35 The Glittering City

Lightning awoke to find the sky colored bronze outside her window, the breeze cooled since the last time she had been awake. Feeling refreshed, she lifted her head off the pillow, then stretched all her limbs at once, working out the kinks in the joints. In spite of her stubbornness, it seemed she really had needed the rest, as she felt more awake and alert now than she had in many days. She kicked off the sheet and went into the bathroom to find her armor dry and smelling much better.

In a few minutes, she had everything strapped on and adjusted.

Before going out to summon a staff member to tidy up, she walked out onto the narrow balcony and leaned on the rail, taking a few moments to look at the city, imprinting it in her memories. Once the world ended, this landscape would be devoured by the chaos as though it had never existed. Perhaps some echo would linger, but it would be in a place no one in the new world could ever see again. Even those who carried the old world in their memories could only pass on stories as their lives faded to dust.

She looked at the railing and rubbed a finger across it. So much would be lost during the transition to the new world, even if it was all, ultimately, worth it.

Feeling a familiar brush of chaos across her heart, she leaned on her elbows. "Hey, Caius," she said. "You alright?"

"As well as I can be," he told her.

"You would..." She looked at him, entwining her fingers. "...tell me if I was keeping you from Yeul, right?"

"Yes," he said, looking curious. "This is sudden," he added, turning slightly toward her. "Seems an odd thing to ask as soon as you see me again. What prompted it?"

"Well, it's... just..." A sigh escaped her. "She... well, came to see me last night, while I was asleep."

His brow furrowed. "Interesting. For what purpose?"

"She begged me to let you return to the temple. She wanted me to tell you to leave, because she seems to think you wouldn't otherwise, though she refused to tell me why."

"I..." He trailed off, then looked away. "...see."

"So, I'm not holding this over your head, Caius," she added, straightening. "If you want to leave, do it. No one is keeping you here, and it would be wrong of me to. I know you have duties beyond me. I know your ultimate duty is to her, and to watch over the chaos in place of Etro. I'm not trying to keep you here against your will."

"You are giving me leave?" he said, quietly.

"Of course," she said. "You're not a prisoner here, you know. I know you have a duty to me, but Yeul is a little more important to you. I wouldn't want you to think otherwise."

His eyes returned to hers. "Then I will remain here until you need me no more."

She sighed. "Caius, look, it's not about–"

"Lightning," he interrupted her, gently, and she stopped, looking down at the ground far below. He did not need to explain that single word, or the weight behind it.

"I know." She flexed her fingers. "Alright. Stay, then." Pushing away from the railing, she stretched her arms over her head again. "Well, I feel more rested than I have in a long time. Guess you and Snow had the right idea after all, much as I hate to admit it." She offered him a small smile, relieved to see his expression soften in return. "So, did anything exciting happen in my brief absence?"

"There seems to be some odd seismic activity in the Wildlands," he said, "and the chaos has become so turbulent that it is very difficult to make anything out. There is something in there, some form of energy I cannot place, but whenever I try to find out more, I always encounter some obstacle."

"Obstacle? Energy? What..." She blinked as she trailed off, thinking about last night – about the mysterious force that had touched her mind and cleared it of the chaos. "What... kind of energy?"

"Difficult to say," he said. "Powerful, at the very least."

"But I thought there was nothing but the chaos inside the chaos. I mean, if there's something there..." Rubbing her forehead with one hand, she shook her head. "Could it be something that fell in very recently? You know, some sort of powerful energy signature from elsewhere in the world, maybe?"

"Doubtful. It feels both foreign and familiar. Thinking back, I know I have sensed it before, but it was far weaker, as though restrained somehow." He folded his arms. "It is said that Etro built the temple in Valhalla as a prison for an enemy from antiquity. Perhaps the collective memory of Yeul might have some clue as to its truthfulness, but no one alive has anything more than mere speculation to go on. Perhaps that is what I sensed."

"And an enemy of Etro would be no friend to us."

"You would certainly be right about that."

Lightning rubbed a hand across her face a few times, doing her best to take it all in. A prison for an ancient enemy, a mysterious energy force deep within the chaos, obstacles preventing Caius from finding more information, and a false god that may or may not want to kill her. It was a little overwhelming.

"Is it any good thinking about it now?" she murmured.

Caius did not speak for a moment, but she heard him move closer. "No. We can leave it."

"Good." She let her hand fall away. "So, I guess it's back to work. The festivities should be starting soon. Think you're up for wading into the madness again?"

"You needn't be concerned for me." He moved to stand before her; she looked up at him. "But my worries are about you. Did the chaos come to you again?"

"I..." She rubbed the crown of her skull. "I... yeah, I think it did. I think that's how Yeul and Lumina were–"

"Lumina, too?" He scowled. "What did she want?"

"Well, she didn't help," she muttered. "But, anyway, I think that's how they were able to come bother me while I was asleep, using my remaining link to the chaos. But, here's the thing, and it's weird, but..." Bringing both hands in front of her, she rubbed them together, fingers entwining. "I... think someone, or something, cleared it away. I felt something touch my mind and break my link to the chaos. It feels free."

Caius's scowl faded into a slight frown. He raised a hand, holding it close to her jaw for a moment, before the frown vanished entirely. "It seems that way," he said, a note of relief coloring his voice. "I wonder, then, who would have done such a thing. It could have been the other Yeuls."

"What," she said, "you don't think the Yeul of War would have been so kind?"

"No," he said, without hesitation.

Lightning wasn't sure what to make of that sort of honesty. "Ah, well, then..." She shrugged. "What else?"

His hand dropped away. "I do not know."

Her brow furrowed as she continued staring at him. If even Caius could not know, and he had no idea what the mysterious energy was, then it was as alien as the distant stars. "Standing here wondering about it won't get us any close to the answer," she murmured, "and it won't make us any more prepared for the end. We're running shorter on time with every passing moment. Let's get moving."

"Down into Yusnaan, then?"

"Yeah," she said, and led the way out of the room. When they passed a staff member on the way out, she let them know it needed to be tidied up, then continued out to the plaza.

The statue was almost completely cleaned up, though the ground still ruined, and she doubted any real effort would be made to fix it this close to the world's end. They left the plaza as the sun began to disappear behind the buildings, and long, inky black shadows spread across the streets. The air cooled a little more, the sky deepening its hue, and a star could be seen on the opposite side of the sky from the sun.

Lightning paused outside the Augur's Quarter to look up. "One of the last sunsets this world's gonna see."

"It makes it even more magnificent," was Caius's quiet response.

She looked at him. "You've seen a lot of sunsets."

"I have," he said, "but I cannot recall the last time I was truly able to... appreciate any of them."

"Are you appreciating this one?"

In the sunset light, he reminded her of the brief flashes of images she had seen of him standing on the plains of Gran Pulse from Valhalla, long before the fall of Cocoon, as stoic and unreadable as he was now. So different from what she had had known him to be in their war.

For a moment, he did not respond, then his eyes found hers. "Yes."

Lightning felt her skin prickle at that single word – something about the way he looked at her, the weight he placed behind it, struck some sort of nerve deep inside her she did not know existed. For a moment, she gazed back, then shook her head, forcing herself to continue onward into the streets.

In the moments before the festivities began, everything was quiet. Shopkeepers were finishing setting up and there were not many people out on the streets just yet. She remembered Olga's request to find Berdie and wondered if he was actually in the city anymore.

Before she went too far, though, her stomach crawled, grumbling at her for sustenance. She paused and glanced around, looking for somewhere to eat. The closest place was just across from the fountain, a cafe tucked into the wall and run by a hostess in cat getup. Lightning's first instinct was to pass over that hole-in-the-wall, remembering the hostess's assurances, called out to the crowded streets, in a sly tone and with no shame, that both their "drinks and women" were top-notch.

When the hostess looked her way, Lightning nodded politely, but kept going.

"It concerns me," Caius murmured as they continued into the plaza near the station, where a thousand delightful smells wafted into the near-still air. "Someone, or something, came to you in the night and severed your link to the chaos, something even I could not do."

"Why does it bother you?" she said. "I mean, isn't what happened good?"

"Of course," he said, "but the fact that there is some entity with greater power over the chaos than even myself or Yeul, at least as far as I know, whom I cannot sense or seen, worries me." Raising a hand, he swept his fingers through his hair, causing it to shimmer in the sunset hues. "Be careful."

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Besides, you don't need–"

"To worry about you," he finished, and looked sidelong at her. "Yes, if you promise to be less reckless."

Despite her best efforts, a tiny smile slipped free. "Yeah, I promise."

His eyes visibly softened. "Good."

They waded into the Glutton's Quarter; Lightning wandered among the stalls, searching for anything that seemed particularly interesting. Eventually, she decided the grill was the most appetizing, drawn by the scent of fresh meat, sauteed vegetables, and fresh-cooked flatbread. Her selection ended up being a surprisingly stout flatbread roll stuffed with some sort of meat, chopped vegetables, and spices, the juice threatening to dribble out both ends if she didn't carefully juggle it and tuck the wrapper just right.

The moment the ensemble struck her tongue, her whole body seemed to demand she shove it down her throat all at once, the innumerable flavors perfectly mingling and sending her into a state of pure contentment.

"Wow," she mumbled around a mouthful, "this is amazing."

"You certainly look as though you are enjoying it," was Caius's amused comment.

After another bite, she wiped away the juices with a napkin and looked at him. "Haven't eaten food this good in a while, that's all. Kind of tastes like what Serah used to make." She forced herself not to dwell on those memories as she tossed the napkin in a trash bin. "You don't need to eat anymore, right?"

"No, no longer a requirement."

"Must be nice," she muttered, and continued eating until about half was left. The thick flatbread managed to soak up the spices and juices without becoming soggy, and seemed to be doing most of the job of filling her up.

"Would you rather sit?" he said.

Lightning hesitated, looking at the rest of her roll for a few moments. She did very much want to eat and enjoy the rest of it, and juggling it in what amounted to one and a half hands was no fun. Of course, they needed to keep moving, keep finding people to help, and yet...

"Probably should," she muttered, and moved to a bench at the foot of the stairs leading to the Glutton's Quarter.

Here, they were out of the way of foot traffic and most curious eyes, but she could see a good swath of their surroundings. Slowing her pace, she chewed for longer periods of time, sitting on one end of the bench while Caius took up the other, settled back but clearly alert, and no one got too close as a result. The only one who seemed more than a little curious was a young woman standing in line at a trinket vendor, who more than once shot a glance over at him, but she came no closer.

The sky darkened to a burnt orange color with a hint of gold, and more stars appeared in the skies. The air cooled a little further, though the pavement remained warm, and the breeze died completely. In sections, lights wrapped around trees, banisters, and balconies came on, filling the city with an inviting yellow light. Somewhere in the distance, a clock struck the hour; she heard six chimes.

Lightning crumpled up the now-empty wrapper and threw it in the nearest trash bin. Instead of getting up right away, though, she lingered and looked up at the still-darkening sky.

For a long time, neither of them spoke, sitting in comfortable silence. Lightning pondered it, thinking how they had come from her feeling unable to trust him at her back to this, wondering what could have happened had she never asked him to leave the temple in the first place. At the same time, she thought of Bodhum, with the annual fireworks lighting up the sky, and the childish belief that they could make wishes come true.

Even she had been caught wishing on them before.

"This reminds me so much of Bodhum during the annual festival," she said.

Caius shifted his weight a little, but did not comment verbally. When she looked at him, she saw him gazing back, the lights casting soft shadows across his features and blurring the sharper edges of his armor. She could almost believe it wasn't even there, if only for a moment.

"Serah and I used to go to it," she continued, looking back at the sky. "We'd go every year. Our mother used to go with us, before she got sick, and buy us stupid little trinkets that we just loved, because we were kids. Then we would get some sort of treat and go sit out by the water and make wishes." Her eyes fell away from the sky to her lap, where her finger entwined. "I stopped believing in wishes after she died."

"When you had to grow up," he said.

Lightning sighed. "I probably shouldn't have even told you about that."

Caius sounded bemused when he said, "Is there a reason?"

"Well... no, but it's... personal. It's..." Suddenly uncomfortable, she leaned forward, resting on her knees. "It's one of those deeply personal matters, you know? It's something that shaped my past and makes me who I am. It's not one of those things I just... tell people. Serah barely knows about it."

"I understand," he said, and she believed him. "I would never want you to reveal something you are not comfortable with. Tell me only what you wish to."

Her eyes flicked to his. "Caius, I told you on my own. Well, there was that one time you asked about my mother, but I didn't tell you much of anything even then. Don't go thinking you're pushing."

He dipped his chin. "As you wish."

Another non-answer. Lightning sighed and stood. "Let's keep moving. Maybe we can find Berdie."

Caius rose to his feet. "He may not be in the city."

She nodded, but couldn't help but sigh. "I know, but I still want to give–"

A yelp close by snagged her from her thoughts; she turned in time to see one of the chocobo girls pull back from slapping a dark-haired man with her wing – not hard enough to hurt, but apparently enough to startle him. As he recoiled, she gave him a look of displeasure, the usual smile completely gone.

"Hey," Lightning said, hurrying up to them, "what's going on here? Is this guy bothering you?"

"No, not too," the chocobo girl said, raising an eyebrow.

"Would you just–" The man looked helpless. "I'm not... it's not what you think–"

"For the third time, stop propositioning me. I am working right now. No dates! Now, go on!" She waved her wings at him, and once he had hung his head and slunk away, she immediately went back to grinning and waving her arms while singing and throwing the occasional flower. Lightning grudgingly admired her.

"I wasn't asking for a date," the man mumbled, and looked down at something his hands.

Lightning hesitated. "Alright, then, what's going on?"

The man looked up suddenly. "Oh! Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to... uh. Hmm. Well, no one else has asked tonight, so would you listen to me for a moment? Please?"

At least it was in her job description. "Of course," she said. "What's your name?"

"Lennet," he said. "I have... I have these, you see, and I'm trying to give them away, but I can't seem to get a word out straight, so everyone thinks I'm just..." He sighed and held up the object. It was a slip of paper, creamy white and embellished with gold accents, with the name of the city's most famous, upscale restaurant written in sweeping, bold calligraphy at the top with an obviously skilled hand. "...asking them out."

"Reservations to the Banquet of the Lord?" Lightning stared at him. "Why would you give these up?"

"Well, it's that, or try to find someone to go with me. Needless to say, that hasn't worked out. You see..." Lowering the reservation slip, he looked at her. "...my girl, she's... uh, well, we're no longer together, let's just leave it at that. I made these a long time ago, I think over a year ago. Do you know how hard it is to get reservations there?" Lennet looked frustrated for a moment, but she couldn't miss the thick sadness in his eyes, either. "Anyway, it's either give them to someone, or it's a hard-earned paycheck wasted. Or someone comes with me."

"I see." She folded her arms. "When are they good for?"

"Tonight, at eleven," he said.

"And you're allowed to give them to someone else?"

"My prerogative." Again, he looked at the reservation slip. "I mean... it's not like I'm going to– going to..." Lennet suddenly ducked his head, hiding his eyes from her, but she heard a soft choking sound right before he cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to mask it. "Uh... sorry. The breakup... it hit me hard."

"It was no mere breakup," Caius murmured.

Lennet did not look at either of them. "You could... you could say that, yeah."

Lightning hesitated and gazed at the reservation. She could take it and give it to some other couple they found. She could just go with him, too. But it felt wrong, somehow, to just take it, all the same. Lennet wasn't telling them something, and she had an idea of what the "breakup" had really been. There had already been so much death in the world, it seemed to be the most logical conclusion.

"Lennet," she said, gently, "how did she die, and how long ago?"

He squeezed the paper between his fingertips. "That obvious," he said, very quietly. After a moment, he managed to look up at her. "Months ago. I mean, I'm... past it, yeah. I get I won't see her again. She would want me to still enjoy it, or give it to someone who will enjoy it in her... in our stead, you see." Finally, he smiled, the sadness clearing a little from his features. "Here, take it. Someone else will love it, probably."

Lightning did so and nodded to him. "Will you be alright?"

"I will, yeah." Lennet tipped his head. "Just let them know I sent you. Already warned them I... might hand it off to someone else, so don't worry. You look like a couple that could use it."

Lightning somehow kept her expression perfectly neutral. "We aren't together."

"Oh... you're not?" Lennet looked genuinely confused. "Oh, uh, well... sorry. You were just kinda.. giving off that vibe. Know what I mean?" He waved his hands and looked sheepish.

Caius sighed quietly at her side; she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it too much." He slipped his hands into his pockets. "Two people who won't leave each other's sides have a tendency to get seen as 'together' in this city. Well, either way, thanks for helping me out." Smiling a little, he turned and wandered off into the ground.

She gazed after him for a moment, then folded the slip and tucked it into her bag. It seemed as though everyone she'd come across had lost something or other over the past five centuries. Did anyone still alive on this planet still have everything, or were they all like Lennet and the others? "Maybe we can find Berdie and I can give this to them," she said. "It might help their relationship a little."

Caius snorted. "Appreciating that sort of gesture might be somewhat difficult for those two."

Lightning made a face at him. "Well, we can look," she said, and continued on into the crowd. "Maybe we'll bump into him completely by accident, do a quick job, then drop him off with Olga before midnight."

"Perhaps," he said.

Not sure what else to do, she followed the flow of traffic through the lower section of the city and into Cactuar Square, where the lights seemed to be at their brightest and shining from every direction. From here, she could hear the sounds of the Coliseum undergoing preparation for the evening's battles, though muffled by distance and being on the other side of buildings and rock.

To the left, she saw colors dancing on the wall near the fountain. Curious, she moved that direction, carefully avoiding the pedestrians blanketing the street. Chocobo girls stood at the edges, waving and smiling, and some of them tossed confetti into the air, where it sparkled and glittered in the lights. While not as noisy as she knew it would all be later, it was still rather raucous.

It was the fountain and its light display, scattering patterns on the wall behind the water. Not to her surprise, she found Olga there, looking frustrated as before and still wearing her sundress from earlier.

"Does she ever leave?" she muttered.

Needing time to think, Lightning moved to sit at the cafe with the cat-eared hostess and did her very best to ignore her calling out how simply amazing the place was for "everything you can imagine". More patrons flocked to the cafe as she sat at one of the outer tables and did her best to ignore them. A man in a hood that covered most of his face sat on the outer edge, while a woman in a partial mask sat nearer by with a toddler in her lap – a child who had no doubt been that age for centuries.

Looking away from them, she instead cast her gaze around the immediate area, but nothing in particular caught her eye, and instead she looked down at the table.

Caius sat just to her left, leaning over the table with his hands folded, but in her peripheral vision, she saw the telltale symptoms of alertness in the tense lines of his arms and shoulders and the way his gaze drifted to key points of their surroundings. It called to mind her Guardian Corps training and the alertness she had developed from her time as a l'Cie, and it made her feel a little bit more secure.

Bored, she propped her chin on her fist. "You look thoughtful," she said, more to break the silence than anything.

Caius looked at her. "I am always thinking."

She knew how that was. "Well, what are you thinking about right now?"

"Many things," he said, and looked at his hands for a moment, fingers twitching against each other. "One of them being how this reminds me of some of Paddra's festivals. More alcohol and... hmm, groping involved, here, I would say, but the atmosphere feels familiar enough."

"Groping, huh?" She half-smiled faintly. "What, were your people not into public displays of affection?"

"Not... exactly, no." He tipped his head. "Not to say it didn't happen."

She looked over at Olga again. "Sounds like it's common around here, in Yusnaan, from what I've heard. Must be a city of 'love' or something. Or maybe just... really romantic. Something about the atmosphere cultivating intimacy or something." She shrugged. "Well, whatever the case, it's at least pretty."

Caius nodded. "Indeed," he said, his voice soft.

Lightning looked at him for a few moments, the city's lights causing his hair to shimmer and casting soft shadows across his features, before looking away again, searching for something to do. She didn't expect to find anyone who looked remotely like Berdie, or else he'd have no doubt been found already.

The toddler started to cry; the woman cradled him closer and shushed him, hugging him tight. Lightning tried not to look at the uncomfortable sight.

Caius suddenly looked severe; at the same time, Lightning saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked to see the man in the hood approaching the table. She quelled the first instinct to rise to her feet and instead stayed where she was, looking off into the city as though paying no attention.

The man came up to her, at the edge of her peripheral vision; Caius hid his displeasure well, but she saw it as a familiar fire in his eyes.

In one swift movement, she stood, grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it, and forced him to stand still, locking his arm in an uncomfortable position that left him at her mercy. She heard him suck air through his teeth, but he seemed wise enough not to try anything further.

"Can I help you?" she said, keeping her expression calm.

He turned his head enough for her to see his face and get a better look at the rest of his outfit. It resembled the robes of the Heretics in Poltae, though with more customization, just enough to keep it from looking exactly like theirs, and enough to make him distinct. "Maybe you can," he murmured. "You spoke with Olga."

"I did, yeah." Looking at Caius, she gestured for him to remain seated. He shifted enough to lean back from the table and rest one arm on it instead of both, but nodded. "What of it?"

"Are you looking for her dear Berdie?"

"She asked me to find him, if that's what you're wondering. Something to you?"

"Let go and I might just tell you."

She squeezed a little harder. "Could be a problem."

"Fine. I see your point." He sounded strained. "Berdie isn't anywhere around here. He's a little trouble, you see. Got talking to the wrong people, if you know what I mean, and couldn't pay up. That's all I know. You want more, you need to talk to the guy handling his problem."

Lightning couldn't hide her surprise. This was a turn of events she wasn't expecting. "Wait, what?"

"Yusnaan isn't some sparkling metropolis of utopian beauty," he muttered. "It's like the lower levels of Academia, only more glitz and less space. Nobody looks too close around here, so we all just kind of mind ourselves. You can find just about anything you want in this city. So, you wanna find Berdie or not?"

Releasing him, she folded her arms. He faced her, grimacing and flexing that arm. "Why do you care?"

"I don't, I just get paid to." He lifted an eyebrow. "Ever heard of Serendipity?"

"Yeah," she said, "a casino on the edge of eternity."

"Sure, supposed to have been blessed by the goddess Etro and everything. Eternal luck, the works." His lips quirked into a half-smile. "Serendipity fell into this realm when the chaos came... well, sort of."

Lightning exchanged a look with Caius. "You're kidding."

The man looked smug. "You see evidence of it all around. The fal'Cie Pandemonium might have cultivated the land and encouraged Yusnaan's creation, but there's this atmosphere no fal'Cie can replicate, you know?" He shrugged. "Don't know much beyond that, but you get the idea. You want to talk about Berdie's release, go talk to the owner of the Slaughterhouse. He won't talk to anyone but the Liberator."

"Great," she muttered, "something only I can clean up?"

"I don't know. I didn't get paid to know."

"But you're a Heretic, right?" She pointedly looked him up and down. "You look it. Why do this?"

"Some of us have to make a living," he muttered. "It's never been a utopia around here, not since Cocoon fell out of the sky and we had to start making our own way. Human nature sucks. I take it you've never spent any time in the lower levels of Academia?"

"Can't say I have," she admitted, "and honestly never heard anything before now."

"You wouldn't." Turning his back, he waved a hand. "The Slaughterhouse owner usually loiters around the outside of it. You won't see him before he sees you. And yeah, you're right, I am a Heretic." And with that, he walked off as calmly and quietly as he had arrived, leaving her bemused.

"You shouldn't be surprised," Caius told her.

"Oh, I know," she muttered. "It's my job. Just wondering what it is only I can do."

"Not everyone has a burden of emotion or pain," he said. She looked over at him; he rose to his feet and allowed a ghost of a smirk to slip onto his lips. "Perhaps he has a problem only a fierce warrior can resolve. This is not the first time you have needed your strength and power to save a soul, you know."

"True," she said. "Guess we better see what's up."

Leaving the cafe, they doubled back, through Cactuar Plaza, and went down the busy central avenue that led to the Slaughterhouse. Though it was not yet abuzz with activity, she caught sight of furtive movements betraying the presence of attendants and staff working feverishly to prepare the Coliseum for its nightly "festivities". A bloody enough sport, she knew, one that disgusted her. She was a soldier, but at least she didn't fight for the raw thrill of it – at least, not that she could admit to herself, of course.

"People come here to fight and die," her companion said behind her. "They spill blood for the thrill, because of reality, the way eternity dulls the blade of mortality." He snorted softly, but it seemed derisive, and not directed at the people he spoke of. "The reality I wrought. How did I not see this coming?"

"I don't think anybody did," she said. "It's not all your fault. Eternity didn't make people into what they became, it just gave us time to be what we are."

He was quiet for a moment, then said, "Perhaps you're right."

Lightning stopped some distance from the Slaughterhouse and looked around, scanning for the owner – for anyone at all out of place – but the slapdash of expensive threads, worn clothes, and very strange ensembles made it hard to figure out who didn't belong to the cacophony. Remembering the Heretic's words, she folded her arms and decided to wait, leaning against a pillar supporting a fence around a pair of gorgon that were circling each other. Caius stood beside her, leaning on one shoulder, and said nothing.

Then, a minute later, she saw someone slightly shorter than her, willowy, with dark blond hair, peel away from the rest of the staff and come hurrying over.

One quick glance told her everything she needed to know: high-quality clothing masquerading – and convincingly – as lower-middle-class fashions, neatly maintained hair, tanned pale skin indicative of regular time spent outdoors, and a walk that was somehow both shy and confident. Used to playing a part, she guessed.

As he opened his mouth, she cut him off with, "You the owner?"

"Ah–" He closed his mouth and lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's me. And you're the Liberator, obviously. Not a lot of people with pink hair and armor like yours around here."

"Cut to the chase," she said. "One of your men sent me here to help you. It's about Berdie."

"Oh, yes, Berdie." The Slaughterhouse owner couldn't have been much older than seventeen, she guessed, but his eyes were world-weary, his mannerisms betraying that he was accustomed to dealing with people, yet he kept a tone that was light and befitting his age... though she heard the burr of a much harder edge buried within it. "Funny you should mention him. I heard from Olga you were looking for him."

"Olga?" Straightening and letting her arms fall to her sides, she tipped her head. "Wait, why?"

"Because Olga, uh, speaks her mind. Often."

"I imagine," was Caius's muttered response to that.

Lightning looked sidelong at him, which he returned without expression, then back at the owner. "Well, whatever, it doesn't matter. I heard Berdie's in a bad way. What exactly happened?"

"Oh, that's an interesting story." The owner folded his hands behind his head, large gray eyes taking on a mischievous glint. "He's a songwriter, a good one. It's what he does for a living, and he's been good enough to make a living off it for centuries. I invited him to write a few songs for the opening festivities, but he started slipping, reneging on the deal. I was paying him big, and he wasn't delivering. So, I cut the credit line and gave him an ultimatum: cough up the songs, or he goes into the pit."

"That seems a little harsh," she grumbled.

"Well, it worked, and he was fine for a while. Then his relationship with Olga got strained and he couldn't pay the bills anymore. Cost of living suddenly went up." Lowering his hands, the owner looked all around, then pointedly at the expensive architecture surrounding the Slaughterhouse. "Started taking loans and placing bets. Couldn't pay the loans, wasn't winning big on the bets. Kept losing money." Suddenly looking at her, his expression turned severe. "He owes me, and it's a kindness I haven't pitched him to the dogs."

"Alright, I get it," she said, nodding. "So, what exactly can I do that will solve this problem?"

"I need some monsters killed. They've been giving me grief and I want them gone, but either the gladiators won't fight them or they get eaten. It's expensive, and I'm getting tired of it." The owner shifted his weight, then placed his hands on his hips, all pretense of youthful innocence gone. "I might own a lucrative business, sure, but the money has to come from somewhere, and I have to keep a profit."

"So, I fight monsters, and Berdie goes free." She frowned, then shrugged and nodded. "Alright, I'll do it. When do you need me to start?"

"About twenty minutes. You'll need to sign up with the Slaughterhouse supervisor. She's over there behind the counter." He gestured. "And just so you know, you have to go in alone. If this guy here helps you–" Here, he nodded at Caius. "–then I can't help Olga. If you die, I move on."

She opened her mouth to agree, but Caius moved in her peripheral vision, stepping forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her. "No deal," he said, calmly, but clearly.

"She's the Liberator, she can handle it."

"She is also far too important to lose to something such as this." The burr in his voice was familiar, dangerous, and even though the owner had no doubt heard his share of threats, a visible, if subtle, change came to his features. "You want your monsters gone, she can certainly do that, but if she gets into a situation she cannot escape, where her very life is on the line, know that I will be there. Do you understand?"

The other man studied him for a while, eyes searching his, before he lifted an eyebrow and nodded. "Well, I can see she's very... special to you. Fine. If it comes to that, I won't stop you."

Lightning looked curiously at her companion, but he had not looked away from the owner, and she could glean nothing of what the man spoke of from his expression.

"You have yourself a deal," she said, extending a hand. He shook it, looking pleased.

"Good. There's five rounds, but you're tough enough to take it. Go sign up with Zoe before you do anything else, and make sure you're ready. Stock up if you need items."

"Before you go," she said, "tell me one thing. What does this place have to do with Serendipity?"

He shrugged. "Hard to explain, but it 'melded' with this place. You can see it all around. The chocobo girls, the ones that aren't human? They're from there. And, you know, the owner of Serendipity?" He placed both hands on his hips. "Well, he's still here, too, but not in a form you'd recognize. The betting, the gambling, the drinking, the girls... it's all from there. For a place Etro supposedly blessed, it sure was salacious."

Lightning frowned. "Sounds like it. But there's more to it, isn't there?"

"Of course there is. But some mysteries aren't meant to be solved, you know." The man smirked. "This place has more to do with Serendipity, with me, than you know... but you'll only ever find out what you need to know." He fell back into his original demeanor and strolled away before she could say anything else, wondering right back into the crowds from which he had approached.

Lightning faced Caius. "You don't need to protect me all the time, you know," she said. "I can handle myself."

"I have complete confidence in your abilities," he said.

"Then why did you–"

"At this point, if I must reiterate your importance, you are being intentionally obtuse," he told her, sternly cutting her. "Beyond that, does it matter? As long as you are safe and you can save the people of this world, does it really matter?"

She thought she saw something else in his eyes, something warm, yet badly strained, but couldn't name it. "No," she admitted.

After signing up with Zoe, they loitered around the Slaughterhouse plaza for the next twenty minutes. The sky grew darker, more stars coming out, the glow of the city lightly brushing the firmament, the light of the torches around the plaza casting black shadows across the stone. Though they did not speak, they stood close to one another, watching the crowds and occasionally eyeing the two gorgon in the cage.

Caius did not need to express his feelings in words, clearly written in his eyes and the lines of his body.

Finally, the gate to the main Slaughterhouse plaza opened, and a host of gladiators, including herself, filed inside. She hesitated on the other side and looked back, seeing Caius standing where she had left him, but when their eyes met, he nodded to her. She lingered long enough to watch him make his way to the stadium seating with the rest of the crowd, and she continued on with the flow of contestants.

The plaza here was narrower and longer, contestants sorted into groups or filed into special areas, where they were checked and fitted where necessary. There were about two dozen of them, some in teams, others in pairs, and others completely alone. Most looked confident. Others looked bored.

She looked around with some admiration. There were some here who were very seasoned, she could tell.

"Hey," Someone poked her elbow; she looked to see a boy, probably no older than eleven, looking up at her and frowning. "What's your name?"

"Lightning," she said. "It's on the registration I filed with Zoe."

"Don't get smart with me." Looking disgusted, he held up a piece of paper, then nodded. "Alright, you're on the first round. Doesn't say what you're up against, so be ready for anything." He hesitated, then looked her up and down. "Looks like you've got that covered, though."

She thought of Caius and his insistence on being allowed to save her from death, if it came to that. "Sure."

"I'll give you a rundown," he said. "You'll receive payment when you finish all rounds. Partials are not allowed, and your associates don't collect if you die or otherwise fail. All opponents must be eliminated to complete a challenge. Once you're finished, the owner will process your payment and release Berdie to you. Get in." He pointed at a narrow chute leading to the main Coliseum.

Lightning brushed past him and climbed into the chute. With a clang, a gate slammed shut behind her, and for a brief time, she stood in near-darkness, with only the light of the torches leaking through cracks and holes.

Then the cheering started, and the gate before her slid open.

Lightning squared her shoulders and walked out onto the sandy floor of the Coliseum. The crowd roared around her, nearly deafening her with the noise; she strode forward with confidence, the reassuring weight of her sword making her feel bigger than everything around her.

At the far side stood a gate made of iron with only darkness behind it.

"Here we have our first contestant of the night, Lightning!" a voice over the loudspeaker proclaimed. "Supposedly, she was there at the fall of Cocoon and even fought as a knight for Etro herself! We were never able to figure out how that works, though, folks, so take it with a grain of salt!"

For a moment, the cheers were joined by laughter, but was quickly drowned out again.

"Lightning is here for the Death Game! Five grueling rounds against some of very toughest and undefeated monster champions, some of whom eat folks the size of Lightning as a snack. Are you ready, Slaughterhouse fans?" The cheering grew even more ridiculous in response. "Sounds like we're all eager to see the show. Let's see what our newest contestant can give us! Begin round one!"

The gate opened with a loud grinding sound; Lightning lifted the sword off her back, swung it once, and assumed a battle stance, shield at the ready, staring into the darkness.

A swarm of dark specks came out of the gate, wandered around, then came directly for her.

She felt the corner of her lips twitch – niblets, small, furry, round creatures who were capable of delivering a nasty bite, but were only really a problem if she let them get too close. She wasn't planning on it. If that was the best the Slaughterhouse owner could come up with, this would be easy.

"Don't get too bored just yet, folks," the announcer said. "Niblets are just the first. You'll want to be placing some sizable bets by the time we reach round two! And just wait until you see round five – if she makes it!"

The smirk dropped off her face.

As the swarm approached her, she looked up into the audience, feeling something tug at the ambient chaos all around her. Her eyes found Caius in short order, on her left and about halfway up the seating, the only one not moving, arms folded and gazing directly at her. Taking a deep breath, she faced the niblets, dug in her heels, and launched herself, thinking that at least the job of the Liberator wasn't boring.

I apologize about the wait, folks, it's been a very rough month for me. That being said, I did write when I could. Anyway, not much to say about this chapter other than I quite enjoyed writing Caius and Lightning's interactions and developing their relationship further. Please let me know what you think!