What is more important? Your love or your principles? I wonder…

There seemed no clear path forward, so they looked around. Eventually they across a small opening in the wall. "I think we can crouch through this small hole," he noted.

She nodded and for the first time, she let go of his hand. Leon ducked through the small hole into another passage with a rare shaft of light streaming from above. Just as they walked towards the light, Imps ambushed them.

This time, with the help of Luna, they cleared out all the Imps with relative ease. Once the battle was over, Luna quickly grabbed his hand as they moved forward.

They kept walking down the new path as it kept getting narrower with each step. Soon, they were attacked by three Thunder Bombs. The space was so narrow that Leon barely had enough space to swing his gunblade.

As if on cue, Luna chimed in, "Leon, there isn't enough space to swing my trident."

He delivered a mighty blow to one of the Thunder bombs and created some opening. He quickly bent down and took out his dagger from his boot. "Here, use this."

She fended off a relentless Thunder bomb with his dagger.

Leon managed to kill them off before they could explode and cause immense damage.

They continued to tread carefully down the long twisting path.

"Hey Leon, it just occurred to me that if I come to your world, then I'll be a sorceress. And you bring the leader of SeeD, your duty would be to kill me."

Leon stopped in his track upon hearing that. "I'll never do anything like that," he assured her.

"You can't run away from your duties."

"I will find another way."

"If I had to die, I guess, I would be okay if it's you. Your blade piercing my body," she said, looking at his dagger.

"Don't ever think like that. I'll never do anything to harm you."

"Relax. We are only talking hypothetically. It's not like I can visit your world."

"Still, I'd rather-"

"More incoming," she notified in time for Leon to evade the attack from Imps.

They quickly dispatched the Imps. "This is getting annoying fast," Leon complained.

Eventually, they reached a branching path with water up ahead and corridors on its side. Leon edged towards water to see what was further downstream. As soon as he got close to the water, Imps attacked them again.

Leon decimated those annoying Imps with passion.

"Two paths. Should we go right or left?"

"Right," she suggested.

"Right it is," he affirmed, leading the way. Shortly that path came to an end with dead-end ledge. "Should we jump down from here?" he asked.

"Let's try not to be so reckless. Let's take the left path," she proposed, dragging Leon by the arm who seems too eager to jump down.

"Are you still scared?" he asked, as she still dragged him by his arm.

"No, with you around, I am not scared anymore."

"Good."

"But what if I wasn't around? You planned to come here alone? Even though you are scared?" he asked, as they passed the area with water where they were a few minutes ago.

"Confined dark places are among my least favorite things. I do get scared of them. But my fears shouldn't keep me from doing my duty."

Leon stopped to give her a SeeD salute. "Your dedication towards your duty is commendable."

"Just doing my small part in the grand scheme of things," she remarked with a shrug.

They follow the pathway straight down, hand in hand, until they came across another crossroad. The right path had an unnatural glow coming from it. Leon pointed in that direction and led the way.

"Ah, so it was Fire Deposit causing this glow," he noticed, getting close to it.

As they moved further down that path, they discovered that it was yet another dead-end. Just as they turned back to traverse their way back, Imps dropped from above for another ambush. Leon was all too happy to kill any Imps that came his way.

Once cleared, they continued their journey down the cave. They encountered two paths again with Ice Deposit on the right and a small alcove to the left. Past the deposit, they discovered a narrow crevice. Leon turned sideways and tried to squeeze through the narrow opening in the wall. The opportune Imps attacked him just as he entered the opening. The Imps got few clear shots at Leon, which only served to enrage him further.

"I really, really, hate these damn Imps," he barked. He quickly backed out and destroyed all the Imps in sight with sadistic joy.

"I think they are cute," she chuckled, just to annoy him further.

"CUTE?" He shook his head in disbelief and just gave himself a facepalm.

Luna couldn't help herself but laugh at his reaction.

Leon moved through the narrow opening and Luna followed. Once on the other side, they continued down the twisting path.

"Leon, do you hear that noise?" she tugged at Leon's hand, prompting him to stop.

"Yes, it sounded like a growl. Although I can't tell what it is," he admitted.

"I think I might know," she gulped. "The legend says that a few years ago a talking serpent absconded here with several small children. The nearby residents were petrified by this daemon. In their despair, the citizens called upon the aid of the Oracle of that time, my mother, Sylva. After luring the snake-like daemon into the hollow, she trapped it inside. While no other kidnappings have happened since the sealing of the cave, one can still hear the hissing wails of the serpent within."

"So, if the daemon was sealed inside, then it means it should still be here," Leon cut to the chase.

"Yes, this cave was sealed off until Ramuh opened it for us today."

"Let's be extra careful going forward," he cautioned. Luna instinctively grabbed his hand. Even though she was putting up a brave face, Leon could see that she was still frightened.

They slowly made their way down the winding path. "You Oracles have a lot on your plate. Blessing outposts and havens, healing people of starscourge, communicating Astral's wishes to the public, being their spiritual leader, awakening Astrals and sealing demons. It almost seems unfair that only one person has to do all that."

"If my burdens can ease someone's suffering, then I will carry it gladly," she said with conviction in her voice.

"Luna, I am glad I got to meet you. I have never seen anyone like you. I have seen people sacrificing themselves for their families or loved ones, but never for strangers. You have a heart of an angel," he said earnestly.

She playfully punched him in the arm. "You give me too much credit, sir. Come on, we have a date with Ramuh. We shouldn't keep him waiting for too long."

Leon nodded, and they marched on to a large chamber with many spikes and pillars of various sizes in surrounding topography.

As they entered the chamber, they were greeted by hordes of monsters: Mindflayers, Hobgoblins, Thunder Bombs, and Imps. Their numbers grew quickly as Leon fended them off. The good thing about having an overwhelming number of enemies is that with one swing you can hit many. Luna used her trident to good effect thanks to its long reach.

Leon took out his favorite Imps first while Luna focused on Thunder bombs. While Leon was busy dealing with Hobgoblins, he missed the Thunder bomb, who was about to explode next to him. Before the explosion could touch Leon, he was surrounded by a familiar golden barrier. He looked at Luna and nodded as if to say thank you. She nodded back with a smile.

Leon protected her every time she needed to concentrate to cast magic. She protected him with barriers every time he charged into the enemy line. He was the offensive sword while she was the protective shield, each complementing other perfectly.

Soon they found themselves fighting back to back, like old times. Each covering for others' weaknesses. A perfect harmony of offense and defense. Their teamwork was a calibration of brute strength and tactful magic. The reason they worked so well as a team was because they trusted each other completely.

After killing all monsters, they looked at each other and asked simultaneously, "Are you okay?"

Smile from both of them gave them the answer they seek. They stood in the center, trying to figure out where to go next, as pathways extended in multiple directions.

After exploring the surrounding, they eventually took the northern path. They slid under the low rock and into the next chamber.

"I wonder how long is this cave," she wondered, with a hint of disappointment.

"Who knows? Are you tired? We can take a break," he proposed.

"No, I am not tired. Just thirsty."

"Oh, I have water," he said, removing his backpack on his shoulders.

"I was wondering what you carry in that backpack of yours," she stated, sitting down on the cold ground.

"Just the essentials. Water, rations, first aid kit, spare clothes, and a few other things," he listed, as he fished for the water bottle in his backpack.

He offered the water bottle to Luna. "Thanks," she said.

He kept looking at her backpack. He was curious to find out what she was carrying, considering that she did not even bring water. Curious as he may, he was too shy to ask her.

She followed his gaze and understood the words he wasn't speaking. "You know, you can ask me what's in my backpack," she commented with a smile.

Leon quickly looked away, embarrassed, as if he was caught committing a major crime. "Oh no, I-I was just admiring the artwork on your backpack?"

"Really Leon? You were admiring the rainbow and unicorn on my backpack?" she could barely control her laughter.

"You don't know me. I could like a unicorn." He folded his hand and looked away like a child. She just busted into laughter upon seeing his reaction.

"I am carrying my essentials," she started slowly after regaining her composure.

'And water is not part of your essentials?' He so badly wanted to do a facepalm.

"Some spare clothes and my Oracle dress," she revealed, to sate his curiosity.

'What's wrong with this woman? Why would you need a dress in the middle of a battlefield?'

Before he could say anything, Luna offered him the water bottle. He took a sip from it before capping it.

"I am ready to go," she announced, dusting herself off.

He kept the water bottle in his backpack and swung it on his shoulders. "Let's do this."

They walked down the path and eventually came across Lightning Deposit. Moving up the path from there, they entered a large area. At first glance, the whole area seemed to be devoid of any monsters.

"Not a single monster in this whole area. This is too good to be true," he cautioned, as he moved forward.

There were two paths, one to the north and another to the northwest of them.

While Leon was pondering which way to go, Luna pointed in the northwest direction and advised, "We should go there. I can feel a divine presence in that direction."

As they were about to enter the next area, Naga materialized in front of them. It was a colossal creature towering at 62 feet and weighing over 13 tons. This demon had the body of a snake, but the facial features of a woman. The snake circled the two as if gauging them. It stopped in front of them and hissed menacingly. The Naga raises its head and addresses the cave's visitors, "My baby… Where…"

"I am afraid, we do not know," spoke Luna.

"You are lying," it hissed and lunged at Luna only to be blocked by Leon's gunblade.

"Over 30,000 HP, this is going to be fun," Leon noted after scanning the monster. He looked at Naga without flinching.

The Naga slithered away, then suddenly turned around and lunged at Leon. He parried the attack and manage to land a few hits on its head. The Naga swung its tail, which Leon dodged in time. All the while Luna attacked it with her magic. The battle picked up at a breathless speed. The Naga lunged and swung its tail a lot, and because of its colossal size, there was no safe spot to rest.

Naga would alter between attacking Leon and Luna. Unexpectedly, it lunged in the air and slammed on the ground, causing shockwaves to knock both Leon and Luna off their feet. Considering this as an opening, it lunged again at Leon, only to be blocked off by a golden barrier. It turned its attention on Luna now and quickly slithered its way towards her. Leon dashed around behind it and impaled his entire gunblade into the Naga's tail, stopping it dead in its track, just a few inches away from Luna.

The Naga hissed in pain and spew poison all around it. Luna was able to encase herself in a barrier to mitigate the attack, Leon, however, was not so lucky. He was afflicted with poison. Naga had its full attention on Leon now, which gave him no time to use the antidote. His HP was quickly dropping when Luna's spell healed him of his affliction.

"Luna, you know my weakness is Ice cream. I am so distracted by it. Can you make me some?" Leon yelled in the middle of a fight.

'What is the heck? I think the poison has gotten to his brain. The man has gone bonkers to think of ice cream in the middle of a fight.' Luna wondered. 'No, he is too smart for this. There must be a reason he said that. What was he trying to communicate? Think Luna, think.'

Within a few seconds, her eyes lit up, and she replied, "I make the best ice cream in the world. But it takes time to make it."

Leon smiled because he knew that she knew what he meant. "Don't worry, we can wait."

With Luna on board, it was Leon's turn to do his part. Just as he was about to attack the Naga, he lost his grip on the gunbalde and it fell to the ground. The Naga reacted quickly and swiped it away with its tail. The Naga hissed at Leon, who was now without a weapon. Leon turned around and made a dash as the Naga chased him. He dodged, ducked, and used every available resource to him to create a separation between him and the Naga.

"I can use ice cream anytime now," he yelled, running away from Naga.

"It's almost ready," she informed. Moments after she said that, the temperature in the area sharply dropped. Leon stopped and turned around to look at the Naga because he knew what was about to happen. The Naga was encased in ice like some prehistoric creature frozen in time. The ice exploded, sending ice particles in all directions. As soon as the ice particles disappeared, the Naga was encased in ice again. It was followed by another icy explosion. Luna had cast duel cast freeze spell putting an end of Naga.

The Naga screamed, "Bring back... my baby..." before disappearing.

Leon retrieved his gunblade and made his way to Luna. "Good job soldier."

"Thanks," she said, with a small bow.

"How did you know?"

"At first, I thought you went crazy, but then I remembered once you said that ice-cream would be our code word for help. So, I focused on the keywords you said: Weakness, ice, I, distract, make me some. I figured you were trying to say that the Naga is weak to Ice and you will distract it while I cast ice spell on it."

"Correct, I couldn't say it directly because the Naga understood our language. Although, I wasn't entirely sure if the Naga would be familiar with our language but I didn't want to take any chance."

"You losing your gunblade was part of the act?"

"Yes, I had to make sure 100% attention was on me so I had to look vulnerable."

"Good job to you as well. You even had me fooled. I was genuinely worried."

"You get worried so easily," he said with a shrug.

"When you stop being reckless, I'll stop worrying," she chided folding her arms.

"Whatever," he replied. "Shall we go meet Ramuh now?"

"Yes, but I need to change before we go."

"Wait, what?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"I am not going to see Ramuh wearing this," she attested, pointing at her clothes.

"You are not going on a date with him. You don't have to dress up to meet him," he countered.

She placed her finger on his lips, "Shhh, no more talking. Turn around and watch guard while I get change."

"But-" he was about to protest when she cut him off, "Hush now. Just do as I say."

He shook his head and turned around still muttering something incoherent about how stupid this is.

"No peeking," she warned threateningly.

"Whatever," he yelled back still looking the other way.

She changed into different clothes. "You can turn around now."

He turned around and looked at her. She wore a long white dress that framed her body perfectly. His eyes seem to have a will of their own as they refused to move from her. He could swear that every time he looks at her, she looks even more beautiful. He finally snapped back to reality.

"This is the same dress you wore when we first meet," he noted, unable to peel his eyes from her.

"Ah, so, you remember," she said with a smile.

"Of course, I do."

"This is the official Oracle dress of sorts. Since awakening an Astral is an official Oracle business, I have to wear this dress."

"Is that why you wore this when you were fighting with Titan?"

"Yes."

"Back then I thought this is such an impractical choice of attire for a battle. It all makes sense now," he remarked. "What if you don't? Astrals won't awaken if you not wearing this dress?"

"Personally, I don't think it matters, but this is like an Oracle tradition and I'd rather not break it."

"But, are you allowed to wear something on top of it?" he asked curiously.

"I guess, why do you ask?" she slightly tilted her head, eyeing him curiously.

"Because I want you to wear something I got," he recommended and proceeded to pull out something from his backpack. "Here, I got this for you."

"What is this?" she asked, looking at it.

"It's a rubber hazmat suit."

"For what?"

"Well, we are about to fight Ramuh, the God of lightning and thunder. Rubber suit would prevent you from getting any damage from electricity."

It was her turn to do a facepalm. "And here I thought it would be something romantic."

"I think what you meant to say is thank you, Leon. This is the most practical gift anyone has ever given to me."

"Who gift's a hazmat suit to a girl? This is ugly."

"Maybe, but it's practical," he countered, trying to convince her to wear it. "Look, if you are concerned about looking ugly, then I'll look ugly with you. I got one for myself too," he triumphantly pulled out another suite from his backpack.

"You are hopeless," she remarked, shaking her head. "Where did you even get this?"

"You have no idea how many favors I had to do to Holly to let me get these."

"Holly from EXINERIS?"

"Yup."

"Leon, each Astral is different. They have different personalities and different goals. Ramuh is a peaceful Astral, I am certain he would not fight us." She tried to talk him out of it.

"We can't take a chance. If he comes in peace, then just remove the suite."

After putting the rubber suit on, he somehow managed to convince her to put it on as well.

"Leon, we look like overdressed cartoons."

"Now, now. Stop bickering and let's get this over with."

They finally entered the Ramuh's chamber. This area was lush green compared to the mostly barren cave. There was a puddle of water on the ground. The light shined from above illuminated the tree and the runestone.

"There it is. The final runestone," Leon pointed out.

The hazmat suit Leon got for her was too big for her. She feared that she would trip and fall even before she could get to the runestone. She tried to convince Leon that she does not need a rubber hazmat suit to talk with Ramuh but he insisted that it was for her own safety. It was his way of caring for her and she understood that.

"Leon, we won't be able to fight in this suit."

"Why do you want to bite?"

"I said fight, not bite."

"Sorry, can't hear much in this helmet."

She just shook her head and made her way to the runestone. She took baby steps and slowly made her way to the last runestone. She looked at Leon and he nodded in acknowledgment, gunblade ready in his hand. Leon respected her duty, so he stood by the entrance and let Luna do her thing.

She touched the runestone and pink bolts of lightning swarms around her. A deafening thunder echoed through the sky. The sky radiated in an unmatched brilliance. The God of thunder and lightning made his grand descended from the sky. He appeared as a gigantic wizard with a long white beard and small horn-like protrusions on his forehead. He had red eyes and wore flowing green robes with a high collar and his lower half being the billowing coat. The Fulgurian was over 200 feet tall and looked menacing with staff, radiating electricity, in his hand.

"Who dares to step into my sanctuary?" asked an ethereal voice.

"It is I, Lunafreya, the blood of the Oracle! God of Thunder, I beseech you: enter into this covenant that the King might reclaim the Stone!"

"I hear your plea, the Oracle. Should your king pass the ordeal of runestone and make it here like you then I shall consider aiding him."

"I am certain he will succeed any ordeal that the Gods might put in his way, for he is the chosen King and is determined to see our Star deliver to the light."

"If your words bear the truth, then your King shall receive my blessings should he pass my trial."

"Thank you, kind Fulgurian, your tale of compassion will not be forgotten," she said with a bow. "Do you not wish to put me through a trial to test if I am worthy of your strength?"

"I do not wish to see your strength as I have seen the strength of your resolve and conviction. Your devotion to your king is evident in the perilous journey you have undertaken to have an audience with me. I shall hereby enter in a covenant with you."

"Oh good, it looks like we won't be needing these smelly suits after all," said Leon, coming into the view with his helmet already removed.

"Told you," she said, fighting her way out of the hazmat suit.

Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning struck by the feet of Leon. "The Fallen! You dare defile this land with your presence!" The calm and merciful Astral was enraged now.

"What's going on?" he questioned, eyeing Luna.

She instinctively stepped in front of him. "Ramuh, he has been my sword and shield on this perilous journey. It is by his protection that I stand here today. His heart desires the protection of the Star just as I."

"Tarradiddle. His heart desires not for the protection of the Star but for only one. His aid in your journey does not redeem him from his sins, for his sins are beyond redeemable."

'My sins? What the hell is he talking about?'

"This could not be more untrue for I have seen his sacrifice," Luna defended him.

"How could an Oracle such as yours still be in cahoots with him? Tell me Fallen, how did you escape Bahamut's exile?"

'Bahamut's exile?'

"No one had ever escaped from the dimension devoid of time. Tell me, who aided you?"

'Dimension devoid of time? Does he mean time compression? What does Bahamut have to do with all this? It was Ultimecia who put me there, so why does he think it was Bahamut? What does he know that I don't?'

"Your silence does not prove your innocence. I am Ramuh, it is my divine duty to pass judgment and smite any unrepentant sinners with a bolt of lightning." Ramuh lifted his staff and prepared to attack Leon.

Luna came in front of Leon with arms outstretched. "Please stop. You must listen to me. He is not the enemy."

"One Oracle cannot serve two. Make your choice young Oracle. If you stand to protect him, then I will forgo our covenant."

"No, you mustn't do that," she pleaded.

"That is my offer, choose either covenant or him. Should you raise your weapon to defend him, there will be no covenant."

"Please, I beseech you to hear my plea and reconsider your stance," she pleaded with the Astral.

"Is it not your duty to forge a covenant with Astrals for the king of kings? Are you going to abandon your duty and destiny for a traitor? Choose wisely my Oracle for the fate of this star is in your hands now. It's a covenant or him. Your choice."

Author's Notes:

What would you choose if you were in her shoes?

Please leave a comment if you have enjoyed the story so far. Would love to chat with some of my readers. Or at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is readying this. Thanks :)