Chapter 51: The Far Edge of Fate
They said that it was as if the world was ending. And in that brief moment, he had to agree with them.
Alphinaud had been in Gridania at the time of the battle that had raged on over the East Shroud. He wasn't there in person, but he didn't need to be to hear the battle that was raged. He first heard the roars and explosions from inside, and came rushing out the door so that he could see what was happening. In the sky, he could see the distant explosions and how the sky grew pitch dark, like a thunderstorm in the dead of night. The whole ground seemed to shake from the impacts and there were screams ringing out from all over the city…
He heard the sounds of the citizens of Gridania already running for cover, children were crying as crowds of people were already beginning to form, people crying out for their friends and loved ones as they tried to find each other.
But Alphinaud kept his eyes on the sky as the shadowy forms of a massive dragon, dark as night, clashing together with a machine that seemed to radiate lightning. He had to grab hold of a nearby tree to hold himself steady but he never took his eyes off the sky as an enormous pillar that could be seen from here erupted like a geyser that connected the sky and earth together. He held himself together, but just barely as the light slowly began to fade away from view.
He felt his heart racing in his chest painfully as he slowly let go of the tree and stood up, still trying to grasp what he just saw. Cursing his brain for taking so long to get over its shock as he was trying to put the pieces together when he knew exactly what happened.
He gave himself a hard slap in the face as he tried to remain calm before he went running off to the Lotus Stand, knowing that the Alliance leaders were sure to meet there to discuss what just happened. He was allowed inside, but being forced to wait was completely agonizing. He was pacing the area, more than once slipping into the water since his mind was still miles away as he thought about the battle that just took place.
There was very little doubt as to where that light came from. The primal had awoken… and that machine could only be Omega. It seemed that Cid and the others successfully managed to awaken that creation and set it lose. The only question was, just what was the battle's outcome? He had wanted to go to the East Shroud to keep an eye on things there, but Krile insisted that he remained in Gridania for now, saying that they had things under control.
He had passed the time until then by trying to do more research, but he was no closer to discovering an answer than he was this morning and he wanted to throw books across the room in frustration. Each second passed like days, but finally the Elder Seedseer had appeared, informing him that the other Alliance members would soon be here as well. But before she was to give them an account of what happened, she wished that the Warrior of Light, the Scions, Cid Garlond, and Nero join them so that they to give their account of what happened as well.
She told him that there was already word that the Excelsior was spotted making its way towards the city. So, he excused himself, promising that he would find the others, before leaving the Lotus Stand, and sprinting for the Carline Canopy, knowing that they were sure to land at the airship landing. He must have drawn some looks around the town as he ran, accidently running into a few people along the way, as the members of the Twin Adder were trying to defuse the fear and panic in the streets.
He muttered hurried apologies as he practically flew the rest of the way to the airship landing. When he reached the stairs, he heard familiar voices below him.
"One moment everything was functioning perfectly and the next it wasn't. It makes no sense. We need to see what happened for ourselves, and soon," said Cid's frustrated voice.
"I came as soon as I heard the Excelsior had been spotted on its approach..." Alphinaud called as he reached the foot of the stairs and saw them all there. He wanted to just thank the Twelve when he saw them all safe and sound… not even minding that Nero was there and looking particularly smug.
"Words can ill express how glad I am to see you all unharmed," he said in relief as he approached them all fondly. "When Omega came hurtling towards the cocoon, everything dissolved into chaos..."
At his words, Yda seemed to panic at the thought. Looking very much on edge, she said briskly, "I have to see it... I have to see it with my own eyes!"
And without another word, she went sprinting off, leaving him to call out rather feebly behind her.
"Yda, wait! We must first─" but it was too late, she was already out of his sight. He sighed at that before finishing up, even though she was no longer here to hear him, "The Elder Seedseer is expecting us..."
"Worry not, Alphinaud ─ Gosetsu and I will watch over her," Lady Yugiri reassured him suddenly as he looked over at the two of them. At her words, Gosetsu nodded firmly, looking like he was still ready to continue fighting with how much energy he had. "You may safely attend your meeting."
That did much to put his worries at ease. Alphinaud knew that he had to take Claire, Cid, and Nero at the least with him to the meeting, but he did not wish to leave Yda alone yet, despite her reassurances that she was alright. He gave Lady Yugiri a grateful smile as he thanked her for her kindness.
With a nod, the two of them left, with Lady Yugiri hardly making a sound on the creaky floor, and Gosetsu practically clomping his way out. But Alphinaud was already looking back to see Claire's tired expression and he couldn't help but feel at ease when he saw that she looked hale and whole.
"The council reconvened a short while ago," he informed her. "Let us make haste for the Lotus Stand. All there are eager to hear your testimony."
The rest of the council should all have returned to Gridania by now, and most likely wanted to hear what happened with Omega. The three of them followed after him to Nophica's Altar, to where the silent conjurer guarding the entrance to the Lotus Stand stood guard. She welcomed them in and they entered to see everyone had arrived safely.
"Another Calamity averted, eh?" the Admiral smiled as soon as they entered. "How many times now have you and yours hauled us back from the brink?"
He had long since lost track. Still, he wouldn't be so ready to declare their troubles over… not until he had a clearer idea of what happened. That was when he noticed that Ser Aymeric seemed to be lost in thought, one so deep that it was questionably if he even realized that they had arrived.
"You alright, Ser Aymeric?" Alphinaud asked, when he noticed their friend's dour mood, making him jump slightly as he looked up. "What ails you?"
Ser Aymeric looked away, guilt suddenly etched into his face, making him look older than Alphinaud had ever seen him.
"Had I not instructed you to throw Nidhogg's accursed eyes into the abyss, all of this might have been avoided," he answered back grimly. "I thought them beyond reach..."
Alphinaud blinked, startled that he would ever say something like that.
"Ser Aymeric, do not tell me that you blame yourself for this?" he asked. When his friend did not answer he added, "Ser Aymeric, none of this was your fault. How could you have known? We all believed that we had seen the last of Nidhogg and were quite glad to rid ourselves of those hate-filled eyes. Even if you had not given the order, we may have thrown the accursed things over the wall anyway."
Ser Aymeric merely continued to look grim about that just as Raubahn started speaking, as if pretending that Nero wasn't here, "'Twould seem Garlond's little friend was as good as his word."
It certainly seemed so. Nero was now grinning widely at those words, as if he had been right about everything from the very beginning. Worried that his arrogance may get him kicked out, he was about to speak up. But just then, Kan-E-Senna stepped forward, a smile on her face before addressing them.
"My friends," she said with happiness, "full eagerly have we awaited your return. Few indeed could have discharged the duty entrusted to you, and most humbly do we thank you for seeing it done."
"You are too kind, Elder Seedseer," Cid answered back humbly in complete contrast to Nero, who was still looking like he had single-handedly solved the whole problem on his own. "As I recall, we as good as demanded the right to try. But tell me: how did the battle unfold? We succeeded in waking Omega, aye, but we lost contact with the weapon shortly after it launched. From our position in the control room, we were blind to all that followed..."
The leaders all looked to each other anxiously, as if they were trying to find a way to put into words what they had witnessed as he was also thinking back to what he had seen in the sky.
"...What words could do justice to such a scene?" the Admiral finally asked, and he wondered if she was simply asking herself that question out loud. "None of my choosing, that much is certain. But I can give you the facts: the cocoon hatched even as Omega arrived, and from its midst rose a great dragon. The pair duly set about each other in the skies over Gyr Abania."
Yes, that was the talk of the town. That the primal had emerged in the shape of a monstrous dragon before battling a spider-shaped machine above the Wall. That the impact caused some kind of tidal wave, destroying large portions of the Garleans weapons… and that pillar of light…? Just thinking about the shakes that their battle caused while they were just in the air, made him feel dizzy.
"The primal's might defied belief ─ it seemed the very heavens would be rent asunder by the force of its blows," Ser Aymeric added, with a hint of awe and fear in his tone. "And it wielded such magicks as I have never seen...and hope never to see again. The battle raged on with no end in sight, until both combatants were engulfed in a blinding flash of light. When the radiance faded, I saw the pair fall motionless from the sky, coming to rest somewhere on Ala Mhigan soil. I will not speak for the rest, but to my eye it seemed that each had landed a fatal blow upon the other..."
Truly? Could it really be that simple? Was it possible that they both ended up destroying each other in in this battle and rid the world of both problems all at once? He supposed it was possible… and while he wasn't at all opposed to the idea… he was still skeptical at best. It seemed a little too easy… and nothing ever seemed easy for them. They both seemed to have drained the other of power; that much he was willing to agree to… but to wipe the other out?
"While most among us could think only of Bahamut when looking upon the primal's form, the Domans were heard to whisper the name 'Shinryu.' It would appear that the being resembles a creature of Far Eastern legend, and we have found it convenient to refer to it as such," the Elder Seedseer informed them all softly and Alphinaud found that interesting and wondered if he should speak to the Domans later on what they know about this Shinryu. In the meantime, it seemed that they would be adopting the name for this new primal, seeing how they lacked anything better to call it.
"This Shinryu's fate ─ and indeed, that of Omega ─ is yet unknown. We have, alas, no eyes on the Gyr Abanian side of the border," Kan-E-Senna ended, with an air of hopelessness in her tone as she finished speaking.
"Aye," Raubahn agreed with a rather curt nod, "Which is why we have sent our main force, under the command of Marshal Tarupin, to capture the Wall. With the Imperials in disarray, we have the perfect opportunity to secure Gridania's border, and assess the aftermath of the impact. I myself will join the marshal and his men when the council is adjourned."
And in light of all that has happened, it shouldn't be too much trouble for them wrestle for command over the Wall. It seemed that the Garleans were dealt with heavy losses and significant damage from both the surprised raid from Ilberd earlier and the battle between these two god-like beings.
"Well, that explains a few things. I'll wager that 'flash of light' coincided with our loss of contact..." Cid said grimly. "Lest you wonder, we quickly reengaged Omega's stasis systems, so even if it has fallen into the Empire's lap, it will be of no use to them ─ save perhaps as a statue."
One less thing to worry about, and Alphinaud let out a breath of relief when he heard that. So Omega was dealt with… at least for the moment. As of Shinryu, that was still debatable.
"Correct," Nero added, who was being uncharacteristically quiet that Alphinaud had almost forgotten he was here. "Without me to guide their efforts, it would take them decades to decipher Omega's core functions, if they managed it at all."
Well, lack of modesty aside, Alphinaud was hopeful that he was correct about that much. But still, Nero was far from trustworthy and he knew that they would all be keeping a close eye on him from now on.
"Such reassurances do much to calm our fears ─ yet the relic's fate is but one of several concerns," Kan-E-Senna replied.
"Indeed. I humbly submit that the time has come for us to make contact with the Resistance representatives in Gyr Abania," Ser Aymeric insisted, looking over to Raubahn as he said this. "Though Ilberd has forced our hand, it would seem only logical to seek an alliance, given the inevitability of imperial retaliation. And by working in concert, it is not impossible that Ala Mhigo might finally be wrested from Garlemald's grasp."
No better chance for them to try. Maybe this would prevent someone like Ilberd from doing such a stunt again. Raubahn was already informing them that he would be overseeing operations at the wall, and that they would handle this. The Scions had already done their part and he was telling them to rest while they had the chance. It was sounding very tempting—and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he got some sleep since this whole mess started.
Ser Aymeric was also starting to come up with new military action, stating that he wasn't a fan of bloodshed, but he was glad that they were beginning to make up for their past inaction. Ishgard was still facing a lot of problems and a rocky road to walk to a new future… but he felt that it was in good hands. There would be no reason to worry about Ishgard from now on… so they could go ahead and focus their time and energy into the crisis in Ala Mhigo.
"When the primal emerged, I was for an instant transported back to Carteneau...to the moment the black wyrm made an eighth hell of the battlefield," the Admiral sighed, looking grave. "Gladly would I live out the rest of my days without seeing such a sight again."
And the impact from that was nothing compared to the damage that Bahamut wrought upon the land. He feared what Shinyru was truly capable of and they would have to start looking into this. He was discussing this with Cid, who wholeheartedly agreed with him on that.
"If, as seems likely, we put Omega into stasis after ─ what did they call it? Ah, yes ─ after 'Shinryu' was defeated, we should have little to fear from either one of them," Cid stated, but there was worry in his eyes as he thought over all that had happened. Alphinaud would have to ask them more about what happened on their mission to retrieve Omega.
Meanwhile, Nero had a different thing on mind, stating that he would have liked to have seen Shinryu with his own eyes. Once again, Alphinaud would have to keep an eye on him. But knowing that Cid would take care of that for them for now, Alphinaud approached Claire as she was speaking with the Elder Seedseer.
"Pray accept my humblest and most earnest thanks once again, Warrior of Light," Kan-E-Senna told her gratefully. "Had Shinryu been suffered to roam free, the Twelveswood would surely have been laid waste."
"In truth, I didn't do much," Claire said sadly, the air about her so melancholy that it was like a dark cloud had covered the sky. He stepped forward to escort her out of here, leaving the rest of the Alliance to continue discussing their plans to reclaim the Wall. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stand hearing that sad tone from his friend like that.
"You must be exhausted. I would ordinarily suggest that we retire directly to the Rising Stones...but I wonder if we might first make a small detour?" he asked her.
"What for?" she asked in mild surprise.
In all honestly, he wanted her to take some time to get away from everything that was happening, but he couldn't bring himself to say that to her. Besides, there was someone else who may be in even worse shape.
"Y'shtola and the others have gathered at Amarissaix's Spire, and I imagine that you, too, would be interested to see what has become of the Wall now the cocoon is gone," he offered, but even before he finished explained, he saw the look of understanding in her face and he knew that she was already ready to go. "It is decided then. Lead on."
Along the way, he had her tell him everything that happened on their latest mission and he made sure to press her for details this time.
*East Shroud*
It was sunset by the time they came to the East Shroud, and on their way to Amarissaix's Spire, he spotted both Lady Yugiri and Gosetsu observing the wall.
"Are you both well?" he asked them, realizing that he wasn't able to ask them who they were when they arrived. Gosetsu made his opinion known—probably in the only way that that an energetic man like him, knew how.
"Only the curs of Garlemald would sully such beauty with that black iron monstrosity," Gosetsu barked in disgust as he looked over the landscape. "Those animals respect nothing and no one!"
Tis true, wasn't it? Alphinaud could understand the Gridania's fury at this disrespect of nature that Garlemald showed as they built their steel fortresses.
"Yda is there, atop the spire," Lady Yugiri informed them in a much softer tone as she gestured towards the spire. "She has done naught but gaze silently at the Wall for some time now..."
He suspected that she would be. She must surely be staring at what was now missing from over the Wall now. He thanked them both, while promising them that if they were injured at all, then they could head back to either Gridania or the Rising Stones and they would be taken care of.
"Thank you for your concern," she told him with a rather forced smile. "But fear not. We pulled through relatively unscathed. But perhaps Yda is the one whom may need someone to help tend to her hurts. And I don't speak of any physical wounds."
He bit his lower lip as he looked up to the top of the spire, knowing that she was right, and finding himself nervous again at the thought of facing Yda again. This was not going to be easy for any of them. But he made his way to the base with Claire, soon spotting Y'shtola and Krile at the base, quickly muttering to each other.
At the sound of their footsteps, Krile looked up and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the Twelve," she gasped. "After witnessing Omega's single-minded onslaught, I had visions of you being trapped between it and its target. Hardly the most rational concern, I concede, but if you had seen what I saw..."
He didn't blame her. After all, if he could see a fraction of the battle from Gridania, he could only imagine what it would have been like to have been here and seen it right above you.
"My friends..." he told them both, silently thanking the Twelve for their safety. "I cannot well express how glad I am to see you both unharmed. They say that Omega's clash with the primal shook the very firmament..."
"You need not have worried ─ the battle took place far above the ground," Y'shtola reassured them. "We were able to observe in relative safety, though I am given to understand that there were casualties on the far side of the Wall."
He was also willing to bet that the Garleans were in an uproar by now. With Ilberd's attack, Omega and Shyinru destroying much of their forces stationed here… and now with the Alliance planning to reclaim the Wall while they were trying to recover? Garlemald must be furious right about now.
"It was like watching a nightmare unfold before our very eyes," Krile whispered in awe. "Ilberd's primal manifested in the form of a colossal dragon ─ a being of pure violence. It burst forth from the cocoon with such terrible force..."
"That such a horror should spring from the eyes of Nidhogg comes as no surprise," Alphinaud said, having felt that rage and hatred from those accursed orbs first-hand. "Nor do I wonder at its form. Ilberd all but announced it in the moments prior to his death. Plainly, it was his dying wish to visit a second Calamity upon the Empire."
"And I am quite certain the abomination would have obliged, had it not found itself outmatched by Omega," Krile stated with no doubt in her face at all. "Gods... I am no stranger to the works of Allag, but even I was unprepared for the machine's furiosity. It beggared belief."
Alphinaud then looked up at the tower as he asked, "And how fares poor Yda in the midst of all of this? Have you spoken with her?"
The two looked at each other worriedly before Y'shtola answered carefully, "She is up on the platform, lost in thought. We deemed it best not to disturb her, but mayhap she would welcome some company after all. Shall we?"
Perhaps they were hesitant to go and see her themselves and wished for some encouragement from them as well. But no matter the case, the four of them climbed the stairs to find Yda at the top, staring off in the distant sky to where the cocoon once was. She surely heard them approaching, but she ignored them as she just kept her gaze to the heavens, as if the ground beneath her held no answers for her.
They all looked at each other, wondering who should be the one to try and say something. But they were spared that task.
"The light's gone," Yda lamented finally. "It was all we had left of him..."
"Yda…" Alphinaud said sadly, wishing he knew what to say to her. He knew the pain of losing a dear friend, and one fight was not going to change how she felt right now. It would take some time for her to truly come to terms to what happened with Papalymo, and even then, she may never fully recover from the shock.
"I don't blame anyone," she said firmly, but he couldn't help but wonder just how much of that was true. "I knew what was going to happen. I knew the spell Papalymo meant to cast would drain away his life force ─ I... knew that it would only buy us a little time..."
That was when she reached up and took off her mask, letting a long mane of silver-blond hair fall past her shoulders. She set the mask aside before she seemed to take a deep breath—finally turning around to face them all. That was when he realized that this was the first time he had ever seen her face without the mask. And as soon as he realized that, he wondered why she did wear it, for he thought that she was pretty.
A pair of bright blue eyes looked at them all without the visor, and her hair began to drift about in a light breeze, an elaborate hairpiece twinkling a little in the low light.
"Yda, there is no need to explain," Y'shtola said kindly.
But Yda looked down as she said, "But there is. I can't hide in Papalymo's little shadow anymore and I shouldn't hide behind my sister's mask."
Alphinaud blinked in confusion, wondering if he was missing something. That was when Yda went into a long explanation… and he learned that everything he knew about her… wasn't at all what he thought.
"Twenty years ago, on the day the Empire marched into Ala Mhigo, I was still just a child ─ not even five summers old," she told them sadly, sounding choked up as she began to recall her tale. "My father had been one of the leaders of the revolution. He had fought to overthrow the mad king, Theodoric. And my sister had fought alongside him."
She then smiled sadly at the thought of this sister of hers and added, with nothing short of love and admiration in her voice, "She was strong and kind, and always knew what to do."
Just then, Yda shut her eyes as a wave of sadness came over her once again as she went on, "But when the Garleans came, everything changed. My father went to war against them too, and I never saw him again. After that, I remember a lot of running. My sister dragged me for malms and malms until we came to the city of Sharlayan. That was where she met Master Louisoix. He introduced her to the Circle of Knowing, and she eventually became an Archon."
Alphinaud looked at her in confusion. Her sister was an Archon as well? So both she and her sister must have… wait… he suddenly realized that the Archon marks on her neck were gone. Those were enchanted tattoos. So the fact that they were now gone shouldn't be possible. Not unless…?
"She was your inspiration. Is that not why you took up her mask and her name?" Y'shtola asked without any surprise. "...Or did you simply mean to continue what she had started?"
Her mask and her name? He looked between the two of them before Yda stared at Y'shtola with just as much shock as he was feeling at the moment. And he was sure that look was mirrored in his own face at what she said next.
"...You've known all along, haven't you? That I wasn't Yda," she asked.
She wasn't Yda? She wasn't who they thought she was? What was going on? How could this be possible? But judging from Y'shtola's calm expression, it seemed that this wasn't at all news to her.
Y'shtola shook her head fondly as she informed her, "Of course. We all recognized you at once. 'Twas Papalymo who persuaded us to maintain the charade."
So… they all know? He couldn't believe that everyone else knew about this but him. Why didn't they ever mention it? Did they not trust him?
Yda… or… whoever she was, started smiling again as she confessed, "It was silly to think I could fool you. I knew that even then. But I...I sort of...decided not to know."
She grew very serious as she went on, "Yda died six years ago, on a mission to smuggle refugees out of Ala Mhigo. They say she was overwhelmed by imperial soldiers when she stayed behind to save a little girl. She was so strong... There must have been a lot of them."
So that was what happened. The real Archon Yda died several years ago, but her younger sister took up Yda's mask. But… if that was true, then why did she take up her sister's identify? He couldn't see the point. Not unless…?
He wasn't the only one who was surprised to hear all of this though. Claire was as silent as ever behind them as she looked at them. She only asked one question. There was no hint of anger, disappointment, not even surprise; just sadness.
"Why did you never tell me?"
The girl that they had thought to be Yda looked directly up at Claire as she said with sudden regret, "I'm sorry for lying to you. My real name is Lyse."
Lyse… it was so strange to learn the true name of someone he thought that he knew so well.
"When Papalymo brought me Yda's mask, it was meant as a keepsake," Lyse answered before trying to explain why she was pretending to be someone else, "But I decided I wanted to be his new partner; to keep alive all the good that she had done." She then looked up to Y'shtola again as she explained, "I didn't want to become Yda, exactly... At the time, though, I still didn't know who I was myself, and it almost seemed easier to play the role."
As the explanation rolled over him, he felt his own shock fade away as it began to sink in, believing he may actually understand. How many times had he been trying to figure out who he was? To try and find his own meaning in a sea of chaos? Or the numerous times had he tried to base decisions on what others, namely his grandfather, would have chosen to do if they were here? It is certainly much easier to be someone else, isn't it? In spite of all of this new information, he didn't hold any anger towards Yda—or rather Lyse for her deceit. Maybe it was because he knew that it wasn't out of inauspicious intent.
In fact, it may have helped her confidence and helped her to improve in many different ways. It certainly did explain a few things that he had wondered about her for some time.
"Papalymo agreed to help, of course...but it was never what he wanted for me," Lyse added sadly, becoming sad at the thought of her dearest friend. "He wanted me to walk my own path. And those were his final words to me."
Her eyes looked down, as if she was trying to look at her own neck as she added, "The Archon's mark he gave me is faded, and my last excuse along with it."
So those marks were some kind of an illusion that Papalymo created for her to help maintain the charade. If the real Yda was, indeed, an Archon, she would have had similar marks. And to keep this deception as real as possible, then they needed Lyse to look as closely as possible to the real Yda before she died. This also explains what Gundobald back at Little Ala Mhigo meant when he was so surprised to see Yda again and how he claimed that she hadn't looked a day older… she wouldn't have aged would she?
Yda—or rather Lyse—then looked up with a new confidence in her eyes as she said firmly, "So, this is it. Whatever I choose to do from now on, I do as Lyse. ...And I choose to continue my family's fight. I want Ala Mhigo to be the country that Yda and my father always wanted it to be!"
So… it really wasn't anything different. She was still their friend, they just knew who she was now. Or perhaps, it was more along the lines… that Lyse finally knew who she was.
He was still registering everything that they learned and he was having a time trying to let it all sink in as they walked back down the stairs.
"I'm going to stay here until the Alliance calls on us," Lyse informed them as she turned her gaze back up at the sky. "That way, I'll be close by if anything happens."
While that may be part of the reason, he also suspected that she may wish to have some kind of connection to Papalymo for as long as possible. He was gone, it looked like there would be no getting around that fact. But they would just have to take it one day at a time.
Thankfully, Y'shtola promised she would keep an eye on her for them for now. He should head back to the Rising Stones and inform the others of what transpired here. Glad to know that Lyse would be well taken care of for now, he was able to leave with Claire in tow, both of them still reeling from what they just learned.
"No trace of the cocoon remains. 'Tis as if it never existed. It was brave of Lyse to remove her mask after so long..." he said to Claire as he looked back up to the sky, which was growing darker—and even darker now that the light from the cocoon was no longer there to shine like a second moon in the sky. "Though she has scarce begun to come to terms with Papalymo's loss, that one act made plain her determination to move forward. And should she ever falter, we shall be there to support her on this road she has resolved to walk."
They had to.
He then smiled warmly at Claire as he said, "Let us return to the Rising Stones. We have quite a story to tell Tataru and my sister..."
And they walked out together, and he was suddenly feeling a sense of Déjà vu once again as he remembered when they left the feast, which felt a couple years ago at this point, in Ul'dah. It was as if they were closing a book on their lives at that moment before moving onto a new one… and now they would be beginning another new journey. And where this one would lead them? Who could say?
As they walked back together, taking their times to return to the Rising Stones, Claire began humming a song to herself. He thought that he recognized the tune… and it took him a moment to realize that it was the song was the same one that he once heard her sing when he went to visit Lord Haurchefant's memorial not long after the defeat of the archbishop at Azys Lla.
What was it that she called it again?
Dragonsong?
Such a sad ballad, but he found a strange comfort in it as he let her hum as they continued north. As soon as they were on the borders of Coerthas, she seemed to realize what she was doing and she suddenly stopped.
"You can keep going," he told her suddenly as the frigid air hit him again, but he barely even registered it at this point. "In fact, I wouldn't mind hearing the words again."
He saw her look shyly away for a moment before she muttered, "Maybe another time. In fact, I should step in and see how things are going along at Camp Dragonhead. I told you what has been happening there as of late, didn't I?"
"That Lord Emmanellain was now the Commander there? Yes," he said and once he said it, he could understand her concern for the situation there. "Why don't you go and see how they are faring? I will go on ahead and await you before I inform the others.
She nodded, her face suddenly glowing red as she muttered a somewhat awkward 'thank you'. He stood where he was for a time as he watched her troop through the snow, soon being swallowed by the darkness.
Perhaps she was feeling some kind of nostalgia from being in these lands, much like how he felt. Trying to cling to some sense of everything had has happened before she will inevitably be swept up into even more change.
She was a lot like the wind itself… the winds of change. Giving people a push in the right direction when they needed it most. Maybe she was just readying herself for another long journey full of change.
He smiled after the direction she went before he began walking again, this time he was humming the tune to himself.
*East Shroud*
What none of the Scions knew was that there was another decision, very similar to the one that Lyse had made not even bells before. Back in the East Shroud, Lady Yugiri continued to stand beside Gosetsu as they stared up at the cold wall of steel. To those who have faced the might of the Garleans and their weapons first-hand, it would feel as if this metal monstrosity was the jaw of some monster that was merely sleeping for now… but was prepared to engulf everything in its wake with devastation the moment that it woke up.
This was something that she knew all too well.
"War is upon us once more," she whispered sadly as she continued staring ahead at the Wall, but no longer truly seeing it.
"Do you regret standing against the Empire?" Gosetsu asked in a surprisingly soft voice that she almost never heard from him. "Would you have chosen a different road, knowing what you know now?"
How often had she asked herself that same question? How many times did she relive what happened in Doma over and over again until she felt that she running around in circles with no way out? If she had to be perfectly honest with herself, she knew that taking up arms and revolting against the Empire was a foolhardy gamble. There could only have been two outcomes—either they win back their freedom or be destroyed. And in the end, there was naught else she could do but watch as everything fell to ruin. She could still remember that day so clearly that by closing her eyelids for a moment she could almost believe that she was standing at the back of the ship as she led her countrymen out to sea.
She could still see the flames burning as they continued taking her beloved home away from her. Mayhap forever.
"To claim that I never doubted the decision would be a lie," she confessed as she opened her eyes and she was back in the present. "But I made my choice, and I have defended it with blade in hand ever since."
She couldn't keep wishing for the past. She knew that she couldn't continue to live like this, constantly questioning if her actions were the right ones when they were so obviously weren't. Yet still, she found herself continuing to walk down dark paths as she tried to find her way.
She felt Gosetsu turning around as he declared loudly, and with a serious voice that was almost as strange to hear as his whispering, "The battle continues, and our steel is needed. Come, shadow walker! We leave for the East—for Doma!"
She could sense him walking away, yet she did not follow immediately, her mind elsewhere as she thought back to that day… back to the memories that continued to haunt her mind. She knew that she would have had to return to Doma… but the day arrived much sooner than she ever expected it to.
But she would have to return to it. The only question that she had to wonder now was… was she ready to return home?
*Rising Stones*
Alphinaud's feet soon found their way to the Rising Stones, and it was full of people. As soon as he stepped inside, they all began asking him what had happened over the Twelveswood, having felt the tremors from here.
He quickly calmed the situation down as he began to explain more on what happened. The air was filled with the smell of strong ale being poured as he told them about Omega and Shinyru, with many of them turning to drinking to try and get through what they just learned. Alphinaud had been very careful with his words on what happened, completely neglecting to mention that Yda—or rather Lyse—would be staying in Gridania for a time.
But when he was alone with his sister and Tataru, he felt that they deserved to know and he told them everything that he neglected to tell the others. At learning the truth, Tataru's jaw fell open in shock at what she was hearing.
"Wait," she gasped out, "You mean to tell me that Yda…. Isn't really Yda? Her name is really Lyse? And she was actually Yda's sister? When did this happen?"
"You mean you didn't know?" Alisaie asked in surprise.
"I, no, I mean…" Tataru said as she tried to recover from her shock. "I honestly had no idea. I mean, we only met after the Calamity and her sister must have already been… well… you know?"
"Not even Claire or myself were aware of this either," Alphinaud confessed. "It was quite a shock, one of which that I still am struggling to make sense of. But I believe that she is ready to really become her own person, not her sister. She has declared as much. And while I doubt that it will be an easy path for her to walk, we need to do whatever it takes to support her along the way."
"Ah, oh, right!" Tataru said firmly, though still in a state of surprise, who couldn't have looked more shocked if he had told her that it was raining candy outside. "You can count on me! I'm gonna be there for her no matter what she needs! In fact, with so much coming our way, we need to start figuring out what tasks are gonna need to be dealt with. We're going to have some kind of reprieve for now, but that won't last forever! We need to be ready!"
She then went running off, quickly finding Riol and soon the two of them were discussing matters together, and Alphinaud felt that it would be safe to leave the delegation of responsibilities to them for now.
"So she returns alive once again," Alisaie stated suddenly and Alphinaud did not need to turn to look at her to know what she was talking about. "I could see why some would come to expect it. But…?"
"Why are you asking me about that of all things right now?" he hissed to her quietly. "After everything else I just said, that is the first thing you ask about?"
She shrugged a little as she chuckled.
"It took your mind off things for a moment, didn't it?" she asked teasingly. "Besides, it's an honest enough question. It's getting downright irritating that you feel that your feelings don't matter. Please, for my sake if nothing else, just talk to her. Can you be man enough for that? Promise me that much and I'll let the matter drop."
He glared at her for a time before he heard Tataru's voice.
"Claire! You're back!" Tataru gasped happily, getting his attention as he looked back to the door to see her coming inside. Tataru was waving over at her happily when she saw her as she cried out, "I knew those blood pearl charms were worth the effort! Maybe I should make some more!?"
Claire only smiled back, looking tired, but strangely calm before she walked up to him and Alisaie.
"You should have seen the look on Tataru's face when I recounted Lyse's─ Ah," he began before he realized that he had promised to wait for her and he cleared his throat. "I realize in retrospect that I should perhaps have waited for you to return... I, uh...also told Alisaie. Apologies."
He didn't know where this sudden awkwardness came from, but he decided to direct her towards his sister. He coughed before he went over to the shelves and pulled out a book haphazardly, flipped it over to a random page and began pretending to read it.
"He may have mentioned, but Alphinaud has apprised me of all that came to pass in Gridania," he heard Alisaie picking up the conversation where he embarrassedly left off. He pretended to be deep into the book, but he was listening in to everything that was being said as he kept his back to them.
"Your only task now is to rest," Alisaie informed her firmly. "This is the calm before the storm. Lyse has chosen her path, and as her friends, we must do what we can to support that choice. We are fated to join the conflict in any case. Once the Alliance has taken the Wall and opened the way to Gyr Abania, we will have little choice but to fight."
That was true. He hadn't given that much thought. His hands gripped the book tightly at the thought of more fighting, more bloodshed, and another war. He had to take several deep breaths to keep himself from growing light-headed at the though.
"Which is not to say the cause is unworthy," Alisaie added after a moment. "After all, ignoring the plight of those whom one might conceivably save is not wisdom but indolence, correct?"
Alphinaud looked up, his back still towards them as he thought of his grandfather again and wondered what he would say if he were here.
"I for one look forward to joining hands with the Ala Mhigans, and striking a blow against the tyranny of the Empire ─ as, I rather suspect, do you!" Alisaie said.
Would she? After all that's happened in Ishgard, he wondered about all of that. Perhaps she might look forward to going to new lands after spending so long wandering the ice and snow. But the idea of another battle? He wasn't so sure.
He closed the book again, feeling a grim kind of sadness as he wondered just what he should do now. She would most likely be heading off to join the fight with the Ala Mhigan… which made him wonder. Would he be going with them? Or would he remain behind again?
All he knew for sure now was that this was the end of one story and they would begin another one soon enough. He had a feeling that this new adventure would be unlike anything they had gone through before. But no matter what was waiting for them, he wanted to believe that they would get through this all thing together… one step at a time.
"Alphinaud?"
He let out a yelp as he spun around to see that Claire had moved just behind him.
"Are all adventurers as silent as you?" he couldn't help but ask, truly hating when she did that to him. She gave him a rather shrewd smile as she shrugged in the process, and he suspected that her time spent with the Doman Shinobi had something to do with this.
"You leaving?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'll be spending some time at home," she shrugged. "Not much else to do until word comes to us about the Wall."
"True," he nodded. "Well, you should take your time and relax. You have earned a long rest. Should you have need of anything, please let us know."
She seemed to freeze up at his words and she looked down, merely nodding. For a moment he feared he said something wrong but then she looked up with a slight smile, telling him that she would take it easy and not to worry.
He watched her leave, feeling like the warmth of a fire was slowly dying in the hearth on a cold day with every step away she took away from him.
"You idiot," Alisaie said as she elbowed him in the side.
Alphinaud turned away, but unbeknownst to her, he was also feeling like an idiot as well. But he heard the door opening and watched as she left—having strangest feeling that she had wanted to speak with him on another matter.
*East Shroud*
"Don't just stand there!" Raubahn barked orders as he began climbing up the ramp to the top of the Wall. "Even with the enemy scattered like this, those Garlemald dogs aren't the type to go quietly!"
With an Alliance of the four nations joining together, and all the damage that the battle between Omega and that monstrosity that Ilberd created leaving the Garleans in disarray, it wasn't difficult for him to walk straight inside. He had already climbed up through most of the workings of the fortress and had made it near the very top.
The soldiers around him were all running around, getting ready for the battle that would surely come, for once word got out to the Imperials, it would not be long before reinforcements came in. they held control of this wall for nearly twenty years now, and it was unlikely they would be willing to let go of it without a fight.
When Raubahn finally reached the part that overlooked both sides of the wall, he could see his son standing there as he finished giving orders to some veterans.
"Quick march! The Imperials will soon come to their senses, and we must be ready to face their retribution!" Pipin ordered. The soldiers saluted before they went running off, their duties already being carried out as he approached him.
Pipin heard his approach and turned to look up at him, a familiar fiery stubbornness in his eyes as he said, "It is almost time, Father."
It was, wasn't it? They all had to be ready to defend the wall and push the Garleans back when they arrived, which shouldn't be much longer.
"Aye, almost," Raubahn agreed. "Stand firm, Pipin."
"I learned to brace myself against the charge of the Bull of Ala Mhigo," Pipin said confidently as he punched his fists together. "No foe will dislodge me!"
His son then saluted before marching off. Raubahn watched him go with no small amount of pride inside him as he remembered the day he had first met the orphaned boy. What a fine young man he had grown into.
But when he cast his gaze over towards the rubble-strewed platform, that pride was replaced with a deep sadness. The Scions had described this place to him when he demanded to hear of every detail involving Ilberd's foolishness. This was the spot directly below where the cocoon once was… it had to be the place. Where Ilberd fell to his death.
He slowly began to walk along the platform, gazing around, and seeing the signs of battle—of scorch marks and slashes made from blades having been left behind. Ilberd fought against the Warrior of Light and had tried to kill her. What felt like a lifetime ago he recalled the day that they both visited him in Ul'dah, the first time that he had seen his old friend since the day that Ala Mhigo fell. The joy he had felt at the sight of his oldest friend standing there, looking hale and healthy, even after so many years was more than he could say.
The three of them talked together, and it was like old times once again with his best friend by his side. The two of them had stood there, both of them praising Claire for all that she had done before their talk took a grim turn when he gave him news of this mysterious 'Ivy' who had infiltrated the Immortal Flames.
That night at the banquet, Ilberd had dragged the Warrior of Light into the hall, her hands bound behind her back as he threw her onto the floor with disgust, claiming that she had assassinated the Sultana. Raubahn felt that his entire world had been turned upside down. He knew that Claire wouldn't ever do such a thing… just the thought was unthinkable. So his first thought was that Ilberd had been tricked.
He knew now that it was obvious that Ilberd had been in on this deceit from the beginning, but he could not face the fact that someone he once called friend and brother could be capable of committing such a crime. But when he had charged at Lolorito in that blind rage… when Ilberd stepped in… he did not have to take his arm. Ilberd could have stopped him without hurting him… but he had wanted to cause him true harm.
The loss of his arm had been painful… but what hurt the most was seeing the look in Ilberd's eyes as he declared to him that he had been the one who killed Nanamo.
It was a greater fury than anything he had ever felt before. Nothing could compare with it.
Still… he had to do something to set things right. So, he cut Claire's bondage and told the Scions to escape, resolved to buy them as much time as possible to get out of this place. He knew that so long as they lived then Ul'dah, nay all of Eorzea, would still have a future. But the battle with Ilberd that day ended almost before it began. With the loss of his arm and so much blood, it wasn't long before he had been brought to his knees and carted off for a cell in the Marasaja Pit to await his execution.
All he could think about while trapped in that thrice-damned hole was Ilberd's face and how he yearned to break it. He wanted to see him pay for his crimes against all that he held dear… but when he learned that Nanamo may still live, much of that rage had subsided. Only for it to reappear when he learned of the fate of the Scions, how they had gone missing and that the few who remained had to flee for their lives to the north.
And now… one of the Scions had given their life in an attempt to stop Ilberd from summoning a creature that could destroy everyone and everything.
"Know this. There is nothing I would not give to take back Ala Mhigo. NOTHING!"
"Know this Ilberd. There is nothing I would not give to see you pay for what you did. My wealth, my arm, my life… nothing."
They had both meant those words.
Seeing how Ilberd led countless souls to this very spot, only for them to be slaughtered and offered up to this damn god showed him just what he was willing to do to get his revenge against the Empire.
Raubahn had also planned to hunt down Ilberd and seem him pay for everything. But now… as he stood upon that very edge of that platform where the man who had once been a brother to him made his final foolish choice… when he looked down to the ground… almost able to imagine seeing his old friend's body laying directly below him, broken and bloody…?
He wasn't sure how he felt. Maybe just… sad.
It shamed him to think back on it… how blind he was to Ilberd's hatred.
Lolorito told him that it wasn't always like this—that Ilberd admitted to him once that he had believed that he, Raubahn, would one day return to Ala Mhigo at the head of an army. But he had come to believe that despite all of his wealth, power, and influence—he did nothing to better the plight of his people as the years went by. Not for lack of trying… but because Ilberd thought that the Bull of Ala Mhigo had grown fat and complacent.
The gods know that he has no shortage of debts to repay—of vows to keep and duties to discharge. But he vowed that he would not rest until he repaid them all.
"Very well, Ilberd…" he said at long last, as though Ilberd was standing right beside him. "I will take our homeland back…"
He then looked upwards again to stare out at the mountains in the distance. The same mountains that he didn't know if he would ever see again.
"For both of us," he finished. No matter what it took, he would see Ala Mhigo freed from the Garleans and his people free to rebuild and live in peace. It would not be easy. Hells, he knew full well that he may not live long enough to see Ala Mhigo wrestled free from the might of Garlemald. But he accepted that fact. He would fight and give every last ounce of his strength to be able to stand upon the soil of his homeland again.
And maybe, Ilberd would finally find peace in that as well.
It looked like they would all soon be heading off into the eye of a raging storm… and he just knew that it was going to be bloody.
His old homeland of Ala Mhigo was calling her prodigal son home.
(Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, but I'm on spring break and I haven't had the energy to do any writing. I hope to get some work done before I go back to class. Anyway, I will be posting two more bonus chapters after this, plus a special announcement. Hope you're all looking forward to it. Oh, and a special shout out to Twilight Skye! Nice dungeon run the other day!)
