Futures Rewritten
With our Porxie birthing Porxies, we had the perfect way to deliver a cure for the tempering across all of Eorzea and we wasted no time to bring forth the good news.
Admiral Merlwyb was quick to see it put to good use, and not long after, we freed the kobold patriarch Za Bu from the clutches of Titan's tempering. While that was only the first step to restore the relations with the Kobolds of Vylbrand, it was nevertheless an important one.
But there was little time to rest on our success, as not long after we had returned to camp, news arrived of strange towers appearing all over Eorzea.
It was only after we arrived in Ala Mhigo to meet with the Resistance forces, that we came to know the meaning behind all this.
Voices echoed through the air as they walked along the main street of the Ala Mhigan quarter. People talking about their day, merchants plying the last of their wares, soldiers heading out on evening patrol; the usual sights one would find in a city like this. Next to her, Alphinaud hummed.
"It appears to be business as usual here," he said while looking about.
"It does." She nodded lightly. Which she supposed was a good thing. The last thing they needed right now was panic. Still...if she strained her ears, she could hear faint whispers in the distance, speaking of a tower-like structure having appeared in the south.
Just like the rest of Eorzea.
"Over there!" the young Elezen pointed ahead. "Lyse is already waiting for us. Perhaps she can tell us more."
"Let's hope so," she murmured while approaching their friend.
"Everyone, thank you for coming so soon," Lyse greeted them with a serious expression. "We don't know much about these infernal towers yet, but I'll contact Raubahn at once to discuss our next steps."
A sudden tingle went up S'eni's spine, but before she could even wonder what it was about, a shout rang through the air.
"Rhalgr preserve!"
Whirling around, she spotted a man crawling backwards while pointing up to the sky...
...where a large dragon was flying past them. No...not a just dragon—
Her eyes widened and for just a split second, she was standing on the burning flats of Carteneau.
—Bahamut...
"It can't be..." Alphinaud exclaimed.
A cloaked figure floated alongside it, the way they held themselves looking almost as if they were just out on a little stroll. Right towards the palace.
"After them!" Lyse shouted and the spell that seemed to hold everyone in place dispersed immediately.
"R-Right," S'eni said and began to run.
When they arrived, the palace was in a complete uproar and it took them a moment to get a hold of one of the officers to tell them where the Commander was. Learning that he had pursued the dragon in the direction of the Royal Menagerie, they hurried to join him there. What they found though, was not a scene of battle as the dragon and figure alike seemed content to float at its center...as if they were waiting for something, or rather, someone?
"You're here. Good," Raubahn said as S'eni came to a stop next to him, but she was too busy staring at Bahamut to respond. Now that she was having a closer look, something was different about this one. His wings had this strange purple glow and his head was obscured by root-like appendages.
Her attention was drawn away from the sight of the dragon by the figure as they slowly landed on the flowers below.
"Well, well, well what an honor! To think I would encounter the great hero herself on my little journey through Eorzea!" Wait, she knew that voice!
And true enough, as her eyes spied underneath the hood she found the face she had last seen in Doma, covered in his own blood.
"Asahi!?" Alphinaud wondered aloud.
"No, that's not Asahi!" Alisie scoffed. "He's only crawled into his corpse, nothing more!"
'Asahi' just raised his arm in a shrug, a theatrical sigh passing his lips. "Goodness, you people don't understand fun, do you? I know, I know, I'm an Ascian and thus your enemy, and so on and so forth. Still, I am pleased to finally meet you in person. Permit me to introduce myself..." He bowed and summoned forth his Ascian glyph. "My name is Fandaniel."
"What do you want, Ascian?" S'eni demanded and Fandaniel looked almost insulted.
"Really now that is quite rude to ask of a nobleman. But why am I even surprised?"
"Maybe you shouldn't have picked the body of a groveling dog then."
The Ascian stared at her for a second before smiling again. "Point taken. Anyway, I wish to usher in the Final Days which once before has brought this world to the brink of destruction. The towers serve as catalysts for this spectacular, breathtaking, and absolutely fascinating play!"
"The Final Days!? But...the Ascians themselves sacrificed so much to prevent this fate," Alphinaud said.
"Aww, what an adorable answer. Hmmm, and one that truly proves that you were the last nail in the coffin of the unsundered," Fandaniel replied and began to pace about the flower bed. "Right, the Ascians did everything for their beloved world. Me on the other hand? I couldn't care less. But I'm also just a lowly sundered, as dear old and very dead Elidibus used to say. I don't even know how many times I have earned his ire in the past...oh well, thankfully you were so kind to get rid of him. Ah, the sweet taste of freedom."
He turned to look at them once more and began to step forward. "And that's why now I can freely use my Ascian powers. However. I. Want."
S'eni glared at him in silence.
"This broken world..." his arm shot forth and he raised it on an elaborate flourish. "Nothing shall remain of it! Nothing whatsoever! Begone with it!"
"How can you say that!?" Alisaie stepped forth. "How can you even think of something like that!?"
"Because—" Fandaniel pointed towards her. "—you already deserve to die for asking stupid questions like that! You..."
He pointed at Raubahn.
"...and you..." at Alphinaud.
"...and you!" at S'eni. "You can all die! I want to die! Oh that sweet embrace...full of pain and suffering. Salvation through eternal oblivion!"
As he spoke, his voice grew ever more unhinged, culminating in him staring up into the sky with his hand held aloft.
"You're insane," S'eni said.
"Yes, we are fundamentally different. You and the unsundered, you crave life. And I..." he waved his hand. "No, let's not even pretend there is any justice in my goals. I'm not that egocentric. But I am counting on your heroic struggle to make this at least somewhat amusing. Now then, ladies and gentlemen! Keep your eyes peeled, for the curtains have risen on the spectacle to end all spectacles. We, the Telophoroi, shall be your performers and this entire star our stage!"
"Oh no, you won't!" Noticing that he was about to teleport away, she rushed forward, the others hot on her heels as well. But they weren't even halfway there when his smiling face vanished into the dark. As soon as he was gone, the Bahamut lookalike rose high into the air and released a loud roar before unleashing a stream of purple fire that set the entire garden ablaze and knocked everyone backwards.
She hit the ground with a pained groan, feeling the heat of the flames rush past her for a few seconds until they subsided just as swiftly as they had sprung forth. S'eni began to slowly push herself back onto her knees, wincing. Appearing inside the flames once again, Fandaniel walked towards her. "Ah, there was one more thing. A message from my esteemed patron Lord Zenos, who awaits you in the heart of this chaos we are about to unleash." She narrowed her eyes at that name. "While I simply want to destroy the world, he wishes to turn everything to ash to relive a, hmm...transcendent moment with you. So please, try to see his dream fulfilled, because if you don't..."
He did a playful little shrug. "Lunar Bahamut here and I will burn your cities and everyone in it. Nothing personal, really."
And with those words he, and Lunar Bahamut, departed into the night, leaving them in the burning remnants of this once beautiful garden. Getting back on her feet, S'eni could do nothing else but stare at the flames dancing across the flower bed in front her; the very same one Zenos had once stood in as he took his own life. Her hands balled into fists and she grit her teeth.
Zenos!
She had always known, ever since she had learned of him wresting control of his body back from Elidibus, that Zenos would seek her out one way or another. It was just in his nature. One final duel, that had always been the most optimistic scenario in her mind, but this?
This surpassed every worst-case scenario she could have thought of.
"Are you alright?"
"Hm?" she turned her head to find Alisaie looking at her with a concerned expression on her face. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just got lost in thought there for a sec. Maybe I really do need some rest."
After they had helped extinguish the fire, they had talked with Lyse and Raubahn about what had happened. While the latter was going to send word to the Alliance, the former had decided to investigate the tower in the south of Gyr Abania and also wasted no time rebuffing any offer of help on their part, claiming that they had done enough already and should rest until further notice. So with nothing else to do, they returned to Revenant's Toll.
Looking around the Aetheryte plaza, S'eni quickly noticed that they were missing two people. "Where are Alphinaud and Raha?" she asked, only to receive a chuckle in return.
"Already headed inside. I was about to as well when I saw you staring at nothing," Alisaie replied and patted her shoulder. "Let's go, before they send a search party."
Like many other evenings, the Seventh Heaven was quite busy, so nobody really paid them any mind as they headed into the Rising Stones. She felt her spirits rise a little when she spotted Y'shtola standing next to Krile and Tataru, already looking to be deep in discussion with Alphinaud and G'raha. As they approached them, the other Miqo'te's pale eyes turned towards her and sent her a tiny smile that she returned in kind.
"Ah, there you are," Krile said. "Since we're all here now, perhaps you can give us a first-hand account of what happened."
As Alphinaud proceeded to tell them the events of their first sightings of the towers to Fandaniel revealed himself, their expressions darkened and S'eni was not at all surprised by Y'shtola's next words, since they reflected her own thoughts on the issue quite well.
"Barely a sliver of hope on the Horizon and this Fandaniel arrives..." she began to gently tap her knuckles against her cheek like she always did when deep in thought. "Not even enough time to celebrate the peace with the Kobolds. And Zenos seems to be involved as well..."
"He said he wishes to usher in the final days...but how he wants to accomplish that remains a mystery. As are his motives," Alphinaud said. "For the moment, we can only hope the investigation into the towers will shed some light on the situation."
Alisaie then turned to look at S'eni. "This Fandaniel...he called his dragon 'Lunar Bahamut', didn't he?"
"He did," she replied with a nod. "Looks like him too, just...different. Twisted."
"I very much doubt this is the same Bahamut you faced in the past," G'raha said. "Alone for the fact that he seems to be subservient to Fandaniel. Perhaps a product of ancient arkane techniques..."
"I'm afraid such a hypothesis can only be confirmed once we have gathered more information," replied Alphinaud. "In any case, all we can do now is work together with the Alliance and remain vigilant. And that concludes our news. What of yours, Y'shtola?"
"After I had sufficiently rested, I traveled to Ul'dah to deliver the Immortal Flames a Porxie of their own. Knowing how quick they are to dispose of their tempered I thought it was most prudent they receive it first. The Sultana was especially grateful and is sending her regards, by the way." A frown formed on Y'shtola's features. "But I also received word of troubling tidings. The Flames had been on the cusp of agreeing to a truce with the Amalj'aa when their negotiations suddenly collapsed."
"What happened?" S'eni asked.
"They claim a number of their kind had been abducted by the people of Ul'dah," Y'shtola replied. "At the moment, though, nothing is known about who could be responsible, nor their motive. In the end, the appearance of these towers has put the investigation on hold."
Krile crossed her arms. "According to the information we received from the Alliance these towers have appeared not only all over Eorzea, but even as far as Yanxia as well."
"So they might even be spread out over the other continents," Alphinaud said. "That does not bode well."
"Well, as you said, we can't do anything but remain vigilant and wait for Lyse's scouting party to return. And if this Fandaniel has any connection to one of the seven great wyrms I believe it would be best if we enlist the help of an authority on such foes."
S'eni felt her lips rise into a small grin, already knowing who the Lalafel was talking about.
"Estinien!" Tataru said.
"Estinien?" Alphinaud exclaimed. "His help would be most welcome but...is it even possible to contact him?"
"Hehe, you can leave that to Krile and me. We'll sniff him out no matter where he's hiding," Tataru replied, earning a nod from Krile.
"'Hiding' might be a little strong, but Tataru is right. We have ways to locate him. Our dear Dragoon won't elude us for long, no matter how hard he tries. So if you would excuse us..." Raising their hands in a wave, the two Lalafels began to leave.
"In that case, I think I'll go and pay the city-states a visit. They will need instructions on how to use the Porxies and sitting around in a situation such as this is absolutely out of the question," Alisaie said.
"Indeed." Alphinaud looked at his sister. "But after a rest. You would be fresher for the task ahead."
"I suppose you're right..."
With a chuckle, G'raha turned to look at S'eni. "We might have stopped the 8th Calamity, but it looks like our triumph was short-lived."
She gave him a little apologetic smile in return. "I'm sorry. I would've liked our adventure to be more light-hearted as well."
"While it may not be the most carefree adventure, we're currently writing history and I can't help but find this tremendously exciting," he said, a grin playing on his lips. "This feels just like the prologue of a dramatic play...and you know how those stories always end: the hero emerges victorious, so don't let these Telephoroi get to you!"
Taking a deep breath, she nodded and looked back over to Y'shtola, who was listening to the twins talking. Now the wait begins...
Silence filled the Rising Stones as everyone had retired for the night, getting a much-earned rest from the day's rather sudden turn of events. Behind one of the closed doors, the soft sound of breathing pervaded the dark room, a duet of two bodies nestled against one another. That was until a sudden motion jolted her awake.
At first, she thought she only imagined it as no further movement followed and her mind was still foggy from sleep, all too eager to return to its dreaming state. But just as she was about to give in to that age-old instinct, she felt the mattress shift underneath her body as the one next to her slipped out of bed, pulling her once more back into the waking world. The sound of soft footsteps went through the room, followed by the opening and closing of the door.
Y'shtola sighed through her nose and rolled onto her back. Opening her eyes, she was met by the darkness that had claimed the light inside them. She stayed like this for a few seconds, blinking once, twice, until her new sight had shifted back into place.
Turning her head, Y'shtola looked at the space S'eni had just occupied mere moments ago, letting her hand run over still-warm sheets before sitting up and getting out of bed as well. She walked over to the door, opening a gap to peek outside. When she didn't find her there, she stepped outside and began walking down the hallway.
Y'shtola first looked in the main hall and, when she didn't find S'eni there, checked Dawn's Respite and the Solar without much luck. She then left for the Seventh Heaven, but didn't find her there either. What she did find though, was the door leading to the roof, standing wide open. And at the top of the stairs, S'eni, sitting at the edge of the roof and staring up into the sky.
She remained in the doorway, watching her for a moment in silence, taking in the sight of her aether, standing out even against the Aetheryte nearby, before making her way over. S'eni, of course, had long since noticed her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
"I know," Y'shtola replied, sitting down next to her. "Something is troubling you."
It wasn't a question.
"Just needed to think. Clear my head a little," S'eni said, looking at her.
"Because of Zenos?"
"That too..." A sigh. "It's like you said. Barely something good happens and the next problem arrives. As if the 8th Calamity wasn't bad enough, now it's these Telephoroi and their plan to bring about the Final Days. Raha said I shouldn't let it get to me but—"
"It's hard not to."
"...Yeah." with another sigh S'eni looked back towards the sky, pulling up one of her legs and hugging it. "Am I being silly?"
"No, I don't think you are," she replied with a shake of her head. "And truth be told, I feel the same. I wonder what our friend Emperor Solus would think, were he to learn his own flesh and blood is seeking to recreate that which he sacrificed all to prevent, and with a rogue Ascian no less."
"He would probably enjoy the irony for just a moment before going right back to complaining how he now had to fix another issue," S'eni chuckled, but it was lacking in humor and her expression swiftly became sober again. "They need to be stopped."
"And we will."
"You think so?"
"I do." S'eni turned her gaze back towards her, eyes looking with hers. And though their color had long since faded from her vision, existing only in her happy memories now, the fire inside them was still as strong as ever. Y'shtola smiled. "Because we have you."
S'eni raised a brow. "Now you sound just like Raha."
"I never said I disagreed with him."
Y'shtola's statement was met with a dumbfounded blink, lips slightly parted before curling upward as S'eni huffed out a laugh. "And you say I'm impossible...Thank you."
After saying that, S'eni's smile grew into the same open and honest one that had entered her life five years ago. Sometimes infuriating, but more often beautiful, it had managed to wiggle its way into her heart, nestling deep inside and blooming into the very same thing that made Y'shtola lean forward and claim those lips with her own. Once they parted again, their foreheads came to rest against one another.
"Feeling better?" Y'shtola asked. S'eni hummed in return, reaching out to slip an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "Shall we return to bed then?"
"Yeah, let's."
But despite saying so, they remained where they were even as the waxing moon began its slow descent behind the hills surrounding Revenant's Toll.
Ayyyy, it's Fan Daniel!
...
I'll just see myself out lol.
You know a part of me wanted S'eni to go all ZEEEEEEEENNNNNNOOOOOOOSSSSSS after Fandaniel and Bahamut left, but decided to restrain myself. And I repaid myself with a little extra scene from Y'shtola's pov there at the end. I hope you all approve ;)