Yeul knew most gates to have a nascent phase, where they appeared but were only partially there before it was decided whether it was truly needed. This one skipped that.

Why did it skip that?

She stood near to where she was the first night. With artefact in hand, she watched the gate. Serah and Noel never had to get close before the gates unlocked for them, so she shouldn't need to, either.

She reached her hand toward the gate and a light spread out from her clenched fist. A matching light expanded in that crystal heart.

… Oops.

"Write that down!" Leonora yelled over the crowds. Yeul took a half-step backwards and shoved the artefact back into her bag. "Watch it!"

Some of the mages around her ran for supplies, others stood stock still and simply took in as much as they could, memorizing as their training taught them to do.

The light faded out, which was met by loud groans from everyone around her. "First bit of excitement since the first night and it's gone, just like that!" someone said.

"Catalogue it and we'll take it to the village." Leonora strode through the ranks, lacy dress drifting over the grass. She moved toward Yeul and made eye contact.

Heart skipped a beat – this was a bad idea. She should have come when none of the trio were there.

"So, what are you doing here?" Leonora asked as she approached Yeul. Her voice was strained, and the lack of sleep was probably catching up to her. "You can't keep sneaking away from your studies."

She thought fast. "I saw the intruder in the forest over by Mount Ordeals."

Leonora gasped. "Really? How long ago? Why didn't you come find me?"

"It's been a few hours." She feigned sheepishness with pursed lips. "I didn't get a close look, but-"

"Jeren! Peza!" Leonora shouted. Two mages perked up and hurried their way. "I want the two of you to go down to Forest Ordeals and look around for our guest."

Yeul paused. They probably wouldn't find him, but what he said about killing mages left a pit in her stomach.

The two nodded and left.

Yeul reminded herself that these were mages of Mysidia. They could handle themselves.

She changed the topic. "Have you found anything new about the –… this?"

Leonora sighed. "Not much. The barrier's our first focus of study, and from there we'll move to the crystal at the center."

Would the gate vanish if Yeul went through it? Maybe she would simplify all this when she left. "Is it a threat to Mysidia?"

"Not just Mysidia." Leonora took a slow stroll toward the side of the gate. Yeul followed. "But I wouldn't worry too greatly. We'll figure something out soon. If anyone can handle this, we can." Leonora set her shoulders with confidence, clasping her hands behind her back, and coming to a stop while staring up at the gate. "It's quite possible that this magical object was drawn to the font of magical power on this planet."

"There is no other registered instance of an object like this in our history, is there?" Yeul asked. The timing was questionable. The location was concerning. Not only did it come near her, but it came close to her fifteenth birthday. Within the range of her likely death.

"Not one." Leonora cast her a frown. "Why are you so interested in this?"

Yeul paused. She was only fifteen, though she felt much older. Leonora, however, was, what, twenty-four? Almost a decade older and wouldn't see Yeul as an adult.

"It is difficult to focus when such a thing exists."

"Leonora!" Yeul looked up, to the west, as a messenger hurried over the hill, breathing hard and waving a missive. "They're coming back today, with the Red Wings!"

"Oh, good. How soon?"

The Red Wings. Yeul's stomach twisted. She understood that they weren't what they used to be, years even before she was born, but she heard the stories.

"It's a matter of hours!" The messenger, Poppy, stopped in front of Leonora with an excited grin. "They bring with them Queen Rosa of Baron, along with King Edge of Eblan and Rydia of Mist."

Leonora let out a breath. "I suppose that explains the delay."

Yeul blinked. She remembered communicating with tribal leaders and town mayors, even presidents at times during her days. She never thought she'd miss those times, when everyone quieted to hear her, and no one disregarded her words as that of a child.

"Return to Mysidia and begin preparations for guest quarters and the meeting room. Ensure the finest accommodations for our visitors." Leonora took up a swift stride towards Mysidia herself, Poppy following along with similar haste.

The instructional chatter faded quickly as they kept walking, Leonora only stopping once to inform the army of mages watching the gate that they were to continue doing so.

Yeul was just a defective girl in a village of magi.

Not… not like she was with Noel. And Caius.

And for the first time in months, she lost herself in memory.

The sky turned green and clouded, the ground to sand, and the trees to withered stumps. She smelled the sulfur that came with rot and algae and she felt the bitter wind of a deserted land. No one had lived here in so long that most of the ruins filtered away with the sand.

"It won't do much good to stay here," Noel said with a kick at the ground. "We should go find a gate or something."

Serah fidgeted. "But where would we start? Cocoon must have fallen by now."

"Doesn't mean we're alone." Noel sheathed his sword and pointed west. "I have an idea where some hunters' refugees might be. We'll start there."

Yeul looked around at the decimated landscape before following along behind them. Mog flitted about Serah, pompom pulsing with worry.

"Stay close." Noel looked her way. "Monsters will keep their nose open for lone prey."

Yeul hurried closer despite the discomfort in her leg. Noel reached an arm out and she took to his side.

"We'll keep each other safe," Serah said and shook Mog's hand. "Won't we?"

"You bet, kupo!"

"The Red Wings! The Red Wings, they've come!"

And just like that, the vision faded and Yeul was left to herself. Her shoulder felt cold where Noel took her, and she blinked back tears at the sight of the gathered mages.

Most didn't pay her pause any heed, though a couple gave her concerned looks.

She remembered to breathe.

A drop of rain hit her skin and thunder rolled in the distance. The sky was dark and angry, but on the horizon, she sighted the red-flagged ships that heralded the twins' return.

Yeul ducked her head and made for home. She needed time to think.

He couldn't believe the group that gathered in their little meeting room in Mysidia. Couldn't believe that this gift of an artifact that belonged to them as mages now waited for inspection by the common rabble.

Palom leaned back in his wooden chair and shivered with the chill that plagued him since the airship. The Red Wings took Rosa and the twins back from Baron, then split to deliver the other invitations. Because apparently this was a party now, open to anyone who wanted to get a look.

At least, that was the only reason Palom could come up with as to why Edge came. Rydia made sense. Palom found himself interested in hearing her thoughts on the situation, but Edge? He wasn't even a mage.

He strengthened the heat in his hands and spread it throughout his system. Rosa gave him a pointed look, but Palom ignored her. His hand still throbbed, but without the splinters, it would heal just fine.

"Hey," Palom said when Edge took a seat between him and Rydia. Palom still couldn't believe that this guy was one of the few born into royalty, but he checked his impulse to remark on it. "Is Ninjutsu magic?" Palom asked.

"Not quite," Edge said. "It's an ancient art form that we learned long before Mysidia became what it is today and it's more rooted in physical discipline than the arcane."

"Lay off the morning exercises with Yang, please."

"You know I don't-… Never mind. Mana is a resource that extends to more than just Mysidian magic." Edge leaned against the back of the chair. "Ninjutsu doesn't leave behind the same trace that your magics do. It's a lot cleaner."

"Uh huh." Palom folded his arms about himself to preserve his heat and mana. A nap in a warm bed sounded great right now, but a certain someone insisted on gathering world leaders and talking around a cold table. "But it uses mana?"

"In its own way. What's this about?"

"Nothing of your concern."

Edge shook his head but didn't press the matter.

Everyone took their seats, having returned from examining the portal. Leonora left to her shift, so it was just the five of them in here. Palom, Porom, Rosa, Rydia, and… Edge.

"Rydia, what did you pick up?" Palom asked. Porom shot him a glance and he screwed his eyes on their Summoner. Whatever she was trying to get across he was pretty sure he didn't deserve it.

Rydia frowned and clasped her hands together. "It is… different. It feels almost like the Feymarch, but…" She released a nervous chuckle. "I don't know, dusty?"

"A connection to summoning magic would make sense," Palom said. "You know, given our recent visitor."

"Do you think your King and your Queen would be willing to join the dialogue on this?" Rosa asked of Rydia, who shook her head.

"I think that if it affected them they would come on their own and I would prefer not to bother them unnecessarily."

"Why not?" Palom asked.

Porom choked.

Rydia hesitated before speaking. "It's… well, we gain the capacity to summon a specific Eidolon through showing them an extreme of our power. So, it's kind of a ritual? There's a right way to do all of this, and we only summon the power of an Eidolon in very specific circumstances."

"This isn't one of them?" Palom asked.

"Hey." Porom looked at him, eyes wide, mouth twisted down. He didn't reward her with a reaction.

"It doesn't work like that." Rydia set her tone. "It's a life or death thing, when a physical threat is clear and present. If we summoned for any less, than we would be showing them weakness and that… means something in our culture."

Porom put her head in her hands.

"So, we just have to wait and hope we get lucky?" Edge huffed. "That's a wonderful strategy. Meanwhile, I suppose I'll go research methods for beating off alien invaders."

"No, of course we won't just wait," Porom said. "There's precautionary actions we can take instead."

"The main issue right now is the barrier around it," Rosa said. "No one can speak of the artifact when we can't get close."

"And the only thing that's gotten through is dust?" Edge asked. "Wind?"

Palom blinked and forgot the cold for a moment. Couldn't help a quirk at the edge of his mouth.

"Care to enlighten the rest of us?" Rosa asked.

"It's obvious," Palom said. "We get rid of the barrier."

"Oh, I guess we're talking about beating it into submission, right?" Edge rolled his eyes. "Why haven't you done that already?"

"Because it's dangerous," Porom hissed, like she'd been anticipating the question. "There could be traps to cause injury or worse."

"We can't just sit back and hope for the best." Palom finally looked her in the eyes. She met his gaze without a hint of discomfort. "After all, when has that ever worked for us?"

Porom said, "We can't be hasty."

"How would we go about this?" Rosa asked. Something about her unaffected posture helped him relax.

"A barrage from Mysidia's army should collapse it." Porom pursed her lips. "Magical shields can only take so much and we can summon plenty of power if we plan it right."

"And once it's gone, we get to the artifact," Palom said. "If need be, we'll destroy it too."

"We'll almost certainly have to destroy it." Rosa cast Palom a cool look. "Don't forget it."

He didn't shrink back. "But what if it could be used?"

Edge hummed. "Good point."

"I agree." Rydia raised a hand to her chin. "I would prefer to wait on word from the Feymarch, but I think we should focus on the barrier for now."

Edge nodded as she spoke. Rosa and Porom didn't seem quite so sure, but they said nothing in opposition.

Moments passed in silence, then Rydia spoke up again. "If we can't find a way to use it quickly, we'll destroy it. If others have used it, there's only so much time we can risk it being here, right?"

"But how do we know they can't just place another?" Palom asked. "This thing showed up out of nowhere. It could happen again and we'll have to start over."

"Perhaps they can, but this will make a statement." Rosa stood. There was a certain confidence to the motion that Palom found reminiscent of when the Elder would take a room's attention. "If they come again, then they come knowingly against our wishes."

Palom dropped the wind. "What if they put their replacement somewhere less obvious?"

"That's true." Edge pointed to Palom while looking at Rosa. "Think the Red Wings might be able to do a fly by across the world, make sure there aren't any more?"

Rosa furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Edge. "The world isn't that small and our resources are limited."

"No, but we should at least try, right?"

Rosa sighed. "I will see what I can do."

Edge frowned. "No one else has gotten close to catching up with them."

"They're still getting old, Edge." Rydia tapped his shoulder with a small smile.

Edge cleared his throat. "What do your mages think about the situation?"

Porom's brow furrowed. "Alert and ready to handle any development in the course of this investigation."

"Including the artifact's obliteration." Rydia turned to Palom.

Palom jumped to his feet. "Who? Who said that?!"

Rydia shook her head. "I couldn't say. Not familiar with names or faces, after all."

"I caught the same chatter," Edge said. "Your people are nervous."

Palom forced himself to breathe – they couldn't seriously think that would be necessary! "We'll find a way to use it. I said we could, but-"

Rosa put a hand on the table. "… We should be ready for alternatives."

Palom opened his mouth to protest, but Rosa made a silencing gesture.

"It's getting late, and the weather worsens." Rosa turned toward the door. "We'll begin preparations tomorrow for destroying the barrier."

"I'll nod to that." Edge stood to join her and Rydia took to his side.

The three visitors left with quiet discussion. Porom waited until they were gone to rest a hand on Palom's arm.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He stiffened. "What?"

"Oh, don't act so surprised." She snatched her hand back and looked away. "I just… I'm not trying to undermine you. I'm scared, is all."

"About what?" The cold returned and he fought a shiver. Rubbed at his arm. "The artifact?"

She still avoided eye contact. "Aren't you? We barely made it through the last two invasions. I don't want to try my luck with a third."

Palom flared his heat. "That's why we're acting now. Geez, don't be such a wimp."

She finally looked his way, sunken eyes narrowed. "This is serious."

"I know." He made for the door. "Are we done?"

"… Are we?"

He hesitated. This had to be a trap. "We'll be careful. After the best we can do, there's not much else to think about, right?"

She was quiet and he remembered the deadening feeling in his limbs that came with the reminder of their petrification more than a decade before. Remembered the fear that came with it, but the assurance that Cecil and the others would pick up after them.

"Just… be careful, okay?" Her voice was tight. "You never take care of yourself like you should and-"

"And is that any of your business?" He rounded on her. "Since when did you give a damn how I live my life?"

Porom's expression hardened. "Since you made it clear that you didn't. I can feel your fever even from here!"

"I'm fine."

"I-" Porom swallowed hard- "I'm not."

"… And you won't use white magic because…?"

"Shiva's breath, Palom!" She reached a hand toward him and he flinched away. She held back and cursed again. "You're so clueless! Not everything can be solved with magic! Not that you would think that, getting an infused gem nailed into your skull when simple earrings would do the trick!"

He recoiled. "You don't even cast black magic – what would you know about jewel enhancements?"

"I know the health hazards that they are! It doesn't just discolor your hair, after all."

"Yeah, because the one in a hundred chance of injury is better than hurting yourself with potential death from overuse. You know Tellah might still be here if he had one?"

"Or you could just do infusions like me!"

"How is that any different? Your hair's entirely pink, now!"

"At least I don't discolor my eyes and skin in addition to everything else."

"Because cosmetic changes are such a deal."

"They are if they're a symptom of something worse."

"What are you trying to say?" Palom stepped forward, skin heating with black energy. "That I'm unstable? Broken? We already knew that."

"Did we?"

Palom swore. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Lie. After all these years and saying one thing, you switch up and pretend things are different just so you can get under my skin."

"That's pretty presumptuous of you, isn't it?" A hint of white in her palms. "Can't I say one thing to you without it being twisted back at me?"

Palom bit back a burst of fire that swirled about his person and lit the room in an orange glow. "Stop!"

Porom strode forward and the blooming fire faded to nervous wind. "Stop caring? You're my twin brother! I try to help and all you do is throw it in my face! Why won't you let me fix you?"

"Because I don't need to be FIXED!" Fire and wind combined into a swirling inferno that he fought to keep off the wood. The combined magic forced his feet off the ground and he clenched his fists hard enough to hurt. "If you wanted to spiff me up, you should've done so while I still believed you!"

Porom barked out a short laugh. "You? Believed in me? Now who's changing their story?"

"Shut UP!"

Porom sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. Moved her mouth in a silent count to five before she opened again. The white vanished.

"Shut up," he repeated before he forced the fire and wind back inside himself. The light faded and heat died, leaving behind a cold, dead weight in his chest. Feet touched the ground again. "Don't ever talk like you can smooth over my black with your white like it's a bad thing."

"It's not-! … Okay. My original point was that overworking yourself is only going to make things worse. You were fine before – what happened?"

"Yeah. I'll pretend that's what you're worried about."

He left and slammed the door behind him. Pain poured outside and had him drenched within moments of stepping out. Porom didn't follow.

By the time he reached his room, his clothes dripped all over the floor and made pools where he stood. When he reached to squeeze water from his hair, one sleeve sagged to reveal a purplish splotch that spread near his wrist.

He upped his heat again and steamed most of the water off. It burned his skin, but he still felt chilled to the bone, so he just took to his bed and curled up in his blanket until the shivers stopped.

With their conversation in mind, he found himself too distracted to sleep.