No names, just people.

The End of the Letter

He was returned to the Meteor Parasite's chamber in the blink of an eye. Mog was still there, overjoyed at Thomas' return, but there was no time for celebrations; the parasite lay in a heap on the floor, writhing and barely alive. It mustered the strength to look up at the man that had stepped in front of it; it saw him stand sideways and aim the sword inches away from its eye. He was steady as the flow of magic gathered at the tip. He never looked away.

The shot fired. The sword recoiled. For the second the parasite was thrown back in the air there was complete silence- then the earth began trembling, the parasite churning and spitting ooze with a roar. Thomas grabbed Mog and the chalice and ran. As they made their way up they saw how light was seeping through cracks in the parasite's body and sparks were being sent through the roof and into the world; the parasite was about to burst.

The shockwave got them as they reached the end of the top chamber. For an instant they saw the column of light piercing the sky before a wave of dust and dirt swept over them. Thomas shielded Mog with his body and did not have the strength to move from the spot until well after the sky had cleared.

.

As he traversed the old road away from the Mount it felt as if that abyss was all that existed for him. Outside its walls was a world that wouldn't welcome him anymore- not because it didn't want to, but because it couldn't. People must have realized miasma was gone by now; they'd be celebrating the end of an era, but they weren't the ones who ended it.

As if in a dream he remembers returning to Mag Mell. The Carbuncles told him to stay for a while, to rest and let everything sink in. But they also told him he had to go back, that life must go on.

And he feared that. Time would never stop once he stepped outside the miasma stream. He'd be thrown back into the current and that place, what he'd done, would get swept away. He understood then why the Carbuncles had chosen to hide; they didn't have to worry about new things, only what they knew. But then…that meant they lived forever stuck to a single moment. Perhaps it was the time they told humans about myrrh trees, or when Raem started to hurt them; with nothing new to measure those events against, it was as if that had happened yesterday.

When the Carbuncle he'd first spoken to looked down at him with an expression that said, Is that what you want for yourself? Thomas realized he had to go.

The moment he leaves is the moment he remembers the most- the trail leading away from Mag Mell, the cold wind blowing and the chiming of its bells.

It wasn't until they'd stepped inside the miasma stream that he realized he'd left Excalibur. After considering it, he concluded that it should stay behind, because it was not the only thing he had to let go of.

Luckily the path was long and once they reached Fum he had harnessed the courage enough to face people and lie.

xXx

To say that the silence that followed when Thomas finished talking was long would be insufficient; it was also strained and uncertain. He had said so much. Maybe it was the light, but at the moment he finished he looked so worn out, as if his fears had been justified and time had rushed back onto him to age him quicker.

It was Korina who first said: "I believe you." It took a bit longer, but Mateo and Louvouz agreed too, their reason being that they knew Thomas and Thomas could never make so many things up- he'd always been a terrible liar. They began to laugh then, small and contained at first, then letting go- laughing for laughing's sake. It was at that moment that Nor Lit truly believed him. He could laugh because the world was undeniably free, and he was alive at that moment to see it.

Mateo proposed a toast: to the earth, to the now and to the new era, because no other cheer for these things had ever been truer. They all raised their glasses, but before anyone could drink, the Lilty quickly added, "Oh, and for our friend too."

For an instant, Thomas seemed about to protest, but whatever he was going to say was drowned by the loud cheers of the others, and in the end he raised his glass as high as the rest and drank it down to the last drop.

They laughed and ate and drank a lot; danced a little and separated for a moment. When the festival began to die down they moved away from it to keep talking and arguing until they were repeating themselves. The night ended at the Clavats' doorstep. Louvouz excused himself and retired to think alone; Mateo had to return to his wife and kid- by that time it was three in the morning and they may get worried. At five Korina gave up; she didn't even make it up to her bedroom and instead curled up on a sofa downstairs to sleep there, leaving her husband to fetch a blanket for her.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Thomas asked as he exited his house, looking for the only person who'd remained outside.

Nor Lit looked back at him from his spot by the edge of the river and shook his head. "There are too many things in my mind; I couldn't sleep if I wanted."

Thomas sighed. "Same here."

The Selkie motioned him to come over, so Thomas sat on the rock besides him. Nor Lit still had half a jug of ale with him; he picked up one of the glasses they'd used previously and offered Thomas a drink. At first he declined, but he ended up accepting. He drank slowly. Halfway through the glass, he sighed. "I don't even like this," he said, motioning to the glass, "it just… serves a purpose."

Nor stared at him for a moment before sighing softly. The Clavat hadn't even drunk that much- he was probably just trying to keep the situation at arm's length, but not much further.

"For what it's worth," Nor said, "Thank you for telling me your story. It wasn't something I could have ever guessed, but I do believe you."

Thomas simply stared at the dark water running at their feet. "So are you ok with that?" He finally asked, catching Nor Lit by surprise.

Was he ok with the truth? He wondered. Was he ok with the fact that in the end everyone who had tried getting rid of miasma differently would have failed? That the only way to change things had been to challenge gods and demons? Nor threw his head back and let out a heavy sigh. He was facing the night sky now, the thousands of stars blinking back down at him.

"We're really, really small," he said, still looking up. "Didn't that demon say something about that? About how everything started because we hated the idea of being insignificant?"

"Yes, he did. He said the state of the world was our fault, because we tried to take control."

"Do you believe him?"

Thomas nodded. "There is no doubt in my mind that we forgot how everything truly started."

Nor nodded alongside him. "Then I believe that those who started it- whoever they were, or whatever it was, were fearful of the truth. Going by that then I don't want to fear it, much less deny it. But…" he wouldn't lie; it wouldn't be fair. "I'm not ok with it. I hate that my friend died in a way that seems in vain- I get that sometimes people make mistakes, but it was not only him, it was-"

"Everybody who ever tried," Thomas finished the sentence. Nor Lit nodded, feeling stupid because he knew Thomas had already thought all these things.

"But you know," Thomas continued, "They tried.No matter how I feel about surviving, I don't feel sorry for them. The Black Knight, Hurdy, even your friend, they didn't want the cheer of a crowd; there was no guaranteed they'd succeed. They had their convictions and their means and they went ahead with that. That takes a lot of courage, and that's worth something."

Watching the other man, Nor Lit realized something: Thomas was not afraid of death. To him those other people hadn't failed because they'd died. They made grave mistakes, couldn't have known what path to take, but death hadn't been some kind of punishment for daring to step out of line- it had been an outcome. It was not the bigger picture; of course other people wouldn't see it that way, but then, so what? Nor Lit and the others knew the truth, and that was enough.

Pausing, Nor frowned at the thought. Glancing down, he began to doubt he could really let it go that easily. However, he decided to think about it later. Even though the festival had ended and he had gotten what he wanted, it had only made him think faster as things pieced themselves together or contradicted what he'd previously thought- it was the exhilaration of discovery. Luckily that was easier to curb than uncertainty.

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Nor searched for something else to talk about.

"You mean, from now on?" Thomas asked after a pause. Nor nodded and Thomas shrugged. "Stay here. There's not much else for me to do, is there?"

"Don't you want a family of your own?" It seemed like an innocent assumption. It wasn't until he'd said it that he realized how obvious the answer was. The image of the oddly empty room in the small house right behind him sprung in his mind, just as Thomas answered his question.

"More than anything," he said, his chest swelling slightly before his shoulders slumped and he rested his head on the palm of his hand. "It just…hasn't happened," he sighed. "I'd hoped that things would fall into line once I got home, but…"

For one, he had never imagined parting ways with Mog, yet it was the first thing to happen once they returned to the world. They made it as far as Marr's Pass when the moogle started wondering if it would be a good idea to return to Tipa. The village had never been his home- hell, he'd never had a home; the idea of settling down at the end of a road didn't seem to fit. He was strong enough to travel on his own and there was a changed world waiting for him now. He promised he'd return, but Thomas left for Tipa alone.

Thomas hesitated before continuing, gaze stuck on the water. "Then I finally get back here and it turns out that what I forgot was my sister."

Nor Lit stared. "Wha-? Oh! you mean in the- the final fight?"

Thomas nodded. "At that time it just felt like something had been ripped out of my mind, but when I had to face that something, it was worse. I didn't even realize that what I'd forgotten was staring right at me until she came towards me and start talking and expected me to know her." He said, before starting to explain the scene as he approached the village as a caravanner for the last time.

There had been a lookout, a boy who'd run into the town to let everyone know he'd returned. His parents had pushed through the crowd that had gathered at the end of the bridge, but they were not the first ones to cross the old Crystal boundary. Thomas clearly recognized his youngest brother, but he didn't know the young woman who held Samuel's hand as they ran up to him. And yet she hugged Thomas tightly and cried and beckoned Christie and Arion to come quick- Mother, Papa, he's back! She said to them.

"I kinda knew who she was supposed to be- I'd read my journal and letters and… but I have still missed so much that is not coming back. There is absolutely nothing I remember about her on my own. I saw her for the first time at that moment." He let out a heavy sigh, but before Nor could speak, he continued, "And I know that it doesn't sound so terrible- as if, alright, so you don't remember your own sister but you can get to know her again. But the more I think about it, the worse it is. I think she's the reason I went to Goblin Wall in my third year- the fire on the hill, I wrote about how she saw it. The letters she wrote about wanting a world without miasma…. Fuck it, she's my family, for the gods sake! I remember more about the guy she's marrying than of her! And I hate that guy!"

Cautiously, Nor put a hand on Thomas' shoulder. "Breathe, man; breathe."

Thomas nodded, realizing his outburst. He took the opportunity to gulp down the last of his drink and carelessly put the glass away.

Nor spoke, "I don't blame you for feeling that way. Honest. I have brothers too- the idea of forgetting them is pretty terrifying." After a silence, he added, "And it's not your fault- that memory was stolen, not forgotten. Why do you beat yourself up about that?"

Thomas looked at him in confusion, as if the fact that the blame didn't lie on him hadn't occurred to him yet. Slowly his gaze drifted away, back down to the dark water. Breathing out one last time he spoke, "I don't know. I wish I could stop." He shut his eyes briefly, completely drained of energy to even worry anymore.

The sky was barely brightening by then. The night had reached its quietest moment. Nothing but the water stirred. A cold breeze rushed through the river, rustling the tree leafs; Nor Lit shivered, but Thomas only looked up, as if following the wind with his gaze. When it passed everything was still again.

"This may just be when it ends." Nor Lit said at last. Thomas stared at him, letting the idea sink in. When it completely did, a small smile appeared on his lips.

xXx

The bright, hot light that streamed through the bedroom window signaled that it was well past midday when Nor Lit woke up. He was hanging awkwardly on the hammock; his head ached and his back was sore, but he knew what he had to do: he was going to let things go.

Last night felt distant, hazy and incredible. Nor guessed this was what Thomas meant by waking up from living in a dream, and ironically, this dream had probably started the moment the Swell beyond Rebena plains occurred. Stepping outside into the sound of the town and the smell of burning wood, it seemed as if it was the first time in a while that he took a deep breath and truly felt it.

He found Thomas and Korina sitting on the chairs they'd left on their yard last night, with plates of food on their laps. Korina was way too comfortable reclined against her husband's shoulder to get up, so she just pointed back at the kitchen and told Nor Lit she'd left his plate on the table, to go get it and sit with them. At their feet they had a large jug of water, which she also told him to serve himself, because it'd help with the hangover she was sure he had.

Nor Lit joined them just as she was telling Thomas, "It's weird, I never heard Sol mention anything about meeting a preacher from Tipa, or the Black Knight for that matter."

Thomas shrugged, absentmindedly looking at the town. "He probably lost interest. Why would he mention it?"

"I dunno. Maybe he'd thought I'd know something? He really liked talking about his time as a caravanner. I wish he'd mentioned something, so I could have known…"

"Sol?" Nor Lit interrupted. "Sol Ratch? You knew him?" He looked curiously at Korina.

She nodded. "I lived in Alfitaria for a while. When Toto found me there he referred me to Sol Ratch, so sometimes Sol checked in on me when he came around. Oh, and when he retired he came around his parents' restaurant, which was close to where I stayed, so we used to talk."

"Ah," Nor said. "I see. I just thought that talking to the caravanners from Alfitara was difficult to do."

"You didn't talk to them?" Thomas asked. "For the- eh, your project, I mean."

"They must be really hard to reach now," Korina commented.

"Yeah. Actually, I've only spoken to the caravanners from Shella, Fum and Marr's Pass. And you," he half-shrugged.

Before he could continue, Korina spoke. "And Leuda?" She wondered, tilting her head.

Nor Lit breathed in, raising his eyebrows. "Them…. Well, I get along with them now, but we used to be kinda at odds. Well, not kinda; a lot." Seeing the looks of confusion on the Clavats' faces, he briefly explained how he and his brother were not chosen to be caravanners and how they'd behaved afterwards. "So it's a little awkward to ask about those first years and things like that. Honestly, Hana Kohl likes rubbing some stuff in our faces."

"So it's a pride thing," Korina said, and Thomas chuckled.

Nor glared at them for a second and then shrugged. "Yeah."

After a pause, Thomas added, "Could you remind them that they owe me about five thousand gil?"

"What? !" Korina exclaimed.

Nor Lit burst out laughing. Thomas explained that the pair of Selkies somehow always managed to find him when they were desperate for funds and usually running late on their quest for myrrh, and he'd never dared to risk not helping them at those moments.

"Oh, I can just see it," Korina rolled her eyes at her husband. He just chuckled.

Nor Lit could see it too, on the Selkies' end. They'd always been careless, much more interested in their own business than in Leuda's. He did not know much more about their starts, though, and suddenly the fact that he'd never bothered to ask them for dumb reasons hit him. They had gotten the job done, but how? Well, they had relied on tricks and gadgets to make their way to myrrh trees, if that time Nor had run into them at the Carthugie's Mine was anything to go by. Why had they been chosen? He knew some people had not wanted to be caravaners, others had felt it their duty and others had loved the danger; what about Dah Yis?

A strange sort of guilt surged up in him, as if he was ignoring something he absolutely had to do. Interviewing caravanners had originally started as a regular idea laced with a faint hope of finding something more. Things had shifted when he began picking traces of the truth, but that innocent idea had merit on its own. And he wasn't ready to let that go.

"Hey…" Nor spoke up, catching the others' attention. He hesitated for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts at the last minute. "I… I wonder if there's any way you could help me meet with Sol Ratch- or any of the Alfitarian caravanners,"

Korina straightened up on her chair. "It's possible, I guess I could. But…didn't you get what you were after already?" She asked, a bit of the her Nor Lit had seen yesterday returning.

"I did!" He quickly said. "And it was more than I could have hoped for. But the thing is, I've been talking to caravanners for so long that it's practically all I've done for the last year. There are pages and pages of this, ah, project, and I told so many people. I'd like to finish what I started."

Thomas was looking away. Korina seemed more concerned about him than answering Nor Lit. Finally, Thomas spoke, "I think it's a good idea."

It earned him a confused look from his wife, but Nor sighed in relief. Then the Clavat continued. "If," and the word was as sharp and swift as the slice of a sword. "You don't put anything about what I told you in that record."

Nor Lit nodded slowly. He'd already decided to let it go for a while, so why did he have to force himself to agree? "I guess I should tell you that I… I'm not going to bother you anymore."

"I'll help you get hold of Sol," Thomas stood up and picked up his and Korina's empty plate. "I'll get these inside." Nor handed his own plate when Thomas extended a hand for it. He entered the house, leaving the other two in silence.

Korina let out a heavy sigh and leaned back on her chair. "Do you really mean that?" She asked. Then she looked him in the eye. "Can you mean that?"

Nor clenched his fists on top of his knees. "I don't know. I really don't." He answered sincerely.

It seemed to be enough for her. "The rest is not a bad project, I guess. Though you'll talk to Sol," she chuckled at some memory of her own. "Watch it- he's an idealist; he may not stick to the truth."

Running a hand over his head -and idly noticing that he'd forgotten to put on his bandana- Nor nodded. After a moment he stood up and went towards the bridge, saying he wanted to go for a walk. Korina simply hummed in response, and he left her squinting at a far-off spot, the sun of the afternoon making her hair glisten as she ran her fingers through it.

.

He had nothing to do for a while but think. Hooking his thumbs on his belt, Nor began to stroll up the road into the town. For the day after the festival the streets were surprisingly clean. It hadn't been a big festival, though; Tipa wasn't that big, and now that cleaning was done, it seemed to have fallen on its usual pace.

Slowly he made his way to the plaza where there were a few more people still taking down decorations and sweeping. Someone whistled and called for attention a couple of times, though Nor ignored it until curiosity beat him and he looked around to see who was calling. To his surprise it was Mateo, and he was waving him over to his house.

"Sorry, I couldn't remember your name," the Lilty said, scratching the back of his head once Nor was close.

"Nor Lit," he clarified.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Mateo motioned back to his house. "Do you have a minute? Let me offer something to drink, 'cause there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

A little surprised, Nor followed him inside, through the entryway where a couple of toys were strewn on the floor and then to a short corridor on the right that lead to the kitchen. The kitchen and the sitting room shared the same small space- made even more cramped by the bookcases lining the walls. As Mateo went to the pantry, Nor stood by the closest case to read some of the book spines. "So what do you want to talk about?" He wondered.

They were history books; informal accounts, official accounts, biographies, chronicles- Nor's sight stopped briefly on a thin book clearly written by a Selkie amidst all the books about the Lilty empire; close to it there was another one by a famed Yuke author.

"Oh, you know, about yesterday," Mateo said, and the books were off Nor's mind. Nor turned to see that the Lilty had put a glass of ice tea on the table for him. "I was wondering if you were going to do anything about it."

"It?" Nor asked, absentmindedly grabbing his glass by the rim. He was more concerned in trying to see what Mateo's intentions were- the question had caught him off guard, but there was no hostility in the Liltie's voice.

"It. The story. The truth," he shrugged. "How would you call it?"

"I don't know. I… don't plan on doing anything about it," he stammered. "I've asked a lot from a stranger already."

Mateo was quiet, observing him from across the table. "Don't feel guilty," he stated. Nor raised his eyebrows, and Mateo laughed lightly. "Look, I know how Thomas must feel right now- well, no, I don't really, but I can ask him and he'll tell me, and we'll figure something out from there," he paused. "There's no denying you put him on the spot he's right now-"

Shifting how his friends and family saw him, admitting to something he'd taken so much care to hide, bringing back frightening memories- Nor preferred to focus his attention on the small drops of condensation sliding down the sides of the glass.

"But you've done more good than harm."

Nor glanced up. Mateo shrugged. "Think about it. How long could that secret be kept? Would he have held on? I don't think so, I really don't. This town is small, and we're used to the way we are- since miasma ended, things changed between us, and we noticed; it's not that it was only his problem."

"But that's the thing," Nor interrupted, leaning forwards. "It's not my problem. I don't-"

"Are you kidding me?" Mateo nearly laughed. "You- when- You came here looking for an answer that everyone's been after for a year, and you found it. The man let you hear it, you can't ignore that! He changed the world, and I think he's so far beyond realizing that this is- this everything is not only about himself that… that he doesn't know what to do. Would you? Even after a year-"

"No, I don't know. I have no freaking clue what to do about anything!" Nor blurted out so fast he spoke over Mateo. "I did find an answer, but I never thought about what would happen next. I've been thinking about it for so long, working towards it, but I didn't consider this- I was just doing it for my friend. I didn't know I was gonna learn how the world changed!"

It hadn't hit him until that moment. He was gripping his hair and had slid down the chair a little, staring wide-eyed at nowhere. It'd all been so personal until now, self-contained in the rules of the world he used to know- but that world of miasma didn't exist anymore and now he knew why. Lowering his hands to his lap, he looked up at the Lilty sitting across from him and said, "I don't know what I should do now."

Mateo waited before saying anything, his gaze leaving Nor Lit to drift towards the bookshelves. Pursing his lips, he supported his elbow on the table. "I think you should write it," he stated almost offhandedly.

"Thomas doesn't want that," Nor quickly retorted. He was dead-set on honoring that request.

"For now. But I don't think there's any danger for him if the story's known. The end of the era is going to go down in history anyway, and history is not the same as the truth. He doesn't haveto be the person who goes down in history. His name doesn't even have to be in it, and sure, that'll make it seem like a tale, but people want to know what happened anyway- some even go out of their way to find an explanation," he smiled, staring at Nor before standing up and walking to his books. "If no one besides us knows about what he did, then that fact dies with us. If it gets out then it'll be believed or disbelieved. Maybe someday it'll be proven, someway or another- if it's there at all."

"Why don't you write it? He'd trust you more,"

Mateo looked back at him, eyebrows raised. "But you know so much more! I've barely even left this town. It makes no sense that I try."

Nor turned on his seat to look at the other, frowning slightly. "Yeah, that. Thomas mentioned something about you… having to join him once?"

Mateo nodded firmly, purposely turning back to the books. "Me and Korina were supposed to be part of the caravan, but we're a little younger so we had to wait to become of age. But when we did, well, he refused, not even to our faces. But you know, I was ok with that. By that time my father had died- disease- heart," he said, pointing at his own chest briefly. "Something no spell could cure, and my ma was alone and I'd already met Sonia, so I stayed. It took a lot longer for Korina to forgive him, though. Ah, here!" He took out a thin, grayish book with frayed edges and handed it to Nor. "Maybe it'll interest you- it's a sort-of biography of a Yuke who chronicled the Great War. He tried to achieve an unbiased account of how it started- it's very technical, almost like a manual. Frankly I didn't get some of the stuff in it."

Nor took the book, unsure of how it could help him but not minding the offer. Mateo went back to the table, sitting down and sighing. He leaned back, rubbing his forehead; now that Nor noticed, he too looked like he'd barely slept at all.

"Frankly, I don't know how things would be if we had been a caravan together." The Lilty said, his voice a little lower than usual. "I never put much stock on memories. It's pretty terrifying."

They stayed talking for a while until the Lilty's wife arrived. Nor Lit took that as a chance to excuse himself and left.

He ate at the small bakery at the miller's house and bought some things from the merchant for his family, but after that he did not feel it was right to go back to Thomas' house yet. Without his noticing evening came and went, and all he'd done was wander through the streets and a distance out of the village, alone with his thoughts- which did nothing but go in circles after a while.

As he was leaving his house, Mateo had told him that at this moment, the situation was a waiting game. There was no need to rush, except when -or if- that miasma in Rebena Plains cleared. If people crossed that line then the need for answers would grow, and people believe in events- the right time to put the truth forward would be then, when there was something concrete for people to measure it against. From then on who knew what would happen. For now, though, there was nothing for them to do but wait and bide their time.

xXx

Night is so deep, so long, that it seems as if it could hide all kinds of things if only it didn't end. When Korina watched the day sky, it didn't feel like it could last forever; day was always followed by night. But sometimes she imagined that she could will time to stop and make it stay dark forever so she wouldn't have to face consequences. It was only fitting, then, that Thomas had found she was still awake at the break of dawn. The Selkie had passed right by, gone to his room already. Thomas sat at the foot of her sofa, a small candle their only source of light.

He never asked her why she'd been crying, since he probably knew. There were things no one could keep bottled up, not without hurting themselves. Secrets meant distance, after all- between him and her and everyone else, and even if he'd confessed, there was still a year-long gap to cross now.

"I'm still myself," he insisted in a low, shaky voice. "I don't want anything…different to happen."

Korina shut her eyes tight. Before saying anything she extended a hand towards Thomas; she motioned for him to grab, and did not open her eyes until she felt his fingers between hers.

Things wouldn't be the same as before, she explained. How could they avoid change when the world itself had changed? That was so fundamental, was such a big part of him now that it was foolish to ignore. He would have to learn to live with the fact that he was not entirely his own anymore. "You know this well," she said as she sat down on the floor besides him, gripping his hand against her chest and leaning on him. She felt him nod and closed her eyes. "But you still have a future. You more than anyone should know better than to cling to the past so fiercely,"

"Easier said than done,"

Despite herself, she chuckled. "As always. But look around." The small room was cast in a ghostly glow; the candle's flame only extended as small circle of light around the two of them, and beyond it was the blue light of morning. "This is our home. We had good plans for it, didn't we? Those can still happen. Remember the names we'd chosen?"

It took him a moment to respond. "Jericho for a boy, Deirdre for a girl, right?"

"Hmm," she confirmed. "That can still happen."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We still have each other," she said simply. "We have that. You're not alone anymore."

Time couldn't be stopped, after all, and maybe that was for the best.

.

A day later the Selkie left early in the morning, his goodbye apologetic and hurried, but Korina stopped him long enough to shake his hand and say thanks.

xXx

Leuda was growing at a steady pace. Although during the first year of no miasma it had remained mostly the same, the next year it started to expand in bouts and leaps across the island and into the sea. The port had new docks and houses now lined the top of the cliff, their colorful roofs and stone walls an unfamiliar sight. Nonetheless, Nor Lit liked to see how the town had changed every time he returned from one of his travels.

The wood on the old pier that Tristan still preferred to dock at creaked under the weight of the merchant wagon that was unloading. Nor followed slowly behind it until it left the pier, allowing him to see his mother and older brother waiting for him at a corner.

It had been months since the festival at Tipa, and the caravanners' accounts were finally done, left back at Shella for archiving and later publishing. Nor readjusted the satchel that carried his copies as he approached his family. Gan Noo put an arm around his shoulder and said, "Finally back! Everything's finished, right? Please tell me this time you're gonna stay and take a rest, because, honestly, you look like crap."

"Thanks," Nor responded while their mother chuckled. "But yeah, I'll stay a while this time."

"Yeah?"

He nodded. "A long while. Years long, even." Smiling, he put his arm around his brother's shoulder in return, and they started walking home.

Somewhere down the line he had become a writer. He hadn't had courage or vision, nor had he wielded weapons with skill, but committing words to paper felt like taking a small stance against the passing of time. Thomas had said that it was every bit as good as fighting. When he said that, Nor Lit gave him a sideways glance and the Clavat ducked his head away and changed the subject. He still wouldn't let go of his story. Nor told him not to worry- he was the last person who could pressure him about it; he was not ready to write it and who knew if the world was ready to hear it. For now it could stay among them.

Or maybe it would become a whisper circling the roads and towns, because before Nor Lit had finished the accounts, Thomas had entrusted him to deliver a letter in Alfitaria. Long and written on abused paper, the letter was addressed anonymously to Jona Esla.

The last time he made an effort to disclose the story came about a year later, when he asked Nor to return to Tipa for a moment to talk to Roland.

When Nor arrived at the elder's house he had to be guided to Roland's room, where the man laid on his bed, unable to get up anymore. Roland wondered what business such an odd visitor had, so Nor pulled up a stool and sat close, getting right to the point: they needed to talk. They were similar, he told the Elder; they'd both met someone who'd tried to save the word and failed. They'd watched as that person burnt themselves out without trying to stop them because they had had faith in them.

"Don't pity Hurdy because of what he tried to do, or because he didn't achieve it. I know that it is so scary to see someone choose to step out of the path we all follow; not knowing what is going to happen to them, and then realizing their fate. But they had a conviction we didn't, and…" he chuckled, shaking his head as Roland gripped his hand a little tighter. "And that makes them kinda heroic, don't you think?"

The Elder looked away, eyes half-closed, lost deep in thought. "I guess," he murmured in the end, and that was all he ever said about the subject.

.

Nor Lit thought about it a lot too, as the passing of time and the change of the world became more evident. The question of how that had happened still hung heavily in the air, and the more people pondered, the more Nor Lit wanted to answer it right. But where to start? How to explain so many things?

Sometimes everything came back to De Nam, starting at that one encounter in Shella and ending there, at his desk by the light of a candle, writing his musings to Adamanta. Apparently 'sometimes' must have been 'very frequently', because she commented on it more than once. She even asked him if he'd ever been in love with De Nam, because she was one of the few people who knew that was completely possible. Nor had answered that, no, he hadn't, at least not in the way she was probably thinking. The simple fact was that De Nam had proved to him that any person could try to make a change.

And then one day it hit him: the right way to tell the story was to start from where he started.

"There's a timeline, and I can weave it all together," he wrote. "Start from the side, then follow to the middle. Is there even a beginning? Who knows, but things need context, Ada; I can give it better than any."

He needed to introduce the world and its people at that point in time; if the story was going to end with gods and demons, it was better to start with reality- the struggle they all had known, the exceptional drive of those who tried to find a solution and how fragile that had made them.

As he found his reasons to stay in Leuda instead of constantly traveling and between more profitable projects, Nor worked slowly on the first parts of the tale; he even got Thomas to lend him Hurdy's letters, but even then he was unsure if he'd ever write the final part.

Until three years later when the miasma stream in Rebena Plains finally cleared.

xXx

In a month's time an expedition would depart from Shella to the land that laid beyond Rebena Plains. After more than four years of unanswered questions the floodgates had finally been opened, so Queen Fiona had proposed a joint expedition between the best of Shella's and Alfitaria's scholars and researchers in every possible field to explore the new frontier. Preparations had been going on for months, and royal and personal invitations had been sent to those best qualified.

Three months ago Amidatty told Nor Lit that he had reserved a spot for him. Nor thanked the Yuke, but he declined the offer and arranged for someone else to have his place.

The afternoon was passing rather quickly; he could have sworn that not too long ago it was only three past midday, only for the sun to already be going down beyond the horizon of Port Tipa. Perched on a rock, Nor's attention was divided between watching Adamanta follow the instructions of Thomas and Louvouz as she practiced her magic, and the people who were playing in the water. The tide was low, so the group was far away. His little brother was there, playing with Mateo's daughter and Samuel- although the older boy was supposed to be taking care of them he was more interested in talking with the moogle that hovered close by Korina.

Mog had returned to Tipa not too long ago, bringing the news of the cleared stream. Thomas had told Nor about how the moogle showed up at their door unannounced and bearing gifts- the biggest of which he carried warped in a cloth that he handed to Thomas almost immediately. After all that time he held Excalibur once again, but he'd preferred to throw it aside and welcome his old friend instead.

Nor suspected Mog's return had had something to do with Thomas' change of heart, and him finally deciding to let Nor Lit write his side of the story.

Sighing, he brought his attention to Adamanta once more. Writing was a passive activity and her training was a more pressing matter at the moment. Once he saw how Louvouz had stopped to explain something in detail to her, Not Lit stood up and approached Thomas.

"Do you think she's ready for the Abyss?" He asked the Clavat, who was standing to a side of the training ground.

Thomas threw an evaluating glance at Adamanta and then a similar one to Nor Lit. "She'll be safe. Lou is pretty good at explaining magic combat, and she's learned quickly and well. She's pretty good at fire magic-"

"Oh, she got that from me," Nor said proudly. Thomas furrowed his brow slightly at him and Nor's shoulder's slumped. "That was a joke."

Thomas only dignified him with a raised eyebrow and smirk. "Anyway. You say that the expedition is going to be pretty big, so there will be security in numbers. That doesn't mean it won't be dangerous, but she knows what to expect. And Lou will be with her so…" He trailed off, throwing Nor another glance before going to where they were keeping the water. Nor Followed "You know, you never said why it isn't you the one who's going with her." He said, opening a flask and taking a swig.

"Hey, you're the one who called me here."

"Well, yes, but… doesn't it interest you? The Abyss is something you can see and feel, not just the word of a man. You could prove things instead of just, well, writing what I have to say."

"Don't be so sure!" Nor quickly interrupted, smirking. "I would love to have concrete evidence of the parasite and its involvement in the creation of miasma- or at least test out De Nam's theories about it. They were fascinating! You know he mentioned the possibility of some of the components of miasma being alien to this world? Finally being able to complete his papers and try to see how well they fit with the truth would be awesome,"

He was pacing, but he stopped himself when he noticed it and turned to Thomas, who was looking at him with a mix of amusement and confusion. "But," Nor held up a finger. "All that really is is stones. Maybe sticks. And the truth is words can be just as powerful. You've said so yourself."

A slight smile cracked Thomas' lips, and he shook his head slightly.

"Besides, I want Ada to have the chance. Since she knows what really went on she can do all that researching for me, and it is just as important to her."

"I won't deny it's a good plan. You two make a good team."

Nor Lit smiled, looking over to where the Yuke girl was. It seemed she had asked for a break and sat down on the sand. Her sight had wandered further down the beach, to the arch on the cliff. Since the tide was so low it would be possible to go through it and explore the other side of the beach. Nor watched as she stood up and hesitatingly asked Louvouz if he would accompany her there.

Yukes aged differently from the rest of the tribes, but even if they were only a few years apart, Nor still thought of her as too young- not matter that she'd come of age already. "She'll be fine with Lou, right?"

"I promise," Thomas reassured him for the thirtieth time.

Nor sighed and went back to sit on the rock. "And you? What made you change your mind?" He asked.

The Clavat stopped arranging things in the bag they'd brought, turning his sight to the people in the water. After a pause, he shrugged. "Mateo hasn't stopped bothering me in years. I just want him to shut up."

The answer caught Nor Lit by surprise, making him laugh.

"I thought it was obvious." Thomas said, calmly but seriously.

"Was it the Moogle?"

"Only partly." He sighed, scratching his head. "To be frank I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Mog, or what it would mean if he came back. It's what they call a blast from the past, I guess; I was really getting used to being normal again."

"So are you ok?" Nor asked. He had asked him to train Adamanta, but they hadn't had the chance to talk face to face until now.

After a pause Thomas nodded. "I want to be. Mateo's right, you know; the person that goes into history doesn't have to be me. The one who ends up in paper can be the hero and be remembered or questioned or whatever. I just want to live my life."

Nor couldn't help but smile. At that moment someone called to Thomas from the shore, making him turn immediately.

"Pick up your stuff; we have to start going, otherwise we will be arriving at Mintie's house really late." Thomas said before picking up a towel and going to the little Clavat girl that was calling him.

If Korina hadn't been carrying her she would have surely run off- or at least tried, since at three years of age she was clumsy on her feet. So she had no option but to wait, holding onto her mother as she reached out her hand to Thomas, eager to show the shiny trinket she'd found buried in the sand.

Besides the chestnut-colored hair and grey eyes, Deirdre looked most like her mother. She was energetic and healthy, which was a blessing, since Korina's pregnancy had been difficult. It didn't matter what silly thing she'd found, Thomas gave her his full attention, taking her from Korina's arms when she wanted to look for more things in the shallow water. With a serious expression he held her above the waves as she searched; besides them Korina wrung the water off her skirt and called the other kids back.

Nor Lit stayed sitting as everyone else got ready to leave, only getting up to help his brother pack up his own bag and to tell him to get Adamanta and Louvouz. It was starting to get really dark. Up on the hill the group had a cart and papaopamus to take them to the farmhouse that was now between Tipa and the port.

Once everyone was starting to go up the trail, he stayed behind, taking a time to enjoy the view of the solitary, dark ocean shore. The sound of the waves washed over him, and he couldn't will himself to move. Every once in a while the weight of all the years he'd lived and what had become of him bore down on him- and he loved it. He didn't regret much, and what he did regret he now felt like he could set straight.

He felt a slight burn around his neck- it was the absence of the string of his portable crystal. It wasn't rare for people to sometimes forget that miasma didn't exist anymore; generations had lived used to it, and no one could erase hundreds of years of history- that wasn't the way memories were supposed to work.

Raem had been wrong. Nor Lit had never met him, but what the demon had said- that humans were meaningless, was stupid. If there was something he'd learned from the people who had tried to rid the world of miasma (and from the one who succeeded) was that people mattered to one another, and that was good enough. Humanity could have slowly perished in miasma, drained of memories. If no one had ever tried to fight that destiny, even when they knew they couldn't succeed, thenthat would have made them meaningless.

Why had others seen these warriors as foolish? Nor Lit could remember way back when he'd doubted De Nam. He had feared having the way he thought changed, because the outcome was too uncertain. He had feared the idea of someone facing the unknown so selflessly.

De Nam had not worked towards a reward. Neither had Hurdy or Leon or Thomas- in their letters they always spoke about the world, about other people. Leon's son, his wife; the elder man who had cared for Hurdy in his youth. The Yuke girl who was only starting to learn alchemy; the sister who truly believed she'd get to see the world change.

Some of these warriors had worked in groups, others alone. But no matter how many they were at a time, they had always been separated from the world they worked so hard for. To Nor Lit this meant one thing, and with it he would begin his greatest work:

"The hero acts alone."

The End

Honestly, I have no clue what to say. I finished something. This...is new for me.

I hope I get to finish many more large projects. I loved writing this, and am so grateful for all the wonderful feedback I've received like you have no idea. I really think this is an awesome fandom, small as it is, and I totally plan on writing more for you guys. I'll probably even keep using these characters for one-shots and such, because honestly I get super attached to my characters and I still have ideas and crap. There are a lot of technical things I wanna say, but I'll leave that for livejournal and keep this short. Will proceed to clean the whole thing in the next few days and that will be it for this thing.

Edit: went back and finally, finally added proper splits in the text. I really hope the site doesn't decide to get rid of periods or Xs, otherwise it'll look like a sausage again and I may not even notice. Any other borked things I'm blaming on the site because this thing was squeaky clean in the word documents. Either way, I wanted to add that I actually incorporated an idea from the end of A World Lit Only by Fire, since I finished that book as I was writing this chapter and the things in the book fit so much with the story. It just helped me put things more succinctly.

See you next story.