CHAPTER TWENTYONE: BEFORE THE FIFTH CRYSTAL
"You survived, Lord Tenzen," a voice said.
He did not turn to face the female voice; he had felt her approach some time ago. Seeking seclusion after what had transpired above the Black Sea would not deter a Ninja sent from his homeland in the Far East. He stood on the edge of a cliff on Qufim Island away from the sounds of the city. She had been shadowing him for some time; to the best of her abilities given that he had been in the company of many others so often. It did not surprise him that the Emperor of the Far East would have him watched despite his life long service.
"Does the Emptiness continue to spread?" he asked her.
"Yes, Lord Tenzen. Hakutei River was swallowed by it, opening up more avenues of attack for the bandit tribes. Raids have become an almost daily occurrence and the army is already spread too thin to stop them. The Empire's defences will soon fall to either the greed of the bandits or to the Emptiness itself."
Looking down at the blade by his side he sighed hopelessly.
"I have come before you now to request that you return with me. A Samurai as skilled as you may still turn back the tide. The Emperor will surely forgive that you used Phoenix's power…we can hunt down the bandits and restore her strength."
"…And if that isn't enough? Must more innocent blood be spent?"
The female Ninja was silent. A sacrifice was made to call Phoenix to them, to place her power inside the ancient katana on his side that pained him to even think about. The Emporer of his home land had entrusted this power to him to stop the Emptiness and save their world. But he had misused the stored power in reflecting Bahamut's attack and thus draining the katana of all strength. Was Phoenix dead? It was hard to be sure, but her voice had gone silent. But by definition, she was the Avatar of Rebirth, and could thus be called back again just as they had done in the first place. The price for such a miracle was a blood sacrifice.
He turned his head, "If the Phoenix cannot be called back, what then?"
"The Emperor's last resort will commence. What forces we have left will march on Jeuno and liberate control of the crystals from them to attempt to push back the Emptiness ourselves."
It was as he expected. Blame in his homeland was still placed on Jeuno and those within for misuse of the crystal's power. But waging war on the city would not solve anything, not anymore. As the full force of the fire of the Phoenix left his weapon he had heard her voice one last time. She had entrusted him with a final duty. He could hear the voices of every life lost and could not refuse them. To go back now would be unforgivable and as such he finally looked upon the Ninja and stated that he could not return home. He would do as he was asked and would secure the final crystal in one last effort to stop the Emptiness from spreading.
Following the joining of incredible potent collections of power in the skies over the Black Sea the battle with the Wyrms was temporarily averted. Phoenix had not killed Bahamut, but may have wounded him enough that he retreated once more into Riverne with the rest of his army. Alain watched Tenzen closely after the exchange; the Samurai seemed oblivious to what was going on around him and could only stare at his now dull blade. It seemed as though he had expended Phoenix herself to wound Bahamut and now she was gone.
Two more scout ships were lost in the resulting explosion and the tail end of the flagship was nearly ripped down the middle, but somehow had survived. Soldiers from the Thundaga unit leapt on board and helped clear out the last of the Mammets under Nag'molada's control before trying to save the flagship from falling into the sea. Alain and the others returned to the Highwind, which had also seen better days.
The return to Jeuno was a very subdued one. Many ships had been destroyed needlessly and even more lives had been lost. It looked like Sigma XIII would survive, but it certainly would not be repaired in time for Bahamut's next move. The Highwind had lost its only weapon and was now useless in an air battle too.
Seeking guidance from Esha'ntarl, Alain spoke into the linkpearl used by the fleet, much to the collective surprise of everyone. He asked her what she was planning on doing and how they could stop Nag'molada. Her response was riddled with despair as she stated they had no choice but to return to Jeuno to begin repairs and to regroup in case Bahamut attempts a surprise attack.
They now knew where Nag'molada would go though; he would seek out the crystal beneath Gustaberg somewhere inside the Moblin city of Movalpolos. Alain told Esha'ntarl to do what she had to and then said that they would pursue their enemy in the meantime. He could not tell if his friends were more surprised that he wanted to go after Nag'molada so soon or that he was finally taking the initiative; but it was clear that time had run out. The Gentleman Thief still stood at the wheel of the airship, so he ordered him to change their course and to head towards Bastok.
That had all transpired a short time ago. Now he sat in his room on board the Highwind sitting on his bed and staring at the wall, lost in thought. Catherine and Hanaa had gone past some time ago speaking about Prishe; from the sounds of it all her wounds had vanished, despite being in such a bad state when they found her. They would need her strength and she would no doubt still want revenge for Brute.
Without a knock or even announcing his presence, Nokum-Akkum strode in and clambered up onto the bed beside him, before looking in the direction he was staring and asking what exactly he was doing.
"I was just thinking," he said.
Nokum-Akkum squinted, "Thinking aboutaru the wall?"
"Eh…not exactly."
"You sounded like Gerdinus back there you know!" his Tarutaru friend grinned. "You were all bossy-wossy and stern. Oh, notaru the mean way Rostaru was… So we're going to Oldton, rightaru? I was thinking; remember waaaaayyyy back when we were saving thataru San d'Orian ambassador? We saw one of those black cloaked guys…"
Thinking back, Alain remembered it as well. They were going through the underground tunnels with Naji and some other musketeers when they saw what had to have been a Mammet fighting with a Bugbear. It had seen them and pointed out where the ambassador had fallen. Given how long ago that was; it was a Mammet under the control of the Archduke and his brother, not Nag'molada, but if the Fifth Crystal was somewhere in there then perhaps it was connected.
Nokum-Akkum continued, "So if the thingy-wing was there to find the crystal we're looking for…then all we need to do is go down the tunnel we saw it appear from, don'taru we?"
"…It worries me when you have good ideas," Alain replied.
"I'm a genius!"
Interrupting the beginning of what would have been yet another argument about Nokum-Akkum's infallible logic, they were both surprised to see Prishe at the door to his room.
"I need a word with you, Alain," she stated. "Make yourself scarce, pipsqueak. Go look up Ulmia's skirt or something."
With narrow eyes, Alain grabbed the tuft of hair at the back of Nokum-Akkum's head to stop him launching himself at Prishe and asked him to leave them in private. With a huff and crossed arms, he marched out and stuck his tongue out as he went. Once he was gone, she muttered that he reminded her of the Chebukkis.
Alain said, "So, what did you want to speak to me about?"
"Well it looks like you're the boss of this rabble, so it makes the most sense to talk to you. You've got a score to settle with that Elvaan Samurai helping Selh'teus, don't you? How about we make a deal; you make sure that you and your friends leave Nag'molada to me and you can have the Samurai to yourself."
Revenge was still the strongest emotion that he had seen driving Prishe, it seemed. She could certainly handle herself and she was in no danger of dying, so he had no problem with agreeing to her proposition. Out of all of them Nag'molada had hurt her the most and he welcomed the chance to fight Rost without interruptions. They shook hands and completed the deal.
"Oh, one more thing," Prishe said as she turned to leave. "I've got a couple of pieces of advice for you and you should respect your elders, so listen up! So what if you're a Zilart? What does that mean? It means nothing. You think all Humes are the same? Are all Mithra? Hell, look at the difference between Ulmia and her Grandfather or her and me. You're a lot stronger than normal Humes because of one of your parents; I'd count that as a gift, not a disability."
He looked at the floor, "…Thanks…"
"That was only one bit of advice. The other is to stop getting so shy around that White Mage friend of yours! You don't need a Whisper of the Soul to see what's going on there! If you've got the confidence to fight battles and lead people potentially to their death then you should damn well be able to tell a girl how you feel about them!"
Realizing at just that moment that Prishe was talking in her usual overly loud way, he became very embarrassed that anyone nearby would probably have heard her. Seemingly more than happy that the desired effect had been achieved, Prishe walked off leaving him alone once more. It was not the right time to think about those things, not with war hot on their heels. But after, after they had stopped Nag'molada and killed the real Keeper hidden beyond the Fifth Crystal, he would tell her.
A few hours had passed and the Highwind still flew through the air. Hanaa felt a little unsettled. The pilot area was freezing with the front window being smashed in and the upper deck was a mess with the remains of the front cannon and armoury strewn about it.A quick glance over the side had placed them close to Gustaberg. With the landing gear still fully functional they would not need to stop in Bastok so to save time they would probably land right outside one of the entrances into the Moblin city.
Despite being in or around Bastok more often than most places, Hanaa had never been into Oldton or even the higher up mines located around the mountain ranges connecting to the Highlands. The air in those types of places was too thick with dirt for someone with a sense of smell as sensitive as hers.
To her surprise (and his) she found Samuel wandering the middle deck, meaning the Gentleman Thief had to still be at the wheel. She loved the nervous way the young Hume got around her and played up to it by demanding to know why he was not flying the airship. He stuttered that he was taking a break and quickly made a get away.
"Attention crew and passengers," a polite voice said over the speaking tubes, "We shall soon be reaching our destination. May I suggest that you prepare yourself and make your way to the pilot area?"
She was the first to go back into the pilot area as she had already been carrying her weapon with her. It was still freezing; the wind billowing in through the smashed window made her tail stand on end. Catherine and the adorable Tarutaru couple appeared next with Samuel shortly after. Prishe, Ulmia, and Alain appeared last. She silently noted that Samuel had changed back into his Ranger gear and had a few pouches of bullets attached to his belt and a small bolt quiver on his leg.
The Gentleman Thief spoke loudly over the wind, "And so we stand prepared! We will land within ten minutes!"
It sounded like he was inviting himself along as well. She shiftily got closer to Samuel and frightened him by suddenly speaking near his ear; asking if he was planning on coming along with them. With a gulp he explained that he had spoken with Pops and was going no matter what.
They eventually landed not far from the entrance to Port Bastok. Scouts and sentries will probably have seen them, but the city would most likely be in lock down given the danger posed by Bahamut. One-by-one they descended the rope ladder from the middle deck of the airship down to the gravely hills of North Gustaberg. Pops would be on his own but there was little danger in the area and if anything did happen he could simply take off to avoid it.
The nearest entrance into Oldton Movalpolos with less than a five minute jog up the dirt mound they had landed beside. The tunnel entrance was mined straight into the mountain base by the Goblins, Moblins, and Bugbears living within. As they neared it they could hear eerie sounds echoing from within.
"…Sounds like battle cries," Samuel said as he got closest to the cave.
"The Moblin and Goblin population sometimes have arguments with their Bugbear comrades that result in battles, but this sounds different," the Gentleman Thief commented. "Those howls are filled with rage…and listen, a siren of some kind – a warning to the whole city. Wait…something else, above?"
They all looked up and sure enough an airship passed by overhead. It was a small and slightly damaged scout class airship that seemed to slow and turn as if it had seen them. Hanaa reached for her rapier but did not draw it just yet; they would need to wait and see whether it was friend or foe on board.
Samuel almost fell as he pushed back through them to look, "What if it attacks the Highwind?! No one is there to protect it!"
Prishe put her hands on her hips, "Don't be such a whiney baby. Your airship is fine."
The scout ship hovered over the ground and a rope was tossed over the side. Tenzen appeared and leapt down the ground before moving towards them. The airship then took to the skies once more and seemed to take up a circular pattern overhead. He reached them and did not speak a greeting of any kind.
"Tenzen, what are you doing here?" Alain asked on behalf of them all.
The Hume Samurai seemed colder than before, "To see for myself… The crystal is inside this mine, correct? Lead on and I will follow."
Hanaa did not like the change in the air about the Samurai, he even smelt different. They had already guessed that Phoenix had gone and it looked as though losing the Avatar's power had pained him. Perhaps he was now after revenge just as Prishe was and they could use another blade even if it no longer had the power of an Avatar trapped inside it.
Once inside Oldton they were shocked to find an ongoing battle between the native inhabitants and creatures they had come to know as Emptiness incarnate. Were they too late? Everyone was thinking it but no one said it. If the Emptiness was spreading through all of the Movalpolos then the crystal had to be already lost. Despite this, Alain told them all to push on at speed and fight what was needed.
They ran as fast as they could, on and on through the winding underground tunnels. Unfortunately, in their frenzied state, the inhabitants of the mines treated them with the same contempt that the Emptiness creatures were facing and they had no choice but to stop and defend themselves from large numbers of Moblins and Bugbears. Prishe took point, launching enemies off the edge of the wooden walkways as she ran, making the rest of them look bad. Even her fast cast magics could not keep up with the little immortal.
"Stone!" she shouted as they all ran through another passage dug straight into pure rock.
From her hand a boulder of stone was formed that she threw into the roof, bringing down a small pile of rubble to block the way they had come. With the Emptiness and Moblins after them it would serve them better to temporarily cut off the way back (at least she thought so).
Both Alain and Nokum-Akkum exclaimed that they were getting close, but she had no idea how either of them could possibly know that. By now they were very deep inside the Moblin city but it all looked the same to her. The smell was getting worse too; there was an ever present burnt smell that reminded her of Ifrit's Cauldron. No doubt this was from the many furnaces the Moblins built to provide heat and power to the city.
"I can feel it," Prishe said as they went down another long passage. "It's here…"
Alain skidded to a stop at the end of tunnel, almost resulting in Samuel knocking him over as he ran straight into his back. A deep red glow filled a huge room that had once been perfect white marble, though now it had grown dark and blotches of black littered the corners. They had found what was left of the Fifth Crystal's chamber, but the Emptiness was already there. The healthy inspiring glow of the crystal was replaced with a strange incandescence, no doubt a result of the light of this last crystal being stolen.
"So cold…" Ulmia whispered. "Is this truly one of the legendary Mother Crystals?"
"This crystal is not part of Vana'diel," a voice said inside them all.
Instantly before them, Selh'teus appeared.
"The link to this crystal was cut long ago. It sunk with Al'taieu, but with the curse now placed upon that city it found its way deep underground. But the connection was never truly severed as the city still exists in one way or another. When the Zilart reactivated the Crystal Line energy was stolen from all the crystals, destabilizing Al'taieu further and drawing it back into this dimension."
Tenzen walked forwards, "So it is true. Phoenix knew your goal all along and only shared it with me at the last moment. You truly do seek to prevent Al'taieu returning to this world and the resurrection of the Twilight God. You were never the enemy…"
Alain caught sight of movement by the base of the crystal. Rost appeared and stood in silence next to Selh'teus, with a silent look of satisfaction on his face. What was going on? Sure, Nag'molada had turned on them but Selh'teus had still remained their enemy regardless. They had believed he was spreading the Emptiness to consume the world, yet Tenzen seemed to think otherwise now.
"I embraced the darkness to return," Selh'teus said inside their minds. "It was the only way. I used the Emptiness to steal the light from the four healthy crystals in order to stabilize this one and restore its power. Only then will Al'taieu's fall be prevented and this world saved. But I am a child of darkness, that is my sin, and so I could not hold the light myself. I needed a special soul who could be the Bearer of the Light. I needed you, Alain."
His mind flashed back to his first meeting with Selh'teus within the hospital in Upper Jeuno and the pendant he had received that had awoken his Whisper of the Soul. It had allowed him to react to the crags around the world and to resonate with the crystals. Selh'teus had a connection with him through the pendant every step of the way and had been feeding the stolen light to him through it. That is what Rost had meant and why they could not finish their battle; as his purpose as Bearer of the Light took precedence over their roles as Emissaries. Or was there more? Maybe Selh'teus had chosen him solely because he was the Emissary of the Dawn.
Rost crossed his arms, "Figured it out, have you?"
"Phoenix referred to you as Light Bearer, Alain," Tenzen said, subdued.
Catherine moved closer to him and begged them to explain what was going on. Tenzen explained that it was the duty of the one chosen to receive the light to give it up before the Fifth Crystal in order to prevent the Apocalypse. He glared at Rost and was surprised that the Elvaan looked away. What were they saying?
"Thank you, Alain. You bore a heavy weight and it is for the good of all Vana'diel, the Mother Crystals, and the people of this world. I will send you on your way now. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."
He had no time to react. Selh'teus hand was raised towards him and the same agony that struck him at the Fourth Crystal began anew. He fell to the ground as a powerful white glow surrounded him, knocking Catherine away from him. The pain was unlike before, it was even stronger, and he could not help but scream. His friends ran towards him, but could not get near as the white light struck out at them like it was alive.
"Like hell I'll let you get away with that!"
He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Prishe looking down at him. The white energy ripped into her arm but she did not pull back and seemed unphased. She moved fully in front of him as she had down before but this time did not use her own pendant. She struck forwards with her fist and caught Selh'teus in the cheek, throwing him into Rost and sending them both to the floor. Tenzen was reaching for his sword but relented as she turned and stood ready to fight in defiance. Soon Catherine and all the others were there as well, forming a circle around him to fend off all Rost, Tenzen, and Selh'teus.
"Why can't you all see sense?!" Tenzen suddenly shouted. "Alain must sacrifice his life so the light stored in him can be used to save the world! It is for the greater good! We must!"
"No!" Prishe shouted back. "That's too high a price. If anyone is sacrificing themselves then it should be someone like me or Selh'teus. We're long overdue to die anyway! And you, Tenzen, how can you possibly believe that what Phoenix, the Avatar of Rebirth, said to you meant you would have to kill an innocent life? There's another option open to us here!"
Selh'teus got to his feet, "What do you mean?"
"You already took some of the light back, didn't you, from when we met you at the last crystal? Give it back to him! Flood all the light into him and make him stronger! Open the way to Al'taieu and I'll fight by his side to destroy the Keeper lurking down there."
The ten thousand year old boy was lost in thought, considering what Prishe was proposing. The immortal Elvaan girl left his side and walked towards the boy, outstretching her hand in friendship. With a little hesitation, Selh'teus stretched out his pale arm.
They both turned in time, but not fast enough to dodge. A ball of white energy struck into them both launching them into everyone standing around him. They all fell to the floor. From beside the crystal a manic laugh echoed out as Nag'molada appeared, holding a familiar pendant in his hand. Alain reached for his scythe as everyone else recovered.
"Yes, let's see the way to the old city open up," Nag'molada grinned.
He charged forwards with Tenzen and Nokum-Akkum at his side. From around Nag'molada a purple aura seemed to grow as he beckoned them to attack. Tenzen swiped nothing but air as their target seemed to instantly move alongside. Nokum-Akkum leapt into the air, but crashed into only the ground before being kicked in the side. Tenzen attacked again but was knocked to the floor. Alain swung his scythe and missed completely, unable to keep up with the speed of the enemy. The draining effects of what Selh'teus had tried to do to him were still debilitating him. A fist to the side of the face knocked him over and then another into his gut stuck him to the spot as he was winded. He saw Nag'molada's gleeful face enjoying every moment of his torment.
"Tachi: Kagero!"
Rost struck into the ground around them with a fiery blast, breaking it apart and causing Nag'molada to stumble. Nokum-Akkum threw and axe, but it was deflected by protective magic. Tenzen found his target in his moment of weakness and caught the Kuluu's arm as he past. Alain tried to get up but could not. Nag'molada vanished and reappeared hovering in the air above them all and held out the blue pendant.
"Enough fun," he stated coldly. "I will steal the light from you all and use it myself!"
Selh'teus moved instantly from where he had fallen to in front of the crystal. He outstretched his arm as black magic was drawn to it and then touched the Fifth Crystal. In order to stop Nag'molada he had done the only thing he could; drain the final crystal and open the way to the Zilart city as they had all wanted. A blinding white light consumed them all.
In a timeless state following the explosion they were all granted a vision of fleeting memories of the past. A group of cloaked individuals stand around a man known to them all as Archduke Kam'lanaut. Of those stood listening to his words another is recognisable; Esha'ntarl.
"It all begins with a stone. In ages past five crystals existed as one enormous jewel that bathed the world in holy light. This mythical light banished the Emptiness and brought fourth mighty Gods. These Gods cultivated their power and concentrated their energy. They created a balance between eight elements and a harmony for the myriad of senses of the world within. And so the eternal paradise blessed them in all ways."
Another room greeted them. Eald'narche stands before Selh'teus.
"But paradise did not last forever. The enormous jewel was split into five parts and this perfect realm was degraded into an incomplete world. We were reduced from the superior life forms of the high plains into these flawed and insignificant forms. Thus we must gather and focus the energy of the crystals into opening a gate into the lost dimension. We are both well aware of this predicament and yet there is one thing I cannot understand. How did this tragedy occur in the first place? Why was the original stone shattered into five pieces? Who is responsible for this incomprehensible act?"
The vision changes yet again. In a room with green crystals mounted on the walls the Crystal Warriors strike out at them as if fending off something growing within. Watching their struggle is the Dawn Maiden Yve'noile.
"The people of this world evolved into five unique species, each harbouring a distinctive darkness. Crystal Warriors; thou wert created to destroy those evils. Yet even your strength cannot prevail against this darkness. Emptiness is the ever present shadow of the blessed light. If this phenomenon represents complete death, then one could surely argue that its presence was inevitable in a complete world."
She pauses and turns away.
"Is that not so, great Goddess Altana?"