Leading out into an empty lake, covered in a crystalline powder, is a bridge. Running across the bridge are the tracks of a train which, long ago, were put into constant use. Now the bridge leads out into the center of the lake… and abruptly ends. The jagged tips of the broken bridge jut out like spears that have become rusty and begun to erode from exposure. A small piece of track still hangs from the end, as if the fate of the world depended on its staying attached to the rest of the bridge.
On the still-surviving portion of the bridge is the wreckage of the passenger train that used those tracks. There are eight cars, though at one time there may have been more. The lead car sits plainly, almost unbothered by the other seven cars that are bent and crippled behind it. Two of the cars are even flipped over on their side, as if they were hit very hard by something. Also on the bridge is a floating stone. The stone is a shade of purple light enough to be almost pink. Surrounding the stone is haziness, a sort of darkness. The stone wants to be touched, to be understood, to be LISTENED to.
A little ways away from the stone is a young man. This character is sitting at the extreme end of the bridge, with his legs dangling in the air far above the crystal lake below him. His face shows no fear, only exhilaration, as he contemplates the fall. It would be quick, he reasons with himself, just a moment of free fall, and then he would be under. So he jumps. As he hurtles through the air towards the water below, the young man starts to have second thoughts. Maybe jumping from a bridge the height of a skyscraper just for thrills WASN'T such a great idea. But then he hit the water, and the thought was no more.
The small group of travelers climbed out of the giant wheel-shaped vehicle that had brought them down the collapsed spiral of Taejin's Tower. They were definitely a ragtag bunch, and tired. They numbered four, but in total their group had consisted of six. Hope and Snow, the two who had chosen to stay behind and hold off the Fal'cie so the others could escape, were presumably still at the top of the tower, fighting the Fal'cie that had plagued them since they first arrived on Pulse. The battle had worn them out, and it would only be a matter of time before the others would have to flee as well, or they would have to give in to the Fal'cie.
The youngest member of this group, a girl with bright pink hair, looked around at the others, still in awe of the bravery of Hope and Snow to stay behind and fight off the Fal'cie alone. She had no doubt that they would make it out alive; the question was whether they would be able to find the group afterwards. Lightning, the de facto leader of the group, had deemed it necessary for them to keep moving and not to wait on the others, because their mission was of the utmost importance to the two worlds. Stop Barthandelus to save Cocoon and Pulse.
"Vanille, let's go!" Came the call from the woman dressed in blue. This was Fang, and she was Vanille's mentor, best friend, and only connection to an earlier life. "We're headed out now, and you don't wanna get left behind, do ya?" Vanille glanced over at Fang and nodded, she had been lost in her thoughts.
The scenery around them had changed drastically as their journey had progressed. On the Archylte Steppe, the terrain had been green; rolling hills and frolicking monsters had surrounded them while they made their way across the vast plain. Next were the caves, which were dark, dreary, and full of too many machines that had all wanted to kill them. After that was the base of Taejin's Tower, and the tower itself. That place was surrounded with evil. Darkness was in the air, and it seemed as if the building itself had wanted to kill them. So many things did these days though, so that wasn't surprising in the slightest. And now there was this place. The brilliantly white crystal was everywhere, and on everything. It was as if it had snowed recently, but the weather was warm, almost hot even. The crystalline powder wasn't deep, just thick enough to coat the entire area in its beautiful white luminescence.
Vanille walked across the small hillside their vehicle had come to rest on, towards the rest of the group. As she reached them Fang gave her a small smile, "Try and keep up." Vanile returned the smile, poked her in the arm, and with a giggle said, "You betcha. I'm not that easy to lose."
At this Sazh and Lightning, the two other members of the group, exchanged a look. Not a look of happiness or humor, but one of worry. They both knew how close Vanille had been to Hope, and they were worried about what effects there would be on Vanille because he had elected to stay behind. She seemed to be her usually happy self, but they didn't know how long that could possibly last. They both knew that they would need to keep an eye on her, even though neither said it.
"Alright, let's go. We're losing daylight people!" Lightning began walking, professional as usual. The military talk had become normal to the rest of them, and they knew not to take it as seriously as it sounded.
As the light producing Fal'cie, Phoenix, crept around the opposite side of Cocoon in the sky, the land began to get darker, and the group knew they needed to find shelter before it was fully dark. They set off down the hill, towards the small settlement that they could vaguely make out a few miles away. A small settlement that Fang and Vanille recognized from a long, long time ago. That place was home, and they had almost made it back. This was the thought that filled their minds during that walk and for the moment, all thoughts of Hope and Snow and the danger they all faced were wiped from the minds of Fang and Vanille. As they walked, the shadows crept slowly up behind them, almost as if they were going to grab the travelers and pull them into the darkness of themselves.