Yeul wandered the woods beyond the dragon and tried to forget the questions she faced back home. Most didn't bother her, but those that got a chance to see the gate swarmed with questions when Yeul would much rather have her space and think of how to find that dragoon or maybe another gate. Or better yet, the artefact for this gate.

And then in the morning gossip, she heard of an odd presence in this forest, spotted a short walk from Mount Ordeals. Animals ran and made odd noises, they said, agitated by an unnatural power.

Yet after searching for ages, she couldn't find anything that warranted such trepidation from the village. Some creatures scurried past her, but nothing here seemed agitated, much less threatened by an unknown presence.

She sighed and sat on a rock that wasn't covered in dirt and moss. Maybe she could find someone to lead her to it, or maybe it had been taken. Maybe it was a dragon's egg after all.

Except a dragon would never lay an egg in a forest and no fool would take one from a nest.

A twig cracked nearby.

Yeul bolted to her feet and looked about. Heart twisted when she laid eyes on the man from the gate. He approached her with a saunter.

She winced at her bad leg. There was no way she could escape a dragoon.

"Yo!" He stuck a hand in the air, gripping something within. "Lookin' for this?" His hand opened to reveal a glowing artefact, light faceting outwards in serene rays.

"Who are you?" Yeul asked, gaze locked on the artefact. "I don't recognize you from Pulse."

"Name's Nine." He stopped in front of her and offered the artefact. "I'm not from your old planet."

He just… held it out to her. "Do you know where the gate goes?" She didn't take the artefact.

"It goes out." He shrugged. "Outta this world. We can ride it back to Valhalla. I don't know, man, I don't understand any of that mechanical junk."

"You know about Valhalla?"

"Yeah, that's where everyone's waiting." He shoved the artefact at her. "Come on, let's go. I don't have all day, yo."

The artefact emitted a sheening sound that thrummed in her ears when she accepted it. The familiar vibrations its unnatural presence brought back so many lost memories. This could take her to so many places – it could take her to Valhalla.

Not that it would be easy to get through the gate now. She looked meaningfully at Nine, but he didn't seem to notice.

"What do you want from me?" she asked.

He groaned. "Yo, it's not that hard to get. There's this big bad dude out there that needs to be taught a lesson and you're supposed to help us do that."

Yeul slipped the artefact into her pouch. Took a half-step back and her leg seized up, causing her to stumble. Grabbed a tree to steady herself.

He looked at her, disbelief in his eyes. "You're supposed to be the Goddess of Death, yo. You ain't s'posed to have a bad leg."

"No." The world slowed around her, chirping of birds vanishing. "No, I'm not like the other Yeuls." That wasn't her duty anymore, because she got to be with Noel.

"Wonderful." He groaned. "Why am I the one who's gotta be down here dronin' on about all this stupid stuff with some cripple?" He glanced to the sky with a grimace. "Hey, couldn't you have sent Cinque instead? She's not doin' anything anyway, yo."

Who was he talking to? "I would like to find Noel."

"Who – oh." He sniffed. "Don't worry, if Eight can manage to do his job – oh, Cater. If Cater can manage to do her job, then he'll come back to Valhalla soon, yo."

She couldn't be sure he was telling the truth, though the chance itself was… hard to ignore. "I need some time." She glanced down at her bag, the light of the artefact barely concealed within. "I can't leave yet."

"Wait, what? Really?" Disbelief mixed with anger shown on his face. "I don't exactly got all week, you know!"

Memories resurfaced of people who wanted nothing to do with her or her past incarnations, who threatened her, told her to leave. In the end, she always did. She left. "That is no problem of mine."

He growled and leaned forward. Beneath his messy hair, Yeul made out a long, gnarly scar across his face. "This can't wait, yo. There's a lot of stuff out there that needs something to protect it."

"Then go without me."

"I gave you that damn gem!" Nine jabbed a finger at her. "What else am I supposed to do?!"

Yeul shook her head. "Eventually the crowd around the gate should disperse. We'll go through then."

"Who cares about the crowd! I could just cut my way through!"

Yeul looked up at him with her sternest expression. "I don't want you killing anyone."

"Not kill-?" Nine scoffed and turned away. "That's my sole job, yo! Why do I gotta work for such a picky girl?"

Yeul looked to the artefact in her bag. Valhalla within her reach and all that stood between them was the strongest mages of Mysidia.

"Geez! I shoulda just stuck with those jerks on Spira!"

"We can't be reckless about this." Yeul felt at her pouch. "I'll take my time."

"Okay, fine!" he yelled. Yeul winced at the sound, heart pounding. "We don't need useless idiots like you! We've never needed anyone else, have we? Especially not someone like you. We can do it by ourselves, just like every other stint. This is a stupid waste of time." He turned on his heel and walked off into the woods.

A moment later her entire body shook, though she didn't feel cold. Yeul wrapped her arms around herself, leg aching, and took unsteady steps through the forest. Nine acted like a child, but there was something about the air to him that reminded her of Caius.

And the thought of Caius left a stinging sense of nostalgia in her heart, a longing for his strengthening presence and his soothing voice. For the reason and calm he presented when the world burned around them.

But she couldn't just run through the guard posted at the gate. Yeul closed her eyes and thought of Pulse. She would take her time and get there alive, even if it took years.


Palom flipped another page of the book he had brought on the trip. Red Emergence: The Balance of the Destructive and the Restorative was the latest book that so far provided zero answers. It was just another confusing mess that couldn't properly explain the differences of white and black. Why was there not one competent writer out there? How did so many people decide that these books were worth anything?

Palom would trade a shard to find out what books Tellah used, if any. Why didn't Tellah write a book? If he did, it would've been the definitive, Palom was sure.

"Excuse me," came a feminine voice. Palom looked up to find the voice belonged to a young woman with short blonde hair streaked with purple. She wore a battered dress and the only part that still looked clean was a checkered piece near the neck.

"Spit it out," he said.

"You're from Mysidia, right?" She took a seat beside him on the bench. It was a long enough bench that he still had elbow space, but he was sure there were other places she could have gone.

"Yeah, so?"

"I heard about what happened." Given her elegant tone and how she carried herself, Palom couldn't help narrowing his eyes at her odd behavior. "In Mysidia. The gate?"

"What about it?"

"Isn't it dangerous?"

He grimaced and looked at the stone beneath them. His hands gripped the edge of the bench and the wood bit into his palms. "Maybe."

"Well, at least it showed up near a town that could destroy it if needed."

"… What are you saying?"

"It would take a lot of work, though." She folded her arms with a frown and crossed her legs. "You'd have to get rid of that blockade first."

"Where are you getting all this?"

A moment before she responded. "Isn't there something that makes it so you can't touch the object?"

"… One way or another, Mysidia will handle it."

"You think you're the only ones equipped to handle it?"

"I know we're the best ones to handle it, given we've already saved the world twice."

She looked at him, eyes sunken. And… maybe… sad? "You couldn't know, of course. You aren't that bright."

She poked him in the forehead and he slapped her hand away.

She shoved him into the bench and forced his hand into the wood. A sharp pain shot through his fingers.

Palom grunted, surprised by her strength, and summoned fire before turning to face her again. "Wanna try that again? I'll blast you sky-high."

She pulled away and he straightened.

"I'd hate to make you do that." The lady leaned in again and he smelled blood on her. "You need to conserve your strength, after all."

The spell flickered in his hands. "How do you know about that?"

"How do you?" She stood and moved a hand to touch him, but he slapped her away again and took to the air. "Take care of yourself. I'd hate for all that magic to waste away."

Palom grit his teeth and wind swirled about him – he stayed a foot above the ground. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Not yet. In any case, I have someone to meet. I thank you for your time and I pray that you make the right choice."

Palom watched her take off down the streets and disappear past the tailor's shop. He let wind billow about him a bit longer and bleed out his adrenaline before he touched back down.

"Idiot," he muttered to himself before taking the book and heading off to meet with the Red Wings, hand hurting.

It only took a few minutes to get out to the Red Wings, where Porom waited on the ground. She waved at his approach, a smile lighting up her face.

"You ready to go?" Porom asked when he paused beside her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Her mouth opened and closed without a response before she looked away.

"We're ready to fly!" Rosa called from the flagship.

Porom cast him another unreadable look before leaving to join Rosa. Palom followed a ways behind and rubbed at his itching hand.

Stepping on the ship brought back a rush of nostalgia. Palom looked to the planks that made up the floor and curved walls of the ship interior that creaked in the wind. It was smaller than he would like – the low ceilings and limited windows brought some unpleasant memories to mind and he scowled at the way everyone else clustered in the center of the room.

He took to the side and pulled his book out again. Time to get away from these people and get some work done for once.

Barely made it two lines in before Rosa broke through his concentration with a, "May I join you?"

Palom shut the book and forced himself to look up. "Sure."

She sat beside him and took his injured hand into hers. "What happened here?"

"It-" He swallowed his surprise and tried to yank it back. She held on. "Nothing. Why do you care?"

Rosa lifted an eyebrow and picked at the splinters. Pulled a needle from her pouch and got to digging them out. "You know why."

Palom grit his teeth his against the pain and let her go on.

She summoned a cure in the hand that held his. "I know Porom has you on edge again."

"… Again?"

"As always, I suppose." Rosa took on a thoughtful expression. "I know you two struggle, but-"

Palom recoiled and Rosa let him go. He opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of what to say.

"You know," Rosa said, "we have room if you would like to come and stay with us for a change."

"… I can't leave Mysidia," he lied.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not supposed to."

Rosa hummed. "It wouldn't be for long. Just take some time to clear your head, like Ceodore says. Maybe you could train him for a time and I'll speak with the Elder to arrange it."

"That's-… I don't need to leave."

"Maybe not, but we'd love to have you all the same. Cecil gets so lonely, he starts talking to himself even though he'll never admit it. Having Kain with us helps, but he could use more circulation."

"Cecil doesn't see me as a peer."

"That's where you're wrong." Rosa gave him a soft smile and the corners of her eyes crinkled in that old-person way despite her otherwise-youthful appearance. "And believe me, I wish I could say that more often. I won't force you, just… think about it, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Palom," Porom called, "did you visit the item shop before leaving? I need ethers."

"I didn't," he said. "Because it's not my job to keep you stocked."

"I didn't say it was! I was just asking!"

"Your tone said it!"

"My-! What's the point of talking to you if you're just gonna twist everything I say?"

"I don't know, why do you talk to me ever?"

Rosa cleared her throat.

"Stupid," Porom hissed.

Palom grit his teeth, got to his feet, and left without another word because he knew it was a losing battle. Porom never listened to him.

He took the stairs two at a time and made his way to the deck, where the wind billowed and whipped at his hair. Clouds blanketed the horizon and the sun dipped just below them to leave a streak of light in the bloodied sky that blinded him when he glimpsed that way. The cool air stung his face and brought tears to his eyes.

He blinked those out of the way and moved to the railing. Summoned heat to his core that warmed his skin.

Looked out across the land below him that appeared like a patchwork blanket. The height left him reeling, but he steeled himself. He didn't get to where he was by backing down. Especially not to his sister.

He stared down that fall like it was the artifact back home. He didn't let stupid complications get in the way.

That distance. That fall. The ground, so very far below him.

He hesitated. What could he do with that? How was he supposed to use a fall like this?

Stupid. He thought like this dumb ship mocked him with its altitude. But he couldn't turn away.

Channeled more magic, encased his injured hand in ice to cull the itch.

No one came to talk to him for once. Just as well. He needed some peace and quiet and it wasn't like Leonora was even here to provide intelligent conversation.

He turned, sunk against the railing, and let the wind lull him to sleep.