Draco: This e is going to be the death of me.

...Holy shit, that looks so inappropriate out of context.

Bravely Default and all related properties © Square Enix

Florem Region: An Empty Temple

"Thank you for your assistance."

The words of gratitude came from the young maiden who now stepped off of a trader's boat bound for Caldisla. The ship's captain only shook his head. "Not a problem," he insisted.

"I'm sorry for making you go out of your way like this," the girl insisted.

A light chuckle from the captain. "It's quite alright, Lady Vestal," he assured her. "Sticking to the shallows like this helps keep the creatures at bay. You've not asked anything of me I wouldn't be doing regardles."

Vestal of Wind Agnès Oblige only bowed politely as the trader took off, sailing for the Caldis region. Agnès had requested the sailor drop her off at the sandy shore just outside the Flor-Cheim Inner Sea, leaving her with a large bag and a small map of the Harena and Florem regions. The acolytes of the temple had been very understanding when Agnès had requested to travel to Florem. The purpose for the journey was obvious - she wished to meet with Olivia, Vestal of Water and dear friend of hers - and the acolytes had promised to continue their prayers to the Wind Crystal while Agnès was gone, awaiting her return eagerly.

She had chosen not to risk her formal vestal attire on the journey itself, instead opting for a somewhat casual white dress with black trim and black sleeves. She had kept her proper vestal wear in her bag, however - the garb was too valuable to leave behind.

"First things first," she told herself, looking at her map. "Go to the temple. Shouldn't be more than a few hours' walk."

+x+x+x+

That time the next day, Agnès approached the Temple of Water.

The trip had been relatively peaceful, bar a few girls in rather revealing garments pestering her about her appearance - they must have been tourists, by Agnès' assumption. Nonetheless, she was exhausted from the walk, and as she approached the temple she was anticipating the entry; air cooled by the Crystal of Water was always a welcome visit for those making a trip through Florem.

She was not disappointed on that count.

No sooner had she stepped inside than an icy chill rushed through her body. A gasp passed through Agnès' lips as she stumbled forward, her bag falling to the floor - it was like walking under a waterfall, so great was the difference in temperature. After a moment catching her breath in the chill air, she raised her gaze, looking around - her eyes had yet to adjust to the twilight of the temple, but no crystal temple should be this utterly silent at noon.

"Hello?" she called. The call echoed through the hall. "Anyone?" Slowly, she started to step forward as her eyes began to adapt. Despite the time it had been since Agnès had visited the Temple of Water, it was known that all four crystal temples shared the same layout and design, so she turned to advance towards the study, astonished at the silence that permeated the air around her.

Her voice was wrought with worry as she called out again. "Olivia?" The words again bounced off the silence. "Are you here? Is anyone here?"

She arrived at the study - and a sight most horrifying caught her eyes.

Dust.

The shelves, the table, personal relics, crystal scriptures - everything was enveloped in a thick layer of dust. The wood was faded, the paper had started to unfurl. The stained glass windows had been washed out, leaving only the pattern of the framing upon the clear surface. Nothing had been touched - nothing had been so much as observed.

Not only was no one here - no one had been here. Not in years.

Agnès set a hand on her mouth. "Oh, kaze," she gasped. "What... what has happened here?"

Horrified, she proceeded to the dining area, only to find the same problem there. Age-thinned plates and stained silver cutlery lay set in preparation for the next meal, all imprisoned in a layer of dust. To the reliquary - and to the same horrific sight. Crystalist relics lay in containments wrapped with dust, and garments of all purpose hung aged in untouched wardrobes.

"What has become of this place?" Agnès murmured.

A thought that struck horror into her mind: What has become of the crystal?

In a panic, she rushed from the reliquary, charging towards the crystal altar. Dust was left in clouds below her feet as she dashed through, stumbling up the steps when her speed made the abrupt ascension somewhat difficult.

The Water Crystal stood there - its glow ever so slowly waning as she watched.

"No," Agnès gasped, her breath heavy. "No..."

She fell to her knees, her pulse racing, her mind throbbing. How...? What has happened here? Slowly, she bowed her head, clasping her hands before her - knowing this was not her boon, the crystal awaited not her prayers, yet feeling that she must do something for the fading light - knowing she ought adorn formal garb before taking any such action, yet daring not to step away, for it was better the crystal receive a weakened prayer than one delayed by hesitation.

A long moment passed as she knelt there, her body still.

A sound not of this world - a sound that could only be described as necrous.

Agnès raised her gaze, horrified. Tendrils of black smoke emerged as though from nowhere, wrapping around the crystal as its shine intensified in the contrast - like a quiet child screaming in fear when grasped by a stranger. She rose to her feet, horrified as the darkness began to expand, flooding the altar and imprisoning what light the crystal could still provide - and horrified, she reached forward, attempting to grasp the crystal, that her touch might give it the strength it needed.

A scream came from around her: Don't! There's no chance!

The call made her draw her hand away, turning away from the crystal and fleeing as the shadows flooded the altar - and Agnès only just crossed the arch dividing the altar from the rest of the temple before the darkness overflowed.

+x+x+x+

"Waken... please, waken..."

Agnès's vision was blurred as she opened her eyes, glancing around her. The area around her was lit by sun filtering through stained glass. A figure clad in an acolyte's habit knelt at her side, and Agnès rose to a sitting position, closing her eyes and lowering her head weakly to clear her thoughts. "What a nightmare..."

"You are Lady Agnès, of Harena?"

The question caused Agnès to turn to her, confused; then to gaze around her, taking in the area she presently rested in. Walls covered in stained glass, opposite an open wall lined with stone columns, giving a beautiful view of Florem's landscape.

That was no nightmare.

"What... what is this?" she asked of the acolyte. "Where am I?"

"A hidden village, to the west of the Water Temple," the acolyte replied. "A safe haven for Crystalist faithful. Possibly our last refuge..."

"Last...?" Agnès gasped. With horror in her voice, she asked, "What is going on? What has been happening?"

The acolyte only shook her head. "I should not be the one to tell you," she insisted, getting to her feet. "Come with me, please."

Agnès stumbled to her feet, following the acolyte down what appeared to be a hallway. "How have I come here?" she asked.

"You arrived at the entrance to the Twilight Ruins that hide this village from prying eyes," the acolyte explained. "Your garments were tainted by darkness, and your bag nearly split open. We were fortunate to have found you before the monsters did.

"Monsters?" Agnès asked.

The acolyte nodded. "The creatures' frequency increased without warning yesterday," she explained. "They have come far nearer to the most travelled of routes than they ever ought be. None can venture outside the city without experiencing an attack."

Hearing that analysis brought the wind vestal to lower her gaze. "It cannot be..."

"Agnès...?!"

Her name spoken in little more than a loud whisper brought Agnès to raise her gaze to see a much-welcome face. Her hair the colour of ocean depths, her garments the colour of running river, her eyes like reflected sky - a friend Agnès had not seen in ages.

Her breath fled from her lungs. "Olivia?" she gasped. Then, upon realizing she could not be dreaming; "Olivia!"

"Agnès!" The water vestal rushed towards her friend, meeting her halfway in a sisterly embrace. Agnès didn't hesitate to let loose the tears that she had been holding back since she had seen the Temple of Water, now turned to tears of joy - a reunion with Olivia was so far beyond what she could possibly have hoped after seeing those rooms abandoned.

"I was so worried," the wind vestal sobbed "I didn't know where you were... if you were still alive... the temple was utterly abandoned. What... what has happened?"

Olivia shook her head, still holding Agnès close. "So many things," she murmured. "So many things I wish not to remember. But... you deserve to know."

She led Agnès to a pair of small wooden seats. Agnès sat down, wiping the tears softly from her eyes. "What has happened?" she asked again. "The Temple of Water had been untouched for ages. The crystal untended. What...?"

"Florem has changed, Agnès," Olivia informed her. "The day after you and I became vestals in full, five years ago, I went to Florem to check on an acolyte who had been hurt by a few poorly-balanced scriptures. I was ambushed on my way there by a troop of female soldiers, led by a woman whose dress was covered in spears."

"The flag they flew was a rose... dripping with blood."

Agnès bit her lip nervously. "I know not what that emblem stands for," she insisted, "but it cannot mean good for this land."

Olivia shook her head. "The woman in spears introduced herself as Einheria Venus of the Eternian Forces," she replied. "She was to take me into custody, by orders of her commanding officer. When I refused, she sent the women she had with her after me. I managed to escape to the temple and told everyone to flee. I've tried hiding, but they've found me everywhere I might go - save here. This is our last haven. I don't know what would happen if we were found here. And with the increase in monsters... we can't leave this village."

"Monsters..." Agnès scoffed at herself. "The darkness must be responsible for this."

"Darkness?" Olivia asked. "What do you mean?"

Agnès raised her gaze to Olivia again. "The crystal," Agnès replied. "When I realized the temple had been abandoned, I went to see the Water Crystal. It's light... Olivia, it was faded. I wanted to do something, but no sooner had I fallen to my knees and begun to muster the courage for prayer than black shadows enveloped the Altar of Water. The acolyte who brought me here told me I had arrived at the Twilight Ruins, but my memory of the events end when I left the altar. The darkness must have struck me. I astonish even myself that I am still alive."

Olivia set a hand on her heart. "No," she murmured. "I... My neglect of the crystal must have brought this darkness to it."

"Oh, spare me your pathetic self-blaming angst."

The voice that came from nowhere - writhing with far too much content for the child's tones that carried it - prompted both vestals to turn as a figure stepped- no, floated out from behind a nearby pillar. A child in red, with her hair kept in two massive tails adorned in varying hues of red and white. Trailing from her lower back was a red figure that seemed to be a fox's tail, moving continuously, and in her hand was a small casting rod tipped with a three-pronged jester's cap.

"I mean, we're gonna kill you anyway, so..."

"Who-?!" Agnès stepped back, holding one arm before her. "Who are you?"

Olivia got to her feet, taking a stance similar to Agnès'. "Are you with the ones who fly bloody rose?"

The little girl looked amused at that. "The Legion? Ha! Yeah, right. That old man and the sisters are nothing to me. I'm just here to deal with our vestal problem. And look - here you both are."

She swept her casting rod back.

"Stop resisting, will you?"

Agnès' instincts screamed at her now to move - yet Olivia seemed determined to stand her ground as the girl swept her staff forwards. Screaming her friend's name, the wind vestal leapt forward as rings of magic flared up around their assailant.

The magic ripped up around her body, and she screamed as it tore through her, striking her with icy cold and flaming hot and a murderous shock all at once, her voice piercing the air that it might be heard from Ancheim.

When it faded, her garments were torn, her skin was charred - and her body fell limp, back into Olivia's as she realized what had just happened.

"Agnès?" Olivia gasped, horrified. "No... Agnès!" She fell to a kneel with the wind vestal in her arms, her gaze racing over her friend's ruined body. "It was me... that was meant for me!"

The girl scoffed between her teeth. "It was meant for the both of you," she snapped. "How irritating."

"Oh, bother..."

A bored voice carrying tones only of mild irritation caused the two vestals to turn to see a man emerging from the next pillar. He wore a white coat of medicine or science, with studious half-circle glasses. In his hand was a long staff such as once would balance medical patients with, yet it seemed to spark with magic of healing - in great contrast to the little girl's destructive arcana.

"Victoria," he said to the child, "recall that our orders were to bring the vestals back alive. I fear you've overdone it."

"Sorry, Victor," the child Victoria replied, "but you know how much I detest holding back." She glanced at Agnès' broken form and added, "Besides, you're a healer. If you can run the White Magic center, a little burn like this won't be anything of difficulty."

"A little-! She's dying, you monster!" Olivia screamed.

The man in the lab coat, Victor, turned to her with a sudden fury in his eyes. "I beg pardon?" he asked, his voice still level, yet underlined with rage. His staff parted from his hand, hovering at her side as he swept his arms to either side and lowered them again. "What did you call her?"

"You heard her, Victor," Victoria murmured. Then, to Olivia; "I'm gonna make you pay for that, vestal."

Magic began to spark around her casting rod.

Then something far more malevolent began to spark around her.

"I'll show you... what it's like... to be... dying!" Her body was tremoring, and she seemed to be forcing her words out. Without warning, whatever had been keeping her aloft faltered, and she tumbled to the ground, her body wracking with pain; her casting rod fell to the ground, and she set both hands on her head, crying out in pain.

Victor turned to her suddenly, his staff ceasing its levitations and falling to the ground. "Victoria?" His voice was suddenly one of worry; then of horror. "Victoria!"

"Vic...tor..." She gasped. "I... I can't... breathe..."

Olivia watched as Victor's gaze hit the ground, a thick curse passing through his lips. "Damn that DeRosa for slowing us down!" he protested. "He always does this!" He knelt down at Victoria's side, picking her up in his arms and leaving the casting tools where they had fallen before turning to Olivia. "I fear we must adjourn!" he called. "My apologies!"

He turned away, taking two steps and leaping through the gap between pillars. Magic emerged around him, flaring brightly - when it faded, he was already gone.

Agnès' weak cough brought Olivia's attention back to the wind vestal in her arms. "Agnès!" she cried. "No... why...?" She tried her best not to cry. "Why would you do that? Agnès, why!?"

"You..." A wince crossed Agnès' face as she gasped in pain; but it slowly gave way to a weak smile. "You would have... done the same... with a moment's notice," she breathed. "You were always... the image that... I worked towards..."

"Agnès, no," Olivia gasped. "No, please! We've been so long apart, I can't let you go like this! Please! You can't go!"

The wind vestal looked up to Olivia's face. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "As you said... it's been so long..." Slowly, her hand reached up, setting itself on Olivia's face. "You've always... been waiting for me... to catch up to you... Please... Care for the Wind Crystal... in my stead..."

Olivia gasped in horror, shaking her head. "I can't," she gasped. "I need you... You're the thing that keeps me going. Someone who needs my footsteps to follow! I can't do this on my own! I need someone to guide!"

"Someone... to guide..." Agnès gasped, laying her head against Olivia's arm; and a grim chuckle passed through her lips as she closed her eyes.

"Un...acceptable."

Then her hand that lay on Olivia's face fell, tumbling to her own chest - and Olivia knew, not wanting to believe, that it would never move again."

"Agnès...!"

Olivia winced, tears flowing from her eyes and falling onto her friend's face,

"You can't," she gasped. "You can't do this to me! You can't!"

The words echoed empty through the hall, unanswered.

And the water vestal raised her gaze to the heavens, a tortured scream tearing between her lips.

Draco: YOU DID THIS TO ME SQUARE ENIX YOU DID THIS YOU DID THIS.