Disclaimer: I don't own Bravely Default or Bravely Second, nor do I own The Last Story.
This fic takes place post-game for both Bravely Second and The Last Story, so beware of spoilers! There will also be canon-typical violence involved.
White As Snow, Red As Blood
Summary:
"Tell me, Sir Therius," Geist's voice echoed in the room as his fingers brushed over the white knight's cheek, "Have you ever experienced death itself?"
Also known as: The one where Sir Therius meets, and works with, Geist The Bloody.
The first time Therius met Geist, it was watching a sea of blood unfold.
Therius was in the middle of fighting an ambush, one of the ones he despised so much, when someone else stepped in and took three men down with a simple spell – Eradication, Geist called it.
A thirty-three percent chance of instantly killing enemies – the fact that such a spell existed was frightening enough. The fact that it completely worked on all three enemies Geist aimed the spell at was even more so.
Therius tried not to let it get to him. After all, he'd seen his fair share of death, blood, and injuries. (He hadn't been there to see Asthar die, something he still regretted.)
"Tell me, Sir Therius," Geist's voice echoed in the room as his fingers brushed over the white knight's cheek, "Have you ever experienced death itself?"
Geist looked like a man that died and resurrected so many times, white clothing stained with blood. Therius recalled hearing about Geist once, in hushed whispers. That the man used to work for a former ruling church back where he came from, before he grew mad during the Great Plague and sealed his dying son's soul into a suit of armor.
At least, that was how the story went. Therius knew that you couldn't know the truth of something entirely unless you consulted all sources possible. (If Dagran had done that, maybe Asthar wouldn't be dead right now.)
"I've gotten close." Therius breathed. He didn't dare look away from Geist, despite the other's bizarre visage eliciting a chill down his shoulders. He'd almost died a few times, once during the war between Lazulis and the Gurak.
"Well, when you do die, let me know. I'd be happy to bring you back. Besides," A low chuckle left the Exorcist, "You're too handsome to die."
It was a nice sentiment, Therius supposed, knowing that Geist would prefer him alive than dead. "And how exactly am I supposed to let you know when I'm dead, if I end up that way?"
"Instinct." Geist shrugged, pulling his hand away from Therius' face, shrugging lightly. "You just…know."
"That doesn't make any sense whatsoever." At least, it felt that way to Therius. He put a hand to his own cheek where Geist's hand once was, realizing that a cut on it from the earlier battle was now gone. "Did you…?"
"I undid it, yes. And it might not make sense now, but you'll figure it out in time." Geist hummed lowly, before another chuckle. "Just know that Geist the Bloody is at your service. And better that I'm with you than against you, for many reasons."
After the battle, he and Geist had the chance to get healed up, arriving at Lazulis Castle together. Therius had a feeling that people were staring more at Geist than him, and even the new Countess of Lazulis, Calista, seemed perturbed by Geist's appearance. At least she hadn't commented on Geist's appearance much – but Therius had noticed the servants of Lazulis Castle whispering about Geist almost immediately.
Geist the Bloody, or the Bloody Exorcist – those names were used interchangeably when mentioning him. Therius knew that either way, they made him sound as intimidating as he appeared. . Apparently, Calista hired Geist to look into restoring the Arganan Temple, since it had fallen into ruin. And though Zael and her survived navigating it once to visit her deceased parents (and also get married at that same time), it obviously needed repairs for future visits and for the sake of preservation. But if they could just get someone to 'undo' the damage, maybe repairs could be faster that way.
"I'll have to take a good look at the entire ruins to see what exact parts need repairs, and I'd appreciate a guide, or some sort of floor plan to look at beforehand at least." Therius heard Geist speak up. "How long was the last time Arganan Temple was maintained?"
"Probably over a decade, at least." Calista frowned.
Geist shook his head lightly, glancing down at his hands and then up at Calista. "Mm. You might need someone to simply rebuild and renovate, then. I may be able to 'undo' more recent damage, but my powers have a limit. I need to look at the ruins properly before I can confirm anything, though."
"We have some floor plans of Arganan Temple located in the library," Calista started, looking the Exorcist in the eye, "and I'll inform the head librarian so they can give the plans to you. The temple itself is large and difficult to navigate alone, however, so…" She glanced toward Therius, "Sir Therius, since you and Geist are already acquainted with each other, you can both go through the temple together."
"It will be as you wish, Lady Calista." Therius bowed, and he heard Calista sigh.
"We've worked together long enough, Therius, and it's just the few of us. Please just call me Calista."
"I suppose I should insist now on you calling me Geist, then." Geist managed, and Therius noticed the crooked smile forming on Geist's face. "I was never one for formalities to begin with."
Geist became a fixture in Therius' life for the next week – both went in and out of Arganan Temple, examining what was broken beyond repair, navigating the area, and, apparently, getting rid of reptids and other monsters. Calista warned them, in advance, that she and Zael once found those creatures hiding out in the temple when it became ruins, but it seemed that more still remained.
So, the renovation and repairs assignment turned into an extermination mission. Not only did Therius and Geist need to destroy all the Reptids and other creatures they came across, but they had to make sure any remaining ones didn't take over the area.
"Reptids usually travel from underground," Therius explained as the two went down one corridor of the temple, "So there must be a main area that they're coming from. Or multiple passageways."
"We'd have to bury them, then. Or at least get rid of their main diggers."
"All of them can dig, Geist."
He noticed Geist toothily grin, a chuckle leaving him after. "Then we'll just have to kill them all, won't we?"
"As we must."
"I thought so." A sigh left the Exorcist, pausing in his walk as he turned to face the white knight properly. "How long has this extermination problem gone on for, anyway? From what I've heard, they've been around for a while."
"The fact that Arganan Temple hasn't been tended to properly in years helped with the Reptids finding a place to stay here, but, before the war with the Gurak ensued, the former Count Arganan hired a group of mercenaries to focus on extermination."
"And so, their activities were disrupted by the war." Geist guessed. Therius didn't know the full details, but he betted that the war with the Gurak probably didn't help speed up extermination efforts. "I can see that being a detriment to the place."
"It obviously was." Therius frowned, glancing around the area. Much of the temple's roofing fell in, and it made it easier for the Reptids to hide under or behind the debris. "If we can find the main area the Reptids are coming from, exterminate them, and seal up that area, it'll make stopping the rest of the Reptids from spreading throughout the temple as easily."
"True. I'd hate to be stuck on an eternal extermination assignment, even if I do enjoy seeing their bones crack." Geist glanced around, before he pointed to his right. "How about we start that way?"
Therius checked the map that the librarian lent to him and Geist. "That leads closer to the center."
"The further in, the more Reptids we'll likely find." Geist explained, locking an eye with Therius' own. "Good idea, isn't it?"
"It is." Therius knew Geist had a point, and the two ventured deeper into the temple.
Geist was right about one thing – the further in, the more Reptids there were. Therius wasn't sure exactly how many he and Geist hacked and slashed through, but the growing numbers of Reptids had Therius concerned. He remembered Zael telling him that once, he, Dagran, Syrenne, and Lowell all had to take down a Reptid Queen and her fanatic followers or else they'd be eaten alive.
Reptids were normally harmless in packs of a few, even if they ewre annoying. But an entire tribe of them, with a Queen to boot, wouldn't end so well for anyone unfortunate to come across them. Even the most seasoned knight or mercenary might find themselves in a pinch if they were alone.
At least he and Geist were together, he reasoned. Between Geist's magic to undo and destroy things, and Therius' own skill with the sword under General Asthar's guidance (and a high amount of luck when it came to surviving, as the injury he gained during the war against the Gurak taught him), they could probably be fine going up against a couple groups on their own. If need be, they could retreat, and ask Calista for extra assistance in stamping out the Reptids for good once they explained the gravity of the situation.
Therius glanced toward Geist. "Can you tell when you've run out of magic, or the energy to cast it?" He asked. He recalled Geist mentioning something once about MP, a way to measure the amount of energy used to cast magic in particular.
"I'll feel it when I'm out." Geist managed, looking toward Therius. He paused, frowning, before asking, "You don't know how to use magic yourself?"
"I never learned. My skill is in the sword." Therius managed. He'd trained under Asthar for quite some time – but Asthar was no magic user, and neither was Therius.
"Perhaps I can teach you something." Geist hummed lightly, tilting his head to the side. "You never know when 'undo' can help in a pinch."
"It depends on whether I even have the ability."
"Oh, everyone does." Geist dismissed Therius' concern with a quick wave of his hand, head shaking slightly. "It's just whether you have enough training, talent, and time put into it. And as far as I understand, you lack at least two of those things."
Therius tried not to frown – why bother learning magic if he already was skilled enough with a sword? Not everyone could be a highly skilled magic user. But then again, that undo skill did seem like it would be useful. Was it like the healing magic Miss Mirania used in combat, to heal her friends and allies?
"To your left, Therius!"
Therius turned at Geist's call to see two Reptids running at him, and he cut through them with ease, stabbing one right through the sternum before withdrawing his blade and slashing it across the other's chest once, then a second time. Both fell to the ground, bleeding out, and Therius looked ahead to see several other Reptids running at him and Geist. "It's an ambush!"
"Eradication!"
Some of the Reptids immediately convulsed and fell over, instantly dead. Therius had seen Geist use this spell a few times. Others, however, continued advancing toward the duo as if nothing ever happened.
A one in three chance of success, Therius recalled, as he cut down the ones that were getting too close to Geist, and then stabbed another in the shoulders, pulling the blade out and watching the enemy fall.
"Good catch," He heard Geist breathe, and Therius offered him a nod of acknowledgement.
"Thank you." Therius looked around quickly – no other Reptids in sight. "They've probably caught on to us storming the area. The sooner we reach the center, the sooner we can stop them before they accumulate too many defenses."
"Let's go, then." Geist turned on his heel, moving forward, and Therius started walking after him –
Until he heard something crumbling, a piece of debris falling from above, then another. He looked up in time to see a whole chunk of the temple's ceiling fall at once. He moved faster, running, before using all of his force to shove Geist out of the way.
Geist screaming his name was the last thing Therius heard before he lost consciousness.
"…rius...Therius…?"
Therius opened his eyes to see none other than Mirania standing above him.
"Miss Mirania?'
Mirania offered him a soft smile, light relief evident in her tone. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," A hiss left Therius at the pain splitting through his side, "O-other than a flesh wound."
"You were very lucky that you got out alive." Mirania spoke, her voice turning stern quickly after, smile vanishing. "If it wasn't for Geist being around, you might be in worse condition. Dead, possibly."
"Geist…?" Therius looked around, just in time to see Geist lying in a hospital bed right beside his, eyes closed. He looked even paler than usual, and Therius swallowed. "What happened to him?"
"Geist carried you all the way back here before also collapsing." Mirania informed him, a soft frown on her face as she looked between Therius and Geist. She placed a hand on Therius' shoulder briefly, and he felt the warmth of healing magic envelop his side, pain vanishing as if it never happened. "Based on how he said the damage 'could have been worse' and knowing that he has 'undo' magic, I think he used what magic energy he had to undo your injuries as best as he could before he made it here."
He used his magic to save me – at the risk of overuse and collapsing from going too far. Therius glanced down at himself, then at his hands, and then toward Geist. "That seems most likely," He breathed, "knowing him."
"Both of you need to rest here at least for another day in case you have any complications, and then we'll see what we need to do after." Mirania ended as she pulled her hand away, looking between both men. "And just so neither of you try getting up too early, I want you to know that's an order from Calista, too. Just rest."
"I understand, Miss Mirania." Therius frowned, glancing toward Geist again before asking, "Has he woken up yet?"
"You're the first one between the two of you to wake up." Mirania answered, before he noticed a light smile on her face. "I'm sure he'd be happy to see that you're okay after he wakes up, though." With that, she excused herself to go check on a few other things and left the room.
Therius sighed, still sitting up in bed as he glanced between himself and Geist. How long had he been out? Based on the setting sun from the nearby window, probably a few hours. Geist was still unconscious, chest rising and falling, but despite how pale he looked, he appeared fairly peaceful – more peaceful than Geist had ever seen him before.
When was the last time Geist even got rest? Therius wondered. Now that he thought about it, Geist always appeared so haunted – and not just because of his default-bloody appearance. His eyes always seemed a bit sunken in, like he rarely ever slept. And now that he'd used up his magic, he was probably taking even more time before he gained consciousness.
It's my fault. Therius swallowed, closing his eyes briefly. He'd been careless – sure, he prevented Geist from being so injured from the falling debris, but surely there had to be another way to prevent himself from being so harmed, too, to the point of Geist overusing his magic to save him.
But that's odd, he realized quickly after, the roofing there appeared stable before its collapse. Had the Reptids destroyed it themselves, to kill both of them? It wouldn't be the first time they resorted to using traps…
Geist's light groaning broke Therius out of his thoughts, and he glanced toward Geist to see the other man's eyes open. He appeared weary, at first, with a half-lidded gaze, but they soon fully opened after a moment, head turning toward Therius.
"Therius, you're…?"
"In need of bedrest, but I'm fine." Therius quickly reassured him. "Lady Calista ordered for both of us to stay in bed for another day in case of…complications."
Technically Mirania told Therius to stay in bed, but she'd said it was on Calista's orders and Therius didn't want to question that right now. A sigh left Geist as he managed to sit up in bed, using the pillows to prop himself up. "So, we're both alive, then." Geist breathed, glancing at himself and then toward Therius. "Glad to see my efforts weren't in vain."
"You saved my life. I thank you for it. And," Therius swallowed lightly, "You have my apologies. I did not mean to burden you, when I was pushing you out of the way earlier."
"Technically, you saved my life first." Geist smiled, but it was small – but it wasn't life threatening. Was this the real Geist? Therius wondered. "No need for apologies. Are we not allies, Therius?"
"We are, but…"
"But what?" Geist frowned lightly, locking eyes with his. "It's not a matter of if we owe each other. We just have to work together. That's all there is to it."
"I was worried I'd have lost you," Therius blurted out, "And that you would've died trying to save me."
Geist went quiet, swallowing lightly, before he coughed, covering his mouth with his hand. He withdrew his hand from his face, before looking up at Therius again. "I don't die so easily," He rasped, before a soft chuckle left him. "Others, well…"
"Did you…fail to save someone before?" Surely Geist must have used his powers to help other allies, right? Maybe there was a point when he couldn't save someone, or perhaps a whole group of of allies.
"My son." Geist glanced away from Therius, but Therius could hear him choke back tears. "There was a sick girl on a ship I was supposed to exorcise – I tried to stop it from spreading after realizing it was an illness and not demons, but the council I worked for – they let the ship set sail."
Therius didn't ask why they let the ship set sail even though there was a person on board with an infectious disease. Greed, he guessed. Something valuable on the boat, perhaps. Instead of asking for more details about the ship, he focused on Geist's son. "And your son…?"
"By the time I returned to him, he was already dead. But a tiny piece of him was still…there." Geist swallowed, looking up at Therius, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I…did the best I could to save him – I put his soul in a suit of armor. And it's remained there since."
"What?" How could such a thing be possible!? Therius had heard of many things, including the Outsider itself that could both give and take away life easily, but this was a whole other thing. "You fused his soul with an inanimate suit of armor?"
"It's animated now," Geist muttered, "Thanks to my son being in there. He's…adjusted to it since. He's had plenty of time."
"Where is he now?"
"Studying in Al-Khampis with a friend of his – an ally of ours that worked for the same organization as we did a while ago. They're doing fine."
At least Geist's son was happy, Therius supposed, even though he had such a different body. "How long do you think it'll last?"
"I'm not sure if I want to know," Geist admitted, looking him in the eye, "But he's lasted this long so far. I'd like to hope he lasts longer."
"I hope so, too." That was all Therius could really say.
"Well, it's your turn."
"My turn?"
Geist shrugged, leaned back against the pillows of his bed. "To speak about losing people. You brought it up to begin with, after all."
Therius knew that Geist had a point. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before opening them. "You might have heard of General Asthar, correct?"
"Asthar?" Geist blinked once, twice. "I have heard of him before. He died during the war against the Gurak, right?"
"He was my mentor. The man who trained me to become a true knight." Therius swallowed, meeting Geist's gaze. "But he died in an ambush – there was someone who thought he was the one behind destroying his village, years before."
"Did he?"
"No. He took the blame for someone else." Therius wasn't sure if Geist would ask for more details, but Geist didn't. Instead, he asked something entirely different – something Therius didn't expect.
"How long ago was it that he died?"
"Several months ago." Therius frowned, looking toward Geist. "Why?"
"I was about to say that if the death was extremely recent, I probably could've brought him back." Geist scratched the back of his head, a sheepish, apologetic glance accompanying it. "But he's far too gone for him to bring back."
"Even if he did die, I'm not sure if he would've appreciated being brought back – no offense meant, of course, but he died amid trying to do the right thing." Therius swallowed lightly. "A true knight must be ready to risk their life, Geist."
"Yeah, but I'd like to hope that they also try to preserve theirs if possible."
Therius bit back a protest as Geist continued speaking. "If I had the choice and the opportunity, I'd like everyone else to come out alive."
"How many people did you try bringing back from the dead with your powers?"
"Countless, at this point. I'd offer to bring Asthar back, but…too late now." Geist looked away from Therius briefly, and then toward him, locking eyes with his. "But if you do die, I will bring you back, and I'm serious."
Therius needed a moment to consider it. The 'undo' magic was certainly useful, even if it had its limits. But…
"Very well. You can bring me back if that happens." Therius managed. "But, I want you to teach me how to use 'undo.' It's not fair that you must do all the work with healing, if we end up in a scenario involving just the two of us."
A smile crossed Geist's face at that statement. "I thought you'd say that," He murmured, before a chuckle left him. "How about we start tomorrow – assuming we're cleared from the hospital wing, that is?"
One and a half days later, Therius found himself trying to use magic – and to assist him, Geist lent him the Exorcist Asterisk. Asterisks – the strange little objects that could give someone their abilities if wielded – were likely useful, but Geist explained that it took time to properly master their powers. Even an 'undo' could take a while for Therius to get right, especially since Therius had little experience with magic before this.
He nearly collapsed after a mere few tries, to his embarrassment and mortification. This was apparently normal, and he likened himself to one of the child mages studying in the castle at this stage.
"You've got potential," Therius heard Geist murmur.
"This is potential?" Therius wished his words didn't come out as disappointed as they sounded, as Geist helped him sit down on a bench. "I feel like I could sleep for three hours straight."
"Oh, try five." Geist chuckled, sitting down beside him. His gaze softened – less intimidating, more friendly. "Trust me, I had to sleep a lot in between. If you have ethers, you can restore you MP quickly, but you should still rest regardless."
"Ethers?"
"They're potions. Do you have any equivalent of that in this area?"
"I'm not sure. I should Miss Mirania if she knows of something similar." She likely did, Therius guessed, thanks to her expertise as a new doctor and healing mage.
"Just make sure to have enough on you the next time we go out to the temple." Geist muttered, before locking gazes with his. "And don't overexert yourself. It's one thing to go overboard in a swordfight. Completely different, and more life-threatening in your case, if you do it with magic."
"Understood." Therius just hoped that he could master at least 'undo' in time for their next outing.
The next time the two went to Arganan Temple to stamp out the rest of the Reptids, Zael and some of his old (former) mercenary friends accompanied him – Yurick, Mirania, Lowell, Syrenne even. It was better to get the sneak attack on the remaining Reptids and destroy them quickly if they had a smaller group, though best not to split up if they didn't need to.
It didn't take long to find the main hole where the Reptids were coming into the temple from, but they also found something else – a big, hulking beast, bigger than any of the Reptids that they'd ever seen and fought before.
"It's the Queen!" Therius heard Zael call. "Be careful that she doesn't eat you!"
"She'll eat us?" Geist groaned. "Any way to get around that!?"
"Throw bombs in its mouth when she starts trying to suck you in!"
"What if we don't have any!?"
"Er, then..." Zael looked toward Yurick. "Yurick! When she starts trying to suck any of us into her mouth, use your fire magic! That way it'll go inside her and…"
"Got it!" Yurick started charging up a fire spell.
There were also other Reptids to deal with, soldiers at the Queen's command, so Therius focused his attention on not getting eaten alive while getting rid of any soldiers that got too close to Mirania and Geist in particular, since they were the main healing forces of the group available.
He could overhear Geist chanting underneath his breath, eradicating a group of Retpids to the left and then slicing down more to the right. The way he worked was like a well-oiled machine – clockwork at its finest. Despite Geist's deadly reputation, Therius knew that this man was not to be trifled with – and he really was more helpful as an ally.
Had they been enemies – Therius doubted that Zael and the others would have an easy time against Geist. No one would.
But here he was now instead, helping them. They'd both lost people – but they kept on fighting anyway. It would be nice for Geist to stick around after this was all over.
Therius did his best to make the battle end sooner than later – and it did at some point. The white knight let a relieved breath leave him as he glanced toward the others. "Is everyone okay?"
As Zael and the others nodded, he noticed Geist also smile lightly.
"I saw you just now." Geist took a step toward him, raising a brow, and Therius blinked.
"Yes, and?"
"You used 'undo.'"
"I did?" Now that Therius thought about it, he had touched Geist at one point. "Did it…?"
"It held," Geist breathed, glancing down, and Therius followed his gaze to see Geist's forearm. The sleeve had ripped at some point during the battle, but a wound that was supposed to be there was no longer there. "You did it. You actually mastered it."
"Wait, you what?" Zael looked toward Therius, eyes widening. "When did you learn to use magic?"
"Geist taught me." Therius managed, looking toward Zael. "I thought it would be handy in case, even if my abilities are limited."
"And he's done a very good job~" Geist's voice broke into a few chuckles afterward, and Therius felt his hand on his shoulder, Geist's voice murmuring right beside his ear. It occurred to Therius now that it was the first time they ever really touched outside of a battle. "He might be a white knight but he has a few tricks up his sleeve. And maybe I can teach him more during the remainder of my stay on the island."
"The remainder of your stay?" Therius glanced toward him, brows furrowing. "I thought you'd only be here until the extermination mission was over." And it was over now, as of minutes ago.
"Change of plans." Geist sighed lightly, letting go of him as Therius turned to properly face him. "Calista caught wind of our practice sessions and asked if I might be able to teach not just you but perhaps a few others the 'undo' ability, at least. I'm not sure how long I can stay, but it'll be for a while – and it's not like I have much waiting for me back in Luxendarc."
"Your son…?"
"Still studying for the next few months. So, I presume I'll be here until then." Geist's eyes flashed, a light frown gracing his face. "Unless you don't want me teaching you anymore?"
"Why would I turn down an opportunity to learn like that?" Therius dared to look him in the eye. "I would be happy to continue training with you. We're allies, are we not?"
He saw Geist smile, and Therius knew, deep down, that the Exorcist truly wanted to stay by his side – even if it was only for a bit longer. "We are."
