A/N: Well with the recent release of ToB, I just wanted to write a story featuring its setting. But at the same time, I just finished "A New Beginning", which was a ToX story so I still have my Xillia hype with me. And then I thought, how about mashing the 2 stories? So this is my take on it!

Let me know what you guys think!

CHAPTER 1: THE ENTRY

At the small village of Hamil, Ludger Will Kresnik was searching for his two friends – namely the head of spyrite research, Jude Mathis and the renowned Lord of Spirits, Milla Maxwell. The others were currently busy attending to their own things.

Leia apparently was trailing a scoop she could not afford to miss. Alvin was busy trying to establish a reputation for his business, so he did not wish to be disturbed. Elize was actually free, but Ludger just couldn't contact her since she wasn't answering her GHS. Rowen was most likely busy, considering he was the Prime Minister of Rieze Maxia and was probably dealing with the remnants of Exodus. Erston, or also known as Gaius, also couldn't be contacted because he had no idea how to operate his GHS. As for Muzet, Ludger preferred not to call her.

"Even Elle is missing." Ludger sighed. That little girl was always a handful, so he was worried. But Rollo was most likely with her and the fat cat always knows its way home, so at least Elle wouldn't get lost.

Ludger found Jude and Milla around the porange farm, where the large porange trees were being attended to by the villagers. Jude and Milla were watching the adult villagers harvesting the poranges while the children played nearby.

Ludger walked towards them and when he neared them, he could hear their conversation.

"The poranges from Hamil are always so big and sweet, I wonder how they manage it." Milla said while watching the poranges being harvested.

"Well, Hamil's source of income comes from the export of their poranges, so they probably put all their effort in making their poranges the best." Jude explained and then chuckled, "You really like their poranges, huh? You're drooling."

Milla indeed was unconsciously drooling as she stared at the bright, orange poranges being handled by the villagers. She quickly wiped her lips, "I'd bet Ludger could whip up something delicious with these poranges."

Ludger reached the two and joined the conversation, "I guess I could. I'd like to try making something like a porange pie or something. Or maybe even a porange curry? I think they'd taste great."

"Well, anything you cook tastes great, Ludger." Jude said with an amused grin, "Especially when it comes to your tomato-themed dishes. I can see why Julius loves it so much."

Ludger's mood grew solemn at the mention of his brother, "Julius…"

"Oh, s-sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."

Ludger shook his head, "N-No, don't worry about it."

"Anyway, what brings you here Ludger?" Milla questioned.

"Everyone's busy so I thought I'd spend the day with you two. There's not much for us to do while we wait for the news." Ludger answered.

Jude agreed, "That's true. The dimensional abyss towards the final Waymarker is still unstable, so there's nothing we can do but wait until Spirius gives us the green light."

Three days have already passed since Milla Maxwell entered the human realm, at the cost of sacrificing the alternate Milla. It was still a sensitive topic for everyone, especially Elle and Ludger, so they mostly try to avoid mentioning alternate Milla. The pain was still fresh.

So while the party waited until the dimensional abyss for the final Waymarker stabilized, everyone just did their own thing. Sometimes Ludger was still called to help destroy some fractured dimensions, bringing along whoever that was free to help.

At that exact moment, Ludger's GHS started ringing. Ludger picked it up, knowing who it was even without looking at the caller ID.

"Department of Dimensional Affair here." The familiar voice of Vera spoke, "We have detected a new fractured dimension."

Jude chuckled, "Ludger always manages to get a call from the DODA when he's with us."

"It makes me wonder if this is all a coincidence or they do it on purpose." Milla mused.

Vera continued briefing Ludger, "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to pinpoint the exact coordinates of this particular dimension. It's actually unstable even. We advise you to proceed with caution."

"…Is it safe?" Ludger asked.

"Unstable dimensions rarely occur, but they do happen. However, on the few times this happened, we lost contact with the Agents that entered these dimensions. I can understand if you wish to reject the mission."

"…No, its fine. I'll take the mission."

"I had a feeling you will. Even if the worst should happen, the same rule should apply. Just remember that if you can find the divergence catalyst, you should be able to return back to the prime dimension." There was a slight pause before Vera said, "Good luck."

Ludger stared at his GHS for a few seconds before returning it to his pocket. He released a heavy sigh, not looking forward to a complicated mission.

"That sounded serious. What's going on?" Milla asked.

"There's a fractured dimension I have to destroy, but… it seems the DODA is unable to pinpoint the exact coordinates." Ludger explained.

Jude thought about that for a moment, "So basically, they have no idea where this fractured dimension will take us?"

Ludger nodded, "Yeah. But Vera said this has happened before, although it's on rare occasions."

"So it's safe?" Mill asked.

"…According to Vera, past Agents have lost contact with the DODA when they entered the unstable dimensions. But even if that happens, so long as we can find the divergence catalyst, we can complete the mission."

"Searching for the divergence catalyst should be easy. It's the one that's most different from the prime dimension after all."

Jude was still worried however, "But I wonder what could causes these unstable dimensions. I mean, do you think it's maybe just a glitch in the system?"

"Or perhaps the location doesn't exist in this world." Milla suggested.

"Doesn't exist?" Jude repeated, flabbergasted, "But that won't make any sense, right? I mean, how can there be a fractured dimension that doesn't exist in our world?"

"It's just a guess." Milla remarked. She then faced the young Kresnik, "Ludger, I assume you'll be taking on the assignment?"

"Yeah."

"Then we'll join you to help, as always. No way are we going to let you go alone to handle this." Jude offered.

"I appreciate it." Ludger said earnestly.

Milla shifted her posture, "This mission is a wild card. We'd best prepare and be ready for anything."

Ludger nodded in agreement and the trio headed towards the general store in Hamil to stock up on apple gels, food and whatever they might need. After several minutes of shopping and haggling with the merchants, the trio was done.

Ludger took out his GHS and opened the message from Vera that contained the unknown coordinates for the unstable dimension. He looked at Jude and Milla to see if they were ready. The two nodded in unison. With a deep breath, Ludger clicked a button on his GHS and the trio was pulled into the rift. None of the villagers of Hamil even noticed they were gone.

Unknown to Ludger, Jude and Milla, the three were thrown into a completely different world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Ludger opened his eyes, nothing greeted him but the darkness. For a second, he thought he lost his vision and was blind but when he noticed a small simmer of light above him, he realized he was just in a dark room. A dark, circular, dungeon-like room.

"L-Ludger? Any idea where we are?" Jude asked.

Due to the darkness, Ludger could tell Jude was next to him but he couldn't see. "I… I don't know. It's too soon to tell."

"Efreet, if you'd please." Milla said simply. The Great Spirit of Fire understood and obeyed, physically manifesting to Milla's side and creating a ball of fire in the palm of his hand, introducing some light into the room.

Jude surveyed his surroundings, "It looks like… we're in a dungeon of some sort."

"Hang on, I'll call Vera and see if she knows where we are now." Ludger said.

Ludger took out his GHS and called the DODA – only to receive a respond he wasn't expecting. A dead line. Ludger blinked in confusion. This had never happened before. Vera had assured him and the others before that even if they were in a fractured dimension, the GHS would still work. But if they could not contact Vera, they were technically blind.

"Ludger, what's wrong?" Jude asked.

"The GHS… it isn't working. I can't contact Vera." Ludger revealed in horror.

"W-What?!" Jude cried out in shock.

"So this is what Vera warned you about." Milla remarked, "Agents that entered these unstable dimensions lost contact with the prime dimension. We're on our own then."

Ludger tried again, dialing the DODA line but he was met with the same response – a dead line. They were alone in this dimension!

"Jude, Ludger, be on your guard." Milla said calmly to her companions, "We're not alone in this room."

Ludger and Jude were so preoccupied about the situation that they completely forgot about checking their surroundings. Even though there was some light from Efreet's fire, it did not light up the whole room. And now that Milla mentioned it, they could definitely feel another presence in the shadows – as if a predator stalking its prey.

"Watch out!" Milla cried out.

The predator from the shadows emerged from its hiding spot, charging towards the three. Milla, Ludger and Jude jumped out of its way, but the predator already had its sight on a target – Jude. The spyrite researcher reacted quickly, dodging the predator's attack but Jude was not expecting what happened next. The predator's left arm transformed into a red demonic wolf-like claw and it moved to grab Jude's head.

"Jude!" Ludger cried out. Thinking quickly, the young Kresnik drew out his dual pistols and shot at the assailant. Sensing Ludger's bullets, the predator stopped its attack and leaped away to safety, ending the skirmish.

Jude quickly scrambled to his feet and rejoined Ludger and Milla. As for the unknown attacker, it scurried back to the shadows.

Then to trio's surprise, the predator spoke, "Who are you three? You're not daemons, yet you appeared in my domain out of thin air. Who sent you here?!"

Jude was the first to analyze the voice, "Y-You're a woman?"

"Answer my question!" The voice demanded from the shadows.

But before Ludger, Jude or Milla could answer, the sound of chains and metal interrupted them. It was coming from above and when they looked up, they saw that the locked gate above then was open. It seemed to be the only entrance into the pit.

From the entrance in the ceiling, a ladder descended along with what appeared to be a red-haired woman dressed in white. The shadowed predator that attacked the trio saw the woman and backed off, melding into the shadows. As for Ludger, Jude and Milla, they were on their guard.

The woman landed on her feet and eyed the trio in front of her. S

"…I was only expecting one prisoner. I did not know there are four of you here." The red-haired woman said plainly.

"We're not prisoners. We just arrived here as well." Milla answered.

The red-haired woman turned to Milla but when her eyes landed on Efreet, the Great Spirit of fire, she was taken aback, "…Is that a malak? No, you're different."

Efreet did not respond, although he felt the red-haired woman was quite similar to him – a spirit. But at the same time, they felt different too. Whatever it was, the red-haired woman and Efreet could sense they shared almost the same physical properties.

Before the red-haired woman could press for more questions, the shadowed predator released a sharp cry and emerged from the shadows. Ludger, Jude and Milla quickly got out of the way but they never had to as the predator was aiming the red-haired woman.

As the unknown predator neared the red-haired woman, there was now enough light that Jude could now see the person properly. It was a black-haired woman with long flowing hair. Her clothes were mostly torn, barely covering her body and exposing a lot of skin with the exception of her left arm, which was wrapped in bandages. But the first thing that Jude noticed about the woman was her facial features.

"M-Milla?" Jude stammered. The black-haired woman shared a lot of physical similarities to Milla that she could have been passed as Milla's sister. Ludger also saw the woman then and also thought she looked like Milla.

The black-haired woman reached her target and grabbed the woman with her bandaged arm by her face, shoving her backwards to the wall. A loud thud echoed within the small pit. The black-haired woman attempted to crush the red-haired woman's face but her bandaged arm suddenly burst into flames, forcing the black-haired woman to toss her target away. The flames dispelled a few seconds later.

"Where is he?!" The black-haired woman demanded from the red-haired woman.

The red-haired woman smiled, "I will answer your questions soon. But first, I believe we both need to know about our three unknown guests."

The black-haired woman looked at the trio and then back to the red-haired woman, "I don't care about them. They are not my target."

The red-haired woman smirked, "Are you sure? Maybe you don't sense it yet in your rage, but you should be able to tell – these three are not of our world."

The black-haired woman glared at the trio for a few seconds. Indeed she could feel something was off about them. But they were not her concern.

"Even so, I don't care about them." The black-haired woman spat, "Tell me where Artorius is!"

The red-haired woman never took her eyes off the trio, "Very well. Velvet, you still have your sights on Artorius, and I am here to help you. However I cannot ignore these three – not after knowing they're something else."

The black-haired woman, whom Jude now identified as Velvet thanks to the red-haired woman, narrowed her eyes, "Help me? I don't need help from a malak of his."

"I am his malak no longer." The red-haired woman retorted. She was about to say more but stopped herself, "Never mind. I will explain the situation to you soon. But first, I wish to deal with these three first."

"Deal with them?"

The red-haired woman moved into a defensive stance, "I guess you could call it a test: a test whether they deserve to live in this world – or perish."

Ludger, Jude and Milla were experienced enough to know that a battle was about to commence. That was the only thing they could do. They were still very confused about what was happening. They didn't know where they are, who Velvet or the red-haired was or what they needed to do. Their best bet at this point was to extract information from the red-haired woman since she appears to be knowledgeable.

Instead of being on the defensive, Jude and Ludger went for the offensive, charging towards the red-haired woman. The red-haired woman was caught by surprise at Jude and Ludger's speed, quickly creating an arc of fire around her. While that momentarily stopped Jude, it did not deter Ludger. The young Kresnik tumbled to his right and drew out his dual pistols.

"Rolling Thunder!"

Ludger fired a wave of bullets at the red-haired woman. The red-haired woman did not know what it was that Ludger fired at her but her instincts told her she was in danger and she leaped backwards. However that was her mistake as Jude anticipated that and was behind her. The red-haired woman was quick enough to create a spark of flames behind her but it was not enough as Jude's fist slammed into the woman's back.

The red-haired woman yelped in pain but it was not over. The red-haired woman saw in front of her was Milla along with the four Great Spirits by her side, all channeling their respective elemental artes.

"Enough!" The red-haired woman cried out, panting lightly, "You three pass the test."

Milla blinked and ordered the Great Four to cease their artes, which they did. After that, the Great Four dispelled their physical forms, returning to Milla's body. The red-haired woman noticed this of course.

"Those four… are they your Malakhims?" The red-haired woman asked Milla.

Milla had never heard of that word before and shook her head, "No. I've never heard anyone address the Great Four as Malakhim."

The red-haired woman thought as much. She concluded that while Milla seemed to have the characteristic of a high-ranking Exorcist that tethered four Malakhims to her, it appears to not be the case. Also, the four spirits seemed to be like malaks but apparently they are not – same but different at the same time.

That was not all. The red-haired woman has never seen the weapons Ludger used earlier – the dual pistols. And when Jude attacked her, she felt Jude was using artes that was borrowed from another being. This was Jude's spirit artes.

"Satisfied yet?" The black-haired woman, Velvet, taunted from the shadows

The red-haired woman nodded, "Yes. I think you can agree now that these three aren't from our world."

Velvet did not wish to speak so casually with the red-haired woman, but she had to agree, "Yes. There is something different about them. Not to mention they appeared in my prison pit out of nowhere."

Jude had enough about this and stepped up, "Please, we… we don't have any idea what's going on. I mean, we thought we came into this… dimension that's similar to our world but… but it seems we're in a different world?"

The red-haired woman waited for a few seconds, "It's quite hard to make sense of what you just asked, but from what I can understand… yes. You three are definitely not in your world. Just like how we can sense you're not from our world."

"…What can you tell us?" Milla asked.

The red-haired woman stepped forward, "I believe introductions are in order. I am Seres, a malak that used to serve Artorius Collbrande."

"A malak?" Ludger repeated. Seres cleared her throat in annoyance and Ludger discovered what she wanted, "O-Oh right. I-I'm Ludger. Ludger Will Kresnik."

"I am Milla Maxwell, Lord of Spirits." Milla introduced herself.

"And I'm Jude Mathis." Jude followed up.

Seres wanted to say something else but she noticed Velvet wasn't even listening. The black-haired woman was climbing the ladder towards her escape.

"You can find out everything about them if you want, but I'm not going to waste my time." Velvet said as she continued climbing the ladder, "I've waited years for this. Now all I need to do is find him – and kill him!"

Seres watched as Velvet climbed out of the entrance and was gone. She was definitely in a rush to find her target for her vengeance. She looked back at the confused trio.

"I understand you're all still confused but we have to follow her." Seres said as she started to climb the ladder, "I'll explain everything about world as we move on. That's the best I can do for now."

Ludger, Jude and Milla looked at each other before they followed Seres. With Ludger's GHS not working to contact Vera, Seres was technically the only lead they had. So they will have to follow her and Velvet for now until they have an idea of where they are and what the divergence catalyst could be.

Unknown to Ludger, Jude and Milla, this dimension – or rather, this world that they entered was going to be an entirely new adventure for them.

CHAPTER END