Bringer of Nightfall

by RoseDragonWitch

Now hailed as a hero throughout the Source, what next awaits the Warrior of Light, soon to become a Warrior of Darkness? The time has come to move on only now we are heading to not a different country, but rather an entirely new world! The path to the First is open to us and a new battle awaits… the most epic one yet… discovering the truth of what lies at the heart of the Star...

25. More Than a Hunch

Chapter 21: More Than a Hunch

Thancred stared up at the sky as he let the others continue to work on healing him. It was a slow process but he didn't dare complain, knowing that the only reason he wasn't a meal for the vultures right now was because of them.

Still, it was slightly maddening to be forced to sit there and wait as the others fussed over him. He didn't need to be tended to, he needed to know what was going on!

The problem was that he was so tired and beaten up that trying to remain awake was a struggle in and of itself. He could feel himself drifting in and out of conscious as the others continued to ask their questions on how he was feeling or where it hurt the most.

After he awoke for the third time, most of the pain had faded so while his limbs felt heavy he was able to move to a sitting position at last.

He looked around at them all with a fond smile for each of his comrades, glad to see them all here and well.

"Ah, thou hast finally awoken," Urianger said as he observed him with those accursed calm eyes.

"Thancred, are you still in any pain?" Y'shtola asked hurriedly.

"N-No," he admitted, "Just... tired. But I have a feeling that I owe that to you all."

"Well, we do know a little bit about healing," Alphinaud smiled. "Thank the gods. When we found you lying there in the sands we feared the worst."

He gave a strained smile before looking around.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Another settlement just within Nabaath Arang," Y'shtola confirmed for him. "But unlike the town that Urianger told us about, Twine, this one seems to have been abandoned long ago. It has given us a safe place to rest for the time being. Now, can you explain to us exactly what happened? Your words didn't make much sense as we brought you here. Are you sure that it was Ran'jit?"

"Yes, please tell us," Alisaie added, "When we found you, we were all but certain that you were attacked by wild beasts."

"I feel like it," he confessed as he rubbed the back of his head. His mouth was still incredibly dry so talking was painful at first until they were able to give him what little water they had left.

After coughing out the dryness he was able to tell them exactly what happened, Ran'jit's powers and how the battle went to how he stayed behind and the girls went on ahead of him.

"I can't believe Ran'jit is alive after all that?" Alphinaud gasped.

"But it sounds like he was forced to retreat, so you at least dealt him a serious enough blow," Alisaie offered and Thancred gave her half a smirk at the thought before looking up to the frozen wave behind them.

"How long ago did you find me?" he asked, damning the light once more since it was impossible to tell how much time had passed already.

"Just little over a couple bells," Y'shtola confessed.

Bells? So they must have found Minfilia by now... surely a decision must have been made? The thought had them all suddenly feeling cold despite the heat from the desert sands.

"Is there a way that we can follow after them?" Alisaie asked worriedly, looking to the same wave and worry was settling in from their lack of contact with the others. "We might be able to...?"

"At this point, I think it fair enough to wait for them to come back," Y'shtola disagreed, "They will undoubtedly come looking for Thancred once... once all is said and done."

And there it was again, the worry of wondering who will be accompanying the Warrior of Darkness back to them.

"I believeth that they will return to us err long," Urianger sighed, "Surely young Minfilia hath made her choice. We will wait for them anon."

"I agree," Y'shtola sighed, not looking happy about it, but covered it up by looking over Thancred's condition again. "You, meanwhile, are lucky to be alive. I always knew that you were reckless but I think that you did more damage to yourself than Ran'jit did."

"Well, they say that our own worst enemies are ourselves," he shrugged.

"You think that you would be a little more concerned given the state that you are in," Alisaie said with a shake of her head. "Just a little longer out there and you would most likely be dead and then we would have the trouble of hauling you back to the Crystarium. I would hate to imagine what to say to your many admirers back in the Source if we were to return without you."

"Ah, tis a tragedy that no bard would ever be able to put justice to, but if that is to be my fate...?" he began dramatically and that actually cause Y'shtola to laugh, taking them all by surprise.

"I shouldn't encourage you," she told him with a shake of her head but a fond smile still there nevertheless, "But it has been so long since I heard you waxing lyrical that I did not realize how much I truly missed it. Where did that side of you go after all this time, I wonder?"

He grinned.

"Not sure, guess he was on leave for the time," he sighed as he glanced back up to the sky. "I know that I haven't been pulling my weight around here lately. That changes now."

"Ah, now there is the problem," Y'shtola said, giving him a hard poke, "You are working to the point that it is not healthy. We do not expect you to carry everything on your shoulders, Thancred," she reminded him, "It's ok to let your guard down around us."

"She's right," Alphinaud added in full agreement, "You expect too much of yourself, my friend. You are a valued member of the Scions and we need you."

Thancred wasn't sure what it was, but there was a new weightlessness in his chest that made him stand a little taller. Despite the aches of his body, he felt surer of himself than he had in so long now.

He wanted to tell them this, but that was when he heard a pair of boots on sand and he looked up to see their one and only Warrior of Darkness making her way towards them... alone?

"Claire!" Alisaie gasped, the first to notice her, "Thank the gods you're all right."

"You're back!" Alphinaud added, looking ready to fling his arms around her, "We were beginning to worry about you."

"Welcome back," Y'shtola declared as Claire drew up to them all and she gave her the glance over, "I see you fared better than Thancred."

Aye, there wasn't a single scratch on her... but where was Minfilia? Claire seemed calm enough though so he didn't feel that he had to worry about them being attacked on their way back…?

"Ah there you are, we were worried," he said giving her a weary smile.

"Really? She wasn't the ones that nearly got herself killed," Alisaie reminded him, getting back to properly scolding him, "It's a good thing Urianger called on us when he did. You were at death's door when we found you."

He looked down at his hands, feigning guilt like how he did when he was young and when someone noticed him around and suspected trouble. He knew that he looked a mess, but could only confess, "But thanks to your timely ministrations, I was not obliged to walk through it."

He wanted to ask what happened, but he was afraid of learning the truth. If she was here then that could only mean one thing...?

He then noticed the flash of white stepping out from behind a worn down wagon a few yalms away and slowly approach them. He looked up and, sure enough, it was Minfilia. But... it was... it wasn't...?

He stared at the change in her appearance. Her red hair and her pale blue eyes...?

Such a minor change could make a world of difference... he looked at her and could no longer see his Minfilia in her... instead he could only see the little girl that he rescued from Eulmore nearly three years ago.

Soon the others noticed and were staring at her with stunned surprise.

"Minfilia...?" Alphinaud asked as she slowly approached, looking nervous.

As soon as he looked into his eyes and he saw the bundle of nerves that she was in... he knew who it was.

He then smiled as he said, "You saw her."

Her head jerked up at him, surprised that he could tell who he was really looking at and she nodded. She just nodded, looking like she was ready to start running—reminding him of a deer who had been spotted and wanted to escape—which was cute to him.

But she took a deep breath as she raised her hand to her chest, hovering over her heart much like how his Minfilia used to do whenever she was nervous.

"I know I haven't exactly been pulling my weight up till now, but that's all going to chance, starting today," she said and he blinked, recognizing his own words mere moments ago.

But hearing her voice again, recognizing the child that he had grown to care for over these last few years, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride and affection rising up inside him as she went on, "I'll do whatever it takes—whatever it takes to make Minfilia's dream a reality."

He didn't say anything as he slowly stood up, ignoring his body's screams of protest, and slowly walked over to her.

She had been through so much in her young life but was now expected to take an even greater burden.

She would need someone there to help her when she stumbled along the way. His heart ached at not realizing this sooner... never once seeing that he wasn't the only one who needed a family there. It took everyone here reminding him that they were here to support him did he finally realize that what he was searching for was right there all along.

And it was time that he reminded her. He was determined for her to see that she was surrounded by so many people who cared about her and that they would see this through with her to the end.

"I can track the light wardens now, maybe even help you fight them," she whispered almost shaking when he stood in front of her.

He missed some of the things that she was saying as he stood before her... and gently rested his hand on her head in a gentle pat—something that he always knew made her smile.

"I'm glad you're back."

He knew that his words shocked her for he felt her trembling under his hand.

"You don't have to say that, you know..." she croaked out without ever looking up.

He removes his hand as he smiled down at her as he confessed in a gentle voice, actually forgetting that the others were there with them, "But I want to. You're family. How else would I feel?"

He would never forget their Minfilia of the Source. He will forever mourn her, but it ended in a way that was best for everyone. He knew that he would never be able to continue on if he ended up losing this little girl.

He watched as she finally looked up at him with tears of relief welling up in her eyes. She broke down and wept as they all watched on, offering silent support as she cried tears of joy.

It wasn't until Y'shtola spoke up did he remember where they were and made a rather surprising declaration.

"She will need a name," she informed them.

"A name?" Alphinaud repeated at a loss.

They all looked at her in confusion, but Thancred understood at once. She is her own person, not Minfilia. And much like with himself, a new name is the mark of a new beginning.

"A name of her own," Y'shtola simplified, "I would not have her walk in the shadow of another any longer. And I think it a fitting tribute to our departed friend too. At the mention of Minfilia, I would remember the woman who preserved out fellowship when all seemed lost."

Everyone became silent as they thought it over, but he knew that everyone was in silent agreement. It was a fine idea and one he wholeheartedly approved of. The only question now was what name would be appropriate for this moment?

Alisaie broke the silence and asked, "Do you remember what you were called before you were taken to Eulmore?"

"I'm sorry. I don't. I couldn't have been very old when it happened," the girl said after she finished wiping her tears away.

He felt a stab of enmity at that, making his throat feel like it was closing up, or perhaps that was more likely to having spent the last bell or so coughing up blood.

Thankfully, Y'shtola took it all in stride, indeed she didn't seem surprised by this, and stated in a much more upbeat tone, "Then we must think of a new name. Suggestions?"

No one spoke up, which surprised him, surely one of them would have an idea? But he then realized that they were all looking at him, and he was taken aback by their knowing smiles until Alphinaud pointed out cheerfully, "If the lady herself has no preference, I think the honor should rightly fall to Thancred. After all they have been through together, he's practically a father to her."

Father? Gods, he didn't have the first idea to how to be a parent! He was her bodyguard, that's all! But the words caused him to laugh inside his own head as he knew the truth.

Mayhaps... there is some truth to those words though he knew that he wasn't much of a father. Any real father would have forbidden their child to take such a road. Any even fewer would ever dream of trading their daughter for someone else—even if that person meant the world to them.

"Well spotted!" Alisaie spoke up with amusement, "I'm so glad you're here to explain these things."

Alphinaud's head jerked around at her and demanded, not liking her teasing tone, "And what exactly is that supposed to mean!?"

"Oh nothing~" she countered with a sing-song in her voice.

Thancred blocked them out as he looked to the girl and began to think.

A name...?

What kind of name would fit her? Well, he knew that it had to be something good... something special. He struggled to find any name that would be perfect for her. At first he thought of a few names that he knew back in the Source, but nothing was the perfect fit... he then thought of everything he had seen here in Norvrandt when a memory suddenly came back to him.

It was the first time that he had run into Urianger in Il Mheg after the man arrived here in the First. The two of them had taken shelter in his home after having been stumbling around for bells as the pixies played their tricks on them. When Thancred asked him how he learned to deal with them, Urianger went into a long lecture about the pixies and their customs. He even taught him a few words in their language. But soon enough, Thancred tuned him out as he helped himself to some of the food that Urianger set out for him as his new young charge was curled up, fast asleep, in a nearby chair.

If Urianger noticed his attention slipping, he didn't acknowledge it as he went on speaking. Truthfully, Thancred didn't remember much of what he said among all the thous and thees—but there was one word he learned that stood out clearly in his memory.

"What about... Ryne?" he finally said out loud.

Everyone else seemed confused by that until Urianger spoke up in understanding, "Ah. 'Blessing' in Fae..." But then Thancred cracked a smile when Urianger suddenly spluttered, clearly remembering that conversation well and demanded, "Wait! Doth this mean thou wert listening when I delivered my lectures on the pixies?"

Thancred told him the truth—partly because it was the honest truth and partly because he just wanted to mess with Urianger a little more and confessed, "Not exactly. But that one word made an impression."

He didn't dare look at Urianger, knowing that he would never be able to keep a straight face if he did. But he picked that name so that she would never again think of her life as a curse. Rather she would always remember that her being here is a Blessing.

But then he remembered that the girl had yet to voice her thoughts on the matter and cleared his throat as he looked away in embarrassment, adding, "Of course, if it's not to your liking, I can think of something else."

"Ryne," the girl repeated as she thought it over before she began to smile, "Yes, I rather like the sound of it."

She then looked up and gave him the biggest beaming smile he had ever seen and cried, "Thank you!"

He then looked back to her as he also beamed back, feeling lighter and freer than he had in so long.

"That settles it, then," he said proudly, "Welcome aboard, Ryne!"

"I won't let you down," Ryne vowed and he didn't doubt it.

After that, they started off with a small party of sorts. Well, it was more of a meeting with everything that happened since they split up as they shared some water and rations that they brought with them. But Minfilia—or rather Ryne—couldn't have looked happier than a child on their nameday. Which was another thing that they would have to figure out. Mayhaps when this was all over they could plan a nameday party for her that would make up for all the ones she missed.

"Despite this glad turn of events, the suffering born of mine all-too-arrogant meddling paineth me still," Urianger sighed as they sat down to enjoy their lunch.

"Not just your appearance has changed either," Y'shtola was informing the girl, "Your aether has changed. It has taken on a faint, golden hue. Curious."

"Really? Is that a bad thing?" Ryne asked in surprise.

"Not at all," Y'shtola reassured her, "It's actually quite pleasant to look at. It reminds me of sunflowers to be honest..."

Alphinaud, who accepted some cool water from Urianger, sighed and added, "Minfilia will be sorely missed. Though it was Grandfather's legacy which first brought me to Eorzea, I would never have become a Scion were it not for her. Indeed, there would be no Scions, and two worlds would be the worse for our absence. Tataru and the others will no doubt be heartbroken to hear the news of her pressing. Until such time as we can return to them, however, we must keep our heads held high. Though we have lost one Scions, we have gained another, after all."

They did, didn't they? Thancred dreaded the moment having to return and tell Tataru and F'lhaminn what happened, but he did take some comfort in reminding himself that the girl he once cared for wasn't gone... at least, not completely.

He suddenly stood and headed a few yalms away, around the building, promising the others that he was just stretching his legs. They looked ready to stop him as he waved his hand, reassuring them that he wasn't going to go far and that he just needed to take a leak.

Which was a lie of course, but no one stopped him as he walked away, leaving Claire at the mercy of Alisaie as she told her off for taking so long.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were when word reached us that Ran'jit was alive, and headed for the Hills of Amber?" Alisaie demanded as Claire watched her tranquilly, "Oh, I can't wait for this to be over, so we can all go home. Assuming we even can."

Thancred chuckled at that before stepping out of earshot and took a sigh of relief.

He gazed up at the sky for a moment before he closed his eyes and felt himself fade in and out.

He didn't know if it had been real or not, but as he laid there dying on the sands he could remember feeling as if someone was there with him. He remembered straying into a kind of dream with a beautiful golden light as he drifted through the place. He then felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around him in a tight hug as well as a strange perfume entering his nose. He recognized it at once as the kind that Minfilia always wore as a child. F'lhaminn told him that she gave her the perfume so that no matter how tight a crowd they were in, she would always be able to track her down by following her nose.

It was a perfume that Minfilia always wore. Though it stopped after the Calamity for it was no longer made. But after they left the Waking Sands to move to the Rising Stones… until that last time he saw her the night of the Bloody Banquet, he could swear he caught hold of that wonderful scent.

The same that he breathed in at that moment and the voice echoing inside his mind:

"Thank you, Thancred... for everything."

He knew that voice as well and he opened his eyes with a sad smile. He could never be sure if it was a dream or if it was truly her... but he wanted to believe that it was her saying goodbye.

She was letting him know that she was free and no longer in any pain. And that was enough for him. He didn't know if people from different shards ended up going to different afterlives but he hoped that they didn't. He hoped that she found her way to her father.

"Minfilia..." he said quietly to himself, "I may not have always been there when you needed me, but know that those moments that we shared together, I will cherish. I'll keep going on to fight for a world where the Scions won't be needed. I'll see enough of the world for us both."

He then smiled a little wider as he could have sworn that perfume drifted upon the wind for a moment.

"I'll never forget," he vowed, "I promise you that."

"Thancred?"

He looked up to see Claire had followed him.

"Hey," he said tiredly, turning to face her, "Don't worry about me. I just came out here to think."

"Are you feeling alright?" Claire asked him, looking over his filthy, bloodstained clothes.

"I'll live," he reassured her. "The others took care of the worse of it, though I fear I may not be up to fighting a Lightwarden right away after this. That's disappointing."

She smirked at that.

"Besides, this makes us even," he said and she looked at him in confusion as he elaborated, "Well, me paying you back for just one of the million of other things you did for me after all this time. But I like to think this makes up for my failure to assist you when you were served to Ifrit."

Claire blinked at that and he laughed, adding, "Don't say that I shouldn't blame myself. I don't. At least, not anymore. I feel much better. I guess getting the living tar beaten out of me by some miserable old fart was enough to snap me back to my senses. So now, my dear lady, I reassure you that I am well."

She then smiled and said, "So our new Thancred is the old one returning?"

"Well, I like to think of new and improved," he said with a chuckle, "But come on, you can't improve what was already perfect, can you?"

She laughed and he knew that he still had the charm after all.

"If it means anything, I missed this side of you," Claire answered.

"And it does," he said softly to her, "In truth, I missed it as well. I find it harder to believe that I could ever forget in the first place when surrounded by such fair maidens."

"We going back to that?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Now, now, I merely speak the truth," he reassured her with a wave of his hand, "Tis a curse of the Bard in my blood. But you needn't fear I know that you are taken. I swear, Alphinaud would fire his spells upon me if he learned I made a move on his beloved."

She turned red and he grinned like a cat who got the cream.

"It would be awkward anyway," he added in a much more sincere tone, "You are as dear to me as if you were my little sister. And I like it that way."

He glanced up at the bright sky. Now the only thing that would make this moment even better if they could see passed those damn clouds.

"If nothing else, it's good to know I have people like you to watch my back and snap me back to reality... even if it takes a while," he said.

"About that," Claire said and he looked up as she told him about Minfilia's last words and what she wished him to know.

"I see," he said softly as he sealed those words into his heart, "So she never blamed me. She always said that it wasn't my fault but there was just a part that made me struggle with accepting it. Mostly because I realized that in a lot of ways I was still powerless to make a difference."

He closed his eyes and said a final prayer to the girl he would always remember as his first 'family'. But she was right. He wouldn't forget. But it was time to move on.

He opened his eyes as he glanced back and added, "Thank you for telling me that. And thank you for standing by Ryne. And Minfilia. I'm sure it meant a lot to her, seeing you one last time. Would that I could have been there to hear what words were exchanged between them."

Claire opened her mouth to speak when he held up his hand to stop her, knowing that she was about to tell him, and reminded her firmly. "When all this is over, perhaps I'll ask."

He wanted to know, but mayhaps he wasn't ready for it yet. It was enough for him to know that the woman he loved like a sister was finally at peace while another dear friend and one he loved like a daughter made it back to them.

Speaking of which...?

"Thancred?"

The two of them looked up to see that Ryne was jogging towards them.

Claire gave a slight wave as the girl came skidding to a stop in front of them.

"I'll leave you two alone," Claire said as she excused herself.

"Ah... Claire...?" he called before he could stop himself. She looked back in polite puzzlement as he struggled to say something. There was something that he desperately wanted to say to her but...?

"You know what? Never mind," he said with a rather shaky laugh. "I'll tell you when we'll through here."

Claire tilted her hand, but she nodded and left them alone. He let out a sigh before glancing down at Ryne, who shifted a little.

"I'm sorry for this," she said, reach out and taking his hand as she looked over the rips and bloodstains on his coat, "You got hurt because of me."

"Don't you think that this was your fault," he said, "I knew what it meant when I stayed behind. This was something that I knew that I had to do."

"But you could have gotten killed," she reminded him.

"Hey, you should have seen Ran'jit by the end of that fight," Thancred joked. Sure he almost died in the process but gods it was worth it just to see that old man leave with his tail between his legs like that. "I'll live," he reassured her. "And I don't regret it. I think that we should also be safe from Ran'jit... for a time anyway."

He doubted that he managed to get through to the old man, but there was some kind of change inside him as he looked at that withered face. He didn't know what it was about, but he didn't question it. In either case, he hoped this would put a stop to his hounding after them... at least until they finished what they set out to do.

"What about you?" he asked her suddenly, "You didn't get hurt or anything did you?"

She shook her head.

"A little sleepy," Ryne confessed, looking back up to him. "Now I feel... I do feel something different inside me. I can track the light so easily now that I'm surprised I couldn't see it before. Minfilia transferred whatever power she had left to me and I am not going to waste it."

Despite the conviction in her voice, she suddenly grew timid again as she lowered her head.

"I was afraid that you would hate me for this," she said quietly.

"No," he answered softly with a shake of his head, "Minfilia will always have a special place in my heart. And I know that you are not Minfilia. You are Ryne. You are who you want to be. Not what she was. And... That's all that I want for you."

She looked up with wide eyes as he smiled, knowing that his face wasn't the prettiest thing right now, but he did his best to show that he didn't hate her for her choice. Rather he was relieved and he would be here to support her for as long as he was able.

And she seemed to understood.

She then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, taking him by surprise.

"Thank you for letting me choose," she whispered, rubbing her face into his front.

Thancred stood there stupidly for a moment, not quite sure what to do there. He was still a complete idiot when it came to kids. He knew that wasn't going to change. But as he looked down to the little redhead, he found that he was willing to learn. He wasn't her real father... and he would never be the greatest. But gods he loved this little girl and he wasn't going to let that go.

He just hugged her back tightly as happiness filled every being of his body.

She wasn't his Minfilia.

But she was now and would always be his Ryne.

*Alphinaud*

He was glad that everything seemed to work out for the best. While it did hurt to know that someone she knew was gone forever, he could not lie and say that it wouldn't have broken a lot of hearts to lose Ryne in the process.

He noticed that half their group was suddenly missing and he said that he would go and find them so that they could discuss their next step to go on to the next location. He stepped out from around the building and began to look about, hoping they didn't go too far… but as soon as he found Claire walking towards him, her hands rubbing up and down her arms as if she were cold and was trying to warm herself up, he felt himself freeze.

She didn't notice him at first until she almost ended up walking right into him. She finally raised her head as the two of them shared a long look.

"Are… are you feeling better?" he asked softly.

There was no need to ask what he meant. They were both clearly thinking about what happened earlier.

*Flashback*

They promised to talk after they returned from the Greatwood. But with how tired she looked, he didn't dare bring it up—deciding to wait until she got some rest before they could have that talk. But then the attack on Lakeland came… and now here they were and they still were postponing their discussion!

Well, he was finally working up the courage to tell her what he wanted—nay, needed to say—and he was afraid that if he waited any longer he would lose the nerve to do so. So he came down the hallway of the pendants, his eyes fixed on the room near the very end. It was late enough in the morning that he didn't need to worry accidently waking her up—at least he hoped not.

His mind was so focused on what he was going to say, an entire speech in his head, that without even thinking about knocking, he entered. Only for his mind to be completely wiped clean when he stepped inside.

A water jug came flying out of nowhere and almost ended up hitting him as it flew past his head—he heard the wind rushing by before it hit the wall behind him with a loud BANG!

"Seven hells!"

Claire was leaned heavily against the table and her eyes were wide with shock when she realized that he had come in and that she almost ended up slamming a jug at him.

"W-What are… you…?" she gasped, her whole body trembling before she dropped to her knees and before he fully registered what was going on she began to have a full coughing fit. She was on all fours as she coughed and coughed, barely able to draw in air.

The sight was enough to snap him out of it as he flung himself to her side bent down lower over her as she coughed violently. A few drops of blood spilling from her mouth and sprinkled upon the floor.

His first thought was to get help, but he didn't want to leave her on her own if she could not breathe! He just pulled her up into his arms and held onto her as she continued coughing over and over into her hands and he ran his fingers through her hair as he offered words of comfort.

After several tense minutes, her coughing slowly eased up and she started to take shaky breaths—more like wheezes—and she all but collapsed next to him, her head in his lap.

"Are… are you alright?" he asked in a shaky voice when her breathing returned to normal.

"I had something in my throat," she panted, though he knew she was lying from the blood that was smeared on her lips. It was then that he final noticed that there was a knife impaled into her arm and he gasped, having not noticed that.

"You're bleeding! What happened?!" he yelled as he went to work on healing her arm once he pulled the knife out. What was going on with her? Did she intentionally harm herself?

"I was clearing up the table when I suddenly couldn't breathe," she replied dully as he helped her to sit up from where they knelt on the floor. It was only then, when his hands felt the flesh of her shoulders did he realize that she was dressed only in a hempen camsie and pair of pantalettes… leaving precious little to the imagination with how tightly they hugged her body.

Once this fact sank in, he gulped nervously before his eyes spotted the blanket on the bed and went to fetch it. He gently placed it around her shoulders as she breathed in short, horrid gasps. She did not say anything as she hugged the blanket around her and he went back to treating her arm and demanding to know how a dinner knife ended up in her arm if she didn't stab herself.

"When I realized that I wasn't getting air I tried to grab my throat and I was throwing things around?" she offered, "I don't remember much more than that before I tried to cough up my lung. I guess…?"

She trailed off and he wasn't sure if she really meant it as an accident or not… he did believe that she was in a lot of pain though. The blood of the floor was testament to that.

"If you aren't well, I'm sure if we explain to the others then we can wait a little while before…?" she shook her head and was now refusing to listen to his words about waiting.

She tried to put on a brave front but he could see it clearly now.

She was completely burnt out.

He wanted to sit beside her and give her some comfort, he didn't know how to do that. Showing affection towards someone was something that he still struggling with. He grew up in a household that had always been very proper and so it was expected of him to reflect that. He looked around to try and figure out what he could do… when he spotted the stove and he was suddenly hit with inspiration.

It was the one thing that he knew always seemed to cheer her up.

"Do you want me to make you something to drink?" he asked, "I think you could use it?"

She just nodded, but he could see how her eyes were glittering with unshed, exhausted tears. He couldn't bear looking at them and quickly got up to make some hot chocolate. He didn't know what to say to what he just witnessed. She swears that it was an accident but he found it hard to believe that her falling could ram the knife into her arm like that…?

Had she been in so much pain before that she didn't even notice if she hurt herself?

He knew that she hadn't been acting like herself recently, but he just assumed that she was tired. Had she been hiding it from him? He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and her half white hair gave her the impression that she had aged considerably in the last few weeks.

Between everything that was happening he knew that she wasn't taking care of herself properly. Now that he thought of it, when was the last time she ate something? He could see the way her collarbones were beginning to stick out. And when he tried to heal her arm, though it had been closed, there was something strange about the aether in her blood… almost as if her body was lacking in what it needed to heal her wounds.

The worse part though were her bloodshot eyes and the trembling… and he could not help but painfully realize that she was not thinking about herself here… like she never did. He used to be able to see through the parts of the walls she put up around herself—he was given glimpses through the shield that separated her from everyone else… but now she was blocking it all from everyone… even him.

She was holding it all inside and was suffering for it.

This whole journey to slay the Lightwardens was pushing her in such a way that he never thought possible. She always seemed so strong and indestructible. But now he could see just what a toll this was taking on her.

"How are you feeling Claire?" Alphinaud asked after a few minutes of working on the hot chocolate, "And please don't lie. How are you really feeling?"

"Terrible," she sighed and she rubbed her temples as he brought the two mugs over to the table and sat opposite of her. He tried not to look at her too much because he could not help but notice… he could see her skin and how it was adorned with scars—both old and new, large and small—results of countless battles that she had faced. But that only added to the beauty he was staring at. Despite the seriousness of the situation and what he had just seen… he could not help himself and think just how beautiful she was.

Which was what hurt him all the more to see her suffering so.

She slowly raised her eyes and gazed at him before resting her forearms on the table, still clutching the drink between her hands.

"Please," he said, "Let me help if you aren't feeling well."

He was willing to drag her off to the healers if he had to but she just shook her head, merely telling him that anything she had wasn't going to be cured by them. He was demanding an answer as she explained that the reason that she had been in agony a moment ago was because of the light inside her. He blinked, confused at that, asking what she meant and that was when she told him all that she knew.

That the Light from the wardens wasn't destroyed… but it had to go somewhere. It was now all trapped inside her body and that was what was causing her tiredness lately. But today was the first time that she every felt true pain from it.

"I guess… with all that has been happening and the stress that we're under, I let my guard down for a moment here while I was changing," she confessed grimly. She then seemed to realize her state of dress and wrapped the blanket around her a little more tightly so that he could no longer see anything below her neck.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered in embarrassment.

"N-No, don't be," he stuttered, now fully embarrassed as well, "I'm only glad that you're alright. But… I still don't understand what…?"

"In truth, I do not know full well what is going on either," she confessed grimly, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I feel that there is so much more happening here than I rightfully understand. And I hate that feeling."

He looked down, wondering how he could respond to that. How could he help her? Why was he so useless here?

That was when he felt her hand upon his cheek again and slowly looked up as she stared directly into his eyes. He felt her gently stroking her thumb along his cheekbone as he leaned his head into her palm, savoring her touch.

"Please…" he whispered, "Tell me how to help you. How do I support you? What can I do to take away your pain?"

She looked long and hard at him before she leaned in and he welcomed her lips against his own only too willingly. Even as he felt his own will crack and shatter as he silent wept for the pain she must be in.

*End of Flashback*

He had remained until he was sure that she had recovered enough to finish getting changed and he went outside to think. But what he saw was hard to erase from his mind.

He looked long and hard at her… having barely been able to look her in the eyes since then. He so badly wanted to ask for advice and came close to revealing what happened to Y'shtola and his sister earlier, but they quickly jumped to a much more comical outcome and he chickened out as they pressed for information.

"I'm sorry that you had to see me in such a way," she sighed, her cheeks stained red, "I was just… I… I don't even know how to explain it. Only that I wasn't myself."

"But are you alright?" he asked a little more urgently as she removed part of her armor to reveal the wounded arm and saw that the mark had already mostly healed and left only a faint line in her skin.

"Better than before," she reassured him, "I only hope that you didn't think that I intentionally hurt myself in the process."

"No, I don't think that you're that type of person," he sighed before blushing as he remembered the image of her nightclothes.

She raised her eyebrows at him suddenly at his blush and she seemed to guess what he was thinking, and warned, "I better not find any drawings from what you saw this morning by the way."

He let out a shaky laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'll tell Y'shtola or Urianger when we're done here, what happened," she promised him, "But we need to focus on slaying the Lightwarden for now."

He nodded, not happy, but he did understand her eagerness to continue on. That was when she asked a surprising question that took him completely aback.

"Did you see them?" she asked and he froze at the question as she rolled her eyes and added, "I meant my scars?"

"Oh," he gulped, sounding relieved for a moment, "Ah... yes, I did."

At least, he was being honest.

She shook her head.

"I hope that I didn't scare you with them either. I don't like showing them," she told him quietly. "They all bring back bad memories."

"No! I mean, don't feel bad. What I'm trying to say is, I thought that they were… beautiful," he confessed and she looked up in surprise at that. But he meant every word. For when he saw those marks on her skin, he could only think of how war heroes often have medals as symbols of their bravery… her scars were no different from that.

He only thought that they made her even more beautiful, if that was possible.

"Just… promise me that you won't overdue it until you're feeling better," he pleaded with her, "I don't think that you should be up and moving right now if you aren't yourself?"

He still didn't think she was being completely honest with him but trying to force her to tell him was just going to push her even farther away. He was trying to get through her defenses, not try to push her into building them even higher. He would wait until later to confront her and hope that she would be more willing to listen.

They were running out of time for the First and they needed to hurry to slay the Lightwardens.

"I promise," she finally said, "But only if you promise me one thing."

"O-Oh course, what?" he asked as she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, causing warmth to spread through his whole body the moment her lips touched him.

"No matter what happens to me, promise me that you won't ever turn to the bottle to try and cope with it," she said.

He looked on in bafflement as she smiled tiredly and she confessed, "I recently met someone who sought to drown himself in alcohol to forget the pain he was in," she reasoned. "Promise me that you won't go down that path."

He was confused at that as she just smiled tiredly, but she did promise that when this was over, she would speak with the Exarch or someone on what could be done about her condition. So with that in mind, he did let the matter go, merely taking her hand as they walked back to the others. Not even paying attention to how some of them seemed to giggle at seeing their joined hands.

*Claire*

Once everyone had rested up, they set off onwards the west and through the remains of the mining town before coming out towards the edge of an enormous hole in the ground. It was surrounded on all sides by stone walkways built up in multiple layers with a giant crane right above their heads.

"It was said that the queen of Nabaath Areng commanded this well be built in the memory of her beloved," Y'shtola commented, "And up until the Flood, it was a place of respite from the desert heat. The town we passed through worked in maintaining the crane for the water. But after the Flood and the onslaught of sin eaters they left for safer places."

"Can't blame them for that," Thancred reasoned as he looked to the wave of Light and knew that this had to be one of the first places to fall to the eaters.

"They call it Maliak's Well," Alisaie said.

"That's the largest well I've ever seen," Ryne pipped up innocently.

"Well, until a few years ago it was transformed into an excavation site by the miners of Amh Araeng before they were also forced to abandon it," Y'shtola informed them.

"So this was one great reservoir?" Alphinaud asked curiously as he looked over the edge cautiously.

"Yes, at least it used to be," Y'shtola confirmed, "Who knows what has become of it now?"

"That the walls should still bear so great a burden after countless years of neglect bespeaketh the surpassing skill of their architects," Urianger said admiringly.

"I didn't expect to see Talos wandering about—much less of their own accord," Thancred said, pointing to the wandering stone statues as they lumbered somewhat awkwardly, "How long must it have been since their creators' bones turned to dust?"

Ryne looked over the ledge carefully as if she was looking for something she dropped.

"The Warden is down there, I can feel it," she declared for them.

"You sure?" Alisaie asked and Ryne nodded, explaining that she could taste it's aether on the wind.

Alisaie seemed to have a new fire under her as she looked to Claire and said, "Let's put an end to this, Claire, and return the night sky to Amh Araeng. I can't help thinking about all the children at the Inn. Abandoned to wait for the inevitable. So long as the Light holds sway here, there is no hope for them. But if we defeat the Wardens, if we restore the night, then maybe… maybe they can still be saved."

She didn't think about that, but she suddenly felt a new reason to go down there and put an end to this. She thought of little Halric and all those other people... could it still be possible to save them? Well, she was willing to find out.

So they began to talk about how best to go about their trip below ground

So in the end, they were to go in two waves. Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Ryne all choose to go with her. Mostly because she suspected that Alphinaud still wished to keep watch over her and Alisaie was so full of fire no one could stop her. As for Ryne, she needed to go with them so that she could direct where they needed to go; and with Thancred still recovering, he would need Urianger to heal his wounds while Y'shtola was ready to battle any foes that the first wave missed.

So with their groups planned out they moved down the stairs.

"The Warden's presence feels… familiar somehow," Ryne said suddenly as they moved down further into the shade, taking relief from the glare above. Ryne was now commenting on what the aether of a sin eater felt like and she was suddenly trying to figure out what was so familiar of it since it was both very like but unlike smaller sin eaters.

"Now that I think about it, it reminds me of… but that makes no sense," she said, suddenly startled.

"What doesn't?" Alphinaud asked and she jumped slightly as if she had forgotten they were there.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm sure I'm just imagining things."

They were taken aback but they let the matter go as they stepped into the dark caverns of the well.

They entered a realm that was not unlike some of the temples that she had ventured in countless times before. It was both old and young compared to them though. Most of it was in good order so that they were able to make it through without fear of something collapsing on top of them.

She could make out broken crates and even moldy mugs that had been abandoned—as if the previous owners had used it up until a point but were forced to leave it behind in a hurry. They ended up coming across some creatures very quickly, bladebearers she thought their name was, as well as some wandering Talos that had been left to become 'feral' in the years without masters to command them.

If nothing else, the light was blocked out and brought much relief to her eyes. The glare was starting to get to her again, and she was grateful for the chance to relax her sight and focus without worry of being blinded from the light that bounced off her blade. They made their way through a gate at the back, stepping across the tracks as they found the tracks below that led deeper. This was starting to quickly seem more a mine than a temple.

Most of the tunnels were closed off by thick gates, but Ryne was quickly able to point out which way they needed to go, pointing ever downwards as they left the temple-like area behind them and entered the mining part properly.

"It looks like we can descend from here," Alisaie said as she pointed up to the some enchanted lanterns that cast a faint light about them to guide the way. At least, Claire assumed they were enchanted since she could not see how they could still be burning after all this time unless the Talos were changing them as part of some function?

They headed down to an area that led back to the open pit and she could see that they were walking along the deeper layers of the hole for she could see the light shining but left them in the shade. That was when in the wide room they came across what looked like a giant armadillo waiting for them.

She supposed that they should just be glad that it was a wild beast and not a sin eater that was waiting for them. Still, it was big, had claws, and it certainly didn't like being disturbed. It was causing the ceiling to cave in from above and giant boulders to fall before waving its spike-like tail around so that she was hit hard and shot back. Though large, it was undoubtedly agile and could move deadly with its claws in the front… as well as having its friends to call upon and they were fighting off an army of the armadillos before they were able to kill the damn thing.

Feeling slightly bad with the idea that they killed it while it was just defending its home, they moved onwards, still finding no trace of the sin eaters, but Ryne said that it felt like they were much deeper.

After moving through a few rooms with nothing but some minor creatures stalking the halls, they found another open doorway that led them outside again.

"I doubt that the Lightwarden will be hiding up on these upper levels," Alphinaud stated as they headed down the stairs and found themselves clinging to the wall as they followed the tracks until they broken off and left them to jump down to the next level.

There were even more broken Talos around them and when she looked deeper she could see there the cable for the crane above could reach and into a large pool of water complete with a waterfall directly below them. It seemed that it was protected mostly from the light with how deep it was and she wanted to be able to tell the people of the settlements nearby that there was water ier. Maybe someday they could reopen this place—or even better—with all this water they could use this to start rebuilding the cities.

Of course, they would have to take care of everything down here first… just another reason to put a stop to the warden.

"Hopefully this tunnel continues onward," Alisaie panted as they stepped back into more of a cave-like system that was carved out rather than built like the first half. Still following the broken tracks, until they came to more creatures who relish the dark and the damp like giant slimy custards and Phoebads. As they approached the track going onwards, the wooden blockade fell away and Ryne pointed downwards that was where they needed to go.

They were able to leap down and landed painfully at the bottom and Claire looked around to see giant wooden buckets the size of bathtubs scattered in this most bottom level. They must be near that pool that she saw before… in fact, she could hear the faint dripping of the falls and the smell of cool water.

They could just make out a few tiny rays of light from the hole directly above them… revealing how deep they must have gone. However, it was at the end of the next corridor was something very strange waiting for them. It was a Talos… with buckets on its head, hands and feet?

"Are those… buckets…?" Alisaie asked slowly as the massive creature creaked and cracked as it moved, noticing them.

"Yes…" Alphinaud said as if he was not sure if he should answer or not, or at least doubted his very eyes, "Yes, they are."

They ran up to face it as it began to wave its buckets around. The size of the buckets now made sense as they rushed at it. It must have been made to carry buckets of water or fill them up so that the crane could lift it out. Its job must be to guard the pool in case any creatures try to lay claim to it—which was why it was now attacking them. It slammed its fist on the ground and caused geysers of water to rush up before its chest opened up and revealed even more buckets before knocking them back with bursts of water.

It spun around in a circle, getting anyone it could hit with its water jects as it swung its massive hands around at them. Thankfully, it was just a stone statue and could not think up plans to fight them outside what it was created for and so they were able to get around its blasts of water and watched it crumble and break apart into dust.

They paused only long enough to drink their fill of water, which was both sweet and refreshing, before continuing on.

"I think I now understand Alphinaud's aversion to water," Alisaie said, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand as she continued on, dancing out of the way as her brother took a swipe at her.

"Not. Another. Word…" he threatened and she laughed.

They had to be pretty deep by now; which Ryne confirmed this by telling them that they were right on top of the source of the Light she sensed.

"Maybe one more level below us?" she said carefully as they headed to the next doorway, "Either way, it's very close now."

They came to a wall of dead crystal, drained of all energy, and that was when they spotted them… sin eaters. They were in the forms of giant scorpions and even one in a giant sprite form as they fluttered around the waterfall. After killing the last sin eater, they were able to break their way through the dead crystal attached to the wall and into an area that had clearly been used for mining. There were old mining equipment scattered about them but everything was coated with thick dead crystal and crystalline dust.

"These crystals are devoid of aether…" Alphinaud said as he bent down to pick up a piece and examine it with a critical eye.

Possibly drained from the Lightwarden since it would be hard for its servants to bring it food and supply its hunger for aether. Which means that they must be getting close by now.

They headed past giant piles of rocks before they began to glow and she sensed enough to know what was coming.

"Gods, is nothing safe from the sin eaters' corruption?" Alisaie groaned out as the boulders rose up into golems and reached out hungrily towards them. They killed them all and the fighting caused the crystals from a nearby tube to fall over and crash, creating a convenient bridge for them.

"We're right on top of it," Ryne warned as they reached the other side.

But this time, Claire didn't need Ryne to tell her. She could feel its light and how the light inside her seemed to rise up like a beast sniffing the air hopefully for an easy meal… it was just ahead.

They came to a wide open room and they looked down to see it. That had to be it. But even by sin eater standards… this was a very strange design for it. It looked like a large golden coin or a shield floating there with countless wings of feathers flying about it. The wings flew about it as they formed different shapes until they came together to take on the image of a celestial figure wearing a dress of feathers and golden mask.

It was certainly different, she could give it that.

Claire glared up at it with dread, knowing that even if they killed it, it was still going to be her who dealt with the aftermath. Still, she took a deep breath and walked forward; they braced themselves for the fight as it seemed to hover there peacefully and it was Alisaie who followed directly behind her.

"This is for you, Tesleen," Alisaie vowed.

Claire drew its attention upon her as it began to slash its razer-sharp wings at her. The wings then moved up and she could see a pyramid of light before the corner shot out flashes. She called in warning to the others and they moved out of the way as beams of light like lasers scorched the ground.

Claire took command and shouted out warnings and to the others on when to move and what was coming as the wings spun about this way and that. It was a struggle to try and keep an eye on its attack while all around her she saw only feathers. Trying to keep up with its many different attacks was hard, but she knew that if she could just find the heart… or maybe in this case the brain…? Ah… that's it! The wings were protecting the golden mask! All she had to do was get to that and she should be able to kill it then!

Of course, easier said than done. The thing was that the wings were protecting it so that when she slashed at it, she got only the sharpened feathers.

If she could only deal the wings with heavy enough damage…?

She then yelled for Alisaie to perform an attack that could at least stun the wings long enough to get her close in. Alisaie did what she asked without missing a beat and knocked the most of the wings in one go. Alphinaud and Ryne then ran in to get the attention of the other wings and left the mask relatively unguarded.

She had her opening and Claire rammed her blade right through the golden face. She knew even before it hit the ground that it was over. It let out a loud bell like sound before it collapsed… nothing more than a broken pile of wings and face.

She stood there with the others, the rest of her friends having caught up, and watched as it dissolved into droplets of light. Now that the battle was over she felt genuine fear settle in this time for she knew what was coming.

It took every ounce of self-control she had not to turn and run for it. This was going to hurt, that much she was sure of. Feeling like she was about to cry, she could only watch as the light slowly formed into that familiar ball and rose up. She could feel the light already inside her fighting—as if sensing it was about to grow.

She beat it down as she braced for the worse.

The light flew straight at her as if a starving beast having spotted food.

Oh, how it hurt!

It was as if fire was burning her veins and made it hard to even stand up. It was anguish and it was all that she could do to force herself to remain upright as she bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from screaming.

She expected it once again when the song continued to play inside her head. Whose voice it was, she still did not know, but it was loud enough to make her head feel as if someone hit her over the head with a hammer:

Home
Riding home
Dying hope
Hold onto hope... Ohhh...
Home
Riding home
Home, riding home
Hope, finding hope... Ohhh...

One brings shadow, one brings light
One more chapter we've yet to write
Want for nothing, nothing denied
Wand'ring ended, futures aligned

She focused on the sound though as the light settled inside like a cat curling up before nestling down in her basket and going to sleep. The light sank into her skin and she thought it was over. But then she heard a loud cracking noise that echoed in her mind that blocked out the singing as agony ripped across her chest and throughout her body. She couldn't fight it as she let out a startled gasp and staggered forward, almost blacking out.

She breathed through it all until the pain—or at least most of it—faded. She just turned to the others and forced another smile despite desiring just to curl up and cry from how badly it hurt.

It seemed that she was able to fool them… well… some of them.

*Urianger*

The journey down here went as well as they could have hoped for.

Ryne's senses were true and unwavering as they descended through the remnants of the past. Ryne was able to guide them through the tunnels ever deeper until they stood here triumphant in their victory.

At first glance.

The others were celebrating their victory, not realizing how Claire was in no mood to celebrate. Her movements, until that point, had been precise and deadly as she took the full blunt of their foes. But now she trembled slightly where she stood.

The moment that they slew the Lightwarden and it was nothing more than a pile of feathered wings and she stepped forward to take in the light once more, he had been watching in terror. He watched as the Light joined with her aether until it pulsed out violently and she staggered as if about to collapse.

He made to run forward, terrified that it was too much beyond even her, but after several painful-sounding gasps, she managed to force the light down.

She turned to the others and forced a smile that did not match her eyes. She was in pain. He could see that even without looking at the overall effect that this journey has had on her. She was deathly pale and once the light had faded, he saw how even more of her pink hair had turned white. She had only a few pink locks left while the rest of it was as white as snow.

The dark shadows under her eyes became even more pronounced. Indeed, if the joy that the lightwarden's death weren't there, he was certain that the others would be panicking by now. Though, he knew that shouldn't be long before they noticed. But Claire didn't say a word about how she was feeling. Indeed, she looked like she might be sick if she did say anything. After they climbed their way out of the pit, she just excused herself. With Thancred and Y'shtola helping the others out, he went on ahead, vaguely suggesting that he would just do a quick survey of the area and ensure that no other remaining eaters were about them. But in truth, he wished to ask how Claire was doing.

He found her back in the area that was full of water and he found that she had thrown up all that was in her stomach before rushing off to clean herself off in the water.

He quickly dashed to her side and crouched down next to her as he rubbed her back in a soothing way as she coughed.

"Damn it…" she hissed, and her breaths came out in painful wheezes as if she was struggling just to fill her lungs with air, while her body shook violently, "I feel like…?"

"Here," he said as he reached for the pouch at his side and he pulled out a bottle to hand to her. She looked at it wearily as he explained, "I hath been working on such a concoction to aid thee with thine headaches. This may help?"

In truth, it was a potion that he had come up with the Exarch after he told him of Claire's condition. Thanks to the knowledge inside the Tower, they were able to come up with a potion that would help… or at least to just numb the pain.

She looked like she was going to refuse, but after some gentle coaxing, she relented and swallowed the contents of the bottle in two gulps. He continued to rub her back in a soothing way as she focused on breathing until it eased up.

"Dost thou feel any relief?" he asked worriedly.

"A little," she confessed. "My body feels numb. But in a good way."

"Please be aware that this sickness you have is not healed," he reminded her as he stood up and offered his hand to help her up. "But it will help to ease thy suffering."

Stubbornly, she shook her head at the offered hand and turned back to the water and filled up her own water pouch.

"I have made several bottles," he reassured her, as she quickly drained the full pouch, as if she were dying of thirst, "If though art willing, I will be more than gladdened to aid thee by making more."

"Maybe," she offered, giving him an exhausted smile, "Thank you. I think I'll be ok. But I don't think that I'll be up to doing much fighting on the way back."

But he nodded in full understanding.

"Come," he said bracingly, "Let us return to the Crystarium and rest."

The others caught up to them right after that, with Alisaie was excitedly talking about the inn and saying she only wished to have seen the looks on their faces when they saw the night sky, which she was sure must be what was waiting for them now. Urianger did his best to smile at Mistress Alisaie's joy, but he could not help but worry. Claire was taking her time at the water's edge as she drank and drank but it was like no matter how much water she took in it wasn't enough to quench whatever thirst had taken her.

When Ryne noticed this, asking if she was feeling aright, Claire just wiped her mouth and forced another smile before saying that she was just feeling tired and was looking forward to leaving the desert behind them.

The others, save for Y'shtola, who was glaring at him out of the corner of her eyes, and an anxious Ryne, nodded in agreement and headed towards the exit as Master Alphinaud seemed to hover over their friend.

The rest of the way out was mostly silent as they began to difficult climb straight out until they were able to use the crane rope to scale directly out of the pit and were welcomed back with a darkened desert with a scattering of stars over their heads.

It looked almost completely unrecognizable under the night sky. But it was also strangely beautiful at the same time. At least, Mistress Alisaie thought so.

"At last," Alisaie said, coming to stand beside them. "Night has returned to Amh Araeng." She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply, fighting back tears. "We'll save this broken world yet, Tesleen. You see if we don't."

Urianger wasn't sure who this 'Tesleen' was, but before he could ask, Master Alphinaud suddenly pointed off to the distance to where they spotted a couple of the Eulmoran airships having leady taken off and were drifting across the dark sky, their balloons blocking out the stars in certain places.

"No doubt retreating in the wake of the Warden's demise," master Alphinaud said, a note of irritation in his voice.

"Back to Kholusia," Y'shtola said, speaking for the first time since defeating the Lightwarden. "The last refuge of Light."

"Home to our dear Lord Vauthry," Thancred sneered at the name. "Who will no doubt do everything in his power to thwart us?"

"As well he should," Alphinaud said, his face the picture of resolve-something that he recognized countless times in his grandsire's own face, as he declared, "For defeat there would spell the end for both him and his heavenly host. There, the fate of this star shall be decided."

Despite the weariness they all felt and the lateness of the hour, Urianger could not help but smile proudly at how confident he sounded. It seemed that their adventure here had done him a world of good... as did his sister.

"When all of this is over, it would mean a lot to me if we could go and visit Tesleen's grave together," Mistress Alisaie said and, once again, he was struck by how affectionate that the younger woman was with their Warrior of darkness as she took her hand, "I have such a lot to tell her."

Claire nodded in agreement to that as Alisaie beamed at her. As they were preparing to head out though, he noticed how Claire's expression faded to one of an aged pain as if she had just aged to a much older woman.

But it seemed that someone was paying closer attention than she thought for Ryne came up to her.

He kept his head down as he helped finished packing up what little items that they had as he listened in carefully.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ryne asked with a rather apprehensive tone, "After you defeated the Lightwarden, I could swear I saw its aether-"

Ah, so she could see it now. Just what he didn't need to make this even more complicated.

"Saw what...?" Claire asked and he could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

"Uh… never mind," Ryne said carefully now changing the subject as she decided, "I'm still getting used to my powers. It's probably nothing. I'm just relieved I was right about where the Warden was hiding. The last one is hiding in Kholusia, isn't it? I can't feel it from here, believe it or not…"

She then went on to say that she may be better able to track it once she was close enough but they should be heading back to the Crystarium for some rest in the meantime; something that they all agreed with. He sighed, wondering if he could possibly make it through these next few days alive with how angry Y'shtola was continuing to grow with him.

The walk back was long but thankfully peaceful with the creatures lurking the road bolting from the dark sky.

But the whole way back, he kept a close watch on Claire out of the corner of his eyes. She was silent and her paleness in this darkness so that she seemed to stand out sharply.

Soon enough the others noticed her complexion and lack of involvement with their conversations—not that she ever joined in much before—but to which she just firmly shook her head and he feared that she was fighting the urge to be sick again.

He did his best to distract them with his lectures, for once grateful that they seemed to be enough to direct the attention.

Well, almost... Y'shtola was burning holes into the back of his head and he felt a strange shiver pass over him whenever she did speak to him—which was usually short and brisk—as if she didn't want to waste more time than she had to on him.

And he couldn't help but flinch slightly whenever she passed by as well—something that Thancred quickly noticed and was watching with suspicious eyes.

Thankfully, they made it back to the Crystarium just as the first few rays of sunlight began to touch the otherwise darkened sky—revealing dark shades of purples and blue amidst the black.

He let out a shaky breath of relief as they came up to the gates.

Claire quickly excused herself to the markets so that she could leave her possessions in Feo Ul's care and she would catch up to them in front of the tower.

They let her go off as they approached the tower, and he was looking forward to informing the Exarch everything.

But then Y'shtola suddenly stopped and held out her arm, saying that she and Ryne would catch up, but they just had something they needed to discuss with Claire first.

About what?" Master Alphinaud asked in surprise as Mistress Alisaie went on ahead, now walking with a new spring in her step.

"Just girl talk," Y'shtola insisted, "We won't be long. You get going and inform the Exarch all that happened."

The others were too tired to try and fight with her, and so they went on. But Y'shtola saved her glare directly for him and he knew that he would be in for a telling off later. He could only hope that his excuses that he had been pondering over for the last few weeks would be enough to appease her for the time being.

*Claire*

Gods, was everything always so loud?

Listening to the others talk the whole way back was enough to make her head feel like it was ringing again thanks to her skull crushing headache. She did not say a word the entire trip back and had to bite down on her tongue more than once to keep herself from crying.

She had made up some excuse to get away from the others so that she could take another one of those potions that Urianger gave her—for while she normally wasn't one for it she was desperate to numb the pain for a while.

She rested upon the stairs for a moment and caught her breath before heading back to the tower. To her surprise however, she found Y'shtola and Ryne waiting for her.

She approached, looking from one to the other in polite confusion.

"Y'shtola said she needed to speak with us," Ryne explained, "It sounded rather urgent."

"About what?" she asked, taken aback by how raspy her voice had become.

"The others are with the Exarch," Y'shtola reassured her with a wave of her hand, "Before we join them, there is something I wish to confirm."

She took a step forward and observed Claire for a moment before she looked to Ryne and asked much more business like tone, asking, "Tell me, Ryne—have you noticed anything peculiar about Claire's appearance of late? Anything at all? Speak freely. She won't mind."

Well, how nice that they still acted like her own opinions mattered. Her thoughts were strangely bitter right now.

"Well… since Minfilia bequeathed her power to me, I've been able to see the Light inside her… though I didn't think anything of it at first," Ryne confessed carefully, "But after we defeated the Warden in Amh Araeng, I realized something was wrong." She looked to Claire and confessed, "You've absorbed its aether, Claire. And the light within you has grown monstrous."

What did that mean? She knew that they mentioned this before back in the Greatwood, but she wasn't so sure just what it could mean... that or the Light was making her thoughts clouded right now—either way it wouldn't surprise her.

"Then it is as I suspected," Y'shtola sighed before asking Claire, "How are you feeling?"

Claire was about to reassure them that she was fine—when it struck again. It was as if something inside her punch her… her head felt like it was about to split in two and she heard that awful cracking noise in her ears again—like ice breaking apart… her vision blurred and she saw faint light around the edges. But it wasn't enough to block out the two concerned expressions that were now staring at her. She didn't know how she must look, but she could see their eyes widened in horror and Y'shtola looked ready to step out and catch her should she fall.

She could see Y'shtola speaking, but she couldn't really hear what she saying as she rode out the pain. She gritted her teeth and gave her head a shake as the worst of the pain faded away.

She took several deep breaths and knew she couldn't hide it anymore.

"No…" she confessed, not bothering to hide the slight whimper in her tone, "I don't feel well at all. I feel as if I'm breaking apart on the inside. The Light wants out."

Y'shtola brow furrowed in concern.

"If naught is done, this will only get worse," she said before looking immediately to Ryne and asked, "Ryne—with the power of the Oracle, you have gained some measure of control over Light, have you not? Is there anything you can do for her?"

Ryne looked a little frightened at the question and could only shrug helplessly.

"Extinguishing it is out of the question," she confessed, "Even at her strongest, Minfilia could only hold back the Light. I might be able to suppress it… but I don't know for how long."

"Then we have no choice but to rely on Urianger and his secrets," Y'shtola sighed with a shake of her head as if she suspected that no good can come from this.

"If the next battle is to be the last, you may yet be able to play your part. But you will need all of your strength," she finished to Claire with a slightly scolding tone, "I will discuss strategy with the others and see that everything is made ready for our departure. You are to return to your chambers and rest until then. Understood?"

Claire did not appreciate being told to go to bed despite her body screaming at her to do so.

"I'll be fine," she said, "Let me help."

"This is not the time for false bravado," Y'shtola snapped back harshly, "Should your condition worsen, it could have dire consequences for us all."

Claire glared back, completely baffled by this sudden surge of anger.

But perhaps Y'shtola noticed this as her strict face suddenly took on a gentle expression and Claire suddenly felt horrible for making them worry.

"Now please, return to your chambers and rest," Y'shtola said, now more of a request than a demand.

Claire briefly entertained the idea of refusing to do so and push her luck, but she could see that she was not going to win this fight and in the end, she agreed.

"Yes, mother…" she said, unable to stop herself.

It seemed to have worked in cheering her up as well as Y'shtola.

"Hah. None of that cheek, or I will take you across my knee," she said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Now off with you to the Pendants. We will call for you when the time comes."

Claire held up her hands in defeat and was about to turn when Ryne called, "Oh, here, I think that this is yours."

Claire glanced back to see Ryne had pulled out an envelope that bore her name and explained that she had found it on the ground after they climbed out of the pit and she thought that it was hers.

Claire looked over it wearily at first, promising to look over it when she got back to her room and thanked her before she headed off towards the Pendants, tucking the letter—that no one knew had slipped out from the pages of Alphinaud's journal earlier—into her pocket.

…

"Is everything all right, miss?" the manager asked in concern as he checked her in, "You don't seem quite yourself. Perhaps a hot meal and a freshly made bed will improve matters. Your room is ready, if you'd care to retire?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes…" she said, her mind having trouble focusing right now. She thanked him as he gave her a bow before she headed longingly to her room. She was dragging her feet along after her, the world seemingly spinning around her as the hallway seemed to stretch on endlessly.

It was with relief that she made it to her room and entered, stopping dead at what she found waiting for her.

There he was.

Ardbert was standing there staring out at the night sky, his back to her. But he must have heard her returning.

She hadn't realized just how much she had missed his presence. Perhaps if she didn't feel so miserable she would have been asking herself where he had been before now. She took a deep breath and did her best to put on a cheerful face, hoping that the news that another Lightwarden slain and night returning would cheer him up.

"So this is where you've been hiding," she said as she stepped forward.

He turned around to look at her, his eyes immediately travelling over her sorry-looking state. It looked as if he had been lost in thought for hours when she interrupted him—and knowing him—he probably had been.

"Sometimes the dead would rather not be disturbed," he said grimly, "But enough about me—what of Amh Araeng?"

She had felt lightheaded up to that point and she left her bag on the floor and set the letter Ryne had given her on the table before sitting down and telling him everything that happened. He didn't say a word the entire time as she told him everything she could remember… including the vision she had of him and the others.

He nodded at that.

"Aye, that's exactly what happened," he confessed as she paused to draw breath. "I was there with them, ready to offer myself to make up for our mistakes. But then… for some reason she stopped me. I don't know why I didn't go on ahead and do it anyway, but it was like she just knew something that I didn't. But the worst part is that she didn't even explain why. Just some vague nonsense. I mean… me? Give the people hope? After all that? Granted I don't know if my sacrifice would have made any difference…?"

He shook his head bitterly as she gazed on sadly. He took a minute to compose himself before asking her to continue. She then told him of meeting with Minfilia and of this Minfilia—of Ryne's—choice before they were able to track down the next Lightwarden.

When she finished, he folded his arms and looked to the floor.

"I see," he said, "Minfilia's gone, then."

His face then took on a rather rueful smile as he added, "Which means the reason I must suffer this purgatory shall forever remain a mystery."

That was what baffled her. Why did Minfilia stop him? She didn't know. But she did agree with what he said before. Minfilia knew something but she had a feeling that even if she did ask she would…?

Just then another round of pain shot out through her entire body. She let out a startled gasp as she felt the light inside her rearing up in defiance, as if trying desperately to break free from her body. She writhed in her seat, unable to even scream as light clouded her vision. But she could still see Ardbert turn to look at her and his hopeless expression faded to one of concern.

"What's the matter?" he asked, his voice echoing in her ears as if hearing him from far away, "Are you all right?"

She couldn't speak and just fell to the floor in agony as she shook and trembled much like what happened when she was last here. She rasped for air as Ardbert crouched down in front of her, looking at her with worry. What happened next, was unclear since she—herself—was so clouded with light. Only that he had reached out to try and touch her… and the moment that he did she felt something warm and bright flower through her… another light covered her eyes, but different from the light that was inside her. She could not explain, even to herself, what that was about.

It was both something familiar and foreign at the same time. Something that she had experienced both a million times before and just for the first time now. Something that hurt but felt wonderfully bliss like a heavy weight in her head but making her heart feel light. The feeling didn't soothe her body but it soothed… something else… something deep inside that was firmly rooted into the very core of who she was.

But almost at once it faded when Ardbert let out a hiss and pulled away as if he had been burned.

As soon as that light faded from her view… miraculously, almost all of her pain faded as well.

Her breath was back as the pain in her head faded to a minor annoyance and her vision returned to normal. She still felt sick to her stomach as if she had just swallowed a loaf of Mushloaf but the worst was now gone. She looked up from where she knelt on the floor as Ardbert stared at his hand as if expecting some else's to be stitched on at the end of his wrist.

"What… what just happened?" he gasped as she slowly was able to get back to her feet.

She didn't know… she couldn't think… but that was when Minfilia's last words came to her.

Her eyes widened when she realized that whatever she meant to say had to be involving this. She must have been talking about this. The reason Ardbert was still was because it had to do with her…

"There… there was something Minfilia said to me…" she whispered and relayed the words to him, as if hoping that he could glimpse some kind of enlightenment from it.

"Minfilia said my time had not yet come," he said slowly, doubtfully, "That I still had a role to play. Not even the most valiant heroes can stand alone…" In that moment a glimmer of hope did seem to appear in his eyes, but then it faded like blowing out a candle and he shook his head hard before replying stubbornly, "No—no, it couldn't be. There's only one hero in this room, and it is not me. I'm just a shadow, cursed to wander."

She frowned at him, hating how he belittled himself so.

"I don't believe you…" she whispered back.

Before anything else could be said though, there was a knock at her door. She turned to look, wondering who it was who could be knocking now; in half a mind to tell them to go away so that she could continue talking to her ghostly companion. But, of course, when she turned back to Ardbert he had already faded away.

Still, whatever passed between them had given her strength and made her feel better than she had in a long time and she went to answer the door.

She wasn't sure who she was expecting when she unlocked it, perhaps one of the twins there to ask how she was, what she did not expect was to see the Crystal Exarch standing there.

She blinked in surprise as he seemed unusually nervous to be there.

As soon as he saw her he seemed to have lost the ability to speak for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, "Forgive the intrusion, but Minfilia—that is, Ryne and the others were asking after you. Is everything all right?"

She wasn't sure why—perhaps due to some of the frustration she did feel—she vented about the pain that attacked mere moments ago. Well, what use was it to hide it? He must know by now. She was sure that Y'shtola and Ryne must have informed the others of her current 'condition'.

Though she couldn't see his face, she could tell just how close to panicking he was.

"That pain again?" he asked hurriedly, "And did it pass?"

She was surprised by his urgent reaction but seeing the concern in his face brought this strange warmth through her chest. She did not answer but she did smile, letting him know that she was feeling better, and that seemed to be enough for him to sigh in relief at the sight.

"Thank goodness for that," he said, "I would not wish to see you suffer." He paused there and his head looked down as he admitted, "Though I know only too well how much you have suffered on our behalf in recent days. Indeed, I have no right to impose upon you further. Nevertheless, I must ask one thing of you."

She wondered what this was about, as he seemed to struggle to put it into words what he was feeling.

"That you survive this, no matter what," he all but begged, "When the dust settles, you must return to your world. For the battles to come and the wars yet unwon."

She looked at him with a soft expression before he finished, "The final Lightwarden is all that stands between us and victory. There is still much we must do to prepare, but for now, I will see if there is aught that may remedy the strange affliction which plagues you."

She appreciated that. His words did help to sooth some of the fear she felt inside to know that there were those who cared so much. But she doubted that any concoction he or the others could come up could fix whatever was wrong with her. This light… it was killing her. She slowly came to understand that thought and she honestly didn't know what she was going to do after this. But she had come too far to stop now. She could only hold on for dear life and hope that this last Lightwarden's light didn't tear her apart any more than she already felt.

She had travelled all throughout this world, or what was left of it, and felt a true connection to it. She wasn't sure why that was. Only that she felt strangely at home here. Like she had travelled these lands herself at one point. Which was impossible, of course. But whatever the case, she knew that these people deserved to keep living and she wanted to see them set free from the light.

But he was waiting for an answer and she knew that she could not promise him anything. Instead, she just promised him the one thing she could keep and vowed, "I'll see it through."

"Of that I have no doubt," he smiled, his tone truly tender now, "Even if I had my pick of every reflection's heroes, I could not have asked for a finer champion."

It seemed that he wanted to say more, but he just smiled and said, "I'll not keep you from your rest any longer. Take as much time as you like."

He gave a polite bow as he backed away from the door. Claire walked through the door and into the hallway so that she could watch him leave.

"When the Warden is dead, will your work finally be done?" she asked and he paused there for a moment before looking back at her.

"Yes, I believe it will," he reassured her gently, "Once the tyranny of light is ended, the people of the Crystarium will be safe, and the future that must be shall come to pass."

He just smiled back and said, "Thank you for caring about me. But you need not worry for my well-being. You focus on yourself for now. If you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask us."

She nodded as he left without another word, leaving rather quickly after that.

She didn't say anything as she just watched him head down the hall. Once again, that overwhelming sensation of... familiarity hit her. Before when she met him it was slight, but now it felt like she was being hit in the head with a club... and she didn't know why. It was driving her crazy not being able to think back and remember what this nagging feeling was.

Why did he seem so familiar to her? There were still no shortage of questions and mysteries and most of them seemed to revolve around the Exarch. But seeing how much time and care he was putting into helping her… it convinced her once and for all that he truly did wish the best for her. He really did care for her wellbeing.

But who was he? Why did it feel like she knew him from somewhere long ago? Her instincts were telling her that she knew him but she could not, for the life of her, remember where.

If only she could see his face she may be able to have some answers.

She was ashamed to admit it, but once in while whenever she spoke to the Exarch, she found herself tilting her head slightly, instinctively trying to get a look at his face from beneath the hood.

Of course, he always seemed to notice this and tilted his head to prevent her from seeing anything. He was always so guarded despite his friendliness towards her. He held many secrets but one of the ones that he was the most protective about was what he truly looked like.

Whenever one of the others did the same trick, he did not pull it off with as vigilantly as he did whenever he was with her and she was all but certain of it... he did not wish for her to ever see his face.

She remembered the first time that they met—face to face—and how he smiled when he set eyes on her. The way that he talked when she asked him about the tower... it was almost as if... as if...?

Her eyes slowly widened as the thought played around inside her head.

No...?

"It can't be..." she whispered to herself before she quickly shut the door behind her and leaned up against it as she stared at the handle as if fascinated by it—though she wasn't truly seeing it anymore.

It couldn't be... yet...? Why did she think of him whenever he spoke to her? His voice was certainly different and he sounded much older and wiser than the trouble-maker she once knew... but...? Whenever he looked at her—it was the exact same way that he always looked at her?

Her mind was then cast back to the sandwiches that he left for her and another old memory came back to her of sharing sandwiches at the base of the Crystal Tower.

She shook her head.

No, that was impossible. He was still locked inside the tower back in the Source...?

But that wasn't the case, was it?

She immediately thought of the tower and went back to her journal... her first one... which was looking particularly woebegone now. She pulled it out from her bag as she took her seat at the table and began to search through the pages, turning them over in a hurry as she continued searching...?

Ah, here it was... the first time that they met:

While examining a large porcine carcass in Urth's Gift, you are addressed by an unseen observer who smugly declares that he has already collected the water-blessed ore that you came to find. Ostensibly on a whim, he then proposes a race to obtain a quantity of wind-aspected aethersand held by the Ixal. Hurray to the Ixal logging grounds in the North Shroud, and wrest the precious abrasive from the talons of the feathered beastmen.

She cracked a smile at that, realizing she never did give him a telling off for his 'prank' from before and turned over the pages fondly as she thought back to one of her favorite adventures of all time.

But as she reached the end, she paused at the last entry she made that day:

Now, to ensure the wish of the ancients comes true, the historian has decided to put the Crystal Tower once again into a long slumber. He leaves you with a task: build a bright future. His farewells fade with the closing of the Crystal Tower.

That's right... he sealed himself up in the tower... but then the tower was brought here from the future... according to the Exarch, anyway. But he also stated that he did not know G'raha's name when she brought it up to him.

Unless...? He had been lying about that. The only explanation that she could come up with is if the Exarch arrived here with the tower... but if that was the case... why would he hide it?

She wanted to ask, but she was terrified of knowing the truth... nor did she think she could handle it if she turned out to be wrong. Was it worth getting worked up about it now when they were so close to the end?

She had to know though. She knew that she would never be able to let this go and had to know. She would keep an eye on him and see if she can find him slip up at all before she would broach the subject with him.

She would focus her efforts on their task first and foremost. When this whole thing was over though... when they had time... she would approach him about it and ask. Hopefully, she will have the answers she needs by then. She just had to last a little longer.

She looked around, wishing that Ardbert was here so that she could ask him what he thought of all this, but it seemed that he was wishing to be alone for now.

"Sometimes the dead would rather not be disturbed" he had said.

She sighed sadly as she closed the book and got up from the table. She then noticed the letter where she had laid it down before, and made to reach for it when a horrible sickening feeling in her stomach began to act up just as pain struck her head.

She gritted her teeth, fighting the whimper as she left the letter on the table and staggered over to bed.

She had grown so used to pain and constant headaches that she didn't notice that there was something different about this incoming one. She just stumbled over to the bed, still in her armor, and collapsed upon it... out like a light in mere minutes as the air seemed to vibrate around her.

*Dream*

She was looking through the book for any kind of information that would help them. She knew that their time in this place was limited and they were already pushing their luck because of her. She had to hurry.

Thankfully, she had read through the book in record time, having finished all the notes that she could take before closing the book. She moved her hand to see the fading print of the title: Heavensward.

The chronicles of a grand hero that had been written so long ago.

She had come here looking for more information and she managed to find it. Well, have a better idea of it anyway. She had been tormenting herself trying to figure out the exact time to act... after reading through this tome though, she was met with an answer.

"No, this isn't right," she said to herself, knowing that this was the right choice, "It would need to be later. After the liberation of Ala Mhigo, perhaps…"

She had to figure out a time… she didn't need an exact time, but at least a vague idea. The events in this tome had to stay unchanged to ensure the end of the war. Not only that, she may not be ready for such a battle at this point. So she couldn't risk interfering during this if it was still far too early in her journey. It would have to be much later.

That was when she heard the loud bang coming from outside and she was almost knocked over from the shock of the blast—as if someone had taken one of those legendary Berthas and was firing upon the manor itself. She looked up at the walls of Fortemps Manor as dust fell from the ceiling and even more rubble fell. They were short on time.

"Please tell me you've finished," said a gruff voice and she looked up to the door to see her gun-toting compatriot having just entered, looking as battle-scarred and grim as always. "We have to go," he barked at her, "They'll be upon us any moment."

"Very well," she said as she rested her hand upon the tome again, torn between taking it and not, "Where to next, then?"

"Let's just worry about getting out of the city, and pray the airship is still in one piece," he answered gruffly, "Anywhere we go from here will just be more of the same."

Just then they heard another loud bang that shook the entire building and she grabbed hold of the table to keep herself from being knocked to the ground a second time. At this rate, the entire manor would be dust in a mere half a bell.

"Gods," her compatriot gasped as he looked to the door, "By the sound of that last one, I reckon the knights twelve might be the knights' rubble now."

"Is there nothing else we can do?" she asked anxiously, knowing that they were out there because of them.

"Do?" he asked, folding his arms, "Look around you—this isn't war. It's a sickness, and it spread to every corner of Eorzea. The city-states are in disarray, and by all accounts the Far East's faring no better. There'll be nothing left of us when this is over. This world is beyond saving…"

In that case, she should take the tome with them to keep it safe.

He saw her hand upon the tome and for the first time cracked a smile.

"I never tire of that story," he sighed, "When the hero swoops in astride a white dragon to save the little girl…"

BOOM!

That last one was the strongest yet, and she heard some more pieces of furniture fall over as she really did fall to the ground that time, with only her hand protecting the book keeping her from falling flat on her face.

Her compatriot, meanwhile, pulled his gun out and was ready to fight.

"I could die happy knowing someone like that was still around," he stated mournfully.

She understood those feelings all too well. This world needs a hero more than ever. But they still held onto hope… they need only put the pieces together to finish their work of generations.

She looked to the tome and prepared to tuck it away into her bag—unable to bear leaving it here to risk being burned or buried.

"Indeed," she said, "But not today. Not while our message remains undelivered."

She tucked it safely inside her bag and followed him through the once great halls of House Fortemps… a place that once meant so much to that hero…?

"Have faith, my friend," she promised him as they raced through the crumbling halls, "We will find her…"

And everything faded.

*Waking*

Claire awoken, her head feeling blissfully light for some reason and her body very heavy. She slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes before trying to hold onto the fragments of the dream she had. Was it a dream?

She didn't know.

She tried to focus on who she had been before, but there was nothing there that she could drag attention to. She saw house Fortemps, that much she knew… and that man…? Who was he? He looked a great deal like Biggs… but it wasn't him. He was older and battle-scarred while their Biggs was like a giant teddy bear.

That tome though… she recognized her adopted father's handwriting as well as his signature… but she couldn't remember the words. Just that the book was very important. Her fingers traced along her choker as she tried to focus more on the dream… there was fighting going on in the streets outside the manor? Why? Was something bad happening? No… it couldn't be… she had been there merely a week ago… even less time than that back in the Source. Everything was fine. So then…?

Was that truly just a dream?

It felt so real though, not unlike when she walked inside the memories of another. But who's memory? Who other than the Scions in this world could have memories of Ishgard? Nothing made sense. She normally would just put that up as another strange dream, but this feeling…?

She felt that person's heart so clearly.

There was something that they wished to do… someone they were desperate to save. But who…? Who was it that made that person's heart beat so painfully?

She couldn't have imagined those feelings, could she?

"Was that… the past…?" she whispered softly to herself. Her instincts were screaming yes to her… but again… whose?

(Oh, come on, you didn't think I'd ruin a good story with Alphinaud walking into a girl's room and seeing her naked did you? I just added that part in last chapter because things had been so dark and grim lately that I felt we needed something a little more light-hearted. But then it turns out it wasn't as light as you thought? Never think you got me figured out! Not even I know how my mind works. Anyway, what did you all think? Again, I know that some are wondering where I'm going with this, but the reason is simple… this story is all about the Warrior of Light coming to terms as the Warrior of Darkness. She is now at war within herself and she is struggling to figure out who she is and what she should do. All her life she had done what others wanted but she can't keep living like that anymore. She is suffering heavily and everything she thought she knew is tearing her apart from inside. She isn't sure what to do now. But she is starting to put the pieces together… though she can't possibly realize just how big this whole thing is. Join in next time as we head off to Eulmore and get ready to settle things with the final Lightwarden!)