Once the ship had been brought in and fitted with crash gear and everything was in place, they had sent the ship on a long loop outside of Eternia, circling around so they could approach the tower from the Caldis side of Eternia. From where they were at, it was impossible to hear the sounds of the firefight that would be going on soon, but Alternis kept imagining he was hearing explosions and seeing plumes of smoke. They had to act fast, in order to prevent any further fighting. It's wrong how one person can ruin so many things. The sage is right; the Grand Ritual needs to be buried so far into history that it never emerges again.

"You okay, Alternis?" Datz asked from behind him. Somehow, they had found a clerical uniform bulky enough for the large man, but Alternis thought it still looked uncomfortably tight. "Not too cold? Ropes too tight?"

"No, they're fine, and I don't feel the cold in my armor." The lack of sensation was actually starting to bother him. He had thought about taking off his helmet so he could feel the cold Eternian wind on his face, but thought better of it; Brigh would know he'd never take his helmet off in a dangerous situation.

Nearby, Konoe was also standing in disguise, for all the world like an Eternian commander managing her ship. "Good," Datz muttered. "We're coming in clean so far. Be prepared; they're probably going to hail us."

Sure enough, as they neared, a voice from the tower called, "Halt, this area is restricted airspace."

Konoe took a breath, and then spoke into the vocal amplification device. "This is Commander Ivybeth Crystalia of the ship Eschalot, requesting landing at the Everlast Tower," she said in her rapid pace, "in accordance with section two-nine-five, article six of the Eternian Orthodoxy Code. I have the requested prisoner in custody as ordered."

Konoe's rapid speaking in her disguise actually made her sound more authentic, Alternis thought; her words were crisp and no-nonsense, authoritative. "Understood," came the reply. "We'll prepare field three for your landing."

"It's that one there," Datz said after scanning, "if they use the same numbering system the rest of the world does. So we have until there before they figure out something's wrong."

"Go ahead and accelerate," Alternis said. "They're relaxed right now."

"Sure you don't want to just go ahead and make a safe landing?" Datz asked. "They haven't caught on."

"Won't work. We'd have to make it all the way up the tower."

Datz let out a sigh. "Then hold on to your butts, everyone."

The ship picked up speed. Downstairs, the others were all strapped in to the crash harnesses that Zatz had rigged up, but he himself, tied to the post, was going to have to break the ropes and get under cover when they got close, as were Datz and Konoe. And at least he had his armor to protect him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Dragging you into this."

"I may be an airship pilot, but me and Zatz were Shieldbearers first," he said. "We exist to protect the people. It doesn't get much more protecting the people than saving the world."

Under his helmet, Alternis smiled. "You're a braver man than I am, Datz."

"Tell that to me when you've got the vestal's head on a stick. Ain't no way I'm crossing her."

"Eschalot," the amplified voice came up again, "you're coming in too fast. Please reset your bearings."

"We're having an engine malfunction," Konoe said into the speaker. "Give us a minute to straighten it out."

"Eschalot, if you don't reset, you'll crash. Abort the landing."

"Negative; our controls are jamming. We'll pass by, but we can't slow down just yet."

"Eschalot, please abort or we'll be forced to shoot you from the sky."

"Fools!" Konoe bore into the speaker. "Did you forget what our mission in Caldisla was? What cargo we're bearing? If you want to die, then go ahead and shoot us, but otherwise let us concentrate on our engine!"

Datz looked over at Konoe as the other speaker stopped. "Well done, 'commander'. Now get down below and strap in."

Konoe nodded, dropping the disguise once she was on the staircase. "You sure you're going to be okay?" Datz asked as they tower got closer.

"Worked for me thus far." Alternis shed the ropes, grabbing Datz as he passed, throwing them onto the stairs just as the ship met the tower's edge, smashing into it. The forward momentum almost flung Datz back up the stairs, Alternis pinned down by his weight. The ship shuddered, stone falling all around, and then the ship finally ground to a halt. "We're in," Alternis called hoarsely, helping push Datz off of him.

Zatz was the first to poke out. "You okay, partner?"

"If anyone asks about the bruises, tell them I got frisky with the wife."

"You don't have a wife."

"Didn't say it was my wife."

Zatz snorted in amusement. "Okay, everyone, stick to the plan," Victor said as he emerged. "Victoria, Mephilia, you're with me."

Konoe joined up with Datz and Zatz, Artemia at her side. "Okay?" she asked Alternis.

He nodded. "You two do your part."

Artemia jumped down first, checking the area and firing off one shot before she gestured for them to follow. Between the stealth of the two girls, Alternis was sure they could stay hidden long enough to get Datz and Zatz to the dock a few floors down and secure the airship attached to the tower itself.

"Let's head up," Victoria said as she jumped down next to Victor, "and work our way down. She'll be heading up to the crystal, no doubt."

He nodded agreement, looking to Alternis. Edea emerged next with Einheria, and then Agnes with Tiz. "The stairs are this way," Edea said, pointing the way.

They moved together as one group, making their way up until they had reached the central hallway, the crystal chamber just beyond. Brigh, the Earth Vestal, stood squarely in the doorway, along with a contingent of guards. "I knew as soon as I saw you that you had to be planning something, son of Braev," she said.

"Didn't keep you from stopping us, did it?"

Victoria stepped forward, her face cold as ice. "Hello, worm. Remember me?"

"Should I?"

"It's the face that will send you to hell, so I'll give you a bit of time to commit it to your memory." She swept out an arm. "I hope that was enough time."

Mephilia joined her. "She's yours," the summoner agreed, "but I'll take out the small fry for you."

"I like your style." She threw her kamaitachi at Brigh, who jumped out of the way; the black blades gave chase. Mephilia also threw out her hand, filling the room with fire. With her other hand, she called on Ziusudra, creating a narrow tunnel for the rest of the group. "Go!"

Alternis ran, his booted feet splashing in the water at the edges, and Edea followed. Tiz grabbed Agnes's hand, pulling her along. Once they were through, Einheria turned, holding her spear out. "No one is going to get past me. Do what you came to do."

When Einheria took her post inside the door, Mephilia stood outside it, shadowed by Susano-o. Clerics tried to approach the door, but were quickly bested by one or the other. Brigh, too, tried to get at the crystal, but Victoria blocked her way. "I know you don't remember me," she said, "so I'll remind you. Once upon a time, there was a dying little girl looking for a good man. Rather than let her leave disappointed, you beat her half to death and then used her for bait with that good man's good son. And then you tried to kill that little girl. I swore that I wouldn't die before I killed you. I will scatter your ashes to the four winds." She smiled. "How did you like my curse? For five years, you haven't been able to achieve your ambitions, have you?"

"Nuisance," Brigh snorted. "You should have died at that time."

"And yet, I'm still alive. And I'd rather be a nuisance than slime. You're not worthy to coat the heel of my shoe."

"Let me fix that alive part." Brigh swung her spear around, and Victoria dodged back, a tear ripped in her shirt. "You might be a mage, girl, but I'm no slouch with a weapon. Eternia is a military country. I'll have you skewered before you can chant a spell."

Victoria dodged again as Brigh slashed, but couldn't avoid the follow-up thrust. She cried out as she was pinned to the floor, Brigh leaning over her. "Weakling," she laughed. "The weak have no right to live."

"We're in agreement on that!" Victoria touched a hand to her blood, and it turned into the whirling black blades, slicing the vestal apart before she could scream. Victoria lay pinned to the floor, drenched in her enemy's blood, panting for breath. "I don't mind weak people, though. I only hate the weak-hearted. See that, Victor? The Goddess of Victory wins again."

"You idiot," Victor groaned. "Mephilia, give me a hand. I need to get this out of her."

Susano-o carefully sliced the spear shaft just above Victoria's body, and Victor lifted her up, putting his hand on her wound. "You keep doing stupid things like this, you're going to die."

"If you let me die, my boyfriend will beat you up."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

She hissed as he poured his caustic healing energy into the hole. "Hey, Victor?"

He sighed. "Yes, Victoria?"

"You're all right, I guess." She leaned back against him.

"... thank you, I guess."

Behind Einheria, the room lit up, and she turned, squinting. "What's going on?" Mephilia asked.

"I don't know, but don't get distracted. You have to send your signal."

"Oh, right!" Mephilia ran to the nearest window, throwing an arm up. Prometheus sprang forward, running along the sides of the tower, straight into the air in a blaze of fire that would no doubt be visible for many miles. Leaning back against the wall, she wondered if she might've overdone it a bit. "Hey, Susa-pyon, Prome-pyon, Ziu-pyon… you guys were great."

In the time since he had last been there, the walkway had been rebuilt, stopping right at the edge of the barrier. "I hope this will be close enough for you, Agnes," Edea said, "since we won't have much of a choice."

"It should be fine." She looked at Alternis.

He pulled off his helmet, looking at the barrier. The sage had been able to give him no indicator of how to actually break the barrier, and if Victor and Victoria had figured anything out, they hadn't said. But he didn't feel the faintness that he had five years ago. Walking up to the barrier, he put one hand on it, then the other, trying to discern its properties. He'd never cast a spell in his life. How on earth did Mephilia figure these kinds of things out?

"Alternis!" Edea called, pointing. Above his head, a shape was forming, one that resolved into a human figure. Not just a human figure, a young boy. And not just any human boy, he realized.

"What is that?" Tiz asked. "Is it a spirit?"

"It's me," Alternis said, his mouth dry. "It's me five years ago."

"That's right," the ghostly white figure said, taking a sitting position, although it didn't seem to actually be sitting on anything. "I've been waiting for you to come back for a long time."

"I was back here before, not long after it happened."

"You weren't ready. The world wasn't ready."

"And now I am?" Alternis swallowed. "Are you… really my own power that was sealed here?"

"I'm the you that could have been," he replied, drifting slightly above the barrier. "I was your power. But I'm not a power you can obtain anymore."

"Because I have the power of darkness?"

"Because I'm here. All humans have the potential for light and dark, if they go looking for it. The me that is here, born in the light, and the you that was born in the dark, both came from the same desire. We both wanted to protect the things that were important to us. That's why when Father asked me to stay, I knew that you would be okay."

"He knew, didn't he?" Edea asked quietly. "He knew Brigh was going to kill him. That Alternis would become a dark knight."

The younger Alternis smiled. "Father loved you all very much. Of course he wanted to stay longer with you, but he trusted all of his children with the future. Those are the feelings he put into this barrier." He touched it with a hand. "Because you're his precious children. All of you."

Edea wiped at her face, leaning against Alternis's shoulder. "How do we break the barrier?" Alternis asked. "It's time."

"I know, though I wish it wasn't. I wanted to get to know more about the 'me' that is. Alternis… are you happy?"

He looked down at his black-clad hand. "There were difficult and painful times. But there was a lot that made me happy, too. I don't have… any regrets."

"Then I'm happy too." The younger Alternis smiled brightly. "Alternis, Edea. Father told me how this barrier is to be undone. It cannot be broken with light alone, because it is light. Light and darkness together will undo what is done."

Alternis looked at Edea, meeting her eyes. She took her hand in his, and together they touched the barrier. He closed his eyes, tapping into the power that came from the understanding of himself, the acceptance of the dark, the willingness to do whatever was needed to protect his loved ones. He could feel the dark swirling around him, taste it, and next to him, just as brightly, he could feel the light. She drew her sword, and he his, and they moved as one, bringing all their force together in a single point on the barrier.

Like paper, the barrier shredded, scraps coming apart and dissipating into nothingness. The boy, too, came apart at the edges, shredding in the same way. "I'm so glad I got to meet you, Alternis," he said, smiling as he faded away. "Goodbye."

Alternis felt tears on his cheeks. "Alternis?" Edea asked, taking his hand. "Are you all right?"

"For a moment, it felt like… I saw a future. A future where the me of the light lived. Now he's gone." He took off his glove so he could wipe at his face. "But I'm not him. I'm me. I can only be me."

"I wouldn't have you any other way, big brother."

He nodded, looking back to Tiz and Agnes. "It's your turn now. We'll guard your back."

Agnes nodded, and Tiz put a hand on her shoulder. Walking to the edge of the walkway, she clasped her hands together, praying silently. The crystal began to dim, then pulsed, pushing her back. "As I worried," she mumbled, "I have no affinity. Oh, Olivia, why aren't you here?"

"Didn't the sage say you'd be all right as long as you have your pendant?" Tiz said. "Keep trying."

"Yes, you're right. I'll try again." Agnes took the pendant from her neck, holding it out in front of her. "Mysterious power that connects me to those who I rely on. Please reveal your power to me and aid me!"

Agnes's skin took on a white glow as she began to pray again. Behind her, Tiz's body also pulsed with white light. "Huh…?"

Alternis and Edea were also glowing their respective colors, the pendant shimmering in their light. And then, each one saw what Alternis had only caught the barest glimpse of.

Alternis saw a man with a flirtatious grin and a mysterious journal, a dark-clad knight aboard a massive airship, a scholar inside a library….

Edea saw a girl having an argument with her father's back, a woman in a pirate's hat pointing toward the horizon, a vestal in front of the Earth Crystal….

Tiz saw a traveler with three others at his side, a mayor of the little town in the valley, a man standing next to his bride and saying their vows….

Agnes saw a girl sharing a bed with a blue-haired woman, a woman giving an impassioned speech to the leaders of the world, a pope standing atop the Crystal Orthodoxy….

Lives flashed before all of their eyes - not just possibilities, but lives lived, somewhere, in some other place. "I understand," Agnes said, holding the pendant high, watching it take on a shine. "I have the strength of 'myself' a thousand times over!"

Tiz, Edea, and Alternis all put their hands on her shoulders, the darkness and light swirling. The crystal pulsed again, and once more, and then fell to a near-black shade, its rotation almost stopped. The shine of the pendant stopped, and Agnes lowered it. "What was that?" Edea asked.

"A million possibilities," Alternis mumbled. "And a million realities."

No one else spoke, perhaps because they couldn't think of anything to say, or perhaps because nothing else had to be said. As one, they walked shoulder to shoulder back down the walkway. Einheria stepped aside, letting the other four pass.

"Alternis!" Victoria was seated on the floor, covered in blood, Victor's hands on her. "How did it go?"

"It's done," Alternis said to her. "Are you okay? What of Brigh?"

Victoria gave him a thumbs up. "Just need to set her body on fire so I can scatter it to the four winds, like I said I would."

"I'll help with that," Mephilia offered. "I can do at least that much."

Outside the window next to her, the curve of an airship came into view. "Hey!" Artemia called, waving. "All good?"

"All good," Alternis called to her. "You guys?"

Artemia grinned. "Piece of cake!"

"Then let's not waste any time," Victor said, picking up Victoria. "Let's burn the body or whatever and go home."

Home. Since Brigh's attack on his family, they hadn't ever been able to really go home. Until now. Alternis looked around at his friends, the people he considered his family. "Yes... Let's go home."