THE DISTANT FUTURE

The story takes place after the "True Ending", so it may contain major spoilers. Try to avoid reading this story if you haven't completed the game. There will be some OCs and BL (LudgerxJude). As the story continues further, description maybe changed later.

Summary: Many years later, exactly in eight years, most of Ludger's friends have achieved their dreams and goals. Due to his profession as spyrite researcher, Jude has forgot the promise between him and Ludger. One day, he goes to Marksburg to help Alvin, Elize and Elle. Unexpectedly, the team encounters a familiar yet new figure.

Link of the cover: member_ ?mode=medium&illust_id=46620032

Author's Note: I've had this idea inside my head for few weeks, and I couldn't help writing it down. Although I'm the author, I'm not sure how this story will go. The whole plot is actually more complicated than I expected. Oh well, I will see what I can write. :D

By the way, I only finished Tales of Xillia 2, so there will be few things from the original ToX that I don't know. Please feel free to correct me if I make a mistake somewhere in the story.

This story has OCs, but they won't be paired with anyone from the original cast in ToX series. They will be revealed later. Well, I think you can guess what roles they are based on the title.

Well, please enjoy the first chapter and leave a review if you can. Thanks in advance!

CHAPTER 1: A DREAM ABOUT HIM

People rarely dreams at night when they grow older. This also happens to Jude. Most of his dreams often have no meaning, or somehow, they end up as a nightmare. Nevertheless, he forgets them quickly since his work doesn't allow him to care about silly dreams.

Until one day, a strange dream happens to him.

In his indistinct dream, Jude finds himself standing in the middle of the small park that was located outside a familiar apartment in Trigleph. The city seems to be empty without anybody around.

The setting down sun covers the surroundings in a dim orange colour. The young doctor suddenly realises how much he misses this beautiful scenery. A sad smile soon appears on his lips. It has already been eight years, but Jude never forgets this place since he has spent so much time with Elle and her father here. Very long time ago, the little girl often sat on the swing and watched the sunset alone. She could sit for hours to only look at the sky. Jude also joined her sometimes. At those moments, they mostly remained in silence, thinking about the same person- the one that they love most who is now gone from this world.

The doctor lets out a sigh and wonders. Why is he dreaming about the past today? Something is not right, but he cannot point it out. Nonetheless, this is a dream, isn't it? Then, he will soon wake up and forget about it.

Suddenly, Jude notices someone. The swings were empty few seconds ago, but now, there is a white-haired man sitting on it. Although this person turns his back against Jude, he still can recognise who it is because of his hairstyle and clothes. Speechless with so much surprise, he tries to reach the person. However, his body refuses to move an inch. Next, the view in front of his eyes starts to crack.

"No... Stop...! Stop! Please!"- Jude tries to call out the man's name- "LUDGER!"

Finally, his dream world shatters into pieces. Everything falls into a deep darkness, just like how the fractured dimension gets destroyed...

Jude wakes up with his heart pounding.

Both of his hair and clothes are damped in sweat, while his eyesight is too weak to see anything. To stop these symptoms, he shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath first. Then, he keeps breathing in and out slowly. After five minutes, his calmness returns as well as his vision.

"...Where am I?"- Jude glances over the study room lightened by afternoon sunlight from the small window. As usual, the room full of books and his research papers- "Ah, right. This is Helioborg Research Station."- He gives out a long sigh- "Come to think of it, spyrite business has already kept me in around here for a week. My whole body hurts so much..."- Jude mumbles. He should take note that sleeping on the couch is bad for his health.

Recalling his previous dream, or rather a nightmare, the young doctor stands up and walks to his table. Then, he takes out a pair of white-frame glasses from one of the locked drawers. Since both of his eyes are still doing well, these glasses are equipped with normal lens.

"Ludger..."

Every time he looks at this item, old memories are brought back to him immediately. He remembers most of everything, especially the time he spent with Ludger. Eight years ago, his white-haired friend bought these glasses for him, saying that he would look nice with them on. In the end, he only keeps it as memento. What is the point to wear it without Ludger here? For him, Ludger was more than a friend. They were so close that it seemed nothing would be able to separate them, except fate. Ludger did what he must in order to save Elle, the little girl whom he considers as his daughter. And so does Jude.

"Jude?"- Someone outside is knocking at the door- "Are you awake?"

"Ah, yes! Wait a moment, please!"- Jude answers as he quickly puts the glasses back to his drawers and locks it. Next, in three minute, he tries to collect all his science documents scattered randomly on the floor and places them into one place. Only when the room is less messy, Jude opens the door to greet his friend- "Please come in, Balan. Is everything in the Research Wing all right?"

"Yes, we're able to keep everything in order."- Balan nods with a soft smile. His smile soon disappears as he notices a dark ring around Jude's eyes. Basically, it's saying that Jude hasn't been sleeping much lately- "Well – I actually come here to check on you. I suggest that you should take a break. You seem to be tired, Jude."

"Please don't worry, Balan! I'm..."- Whenever someone asks how he's feeling, he will always uses the same reply "I'm fine". However, he admits that his body crosses its limit today. Both of his mind and heart feel heavy. Maybe, that dream is the reason- "If I have to tell the truth, then I will say that I miss my warm bed."

"Indeed. Couch is not a good place to sleep."- Balan chuckles- "You always push yourself too hard, Jude. I'm here, too. We can share the burden, can't we?"- What Balan says is right, so Jude can only nod in agreement- "There will be no meeting today, so go outside for some fresh air! Besides, you haven't seen your friends for a while. I'm sure that they miss you, Jude."- The scientist stops for few seconds to remember something- "Oh my... I almost forgot. Alvin, Elize and Elle dropped by to see you two hours ago. You were sleeping, so they left."

"They did?!"- Jude rises in voice in surprise- "Do you know where they are now?"

"Alvin mentioned that he had a business in Marksburg, so I think they may still be there."- The scientist says as he slowly walks around the study room and picks up a device under the couch- "How about checking your GHS and giving them a call?"- It's his GHS! He must have dropped it while taking a nap earlier. It sounds embarrassed, but he has completely forgotten about his phone since he put it in silence mode- "While you are out, I will take care of your study room, okay?"

"That's..."- Jude makes a weak laugh, but this time, he takes up the offer- "Thanks a lot, Balan. If anything happens, please feel free to call me back. See you later."

Outside of the Helioborg building, the young doctor opens his GHS to check new emails. The first one is from Elle, which was sent few hours ago. Her message is kind of long, mostly asking if he is doing well or whether he takes enough meals. Alvin, Leia and Elize's emails also share the similar content. After reading all the messages, he can't help feeling guilty because everyone is worried about him. Therefore, he decides to give them a call right now.

"I hope that they aren't busy, though."- Jude mumbles as he quickly dials Alvin's number. Ten seconds later, Alvin picks up his GHS- "Hey, Alvin. It's me, Jude."

"Ah! Jude! Man, you finally called me!"- The salesman's voice sounds happy, upset and somehow, a bit hasty at the same time- "How are you doing? You know, we were very worried about you! You didn't even reply our messages."

"I know... I'm truly sorry."- He apologises- "There's nothing to worry about me. I'm fine."- Tons of noises are coming from Alvin's place, so he has to press the GHS against his ears. Some serious shouting can even be heard- "By the way, are you standing in a crowd or something? I can barely hear you. Where are you? Are Elize and Elle with you?"

"Sorry, let me find another place. Wait a bit!"- The call is hung up. Alvin seems to be in a hurry. What is it going on? Has something happened? He cannot stop asking questions inside his head. After one minute of waiting, his GHS finally rings- "OK, I'm back. Sorry about the ealier."- Speaks Alvin. His voice sounds a little trouble- "I wish we could talk more. Sadly, today isn't a good time. Everything is quite chaotic here."- That may explain a bit about the noises he heard earlier, Jude thinks- "Elize and Elle were with me, but they are in Marksburg hospital now."

"H-Hospital?"- Jude's heart almost jumps out of his chest- "What exactly happened?"

"Jude, calm down. They are not hurt!"- Alvin assures him- "Have you read the news yet?"

"No, I haven't."- The young doctor answers honestly- "Did something happen in Marksburg?"

"Yes, you bet."- Then, Alvin begins to explain in a serious tone- "Three hours ago, a mysterious sea monster has just sunk a Marksburg ship full of passengers heading towards Aladhi Seahaven. Rescue teams were sent to search for the survivors. I don't know the details of casualty, but the hospital's totally crowed now! Of course, Elize and Elle volunteered to help."

"That sounds terrible!"- Jude finds it hard to believe such a tragedy could happen. He has never heard of any monster strong enough to sink a ship, until now- "All right! I'll go to Marksburg! As a doctor, I can't ignore this!"- He decides without any hesitation.

"Heh, I expected that kind of answer from you."- Says the businessman as he thinks about his friend. After eight years, this soft-hearted guy never changes. Jude is always "too quick to help others". There is no point to stop this do-gooder, so he continues- "When you arrive here, call me. I'll be waiting in front of the station."

"Ok. See you soon."

Jude ends the call and quickly heads towards the nearest train station. Five years ago, a subway was finally built next to Helioborg Research Station. Of course, he couldn't be happier about it. Now, it's easier to travel from Helioborg to other places in Trigleph. On the train, he overhears people discussing about the catastrophe in Marksburg. Few passengers are crying worriedly for their love ones who attended on the sunken ship. Jude gives out a sigh. For him, today is such a strange day. First, he dreamt about his long lost friend, which has already brought his mood down. And then, this unfortunately event happens on the same day. Is it coincidentally?

"I guess I'm thinking too much."- The black-haired doctor shakes his head, mumbles- "I should focus on the situation right now!"

Getting off the train, Jude is almost crushed by the flow of people. It isn't a surprised to see Marksbug Station is crowded at this moment. There are quite a lot of reporters and journalists around here, so he should expect to see Leia somewhere later.

"Alvin, I'm here!"- It takes him few minutes to spot his old friend standing at the left side of the entrance station. He quickly makes his way to him- "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

The salesman's face lightens up when he notices the young doctor. He takes off his business glasses and greets Jude- "No worries! I'm happy to see you. It's been a while since the last time we saw you steeping outside of your study room! Anyway, we can save our chit-chat later. There are patients waiting for you, doc!"- Jude makes a nervous laugh as he follows Alvin to the hospital- "Lots of folks gather here today because of their curiousity. A monster is able to sink a ship. Yep, they hardly believe in that story."

"How do they know that the cause was a monster?"- Asks Jude as he is deep in thought. He knows some of famous researchers who study monsters, but they never mention about any dangerous sea monster. If those scientists have discovered something, they would have already informed the world about it. This case sure is strange. No wonder why people are curious.

"Some survivors said that they saw a big shadow lurking under the water surface."-Alvin begins to retell what he heard a moment ago- "Before they could tell the sailors about it, the mysterious shadow suddenly rose up and assaulted the ship. Everything was happened so fast that they weren't even sure what kind of monster did it. That's all I know. We can ask Leia later for more information. She'll never let this case slide from the front page!"- The black hair nods in agreement- "By the way, Jude..."- The salesman pauses a bit and turns to look at his friend- "I know that you're real busy in Helioborg, so I'm sorry of dragging you into this."

"Hey, you don't need to apologise."- Jude shakes his head- "If I remember correctly, you didn't ask me to come here. Remember? This is my own choice to help people in trouble. That's all!"

"Heh, that's right."- Alvin shrugs with a half-smile on his face.

The conversation soon drops as both of them reach the hospital only to see that more people gather around. In order to keep the area in control, the security guards only allow the sick and their family members to enter the hospital. Reporters and other curious folks must stay outside, or else they will disturb the patients.

"Please stop."- The guards also do the same to them when they arrive at the main door- "Due to the circumstance right now, people without certain conditions are not allowed to enter the hospital. You both appear to be healthy, so may I ask, what is your business here?"

"I'm Dr. Jude Mathis."- He shows his ID card to them- "I've heard about the sunken ship accident. Please let me in. I would like to assist Marksburg hospital in helping those unfortunate victims."

"Y-You are Dr. Jude Mathis?!"- With wide eyes in surprise, the guards gasp while taking a closer look of his ID card. After checking that he is the real person, they welcome him- "Please accept our apologies! We didn't expect a visit from you, so... Anyway, welcome to Marksburg hospital, Dr. Mathis! At this moment, our hospital's running out of doctors and nurses to take care all the patients, so your assistance is highly appreciated. Please go in."

"Thank you. I will do my best."- Jude then points at Alvin- "By the way, this person is my friend. Can he come with me? He comes here to... check on his friends. Please trust me. He will not bother anyone in the hospital."

The guards look at the salesman, who seems to be a bit suspicious. Alvin makes an assurance smile, implying that Jude was telling the truth. After few seconds of hesitance, they give the pair a nod of approval and step aside for them to enter the building.

"You sure are famous."- Going through the main door, the salesman whispers jokingly- "Maybe, I should call you Dr. Famous!"

"Stop it, Alvin. Nothing good comes when you are famous."- Jude frowns- "We should find Elize and Elle. I assume that they are with the survivors. Let's see what we can do to help."

Inside, everyone is in a bustle. Since the hospital in Marksburg was established recently, it's still short of sickrooms for and equipment. On his way, Jude sees that many patients don't get their rooms. They have to lie down on couches or small mattresses. Hopefully, in the near future, this place will get all the medical treatments from both Emlypios and Rieze Maxia. He knows that Chancellor Marcia, Gaius and Rowen are working at their best to make it happen.

"Ah, I found Elize."- Says Alvin as he spots a familiar light blond-haired girl across the hallway, she's busy healing a small injured boy. Not wanting to disturb their friend and the patients, the pair quietly approaches her.

"Alvin's back!"- As usual, Teppo is with Elize today. He notices them first- "And he IS with Jude! This is SO awesome! We really miss you! Do you know that?"- The squishy toy quickly flies to the black-haired man with his mouth opening wide.

"D-Don't do this here, Teppo!"- Using both of his hands, Jude catches the puppet before it gives him a bite or a kiss. Teppo immediately looks sad- "...I will let you do this to me next time, Ok? We have to be quiet in the hospital. Understand?"- He pats the toy to cheer him up. The three of them then wait for Elize to finish the treatment.

"For now, you and your family should take a rest."- Elize speaks softly. The small boy nods- "Please don't hesitate to tell me if any of you feel unwell. I'll come back to check on you again later, all right?"- The boy's family thanks Elize for helping their son. She smiles at them gently before standing up and walking to her friends- "Welcome back, Alvin!"- Her green eyes blink in surprise when she sees Jude holding Teppo- "Jude! I didn't expect to see you here! How have you been? Did you eat and sleep well?"

"I'm fine, Elize. I'm sorry for not able to reply your messages. Meetings and reports sure have kept me in Helioborg for a while."- The spyrite doctor nervously rubs the back of his neck- "Since I had some spare time today, I phoned Alvin to ask how all of you have been doing so far. He told me what happened in Marksburg. Hence, here I am."- He pauses in few seconds to cast his eyes around the hospital hallway. There are sure lots of untreated patients, but strangely, Elle is nowhere to be found nearby- "Where's Elle?"

"Elle is with the rescue teams outside."- Answers Elize- "You see, we have many victims who are children and elders. Due to the monster's assault, some of them become a little bit unstable. They are both shock and afraid. Elle is doing her best to calm them down before they are sent here for the treatment."

"I see. This is more serious than I thought..."- The young doctor nods and rolls up his jacket sleeves- "All right! Let's do our best to help these people!"- Then, he heads to wounded patients and begins to cure them.

"Jude hasn't changed at all."- Mumbles Elize. She knows for sure that Jude is tired and lacking of sleep- "He always push himself too hard, don't you think?"

"I agree."- Alvin sighs- "He wants to keep himself busy as much as possible, I assume. It seems to be the only way for him to forget what happened eight years ago. I can't blame him, though."- Raising his voice a bit, he winks at the blond girl- "Well, what are we waiting for? We shouldn't let him do everything, right? Let's see what we can do!"

"Yeah, let's do it!"- Teppo approves.

The scenery in Marksburg always reminds Elle back to the time when she was with "him". This place has witnessed some tragic events, such as the peace treaty between Emlypios and Rieze Maxia. The E. S. S Pelune with Chancellor Marcia on it was attacked by Exodus. Lots of people were killed on that day, including the young woman whom she loves. Everything didn't stop there. Once again, she lost another important person. It's "him".

Elle shakes her head. Any form of distraction should not allow at this moment, but then, she definitely needs a break. Her throat is completely dry while her body is bathed in sweat. Helping people is a tiring job. Thus, she sometimes wonders how Jude can manage to do it all the time.

"Where do I put my handkerchief?"- While Elle's searching for the handkerchief, a golden watch falls from her pockets- "Ah! The watch...!"- She tries to catch it, but it's too late. The watch drops on the ground with its lip opening. She quickly picks it up- "How careless I am...! Luckily, the watch doesn't have any scratch. And it's..."- Elle stops suddenly to see something that she has never expected of. Her eyes blink times to make sure this isn't an illusion- "It's working...?"

The watch needles are moving very slowly, but the tick can still be heard clearly. Holding the precious watch, her hands are trembling not from fear, but some sort of happiness. There is only one reason why the watch starts moving again. If she is right, then this must mean...

"Ah!"- Elle utters a cry of surprise when somebody bumps into her unexpectedly. It's a young boy, who seems to be around eight years old. After regaining his balance, he continues running ahead without giving her any apology- "Fine! Kids these days...!"- She decides to call him- "Hey! You should watch where you are going, or else...!"

"I'm really sorry!"- Turning his head back, the boy speaks very quickly- "I need to hurry! My friends... They are injured! I must find a doctor to help them!"- Finished talking, he runs away, leaving speechless Elle behind.

The twin tails girl has to rub her eyes for few times. Just now, she saw something strange again. Her heart skips a beat. The small boy who ran into her, he has silvery hair and black bangs on the right side.

Without any hesitation, Elle decides to catch up with the boy. Unfortunately, she soon loses him in the crowd at the Bridge of Unity, but at least, she can guess where he will head to.

Meanwhile, the pocket watch keeps ticking slowly.

"I heard that they haven't rescued all of the passengers yet. Nonetheless, it's best for them to call it a day."- The salesman takes a look at the orange sky and gives Jude's shoulders a pat- "How are you holding up, doc?"

"...I think I have overworked myself again."- Answers Jude with a tiring smile- "However, I'm glad to see that nobody got hurt seriously."

"We were able to help lots of people!"- Says Teppo cheerfully- "Their happy smiles make me feel happy, too!"

"Everything in the hospital has finally calmed down."- Elize continues- "All of the patients have their rooms. I hope that they'll have a nice rest and forget about what happened today. The next question is..."- She pauses a bit- ""It's dangerous to travel on the sea now, especially when that nasty monster is still out there. What should we do about it?"

"We aren't a monster hunter, Elize. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Spirius Corporation will send their elite agents to annihilate it soon."- Alvin shrugs- "Anyway, we should go and meet Leia. She just sent me a message, saying that she'll wait for us in front of Marksburg Inn. We need to prepare some delicious information for her, or else, she won't let us go easily!"

"You're right."- Both Jude and Elize giggle.

Walking outside, the black hair doctor checks the time with his GHS. Three hours have passed since he got here to see Alvin. The sun seems to be going down early today. Unlike earlier, not many people are hanging around the hospital area. A few of them are still talking about the accident. On his way to the inn, Jude stops to enjoy the view of sunset in Marksburg. Alvin and Elize also do the same.

"This sight reminds me of that dream..."- Absorbed in his thoughts, Jude looks up. By the time the sun is drowning, its ray of light painting the sky an array of orange and yellow colours- "To see him again under this beautiful sky..."

"Ouch!"

He is brought back to reality by someone's cry of pain. The group turns their eyes on a small boy, who just tripped over a loose road brick. Acting on his doctor instinct, Jude quickly runs to help him:

"Are you okay?"- He asks, but the boy doesn't answer- "Here, hold my hand."- The boy does what he says, and slowly stands up on his feet- "Does anywhere of your body hurt?"

The boy remains in silence with his eyes looking down at the ground. A bandage is wrapped around the boy's head, while both his hands and legs are full of scratches and bruises. His attire consists of a blue shirt with folded sleeves, brown suspenders, black shorts and leather shoes. Jude finds it very strange when this mysterious boy shares a similar outfit to a certain person. Alvin and Elize say nothing. They keep staring at the small boy, waiting for an answer from him.

The boy begins to speak in a weak voice- "I'm fine. Thanks. Now, I need to..."- He stops to catch his breath- "You are..."- Suddenly, the boy uses his hands to grab Jude's jacket tightly- "You are wearing a white jacket...! You are a doctor, right?"- Taken by surprise, Jude only answers with a nod- "Please! You have to..."

The moment when the boy lifts his head up, Jude's heart is tightening and beating faster. His stomach is knotting itself together. All of his emotions are almost burst out, and he finds no word to describe his feeling right now. For him, the world seems to stop moving, leaving him in shock.

Silver hair with black ends on the right, green eyes with yellow rings circling his pupils, this boy has all of those features.

"L-Ludger...?"

"Huh?"- The boy jolts up at the name coming from Jude's dry lips. His eyes blink in surprise- "Mister, how do you know my name?"- Unfortunately, there is no answer, so he continues- "Anyway, if you are a doctor, you must come with me! My friends are injured badly! If you don't do something, they are going to die! I can't let it happen...! Please help them!"

To be continued…