Inside the chapel...

	 Peony: Ah, it's you! I was just reading Asch's letter.
	  Luke: A letter from Asch?! Was he here? Did you see where he went?
       Teodoro: He said he was looking for the Jewel of Lorelei. He headed to
		the Sephiroth from this cathedral.
       Natalia: What did the letter say?
   Ingobert VI: That he had found a way to neutralize the miasma. In exchange
		for the replicas' help, he asks that we provide them with
		refuge.
	  Luke: That jerk... Figures he would leave out the part about him
		dying.
	 Peony: What's going on?
	  Jade: Guy, explain the situation.
	   Guy: ...Me again? Fine, whatever. You see...
       Teodoro: What is Asch thinking? A mass suicide with thousands of replicas
		is absurd!
	 Anise: You won't permit it, will you? It's totally out of the question,
		right?
   Ingobert VI: Replica or not, we cannot sacrifice so many lives so easily...
		But...
       Natalia: Father! There is no but!
	 Peony: ...Jade. You have nothing to say about all this?
	  Jade: The only alternative I can imagine is even crueler.
	  Tear: Colonel, you can't mean...!
	  Luke: ...Me?
	  Jade: (...)
  All but Luke: (!)
	   Guy: You bastard! You're going to tell Luke to die in Asch's place?!
       Natalia: That's horrible! I could never agree to such a thing! I want
		both Luke and Asch to live.
	  Jade: Of course I feel the same way. However, the miasma has gone past
		all other hope of remedy.
	  Luke: I...
	  Tear: Stop it, all of you! Stop pushing Luke like this! You all know
		he's still struggling to find his own worth! Don't make him
		choose so casually...
	  Jade: My apologies. Tear, you're absolutely right.
	  Luke: ...Please, give me some time to think.

Luke can now speak to everyone in the room.

   Ingobert VI: I'm an uncle who already sent you out to die once. But I really
		want you to live. Though, perhaps I can't expect you to believe
		me. If either you or Asch were to die, Natalia would grieve, as
		would Susanne and Duke Fabre. You mustn't forget that.

	 Peony: No matter what path you choose, I will not condemn you. So stop
		thinking that you have no choice but to die. We have Jade on
		our side, after all. His brain is all he has going for him. If
		we make more use of him, we might be able to come up with
		something.

       Teodoro: This is not a decision to be made lightly. The miasma was born
		of the foolishness of mankind during the Dawn Age. It's not
		something you need to bear alone. I trust you understand that.

Outside the chapel area, Luke can talk to all the party members...

Guy...
	   Guy: I refuse to accept it.
	  Luke: Guy...
	   Guy: You've only been alive for seven years! You're a child talking
		like he knows everything! You should be thinking about fighting
		with every last drop of blood in you to stay alive!
	  Luke: But that won't stop the miasma. I...I don't want to die
		either...
	   Guy: Then don't! Damn the miasma!
	  Luke: Guy...
	   Guy: ...Sorry. I know it's not that simple. The fact that you realize
		that shows just how much you've grown, too. But I... I want you
		to stay alive. No matter what anyone else says.
	  Luke: Guy. Thanks...

Asch pushes Luke to the ground and draws the Sword on him.

	  Asch: Enough!
	  Luke: Asch...
	  Asch: You know there is no other way, so shut up!
	  Luke: Then... Then I'll do it! I'll disappear in your place!
	  Tear: Luke?!
	   Guy: Don't be stupid!
	  Asch: Disappear in my place?! You piece of-

Asch tries to hit Luke. Luke pulls his sword out to block, and a hyperresonance
forms around them.

	  Jade: Stop! We're trying to destroy the miasma here, not Daath!
	  Asch: Humph... Listen to me. You ate my whole existence! That's why
		I'm going to do this.
       Natalia: Asch! Is there really no other way? I--we want you to live! I'm
		begging you, please, stop this!
	  Asch: It's not like I want to die. There's no other way.

Asch walks out.
	  Luke: I can't! I can't lose him.
	   Guy: Luke!

Guy slaps Luke hard enough that he falls onto the ground.

	  Luke: Oww...
	   Guy: ...If you die, you won't be able to feel me punch you anymore.
		So drop this stupid idea right now.
	  Luke: Guy... I'm sorry.
	   Guy: Luke...

Luke gets up.

	  Luke: I've made up my mind. I'm scared, but...I've made up my mind.
       Natalia: Luke! You're such a...
	 Anise: ...So you're going to just disappear like Ion?
	  Luke: (...)
	  Jade: If you've truly made up your mind, then I won't stop you. But we
		should report to the summit before leaving for the Tower of Rem.
	  Luke: Everyone... I'm sorry...

The Mary replica is near an injured replica on the ground.

	  Tear: ...What happened to her?
	  Mary: She's one of us, chased out of a city and treated like a slave
		before coming to this tower.
	  Mary: ...Why have you come? Are you the one who will walk the path of
		death with us?


       Natalia: You intend to give up your lives to erase the miasma?
	  Mary: ...We realized that there was no other way. No...we decided it
		is what we must do.
	   Guy: You're being persecuted by the originals, just like he is. Yet
              you'll still disappear for them?
	  Mary: ...This is not for the originals. It is so that our many brethren
              who have not yet made it here can find a place to live.  A new
              nation will arise from our corpses. Do you not desire our deaths
              as well?
	  Luke: I...
	  Asch: I told you I'd do it! Why are you here?!

Luke takes the sword and is about to place it into the ground.

	  Tear: Luke! Stop!
	  Luke: ...Everyone, give me your lives. I'm...I'm going with you!

Tear runs towards Luke.

	  Luke: Stay back!

Guy stops Tear.

	  Luke: Guy. Thanks....
	   Guy: ...You stupid bastard.

A cutscene shows the miasma going away from the whole planet. Back in the Tower, Asch and Luke still have their hands linked.

	  Luke: Aagh...
	  Asch: Ugh...?!
	  Mary: ...Remember your promise. Give the surviving replicas a place to
		live. In return for our lives.
       Natalia: I, Princess Natalia of Kimlasca, swear on my life that I will
		fulfill that promise!
	   Guy: As do I. We won't abandon the replicas...in memory of your
		sacrifice, like that of my sister.
	 Anise: M-me, too...You're just like Ion, after all...

The scene changes to Belkend's medical room. Dr. Shu is there. Luke has his
hands on his hips and looks exasperated.

	  Luke: Stop following me around like I'm a little kid! Go wait
		outside.
	   Guy: What are you talking about? We're all worried about you.
	  Luke: Just go!
       Natalia: ...Well, if he insists.
	 Anise: Okay, we'll be waiting at the inn.

+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Skit `The Jewel of Lorelei'                                            [SK371]
|
|	   Guy: So this is the Jewel of Lorelei, huh?
|	  Luke: Yeah. Looks like it's a capacity core.

|	  Tear: Perhaps the Sword and Jewel served as Yulia's weapon and armor.
|	  Luke: Oh...then shouldn't I give this to you?
|	  Tear: Lorelei entrusted it to you and Asch. It's your responsibility
|	   Guy: Yeah, And while you're at it, take responsibility for making us
|		go all over the place when you had it the whole time.
|	  Luke: But this whole thing with the Jewel getting broken down into
|		fonons and going inside my body...Does this happen a lot?
|	  Jade: It's called the contamination effect.
|	  Tear: But doesn't that require a special kind of fonic arte to occur?
|	  Jade: Replicas' fonons separate easily. As a result it's also easy for
|		other fonons to get mixed in.
|	  Jade: If the fonons have similar frequencies they could easily get
|		taken into a replica's body.
|	   Guy: Oh...and since the Jewel's made of the Seventh Fonon it got
|		mixed with the Seventh Fonons in Luke.
|	  Tear: So, you mean that Luke is susceptible to the contamination
|		effect?
|	  Jade: Yes, his fonon frequency is identical to that of the Seventh
|		Fonon, after all.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Skit `A Great Sacrifice'                                               [SK370]
|
|	   Guy: I wonder if they really accepted their disappearance...
|      Natalia: I don't know. It may be that our lack of acceptance pushed them
|		into the pit of despair
|	  Tear: Perhaps, but regretting that won't do anything. They died
|		believing that a new nation would be born for them. It's our job to
|           see that that gets done.
|	   Guy: Offer a helping hand to the remaining replicas so that they can
|		live in this world...
|	   Guy: I guess that's the one thing we can do for Mary...I mean, for
|		the replicas.
|      Natalia: ...Yes the fact is that we let the replicas die so that we could
|		live.  Regretting that will accomplish nothing.
|	  Tear: That regret is only selfish sentimentality...though we should
|		not forget it, either.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Skit `The Joy of Life'                                                 [SK373]
|
|	  Luke: The weather sure is nice today!
|	   Guy: ...Luke? What's with you, all of a sudden?
|	  Luke: The sky is so blue...You can see the fonstone ring really well
|	It's really pretty.  Anyway, we've got our report to do so let's
|           head to the manor in Baticul
|	  Tear: Luke do you have a fever?
|	 Anise: Did you hit your head?
|      Natalia: Might you have eaten something bad?
|	  Luke: Stop that! Its just...well, with almost dying and all, I
|		realized how wonderful it is to be alive.
|	   Guy: Hah hah hah. Wow. I never expected to hear YOU say that.
|	  Luke: ...Well, anyway, yeah, it's not bad
|	  Jade: ...Indeed its not...
|	 Anise: Colonel, don't be so nice... You're scaring me.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YULIA CITY

Guy...
	   Guy: Tear seems pretty cold, but she's actually pretty nice, huh?
	  Luke: What do you mean?
	   Guy: ...You haven't really seen her at all.
	  Luke: Sure I have. She's always hard on me. Well, she's nice
		sometimes, I guess.
	   Guy: Are you stupid? Only a child needs kindness to be blatantly
		obvious in order to see it. If you haven't realized it for
		yourself yet, go and look for her now and see what you find.

The party reconvenes in the conference room.

       Teodoro: Just as I thought, this Jewel is inscribed with a fonic arte as
		well. Please focus Seventh Fonons into it. It's dispersive power and
            fonic arte will activate, stopping the fonic glyph.
	  Luke: That'll close the Gate, huh?
       Teodoro: Yes, I would seal it off at the Absorption Gate. That's where
		the Planet Storm finishes its cycle. Closing it there is the
		most logical choice.
	  Tear: The Absorption Gate...That's where we fought Van...
	   Guy: Tear. If we stop the Planet Storm, we'll be able to approach
		Eldrant. It may be painful for you, but let's do our best.
	  Tear: Right.
	  Luke: ...What about you, Natalia? Are you going to be okay?
       Natalia: I'm fine. Thank you.
	 Anise: Hey, what about me?
	  Mieu: And me!
	  Luke: Okay, okay! Is everybody ready?

  All but Tear: Ready! (heart)
	  Luke: Then we're off to the Absorption Ga--wait, one of those
		responses sounded weird.
	  Jade: Oh, details, details. There's no time, Luke! Let's go!

+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Skit `The Final Confrontation'                                         [SK376]
|
|	  Luke: So we're finally going to confront the New Order of Lorelei...
|	   Guy: Natalia looks really troubled.
|	  Tear: She doesn't have much time to make her decision..  And she knows
|           that, which makes things even harder on her.
|	  Luke: Why doesn't she just run away? She doesn't need to fight her
|		real father!
|	   Guy: Yeah, I know... But she is who she is now because she's never
|           turned aside from
|		the obstacles in her path.
|	  Luke: She won't run even if we tell her to, huh...?
|	  Jade: Well, if she's a burden, we'll leave her behind. If she doesn't
|		want that, she'll have to settle her feelings.
|	   Guy: Tough as usual, aren't you?
|	  Jade: I'm only stating the obvious....
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the final save point...

       Natalia: ...One of the Oracle Knights is waiting for us up ahead.
	 Anise: Legretta, Largo or Sync...
	  Jade: Or possibly all of them.
       Natalia: Largo... I...
	  Luke: Natalia...are you okay?
	   Guy: You look pale... Don't push yourself.
       Natalia: I'm sorry. I'm ashamed of myself for becoming so distraught.
		...But I'm all right. Let's go.

Largo turns around with his weapon out.

	 Largo: How many lives have been thrown away for it?
       Natalia: What you're trying to do is no different in the end!
	 Largo: Van's plan...our plan is twisted. But without a medicine this
		strong, the world will follow Yulia's Score...and die. As long
		as the originals remain, so will remnants of the planet's
		memory.
	  Luke: The idea of killing everyone alive today is crazy.
	 Largo: This, coming from the man who massacred replicas to consume
		them.
	  Luke: ...That's right. I consumed their lives and chose to preserve
		this original world!
	 Largo: Well said. You are a worthy opponent. En garde!

Battle.

	 Largo: Never show your enemy mercy, Princess, no matter who he is.
		Mercy has no place with two people, as enemies.
	  Tear: If that's what you wish, then we'll face you as warriors.

	  Jade: We will use simple, honest strategy to fight you with everything
		I have.
	   Guy: It's too bad, I don't mind idiots like you.
	 Largo: Hah hah hah! That's good! The Black Lion might be a fool, but
		he's not weak!
	  Luke: We're not weak either! We will win!
	  Tear: I give you fair warning, as a fellow Oracle Knight.
	 Largo: Come children, let me crush you!

Largo dies.

       Natalia: Father...!
	  Jade: ...I'm sorry to sound cruel, but we didn't come here to defeat
		Largo. We came here to close the Absorption Gate.
	  Luke: I know. But Natalia...
	   Guy: ...How about you wait here, Natalia? There's no reason to push
		yourself.
       Natalia: No...No...I'm going with you.
	   Guy: Okay...Can you stand?

+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Skit `Largo's Death, Natalia's Feelings'                               [SK380]
|
|	  Luke: I wonder why Largo said all that to us...
|	 Anise: All what?
|	  Luke: Show your enemy no mercy. With shallow feelings like that,
|		you'll never defeat him...
|	   Guy: He probably meant that for Natalia.
|      Natalia: For me...?
|	   Guy: As his final wish, that you--his daughter--should survive.
|      Natalia: ...
|	 Anise: Hmmm...But Largo's not the type to push guilt on Natalia for
|		killing her father.
|	  Luke: Then what did he mean?
|	 Anise: "I'm your enemy, so don't pity me. Defeat me and Van and do it
|		ruthlessly" Something like that?
|	  Luke: Both of those make sense to me...
|      Natalia: ...Only Largo knows the truth and I will keep my own belief in
|		my heart.
|	 Anise: Huh? What do you think he meant?
|      Natalia: ...I'm not telling.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	  Asch: Now they know where the Key of Lorelei is. Be careful. Van will
		be coming in full force to steal it from you.
	  Luke: If we release Lorelei into the fon belt, Van will lose his
		chance to destroy Lorelei. The Seventh Fonon, the Score, and
		the planet's memory will all remain.
	  Asch: Exactly. I'll come see you once you stop the Planet Storm. Don't
		let them take the Jewel.

Asch walks off.

	   Guy: ...Asch has started acting nicer towards you.
	  Luke: You think so?
       Natalia: But...he seemed sad for some reason.
	 Anise: Hey....is it okay if we take this kid to Daath? I don't think he
		has anywhere else to go...
	  Luke: Good idea. Okay, let's get him to Daath.
	Noelle: ...No, please allow me to do it. I'm the pilot of the Albiore
		II. I've had the same training as my brother. It's all right.
		I'll do it.
	  Luke: We're counting on you.
	   Guy: Sounds like that settles it, then.
       Natalia: So, this is it.
	  Luke: Are you all really okay with going to Eldrant? Natalia, you're
		the successor to the throne of Kimlasca. Jade, you have your
		military post defending Malkuth. And then...
       Natalia: What are you saying after everything that's happened? I can't
		leave after coming this far.
	  Tear: I have to make my brother...make Van take responsibility.
	 Anise: If Ion were here, he'd tell me to see everything through to the
		end.
	   Guy: When I met my sister's replica, I realized. As a citizen of Hod
		myself, I cannot allow the dead to be raised in such a manner.

+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Skit `Luke and Asch, Part 2'                                           [SK386]
|
|	   Guy: After all this they're suddenly in opposite positions...
|	  Jade: After all this time?
|	   Guy: Yeah...Asch is the same as always. I guess Luke's the one who
|		changed.
|	  Jade: Yes...He saw death with his own eyes, and he grew up.
|	  Jade: But Asch doesn't realize that, and he's angry that his replica
|		has started thinking for itself.
|	   Guy: No, I think Asch does realize it. He just doesn't want to
|		acknowledge that the puppet that took everything from him has
|		become independent.
|	  Jade: Judging from his anger, that's probably the case. Though it
|		could be worse.
|	  Jade: If he had simply ignored Luke and left, there would have been no
|		hope.
|	   Guy: Now it's Asch's turn to become independent.
|	  Jade: Yes...To free himself from feeling victimized by a replica that
|		pushed him into the shadows.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Skit `A Great Resolve - Guy Talk'                                      [SK387]
|
|	  Luke: Eldrant, huh? Sure is huge...
|	   Guy: Well, yes you've got a whole island floating up there.
|	  Jade: Attack large targets from the inside. That's one of the most
|		basic principles of battle.
|	  Luke: It feels weird. When the three of us met I never would have
|		imagined that we'd be here fighting like this.
|	   Guy: Hah hah hah! Yeah, really, Van wasn't our enemy at the time,
|		either.
|	  Jade: And Malkuth was, I suppose?
|	  Luke: Heh heh, I thought you were pretty annoying back then, but
|		now...
|	   Guy: He's still pretty annoying
|	  Luke: Yeah
|	  Jade: ...Heh heh, Well, then please bear with this annoying soldier
|		for just a little while longer.
|	  Luke: Same to you. Jade, Guy let's do our best.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later in the day, around sunset, Natalia is sitting by the shore.

	   Guy: Looks like you're waiting for someone to show up.
       Natalia: I'm afraid there's little hope of that...
	   Guy: Asch hated replicas. That gave him purpose. He lost that the
		moment Luke stood on his own.  I don't think he'll show. The next
            time he does...
       Natalia: Will be when they fight. But why do they have to fight?
	   Guy: It's not to hurt each other. It's to settle who they are. To
		recognize that they're two different people now.
       Natalia: I wonder what I should do when that happens?
	   Guy: If you really care about both of them...then just accept the
		result.
       Natalia: Will you?
	   Guy: Well...That's what friends do, right?
       Natalia: Asch is your friend, too?
	   Guy: ...I've put my past behind me as best I can. I think that's what
		Asch is trying to do now.  When that happens, he will no longer be
            the son of my enemy, and I no longer his servant.  We'll start over
            as Asch and Gailardia. Just two people.  I bet he's a pretty fun
            guy, without all his baggage.
       Natalia: You're so mature. I don't know... I just...
	   Guy: You see Luke as your friend, right?
       Natalia: Yes.
	   Guy: Then that's enough for now. Once everything's settled, go with
		what you feel.
       Natalia: ...You're right. Some answers won't come no matter how much you
		think.