Tellah was closing in on the exit of the southern caves when he ran into a man in dark armor and a child with bold green hair. He was ready to handwave them away when he saw the large glistening sword strapped to the man's back. Fate had brought him support!
Thankfully, the pair was also on its way to Damcyan, and agreed to travel with him through the caves without much convincing. If fighting the monsters before had been easy, fighting them with a knight and a supporting mage had them flying through the caves.
"Tellah, please refrain from healing me while we're in the middle of battle," the dark knight called out. Tellah stopped chanting, unsure of what to do next.
"Why not?" Tellah asked. There was no response, as the knight had charged forward, swinging his sword overhead onto the remaining sahagin; it fell unceremoniously to the ground.
He put away his sword and gently touched the deep slice on the side of his thigh. He brought his hand up to his face to examine it. The blood on his fingers dripped down like melted wax from a candlestick.
"These self-inflicted wounds…it's where my power comes from. I kill at a price to myself," he explained. He refused to look at either of the mages. The child had finished her chanting and healed the wound, a wash of white and gold sparkles dancing over him like Fabulian sparklers. Not waiting for a response, he led the way with the mages in tow. The girl tugged on Tellah's robes to get his attention.
"When the purple cloud around him fades away, we can heal him," she said. Tellah blinked. She can sense auras at her age? he thought.
"I'll keep that in mind. Can I offer a suggestion?" Tellah asked. She nodded, keeping her gaze on him. She looked really familiar, he thought, could she be…?
He brushed off the brief déjà vu, and went on to explain the improvements she could make in casting her magic. In their next fight, she cast a basic thunder spell slightly brighter than his. Tellah squeezed her shoulders gently.
"Great job!" he said. She giggled and looked down, tracing a small half circle on the muddy floor with the point of her foot. The knight turned around and lifted his visor. Clear blue eyes on a porcelain face appeared, a stark contrast to his black armor. Tellah was taken aback by the kind eyes that met his.
"That was her?" he asked, incredulously. Tellah nodded, a proud smile on his face. He stared at the girl for a minute before lowering his visor and pushing forward.
"Great job, Rydia," he called behind him. Tellah stopped in his tracks.
"This is pointless," Minwu said, flicking his hair out of his eyes.
"Most of what we do is pointless," Tellah responded. Minwu smirked.
"It's felt that way lately, yes."
The mist ahead welcomed them, swirling around in a silent, unfamiliar waltz. The further they walked, the less visibility they had. Even Minwu vanished next to him, the only sign that he was still next to Tellah was the sound of his boots squishing the damp leaves on the ground. Tellah shivered, a chill crawling down his back. He snapped around, sensing eyes on him but seeing only the mist.
"I feel it, too." He heard Minwu say from his right. Tellah stared at a particular space, expecting something to appear at any moment. The mist continued to dance around him despite the clear disturbance in his mind's eye.
"Let's keep walking," Tellah said. He glanced down to look at his footsteps, only sure of which direction to go by seeing where he'd come from.
"Let's." And so they walked. The mist was starting to lessen the further they went, and they saw a stiff outline of a person waiting for them.
"Who's there?" Minwu said, readjusting the staff in his hand with a gentle toss, aiming the tip at the stranger.
"I think I should be asking you that - after all, you're the one coming to Mist, aren't you?" A familiar voice volleyed.
"Lydia!" The figure relaxed, crossed arms dropping.
"Tellah? Is that you?" Lydia asked, stepping forward. She smiled at him, her upturned nose wrinkling slightly. Her sapphire hair nearly looked black from the lack of sun and was noticeably glossy, no doubt from the moisture that clung around.
"It is! You look as lovely as ever," he said, returning her smile in kind. Minwu cleared his throat, pointedly staring at Tellah.
"Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce you to Minwu-" Lydia glanced over at him, giving him a once over. "-he's my long time friend and colleague from Mysidia. You'll be hard pressed to find another gifted mage of his caliber around the world." Minwu propped his staff on the ground to lean on. Tellah continued.
"Minwu, this is Lydia. She's the summoner who helped me cull the spreading monsters' nests along the western deserts of Kaipo."
"Ah. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lydia," Minwu said, extending a hand in greeting. Lydia ignored him and propped her hands on her hips as she cocked a brow.
"Telling people about me and Mist, Tellah? I hope you haven't told everyone."
"Only the people that needed to know." Lydia trained her eyes on his, studying him carefully. Tellah refused to look away. Lydia shrugged.
"Alright. There is no threat," Lydia said loudly to someone behind them. The feeling of being watched disappeared in the blink of an eye. Tellah's shoulders relaxed. Minwu glanced around to see who she was speaking to. "So what brings you to my quaint little town?" she asked.
"A proposition from the Elder of Mysidia," Minwu said.
Tellah felt a tug on his robes again.
"Are you okay? Do you need to rest?" Rydia asked, her brows furrowed. Tellah shook his head.
"No, we're close to a safe area. There's a circle of incantations in the room that will prevent monsters from attacking us while we rest. Let's stop there."
"Up that incline?" The knight pointed at a path straying left.
"The very same." Tellah confirmed. In a few short minutes, they were at the point Tellah first reached two days prior. Another tent in place and another fire started, and soon enough Rydia had dozed off in front of them. Tellah learned that the knight's name was Cecil. He was from Baron, and he'd been a pawn in the theft of the water crystal and destruction of the village of Mist for his king. Rydia was a survivor of the attack, and worse, potentially the only summoner left. When they'd gone to Kaipo to recover, Cecil betrayed his kingdom in favor of saving her. He was on his way to Damcyan to find a sand pearl to save a friend, and Tellah in turn told him of his plight with Anna and Edward.
He was also worried about his friend Lydia and wondered if she'd perished in the fire, too. As much as he wanted to know, he didn't find it prudent to bring up something so painfully fresh to Rydia. The name - the similar features, even - it was too much of a coincidence. He never knew Lydia as a child but he imagined that she may have looked much like the child in front of him. He regarded her face once more. From this angle, Rydia reminded him of Anna when she was a child. He told Cecil as much.
"So what will you do with Rydia? I assume she has no family outside of Mist," he said.
Cecil hung his head down and let out a long, quiet breath. Tellah waited for him to speak. "I'm not sure yet. I can't leave her, not after what I did to her and her mother. Still, I don't think she should be traveling with me, either. It's too dangerous, even if she has proven herself time and again. A journey full of battles and violence is no place for a child."
"You're certainly not wrong. Will you raise her, then, after you save your friend and find a place to stay?"
"After I save my friend, we will travel to world and warn other countries of the atrocities Baron has committed. But…yes. After it's all over, I will raise her. She became my responsibility when I walked into that village with the ring."
"You're an honorable man, Cecil. You've aided and abetted in cruel crimes against humanity, but have chosen to pay the price of atonement without hesitation or regard for your well being and livelihood." Tellah sat back and rubbed his chin. "You need to know…war will make you do things you're not proud of. You're going to make choices that in hindsight are mistakes. You'll need to learn how to forgive yourself when you do." He sighed, prodding the flames with a thinner branch, his voice distant. "If only Anna could've fallen in love with someone like you." He looked up at Cecil, whose eyes were so pained and guilty that he felt some residual shame himself. It was clear he was struggling with his hand in the horrible events. Tellah knew the feeling, and changed the subject.
"You know, treasure your time with that little girl," he said, nodding at Rydia. Cecil looked up and raised a brow. Tellah continued, getting more passionate as he spoke.
"I speak from personal experience. Time passes much faster than you think. One day you're caring for scraped knees and mending clothes for her dolls, and the next you're telling her to change into something less scandalous before she heads into town. You'll say, 'Gee, it was only months ago she was no taller than my waist!' But no, Cecil. The years came and went, slipping away when you were not looking, when you thought you had much more time with her than you actually had. You need to adapt, or silver tongued bastards named Edward-" Tellah almost spat out the name. "- will steal her heart and worse, she'll break yours when she leaves." Tellah was standing, wagging a finger in Cecil's face.
Cecil's mouth hung open at the sudden mood swing. He recovered, closed his mouth, and tried not to chuckle.
"I think if she finds love, she should be able to explore it," he said slowly, trying not to further antagonize him. Tellah scoffed.
"Spoken like the young man you are." He sat back down. He knew Cecil wouldn't understand; nevertheless, he reveled in the catharsis the outburst gave him. "I don't know how you feel about it, but after we rescue Anna and your friend, I could take in Rydia for the time being. She has a lot to learn, and I'm more than equipped to teach her. It'd be nice to have some youthful energy around Kaipo again. Anna would love to have her around, I'm sure," he said. Cecil smiled at him.
"We can ask her. Thank you for the offer," he said. They enjoyed the warmth of the fire in silence before Tellah decided to turn in for the night. Cecil followed suit soon after.
A few hours later, they arose and prepared themselves for the last and most dangerous leg of the caves.
"Mother said the rest of the world was more dangerous than Mist, but I didn't believe her until now," she offered as they repacked. Tellah glanced at Cecil, who was once again avoiding looking at either of them. After checking Rydia's armor and letting her test an ice rod they found the day before in the safety of the cavern, they set off to the second set of underground caves.
"Did your mother leave Mist?" Tellah asked. Rydia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.
"My grandma told her, and she told me! Grandma used to travel when she was young," she said. Tellah gathered the courage to ask the question that had been on his mind the moment he noticed her elfin appearance.
"Your grandmother…what was her name?" Tellah asked.
"Lydia! My mother named me after her," Rydia said, puffing out her chest. "I wish I could've met her," she added as an afterthought.
Tellah tried to hide his surprise. "Oh? Did something happen to her?" Rydia nodded.
"Mother said her heart wasn't very strong, and it was too tired to keep going." Tellah's own heart sank. Cecil regarded Tellah quietly.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Tellah said. Rydia shrugged.
"Grandma lived a very full life and was one of the lucky ones, that's what Mother would say." Tellah busied himself in adjusting his pack, blinking back tears.
"I think we're ready. Let's go, everyone," Cecil said, starting off again. Rydia sprung up and ran ahead of him. Tellah fell in line with Cecil.
"Did you know her grandmother?" Cecil asked. Tellah hummed in affirmation. He finally looked up when he recomposed himself.
"I haven't seen her in years," he whispered. Cecil, realizing Tellah wasn't inclined to say more, turned his attention to Rydia.
"Don't walk too far ahead of us, okay, Rydia?" Cecil warned. Rydia waited for him to pass in front of her.
Tellah jumped first off the waterfall, and Cecil followed, holding Rydia tightly to himself as they dropped. Soon enough they were close to the bay where Tellah had encountered the Octomammoth.
Cecil took Rydia aside and knelt down to look her in the eye.
"Your black magic is very strong, but I think you should let Tellah do all the casting on the creature. I don't want him attacking you, because he's very fast and he will hurt you if you draw any attention to him."
Rydia nodded, wide eyed and tightly gripping her new rod. The dip in the water had weighed her curls down, and the bangs that normally swept to the side almost covered her eyes completely. Cecil gently brushed them to the side.
"You're going to do well. Stay behind us and keep us awake, okay?" he said. Rydia gave him a faltering smile.
"Okay!" she said.
Tellah stood at the outskirts of town, where the growth of the ravine was half heartedly sheared back by lazy gardeners. A few gatlinghogs were staring at him behind the shrubs, their needles bristled and saliva coated teeth gleaming at the potential meal in front of them. Tellah wanted nothing more than to hide behind his instructor, but she shoved him forward. He slid on the loose soil and fell, rolling closer to them. Tellah gasped and scuttled backwards on all fours, trying to gain space from the monsters. One of them twisted on its side, shooting needles like darts at the new mage. They embedded into his arms and shins, and Tellah squeaked out a cry.
"Get up and attack them, Tellah! Otherwise, what are you doing here?" His instructor barked. He'd gotten used to the rough treatment from her. The cruel remarks were her way of encouraging him. "Get. Up!"
Tellah stood on shaky legs. He winced as the needles moved under his skin. He cast Fire, and the monsters squealed. They looked angrier due to the rebuttal, and Tellah took an unconscious step back.
"No!" She shouted, pacing behind him. "Do not retreat!"
Tellah stood his ground, and the hogs stared him down with ravenous black eyes. Tellah swallowed. He started chanting again. Another creature lunged at him. Tellah ducked low, avoiding it by the skin of his teeth. He bit back a scream as the needles in his shins pushed further inside. That pissed Tellah off. His second spell was ready, and he electrocuted them all. They shrieked again; one keeled over and died, its mouth hanging open. Tellah didn't skip a beat, and blizzard followed, freezing the remaining monsters.
He stood there, breathing hard. The last of his adrenaline left his body as he bellowed at the frozen carcasses in front of him. The instructor slow clapped.
"Good. This is where I leave; you'll venture out into the wilderness on your own. I expect proof of no less than ten dead monsters in your possession before sundown. If you do not succeed, you will leave the tower and instruction will end."
Tellah came back up, gingerly removing one needle after another from his hands. "Yes, Instructor."
She smirked at him, thrusting a wooden staff at his chest.
"Make it back and you won't call me Instructor anymore. You will call me Gale, like all of the other apprentices do." Tellah looked up at her in surprise. "Now, get going. You have two hours of sunlight left."
"Y-yes, Instructor!" he said. He took the staff and turned, hiding his excited grin.
If Rydia was able to summon a giant she'd never met on grief alone, then the potential for greatness has always been there. There's no need for her to rely on anger as a crutch to cast effective magic like I do, he thought.
"Stay calm, Rydia," Tellah said, placing a hand on Rydia's shoulder as he looked for the creature. She nodded vigorously.
"Are we ready?" Cecil asked, unsheathing his sword. He tilted the blade horizontally in front of him, slowly stepping forward and paying attention to every sound surrounding them.
"We're ready," Tellah called back, feeling his rage ignite.
A/N: Ta-daaa! Rydia's grandmother Lydia! (Wow, so original...but if Cecil can call his son Ceodore then Rydia's mom can name her after someone, too, DAGNABBIT). Anyways, here's to hoping I have a solid timeline down for young!Tellah :) As always, thanks for reading!