The guards led two children past the large, welcoming gates of Amarout. Neither wore the customary masks or had their cowls up, though neither was from a lack of trying from their current guardians. Each time one reached over to assist and correct, the two leaned just out of reach, clinging more fiercely to each other. I wished they wore their masks. The lack made it all too easy to see the trepidation eyes, the fear in their frowns. No small part of me longed to rush forward to greet them personally, to welcome and reassure, but I held back. For one, my good intentions may not come across and simply push them further on edge. For another, my purpose was to observe the two and nothing more.

Safely tucked away on the roof of a nearby building, I glanced down at the note in my hand, Lahabrea's precise handwriting scrawling out just why I had been called back from my travels for this. The two children, so young and full of potential, were possible candidates for the Convocation. We always kept track, to guide and see if they would become a successor in truth. Pashtarot had done the initial observation for the last candidate, a boy named Hythlodaeus for Emet-Selch, and if all had been normal, Lahabrea would have been the one to observe these two. But they were not, because the girl was a candidate for Azem. My own seat.

Candidates for the seat of Azem were rare. In a society where few longed to travel beyond the walls of their home, Azem required a certain restlessness. The urge to explore and learn, a willingness and ability to communicate with people and never grow bored. It also required an unflinching will to see life's hardships day after day, and a finely tuned ability to identify troubles from the first whisper. Such personalities were already rare, and rarer still were the arguably most important traits for Azem: power and skill. Specifically, it was great power, power enough to threaten to burn you alive, and also the prodigious skill to wield it for even the most minute of tasks. Only once every few centuries did you find a person who potentially had all these traits, and the girl who was led in and clinging to her friend was the first I had seen.

The two children made an interesting pair, and not simply because of the lack of robes or masks. Both had white hair, shimmering in the dawning light like spun silver, and eyes of piercing gold. One might think them siblings at first glance, though Lahabrea's notes stated they were not. The boy, Hades, was noted to be surly and abrasive to all, yet possessed a soulsight keener than even the current Emet-Selch and a strong connection to the underworld. The girl, Eos, was an enigma, raised in isolation due to the paranoia of her mother, yet possessed enough raw power to obliterate an aether-corrupted bear with a single blow and enough raw skill to ensure nothing else was touched.

My initial impressions... more or less matched the notes. Eos herself... yes, she had power. It all but shone from her, ready to burst. But we would see in the coming years whether or not she had the spark needed to be Azem. I would wait and watch.


Years went by, and I checked in on the Azem candidate from time to time, measuring her progress and gleaning what bits I could of her personality. In terms of her studies, she was phenomenal. Powerful and skilled, just as an Azem needed to be, with a brilliant mind and keen observation. Personality... well, that was much harder to judge. Though she had been the first of her year to have a concept accepted by the Bureau of the Architect, she never submitted a second to show what sort of ideas she had for improving the star. Despite her brilliant and thought-provoking academic essays, she never debated with her peers to expand on those points. Then there was the largest obstacle to me believing she would become my successor; she rarely strayed far from her dearest friends: Hades and Hythlodaeus. She never explored even Amarout, and appeared perfectly at peace simply being with them wherever they were. No restlessness, no urge to wander. Azem was the position of the Traveler; it would be unthinkable for someone who did not wish to travel to take the seat. I discussed rejecting her with the others, but Altima urged me against it. Who knew when another candidate would surface, after all?

So, I waited. I watched. I saw her skill grow by leaps and bounds, her power held under perfect control. I saw how she mastered any and all magics she was taught. Yet it was only part of what Azem had to be, part of Azem's role. I could not see the rest in her and, truthfully, I was loathed to suggest anything which might lead to her leaving her friends. Oh, how she shone with them, and they with her. Even grumpy Hades, whose frowns grew heavier by the year. It felt wrong to separate them, and the duty of Azem was to often be away. I did not mind, for I loved the world and its people. But would she? By my observations, I did not think she would... until a chance conversation changed everything.

"Are you ever going to stop watching?" It was a straightforward question, the words edged in exasperation, and yet her accompanying frown was more curious than anything. "You keep giving Hythlodaeus headaches, masking yourself as you are," Eos continued, her hands clasped behind her back. It was late, far later than a student should be out, but she did not seem contrite. Quite the opposite, actually. "Hades is grumbling and fussing over him right now. It was particularly bad today."

"Ah, my apologies," I murmured, sparing a brief moment to be surprised. When I hid myself, no one should have been able to see me. No one. I'd even practiced with Emet-Selch to obtain the skill and power needed. That Hythlodaeus did anyway spoke greatly to how strong his soulsight truly was. Perhaps the strongest in our people's history. "I have some medicine I can bring."

"Oh, there's no need for that. Hythlodaeus claims he's pedestrian at most things, but his medicine making skills are simply amazing. We also make sure we have plenty on hand, since we never known when you'll show up." How long had she known? Did she know why? "Still, it is distressing to see him in pain, particularly when I'm the cause. After all, you're watching me."

"I see." What to say? What to do? In normal circumstances, I would not directly approach her until she had graduated and chosen an initial vocation. Yes, I defied the 'usual' way of things many times, but this was one I had planned to stick to the rules. I could be amused how life chose to twist things anyway, if not for the awkward situation I now found myself in. "I apologize for any discomfort I caused you."

"It just seems weird for you to spend your free time watching a boring child, Azem. Unless my maverick ways provide some sort of entertainment?" She smiled slightly, somehow both cynical yet amused. I tried to think of how she was a 'maverick' at all, and vaguely recalled hearing of how she often went without a mask and her cowl down. Such habits would certainly label her a 'troublemaker', even if it was only once or twice. "If you want to know something, you should simply ask."

"Sometimes, one must experience something to truly know it." Still, she was right here, and I might as well take advantage of this strange situation I found myself in. She was right in how personal anecdotes were a close second to experiencing something yourself. "What are your thoughts on traveling, Eos?"

"Traveling?" She fell quiet from surprise, and tilted her head curiously. "Why would the Traveler want to know if I like traveling?" Why, indeed. "It's fun, most of the time. Funnier when Hythlodaeus and I sneak ahead of Hades and he has to chase after us." ...Those words... they implied...

"You have left the city?" I had seen nothing of the sort. No, more importantly, I had heard nothing. I had many watching her for me whenever I was away, yet not a one had mentioned this.

"Plenty of times. Between Hythlodaeus and Hades, we always know where the guards are, and no one bothers to look for us unless there's trouble." She smiled a little smugly, yet the pride which shone was not for herself. No, it was for her friends who she loved so dearly. "We know not sneak when someone is watching though."

"Of course not." A revelation hit me then. Though I had used illusions to mask myself, Hythlodaeus still had seen. They knew when anyone was near, when anyone watched, and they kept themselves wary. I would never see her true self, her full and complete self, if I did as I had. I had to change my tactics, and given how well this first conversation was going... "Well, in the interest of not giving your poor friend more headaches, perhaps we can simply have a nice chat when next I am in Amarout."

"Oh?" She seemed surprised once more, but the smile she gave me was the most dazzling I had ever seen. "I rather like the sound of that." As did I, if I had to be truthful.

"Until then, Eos."


"Azem! Welcome back!" It was hard to say when Eos greeting me in my abode became the one thing which solidified I truly was 'home', but at some point over the years, it had. I never truly felt 'home' until I saw and heard her say those words.

"I'm glad to be back, Eos." It was even harder to say just when it became so natural to have her in my home, not simply to greet me but to rest or receive help with her lessons. "Aw, you even have tea made!" Freshly brewed tea with the most delightful aroma. She would've been here for some time to already have it set up.

"Hythlodaeus caught sight your aether as you approached the gates, and Hades covered for me so I could rush over." Eos grinned, and I could only shake my head because it meant she skipped lessons. Again. "It's fine. That teacher hates me anyway. Says I'm selfish for hoarding my ideas in my head, and I'm an affront to society..." She laughed as if it were funny. "Oh, but he only goes into that after rambling on and on about how my delighting in disparity is a mark of moral deficiency and how unseemly it is for my cowl to be down so often."

"Oh, Eos..." The hardest thing to say, though, was just how I felt by how blase she was about those who insulted and demeaned her. I admired the dignity she held herself with. I worried she had a low opinion of herself. I inwardly raged at the idea of someone insulting such a sweet child. "What am I to do with you?" However, I spoke of none of these things and, instead, actually set down my things and placed my mask on the table next to Eos's own mask, an edge chipped where it had fallen at some point. "I suppose I simply must distract you with stories."

"Oh, what a travesty." Eos laughed once more, bright and loud and warm. Free. "I'll pour the tea."

"Of course." I set about my usual unpacking, though it did not take long. I always traveled light for my journeys, so I finished before she and I took the time to look her over, to make sure she was well. Immediately, I found something which made me sigh. "Eos, did you not brush your hair again?" Eos made a face at me, even as she continued pouring the tea. Or, rather, had the teapot pour itself. She delighted in little tricks such as this, where the pot hopped about to pour and the cups slid and skipped into place. "When was it last brushed?"

"Whenever Hythlodaeus last insisted?" She shrugged, unbothered by the tangled mess that was her hair. "Why does it matter? It's supposed to be hidden by a cowl anyway."

"Sit down." I gave her my best no-nonsense look, and though she stuck out her tongue like a young child, she obeyed. I conjured up a brush and immediately went to work. Based on the number of tangles I found, I guessed it had been ten days, at least. No longer than fifteen, though. Hades usually made some sort of comment by then, if Hythlodaeus did not take matters into his own hands first. Both ever worried over their dear friend, even if they showed it differently. "Goodness, child, if you wear it long, you must care for it."

"I did cut it once, and Hades was upset. Though it could've been because I hacked away at it instead of cutting it 'proper'." She tilted her head back to look at me, gold eyes strangely conflicted. "My mother always made me wear it short. Less chance of it getting caught and someone finding me, or, worse, someone grabbing me. They were never clean cuts, though, just a few whacks whenever she deemed it 'too long'. So, I think it reminded him of when we first met, and the bruises I had."

"..." It took everything I had to not freeze, my mind jumping to the reports surrounding Eos's arrival in Amarout. Hidden away, isolated, and physically abused by her own mother... "Do you keep it long to forget those times?"

"I could never forget. They're my earliest memories. But that's all they are. Memories." Eos let her head fall, so I could continue brushing her hair as gently as I could. "My mother loved me. I know this. It was twisted up inside due to her own pain. The... madness her grief inflicted. But she loved me. That's why she hurt me." Instinctively, I made to protest, but she continued talking without pause. "It was wrong. That's why Hades reported it. He loves me too, and could not stand how Mother's twisted love caused me pain. Yet my choice to stay with him and not her caused her pain. That's just how the world is. There is beauty and pain in equal measure, and they are as intertwined as light and shadows."

"An... interesting perspective." A rather unique one, truthfully. Our people strove towards perfection and happiness for all, after all. The world, of course, was imperfect and that was what gave it character, but in all my years, I did not think I had ever heard someone say such perfection and happiness was impossible. Certainly not with an easy finality to it, an acceptance akin to how one accepts the color of the sky.

"Hades fusses whenever I say it, and I know it's weird. But it's how I feel." A lopsided smile quirked onto her face. "Maybe it's my own twisted way of coming to terms with my mother, her choices, and my own. With how I simply cannot bring myself to hate her, even after everything."Abruptly, I set the brush down, but before she could ask, I wrapped my arms around her in the tightest hug I could. "Azem?"

"Tis nothing." I hugged her even tighter, and eventually, she leaned into my embrace. "Say, my next trip is to somewhere close. Would you like to come along? I'll arrange it with your teachers."

"Really?" Though I could not see her face, I heard the surprise, and excitement, in her voice. "I would love to!"

Oh, how my colleagues on the Convocation would scold me later. But I thought it worth it. I thought it more than worth it.


That was not the only time I brought Eos along on my travels, far from it. It almost became an expectation. Whenever my journeys took me somewhere relatively close, I would bring her along. Pashtarot frowned heavily, but I argued it let me see how she handled travels and seeing new places. Yes, no Azem before me had done so with a candidate, but was not the world ever changing? Why should we let ourselves be bound by tradition when it was our duty, and pleasure, to continue making the Star a brighter and more beautiful place?

Though, if I had to be truthful, those reasons were secondary, excuses I thought of to justify the action and to hide my real reason: it was fun. Traveling with Eos was a delight, and oh, how my little spark shone in those new places.

"Azem, look!" I was almost appalled at how my past self thought Eos wouldn't like traveling. Not when she took to each new location as a fish did water, and a bird did the skies. "One of the people here gave me this in thanks for helping her carry her laundry in," Eos laughed, proudly holding out a talisman common to these parts. I knew them well; my studies into it had led me to quite a few discoveries about the Star and aetherology. "Ah, but I am sorry to be late. I just couldn't let her carry all of it by herself! She's due to give birth any day now and has trouble walking!"

"You need not explain to me, Eos," I reassured, barely muffling a laugh. I had learned during these trips of ours Eos simply couldn't not help the people around her. No matter where we went, she would always find at least a dozen people in need of assistance and give it with a smile. "We are in no hurry today."

"You did say it was important, though." She tucked the talisman in her pocket, clasped her hands behind her back, and tilted her head curiously. "So, what is it? I see you have Argos roaming." Indeed, my familiar was. "Are we hunting for something? Herbs for the apothecary again?"

"No, no." I smiled warmly, barely keeping back a mischievous giggle. "It simply occured to me I had never sparred you, so I figured we needed to rectify that."

"You what." Eos's jaw dropped. "Uh..."

"Argos is out to witness. Hold your own against me in battle, and he'll deem you worthy of his back. Since you insist on not creating a familiar of your own to help you with flying without wings or transforming." Ah, it was all too rare for me to startle her so! I knew her eyes were wide even as she wore her mask properly, for once. "And besides, I might even teach you a thing or two in the bargain."

"I somehow doubt being beaten into the ground will teach me anything except don't fight you?" She tried to edge away, but Argos immediately blocked her. "Traitor! Also, what's with you apparently only giving rides to those who somehow survive a beating from your mistress anyway?!"

"Come along, Eos. It's best we have a nice and open space for this."

She dragged her feet the entire time, but created her preferred weapon (a spear) once we'd found the clearing I'd scouted out earlier. She settled into a basic stance, typical of a student. While most were taught basics, it was both as a form of exercise and discipline only. Many would not pursue it further, and even among the few who did, only a handful would actually find their lives dependent on it. Yet of those 'handful', Azem would always be one. They, in truth, would rely on it the most. So, this was no simple spar; it was another test. I knew how well she did in her lessons, but how would she fare in true combat? I had to know.

I started immediately, moving even as I conjured my sword (in a blunted form, of course), and nearly ended the spar then and there. After all, she had been expecting something more typical of her lessons, with the traditional opening warm up and exchange of blows. Vocal cues as to who would attack and who would defend. Good for lessons, good for drills, but nothing compared to the brutal reality of battle. But she had good reflexes and jerked back before I could land the blow, and she messily countered. It was easy to block, of course, and even easier to press the attack and keep her on the defensive. If one could call her clumsy dodges and haphazard blocks 'defenses'. They were good for a student, more than good truthfully, but I would see her better. And, to my surprise, I saw that 'better' more quickly than anticipated. On one half-falling dodge, she twisted to ram the butt of her spear into my knee. I parried, of course, and she took advantage to slip away and aim for my back. I dodged, but I was impressed. To turn a weakness into a temporary strength...

"Very well, a change of arms." With that as my only warning, I wrapped a bit of aether around be to dart backwards and bring out my chakrams. Eos definitely stared blankly for a second, a half-second too long in a battle. "Come, then!" I wanted to see how she'd fare against ranged attacks, as students rarely had opportunities to drill against such.

The answer was surprisingly well. Once she'd seen me utilize them a few times, she was able to calculate the trajectory of the chakrams. When I used my aether to change that, she managed to catch and recalculate the changes before they struck. That wasn't to say she didn't almost fall many times, or have very close dodges. But she adapted quickly, even if she could never quite get close enough to actually strike against me. Still, I could see the exhaustion creeping into her, grinding away at her stubborn resolve, so I decided to switch once more, this time to a staff. It allowed me to better channel the magics of the earth, wind, and water. She likely had never seen anyone wield such yet; it was upper level subjects, after all.

So, I casted each spell one after another, and she yelped when a splash of water wrapped around her arm. Normally, such a thing would bind, but the very second she realized its hold, she loosed a wave of unfocused aether around her to literally boil it off her. I... had to admit to being startled by such a reckless and self-injuring tactic, the burns on her arm shone sickly in the sunlight, and she managed to land a decent blow on my side due to it. I countered with a blast of wind stronger than I normally would use; I did not want her treating such tactics as anything but a last resort. If that. In fact...

"Let us move to the final trial." Deciding to end this now, I drew aether into me, letting it fill my entire being. The excess aether formed a barrier which prevented any from targeting me, a good thing considering how long it took to cast this particular spell. Absently, I was aware of Eos trying to break through anyway and, smart girl that she was, her trying to block the aether I siphoned. Still, there was no stopping this little trick of mine. "Now..." Finished, I quickly bound her up in an aetheric chain. "Break your chains, shed your burdens, and show me your strength of will!"

A blinding array of aetheric weapons to disorient and whittle before the final blow which conjured a pillar of light. Few were those who could endure such an attack. After all, I had crafted it specifically as a finishing move. When I used it in spars in the past, I had to often heal and revive my unconscious partner. Yet not with Eos. No, when the light cleared, Eos still stood, battered yet steady, blocking my blade with gritted teeth. Shards of light flickered around her, the remnants of a hastily crafted shield used to blunt the worst of the damage while the haft of her spear took the rest.

Less than half my age, and capable of doing this with only the basic combat training a student received... her strength was truly astounding.

"Well. It seems I underestimated you," I murmured, shifting back. I let my weapons fade, and she did the same, with a very distinct scowl. "But such a reckless tactic you used."

"I kind of needed the shield!" Eos immediately protested, scowl settling into an even more distinct pout. Argos leapt to her side to nose and lick her blistering arm. "I couldn't dodge!"

"The water, Eos."

"The... huh?" She blinked slowly, tilting her head, and it was all the worse how she seemed completely oblivious to just what I was angry about. "What... ow, Argos, that hurts!" She frowned down at him, and then stared at her arm as if she had just noticed the burns. Maybe she had. "When did... oh, wait, the binding on my arm? That was water?"

"Yes." I crossed my arms and frowned, confusion threading through the anger and worry. "Did you not release an aetheric wave to boil it off you?"

"I... uh... actually, I just reacted. That was a trick my mother taught me to escape from anyone who grabbed me." She looked up sheepishly, contrite even, but all I felt was cold. Cold at the knowledge she'd been taught to do such a thing. Cold at the realization it had been instinctual. And oh, the cold fury which ripped through me that such a thing had been enforced by her own mother. If she were not in a facility for the mentally unwell, I... I might have hunted her down to do something ill-advised, so frozen I felt in that moment. "Azem?"

"'Tis nothing." But I breathed in slowly and breathed out even slower to calm the raging blizzard in my heart. There were far more important things to tend to, right now. "I should teach you some techniques which let you escape without injuries such as this." As gently as I could, I took her arm and healed the worst of the burns.

"And maybe just why you had different weapons? What even were the second and third ones?" Eos went back to sulking, and while part of me was glad to see her in easy spirits, the rest keened. My precious little spark... so many scars... "How do you switch so fluidly?"

"Those answers can wait until after a warm bath and meal." I stroked her hair, and she made a face. "I know a cook in the area who makes the fluffiest pancakes across the Star, with the most delectable syrup. Shall we see if he's willing to share?"

As typical, the promise of something sweet lifted her mood into naught but sunshine. She was simply adorable, like that, and I hoped beyond hopes she would always be that way.


Would that Eos could remain a child, a student, forever, but of course, time waited for no one. Eos eventually graduated from her lessons, with the highest honors, and chose her initial vocation: a Caretaker of the Young. Those on the Convocation had fretted when they heard; Azems in the past had chosen vocations which aligned with the Traveler's duties. Never had one chosen a vocation such as this. Altima had even hesitantly brought up the conversation we'd had years ago, of rejecting Eos as a candidate, but I shook my head. No, I was certain of it. Eos, and no other, would be my successor. Given a few more years to mature, to grow, and not only would she be a perfect Azem, she would become the greatest in our people's history. I kept my certainties quiet, though. I did not want to force expectations onto her shoulders. No, I wanted her to grow and thrive into the duty, and let the others discover on their own how brightly my little spark shone.

"Hmm? Ah, Azem! Welcome home!" Her new duties did mean I had to seek her out once I returned from my travels, instead of her greeting me in my home. I could admit, if only to myself, the change was a little lonely, but I could not begrudge her. "Ack! Argos!" Argos took care of it for me, leaping onto her as he did and almost knocking her down. "Easy, sweet one! I've children with me!"

"Goodness, I hadn't planned on causing such a ruckus." Still, I couldn't help but muffle a laugh at how affectionate Argos insisted on being. He never forgot his favorites. "How is everyone today?" I made sure to smile at the gaggle of giggling younglings clustered around Eos and adoringly showering Argos with affection. "I see smiles."

"I was sharing a story from the Harpuia, actually." Eos smiled, bright and cheerful, and my own smile softened. It was things such as this which reinforced why she would be a lovely Azem. "I'm certain they would adore a tale from you, though, Azem." She finally wrestled Argos to the ground, allowing the children in her care to swarm him. Not that he minded, the silly creature. Though he did not like strangers, even he could not resist their cheerful smiles. "I'm certain they would be delighted to return your Argos in exchange."

"A hard bargain, but I think I can accept." I had to muffle another laugh, especially when the children eagerly turned to me. Such things were, truthfully, very common. I couldn't resist indulging their curiosity. "Let us see... ah, I know just the one."

One story grew into two, then three and four. It always did, of course, and might have been even more if not for parents arriving to take their children home for the day. I waved them goodbye, alongside Eos, but as each one left, it became increasingly obvious one child's parents had not come. They kept up the brave face in front of their friends, but when the last parent left, listening intently to their child's rambling explanation of the day, they let their head fall. Lip bitten to hold back tears, and tiny fists curled tight in their robes. Oh, how my heart broke...

"Pandora." But Eos gently smiled, and knelt beside the child. "How about you have some tea and sweetmeats with Azem and me?" Slowly, the child nodded, refusing to look up, and Eos easily gathered them in her arms and hoisted them up. "I'll send a little message to your parents." With skilled and quiet care, she had the child curled up against her, and she turned her smile to me. "Shall we, Azem? I purchased a bundle of pastries just the other day good enough for not even Hades to find fault with them!"

"High praise indeed." I could just imagine grumpy Hades scowling as he tried and failed to find something to complain about. "Let us see if they meet such lofty expectations!"

Unsurprisingly, the pastries were just as delicious as she said, and under Eos's gentle attention, the child Pandora was laughing and smiling before long, eagerly listening to what gossip Eos had heard from Hythlodaeus and shyly asking for assistance about the basics of creation magic. It felt too soon when Pandora's mother appeared at my door, breathing heavily and bursting with apologies.

"I take it this occurs often?" I asked Eos later, over another cup of tea, long after a cheerful Pandora left with her mother. "No one picking her up?"

"They try to avoid it, her parents, doing their best to coordinate between them, but they are heavily involved in numerous projects in the Words of Lahabrea and too often, something prevents them from coming," Eos confirmed, shrugging. "Logically, Pandora understands and knows her parents love her dearly. But it can be frustrating and painful to wait and wait and wait." She nibbled on another pastry, humming in delight at the taste. "Sometimes, she needs to wail and rant. Other times, like today, she needs a distraction. I do my best to support her."

"I know you do." As she did with all those in her care. Listening to them intently, seeking out what they truly want to say, and reassuring them to express themselves in all things, both good and bad. One of the children in her last cohort had bawled when they realized they would be 'moving on' to proper lessons and would not see her as much, simply because her support had meant so, so much. "You would be an excellent mother, you know."

"I would be a what?!" Eos's voice came out as a strangled squeak, and I couldn't help but laugh at catching her so by surprise. "Azem, don't be ridiculous!"

"'Tis not ridiculous, though I suppose most prefer to find a partner before taking up a parental role."

"If that's the case, then I suppose you're the exception." Eos froze as soon as the words were out, and her face darkened with a blush. "Um..." For my part, I froze from shock. No, not 'shock'. Stunned pleasure. To know she thought of me as such... "Maybe, I should..."

Immediately, I rounded the table to hug her tightly, unable to find the words I wanted. She leaned into the embrace, and that told me she knew anyway.


There were many things which were simply 'constant' in the world. The sun rose and set, the tides ebbed and flowed... those sorts of things. Some days, I jokingly thought I should add 'if they are not busy with their respective duties, then the trio will be found together. Always.' because it never failed. If Eos was not with her wards, then she was with Hythlodaeus or Hades. Both, truthfully, as often as the three could manage.

"Ah, Azem, how good to see you are well!" Hythlodaeus greeted me with a smile, sprawled out over Eos's couch as he was. He held a sheaf of papers in one hand, his latest research no doubt, and a mug of tea in the other. Truly, it was a wonder he neither spilled or stained anything. "Eos is in the back with a ward of hers. Former ward, rather, who's having trouble with a lesson."

"I see," I murmured, crossing the threshold and shutting the door behind me. All across the living room, you could see traces of all three friends. Hades's diagrams and sketches pinned neatly to the walls in between where Eos had haphazardly yet proudly hung the drawings her wards had given her over the years... Hythlodaeus's research tomes opened to specific pages, with helpful (and sarcastic) notes in Hades's scrawl bookmarking others... though the home was officially Eos's and Eos's alone, it would be more accurate to say the three had three apartments they shared depending on the day, mood, and how busy they were. "Strange, I do not see our loveable grump today." Usually, he would be working right next to Hythlodaeus.

"Hades is currently napping, under threat." Hythlodaeus grinned, shifting so he sat properly on the couch. I gave him a strange look, since Hades usually adored napping without threats, and he laughed. "Yes, yes, I know, but you also know how he gets when he's focused on his job." That was true. Hades was never one to give anything less than his all when it came to duty. "However, after the fifth time he nearly fell asleep over his diagrams, Eos and I told him to take a proper rest or risk his sulking face being a canvas for drawings when next he dozed."

"A shame he listened! I would've liked to have seen what you'd draw!" I grinned back, also wishing I'd walked in on them. I could think of a design or two to fit him. So many lines for one so young! Far better to use them as art. "Mayhaps you'd like to show him the gift I brought for you all?" From my things, I produced a bundle of fresh flowers, carefully preserved. Hythlodaeus's eyes, for of course he did not wear his mask in what was essentially his home, glittered with mischief. "I'll see how Eos and her ward are doing." Yes, technically, it was 'former' ward, but this was not the first time one had sought her out for help, advice, and support after leaving her care. I knew it would not be the last.

"I would be delighted." He set his things down with a wicked chuckle; I pretended to not notice. "Usual room, Azem."

The 'usual room' was, of course, Eos's own room. The apartment was on the larger side, yes, but not so large there were extra rooms everywhere. I'd asked Eos why she'd gotten one so large, out of the options she'd been given, and she'd told me Hades picked it for her. When I'd asked Hades, he'd groused about it being the most structurally sound of her options, and how it 'might be enough to hold her recklessness. maybe.'. Truthfully, I thought he'd simply accounted for the three to share, but of course, he'd never admit to it. He never did. Such abrasiveness had caused no small few problems for him, but Eos and Hythlodaeus never seemed to mind. Nor did any of Eos's wards when they came for assistance, surprisingly enough. One day, I'd discover just why that was, but for now, I contented myself with lingering in the doorway, watching Eos show their ward how to create a cluster of stars, just large enough to fit in her palm.

"So that's how..." they whispered, watching Eos's creation with bright wonder. Eos smiled warmly in return, then contemplated her creation for a moment. With a twist of thought, she spun the cluster of stars into the shape of a bird, with a myriad of colors swirling within the starry frame like a rainbow within a cloud. "Oooohhhh...!"

"Once you have the basics firmly in your mind, you can build a foundation of wonders," Eos murmured. She blew on the bird to send it into the air and their ward laughed in delight. "One step at a time, though. If you are not careful, you will hurt yourself and others."

"Yes!" Despite their excitement, their gaze remained fixed to the bird flitting about the room. "Miss Eos?"

"Yes?"

"My teachers say strange things about you." They kept their gaze on the bird, and thus, did not see Eos's sudden, wry half-smile. "They rarely say them around us now, as we have discussions on it." Eos went slack-jawed for a second, and I inwardly delighted in knowing the children she once cared for now defended her to others. I imagined it was quite a shock for their teachers, as many their age would not think to even have such discussions. But Eos had encouraged them to speak their thoughts, and now even when they were older and out of her care, they remembered. They remembered there was value to their thoughts and feelings, all of them. "But there was one thing which confused me."

"And... that was?"

"You do not submit your creations to the Bureau." They reached up and the bird gracefully arced down to land on their fingertips. "I asked my parents; they both work there. They said it was true. You rarely submit any." Yes, indeed, and truthfully, it was a question I'd had for some time myself. I had seen her creations, and there were many I thought would benefit our Star and people. More than once, I had suggested it, but she had simply shaken her head. In time, I had stopped, both to avoid making her uncomfortable and because I had noticed neither Hythlodaeus nor Hades pressed. Whatever her reasons, they knew and respected them. "Why?"

"..." Eos was silent for a long while before she breathed out very slowly. "I... am not fond of how our people treat concepts and the process of creation. That's all." She smiled faintly, almost bitterly, when the child looked at her in confusion. The starry-bird flew up to one of the bookshelves, to rest. "When you are older, we can speak more of it, if you like. I would rather not force my views onto you, but have you develop your own opinion."

"But...!" They tried to protest, and they even leaned forward to better convey their eagerness and sincerity. But all trace of seriousness flew away at the sound of a yelp, followed by 'WHY ARE THESE FLORAL ABOMINATIONS ON ME?!'. "...What was that?!"

"It sounds as if Hades woke up from his nap, and into a lovely little prank a bored Hythlodaeus left." Eos muffled a laugh and stood slowly, holding out her hand. "Shall we? I'm certain no matter what Hades yells, the 'floral abominations' are actually quite lovely." Their ward took the offered help up, but quickly bolted down the hall to investigate themselves. "Always so inquisitive..." She muffled another laugh, and turned her attention to me. "You've been lingering for a while, Azem."

"However could I interrupt such an enraptured pupil's learning?" I countered, smiling. But as she passed me into the hall... "Eos?" I rested my hand on her shoulder, and she half-turned to face me. "Might I ask what you meant?" I did not elaborate, for I knew I needn't. She would've known I'd overheard.

"...It's simply what I said," she whispered, looking down. Not from shame, but simply because it weighed heavy on her. "I dislike how our people view the concepts and process of creation. How each is naught but an experiment to discard, and how they must compete to make the brightest, smartest, strongest creation they can. I dislike how everything must have a purpose, must have some use. Of course..." One could not even call her smile 'bitter', then. A slash on her face, oozing with rancid exhaustion. "That is how our people view everything, is it not? Even ourselves..." She shook her head and stepped away, out of my reach. "That's all, Azem."

I watched her leave, ruminating on her words. I understood them. I understood them well. But while I accepted and adapted, Eos rebelled in her own quiet way. I accepted the imperfections of our people, loved them for it, yet Eos... I almost thought she wished to change it. Not out of self-righteousness or a refusal to accept differences and imperfections. But because while we both believed in our people's potential, I was content to watch, while she…

It was difficult for me to parse what I felt, in that moment, only what had crystalized. She... would be the best Azem, traveler and counselor to our people. I had known this for years and years, but right then... it was more than simply known. It was an absolute truth.


Eos still accompanied me on travels, sometimes. It took much more planning than it did when she was a student, of course, but she still did. Usually, they were simple trips, there and back within a few days with naught but fun stories to share and laugh about. But though our Star was beautiful and peaceful, there was a reason for the seat of Azem. Trouble always had a way to rear its head.

"Blessed be the stars..." I breathed, once we crested a hill and saw the devastation below. Normally, it was a bustling village, filled with laughter and music. Now, however, it was a disaster, filled with screams and wails. The air was heavy with grim desperation, hinting to just how long they'd been sifting through the remains. "So much rubble..." Half of the city had been leveled. No, more than half. A quick sense of the surrounding aether hinted to why: earthquake. "We must needs inform the Convocation." Normally, evacuations would be done prior, but clearly this had erupted with unprecedented speed. The aether would have to be investigated, patterns found to deduce the probable cause...

"Yes, they can bring more help," Eos replied, her gaze fixed to the ruins below. My thoughts stuttered at the words, though. "What? Surely we are not heading back to inform them, are we? It'll take days." Her mouth set in a grim frown, and I knew her eyes blazed in challenge underneath her mask. "But we're here now. They need help now." Without another word, she raced down the hill, leaping straight into the lion's maw to assist. Though I quickly followed, I stared blankly at how easily she fell into the rescue groups, her mask disappearing in the chaos and her cowl knocked back. Even more incredible, though, was how quickly the people here welcomed her assistance.

Never had I seen the people here welcome someone so... it wasn't as if they were impolite. They had always been courteous and friendly, during the many times I had visited over the decades of travel. Yet such friendliness was naught but a flickering flame compared to how they welcomed Eos. She knew so many by name, jostled and teased to reassure as she dug through the rubble alongside them. They knew her too, returning the teasing with their own, and her presence alone was enough to lighten their spirits. Her presence alone was enough to ease their rattled and fraying nerves.

I'd never seen such. Yes, I had been welcomed warmly by old friends, as had my predecessor, but this was more than that. Strangers, acquaintances… so many smiled as soon as they saw her, and in a matter of seconds, the very air buzzed and sung with hope...

"The main worry is people trapped in the rubble," one explained to Eos. Not me. Most were content to avoid me, and no small part of me felt ashamed they did not think to turn to me for help. Then again, while I was content to travel the length and breadth of the Star to solve people's problems, when disasters struck, I yielded to the Convocation, just as my predecessor had... "The quake hit while most were heading inside to eat, and..." They gestured vaguely to the pile of stone and charred wood that had once been a flourishing household. "Already lost one to the stones. Tried to dig them out, but everything shifted wrong."

"There's also the worry of digging to find no one, while others slowly suffocate or bleed out elsewhere..." Eos murmured, her fist pressing into her cheek. Brows furrowed, she scowled. "Are there any here with ghost-sight?" It took me a moment to remember the people of this province rather referred to 'soulsight' as 'ghost-sight'. She used the term so easily... "That might help..."

"I fear we have none among those fit to rescue."

"Drat." Eos closed her eyes, her frown deepening. I thought of Emet-Selch, and made to step away, to Teleport directly back to the capitol and beseech him. It would take days of persuasion, days the trapped did not have, but neither Eos nor I had soulsight. "Then, I suppose..." She grimaced slightly, and all at once, clasped her hands together as if in prayer.

I almost called out to ask her what was wrong, but then she shone. A pale gold glow wrapped around her hands, her form, and in shock, I thought she was attempting to transform. Even though I knew she discarded propriety, such a thing would've been... it would've been too much even for her. Yet the glow then spun from her, like thread from a spinning wheel, until two circles of light carved themselves into the dirt. The circles pulsed, gossamer light streaming up like a pillar, and forms shimmered into sight. Forms which solidified into Hades and Hythlodaeus. I knew it was them; both had their cowls down.

That... had been no simple 'Teleport'. How had...?

"What sort of trouble are you dragging us into this time?" Hades drawled, already frowning. He crossed his arms and glanced around, and it was all too easy to imagine his scowl beneath his mask. His usual temperament, and that alone told me this spell was known quite well to him. "I was in the middle of something."

"Yes, indeed, and you dropped everything, literally, to rush to Eos's aid," Hythlodaeus replied, with a gentle and teasing laugh. He muffled it, as was his usual, but it still warmed the air. Again, his usual temperament. Whatever Eos had done... "I didn't even have a chance to confirm you were out and about with Azem, Eos, before he answered your call. Quite the spell indeed. Tis almost a shame you do not submit it." Neither thought it abnormal.

"It has too many limitations in its current iteration."

"One of which being, of course, the strong bond between the caster and target." Hythlodaeus muffled another laugh, and Hades's frown deepened. "But yes, Eos, why did you...?" He looked about curiously, cheer fading as he processed the ruins. "Oh my."

"I'm so sorry to drag you into this, but I couldn't think of anything else!" Eos blurted, clasped hands now clutching at her chest. She looked down, almost as if she were ashamed. With her mask off and cowl down, I could see the tips of her ears redden. "I... the people here..."

"There's... two underneath that pile of rubble there," Hythlodaeus noted, tilting his head. Eos jerked her head up, eyes wide with surprise. "No, three. One is terrible faint and thin, but still pulses with life."

"Another in that mess," Hades grumbled, reaching up to rub his temple. He growled something under his breath then and pointed at a group attempting to sift through the fallen stones. "You. Stop. Even if you somehow manage to muster enough strength to counterbalance the weight on that slab, you're only going to send it all crashing down below and hurt someone." He jerked his head towards Eos, frowning at her surprise. "What? You called us here to deal with this mess, right?"

"I... well, yes, I did," Eos mumbled, glancing down. She blinked slowly a couple of times, dazed, and Hades softened just enough to sigh. "Hee... I suppose it is silly to be startled, isn't it? Right then. Let us gather everyone together and divide the work from there! However..." She pointed at both of them. "Masks off." Hades choked immediately on a yelp, while Hythlodaeus tilted his head. "The blank masks will simply frighten the rescued further. So please, favor us with your handsome faces, both of you?"

"That is entirely unseemly!" Hades squawked when Hythlodaeus simply removed his mask without a word, smiling to himself. "You two...!" And he yelped once more when Eos swiped his mask off his face. "Eos!"

"Move it!" Eos looked around and her eyes landed on me, bright and trusting and brimming with hope. "Azem! There you are! I lost track of you!"

"...Ha..." I couldn't help but muffle a little laugh, just... taken aback by all of this. And yet, I was proud. I was so incredibly, wondrously proud. My brave little spark... "You seem to have it all well in hand." Eos made a face, and I muffled another laugh. Any prouder and I might be delirious with the emotion. "Still, I do have experience with search and rescues such as this." I removed my own mask, and smiled. "Let me assist with the coordination."

Eos quickly introduced me to the fellow she'd been chatting with before diving into the rescue efforts once more. I kept one eye on the trio while coordinating everything. It was interesting to watch, truthfully. Hades grumbled, griped, and complained, but never gave one bit less than his all, working efficiently and with great care, and truthfully, a lot of his barking involved people doing things which would lead to more injuries. Hythlodaeus kept apart, closer to me to tell me where others were, while reassuring and easing the nerves of those around him; it did not take long at all for a pile of scared children to grow at his feet, each one clinging to him and the stories he wove while answering questions from the adults. And Eos, of course, was right back to where she'd been before, in the middle of everything, trusting Hythlodaeus and Hades to steer her efforts in the right direction. With all of us working together, we were able to cover most of the city within moments, or so it felt.

"...Hythlodaeus." However, at one point, Hades's crisp, mildly annoyed voice cut through the air, much louder than before. "Over there," he continued, gesturing at a particularly precarious pile of rubble. "What do you see?"

"Hmm..." Hythlodaeus extracted himself from the children and came to his side, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Two, both terribly faint, side by side," he whispered. Hades closed his eyes. "Both young, and teetering on death's edge. Yet, for now, they still live."

"...Damn." Hades breathed out slowly. "I caught naught but wisps and hoped..." He opened his eyes and glanced over the pile. "Tch... move even a single stone out of place and we shall risk it all tumbling down."

"Indeed, yet the two will not last much longer..."

"Then it sounds like the plan is to reinforce while making a path," Eos chirped, hopping over to them. Hades gaped at her. "What? They're still alive. So, we need to help them."

"And how, exactly, are we to 'make a path'?" Hades demanded sharply, brows furrowed. Yet I caught very real fear in his eyes then. "What madness are you plotting?"

"The obvious, of course." Eos strode to the pile without another word and nudged a few stones apart to make an opening. She then got on her hands and knees and very carefully destroyed the rock in front of her, and only in front of her, to carve herself a path. "Hythlodaeus, help orient me, will you?"

"Eos!" Hades bristled, but not even a second after Eos started crawling underneath the rubble, he threw his hands out to wind his aether around the stones. Reinforcing, just as Eos needed. "Of all the idiotic, reckless...!"

"Yet would you expect anything else when someone is in danger?" Hythlodaeus asked rhetorically. Only the slight tremble in his hand as he rested it on Hades's shoulder betrayed his own worry. As for myself, my heart was in my throat. Though the idea of two lives lost, crushed amongst the stone, was heavy... knowing Eos was underneath the jagged shards was so, so much worse. "Hades, based on the flows of aether..." Hades nodded jerkily, and adjusted his reinforcement. "Perfect work as always, my friend."

It was hard to say just how long it took. Logically, I would say a minute or so, but every second, every heartbeat, felt like a century or more. I busied myself with assisting others. Reassurances, coordination of rescue groups, triage, trangling Argos into cooperating because now was not the time for the stubborn creature to avoid strangers... all things which needed to be done for the good of all these fine people.

But then there was a gasp, and when I whirled towards the sound, I saw Hythlodaeus rushing over to the rubble, the topmost pieces slowly shifting and rising into the air. Hades brought up a hand and snapped his fingers, the sound crisp and sharp, and more pieces rose and shifted. Meanwhile, Hythlodaeus scrabbled over the ones still resting on the ground and the pile, until he was under the levitating pieces. He leaned over something, a hole no doubt, and reached down. When he straightened, a babe not more than a few months old was cradled in his arm, their weak cry ringing out in the silence.

The levitating stones flew this way and that, all into empty spaces but otherwise haphazardly, as Hades rushed over to join Hythlodaeus at the top. At Hythlodaeus's silent insistence, he awkwardly took the babe from him, and Hythlodaeus reached down again, this time to pull out an unconscious toddler. By this point, I hastily joined them, taking the babe from Hades when he all but shoved the dear into my arms. But I couldn't blame him, or even tease, as he immediately reached into the large hole and helped Eos climb out. She was dusty and scraped, bleeding quite profusely in a couple of spots. But she smiled. Oh, how she smiled...

"We did it!" she laughed, bright and cheerful. She happily threw her arms around her friends' shoulders, pulling them close for a hug. "Thank you both so, so much."

"You can thank us by not doing anything this reckless again!" Hades snapped, his hands falling onto the worst of the bleeding to put pressure on the wounds. "And telling us what you're doing first! We could've cast a shield! Why didn't you?!"

"I wanted to save all I had for them. A few scratches won't hurt much."

"This is more than a few scratches!"

"Mayhaps we continue the discussion on more stable ground?" Hythlodaeus suggested blithely, with a calm smile. Hades scowled at him, while Eos grinned. "As lovely as the view is, I fear the rubble grows more precarious by the second." He rested a hand on the toddler's head, settled as they were in his lap. "And this little one needs medical attention quickly."

"Indeed, they do," I concurred, shifting the babe to one arm so I could reach out and ruffle Eos's messy, dust filled hair. She beamed at me, perfectly delighted and proud. "Come now. I dare say you three have earned yourself a nice long break. I need to message the Convocation as well for relief."

The four of us spent the next few days in the village, helping the people in any way we could. The sight of the trio playing with the last children they saved, Hythlodaeus spinning tales while Hades tried and failed to appear grumpy and Eos laughed with the babe in her arms... no matter how long I lived, I knew I would never forget the sight, nor would I forget how the people were drawn to her. To her light everlasting...


Shortly after that incident, we had some delightful trouble with a research specimen Eos affectionately dubbed 'Lyra', and my colleagues slowly agreed with my assessment of Eos being my successor. They were surprised I wanted to step down as soon as possible, but happy. They'd assumed I was ready to return to the Star, and no few planned a celebration on the account. After all, there was nothing more felicitous than the fulfillment of one's duty. There were, however, many things to do first.

"You want me to what?" Eos's eyes went very wide, far more than I would've expected. I had insisted on telling Eos myself, personally. It was not unusual, particularly when predecessor and successor were close. The official gauging would be conducted by one of the others, who did not know her personally and could be impartial.

"I plan on stepping down as Azem, and you are my preferred successor," I said, rewording the request. I'd decided to tell her over tea, as was our wont when our duties allowed, but perhaps another location would have been better. She suddenly went so tense; I feared she'd fall from her seat! "Do you not wish to?"

"I..." Eos began. But she paused and nursed her tea, gathering her words and thoughts. I let her. "I'm surprised, I suppose. I'm... not certain as to why. It became obvious you were training me for something, at least, once we started talking. Though, the Convocation itself... is that not for the best and brightest of our people?"

"Aye, and long have you been considered a candidate. From the time you arrived, truthfully."

"Right, Azem must have power beyond measure..." Eos frowned, fiddling with her mug. "Power and the skill to use it."

"There are other factors. And while you came to my attention as a candidate, I assure you-"

"I know you love me, Azem. That has never been a question." She said the words almost absently, a truth she did not have to think about. It warmed my heart, even as I remembered how she loved her mother, who'd hurt her so. I worried it would be the same. "...If you're stepping down, then it means you shall return to the Star, yes? That's... how it works." She curled into herself, just a little, and the true reason of her hesitation slowly dawned on me. "I... do not misunderstand. It's true none more than you would deserve to return, and if that is your wish, it certainly isn't my right to stop you. But there is something... painful about accepting something which will lead to your end. But I suppose..."

"Eos." Quickly, I rounded the table, my own chair rattling as I almost knocked it over, so I could hug her as tightly as I could. "Eos, I do not plan on returning just yet."

"...You don't?"

"No." I rested my cheek on her head and closed my eyes. "Have I told you about why I accepted the position of Azem?" I felt her shake her head. "Goodness, that is a story I should have told you long ago." But where to begin... "I was a scholar first, of course. Like many, I sought to understand the workings of the world. Riddles and mysteries beyond counting... over the years, I managed to find answers to some few of them, yet I would only find more questions. The more I understood, the more I viewed the world and its miracles with awe. How improbable and fragile our existence was, built upon happenstance as it was. I was overcome with an irrepressible urge to know the world more intimately. To hear its voice, feel its breath."

"Then they came to you with the offer."

"Not quite yet, in truth. I ventured forth on a journey all on my own. With the knowledge I had grasped, I saw everything anew, filled with wonder and mystery." And beautiful. So, so very beautiful. "Lands that stretched on forever. Skies one could drown in. The heartbeat of nature, silent yet strong. And amidst it all, a people. Beacons of light and life. Laughter that warmed my heart like naught else before. They are my meaning and my purpose. My love. So long as they need help, I cannot and will not return to the star. My purpose is not yet done."

"...If that is so, why would you...?"

"What is the purpose of Azem?"

"The Traveler, Shepherd of the Stars, Counselor to the People... it is their duty to identify potential threats to the Star and its people. To intimately know the myriad of cultures and people which inhabit our world, and assist them as needed."

"Indeed." I loosened my hug slightly, and she leaned into me. "I have known for the longest time you would be a great Azem. Far better than me. Recent events only highlight it. So, I feel it is best for me to step down, and let you take over."

"And if I cause trouble for the Convocation?"

"Oh, that's half the fun of being Azem." I couldn't help but laugh. "You've seen the mischief I cause." Thankfully, she laughed too, and finally relaxed. "That is all. Are you willing?"

"May I ask you for advice?"

"Always."

"Then... yes, I think so."


Eos didn't officially accept for some few months, of course. There were protocols to follow, and she wanted to discuss it with Hades and Hythlodaeus as well. It didn't surprise me she worried over their feelings on the matter, nor did it surprise me the two encouraged her to accept. What did surprise me, though, was how she ended up censured only a month after officially taking over as Azem. It took me a year!

"So, what exactly occurred?" I asked, doing my best to appear as impartial as I could. After stepping down and making my intentions of not returning very well known, I had been given the white robes of an advisor and it was my duty to provide fair judgment and advice. With that said, this involved Eos and what mother didn't fret? "The Convocation made a ruling and you ignored it?"

"I decided it was a close-minded and short-sighted decision, thus I elected to pretend I never heard it," Eos… Azem 'corrected'. She sat primly at my table, drinking the tea I had prepared to welcome her home and nibbling on the sweetmeats I'd bought. "The Khalreti are already wary of our people. Leaving their sacred site to be destroyed in a natural disaster would have been intolerable. Also, it's their sacred site, and a place of sanctuary. They hide there when the floods draw too high from the nearby rivers. They would have lost so much…"

"Thus, you intervened. Via stealing one of Lahabrea's experimental concepts."

"I did not steal anything."

"Borrowing typically involves asking the person who owns it."

"But I did!" She widened her eyes innocently, though her little smirk belied the attempt. "I was discussing the decision with Hythlodaeus, you see, and he just so happened to need the concept in question for his own research. Research I was very happy to assist with."

"..." At that, I couldn't maintain a straight face or serious mien any longer, and I had to rest my head on the table in a desperate attempt to at least muffle my cackling. Quite the loophole, and one few could find fault with. As a researcher in the Words of Lahabrea, Hythlodaeus had free access to all experimental concepts. All he had to do was request it, and there wasn't a rule against him lending it to a trusted friend to gather more data for his research. No wonder they only censured her for defying the Convocation's will. "I trust, at least, you gave him a finely written report?"

"But of course! Though the concept crystal did kind of… explode." Finally, she sounded contrite, and when I looked up, I saw she appeared sheepish. "The penchant for explosions wasn't listed in the warnings."

"Ah, so that explains why Lahabrea was so surly." I cracked a smile, and she tentatively smiled back. "Who's idea was it?"

"Who else?" Ah, that meant Hythlodaeus. He was ever the trickster, and quite good with plotting. "Um... they didn't yell at you, though, did they?"

"Hmm?" It took me a long moment to realize what she meant, and my smile softened. "Of course not. As I told you, it's expected for Azem to cause trouble for the rest." Now, granted, I received quite a few irritated letters, but there was no need to tell her about them. They made excellent kindling for the fire. "Now, tell me exactly what happened. Not simply this, but your more recent travels as well." I laughed, and refilled her cup. "I do so want to hear all about your first solo adventures."

"But you've already been there!" Azem made a face, and I shook my head. I wanted to hear her view. She would see it so much differently than I. "Ah, that reminds me. On my return, I met with a traveling merchant who wanted to say hello to 'Azem'. Obviously, he expected you, not me."

"He was not rude, was he?"

"No, but he did say something odd." She tilted her head. "When I explained, he laughed as said 'ah, so you are her little spark'!" ...Ah, well, this could potentially be awkward. "Bit curious about that."

"I... may have told a tale or two about you over the years. I've always been incredibly proud of you." How could I not boast about her accomplishments? "Yet that isn't what has you curious." I rested my hand on my cheek, hunting for the words I wanted. She remained silent to give me all the time I needed. "I suppose the endearment slipped out a few times, or more than a few."

"Little spark, though?"

"Spark of light. Spark of hope. New beginnings and their wondrous potential." I felt more than a little embarrassed, speaking it aloud, but it made me happy. Happier still at her pleased and shy blush. "That's all. So, my brave little spark, tell me your stories?"

It took her a second to compose herself enough, but when she did, she rapidly and excitedly told me of all the beautiful things she'd seen, and through her, I found myself thinking of those places in new, different ways. Always such fun, and even more so with her.


Azem ended up with twelve censures before the year was done, and she might've ended up with more if she didn't have a habit of not telling the Convocation anything until things were dealt with. My former colleagues despaired over how much trouble she caused, particularly poor Pashtarot, who had to deal with the paperwork. Without Azem's reports, as she didn't submit any. Now on that one, I did prod her, as the reports were important for noticing trends and patterns. The rest, however… well, no one asked me to actually intervene. Frustrating and irksome as she was to them, no one could deny how effective she was. And she become even more effective as the years rolled on, with rumors dancing about her and her latest escapades. 'Hero', they called her. It always made me smile.

Yet one day, some years after she first donned the mask of Azem, I… it was hard to describe. It had been a usual day. I had shared tea with Nabriales and during our lovely chat, I had learned Azem was late, a few days past her 'expected' return time. Nothing unusual, of course. It would've been more unusual if she'd arrived 'on time'. She always ended up sidetracked by this thing or that in her travels. Nabriales wasn't concerned at all; he had brought it up simply as part of the conversation. However, for some reason, the words… they had weighed heavier than they should've. I kept calm while he was here, but after he left to return to his duties, a dreadful chill settled deep into my bones. A chill no amount of fire or magic or blankets could dispel.

"I am being ridiculous," I muttered to myself, curling further under my blanket. Argos, who I had summoned both for warmth and to be a convenient pillow, whined. "I have not been worried during her travels since her first year." Nearby, the fire I'd made crackled and popped, dancing in the warming globe I'd dragged out of the closet. "She's always late. Why…?" Argos whined again, and gently licked my cheek to try and comfort me. Yet even that would not dull the chill's edge. "Oh, enough of this!" I threw the blankets off and stormed to my door. If conventional methods would not ward it away, then… "Now which apartment would they be in at this hour?"

I checked Eos's first. It would not have been the first time Hades or Hythlodaeus had chosen to stay there while she was away and, truthfully, the longer she was gone, the higher the chances of them being there. It was one of the many ways they showed how they missed her. But neither were there this day, so I went to Hythlodaeus's next. Still no one. That left Hades's and… I intended to knock. I did. It was only polite. Yet that chill just would not abate, and I found myself opening the door without even a token knock or greeting.

"Venat…?" Inside, Hythlodaeus was sprawled out on the couch, a hardly unusual sight. Yet, my attention immediately fell onto the person sprawled with him or, to be more accurate, on him: Azem. Face buried into the crook of his neck, dressed in robes, and far too still. Only the gentle rise and fall of her back showed she breathed at all. "What are you doing here?" Hythlodaeus asked, snapping my attention back to him. For a breath. Then my focus went right back to Azem. "Forgive me for not standing to greet you, but she only just fell asleep."

"'Tis fine," I reassured softly. After a moment, I stepped more fully inside and closed the door behind me. The air was filled with the smell of baked goods, hinting to where Hades was: the kitchen. Most would simply create whatever they wished to eat, whenever they actually needed it, but Hades had learned how to cook without the use of creation magic. In his own words, he 'simply could not stand their bad eating habits', but I knew the truth from Azem. He had learned because he knew how much she enjoyed a 'home cooked meal', and how Hythlodaeus had come to love such warmth too. "I… had a bad feeling."

"I wonder if this is what we call a 'mother's intuition'." Hythlodaeus attempted to smile, but it was too strained and worried. "She stumbled in a few hours ago." He gently stroked Azem's hair, careful to not disturb her. "Quiet as a stone, her aether churning with too many emotions to discern. All dark, though. Pained."

"We barely managed to convince her to change before she collapsed," Hades added, joining us in the main room. He wore a scowl, as usual, but there was none of the usual sharpness to it. "Though it would be more accurate to say we convinced her to let us help her change."

"Afterwards, she buckled and when I caught her, she burrowed in for a hug," Hythlodaeus continued, holding Azem just a little more tightly. She mumbled something, but otherwise did not stir. "So, I carried her here to rest." Where, of course, they'd remained. "We don't know…"

"...We can worry about the 'why' later," I whispered, my heart keening. Something catastrophic must have occurred. It was the darker side to being Azem. This was something the trio had known, of course, and they had even experienced a little of it themselves. Yet this had been the first for Azem on her own… "What can I do for you three now?"

The answer was expected. The Convocation needed to be notified, appointments canceled for Hades about his latest project, meetings rescheduled for Hythlodaeus as he'd become the Chief of the Bureau of the Architect… small tasks I was glad to do, for it meant the two could spend time with Azem as they wished, to support her as she needed, and it meant she did not have to push herself further for duty. I also took the opportunity to gather various teas from my own stock, knowing Azem would love a variety to choose from once her nerves had calmed. Azem still slumbered upon my return, but Hythlodaeus smiled at the tea, and Hades suffered my continued presence with naught but the most token of grumbles.

It was only much, much later, long after night had fallen, when Azem finally stirred awake. She mumbled sleepily and raised her head slowly, squinting as she tried to piece her surroundings together. She still used Hythlodaeus as a pillow, though he himself was now fast asleep, his reassuring grip on her never wavering. Hades had been reading at the foot of the couch, but he'd long since lost the battle with slumber, and now slept with his head against the couch's cushion, book open in his lap. I had been draping blankets over the three, intent on keeping vigil to ensure no one disturbed them, but…

"You're home, Azem," I whispered, when her exhausted gaze fell on me. I made sure to smile, even when her expression crumpled slightly. "There's sweets and tea for you, if you want."

"I…" she croaked, all the could make herself say. She bit her lip and hesitantly nodded. "Um…"

"Here, let me help."

It took a surprisingly amount of stealth and planning to wriggle Azem from Hythlodaeus's hug. He simply refused to let go, and while we could have simply woken him, Azem seemed keen to avoid that. I may or may not have resorted to a sleep spell to make everything work, but I'd never admit to it. Regardless, I helped her to her feet and half-carried her to the kitchen table, set up by the window. It was a feature all of their kitchens had, as Hades liked to gaze out over the city. One might think Azem sought the same, given how her attention fixated on the world outside, but I knew the faraway look in her eyes. She did not see Amarout. She saw naught but whatever dug its way into her heart and left her silent.

"...I could only save two," she whispered, staring into both nothing and everything. She didn't react to the tea or sweets I set in front of her. "So many dead, in utter agony… they teach us death is 'beautiful' as students, but that's only for everyone tucked safely away like our people." I had no reply to that, for she was correct. I wished she wasn't, but… "Have you heard the rumors? The gossip? They call me a 'hero', one who hears the very Star or some other nonsense. But I'm no hero…" She held up her hand, gaze falling to it, and I saw the tiny but telltale lines where she'd remade a finger or two. Her palms were still scraped. "Heroes save everyone, right? And I… could barely save two."

It was all she said, both that night and the next. I wished I could do more than be a gentle support, find some way to make it 'right', but I couldn't. Nor would she want me to. But I stopped smiling whenever I heard someone call her 'hero'. I never knew the weight of the word, until I saw it fall on her shoulders.


It was not the last time Azem stumbled home, heart battered and body torn. She could never not help someone, could never simply accept 'not everyone can be saved'. She pursued the ideal of 'saving everyone', even though she knew it was impossible, and as she traveled, she found more and more causes to take up. More and more friends she would fight for, bleed for. She rarely called on the Convocation for such things, and often went against their direct will to get involved. Hades ended up in the middle of things as well, for Azem would call upon his aid when she needed it, and he would drop everything and rush to her side no matter how much he outwardly grumbled. He even learned protective arts simply to better help her. I offered to help Hythlodaeus with his own combat abilities, but he always refused with a laugh and a shrug. He would help in his own way, via concepts and strategies.

Perhaps he refused for other reasons as well. Hades's constant acts of kindness and valor at Azem's side led to his reputation soaring, all the more so because of his modesty over his actions. Thus, when Hythlodaeus refused the title of Emet-Selch and recommended Hades instead, the Convocation had people from all over the star vouching for his skill and character. It also meant news of his appointment spread even faster than usual.

"I absolutely cannot believe it!" This, however, meant when Hades chose against sending word to Azem personally about taking the title of Emet-Selch, she still found out very quickly. "My very best friend could not be bothered to tell me such important news?!" Azem, as one would expect, was most displeased by the choice. "The nerve!" I thought it was Emet-Selch's penchant for efficiency and modesty which led him to choose against telling. "The absolute nerve!" But such logic would not soothe her when she was this riled.

"I did tell him to send a letter," Hythlodaeus noted blithely, passing Azem another pastry to chew on while she ranted. He was in high spirits, as usual, and I much enjoyed how lively today's tea was. Originally, it had just been for Hythlodaeus and me, to discuss some recently approved concepts and for him to complain about the complete unoriginality of some people. Trends were common when it came to concepts, but sometimes, it got a little... much. "He said something about news spreading quickly."

"As if I want to hear news about him from tavern gossip!" Azem half-shrieked, almost throwing the pastry as she flailed. She caught it quickly, and popped it into her mouth. "Honestly! What was he thinking?!"

"Who can say? However, I, for one, cannot help but be grateful, since you've come home a little sooner because of it." Hythlodaeus grinned, and muffled a laugh when Azem sulked. Though I knew he still needed to vent, the simple joy of being with his friend far outweighed it. It was how all three were. "What say you, Venat?"

"I have quite missed my whimsical successor," I demurred, doing my best to not laugh. I hid it via refilling our teacups. "Though it was dreadfully rude of Emet-Selch to not make some sort of mention."

"Probably too busy dozing in the park, watching souls drift about," Azem muttered, devouring yet another pastry. Hythlodaeus was quick to muffle another laugh, and even quicker to pass her more food to scarf down. I wondered if she'd forgotten to eat while away again. "I need to get him back for this."

"I'll help you both plan later. For now, share with us a tale or two, Azem?"

"Yes, please, I'm dreadfully curious!" Hythlodaeus added, steering the conversation to safer waters. It would be much more fun to plot once Azem had calmed down some. "You were heading to Hiveri this time, yes? Last time you passed by, a friend of yours married, did he not?"

"Oh, yes!" Azem gasped, her eyes sparkling as she thought of her travels. With the crumbs by her mouth, she looked almost childlike. "He has a little girl now! She is so unbearably cute! She's a few months old and refused to let go of my hand whenever I held her, the sweet thing, and…!"

With that prompt, Azem was off, rambling stories about this thing and that. The people she met, the friends she reunited with, the comings and goings of their life… it was a peaceful and happy trip this time, and her stories reflected such. She ended up in such a good mood that when Emet-Selch grumpily appeared at my door hours later with a basket of 'apology sweets' he most certainly did not make especially for her, she accepted with a smile and a laugh while Hythlodaeus teased.

I helped the two plot the next day. I'd promised, after all.


The years drifted along time's river, some good and some bad. Every day, though, there was something new to see, something new to learn. A friend in need who did not want to bother Azem, or researchers who wanted my advice. Things of that nature, which let me continue my travels. Sometimes, I journeyed with Azem, but most of the time, I walked alone. Seeking out others who needed my assistance, falling more and more in love with the world, ignoring everyone's increasingly more pointed comments of 'surely, you must be tired' and 'none more than you deserve rest'. Perhaps that was so, but still, I felt the world had need of me. The people had need. They were my purpose, my love, and I would not forsake them. It did become more irritating when those pointed comments came from the very people who sought my advice, but I never let it show. At least, I tried not to. It was hardest in Elpis, where researchers embodied the 'serve your purpose and return to the star' mentality of our people. It could be taxing, but there was one such trip I would remember always. It changed everything.

It was naught but happenstance, a last errand before I left. I'd been tracking a concept crystal, when I spied a sharkman charging for three lingering near the portal. To my surprise, two were Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus. Both looked well, though I couldn't help but tease Emet-Selch for his perpetual frown. Talk briefly turned to Azem, and it was only manners which kept me from insisting on hearing the story of her rushing into a volcano right then and there. After all, there were three here.

"Now then, you are...?" I began, turning my attention to the third member. She was an unusual sight even here in Elpis. She had the appearance of a young woman on the shorter side, with red hair and golden eyes and, most unusually, pale white scales and horns. A spiked tail swished behind her legs, stirring the black skirts of her attire. Dressed not in robes or mask, one might think her a familiar and her thinner aether usually would have confirmed such. However, I could sense my magic on her, one of my most unique spells. Yet I had never encountered her before, I was certain. Therefore... "I say... have you perchance come from the future?"

That, of course, led to a round of gasps and surprise, but I managed to convince the young girl, Syna, to share all she knew. 'Helped' by Emet-Selch, of course, and what a tale it was. I'd brewed the most calming of teas in anticipation for a gripping story, but the likes she spoke of were beyond imagination. The Final Days, the Sundering, the Calamities and Rejoining... everything she knew and experienced which brought her to the past itself... it was almost overwhelming. I had to force myself to think calmly, even as I wondered just why my future self would make the choices she did. Not everyone could keep calm, though. Emet-Selch bitterly and viciously decried her words as lies before storming out of my temporary abode. Hythlodaeus, of course, followed his friend to provide what comfort he could. Which left me to our young traveler from the future, who stared blankly at the tea she had not touched during her entire tale.

"You've seen much of Elpis already," I whispered, keeping to the task at hand. Of all things, I did not wish her to feel alone. I was the one who had forced her to speak. I, of all people, needed to support her. "If you have any observations to share, I should like to hear them."

"...Dynamis," she answered softly. She would not look up from the cup. "Dynamis is the key to this. I think. Maybe. I don't..." Suddenly, her voice wavered and cracked and, with a start, I noticed she trembled. "I don't know... I don't know! Dawnfather help me, and he just snaps about all of it, like the thing that didn't break him wasn't his duty in the first place! And messianic?! Hydaelyn is the furthest thing from a savior! She's done nothing for any of us!" Her head snapped up, and silent tears streamed down her face, catching in the scales. "She devoured Minfilia for a cryptic message! She gives her blessing and then turns away! Tells me to fight back the darkness or some nonsense, and when I do, it turns out it was wrong! Wrong, wrong, and she planned for me to mess it all up anyway with disgustingly adorable rabbits who think only of the Source and not the Shards! As if saving just the Source would mean anything!"

"Syna..."

"We fought so hard, so damned hard, to save the First! To save it from a Flood of Light she couldn't even help with, had to rely on Minfilia who, again, she fucking devoured and then abandoned, because her chosen there did everything right, did everything they were supposed to, and still lost everything!" She leapt to her feet, the chair clattering to the ground, and attempted to rush out the door. But she only made it two steps before collapsing, the tears falling harder. "And so did I! I did what I thought was right! And it wasn't! It wasn't! So, I have to fix it, because Hydaelyn won't! I have to save the bloody world, because she won't! She never does! I'm her damned champion, and she forces everything on me while she takes and takes and takes!" Even more tears. "Lahabrea was right! She's naught but a parasite!"

That was all she managed before dissolving into tears and tears alone. Without thinking, I ensured the door was shut for privacy and gathered her into my arms. Belatedly, I wondered if it might make things worse, for I would become this Hydaelyn who she so hated, but she clung immediately. Oh, how she clung. She clung and clung, and wailed and wailed until she was too exhausted to do either. Passed out with the remnants of tears staining her face, she looked so terribly young and even more tired. My heart broke for her, and it broke further when I picked her up and realized how light she was. So light, so fragile... how terrible a burden she bore. How long had she'd stumbled down her path? Why… why did I not help her more…?

With no answers and only more questions, I tucked her into my bed, so she could at least rest amidst soft pillows and warm blankets, and returned to the main room to clean up. To my surprise, however, another was already there, washing the tea cups: Hythlodaeus.

"He's currently at that stage where he needs to be alone with his thoughts," he explained, answering my unspoken question. He looked up briefly to flash a tired, strained smile before returning to his chosen task. "I decided to retrace our steps and mitigate any rumors which might have stirred. One, however, thought they heard crying from here."

"I should have closed the door sooner," I sighed, resting a hand over my mask. A habit Azem would tease me over, but it was comforting. "Poor Syna cried herself into a faint, yes, though I do not think it was due to Emet-Selch." If anything, the final straw had been him dubbing Hydaelyn a 'messiah'. "I fear she has simply been pushing herself, trudging forward despite the pain and exhaustion, and now she has gained a chance to breathe..." No, that wording was wrong. She didn't have a chance to breathe. She was still...

"She would go about helping everyone, with a smile and reassuring word. But perhaps it's like with Azem, where she pushes her own pain down because there are others who need help and she wants to so very dearly." Hythlodaeus finished drying a mug and then turned to face me properly. "Yet no one is invincible. No one can bear weight indefinitely."

"No, they cannot." I gritted my teeth, to bleed off some of the frustration I felt. "What is my future self thinking, pushing so much on her?"

"So, you do believe her."

"I..." I breathed out slowly, picking my words with care. "I can neither confirm nor deny her tale. It runs counter to so many things I know, and yet…" So many questions... would there ever be answers? "I believe it would be more accurate to say I trust her. After all, my future self cast that traveler's ward on her and though it protects one's aether from corruption, it is not a simple spell." For one thing, it had to be bound to the six elements, utilizing crystals of near-impossible purity. The casting itself was lengthy and draining. I would not go through such efforts for just anyone. "To give you an idea of what sort of person I would cast it on, the last one was Azem." Someone I cared for above all else. My child in all but blood, my spark, my light, my pride. "Thus..." All of a sudden, Hythlodaeus barked a laugh. Not his usual amused one, but his 'I might just scream otherwise' laugh. "Yes?"

"A moment." Thousands of emotions flitted across his face, all too fast for me to name. "I suppose... do you know how dear Syna ended up walking about Elpis? Her story stopped with her arrival in this time, while I was here."

"No, she didn't elaborate. I assumed you had something to do with it. No matter how old you become, you are ever the prank loving trickster."

"Well, you're not wrong." A smile, faint yet true, quirked onto his face. "Indeed, both Emet-Selch and I noticed her shortly after we arrived. She was... tiny. Tinier, rather. Intangible as well. I'd dare say no one but Emet-Selch and I might have been able to see her. He, of course, was content to ignore her."

"But not you."

"No, and it was not simply my curiosity. It was... the color of her soul." He paused, as if gathering his courage. It was an impression strengthened by how he made certain to look me in the eye. "It's identical to Azem's."

"Oh?" The full weight of what he said hit me like an avalanche. To have the same soul as Azem and be from the future... then logically, she was... she was Azem's reincarnation. And with that piece, a thousand more weights battered my heart.

The story itself was already hard to hear. Almost impossible to believe. Yet knowing it was Azem, or, rather, her reincarnation, who told it made it all the worst. A person the three of us would trust without question telling us the world we love was doomed to die and there was nothing we could do to stop it. Telling us how Hythlodaeus was among those who died to summon... no, not even died. Who let their aether be utilized and trapped within this Zodiark, unable to live or die. Telling us how Emet-Selch would live with the guilt of duty for twelve thousand years, burdened beyond belief... and the sole survivor of the trio. For if Syna was Azem's reincarnation, then of course, Azem... would have to have died.

Azem once told me the three of them had promised to return to the star together. They wished to start their new lives together, and hoped it would increase their chances of finding one another in their next lives. So they could be together once more. Yet if Syna's tale was truth, then... then the trio who never wanted to be parted would be torn apart by the whims of fate.

Then there was another blow. Just what, exactly, did 'Sundering' entail? Did it involve killing everyone? Would I, in the future, kill Azem? Kill my daughter? I did not like the thought. Not one bit. What could ever drive me to make such a choice? The world's fate? I… if I had to be honest, I would choose the world over my own selfishness. I would always see such a thing as the best choice, no matter how painful. But I could already hear Azem's screams of protest, for such a thing was never something she could agree with. 'The greater good' was never a good enough reason for her. She would forever strive for the impossible scenario, always falling short but with less regrets than if she had never tried at all. And while our people were taught a person was themself first and foremost, no matter who their soul had been, it was also a witnessed phenomena that souls tended towards certain… personalities. Tendencies which held firm no matter how many lives the soul had lived. I did not know Syna long or well, but it was easy to guess she might feel the same, when Azem herself felt so strongly.

If so, no wonder she hated Hydaelyn so. If Hydaelyn was me, then…

"Need I send a search party for you in your thoughts, Venat?" Hythlodaeus's gentle teasing drew me out of the whirlwind my mind became, but sadly, his accompanying smile was simply tired. "I fear if I let you continue your woolgathering, you will become as lost as Emet-Selch," he continued, still attempting to joke. I appreciated the effort, and forced myself to smile. "But yes, if you assume her story is true, then Syna is Azem reborn. Already a difficult enough scenario, but… well, Emet-Selch may complain and grumble, but he has ever been a slave to sentiment." He certainly was softer at heart than he liked to act, and I remembered the painfully knowing look Hythlodaeus had when Syna told us of the illusory Amarout beneath the waters of the First. "His comment about 'inviting his enemy' or whatever it was also…" He shrugged, rubbing at his eyes. "Well, I doubt I need to explain further to you." Indeed, for when you knew Syna was Azem, it became clear just why he 'invited his doom'. Syna had described the Light within as cracking her very soul, twisting it into some unholy abomination. There was no way Emet-Selch would risk such a fate befalling Azem's soul, no matter how much he steeled himself to perform his supposed duty. He would never be able to harden his heart that much. "Honestly, the only part unbelievable is him not thinking she would fight until the end. But maybe it was simply a desperate hope because he did not wish to fight her any longer, a hope that aspect of Azem would not hold true despite reincarnation."

"It's rather hard to imagine, truthfully," I murmured, closing my eyes. They'd never had a true argument in all their years of knowing each other. The closest they ever had gotten was Azem being irritated at Emet-Selch not informing her directly of his appointment to the Convocation. The idea of them fighting… Even though Syna was Syna, and Azem was Azem, I dared not imagine the agony Emet-Selch would've gone through. "It seems the story was even more painful than I imagined. I must apologize."

"We wished to hear as well." His voice gentled, and when I opened my eyes, I saw it matched his smile thankfully. "Still, may I leave Syna in your care? I do not wish for her to feel alone among everything else, but Emet-Selch will need more time." As would he, no doubt, but of course he would never say it. His friends took priority, no matter what.

"As if you had to ask." I'd already resolved myself to support her, and knowing she was Azem's reincarnation, my resolve only strengthened. "Though, I shan't force myself on her. If she would rather keep apart for my future self's actions…"

"I doubt that will be a problem." He muffled a laugh, and it was his true one. "She fell into teasing Emet-Selch as easily as Azem, truthfully, and I have no doubts she has a long series of lectures she wishes to give for his future self's choices."

"Fair point." I glanced at the back, to where Syna remained asleep. "Then, to repeat, you may leave her to me. I am quite curious about what answers there are to the puzzle anyway."

"Ever the scholar and mother." Hythlodaeus playfully bowed, and I shook my head. "Then I shall take my leave. It is my hope our paths will cross again ere long."

"I have little doubts." I smiled faintly. "After all, if Emet-Selch is anything like the person I know and, more importantly, like the person Azem always tells me about, then it shall not be long at all. You may tell him I said that."

"I shall be ever-so-delighted." With a grin and wink, Hythlodaeus left, being certain to close the door behind him.

I watched the door for a moment, just long enough to see if any other would step through. When it remained shut, I checked on Syna once more before sitting down to write everything she had told us. I wanted to have a starting point for her. Even if my future self would not help, I was not her yet. So, I would do as I always have, as I wished.


Syna slept the rest of the day, and well into the next as well. She was embarrassed by it, no doubt thinking of all the time wasted, but she'd clearly needed such rest. Resolve could only last one so long; all bodies broke down eventually. She was stubborn, though. I managed to convince her to sit and eat only by promising to discuss the current plan while doing so, and I noticed she once again avoided the tea I'd made.

"Do you not like tea?" I asked, wondering if I should find some other beverage for her. She needed her strength, and strength came not only from food and rest. Perhaps there was a particular drink she liked? Comfort did much for the heart.

"Hmm? Ah, uh..." Syna stammered, looking away almost guiltily. A flush creeped across her face, hiding under the scales on her cheeks. "It's not... I... um..." A glint of fear sparked in her eyes. "I've been drugged before. And poisoned. Tampered drinks, you see. I'm strong. I'm strong, so if someone wants to do anything when I'm around, they take me out in other ways." She closed her eyes. "The Bloody Banquet... that one in particular... it was bad."

"I can imagine, with a name like that."

"So, it's not the tea. I just... I can't drink anything others made for me. Only from certain people."

"I see." The poor dear... "Still, you should drink something. I'll show you where the water is, and you can make your own."

"Water is fine." But she tentatively smiled. "Thank you."

With that problem solved, the meal continued in a stilted, but amenable mood. Then it was investigating. Dynamis, Hermes, and Meteion... the most tried and true method of investigating always was asking the locals. This led to some key confirmations, namely that Hermes was likely the only person in Elpis with any true knowledge of dynamis. Thus, it was imperative we continue asking and researching both him and Meteion if we were to progress. Or, rather, 'Meteions'. Meteia? Whatever the plural form was, for Meteion was but one of many.

"She... has sisters?" I repeated, startled. Syna nodded, biting her lip like she felt uncomfortable. "I rather wish you had mentioned this earlier."

"He wanted to know about life on other stars, if they exist and what gives their lives meaning," she mumbled, looking to the ground. She dug her nails into the scales on her arm; I noticed the burn scars mottling the right one. "I'm not sure if such a thing has a single answer. But based on your people..." She shook her head abruptly. "No, never mind."

"No, I'd rather you share your thoughts."

"...Everything here is about a purpose. A use. If it does not fit, then it's better off gone. After all, all must return to the star, yes?" She jerked her head towards me, a bright fury shining in her eyes. But not towards me. Towards the world itself. "Death is beautiful here. For man. After all, you have the luxury of choosing. Those unmade do not, but then again, you do not seem to think of them as 'alive' at all. At least, most here do not." She breathed out slowly, shaking her head. "Perhaps it is simply how people cope here, to do their jobs. Unmake for the sake of the world... killing for the greater good... it's not that different. I know this logically. I experience it. Somewhat."

"Somewhat?"

"I never believe what I do is for the 'greater good'. What I do is selfishness, no more and no less. I barter my life with another's, the lives of those I love with the lives of others' loved ones. That is simply the nature of the world. Grief and joy, selfishness and selflessness... light and dark, day and night." She shrugged. "That's a ramble and a half, but... the idea of there being a single answer seems to be a product of such a purpose-minded mentality. Everything has a use. Everything has an answer. Perfectly slotted, with no gray area to blur."

"That is how many see the world, yes." Black and white, every color distinct. "The world is not so, and more beautiful for it." Without thinking, I rested my hand on her head. She seemed startled by it, but did not move away when I stroked her hair. "So, unable to find the answer he wanted, needed, here, he made Meteion and her sisters, and now they travel the great expanse."

"Yes..." Almost immediately, she wilted. "I hope they are not lonely. What I've heard from Midgardsormr, learned from Omega..." She bit her lip. "No, never mind. I'm fretting." Though I was curious, the look in her eye hinted she did not wish to speak of it. I would not force her. "Where to next?"

'Where to' was more chatting with the locals, and Syna managed to find an interesting lead. We had to wait for Galene, though, and as we looked out over Elpis from those towers, I had to ask her about the future. What was it like? Was the world still beautiful? What sort of adventures did she experience? Not the world-shattering events which led her here, but the smaller ones. The simple delights all her own. She had stared at me for a long moment, as if she could not comprehend why I'd asked. I made up an excuse of wanting insight to the future me's plans, but in truth, I simply wanted to hear. I also... wanted her to remember happier things, not simply the tragedy which sent her so far from home.

Slowly, haltingly, she began telling me. Of her family, the Scions, and all of their antics. Of her friends, those long gone and those still near. Of the people she had met, strangers who she happened to cross paths with. Names stood out, just for how often she mentioned them. I heard quite a lot of a 'Thancred', her beloved, for instance. Alphinaud and Alisae, twins she loved so dearly as younger siblings. Y'shtola, her distant but motherly elder sister. Urianger, her awkward yet kind older brother. G'raha, a friend she thought lost but regained through sheer happenstance. Ryne, her daughter in all but blood. Tataru, the ever-helpful caretaker of the misfits they all wre. Krile, a dear friend who understood so much of her burdens. Estinien, her 'grumpy rabbit' of an older brother. Lyse, her sister who was more awkward and unsure than her smile suggested, but determined nonetheless to walk her own path.

Then there were other names, those long gone but she still held close to her heart. Moenbryda, a woman she knew for but a short time, but thanked so often for her love and kindness and brilliance. Papalymo, who proved himself his master's greatest student and always hid his fretting with grumbles. Ysayle, a woman as gentle and supporting as an older sister and who entrusted her hopes to her, not the hero, a distinction she held important in her heart. Haurchefant, a friend and true knight who supported her at her lowest time and time again. Minfilia, her guiding older sister, who encouraged her in all things no matter how outlandish they seemed and never once took her for granted.

Then still there were others. Many, many others. So many of her stories spoke of terrible battles with high-stakes, as if she had not had the joy of simply wandering, but she did not seem upset by it. No, she found joy amidst the despair, light amidst the dark. Every moment she spent with loved ones all the more precious because the time was finite. And oh, how she strove for her own 'happy ending', where when the battle was won and the dust had settled, she was home with her friends, family, and beloved, all able to smile and laugh.

It was beautiful. The future she described, the world she knew... sundered and battered and broken it was compared to the world I knew, desperate and unforgiving, but it was beautiful. And so I shared with her a story I had only told one other person in full: Azem. I shared with her why I began to travel, what I had decided my purpose in life was. How I believed and loved the people and world so very dearly. Perhaps part of me wanted her to know me, as me and not Hydaelyn, but even as I spoke, I knew it was to lead into a question I so desperately wanted to ask her. Her, who had endured so very much yet still held fast to her kindness and virtue.

"You, who are our future... Tell me this and tell me true. Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile?"

Would that we had not been interrupted before she answered, but perhaps it was enough to simply ask. She certainly seemed lighter of heart as we listened to Galene's tale. Our investigation continued quite rapidly from there, like the shooting star for which Meteion was named, though we had a brief interlude where she and I sparred. Argos was as stubborn as ever, after all, and she had no means to fly. I found it quite invigorating personally, though Syna herself seemed disgruntled by it all. Argos's attention lifted her spirits right back up, however, and when we encountered Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus conducting their own independent investigation, her smile was brighter than I'd ever seen.

Sadly, though, everything fell apart far too quickly afterwards. Meteion connected with her sisters, receiving a report she ran away from until we trapped her, and then Hermes himself transformed and escaped to a location where few could follow. Yet in order to find the answers we sought, the answers Syna of all people needed, we had to push forward.

"So, Hythlodaeus, what weapon do you fight with?" As soon as it became evident what we had to do, and how weakened we would be, Syna surprisingly took charge. "Emet-Selch said you were good at identifying weaknesses," she continued, frowning in thought. "How do you do so?"

"Please don't continue raising expectations," Hythlodaeus deadpanned, groaning. Still, he created a bow and arrow to use, showing it to Syna. "This is the only one I'm trained on."

"Archer, then... physical and support oriented..." Syna continued frowning in thought, nodding to herself. "Venat's 'aggressor' utilizes much of the same, so it would probably be best to differentiate..."

"Physical? Support?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, it's simply a way X'rhun taught me how to visualize how groups of people fight together. It helps with coordination and what to expect from each fighter." She smiled warmly, glowing with pride. X'rhun, I remembered from her stories, was one of her first teachers, and filled a fatherly role in her life alongside an 'Alberic' and an 'Edmont'. "Though, admittedly, the support aspect is based on my own experience, so please, correct me if I'm wrong."

"Support is an excellent way to describe me. Cheering you on all the way."

"You are capable of much more and you know it!" She playfully scowled at him before turning to Emet-Selch and me. "So, with that established, Emet-Selch, what role do you prefer?"

"And why are you asking me?" Emet-Selch asked grouchily. More so than usual, so I guessed his nerves were still raw from the earlier tale. "Why not declare your own?"

"Because you're the next limited, obviously," Syna replied without the slightest pause. She even smiled, carefully innocent, and both Hythlodaeus and I had to muffle laughter. More so when Emet-Selch barely bit back a squawk of protest. "Like Venat, I can fill whatever role we require. I think." She paused, humming to herself. "Wait, I should confirm..." She took a step back and... and rapidly produced and dispelled a very large variety of weapons. An oddly-shaped blade, a greatsword, a lance, a bow, chakrams... on and on she went. Hythlodaeus actually brought up his hands to count, but I didn't bother seeing just how high it went. "I also have the crystal conduits... yes, I can handle them all." She jumped back to her original spot, all smiles. "So, yes, you have the next least amount of variety. So, which? Do you want to charge into the fray and be dramatic that way, or would you rather dramatically snap your fingers and cry 'mine is the aether' with your magic instead?"

"You have got to be the most ridiculous...!"

"The latter," Hythlodaeus answered for Emet-Selch, choking on his laughter now. He laughed harder when Emet-Selch whirled a glare on him. "He much prefers the latter."

"I thought so," Syna cheerfully agreed, pointedly ignoring Emet-Selch's continued sputtering. It was... it was almost exactly like watching the two with Azem. "That leaves Venat and me for defender and healer. Do you have a preference, Venat?"

"Well..." I began, preparing to say I didn't. Yet I thought of how my future self apparently... it was silly and ridiculous, yet... "I'll take defender." I did not know why my future self did not protect her more, help her more. But I could now, and I wanted to. Yes, we were a team in this, but...

"Then leave the healing to me!" Syna got a determined look on her face. "Hythlodaeus and I will support you two all the way, so let's catch up to Meteion and Hermes. They shouldn't be alone."

Through Ktisis Hyperboreia we traveled, fighting our way past the numerous concepts set loose. It surprised me Hermes would be willing to use them so, gentle soul that he was, but his desperation was clear. Desperation turned even the more virtuous of people into monsters, casting aside their morales for the sake of their goal. And given this, it was all too clear that Hermes had wagered heart, mind, and soul on this experiment, this answer. How terribly we had failed him...

Still, I couldn't say it excused him choosing to put all of mankind to the test via Meteion's Song of Oblivion. But, then again, there was nothing more dangerous than a kind heart shattering, and hearing of what the Meteia had seen and suffered had pushed him past the brink. And perhaps it was simply his selfish wish to protect Meteion, who was like a child to him, over the world which continuously caused him pain.

"Hermes, damn it, wait!" All of us argued, of course, particularly when Kairos activated. Memories wiped... such knowledge could not be lost... if it was, then... "Hermes, don't let her fly off while she's in so much pain!" Yet while I focused on the consequences to the world, while Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus focused on the consequences to our people, Syna... "Experiencing all of that is enough to drive anyone mad, and the isolation will only make it worse!" Syna focused on what was right in front of us: two people she regarded fondly in so much pain it drove them to desperate insanity. "Please, Hermes!" She struggled to escape, just as we did, but not fully. Just enough for her to reach out her hand. "It's hard, feeling such pain, such agony, and it drives you into the ground again and again and again!" She strained, stretching as far as the bindings let her. Though I continued wearing at the my own bindings, I couldn't help but hold her in awe. "But that's exactly when we support reach other, to help each other rise to our feet and keep walking!" Eyes brimming and shining with determination, expression sincere and earnest... it was like she was hope itself, in all it's burning glory. "That's what it means to live in this beautiful hell of a world!"

For one all-too-brief breath, I truly thought her words reached Hermes. "Hah..." Hermes breathed, his broken smile gaining an edge of... something too faint to name. "...If it were you alone, then perhaps..." But 'perhaps' never came. Kairos had activated, Meteion escaped, and both Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus bought me the time I needed to save Syna from it all, at the cost of their memories.

Always, I would wonder if in our earnest desire to help, we merely broke everything further. But no matter how much we might wish, the past could not be altered. We all made our choices that day and we had no choice but to deal with the consequences. Terribly, Syna would eventually bear the brunt of it, but she seemed to expect it. Then again, she had come here specifically to find more information about the Final Days to bring back to her time, to save her world.

As the only one who escaped Kairos, I saw her off. I saw her off with a promise and a reassurance, my light of the future. She gave me an odd look when I gave her my promise, but I imagined it had something to do with her 'before' and my 'after'. She certainly did not elaborate. Instead, she nodded and smiled before turning to walk on. She paused only once to look back, and she looked so fragile I almost went to hug her. But her resolve steeled itself once more, and she continued onward. The doors clunked shut behind her and when I opened them once more, she was gone. Back to her own time.

Now, I had to do my part.


The days, months, years which followed were difficult. Who to trust, who to share this knowledge with, what to do to prevent panic... too many questions with no answers. I spent more time alone than I ever had before, pondering the conundrum I found myself in. Determining just how I might mitigate the damages of what was to come while also not revealing too much. My days grew longer, my nights shorter, and my sleep... well, some nights, it was nonexistent. Most days, I could fake being well. Most did not know me well enough to catch my lies.

"Venat, what's wrong?" But Azem knew something was wrong the moment she saw me, and I knew there was no squirming my way out of her concern. "Any more lines and you might just give Emet-Selch competition," she joked, easing the harshness of her worry. She had returned from one of her many long trips, the ones which took years to end, and perhaps someone had mentioned something, for she was at my apartment before even changing from her travel attire. "Did something happen?"

"No, I've... simply had trouble sleeping lately," I answered, a truthful lie. I couldn't lie outright. She'd know, and I did not want to lie to her. No small part of me wanted to bring her into the fold, share my knowledge, but... again, too many 'what ifs' whirled through my head. I could not tell her while my head remained such a mess; I was her predecessor and mother. It was ridiculous, yes, but I wanted to appear strong for her. "Bad dreams."

"I see." She frowned worriedly and hugged me tightly. I relaxed as I hugged her back, basking in the comfort she brought. My light, my pride... and eventually, she would become Syna, my light of the future. My promise. My nerves settled so easily when I remembered that. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You're doing plenty right now." Still, I did wonder... "If you might indulge me in a weird question?" She wordlessly agreed, more focused on giving me what comfort she could. "If you found yourself beset with loss on all sides, with people in utter despair, what would you do?"

"...Venat, that's weird even for you." Still, she gave her answer thought. "I know what I would try."

"Hmm?"

"Keep walking. Continue onward. Our people have been blessed with relatively peaceful lives, but that does not mean shadows do not exist. It just means we've blinded ourselves to them." She got on her tiptoes to rest her chin on my shoulder. "I've known death, Venat. I wander far and get involve in probably too much for the Convocation's liking. But I'm still here, scars and all. That's what I've learned in my travels thus far. What I continue learning. It may not be enough, but still, it is what I would do my best to continue. For the sake of those I have lost, and of those who taught me this lesson."

"...Yes." The question I asked Syna came to mind, the question I never received an answer for. There hadn't been enough time. "Azem."

"Yes?"

"Have your journies been good? Have they been worthwhile?"

"Always. No matter what happened, I do not regret a single moment I have spent." She pulled away, frowning once more. "But if you're asking questions like that, then I definitely know you've exhausted yourself silly. To bed for you, Venat." She began nudging me down the hall, to my room. "I'll tuck you in before I meet our new Convocation member. Seems Fandaniel stepped down while I was away, and someone named Hermes took over."

I did my best to not react with anything but faint surprise. I wasn't sure I managed. But Azem let me get away with it while she playfully pulled my blankets over me. She sat with me until I dozed off, and before she left, she set up a kettle of tea for me. I discovered it when I woke hours later, and found it tucked onto a heating block to keep warm, alongside a note: 'I don't know what's all on your mind or if I can do anything to help. But know I love you always, Venat, and what I can do, I will.'

I slept both better and worse that night. Better, in that I actually could slumber, but worse that I worried over just what would happen to her when everything came crashing down.


I took to nightly walks, meandering wherever to my feet strayed. No one thought anything odd about it, given my penchant for travels, and the quiet helped me remember just what I struggled for. The people, this world... I loved them so very dearly. My meaning and purpose... there was nothing I would not give for them. I could make it through this. For the world I loved, the world Azem loved, the world Syna would be born into...

"...It is a contradiction so blatant I could scream. Want to scream." Sometimes, in my wanderings, I would overhear the most curious of conversations. Most times I ignored it, but this voice... I swore I knew. So, I followed. "How can you all accept this aberration?" The voice was quiet, but with the city so calm, it was easy to follow. "Then I wondered if I am the aberration instead, for thinking so, and I would be filled with dread." I still didn't expect the speaker to be Fandaniel, though.

"Thus you created Meteion and her sisters, to visit other stars. To hear their words, know their thoughts, and sense their feelings." I should have left as soon as I realized, but seeing he spoke to Azem, I instead, masked my presence with illusions. There was no Hythlodaeus to see through them, this time. "It's an interesting thought, if slightly worrisome," Azem continued lightly, perched upon a railing of a walkway. Her gaze was fixed to the stars above, no doubt picturing just what Hermes intended. "But it's one that suits you, Fandaniel."

"You need not mock me," Fandaniel replied, laughing bitterly. He... did not wear his mask nor had his cowl up. I was used to Azem throwing away such propriety, as she was now, but wouldn't have expected it of Fandaniel. "I'm aware-"

"Let me finish first, silly." Though her eyes remained heavensward, she reached over to poke his cheek. He made a face, but softened. I... had not known they were close. Then again, I had avoided all gossip about the Convocation since Elpis. "I was thinking of how it suited you because it makes the assumption those of other stars wish to live. Sadly, I know from my travels such a thing is not always the case." She closed her eyes, thinking, no doubt, of the many disasters she had encountered. "Hope can burn. It can scorch. Some can never reach for it. Some don't even want to try. It's painful to behold, and you can do all you can to help. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. Still other times, it just makes things worse."

"...I see." He breathed out slowly, resting his arms on the railing by Azem. "I did such a cruel thing to her, to them. So many things I wish I could simply redo, yet..."

"It is the privilege of the living to have regrets. Regrets teach us so much, even as they pierce." Azem looked down and smiled. "It is like sea glass, just as grief is."

"Sea glass?"

"Fascinating things, really. A broken piece of glass is sharp. To grasp it is to pierce and bleed. But if they happen to tumble into the sea, then time slowly wears the edges away. You can pick them up without pain, and they become different, yet beautiful." She shrugged, looking away almost shyly when she realized Fandaniel was staring. "Of course, grief can overwhelm and all. I know that from my mother. Our people have a long way to go when it comes to coming together for grief."

"You speak as if they will reach it."

"It is my belief, and hope, we will, one day. No matter how everyone acts, the world is ever changing. To live is to change. I cannot claim such changes are 'right' or 'wrong', but I know I'd like it. Certainly, I'd like it much more than a concept being destroyed because one happened to be born the wrong color." Her eyes flicked back to Fandaniel, her smile kind. "But that's too much philosophizing for someone like me. How did we come to this topic anyway?"

"You heard about Meteion and offered your condolences."

"That's right." Her smile softened further. "So, when the pain is not so sharp, I would love to hear your stories of her. Tell me, when you're ready, of the sweet little girl you knew."

"Even if she was a familiar?" Surprisingly, Fandaniel smiled back. "I have said this many times, but you are a strange one, Azem."

"I think it's at least once an encounter, but it's not driven you away yet!" Now she flashed a grin and I could only stare when Fandaniel laughed. "Ah, but I'm reminded."

"Another of your unconnected tangents?"

"They are connected! It's not my fault if you do not see my logic!" Her grin grew. "I've heard tale you like candied apples." Fandaniel made a face, and Azem laughed. "A town I frequent on my travels is hosting a festival soon, and their candied apples are absolutely delicious."

"Is that an offer to travel or requesting a favor with that as payment?"

"Whichever you're more comfortable with, of course." Azem jumped off the railing and beamed. "I would like you to accompany me, though. See more of the world. I cannot give you an answer to your question, sadly, but I can show you other people. See how they live, and perhaps your answer will come."

"I... highly doubt that." Fandaniel sighed, but Azem was undeterred. "...One trip."

"Really?! Yes!" Azem actually jumped from excitement. "Let's see about rearranging your schedule, then! I know you won't want to leave any work undone."

"Right now?"

"No time like the present! We just have to avoid Mitron and Loghrif's offices. Sometimes, they decide the trek back to their apartment is simply too long apparently." Fandaniel immediately blushed, though he fixed his mask to his face to try and hide it. "Ah, walked in on them once, didn't you?"

"There was a crash!"

The two left, no doubt to return to their own offices, with Azem's laughter drowning out Fandaniel's sputtering. I watched them leave with a heavy heart, knowing what I knew. Knowing Fandaniel was so much more fragile than he appeared, knowing the Final Days were approaching... knowing just what the Convocation would choose and what Azem would do.

I... would have to do all I could. I must.


Surprisingly, that had not been the only time Fandaniel accompanied Azem on one of her journeys. Never for the years and years long ones, of course, but from what I heard, he'd travel with her for months. The gossips tittered over just why it might be, and though I did my best to avoid the Convocation to better pursue my goals, many tried to ply 'answers' from me about it.

"...Wait, people are talking about that?" Azem asked, nursing her tea. She was about to leave for another journey, this one to the other side of the star, and I'd invited her for a quick chat before she left. No matter how resolved I was, I could never keep far from her. "I thought people decided ages ago Emet-Selch, Hythlodaeus, and I were in a polyamorous relationship and stopped bothering."

"No, now the gossips whisper of how the trio is a quad, or that perhaps you are cheating on them," I muttered, a little drained from it. The only reason the conversation came up at all was because an old acquaintance had turned up unexpectedly to ask, and I'd just sent them away as Azem arrived. "Frankly, it's not their business."

"But people simply must gossip and talk. I fear the wind will wane if they stopped." At least Azem took it with good humor, her eyes alight with silent laughter. "Clearly, this hasn't reached Hythlodaeus yet. He'd be scripting out such dramatics to fuel the flames."

"Mayhaps I'll tell him, if only for my own amusement." Actually, the thought alone did help me relax. He'd make it hilarious for all involved, though Emet-Selch would complained. He always did. "I'm surprised Fandaniel travels with you so much."

"I maintain that if the others accompanied me too, they'd be just as eager to travel. I take Mitron to various beaches yearly, after all, and honestly, the only reason it's not more is because he frets ever-so-much over his creations while he's away." She grinned, and I smiled back. I never thought of dragging my colleagues along myself, but from what I'd heard, Mitron had actually requested it. "The gossips simply don't focus on it because Mitron and Loghrif are ridiculously in love with one another."

"Whereas Fandaniel is unattached and, thus, there's far more wiggle room for speculation." I gave her a tiny frown, more playful than anything. "That doesn't answer my question, though."

"What? Why he comes with me? He likes it?" Azem shrugged, fiddling with her teacup, and... I noticed she wouldn't quite look me in the eye. "He likes hearing the stories, and his duties do revolve around extant phenomena. Think he's got a paper or two he's working on."

"Uh-huh..." My frown grew, this time not playful. "And may I ask why you accept so much?"

"It's fun traveling with someone!" A faint blush crossed her face, and all at once, she sulked. "Urgh... why am I bothering? You see through me anyway." She sighed. "I like him."

"Like him?" I arched a brow, mostly to smother the sudden pang in my chest. "Are we talking 'like' as in colleague, 'like' as in your dear friends who you can summon with that spell of yours, 'like' as in the bond between you and Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus, 'like' as in-"

"I don't know?" Her blush darkened, and she whined wordlessly. "I mean... I try never to parse it out?"

"Because...?"

"Because when I used to and try to act on them, I'd always be told something along the lines of 'I do not want to be second or third'. As if love is some sort of competition to win." She rested her bright-red face on the table, groaning. "I got tired of it."

"Second? Third?"

"Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus."

"...Ah. I see now." Essentially, those she'd tried to court in the past felt 'threatened' by her close bond with them. "Do you think Fandaniel would feel such?"

"I don't know! I'm not in his head! For all I know, I'm just the annoying guide he has to rely on to visit interesting places!" She lifted her head just enough to rest her chin on the table, all so I could see her pout. "There, full answer. You're so mean, Mama-Venat."

"How can I not worry when my little spark is acting oddly?" Best to use a truth to cover the lie. Knowing what was to come... ah, it was so very painful. But I thought of Syna and her stories, of the warm memories she held onto of those long since lost. Such inevitability simply... it had simply... "Eos?"

"...Yes?" Azem straightened slowly, giving me a weird look. Made weirder by her fading blush. But I could not blame her; I had not called her by name since she succeeded me. "What is it?"

"I want you to be happy." I smiled at her, as warmly as I could. "I want you to be so happy you're near delirious with it. So happy that even if the world falls apart, the memory will keep you warm."

"...Are you about to return to the star or something?" Azem tilted her head, and frowned when I shook my head. "I... right, then...?" To her, I knew, this must seem sudden. Yet I... "I'll do what I can? Happiness isn't given to anyone. It has to be seized from fate itself. So, we'll see if I can break through its siege on life."

"Of course." Still, for my spark, nothing was ever out of reach. "Thank you for humoring me."

"Glad to assist?" She frowned for a while longer before sighing and shaking her head. "You are, as ever, a force of nature, Venat. But that's who you are, and I love you."

"And I love you. Always."


How long would it take for Meteion's Song to reach us? It was hard to say. I'd placed my magic on her, yes, but it was difficult to track. So far and so long... I would need more power to even conjure the memory of it, and the amount of aether I'd no doubt need to reach her nest... the mere thought was enough to make my head spin and spin, never mind the actual calculations. I definitely understood now why my future self had not struck at the heart of the problem from the start. Adding in the nature of both dynamis and aether... I'd hoped the weaker nature of dynamis might give us an advantage, but given it was the greater of the two and there were hundreds (thousands?) of Meteia capable of perfect coordination due to their shared consciousness… a single snowflake simply nestled against a tree, but a great many more would snap it in two.

No, I was certain of it. I hated it, but there was no denying the facts. No matter how much I fought, how much I struggled, we of this star simply could not stand against her. Shield, yes. But striking her directly was...

"In that case, I should focus my efforts on bolstering defenses," I whispered, rubbing at my eyes. Argos whimpered and rested his head on my leg, worried for me. I'd been awake all night once more going through the calculations again. Hoping I'd find something, anything... I couldn't simply give up on the world. I couldn't. "But this sundering... I still do not understand why I would decide that was my only recourse." Yet Syna's tale had specifically mentioned it, and all the terror and bloodshed which followed. "Perhaps its during the Final Days, or its aftermath..." I wasn't sure I wanted to understand, truthfully. But if I was to protect our people, then...

Argos lifted his head up and made a curious noise as his gaze went to my front door. I barely had a second to process this before it burst open, revealing a rather frazzled Azem. "I'm not here!" she blurted, slamming the door behind her. Giving me no chance to reply, she zoomed to the back, hiding in one of the rooms. Leaving naught but silence and confusion in her wake.

"...Did that just...?" I looked down at Argos, to see my own confusion mirrored in his eyes, and both of us looked down the hall. "Azem? Little spark? What is...?" And someone knocked on my door then. "Just a moment." Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet, wincing as my legs and back ached. I'd been sitting at the table for hours upon hours, and my body did not appreciate it. But there was clearly something going on, and my curiosity would not let it go, so I hobbled my way to the door and opened it. "Fandaniel?"

"M-my apologies for disturbing you, Venat," Fandaniel stammered, not quite looking at me. Belatedly, I thought it might be because I was unmasked, and I brought my mask up. "I was simply... did Azem come here, by chance?"

"Azem?" I repeated, mind whirling for completely different reasons now. What in the star was going on? "We had tea planned later for the day, but I didn't expect to see her until then." I was becoming entirely too good at this lying-not-lying business.

"I see." He still looked away, and though his cowl was up, as was proper, I thought I caught traces of a blush tucked under his mask and shadows. "If you see her, will... will you tell her I wish to speak with her?"

"I shall. Though, I do wonder why you seek her."

"Tis nothing important!" Well, that was a quick answer, and now I was certain he was blushing. "I just... wish to speak with her."

"Very well." I waved him goodbye and stayed in the doorway long enough to see him rush down the street. Then I closed it and picked my way to the back, eventually finding Eos in one of the guest rooms, face down on the bed with Argos tucked against her side. Despite his nudges and licks, she did not so much as twitch. "So, Fandaniel wishes to speak with you." A long, muffled groan was the only response. "Azem, what is it? What hap-" And there was another knock on my door, though this time, the knocker didn't wait before opening it. "Goodness, what now?" I quickly returned to the front, to find Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch sauntering in. "Hello?"

"Hello to you as well, Venat!" Hythlodaes greeted, his good cheer radiating off him. The mischief in his accompanying grin, however, told me trouble had occurred. "Pray, forgive us. We simply wanted to make sure Azem didn't escape."

"Is that so?" I asked, ensuring I was between them and the hallway to where Azem was. I doubted they'd force, but it was best to be certain. "I can only hope it means you know what is happening?"

"I am so very glad you asked! You see-!"

"Nonsense," Emet-Selch spat, growling under his breath. I swore his frown grew deeper every time I saw him. "It's complete and utter nonsense, and dragging it out will not make things better."

"Come now, don't be that way," Hythlodaeus chided, leaning over to nudge his friend. Emet-Selch frowned even further. "One can hardly fault Azem for panicking."

"It's her own impulsiveness which got her into this situation."

"Yes, and now you're worried she's going to disappear on a dangerous adventure and be extra reckless. Hence why you immediately snagged me so we could track her together." Hythlodaeus remained all smiles; Emet-Selch looked ready to strangle him. "Thus, we arrived here, Venat."

"Is this also the part where I'm made aware of what is happening?" I asked dryly, more pointedly blocking their way. I would have answers to this question, at least! "I will not budge until you enlighten me." And maybe not even after. It depended.

"Hmm? Ah, yes, before I was so rudely interrupted," Hythlodaeus dramatically sighed. He quickly covered Emet-Selch's mouth to prevent whatever retort he had. "It's simple, truly. Azem kissed Fandaniel."

"..." It took me a long, long moment of silence and thought to even think of a reply. "Oh?"

"Completely spontaneous, I'm sure. I didn't see it myself, sadly, but from what I heard, the two were happily discussing some beasts they encountered recently and the legends associated with them. I suppose she simply found the mood too tempting to resist." Hythlodaeus grinned, but then playfully whined when Emet-Selch grabbed his hand and pushed it away. "Oh, please do not ruin such a delightful occasion with your sulking."

"There is a meeting tomorrow all Convocation members must attend, and I will not have this hanging over us during it," Emet-Selch grumbled, moving forward. I immediately moved in the way. "Venat...!"

"Apologies, I am still wrapping my head around this," I explained, more to hide the flood of conflicted feelings. No doubt I'd always feel them now. "So, she and Fandaniel were talking, she impulsively kissed him, and then... ran?"

"Yes, and now the rest of us have to deal with the mess before she does something ridiculous again." Translation: 'I want to make sure she is well and not hating herself'.

"I see." Deciding to push the conflicted feelings down, I found myself barely biting back laughter. How... ridiculously like my spark. "Very well, but if she escapes through the window, I will have words with both of you."

I pretended to not notice Emet-Selch was the first to push past me, and moved more quickly than Hythlodaeus. Well, I pretended until Hythlodaeus smiled at me conspiratorially before joining his friends. Then I went to hide my calculations, further solidifying my resolve to not tell them. I couldn't. I'd rather see them happy for as long as I could, selfish and stupid as it was. And I had to say, when I saw Azem the next day, nearly bursting with happiness as she shyly told me how she and Fandaniel were courting officially, I couldn't find it in myself to regret the choice.


Would that the happy times would last forever. For a long while, it seemed like they would. Years and years and years passed, long enough that I half-wondered if the time in Elpis had been naught but a waking dream. I focused less and less on the end ahead, focusing on the present with all the teasing and travels I could manage. But then it occured. The Final Days. No small part of my spirit, my heart, would forever remained locked in those dreadful moments, where the sky was aflame. Where stars fall as tears, and screams darken the seas. Where resignation rotted the trees. Where terror twisted magic into abominations. Where my brave little spark fought on the front lines of it all, again and again and again, to bring hope to those who had none. Letting the light of her soul shine even in the darkness and bring comfort to those who saw.

"Please, let me through!" I all but begged the large man barring my path. I had been delivering aid to those on the frontlines, what meager I could give, and overheard someone mention 'Eos' had been badly injured. "Please, let me see her!" My heart had stopped and I'd bolted through the makeshift camp, using Argos to help me locate her in her quarters. Begging and praying in my heart that she would be well, she would be fine, this was not how she died. This was not what started her on the cycle of reincarnations which would lead to Syna. Not yet, not yet, not yet! "Please!"

"No," the man replied, crisp and no nonsense. He loomed over even me, and was easily twice or three times as broad. I'd be able to throw him if needed, but it would be difficult. Particularly in the middle of a camp where most did not know me. All who fought here were friends and acquaintances Azem had made over her years of travel, all were those who refused to let her fight against the Terminus alone. I dared not think of how she felt, seeing friend after friend fall to the ravenous horde. "Leave."

"I must see her!" I had to. I had to convince him. Yes, I might be able to sneak Argos through, maybe. It was one of the larger tents, and it was possible for Argos to wriggle underneath one of the sides, perhaps. It wouldn't be enough, though. I had to see her. "Please, even just a second...!"

"I said-"

"Venat, is that you?" A groggy, thin voice snuck through the closed flap of the tent. I still knew it to be Azem's, and the panic in my heart both lightened and doubled. "Let her through, Rhotahr," Azem ordered. "That's my mother."

"Very well," 'Rhotahr' instantly agreed, stepping aside without the slightest hesitation. When I did try to pass, though, he rested a large hand on my shoulder. "Try to brace yourself. It's bad." I nodded at the warning, and barely saw him return to his chosen guard as I stepped through the flap.

'It's bad', he had said. Never had I heard such a gross understatement. Azem's mangled body was propped on a cot and some pillows, various wounds in all stages of recovery. Her breathing was faint and thin, with a slight hiss hinting she had a hole in her lungs. The blankets which covered her did nothing to hide how she'd lost almost all of her left leg, and half of her right. Her left hand and lower arm with crushed bone alone, barely held held together with some healing magics to keep things healthy until she had the strength and time to reconstruct and heal what remained. Based on the bloodstained bandages around her abdomen, I guessed most of what she had was spent there, recreating what organs had been lost and punctured. I dared not think of what the bandage on her neck hid underneath, or whether the bandage wrapped around the left side of her face had an eye or not underneath. No, I made myself focus on her sweet, apologetic smile. I knew... I knew it cost her a lot to force it for me.

"Please forgive him," she began, laughing a little. I looked around and found a small stool to drag over to her cot. "Rhotahr's people believe none but family may visit the injured. It's why he was chosen as my guard."

"There's nothing to forgive," I replied, sitting down. Immediately, I rested my hand on her cheek to cast some healing magic and share some of my aether. "Oh, Azem... Eos..."

"I'll be fine, Venat. Nothing a little healing won't fix." She kept up such a strong face, even though I knew the pain had to be unimaginable. "Keep how badly I'm hurt from those three, will you?" I nodded, though the selfish part of me wanted to tell them anyway. Emet-Selch, Hythlodaeus, Fandaniel... if I told them, they'd find some way to bring her home, to safety, in an instance. But that was not her way. It never had been. She could never simply leave others to suffer while she remained safe. She was always with them, and never able to step apart. Never able to accept 'for the greater good' as a reason for anything. It was why she was such a wonderful Azem. But it was hell for those of us who loved her, especially right now. "Thank you. What brings you out here?"

"Assisting with evacuations and giving what help I can." I let my hand fall from her face, only to grasp her intact right hand. I had... I had to hold onto her. I had to have proof beyond my eyes and ears she still lived. "I heard you were injured..."

"Damn, best fix that rumor. If it spreads, then morale will plummet. With how this strange sound twists those with less aether than our people, that could be beyond fatal." Thus, she allowed herself to be viewed as more than mortal, though she so painfully was. "It'll be fine. Have faith." Her smile warmed with pride. Not pride in herself, but in those she called friends. Much like the smile she'd had during our very first conversation. "I'm only a fool good for punching things, so it makes the most sense for me to be out here, but the others are developing a way to save everyone. Hermes sends me letters, and Emet-Selch reassured me they were making breakthroughs." Her eyes shone with unbridled hope and trust. "I simply have to hold on until then. I'll buy them the time they need, and we will make our way forward. I know it. So... Venat?!" It wasn't until she gasped I realized I was crying. "Venat? Oh, please don't cry. I'll be fine and-"

"Hush." I clutched her hand as tightly as I dared between both of mine, pouring all the healing and aether I could into her. My tears, silent, fell freely. "I think I'm allowed to cry when my brave little spark is hurting so. And I know you're hurting." For she had the softest of hearts and I dared not think of how much it bled for all the deaths. "So, let me cry for you." For everyone. For what was to come.

I knew what the solution would be. I knew just how Azem would take it. I knew her heart would shatter beyond repair. And my own heart broke.


Everything played out just as Syna's story said. To forestall the Final Days, we shrouded the world with aether, via the most complicated and ambitious use of creation magic. Then, to breathe life again into our broken world, Zodiark took even more of our people. Then… and then, there was the fear. The rage. The terrible weight of loss and despair. The terrible cries, wails, shrieks which echoed still. Though Meteion's Song of Oblivion had been masked and muted, the lingering chorus sent most to seek shelter and comfort in the gilded memories of old. Of our 'shadowless paradise' where there was 'no sadness' and 'tranquility always'.

"I would expect at least Emet-Selch to agree with me," I muttered under my breath, rubbing my eyes as I wandered through the streets of Amarout. Though the damage had been repaired, I could still see the scars. I could hear it in the laughter and chatter of our people. "Then again, given Hythlodaeus was among those who sacrifices themselves…" I couldn't blame him for wanting to pursue an avenue which might return one of his dearest friends. Nor could I blame him for thinking rebuilding the paradise of old was the proper choice, for it had ever been Azem's sanctuary. Our people needed sanctuary once more, and perhaps he thought…

Azem had left shortly after the second set of sacrifices. No one knew exactly when; no one knew where. She'd slipped away like a ghost, and there had been not a single rumor of where she might be. Silence, just like everything else. Maybe he'd hoped she might return, if he could just prove…

"...Venat?" A voice startled me from my thoughts, and I jerked my head up to see Fandaniel, lingering by the railing of a walkway. When I looked around, I saw… I saw it was the same area where I'd first eavesdropped on him and Azem. "Ah, my apologies if I startled you," Fandaniel continued, a tired quirk of a smile on his face. "I take it you have been speaking with the people once more?"

"Yes, I have," I admitted, knowing there was no hiding it. Every day, I tried to urge our people to accept the shadows and pain, and forge ahead to a new dawn. Every day, I tried to fight against the regressive nostalgia our people succumbed to. Every day, I failed. "I… hope the Convocation does not think me an enemy."

"No, you need not worry. We know you only wish the best for our people and Star. Whenever one of the others grumbles, Emet-Selch snaps at them to remind them of such. 'None love the Star more than Venat', he says." Fandaniel mimed for quiet. "Ah, but do not tell him I said that."

"I shan't." I said it playfully, but truthfully, Emet-Selch had avoided me ever since Zodiark's summoning. "How fairs… everyone?"

"Tired. Though we made our decision, it continues to weigh heavy. There is much to repair, and with both Elidibus and Azem gone…" The work of fourteen was difficult for a group of twelve…

"...Do you hate her?" The question was out before I could stop it, and quietly, I cursed myself for it. Yes, I had wondered how most felt of Azem's departure. The rumors about town slowly swelled with talk of the 'defector'. The 'traitor'. No small few had spat the word at me while I tried to persuade them to accept the losses. But that did not mean…

"Of course not." Yet Fandaniel answered my question honestly and sincerely, even taking off his mask so I could see both in his eyes and not just hear it in his voice. There was… there was also traces of confusion within, as if it hadn't never occurred to him to hate her. "It is her kind heart, her gentle spirit, which drew me to her in the first place. So, how can I hate her for it, when it is why I fell in love in the first place?" There were many tales of hatred blossoming in the wake of betrayal, a hatred as strong as the love before, but… but perhaps it was simply his own gentle soul blaming himself far more than it ever could her. "Ah, I must return, Venat. Zodiark needs tending."

"Fare you well." I watched him leave, conflicted feelings churning in my heart. Both for the pain all were in, and… well, it was not the first time I had heard one of the Convocation speak of Zodiark as such. As if they were subservient to him. Though perhaps it was my own knowledge coloring things, knowing what they will do in his name. But I couldn't help but wonder… Zodiark was a creation of unprecedented proportions. Never had one so large, so grand, so powerful had made. The laws of reality had to be rewritten to summon him. So, who was to say that power did not exert some force on their minds? Perhaps not enough to completely control, but enough to nag. To wear. To prey on their deepest insecurities… But that wasn't to say Zodiark was 'evil' here. No, Zodiark had been created for a purpose: salvation. He would not stop, would not rest, until he had granted that to his summoners. He couldn't do otherwise; that was the nature of concepts.

So, always urging to fulfill his purpose, pressing deep weights into the gaping wounds in the Convocations' hearts… the only way to stop it… there were two ways. The first was to change what 'salvation' meant to our people. This I had tried so many times, but each failure made it all too clear it could not be done. Meaning the second option, defeating Meteion, was the most likely to succeed. Yet with our people so broken by despair, even if we could reach her, none of us would stand a chance against her. But what if… Ah, now I understood. I understood why 'Hydaelyn' would make the choices she had. We had to remove the temptation, so there was no way back. Perhaps this all was an impossibility, but I had faith. I had faith in my people, and in their potential.

No more would man have wings to reach paradise. Henceforth, he shall walk.


So… it was done. I led the summoning of Hydaelyn, became her heart, and sundered Zodiark to birth a world mired in pain and torment. The screams of the immediate aftermath, the wails… they emphasized how this was no kindness. This was cruel, even if I was certain it was the best path to truly save our star, our people. But it was painful. Every breath was fire and stone and agony. Every death a weight crushing my soul. I second-guessed my decision time and time again, and while I chose to continue forward, it was hard. It was so very hard. I laid the groundwork of an ark and birthed the Loporrits, providing some means of escape, simply because I wanted to believe so very badly, and yet… and yet

Then it happened. The First Rejoining. The agony I felt from the seal's breaking was unimaginable. The howling winds of the First Calamity could not drown out the echoing shrieks and wails of the dead and dying on the Source. And oh, the last cries of the Fifth Shard, the influx of souls pouring into the Underworld as their aether was forcibly joined to their counterparts on the source… my heart would never fully recover. All of this was made worse by the knowledge, the dread fell knowledge, that this happened precisely because my former colleagues, friends, had taken advantaged of the turmoil I had unleashed upon our star in a desperate attempt to save it.

"All will be well," I whispered to myself, deep within the Aetherial Sea where I hid. Soon after the Sundering, I had located just where the land's aether flowed and crystallized, and waited near. At the moment, it was a mere sparkle, but I remembered Syna's story of the 'Mothercrystal'. I had a theory, and perhaps I would be proven right. Perhaps in this, at least, I would succeed. "I must have faith. That is what Eos said, that day." I never saw her again, before the end. My followers had sought her out, to see if she would assist, but I had known she wouldn't. No doubt she had been disgusted by it all, for that was simply how she was. That was why she had been my light, my pride. Just as Fandaniel… Hermes… had said, it was pointless to hate her for being the person I loved more than anything. I did wonder… if she had ever seen the note I had written. Before handling the final preparations of Hydaelyn's summoning, I had sent Argos off with it, a simple thing with the words 'I love you' and 'I am proud of you, always'. Things I wished I could say to her, before the end. Oh, how I wished I could see her once more. My precious little spark, my daughter… I wished I could give her one last hug, at least…

"You talk so loudly…" A voice cut through my thoughts, and I lifted my head slowly, finding a soul drifting near me. No, not quite. 'Twas a mind drawn into the rift between, a living soul who had followed a tug. "What's wrong?" they asked me, eyes bright. They practically shone, in fact, with life, with determination, with hope, even as I could see the wounds on her neck and arms. "What has you so sad?" But that was not all I saw… As Venat, I had not processed soulsight. As Hydaelyn, I had an equivalent, thanks to the connection to the Aetherial Sea. Thus, I could see… I could see this person's soul. I could see the light within, and recognized it at once.

This was Eos. No, that was wrong to say. This was Eos's reincarnation, the first I had seen. That they would be here, right as I… it was almost as if she was saying 'I will help', even though I knew she would never forgive me.

"Greetings, child," I answered them slowly, focusing back on the present. I remembered what Syna told me, and knew just what to do. "I am Hydaelyn, all made one. Might I ask a boon of you?"

Thus began the legacy of the Warriors of Light, and the lie of what would be called the 'Echo' as my blessing.


Millenia passed, slowly and surely. Wars beyond counting were fought. Plague infested all. The dead piled up, rotted, and became the earth. I watched it all, felt it all, and endured. Failure after failure I knew, each Rejoining sparking endless agony, no matter how many warriors I called to. 'Hear, feel, think'... the phrase which became my mantra, waiting for when I would see Syna once more and I could say the words I wished in full.

Migardsormr would ask me, from time to time, if my 'champion' was truly worth such patience. 'Always', I would answer, and I would whisper the stories she had told me. He liked to hear them too, particularly when my children and his warred with one another. He placed so much trust in me, his last bastion of hope, and I did all I could to match it, prove worthy of it. By the sixth and seventh Rejoinings, he was the only one I could speak to with any sort of regularity, all else was too taxing. I fretted and worried, hoped and prayed. On, and on, and on….

Many times, I had seem Eos reincarnated. Across all the shards, across all time… again and again, she was reborn. Again and again, she would rise up to protect the world. It was simply the nature of that resplendent soul, to help those near, no matter what. Sometimes, those reincarnations died whispering prayers to me. Other times, curses. Still others, I had never reached them at all. But I watched each one, cried over each one, wishing for their happiness in every life. After every death, I cradled the soul piece close for a brief moment of selfishness, a little hug, before letting them drift into the Aetherial Sea and be reborn once more. Again and again, until finally, shortly after the seventh Rejoining, I found her at last. Syna.

She was at the start of her journey, I could tell. There was no heaviness to her shoulders, the light in her eyes untested. But it was her. It was her, it was her, it was her. So, I conjured the meteors to awaken her Echo, reached, and when she grasped my tug and drifted in-between, I said the words to set her on her path, while tucking away what I truly wished to say in my heart.

'Welcome and well met, my brave little spark…'


Author's notes: So, this is a little, a lot actually, all over the place and it was more me sorting through my thoughts on Venat/Hydaelyn as well as Azem/Syna's feelings. Can't say exactly how accurate… er… most things are, truthfully, but I did my best to keep canon compliant? I do kinda want to emphasize that Venat sees Azem and Syna as two different people who she loves dearly like daughters as I'm not sure how well that came across. Vague timeline is vague because… uh… because. Honestly, don't think too hard about it? xD A lot of the ancients are vague; who's to say they didn't take a while to mature into adults anyway?