History Fanfic / WhereWeDontBelong

** The Ouroboros lose access to their class switch and related abilities, meaning they're ''merely'' experienced soldiers. Well, until they start discovering the specifics of their natural abilities (i.e. Sena discovering her Blade abilities) and learning the techniques of their worlds. They also discover they can still use Ouroboros, [[DramaPreservingHandicap though without the ability to communicate outside of sleeping, the risk of leaving the other side vulnerable makes it only feasible as a last resort]]. [[spoiler: That said, Mio managed to tap into part of the Ouroboros power when fighting Teach and Miyabi, though how it is achieved is unknown.]]

* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler: After the events in Olethro Ruins,]] Mio retroactively recognises that Sena's extreme grief [[spoiler:from losing her again]] was a consequence of them not addressing their trauma from the eclipse in Aionios.

* UterineReplicator: As established in [=XC1=], the Machina use them, keeping their children safe inside pods until they are adults. [[spoiler:Segiri and Fugiri]] came out of their pods slightly early and lost their memories as a result, so everyone theorises that something similar happened to Lanz.

** The Ouroboros lose access to their class switch and related abilities, meaning they're ''merely'' experienced soldiers. Well, until they start discovering the specifics of their natural abilities (i.e. Sena discovering her Blade abilities) and learning the techniques of their worlds. They also discover they can still use Ouroboros, [[DramaPreservingHandicap though without the ability to communicate outside of sleeping, the risk of leaving the other side vulnerable makes it only feasible as a last resort]].

*** Mio, Sena, and possibly Taion, have retained their access to multiple elements, but since no other Alrestian blades have demonstrated such, they often need to stick to one element (Mio with wind, Sena with fire) to avoid sticking out more than they already have.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Cammuravi is now a member of Torna and is thus fighting to destroy the world of Alrest, which take Mio and Sena by complete surprise.]]

** [[spoiler: Mio and Sena are forced to fight Cammuravi when he turns out to be a part of Torna. Later on, they go against Teach and Miyabi when Teach seeks to forcefully bring Nimue back to the Praetorium.]]

** Noah and Eunie finally reunite in Chapter 20, [[spoiler: after the latter's groups is still spent from fighting the Leone Telethia]].

*** [[spoiler: Nimue appears as a Blade in Garfont Village, on the run from the Indoline Praetorium.]]

*** [[spoiler: Triton makes a cameo in Alrest as a pirate captain along with Irma and Fiona.]]

*** [[spoiler: X and Y, being among the original Moebius, appear with their memories maintained, with their goal being to ensure Aionios is recreated so that they can continue ruling it.]]

* SecretKeeper: Mio agrees to keep quiet about Nia's status as a Flesh Eater. She finds out after Nia revealed it [[spoiler:to heal Mio, Sena, and Nimue after their encounter with Teach and Miyabi.]]
* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler: After the events in Olethro Ruins,]] Mio retroactively recognizes that Sena's extreme grief from [[spoiler:losing her again]] was a consequence of them not addressing their trauma from the eclipse in Aionios.

* UterineReplicator: The Machina use them as a matter of course, keeping their children safe inside pods until they are adults. [[spoiler:Segiri and Fugiri]] came out of their pods slightly early and lost their memories as a result, so everyone theorizes that something similar happened to Lanz.
* VillainousRescue: [[spoiler:A rescues Mio from her attempt at a HeroicSacrifice out of fear of the potential consequences of her death, as well as being aware that their options for ensuring Aionios can end without total annihilation being limited as is.]]

* WrongAssumption: Since the Ouroboros have no knowledge of their own homeworlds, they jump to quite a few incorrect conclusions.
** Mio and Sena don't realize there's anything weird about people with core crystals walking around openly, and so make some assumptions about Driver/Blade teams that turn out to be ... misinformed.

** [[spoiler:Mio has a dream of playing with Dromarch as a child, and specifically calling him her mother's Blade. Since they don't know they're in the past until Chapter 17, she assumes her parents were Dromarch's drivers before Nia, and are dead now]].

** Lanz, while calculating his own age, assumes it would be normal to go by City growth rates. Except he's supposed to be a Machina, who age at a rate literally two orders of magnitude differently.

** Despite no longer being in Aionios, Lucky Seven still retains its ability to cut through anything, so Alvis actively intervenes to apply a handicap, [[BroughtDownToBadass by tying it to the Monado]]. This ensures that [[CuttingTheKnot Noah can't just cleave through most of their opposition, especially the Faced Mechon]].
** The Ouroboros can merge into their Ouroboros forms, but considering they're separated by time-and-space in separate dimensions with no way to contact each other directly unless they're asleep, they can't use it on a whim since it could leave the other vulnerable at the worst moment and only for a limited time. As such, it's only ever used as a last resort, and even then it may not be sufficient to solve the problem, [[spoiler: as the fight against the fog-boosted Leone Telethia demonstrates]].

** [[spoiler:Lanz was finishing up his workout when Sena called for him, which lead to him getting knocked out in front of Fugiri.]]

* SecretKeeper: Mio agrees to keep Nia's status as a Flesh Eater. She finds out after Nia reveals it [[spoiler:to heal Mio, Sena, and Nimue after their encounter with Teach and Miyabi.]]

** Ashera manages it twice in Chapter 11, much to Leater's exasperation. The first time is when she states NoOneCouldSurviveThat when Xord goes toppling into the ether river, only to come back badly damaged but alive for Round 2. The second time is afterwards when she discusses how much she'd love to send Metal Face packing too, [[SpeakOfTheDevil only for him to show right up behind them]]. According to Leater, this is not an uncommon occurrence.

* UterineReplicator: The Machina use them as a matter of course, keeping their children safe inside pods until they are adults. [[spoiler:Segiri and Fugiri]] came out of their pods early and lost their memories as a result, so everyone theorizes that something similar happened to Lanz.

** Chapter 15, [[spoiler: where Noah encounters the Black Fog and Fogbeasts. The Fog even possesses Ethel and Ashera, turning them against the party and having them act like their Aionios incarnations. Also, Riku, who not only identifies the Fogbeast threat by name, inadvertently states that the Fog only sought to possess those connected to Aionios, making Noah suspect Riku having more secrets.]]
** Chapter 17. Hoo boy. [[spoiler:During the confrontation with Torna on the Urayan Titan, Mio seemingly takes Vandham's place performing the HeroicSacrifice, because she couldn't get her Interlink in time. Mythra awakens to save Rex as canon, but Sena also Interlinks with Lanz to ''brutally murder'' Obrona. Turns out that Mio was actually teleported away by Moebius Y, and she meets Ontos/Alvis/A, who is trying to keep both worlds to canon so that they get their happy endings. Mio was plucked away because her interference would have saved Vandham ... but Vandham is saved anyway thanks to Sena. Mio finally realizes they're in the past, and gives this information to Noah later on. She also has suspicions that Malos is Pyra's brother (though Pyra will explain that part shortly anyway), and more clues that she's Nia's daughter. Meanwhile Moebius X is also revealed to be be around, and that X and Y are working with Ontos, much to Ontos's displeasure]].

* FourLinesAllWaiting: The fic starts with ''six'' different stories, one for each of the Ouroboros, running at the same time, plus a few side scenes like Mórag and Brighid or Alvis and Dickson. Mio and Sena's plots get merged when they meet up, but there's still enough plots going on that several characters get paused for a chapter or two while the focus is on someone else. Noah and Eunie would finally meet up in Chapter 20, uniting their plotlines.

* HowDoIShootWeb: Mio and Sena run into this as they start training to fight like a "proper" Driver and Blade team. Not only have they lost the ability to instantly master each other's weapons as Ouroboros, forcing Mio to relearn how to use Sena's hammer properly, since Sena lacks the instinctive knowledge of a Blade they don't even know how to use an Affinity Link at first and need pointers.

** Chapter 20 sees Mio revealing to the others her Core Crystal, and her and Sena partially explaining their Ourobouros powers to Rex's group, and how Sena and Mio aren't Blade and Driver.

* SupernaturallyYoungParent: [[spoiler:Mio slowly gets hints that Nia is her mother (and Rex her father), but due to time travel she's actually slightly ''older'' than them right now (specifically, her body is physically about 20 years old while Rex is 15 and Nia isn't much older than that).]]

* FourLinesAllWaiting: The fic starts with ''six'' different stories, one for each of the Ouroboros, running at the same time, plus a few side scenes like Mórag and Brighid or Alvis and Dickson. Mio and Sena's plots get merged when they meet up, but there's still enough plots going on that several characters get paused for a chapter or two while the focus is on someone else.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Downplayed with Ontos [[and Riku]], who ultimately want to keep the plot of [=XC1=] and [=XC2=] on track to ensure that the future they hail from exists again. This leads to [[spoiler: Ontos siding with [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist Moebius]] and Riku persistently keeping mum about his knowledge of the future (including Fiora's death) until Noah corners him into admitting it]].
--> [[spoiler: '''Riku:''' “Because Riku never planned to tell anyone! Noah was no exception.”]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Noah:''' “You planned not to?! Fire and sparks… What would possess you to keep that information secret from quite literally everyone, never mind just me?”]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Riku:''' “Because Riku the only one who has to know! Think, Noah – if Riku tell anyone about the future now, what happens to the past that created them?! Riku not want to take that risk! That why Riku try to keep things on track as best he can. Seems to be losing battle, but that beside the point.”]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Noah:''' “... You sound like A.”]]

*** Mio, Sena, and possibly Taion, have retained their access to multiple elements, but since no other Alrestian blades have demonstrated such, they often need to stick to one element to avoid sticking out more than they already have. Specifically, Mio sticks with Wind, while Sena sticks with Fire.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Downplayed with Ontos [[and Riku]], who ultimately want to keep the plot of [=XC1=] and [=XC2=] on track to ensure that the future they hail from exists again. This leads to [[spoiler: Ontos siding with [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist Moebius]] and Riku persistently keeping mum about his knowledge of the future until Noah corners him into admitting it]].

[[spoiler: '''Riku:''' “Because Riku the only one who has to know! Think, Noah – if Riku tell anyone about the future now, what happens to the past that created them?! Riku not want to take that risk! ...”]]\\

--> [[spoiler: “Because Riku never planned to tell anyone! Noah was no exception.”]]//
[[spoiler: A gobsmacked expression instantly overtook Noah’s face at his reveal. “You planned not to?! Fire and sparks… What would possess you to keep that information secret from quite literally everyone, never mind just me?”]]//
[[spoiler: “Because Riku the only one who has to know!” Riku retorted, more serious than he ever remembered him being. “Think, Noah – if Riku tell anyone about the future now, what happens to the past that created them?! Riku not want to take that risk! That why Riku try to keep things on track as best he can. Seems to be losing battle, but that beside the point.”]]//
[[spoiler: “…You sound like A,” Noah said dejectedly, slowly taking in what the Nopon had said.]]

** Mio, Sena and Taion have retained their Blade abilities in Aionios. However, due to the fact that Alrest isn't open-minded about human-blade hybrids, especially with Mio risking execution as a Flesh Eater, Mio and Taion can't get away with fighting with their own blade weapons without raising questions, thus necessitating them to learn how to fight as Drivers, with Sena acting as Mio's blade once they reuinite. It's slightly downplayed with Taion, since the Blade that he awakened is [[ThrowTheBookAtThem Adenine]], allowing them to pretend that Taion's Mondo are an extension of Adenine's abilities.

** Not only do we have the Ouroboros, who have most of their powers and memories of [=XC3=], but we also have the Heroes and several major characters and minor [=NPCs=] from that game, [[spoiler: along with several members of Moebius,]] who have all been reimagined in what could have been their lives in the original worlds, with Riku and Manana being the only exceptions. [[spoiler:Ontos notes that this is a consequence of their existences melding into the worlds, allowing them to exist within the events of [=XC1=] and [=XC2=] without remembering Aionios, with Riku further clarifying that the former denizens of Aionios are not supposed to be present in the past.]]

*** [[spoiler: X and Y, being among the original Moebius, appear with their memories maintained, with their goal being to ensure Aionios is recreated.]]

* StoryBreakerPower: The Ouroboros retain most of their powers from Aionios aside from class switching. Of particular note so far are Lucky Seven, which can cut through anything due to its Origin metal, Mio's ability to use multiple elements, and, obviously, the power to merge into Ouroboros. Of course, most of them have a DramaPreservingHandicap in place to ensure that they can't use them recklessly.

** Mio, Sena and Taion have retained their Blade abilities in Aionios. However, due to the fact that Alrest isn't open-minded about human-blade hybrids, especially with Mio risking execution as a Flesh Eater, Mio and Taion can't get away with fighting normally without raising questions, thus necessitating them to learn how to fight as Drivers, with Sena acting as Mio's blade once they reuinite.

* EnemyMine: [[spoiler: X and Y have formed one with Ontos, who had previously directly opposed them as both [[GodWasMyCopilot A]] and [[EvilVersusOblivion Alpha]], to ensure that Aionios can exist once more. That said, the alliance is TeethClenchedTeamwork at best: Ontos makes it clear to them that if it weren't for the [[OutsideContextProblem extraordinary circumstances]], they would have erased the two Moebius immediately, X and Y are only cooperating with their self-proclaimed creator to fulfill their own agenda of bringing Z back, and ultimately their reasons for making Aionios exist again put them in conflict.]]

** Enforced by Alvis. Despite no longer being in Aionios, Lucky Seven still retains its ability to cut through anything, so he actively intervenes to apply a handicap, [[BroughtDownToBadass by tying it to the Monado]]. This ensures that [[CuttingTheKnot Noah can't just cleave through most of their opposition, especially the Faced Mechon]].

** Despite no longer being in Aionios, Lucky Seven still retains its ability to cut through anything. Alvis actively intervenes to apply a handicap, [[BroughtDownToBadass by tying it to the Monado]], and thus ensuring that [[CuttingTheKnot Noah can't just cleave through most of their opposition, especially the Faced Mechon]].

** The Ouroboros lose access to their class switch and related abilities, meaning they're ''merely'' experienced soldiers. Well, until they start discovering the specifics of their natural abilities (i.e. Sena discovering her Blade abilities) and learning the techniques of their worlds. They also discover they can still use Ouroboros, but considering they're separated by time-and-space in separate dimensions with no way to contact each other directly unless they're asleep, [[DramaPreservingHandicap they can't use it on a whim since it could leave the other vulnerable at the worst moment and only for a limited time]].

* EnemyMine: [[spoiler: X and Y have formed one with Ontos, who had previously directly opposed them as both [[GodWasMyCopilot A]] and [[EvilVersusOblivion Alpha]], to ensure that Aionios can exist once more. That said, the alliance is TeethClenchedTeamwork at best: Ontos makes it clear to them that if it weren't for the [[OutsideContextProblem extraordinary circumstances]], they would have erased the two Moebius immediately, X and Y are only cooperating with their self-proclaimed creator to fulfill their own agenda of bringing Z back, and ultimately they have very different reasons to want Aionios to exist again.]]

* InconvenientSummons: As each Ouroboros pairings have been split between Bionis and Alrest, Interlinking works differently. When the one who evokes the Interlink calls for their partner, their partner's body ends up unconscious, which means rather unfortunate circumstances if they were in the middle of something. [[spoiler:When a desperate Eunie called for Taion, Taion was about to begin sparring with Kylie and her Blade Finch as part of a training session headed by Mórag.]]

** [[spoiler: Despite Eunie and Zeon joining Melia's hunting party, they aren't able to prevent the group from being nearly wiped out, must less defeat the Telethia. Even Eunie managing to Interlink with Taion didn't help, partly due to the Telethia being possessed by the black fog.]]

** [[spoiler: Chapter 19 sees Noah finally confirming that Riku is originally a native of the pre-Aionios worlds, from a combination of the revelation that they've been sent to the past and Riku's reactions to their circumstances.]]

* StepfordSmiler: After the events in Olethro Ruins, Mio retroactively recognizes that Sena's extreme grief from [[spoiler:losing her again]] was a consequence of them not addressing their trauma from the eclipse in Aionios.
* StoryBreakerPower: The Ouroboros retain most of their powers from Aionios aside from class switching. Of particular note so far are Lucky Seven, which can cut through anything due to its Origin metal, Mio's ability to use multiple elements, and, obviously, the power to merge into Ouroboros.

** With the exception of his preconceptions of Blades being challenged by the appearance of Adenine, Taion is the only one who avoids any major incorrect assumptions, taking the time to learn as much as he can before doing anything drastic.

--> '''Noah:''' We’re not just in our home worlds, split apart once more. Rather, we’ve all found ourselves transported into the past of them ... we’ve gone backwards in time. [[spoiler: [[InternalReveal But that’s not news to you, is it Riku?]]]]

-->'''Mio:''' [Sena and I have] seen too much war not to know [life can be cruel]. But I don’t want to believe that’s all there is to our lives. There’s more than conflict in this world… I know it.\\
'''Vandham:''' It’s noble to want peace, Mio. But even peace is a resource to be fought over. After all, that’s why Mor Ardain and Uraya are at each other’s throats… because they want that peace and security, even at the expense of others.

* AngstWhatAngst: Averted; [[spoiler: after the events in Olethro Ruins, Mio retroactively recognized that Sena's extreme grief from losing her again was a consequence of them not addressing their trauma from the eclipse in Aionios.]]