Quistis caught the first available train after Squall ordered her to Galbadia. Her stomach twisted at the thought that she missed something in her conversation with Noel and that she might have pushed him to do something stupid, but the coincidences proved suspect.
The fact that it happened within a week of his reassignment and within days of Zell's encounter… she would need someone to hold her back if they wanted Galbadia to remain standing if her suspicions turned out accurate.
Even without hearing about Noel, it was hard enough to handle Zell after everything. He hadn't let her in since he was admitted.
But she would face that once she at least saw the scene of the crime, and that was in Galbadia, where she also had to meet with all the important figures in charge and she had to help them provide an explanation for why an instructor from Balamb dropped dead with one of Balamb's own bullets in his chest.
Her phone still held the report ready to review but she found herself afraid to see the conclusion. Afraid to confirm her fear that they blamed Irvine. Because only one instructor from Balamb used firearms, and his bullets would be unique to Balamb despite his rifle being of Galbadian origin.
The train stopped with the announcement of arrival at Galbadia and Quistis let out a long, heavy sigh before disembarking and making her way to the school grounds. Students milled out like it was a normal day, but Quistis couldn't imagine them free of unease. It was a strange, isolated incident, but murder never happened on school grounds.
Instead, it always happened at students' hands outside. They were supposed to be safe in the Gardens.
But "supposed to" didn't remove the dead body that rested somewhere in the morgue here. Quistis would take time to mourn after she pinned down her friends' murderer and got them put in prison for the rest of their life.
Headmaster Martine's office waited on one of the higher floors and Quistis took the elevator up all the levels it took to reach the one labeled with his name above the door at the end of the hallway.
She rapped on the door and was beckoned in by—
… A harried and sunken-faced Martine Aquamar. He shook his head at the sight of her and leaned over his desk. "Trepe, thank you for coming."
Quistis suppressed a quip and took a seat across from him. "Headmaster Squall filled me in. You suspect Kinneas?"
"We do, but…" Martine propped his head up with both hands. "Ugh, we have no eyewitnesses, Kinneas won't confess—or even talk, really—and there's no hint of motive on his side. He was the only one there and his prints are on the murder weapon, but… it just doesn't seem right."
"No, I can't say it does."
"You're right to be angry."
Quistis took a measured breath. "Stating the obvious won't catch Noel's killer, Headmaster."
"Perhaps not, but you deserve acknowledgement all the same."
"I think it's my place to decide when I do or do not need permission to get emotional. Now tell, was it Balamb or Galbadia that ordered the hit?"
"There's the question."
"What would you have to benefit from Noel's murder, Headmaster?"
"I—" He cut off and looked her in the eyes. "Are you goading me, Trepe?"
"I have no recording devices and you have control of your own cameras. I just want the truth—is there anything you would gain from losing Noel?"
"Not me, no. But I've heard the rumors about him, and those rumors make people uneasy. I should say, there is an illusion of not something to be gained with his death, but there was the potential to lose something with his life."
"Then the motivation could be fear." Quistis leaned back. "That would make my job a lot harder."
"And what exactly do you consider your job to be right now?"
"You and Leonhart are the ones that called me in here, Headmaster."
"Trepe, don't lose yourself to rage. I can see you're upset, but—"
"What did I say about permission?" Quistis clenched her fingers hard enough to dig the nails into their palms. "My friend is dead. And I blame you and your entire garden. You asked for an instructor and promptly killed him."
"I had no idea."
"Didn't you? Noel's had a lot of unfriendly eyes on him since the war and you didn't think he would have problems with the very people he fought against? You didn't consider that you have students who might have lost siblings to him? Honestly, I'm disgusted with all of you!"
Martine heaved a sigh and leaned back. "I had no choice."
Quistis ripped her whip from her side. "Repeat that."
"I considered all my options and I went for the only one that gave us both a chance."
"You knew!?"
Martine stood and swallowed. Placed a hand over a top drawer that must hold his emergency weapon and pager. "I ordered it. In fact, I ensured that Irvine took the shot because he might offer Noel a chance to live."
"And?"
"And he didn't."
Quistis growled and cracked her whip against the table, scattering the papers. Martine stumbled back. "Give me one reason not to kill you now and don't bother citing Garden rules because I'll gladly go to prison for it. Not to mention, some would laud me a hero for destroying the head of a corrupted and useless Garden."
"I doubt you mean that. Well, I hope you don't mean it. But regardless, allow me to least give you Irvine's release information."
"His what?"
Martine slipped a hand into his pocket without taking his eyes off her. "I didn't play along with this woman's plan for nothing. I created a back door in Irvine's incarceration plan to ensure you have a way to get him out before things get nasty."
"You've lied about more than this?"
"No, it's all still related. Someone's planning something, you see, and I think it goes beyond a couple students' reputations."
"Noel's life. An instructor's life. A hero's life." She remembered at least a dozen ways she could kill him, each messier than the last. "And it wasn't yours to give!"
"It wasn't." Martine had the audacity to look sorry. "And I'll do my best to ensure his death wasn't in vain, but I assure you I had no choice. It was either that or let loose a throng of monsters on the schools and start an apocalypse of our own."
"You're a horrible liar."
"I'd have you see it for yourself, but I'd honestly rather keep non-essential personnel away from the quarantine zone. At least get Kinneas released for me, will you?"
Quistis took a step closer and he flinched. "I'll have your head."
"And I'll be glad to give it to you. Just allow me to save my students and my life is yours to do with as you please."
That twitch in his lip that hinted at emotional distress, but she'd been fooled before. "I'll be back for you tomorrow."
Martine dipped his head. "All my thanks. I promise this will settled one day or another."
That left a sour taste in her mouth and Quistis snatched that paper from him before she turned on her heel and left.
This wasn't the first time she said goodbye to a valued comrade, but damn it if she didn't feel worse each time.
She followed instructions to the center hall, where no barriers or blockades were set up to ward students off, so some passed through the area with a certain sense of caution to their stride while others paused to stare despite nothing being left of the incident.
Quistis looked up to the promenade, which carried a similar flow of traffic.
Irvine would have taken a spot invisible to where she stood and Noel… she didn't know where he found himself at the time, so that didn't help. They found Irvine on that promenade, but it seemed an obvious place to hide and not Irvine's style. There were rooms with windows that had more cover and better views.
Something about the place reminded her of Auron and his sudden departure days before that left her with odd memories of explosions and bright lights.
She needed to talk to Irvine about the setup and get his side of the story—or the version he would tell, at least.
Quistis pulled out Marine's paper. It read, Speak to the gatekeeper: "Killers wither, heroes win."
"Quistis?" asked Cater—Quistis didn't notice her approach. "What are you doing here?"
She shoved the paper into her pocket and took a steadying breath. "Noel. I don't suppose you would know what happened?"
"I thought maybe he ran back to Balamb and left me hanging."
"… You realize he's dead?"
"He's—what?"
"Dead." Quistis forced the word out and looked Cater in the eyes. "And I'm here to find out why."
Cater's face twisted. "He can't be dead."
"Tell that to the mortician downstairs."
"No, he—" Cater visibly struggled to breathe. "Crystals preserve us, the Council—"
"You know something about it?"
"Heck no! It's just gonna make things real difficult for me when I get back home. What do you have?"
"They're blaming Irvine." Quistis swallowed bile. "But there's no way he'd do it. Not without someone forcing his hand."
"I thought it was weird to find him here—why did he come to Galbadia in the first place?"
Quistis started walking toward the correctional facility and Cater followed. Quistis said, "He was sent here on a temporary transfer request about the time that Irvine came around to visit. I think the whole thing was framed."
"We just need to find out who dunnit?"
"Pretty much."
Cater scowled as they passed through a tunnel that led under the training grounds. "Do I get first shot at the perp?"
"It doesn't work that way."
"Of course not."
Quistis got directions from the front desk and they took her and Cater back to a room hidden off to the side and around a corner. It featured a solid steel door and no windows or anything to let in natural light.
The officer guarding Irvine's cell regarded them with a flat stare and Quistis said, "Killers wither but heroes win. Let us in?"
The guard glanced toward the door and said, "You've got five minutes."
When he opened the door to let in Quistis and Cater, they found Irvine waiting in one corner, wearing a cheap uniform without pockets. Nowhere to hide most weapons.
"About time you showed up," Irvine said without his characteristic smile. "Come to get the lowdown?"
"You're not cooperating with the headmaster," Quistis said. "Why?"
"Maybe because I'm not wanting to spend the rest of my life in this here cell?"
"You wouldn't spend the rest of your life here."
"Because we take turncoats so lightly in our industry." Quistis didn't miss the steel chains that scraped along the ground when Irvine moved. "You all should give up on me—not much point to arguing with these guys."
Cater glanced to the men outside. "Can we talk somewhere a little more private?"
Quistis asked, "Got something private to say?"
"Something sensitive. And I don't wanna attract a circus."
Irvine gave a dismissive wave. "Gonna have to get used to a circus around here. If I knew the attention I'd attract by taking out Kreiss, maybe I would have done it myself sooner. Could've at least earned my one-way ticket to fame."
"It's not fame," Quistis said. "It's dirty gossip that will fade before you hit your grave. Don't give up on us—we'll figure this out."
"Just make it quick." He rested his head against the wall. "The food here is awful and my bed hurts my back."
Quistis gave Cater a pointed look. "I'll go speak with the guard and we'll leave."
Cater quirked an eyebrow and understanding dawned in her eyes. She slowly nodded. "On your mark," she said.
Quistis turned away and called for the guard that stood just outside the cell. Tried to ignore the sound of Irvine's chains grinding against the stone and the worry that Cater would do something stupid. "Has he showed any signs of repression?" she asked.
The man—she assumed it was a man from the stocky build, despite all the gear and visor and all that—shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, ma'am."
It remained quiet behind her. "Will he stay here for long?"
"Only until Balamb arranges for transportation to their own facilities. I can't give you information regarding the methods, though—"
"I'm not worried about that." Quistis gestured and Cater appeared beside her. "Just following routine. Now, where's the exit?"
The guard slipped her a key. "Shift changes in one minute."
"How are we gonna get out without anyone noticing?" Cater whispered before tossing the key to Irvine.
Quistis turned away from the door. "Not sure. I don't even know if I should trust the guy that gave me this."
Cater held up a hand. "May I?"
"May you what?"
She placed a hand on Quistis' forehead and thoughts scrambled before Cater pulled away again. "Oh, there's no way you can trust that man. But I think the plan he gave you is legit."
"Looking forward to lunch," said the guard before leaving with his friends near the entrance.
"We don't know this place," Cater said as they left the cell.
Irvine joined them with a huff. "I do. Follow me."
They made for the door and slipped down a narrow hallway off to the side that Quistis didn't notice coming in. Irvine led them through that and ducked through odd-placed classrooms to reach a small balcony out of sight of the main entrance.
They paused there and Quistis looked to Irvine. "You'll need something else to wear."
"Got you covered there, too." Irvine unzipped his uniform to show jeans and a weathered shirt. "Martine's been planning for this outcome since we first got the call, apparently."
Quistis grit her teeth. "At Noel's expense."
Irvine hesitated and said, "That it was. But I'm gonna worry about vengeance once I'm sure I'm not throwing away my own life."
"I like that," Cater said.
Quistis shot her a look. "And what was so secretive between you two that I couldn't hear?"
"Oh, there wasn't anything to hear. More something to see—I reached into his memories is all. But it does look strange from a distance and I didn't want people thinking I about to garrote him or something. Irvine might have also found it kind of embarrassing, I don't know. But I caught some very interesting glimpses that I can use to find our target."
"Didn't you also reach into mine?"
"Not as deep. Your memory was so recent, I could catch it just by hanging around you long enough."
Quistis waved a hand and said, "Never mind. What did you find out?"
"For one…" Cater gestured to the building. "Irvine, you had a partner working with you, correct?"
"Yeah, Seifer."
"And where is he now?"
"Beats me. I assumed he done got away when he found the chance."
"And you think this person that knew to blow up your friends because you took too long let your friend—"
"Seifer's not my friend."
"—You think they would let him just run off? I don't know what exactly we're looking at, but it certainly isn't some minor hindrance."
"I don't see how that helps," Quistis said.
"Who's Ellone?" Cater asked.
Irvine blinked. "Ellone? She's Squall's sister. And a witch, I think."
"She seemed interested in Noel. You saw her on the premise, even, shortly before he died. Seems like a good match to me."
"Not at all," Irvine said. "Ellone wouldn't hurt anyone. Not deliberately."
"Would this Martine guy?"
"He was also threatened by the commissioner. What would he have to gain from pushing his luck like that?"
"How do you know he wasn't in on it?"
"… I don't."
"Then let's ask him first."
Quistis followed them toward the Headmaster's office. "I'd like that."
Just outside Saronia, on the doorstep to the biggest city in the world, there sat a little cottage and a half dozen tents set up by folk from around the galaxy. It made Refia curious why they didn't lodge inside the city when it was so close.
Approaching, she caught sight of Firion, Setzer, Vaan, Lebreau, and Yuj. A handful of crude swords rested in a pile on the side and they sparred with other weapons while Firion explained to Yuj why he missed tasting parchment.
Vaan spotted her and waved. "Long time no see!"
Refia said, "I thought this was supposed to be a mage thing, Vaan. What is it you guys are doing here?"
Setzer lifted two fingers in the air, a die held between them. "Mages may have started the endeavor, but any organization is made stronger by more flavors of people."
Lebreau scoffed, the lethargic motion of it betraying her weakness from whatever it was she caught last week. "You're just here to open up the casinos."
Setzer said, "Casinos bring good money into the cities I know, making expansion easier."
Firion gave Refia a short bow, hair shining in the sunlight. "We are still grateful for the opportunity to use this land. To King Alus, and all the people of this world. It is no small thing that you help us with."
Refia swallowed at his perfect physique, accented by well-fitted armor, and shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind. "Not—not really my problem, so much. Maybe if something shows up, you know, uh… Um, happy to help where we can. Firion."
Curse her stuttering tongue. Curse his beautiful eyes.
Yuj chuckled. "Glad I'm not landlocked."
"Yeah," Vaan said.
"Forget that." Lebreau pulled a cheap sword out of a scabbard. "Firion, my turn on swinging."
Firion said, "You've been too defensive. Keeping back an onslaught will only go so far."
Lebreau gave the sword a beginner's swing. "Guns make that easier."
"Bullets don't last forever," Vaan said. "Run out and you're chu meat."
Firion narrowed his gaze and paced to the other side of Lebreau. "Good stance, but your grip still needs work."
"Hey, Refia," Yuj said. "You know that healing stuff you use?"
"White magic?" Refia asked.
"Yeah, that. Mind teaching me some tricks with it? Seems handy for a tight spot."
"Sure."
Yuj did a hand thing with Vaan and they made explosion noises.
"I'm surprised so many of you stuck around," Refia said while Lebreau practiced her swings. "What have you been doing?"
"We serve as guards and soldiers to the working mages." Firion didn't look back at her. Which was good, because she had a job to do, one that she didn't need distraction from. "This encampment is not yet as strong as it will need to be, but it's a starting point. I'd like to make sure it has the chance to keep going."
Vaan dropped to the ground. "Especially if that crazy guy escapes."
"Or if any others come to claim him," Setzer said.
Firion corrected Lebreau's sequence. "Press against your enemy. Allow them no time to react."
Lebreau paused her swing, breathing hard. "Thought you were against lethal force on most of these people."
"We will do what we must to protect our borders." Firion picked a cheap sword off the ground despite the perfectly good one in his scabbard and held it before Lebreau. "If need be, we will cause harm to incapacitate."
He held the sword up and Lebreau swung at him. Metal screeched as the blades met. She pulled back and swung again, then again. But she gained no ground.
"They will show us no mercy." Firion didn't seem swayed by the effort Lebreau put in. "And we can only show them so much."
She hit his blade again. Firion shoved back against her, throwing her to the ground. Then pointed the sword to her throat.
"Hey!" Yuj stepped forward, hand on that gun of his.
Lebreau grimaced, stood, and dusted off her shirt. "I get it."
"Baralai probably has missions for us to do," Vaan said. "Ugh. I don't want to go trudging through another desert."
"Baralai?" Refia asked. "What about Arc? Isn't he in charge per Alus' instruction?"
Lebreau said, "He and the other mages are studying books most of the time. Every now and again they'll come up with some new magical nonsense to try on Prompto."
Firion stepped back towards the rim of the circle. "Setzer, come spar with Lebreau. Yuj, take Vaan."
"Aw." Vaan pouted and jumped to his feet. Yuj cast Firion a dark look before lining up with Vaan.
Refia watched Setzer gracefully take a sword, lifting it in challenge to Lebreau.
"Meet me after the sun sets," Refia told Yuj. "I'll get you started on the basics tonight."
He agreed and she waved farewell. She headed towards the cottage in the center of the field, where it looked like a whole new section awaited in the construction on the southern side. She paused on the porch when she heard shouting nearby.
The sky crackled with distant lightning despite the clear afternoon sky and she wondered what Arc and the others got themselves into this time. The ozone revived her breath and got her blood thumping.
As she rounded the building, the shouts turned to excitement. Grass crunched beneath her feet despite the pleasant weather.
Purple smoke drifted her way. Above it, Arc stood with seared robes while Leonora scribbled notes furiously on a pad. The twins spat comments at each other.
"Told you we needed more dust in the mix." Palom kicked off the ground and flew back. "What are you all even good for?"
"Thinking," Porom said. "Arc would have combusted with any more dust."
Arc lifted his hands. "I'm fine, but we should maybe tone it down. This is probably still useable as farmland. Alus' advisors won't fry me on the spot. Probably."
Palom exploded nothing in his hand, tense as a novice in a shop. "More dust would do it."
Refia watched her step as she approached. "Not to interrupt… but what?"
Arc looked up, surprised. "Refia! We're, uh, trying to make a spell to get people to just… talk. Without inhibitions. You know, for information."
He does not listen.
"For Prompto?" Refia asked. "You're planning to blow him to pieces and find his secrets hidden in those... gross bits?"
"And any others like him," Leonora said. "We know that there are more out there. Oh, but no, we don't plan to… blow them up. Not yet."
"Might make a good excuse, though," Arc said. "So, we could start studying dead people. Maybe revive them."
Porom shot Arc a bewildered look and Palom betrayed intrigue.
"What's changed with Prompto?" Refia asked.
Porom said, "He's more stable. At least, he's acting more stable. Still not out of the influence, but better."
"We all agreed that it's probably an act," Palom said.
Porom took a deep breath before saying. "We did not. Only you thought that."
"You did not."
"I believe my thoughts reflect the others more than yours. And to think I wonder where the space in your head is for learning black magic."
"I don't need to make space because I don't clutter it with pointless crap."
"Or anything."
"If you spent half the energy you're using now and redirect it from petty insults, you might find some use for it."
"Did Spira teach you nothing?"
"Like what? How to embarrass myself on public screens?"
"How was I supposed to know those were visible to other people? Besides, it was just an observation!"
"You've worked with enchanted mirrors, Porom. You insulted the intelligence of their average child."
"No, that was you! I tried to salvage it!"
The bickering made Refia's head hurt and reminded her of cold stone in an unforgiving palace. "Maybe I'll be of more use in helping Prompto," she said.
Arc looked up from playing with his charred sleeves. "Oh, you're here to help?"
"No, I'm here to vacation. Isn't this the center for fighting back against Bhunivelze? Who would come here to vacation?"
Arc flushed and said, "You should talk to Baralai and Hilda in the cottage."
Leonora raised her voice over the shouting twins, "Good luck!"
Refia hurried back to the cottage porch, wondering how Arc made it through days of dealing with such tension. She hesitated at the door, remembering what lay beyond. Grit teeth, hand lifted to knock, she paused. Breathed. Knocked.
The door opened and Penelo greeted her. "Hey, come on in!"
Refia entered the sizeable room and Penelo closed the door. Refia didn't miss the two bolts Penelo slipped in place.
Cid stood from a nice, wooden bench. "Refia, girl! Didn't know you were coming out here!"
Refia grinned at the sight of him. "Cid!" She ran over and threw her arms around him in a brief embrace before letting go. Caught sight of the sleeping prisoner on the other side of the room. "I didn't either. But Dad gave me a couple days and I thought you could use help."
Hilda and Baralai were the only other two in the room. Baralai watched her with calculating eyes. He said, "I know you're exceptionally skilled as a white mage."
"Someone had to be."
Baralai's eyes flitted about them, posture taut as a bowstring. "It's been suggested that white magic may soothe the corrupted and bring them to reason."
"Does it not just… make them stronger? And should we be talking about this with him in the room?"
"We've been testing it, piece-by-piece," Penelo said. "It seems like it helps him regain himself."
Refia looked between them. "It doesn't sound like you need an exceptionally skilled white mage for that."
Penelo chuckled and Baralai… eased? "No," Penelo said, "the three of us have handled it just fine thus far. I've also recommended liquor and dirty tricks, but Baralai's got a rule. One that even Hilda agrees with."
"For various reasons," Hilda said.
Baralai said, "Levelheadedness, for one."
"I don't disagree," Penelo said. "But why not try it on the corrupted? You have backdoors—"
"Because," Hilda said, "having liquor available means Setzer gets to it, which means Firion gets to it, then Vaan and so on. You all can drink yourselves silly after I leave and since my world has yet to make water safe by other means, I'll see plenty ale when I return. And there's no question in our avoidance of sinking to Bhunivelze's level."
Penelo pouted and Refia asked, "So, what am I missing?"
Hilda rose to her feet. "It is more about what you have that we do not." The queen's dress, gifted her by the ever charitable Alus, no doubt, fell shorter than the one she arrived in. No longer capable of drifting over the floor or anything, she struck the image of poised perfection in it. "The crystals could have a cleansing effect that would not be replicated anywhere else."
Refia forgot the jealousy as Baralai continued, "Arc has been too distracted to lend us much help."
"… I guess it's worth a shot."
Cid huffed and looked away. Hilda looked Refia over, as if searching for something unsavory. "You recall the intricacies of dealing with one broken such as he?" Hilda asked.
"He's dangerous, don't get too close, don't let him get inside your head, etcetera."
"And try to keep your distance," Baralai said.
Hilda gave Baralai a cold look. "And don't break him further. He is a soul lost to an uncaring cosmos, weak and vulnerable from travel. We already know he has friends looking for him, so don't give them another reason to antagonize us."
Penelo eyed the sleeping form on the other side of the room. "Lebreau and Yuj know him."
"Shouldn't they be able to help, then?"
"No. They're just acquaintances."
Refia looked to Cid and he lifted a hand. "You kids have fun with that, I'm gonna go take a breather in the city, if you don't mind."
Baralai gave him a funny bow that Refia only ever saw him use and he said, "Of course not, Cid. Thank you for your help."
Cid said, "Don't you leave without giving me a proper goodbye, now, Refia," and left.
"Okay." Refia turned her attention to Prompto. They kept the room dark and the windows eternally shuttered, but it looked like he gained some color since she last saw him. "Ready when you are."
Hilda raised a hand ahead of her face, glow lighting in her fingers. Then dropped it like water onto Prompto's head.
Refia moved forward and pulled a chair with her, then took a seat by him at a safe distance.
He woke, blinking eyes that were too red. She thought she caught glimpses of golden light sparkling in them.
"Hey, Prompto." Still not sure how to treat him. Friendly felt wrong, like she played a game that they both knew as a lie.
"Hi. Refia, right?" His face split into a grin as he sat up. One of those unnerving ones that didn't reach his eyes. "What's up?"
"Nothing new." Not that he knew what the norm was for her. "How about with you?"
Prompto glanced towards Baralai, smile faltering. "I've been thinking."
"What about?" Refia asked with a glance up to Baralai and Hilda. They betrayed no reaction.
"Things I shouldn't be thinking about."
Refia asked, "Such as?"
"Should I tell them, Baralai? You know, betray everything we stood for?"
"I'm going to cast a spell on you, okay?" Refia put her hands together and pulled magic from the crystal dust in her veins.
Prompto's eyes went wide. "Can I say no?"
"If I let you do what you wanted, we'd never get anywhere." Refia dropped the cure and it lit Prompto in blue light. Then it faded and he calmed.
"Did anything change?" Penelo asked.
Prompto grinned up at her and stuck out his hands in exaggerated motions. "I'm a changed person, never going to work for the God of Light again. Like that?"
Hilda said, "You should drink."
"I've told you, I don't eat or drink." Prompto leaned back. "I work on His power and don't need anything else."
Hilda said, "I recall days travelling. Lips cracked and bleeding, covered in dirt, but it didn't matter because of that power." Her voice grew quieter. "I remember my throat, dry as dust. I thought it didn't matter, but it did. I thought I couldn't get sick, but I didn't notice the symptoms past the pain. It would have been easier for me to work if I had just tasted water."
"Too bad," Prompto said.
"I guess this is another idea down the drain," Penelo said.
Refia asked, "Have you not eaten since you've been here? It's been months."
"That's what I just said."
Baralai said, "If he has nothing else, we should put him back under."
Refia stood, stoppering the disappointment by bringing a sleep spell to her fingers.
"Wait." Clinking chains. Refia refocused on Prompto to see him with a hand half-outstretched towards her. Refia lost her breath at the desperation in his voice and the sense of familiarity she knew with it. "There are people out there, right?" Prompto asked. "People who come from other worlds?"
Hilda said, "You know that there are."
"Has there been an Iris?" Was Refia dreaming, or was that desperation? "Or maybe a Gladiolus? Or an Ignis? No, wait, that's dumb, there wouldn't be an Ignis… but there might."
"Why?" Baralai asked.
Prompto released a breath and looked away.
Refia clenched her fists and dismissed the spell as if it could dull the painful sting of Prompto's similarity to her father and a time that never was. "Are they family?" Refia asked. "Or friends?"
He hesitated. "No… Not…"
Hilda gave Baralai a thoughtful look. "If there was a set of orders correlating to them, I would have received them as well."
"We've established that memories of possession are unreliable," Baralai said.
"We've also established that we can strike familiarity with previous information. If it helps him, we should find these friends."
"Unless they're enemies of ours."
Refia said to Prompto, "We'll keep an eye out, okay?"
"…Thanks."
Refia put him back to sleep and the other two shifted.
"He must be close, if he's thinking about loved ones," Hilda said.
"Assuming we aren't missing something," Baralai said.
Penelo took a deep breath and caught the others' attention. "It's better than anything else we've got."
Refia turned to the crystals. Was it you?
Corruption of other crystals course his veins and limit our contact.
Refia startled as a knock sounded against the door. Penelo jumped to answer it.
Cid greeted them. "Hey, Baralai, these kids want to talk with you." Two newcomers joined them, one of which Refia knew.
"Refia, long time no see!" Desch greeted her with that dumb grin of his as the three of them entered.
Warmth of familiar relief to see him. "What are you doing here, Desch?"
The door closed again and Desch looked around like there was something to see. "Came to offer my services, same as everyone else."
Baralai asked, "Your name is Desch?"
"That's me. I'm an ancient, and I'm immortal. I was directed here by a friend of mine."
"Immortal? We could use that for searching out those with Bhunivelze's corruption on other worlds."
"Sounds fun."
Baralai directed his attention to the one Refia didn't recognize. A girl with thick curls tied in the back and wearing a red dress. "And you?" he asked.
"My name is Terra. If you don't mind…" Terra reached out and Baralai flinched away as Terra placed her hand on Hilda's. They both lit up and Refia prepared another cure before Hilda dimmed and reached for a chair.
Terra brightened. Refia hurried over to Hilda and eased her tension with soothing white magic.
"You can take his power?" Hilda managed between breaths.
"Is that any better?" Terra asked.
"… Somehow, yes."
Terra turned to Baralai. "I can take yours, too."
"I can still use them for other purposes."
"But the longer you hold them—"
"I'll keep them for now, thank you."
Terra gave a reluctant nod. "I understand."
"Explain," Hilda said. "Why do you have the power to take these away?"
Terra said, "Those taking up Mwynn's mantle requested I gather the shards Bhunivelze has left in his wake."
Penelo stood. "I have some of those, I think. You know, if you want them."
Baralai drifted into the shadows.
"I know." Terra looked down to where Prompto lay sleeping. "He does as well."
"You can sense them," Baralai whispered.
"I can." Terra held out a hand towards Penelo. Penelo gave Baralai a quick glance before repeating the process Terra enacted with Hilda.
Penelo wavered and gripped a table for support. "Where are you from?"
Terra went still. "The world of Ruin." She looked to Hilda. "If you want someone to vouch for me, Setzer is my friend and from my world."
Hilda settled into a seat, face pale. "I've seen enough of Bhunivelze's victims to know you don't work for him."
Terra examined her hands. "I've taken the pieces held by Vaan and Firion as well. There's so many here, I worry how far and where else they've spread."
"And by what means did you find the power to take and maintain them?" Baralai asked.
"I'm half-Esper. That's what Zero say, anyway. They claim my heritage renders me immune to the same side effects that harm humans and their sister races."
"Esper?" Desch asked. "What's that?"
"A powerful creature." Penelo looked at Terra with awe. "Created by the Occuria and summoned by those who prove their worth."
Refia thought, What are the Occuria?
Not beings of this planet, came the crystals' reply.
Terra looked unconvinced. "…Powerful, yes. I don't know about the Occuria."
"Heard of summons before," Cid said, "and I'll bet half an acre those things share a trait or two."
Hilda asked, "And what are your intentions here? Do you work with Desch?"
"No, I'd like to talk to the summons of this land. Perhaps Mr. Cid knows something about that?"
Cid pointed to Refia. "She'll know 'bout that one, lassie."
Refia looked between them. "Oh, they don't talk. They show up, help out, and then immediately vanish. I doubt you'll get much out of them."
"People said the same about the other summons across the world. How do you summon these ones?"
"Well, you have to be a summoner. For one."
"I think I can work around that?" Terra looked about the room. "I wish I could stay and help like Desch, but I don't have a lot of time."
Hilda sat straighter, regaining her composure. "None of us do."
Terra said, "I mean, me. Myself. There are side-effects to being half-Esper."
"Oh," Penelo said.
"I can't stay here," Terra continued, "I need to go and keep looking because I can't see us winning this fight without the help of every world. Without the help of our best forces, I mean."
Desch lifted a hand. "Hey, come with me. Turns out, I'm leaving, and you'll have the chance to see a whole bunch of places probably."
"We haven't determined that," Baralai said.
Terra turned to Prompto. "But first, I must take this one's shards."
"Wait!" Refia hurried over, preparing more white magic. Prompto refused basic human necessities and his physical strength came from those shards for too long. "He's not healthy!"
Terra waited patiently as Refia crouched by Prompto, pooling the most powerful white magic she could until she felt ready to explode. "Okay, now!"
Terra rested a hand on Prompto's, and that light came again. Refia released the magic she gathered and channeled it like a furious river through Prompto's veins. Color dimmed from his face and he didn't regain consciousness.
His vital organs threatened to shut down.
Refia unleashed more white and focused on power over direction. His body caught on and she felt the streams find their own way. Hungry, those muscles sucked in every ounce of her strength like he took a sword through his chest.
Time passed. She kept it flowing and felt her crystal-enhanced reserves drain.
Until he finally stabilized.
Refia fell back, sweat sticking to her clothes and muscles aching from over expenditure. It would take hours at least to recover her strength. "He can't be left alone without a healer until further notice."
"It was that bad?" Terra asked.
"Worse."
Penelo hummed. "Too bad that doesn't fix him. Those shards are just power, not the influence itself."
"Bhunivelze wouldn't make it that simple," Baralai said, and felt at his shoulder. "Deliberate or not."
Refia swallowed a breath and wished Penelo was wrong. "Good thing we found that before we started killing people. Hilda, why aren't you or Baralai almost dead right now?"
"We remembered our physical needs after losing the influence," Hilda said with a soft look Prompto's way.
Cid pulled himself to his feet and walked over to Refia. "Lassie, how about coming to find some lunch with me?"
"No, someone needs to watch—"
"Baralai has some of that healing magic of his own. Let's leave this to him and the others for now, shall we? That looked like good work there, so you get to take a short break and have lunch with me."
Hilda stood. "We'll manage, Refia. Get some air and we'll call if we need anything."
"But first," Baralai said, "tell Firion to bring the others in for a briefing in an hour."
"Okay, sure." Refia stood from her crouch, legs aching, and followed Cid out the door. "Cid, don't let me forget that I told Yuj I'd train him tonight."
"You got it."
