse seemed to struggle with the words for this. Even goddesses experienced grief over death it seemed. "Your mother was not a mentally stable woman. She assaulted your father and then hung herself. Your father lives, but your mother... While she was pregnant with you, she...

Saoirse started to cry softly.

"I could not allow such selfishness to end a life that was not started yet, so I willed you to be my child. Mortal you may be, and you hold none of my bloodline at all, but I needed a way to make sure you would stand out- Enough that, when you had become an adult, I could introduce you to your father."

"... What?" Lin cut in. "I'm sorry, but, this sounds like a complete load."

"I'd have to agree, though a little nicer about it..." Lyn nodded. "Miss Saoirse, how did you birth a child you didn't have any genetic relation to? That goes against literally every law of biology..."

"I'm so lost." Alarice leaned herself against the cobbled wall. "This is just... Creepy. I can't trust you, but I want to. I can't believe what's happening, even if I'm seeing it happen. I just..."

"Ally, don't think too hard on it." Lyn said, approaching. "I think I have a way to test the truth of this. Saoirse?"

"Yes?"

Lyn took a deep breath. "If you know about Nova, and you know Alarice so well, you surely know of Zeta team's mission here. You know of the previous teams. You can tell us if our squadmates survived."

"I see. I propose a better idea." Saoirse smiled, wiping tears away. "Alarice, let us test your abilities."

"I wouldn't know how." she replied.

"It is a part of your being. You do not have to know. Feel into it." her hand raised to Alarice's head. "This. I want you to close your eyes and feel into this. Then, I want you to breathe deeply and try to hear what your squad mates are thinking."

No alternative to this, Alarice complied. Saoirse released her hand and stepped back, standing beside the man and Key. As Alarice began to breathe deeply, she thought of her friends, and of herself. Her mind drifted to things she remembered from her childhood, and sadly there was not much. She also drifted to thinking about the possibility of mental abilities. Such things confounded her, but she pressed the thoughts on. She thought about wanting to hear Lyn's thoughts. She wanted to know the inner workings of her friend's mind, and understand her current thought. In the back of her head, she had heard a whisper.

"... Crap..." it spoke. Very faintly. Alarice wanted to hear more. She thought more about her friend Lyn. "... Wonder if Lin..."

"Lyn... You were wondering something about Lin, and before that, you were thinking something about crap."

"That's just Lyn out loud too though." Lin remarked. "How do we know that wasn't just a guess?"

"Alarice, honey." Saoirse pointed to the man. "Read his thoughts next."

Alarice focused on all she knew of the man. His red cloak, his black hair, his red skin, his mannerisms, his friendliness to her at first... All of it. She thought about how she wished to hear what he was thinking. She wished it- Willed it.

"... Good job kid..."

"Thank... You?" she asked him. He nodded. "I-i think I actually did it..."

"Yes indeed." said the man. "So, now that you know you can feel into our heads, how about you try feeling into your friends who aren't here?"

"That does seem like a good idea." she remarked. "But... I have to say, you guys sure are blunt around here. No buildup for dramatic effect at all. Maybe that's why this whole mother thing hasn't sunk in just yet."

"Probably." Saoirse added. "Search the thoughts of your friends, Alarice. Worry of details such as this when we have less dire circumstances."

"What's dire?" she asked.

"Your friends are missing, are they not? That would surely strike me as dire."

"True." she sighed. "Alright. Let's find Lucya..."

"Focus on Lucya. Her existence. The memories you have of her. Her voice. Any sense you've experienced that came from her, think hard on it until you can feel her presence. When it feels like she is right beside you, will her thoughts into your mind and read them." Saoirse smiled. "I'm sure you will perfect this skill by the end of the night."

Alarice took a deep breath, and allowed herself to feel into her comrade's being. It came more naturally this time, and with each moment she held her focus on Lucya, her clarity became ever stronger. There was a heartbeat, and darkness, along with the pleading thoughts for assistance. The longing to see someone. The feeling of abandonment.

"She's... Alive. But I don't know where." said Alarice."Next, Daedra..."

When she reached out to feel for her comrade's mind again, it was a void. The essence of the person lingered in her thoughts, with an emotionless consciousness as the only thing she could feel. It lasted on for moments, before fading away, a pain trickling into Alarice's heart.

So, that is what death looks like inside of the mind.

"Daedra... Just slipped away..."

"Heavy..." Lin said under his breath. "We should find Daedra anyway. Bring back what we can to the family. Proper burial. You know... But, we can't leave Lucya as she is, so let's not make this two bloody casualties, alright?"

"Bravo." Key clapped. "Hey, anybody mind if I get us on a Link with June? She'd wanna get the scoop too."

"Sure." the man said.

"Who is June?" asked Alarice.

"Fantastic woman. Brave, powerful, benevolent, basically everything you'd want in someone in her seat of power." Key replied, her hand ghosting to her hair and pulling it back.

"You speak highly of her. What sort of seat of power does she have? Not that we understand your government as it is, so, maybe explain that first?" asked Alarice.

"Let's find Lucya first." said the man.

One by one, the strange group left the stranger building to go on what could be their strangest adventure. Nobody seemed to care that they had accepted these facts so hastily, nor that they were trusting total strangers. All that mattered was a familiar feeling, a lost friend, and dire circumstance...