Wow, I can't believe this made it under 10,000 words. It took a lot to get them out of New Bodhum - and I actually do want them to leave. I swear. So many dialogue options…
"Hey you guys, did you see a medical kit lying around anywhere? I thought I'd left one in NORA House, but I can't seem to find it. I'm guessing someone had a use for it during that ruckus yesterday. Pulse is a dangerous place, and I don't have the supplies to deal with serious injuries. If you find the kit, can you bring it to me?"
"Of course, Nell!" Serah exclaimed. "We'll do what we can to help."
"Thank you. My other kits are practically empty. And we still have people to treat. I put in an order for supplies, but deliveries take forever to arrive. I'm counting on you."
"Where do you think it was lost? Somewhere in the village?"
"I've checked all over the village, and so have the others. It must be somewhere on the mountain path from when the guys went to investigate the meteor."
"Hey, Rufus, Orlov, and Gideon were on the mountain path searching for artefacts earlier. Hey! Guys!"
"Here you go. Glad I picked it up. I told you it was a good idea to grab everything we saw." Orlov poked Rufus's side.
"Yeah, yeah. I admit it, you were right."
"Yes, yes, that's it! You found my kit!" Nell exclaimed. "I've been using this kit since I lived on Cocoon. Couldn't believe I'd lost it! It's funny how you get attached to these things. I'm sorry it's not much of a reward, but…here."
She handed over an oddly glowing stone.
"Ever seen a rock like this? I found it just over there. Do me a favor and try not to get yourselves hurt — I've got enough patients already. There aren't many people who like to play nurse around here."
Orlov walked back to join Serah and Noel. "Check it out! Is this an artefact?"
Noel shook his head. "Looks more like just a fragment. We found a Gogmagog one last night. It won't open the gate, but it's still pretty valuable to hold onto. Wouldn't want these fragments of time getting scattered to the wrong places and causing even more mischief."
"So maybe if we collect all the fragments in an area, we get a cool bonus!"
"At the very least, we'll be cleaning up some more accidents that are happening because of all this time-warping stuff," Rufus sighed. "Maybe that means our presence is like a fragment…"
"People are probably picking them up thinking they're just cool stones," Serah speculated. "If they hold small memories in time, they might also be useful for gathering information. What's that one say?"
Orlov frowned, brow pinched, as they tried to stare at the crystal in their hand. "Ummm…something about people learning magic after moving to New Bodhum. I can't make out the exact wording, but I can feel what it's trying to say, you know? Serah was the resident magic expert."
She giggled. "Well, I was a l'Cie. I guess it just came naturally to me."
"Something about 'channeling the crystal power within'."
"Yup! You just kinda feel magic, you know?"
"I…can't say it comes that easily to me," Noel admitted.
"Hey, what's going on?"
A crowd of people started gathering in front of NORA House. Lebreau was keeping everyone from actually entering the House, wielding her trusty tongs to show she meant business.
"We tried to do something to find the artefact, and it made a big flash in that room!" Orlov explained.
"It appears to be an anomaly of sorts," Gideon agreed.
"That's my room!" Serah realized.
Noel chuckled. "Maybe it was all these distortions grabbing your stuff."
They hurried into NORA House. Lebreau let them through. "Honestly, I don't know what's got them all riled up."
"Maybe it's more distortion stuff," Mira suggested.
"You mean like something about it is drawing people's attention on purpose?" Rufus asked.
"Why would it do that?" Serah wondered.
"No one ever said all this time travel nonsense would all make sense," Noel shrugged. They headed back into Serah's room. "Hey, check it out!"
"That mirror," she exclaimed. "It was never there before!"
"Kupo!" Mog cried.
A tall mirror with intricate architecture, swirling and sweeping like feathers all around the borders and ending with a harp-like structure at the top, now rested on the wall between Serah and Shu's beds. It had a towel ring on the left side where a cloth hung freely. It was radiating the distortion effect, visible even as they walked through.
"Hey, that mirror wasn't making all those distortions when we were here earlier," Orlov said.
The four of them had combined their powers to create a spark of light that guided them into this room (which they now knew was Serah's), but they didn't know what could possibly be out of the ordinary. Now, the mirror was rippling with an obvious distortion. Orlov made a cute little sneeze.
"Maybe Serah's presence was necessary to activate it," Mira announced.
"Is the whole mirror supposed to be an artefact?" Rufus asked. "Seems a little bulky to be toting all the way over to the gate."
Gideon stepped closer to the mirror without speaking. He held his hand up to the glass, his reflection staring back with his regular stoic expression. But then he turned his hand as though he were holding something, and his reflection shimmered. His reflection was holding something, an object of some kind was floating just above his palm.
"Whoa, how are you doing that?!" Orlov exclaimed.
"I am…unsure," he admitted. "But I believe I can…" He pressed his hand further into the mirror. Once it looked as though the floating object was actually beneath his hand, he pulled it back.
In a flash, the object manifested in real life. It was similar to the fragment they'd recovered from the Gogmagog, but this one gave off a different energy. It was surrounded by the bubble of magic that kept it suspended, rotating at a gentle pace as though it were a child's mobile. This crystal was orange-tipped like fire, jutting out like rocky spikes. There was a larger crystal pointing in one direction, and the rest of varying sizes pointing at another angle like it was attempting to mimic a V.
"It's…a twist in time," Noel realized. He reached out and Gideon allowed him to take the artefact in his hand. "Something that doesn't belong. I think…this is an artefact!"
"Ain't that a fact!" Orlov exclaimed. "That means we should be able to activate the gate, right?"
"Only one way to find out. Let's tell the others."
We found an artefact, just as Noel said we would. Does this mean everything else he said is true? Did he really meet Lightning in Valhalla? Maybe. Once I step through the gate, I'll be leaving my friends, my students, and the village, for who knows how long. Can you tell me, Lightning? Do I dare believe this man?
What I worry about most is Charon. He's been gone all this time, supposedly in Valhalla. Noel brought him here, or so he says. I do believe he didn't want to leave Shu, that he's just glad to be back, but I worry that they're hiding something — all of them. It's been easy to forget that some of my new friends are fal'Cie. It's easy to forget what they're capable of, what they know, and what they're capable of hiding.
"A…Giant's Artefact," Gideon said.
"Hm…nope. I can't hear it," Orlov lamented. "I wonder why you can, Gideon."
He stared at the artefact in his hands. They sat on the steps outside NORA House, Serah explaining to the NORA members and the fal'Cie how they'd found the artefact. The four outsiders sat gathered around Gideon, staring at him as though he was some sort of artefact whisperer.
"I am the only one who is not born a Child of Etro," Gideon said. "That is all that is noteworthy of my presence."
"You're sure Anima is really your Creator?" Rufus asked.
"She told me as such. Regardless, it mattered little as she was the one who raised me beyond merely my creation."
"I guess that makes sense."
"Still, Gideon," Mira said. "It's impressive. The only other people who've been able to work out all this artefact and fragment and distortion stuff are the actual Children of Etro — our parents. Or Creators. Whatever. If even we haven't mastered this stuff — or we can't — then you're probably the most skilled out of all of us."
"I am simply…me," he said. "I do what I must to continue forward."
"So humble," Orlov sighed.
"More straightforward than humble, but charming all the same," Rufus said. "Still, that means you might be useful in this whole guiding us home to our own world thing. We should stick together."
He nodded. "You are skilled in combat in a way that I am not. I would…I would be grateful if you would accompany me during the more physically taxing moments of our journey."
"We're fal'Cie," Mira said. "Have any of you guys really been pushed to your limits?"
"When I was first learning about my powers," Rufus admitted. "But I've gotten a lot better."
"When I can't really control my powers," Orlov shrugged. "They work, then suddenly they don't, or they do something all on their own, or they do what I say but wrong. Nature is unpredictable. So am I. And what of your prowess, Miss Mira?"
"Just call me Mira." She tucked her skirt beneath her once again. It seemed to be a nervous habit of hers. "I'm not that good with weapons. I'm good with instant-kill attacks, nothing more. And those can be…unreliable at times. My little siblings are a lot better than I am. They've been protecting me since they were born, really. And I don't mind. I can cast Death and use my own, I'm pretty good as a Saboteur. But beyond my Zan attack — an instant-kill move — I'm not that good with a blade. Or magic, offensive or defensive."
"Don't feel bad about it," Rufus said. "I'm not that good at healing magic or any of that buffing or debuffing stuff. I'm just the attacking guy. Subtly isn't my forte."
"I'm a healer and buffer!" Orlov volunteered, throwing up their hand. "And I'm good with debuffs depending on my mood. I'd like to think Rufus and I complement each other."
"I am not physically offensive either," Gideon offered. "I am defensive and my magic in all manner is quite advanced, but I cannot hold my ground."
"I can be a tank," Mira said. "Sentinel is my jam."
Rufus held up his fingers to count. "Then Mira and I can be Sentinels, Gideon and Mira can be Saboteurs, Gideon and Orlov can be Synergists and Medics, Gideon and I can be Ravagers, and I can be a Commando."
"Technically I can be a Commando too," she said. "I just won't be as strong."
"Taking into consideration our fal'Cie statuses, I would assume even your weakest is ideal for most combat," Gideon said.
"And I'm not a terrible Saboteur!" Orlov added.
"Perhaps we should all take the opportunity to improve our physical capabilities, should we be working together to return to our timeline."
"Rufus is really good at blade training," Orlov said proudly. "I'm good with evasion and speed if you want to learn from me."
"That would be ideal, yes."
Mira shrugged. "I'm not that…coordinated. I don't know how good I'll be…"
"That's okay! Rufus is a really good protector. He can protect you even if you can do nothing! He's been protecting me since we met."
"I worked for a hunting faction, back when I thought I was human," Rufus explained. "Orlov got caught up in a…bit of a mess. I couldn't help but want to help them out. Then I just…never left."
Gideon stared down at the artefact in his hands. "How might we have met in our own timeline, and what ramifications they might have had on our existence and that of the world…that time is lost. I question what it might mean for us, what consequences we may be facing."
"We'll do it together, right?" Orlov clenched their hands into determined fists. "We'll kick ass and get home and we'll be so strong! Mira, maybe we can find you in our world too! We can meet your family! Oh, and Gideon, we'll find you and you can live with us so that you aren't all on your own!"
"I am being kept, am I not?"
They nodded eagerly. "Um-hm! Um-hm! We'll have a big party! I'll protect you!"
"Gideon, you're a free creature who can make your own decisions on where you remain and where you go," Rufus reminded him.
"My decisions revolve around my continued survival and ideal existence," he said. "Remaining with protectors and allowing them to make trustworthy decisions is my choice."
"Yay!" Orlov exclaimed. "We get to keep him forever!"
"Okay. Now we just have to head for the gate," Noel announced.
"I don't get it," Serah confessed. "What was that artefact doing in the mirror?"
"Well, the mirror must have belonged to someone in the past…or the future. Wherever it came from, it didn't belong here — in this time."
She sighed. "Scary stuff."
"Well, the distortion around the mirror is gone. I guess you'll be stuck with it here until we fix the timeline and such."
"It's a bit out of place, but at least it's not doing any harm."
Serah followed Noel out of NORA House to where their new friends were sitting. The four of them rose at the pair's exit.
"Are you guys going to go through the gate?" Noel asked.
Rufus nodded. "It is the key to getting us home, after all. What about you, Noel?"
"I'll be going through. There are some things I need to sort out, and these gates are my key to doing so."
Gideon held out his hand and tossed the artefact to Noel. It floated in an elegant arc into his hand. "Serah…you still don't trust me, do you? I can see it in your eyes. If there's anything you're wondering about, or don't believe, just ask, and I'll try to explain."
She gave a gentle shake of her head. "It's not that I don't…believe you. There is one thing, though. What is it you want…exactly?"
Noel's gaze dropped. He released a heavy sigh and then met Serah's eyes, his decision resolute. "A future that has people in it."
He held out the artefact, dropping it into her…well, not her grip, since the artefact floated in its own personal bubble. He wasn't able to face any of them as he spoke.
"I lived at the end of days. I was the very last child to be born. As I grew up, everyone I knew died, one by one. Until eventually, it was just me. All their dreams fell on my shoulders. I was their last hope." He finally turned back, his brave mask returned to his face. "It was too much. So I left. Sure, maybe I couldn't go home again. Maybe…I couldn't make everyone happy. But at the very least, I could rebuild a future where everyone could survive."
"Noel…" Orlov muttered.
"So I went through the gate," he sighed. "I wasn't thinking very clearly then. I had a dream, but I didn't think it all out. I didn't know what it really meant. But once I got here, and saw how you and your friends live in his village, I knew my dream could come true. In Valhalla, your sister gave me a chance. She gave me hope. The future can be changed. That's what she told me, and I believe her."
Serah nodded slowly. "I understand. Thank you, Noel. Thank you for telling me that." And now, she was smiling.
The sun was shimmering behind the crystal pillar, setting the sky alight with clouds and shadows. Somehow, it seemed more beautiful than ever.
"So…you have to go back?" Shu wasn't one to get angry very often, but their face right now said that there would be no mercy no matter what the answer was.
"The distortions draw me in," he explained. "They grab me and try to draw me back through the gate."
"So…what? You can only exist in places where there are distortions?"
"The Chaos has hold of me, Flower. I can't exist in a place where there are no more distortions."
"So…you have to follow the gates then. How long will this gate be here?"
"It could be anywhere from a day to a year. Five years, one hundred? I tried to come through the gates so many times, love, but they always pulled me back through. They always…I tried to stay. Noel was my key. With his blessing to travel the timeline safely, he could even bring me through."
"All of this happened because of Etro, because of her…her curse! The least she could do is let you go! Lightning is more than enough on her own, and she has Ananda and Kasyapa! Why can't I have you? Why can't you stay…?!"
"I want to!" he insisted. He tried to reach out to touch them but they stepped back out of reach. He flinched back, as though burnt. "I want to stay here. More than anything."
"If you were just going to leave anyway, you shouldn't have bothered to come back!"
His heart clenched. "Asushunamir."
"Asushunamir."
Rei was there. Shu moved behind her as if to set their guard dog upon him. Sai caught them in a light hug before pulling back and asking what was going on.
"So you can only exist where distortions occur…"
"Everything's twisted," he sighed. "Valhalla took me and it doesn't want to give me back."
"Fate and time itself have been distorted," she agreed. "When all of the distortions are solved, there will be nothing that ever took you from this world to begin with, but until we unravel the root cause, you will be forced to exist only where distortions leak through…"
"So in the time between distortions, the gates will draw you away," Sai grumbled. "What a pickle."
"My timeline has essentially been turned inside-out," Charon explained. "I was supposed to be here in this world, I was supposed to have returned after the fall of Cocoon. I did return after the Fall. But…then the Chaos pulled us — me and Lightning — through to Valhalla, and the disruption was so massive that it rewrote the timeline and opened up room for all these distortions to occur not only here, but across the whole of time itself. The fate that should have been favoring the true history has now been turned against itself; the true history is now the wrong one."
"Who's to say what's right and what's wrong when history itself is being altered?" Rei sighed. "Though the most ideal against the least ideal is what we have to work with. People will always have their flaws. What we need to worry about now is the Goddess and Her Providence's decisions. Gods have always toyed with the lives of men, but now it seems Etro has fallen too far."
"At this point, what can we hope to do to fix the damage to time?" Sai asked.
"If we unravel the knots in the timelines, perhaps we can send the Chaos that has caused this back to where it came from, lock the gates once more, and change history back to the way it was before the Chaos broke free. Although…it's hard to say what would have happened had the Chaos not broke free."
"It first broke free back during the fall of Cocoon, right?" Charon recalled.
"Technically, that's only one instance of the damage." She tapped her finger to her chin. "Theoretically, Valhalla exists beyond time, life, or death. That means that anything that happens there never has consequences and always has consequences. All that matters is the present, and if something happens in the present, that's everything that Valhalla has."
"You're saying that instead of a past and a future, Valhalla just has one instance where everything is always and never happening at once," Sai tried to follow. "That means that when Etro broke the rules and opened the gate, she let the Chaos slip through to every potential point in history."
Charon frowned. "But she closed the gate soon after, before the Chaos could do much more than take me and Lightning with it."
"If the Chaos had truly broken free, there would have been no timeline left to preserve," Rei explained. "Pockets of Chaotic distortions warped specific periods of time, big and small, even if the timeline as a whole remains. But those holes travel backwards and forwards along the timeline; they leak into a past that happens in order to cause the wrong events, as well as forwards to the effects of events that should have never occurred. I worry that those holes crow bigger, the cracks spreading out over time. In your case, the Chaos that escaped only managed to affect a fraction of a second in time — even if the damage it caused had enormous ramifications."
"I was taken long after all of us reunited on Pulse," Charon recalled. "We were going to meet up with the army and help in the recovery efforts and eventually relocation. Sazh was showing Dajh Cocoon from the outside for the first time, Snow was telling the story of our adventure to Serah."
"But to us, you and Lightning never even made it to Pulse in the first place," Sai agreed. "So the distortion did change the past to accommodate your disappearance."
"It's easy to change the world when no one's looking. A Quantum-Lock can solidify time into a relatively linear set of events if there's someone to witness things, but otherwise, there's the age-old question: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
"Perception creates time."
"What people neglect to mention is that the earth, the air, the stones — everything has ways of remembering things. If a tree falls, the air around it is disturbed, the ground it crashes to is separated from the force."
Charon shook his head. "What you're trying to say is that only our perception of time has changed, but the true timeline is remembered in everything else?"
"There is likely an imprint. That is what these glimpses are. Serah's dreams are an example that the timeline remembers there was once another path. But who knows how long until this new world becomes permanent? Even I have doubts about what's real and what's not…"
"But why is Serah having these memories from the true…or, well, a different timeline?"
"Perhaps it is Lightning's prayers taking form and reaching out to her sister. Perhaps it is a consequence of some other grand scheme. I honestly can't say for sure, but these gates are drawn to distortions. The meteor fell here from Valhalla, meaning that it had to have brought some Chaos that wanted to escape, causing all those monsters and distortions to occur last night. But Serah was the magnet that drew the gate here in the first place."
Charon's eyes turned up towards the elegant architecture of the portal through time. "Perhaps Lightning's prayers truly were that strong."
Rei nodded. "Or perhaps…it's a sign of something worse. I worry that Lightning's desire for her sister might have unleashed the Chaos."
Sai frowned. His pupil-less eyes focused on nothing in particular, but his head tilted in thought. "You mean like how the gate was sent here but it immediately brought distortions to the area? Like some sort of Vestige, riding upon Lightning's wishes, returning to this world as something innocent, and hiding within them weapons that are later unleashed when no one suspects."
"Those four kids were brought here along with the gate," Charon remembered. "Someone wanted them brought here, and forget splitting or merely changing the timeline — hopping across dimensions is like skipping past twisting the timeline into a knot and jumping straight to tearing a hole in the fabric of reality itself."
"Or, perhaps they are from the true timeline," Rei sighed. "We can't be sure anymore. What if we knew them, their story happened, and we are the anomalies that need to be fixed?"
Sai shook his head, resolute. "We are the Children of Etro. Or…you guys are. I'm just an imitation —"
"You are Her Child as well now, no matter how it began." Rei had taken his hand, a gesture that might mean so little but to them, it was so much more. "You are worthy of Her Providence's grace. Never doubt yourself."
He visibly relaxed, tense muscles falling in tune with her inhuman ease while still remaining just human enough to be reminded of the friend they knew quite well. "Yes. But with Etro's power within us, we are less prone to the Chaos's warping; we are beyond its tampering — even if we are not as strong as Mother Etro Herself."
"We're able to remain fixed points even if the Chaos warps the world around us, but that doesn't mean we won't be vulnerable if the Chaos tries to get its grubby little fingers on us personally," Charon sighed. He waved his arms and stared down at his shoes, as if he was covered in evidence of a crime. "And hence, my problem."
"We've many problems," Rei grumbled. "Charon, Serah and Noel, those fal'Cie…but perhaps we can solve just one of those problems."
She stepped forwards towards the gate and held out her hand. The orb within shimmered in response, but the device didn't completely activate and open.
"Rei, don't —"
"Hush now, silly Charon. It will be fine. And Asushunamir, please remember to be happy."
Shu watched her actions, an impassive frown set upon their face. It concerned Charon how well they had gotten at masking their feelings. "You're going instead, aren't you?"
She smiled and let out a breath. The gate responded, as if sucking in the air she released, desperate for the rest of her as well. "Charon took my place, three years ago. I belong in Valhalla, but he had seen the world — he had seen you — without me, and he couldn't stand to live in that world when the option was there to bring me back. Now, you see the world without you, Charon, and I think we all know what the right timeline is."
"But what about —?"
"I'm going with her." Sai took her hand. She startled, as if this action hadn't occurred to her as a possibility. "That's why you did it, right? Because you thought that both Shu and I needed her, while only Shu needed you. The two of us would look after Shu, but you were afraid that if it was Rei, it would be only you to look out for us both — and we all know how rubbish you are at emotions." He raised his free hand to mimic Rei's, keeping their others clasped together, and the gate whirred to life in response. "It's okay. We'll be together."
"When you went to Valhalla and faced eternity alone," Rei agreed. She lowered her hand and used it to take both of Sai's. "I will not be alone; we can stay together so long as we use our power correctly. Trying to hog all the adventures to yourself. What ever will we do with you?"
"It took both Fang and Vanille to make the Ragnarok that could destroy and save the world. And even then, they didn't save the world alone."
"Stay together. Don't be alone. Believe that our love will be the thread that might stitch the rifts in time back together. And once we've closed all the wounds…"
"When time is healed, so too shall all partings turn to reunion."
Their bodies began to glow, little particles of light flickering to life like thousands of stars that grew and merged together. Soon, their entire bodies would be covered.
Shu finally moved. They snatched the pair up into a tight embrace, but they didn't cry. "I'll wait for you. I'll take care of Mat. I'll make sure everyone's safe."
"We've already told little Mat our goodbyes and informed NORA of the situation," Rei assured them.
The snorted. "Always three steps ahead, sister."
"I have to be. Don't worry. We won't be gone. We will be everywhere and nowhere all at once. To us, there will be no future or past. Only the present, happening whenever we want it to."
"We'll be there when you need us," Sai promised.
Shu nodded. "I know. You already have been. You always will be."
Rei pulled back. She rested her hand on Shu's head, still quite a bit taller than her, even though she could choose her form. "Do not fret, little gem. Do not be sad or afraid. I will watch over you, and I will return when you are in need."
"And what if I just want to see you?"
"Then call to me, and we will hear you. Remember, you have a brilliant voice, little one."
"Sister!" Shu leaned down to pull her into an exclusive tight hug. "You be safe. You take care of Saitama."
"And you will take care of Charon. For me, will ya?"
They nodded into her shoulder. "Okay. You ask so much of me."
"I know."
"At least you get to say goodbye."
"And promise each parting will lead to reunion."
When Shu finally managed to let go, Rei's entire body was glowing, with only a few small patches of her body still visible. She stepped back and took Sai's hand. They slotted together like a perfect couple. He still looked so enchanted by her, and she looked so proud that she was worthy of him.
"By the way," Sai smiled, "tell Mira she will always be accepted for who she is."
"Hm?" Shu tilted their head. "You know her?"
"Styx gave me the river of time. I don't know about the other three, but I know Mira will be —"
The gate flashed. The pair turned to light, and their particles were pulled into the orb and then shot into the sky.
"Wonder how long we'll have to wait," Shu muttered.
"Was three years a long time?" Charon asked, still keeping his eyes forward on the place they'd vanished.
"Not really. But it felt like an eternity because everything was wrong. Not just you…everything. Everything felt wrong."
"I can't fix everything. But I'm here now, so…"
Shu sucked in a deep breath and squared their shoulders. "You're going to be helping out with the chores in NORA House. You have to make up for both Rei and Sai's work."
Charon winced. "I'll…do my best. I'm not that good at…well most things."
They shook their head. "What am I gonna do with you? Come on. Let's get back."
Shu took his hand and dragged him along beside them. And for the first time in a long time, he had proper hope.
"Okay! All ready!"
Orlov came dashing out of NORA House, wearing their pink shawl wrapped up and around their head to cover their hair. They had donned their baggy brown Pulsian pants with the floral rose pattern that was similar to Noel's pants and their Pulsian-style white blouse woven with flowers of all colors. They had wrapped a bright pink sari around their waist and over their shoulders, with lapis-blue accents along the edges.
"How do I look? Ready for any weather the timeline can throw at me?"
Rufus pulled them closed and kissed their temple. "You look wonderful, Flower. You look wonderful in anything."
"That doesn't help, Rufus! I need your honest opinion."
"It is my honest opinion!"
"Your attire is not offensive to my eye," Gideon said.
"See? That's honest. Are you sure you don't wanna change too, Mira?"
"My outfit is combat ready," she assured them. She pulled up her skirt to reveal black shorts that fell to her knees and a belt holding onto her dress at the hips. "And I like fighting in heels."
"What bravery…" Orlov mused.
Serah giggled. "So…I guess we're really going then."
"I have an Inventory," Rufus agreed, "and I believe Gideon does as well." He held up his hand and summoned his sword before tossing it and making it vanish again. "We're all packed up with supplies."
"You wanna take a moment to say goodbye, before we leave?" Noel asked.
Serah shook her head. "Thanks…I think I'm okay."
"Rei and the others left earlier," Rufus said. "Maybe they've convinced Gadot to open the path to the meteor."
"The gate is where the meteorite fell. So…we should head towards Cocoon, right?"
"You know, it must be strange to have it there, always watching over you."
"Did the sky light up at night before Cocoon's crystal pillar did?" Orlov asked as they headed out past the village border.
"We had fal'Cie that lit up the night time, and the day time too," Serah explained. "Phoenix, I think it was called. Named after some ancient fire bird deity."
"Wow, so everything came from the fal'Cie back on Cocoon, huh?" Rufus mused.
"We know now that it was an artificial planet created by the fal'Cie. Without the fal'Cie, it couldn't really be run. Orphan was the battery that fed into Eden, and Eden was the fal'Cie that organized the rest of them to do their jobs like provide energy, food, security, etc."
"And your people lived like that your whole lives?" Noel could barely seem to fathom it.
"For hundreds of years. The War of Transgression was a war between Cocoon and Pulse, and according to Rei, Cocoon was built not long before it. That happened around 600 years ago. Vanille and Fang were from that time period too. Though the propaganda gives all sorts of reasons for why the war started, it was really just the fal'Cie being petty and getting into an argument."
"Trust a fal'Cie to know what it was like back then," Mira sighed. "Did your guys' parents fight in the war?"
Orlov shook their head. "The High Ones of my world provided sanctuary from the conflict for fal'Cie and humans alike who didn't want conflict."
"My parents were the greatest warriors of the war," Rufus said. "Though I didn't know them at the time. I met Orlov and unlocked my abilities and we sought them out. We found them thanks to Orlov's Creator. All the…the death and subjugation and suffering happened in the conflict against King Barthandelus, and eventually they were just trying to stay out of it. Thankfully, Asushunamir gave them sanctuary."
"I do not recall a war," Gideon confessed. "My mother, Anima, she raised me apart from other lifeforms. The King, Barthandelus, was angered with her, though I do not know if there was war between them in the past or if it was mere rivalry. Eventually, it escalated into true war, and she bid me to be put into stasis. When I awoke, it was upon Cocoon, and I have been surviving among the human population to the best of my ability."
"Sounds like this Barthandelus guy was serious trouble," Noel grumbled.
"Well, Lightning and the others managed to stop him," Serah declared. "So many years treating humanity like cattle that he underestimated how strong we are. Not that…it wasn't a struggle. I think all of us were ready to give up at one point or another. And me? All I could do was watch in my dreams."
"That sounds scary," Orlov frowned.
"It was. But my sister, Snow, and even everyone else…they all banded together to save the world."
"Sounds like it started because of those two believing in you and your wish." Noel helped her up the mountain pathway. "You may have been far away, but your hearts were united. You gave them the strength to do the right thing even when all hope was lost."
She smiled. "Yeah. Like you have your people, right Noel? Even though the tough times, you promised them you would keep going. And look how far you've come."
"Traveling through time…" He laughed. "My people's dreams gave me strength, your sister gave me hope. Now, it's up to us to live up to their legacy. There're still monsters around. Keep a lookout."
"I will. You be careful too, Noel."
"You're pretty good at fighting, Serah!" Orlov exclaimed.
"Well, when you grow up with Lightning, you learn a thing or two. Not to mention Snow with his rebellious friends."
"You were a l'Cie before, right? That means you got good at magic?"
She shook her head. "Not really. I was too afraid of not knowing what my Focus was. I didn't want to reveal that I was a Pulse l'Cie to anyone, and even after I told Snow, it wasn't like we could just go into the woods and practice. Snow and Lightning and everyone else were on the run after they were branded. I'm told Snow figured out how to cast magic first — beyond Vanille, of course, who was just hiding that she was already branded before they encountered Anima."
"What was your mom like, anyway, Gideon?" Rufus asked.
"She was a survivor. There is little of interest to recall about her. She taught me to scavenge for whatever was necessary to survive, and often we moved across the lands to avoid being recognized or caught. We were to avoid all contact with King Barthandelus and his servants."
"What about humans?" Serah asked.
"I had minor contact with humanity. There is much to learn from them, both creativity and destruction alike. When my mother bid me to rest, I awoke upon Cocoon and knew that I needed to learn of humanity in order to survive." He pushed up his new glasses, though they fell right back into the same place on his nose. "My eyes incited terror in many, so I learned to hide them. Many didn't notice my skin or thought it was what they called a 'tattoo'. I've come to learn that if you simply tell others that you are disguised and acting as another, they will accept most attire so long as it does not offend them personally."
"Wow, you're really smart, Gideon!" Orlov exclaimed.
"Kupo!" Mog agreed.
Rufus sighed. "Still needs a little work, but at least you know not to go and make a fool out of yourself."
"I think it'll be nice journeying with you all," Mira said.
Serah guided them down to a hidden path that allowed them to make a shortcut past the mountain path. It was only visible when the tide receded, but by mid-day it was fully visible and the neighborhood watch had already stationed a few guards there.
"I'm glad we found the artefact, but that's not the only weird thing going on here," Serah was saying.
"You mean like your friends and the way they act?" Noel quipped.
"I suppose everyone was acting a bit odd. Maqui seemed a bit distracted this morning, Yuj was being awful helpful, and Gadot looked a bit frustrated."
"It's understandable though. Guess it's not everyday someone like me drops in from the future unannounced. Not to mention we have a bunch of new friends."
"Maybe we should get them presents as an apology," Orlov suggested. "I can make them a bunch of flowers!"
Serah giggled. "Shu loves making us flowers. They even grew a plant that attracts the wildlife so they stay clear of the village."
"Ooo, that's a great idea!"
She sighed. "But…it was even before that. Everything's been off for the last three years — ever since Lightning disappeared."
"You say she's disappeared, but I know where she is," Noel said, resolute. "She's in Valhalla. I'll take you to her. I promise."
"There's the gate!" Mira hopped up to the path leading towards the meteorite.
"Um, why's the ground shaking?" Rufus asked.
The tremor grew to a quake beneath them. The group drew up into a circle to guard all sides and try to find the source.
"Ah-tuu!" Orlov sneezed.
"Distortions?" Noel guessed.
"There!" Serah cried. The half-monster from before, the Gogmagog, rose up from the ocean, portal and all, roaring in rage or perhaps agony — or both. "Not again!"
Noel immediately drew his swords. "Bad news for him! Let's see what you all can do!"
Rufus summoned his swords. "You got it! Lead the way!"
Gideon removed his glasses, revealing the markings around his eyes, which flared to life with a pale purple light that spread across the electronic threads along the rest of his body. "By your command."
"Yeah!" Orlov just pumped their fists and summoned healing magic to their fingertips. "Right behind you!"
Mira glanced at the others and took a battle stance. "I'll do my best…"
The Gogmagog waved its arm and summoned a Causality Barrier around itself. The glowing protection encompassed its whole portal, but allowed its glowing clawed hand to pass through freely.
"That's not good!" Noel announced. He had jumped into the air to try and strike at the barrier. "My blades will barely make a scratch!"
"Gonna have to use a stagger!" Rufus guessed. "Noel! Steady the stagger with me! Gideon and Serah! All the Ravager magic you can throw at it! Mira, Orlov, you're on defense! Everyone except Gideon and Orlov can Sentinel, so prepare accordingly for its big attacks!"
"Right!" Serah spun Mog into bow form and began throwing Fire attacks alongside Gideon. While the magic couldn't pierce the barrier, it did spread out and heat the barrier up.
Noel was good at fighting in the air, despite not being able to fly. He and Rufus unleashed a flurry of strikes, skillfully dodging the magic being thrown at the Gogmagog.
"A Swipe!" Mira warned.
The monster gathered a ball of energy into its claws and then swung down at the group. Serah switched to Sentinel to defend Gideon, Mira hurried in front of Noel just before he landed to block the attack before he could gather himself again. Rufus switched in mid-air, but was still knocked back from the Swipe and thrown into the ground.
"I've got you!" Orlov sent a round of healing spells towards him.
"Get ready to attack!" Serah called. "Now!"
She concentrated her spells into a Fira. Gideon was right behind her, waving his arms as all the electric pathways on his skin concentrated his magic to his fingertips. He shot out a blast of ice magic. Serah's fire turned the whole barrier red and orange from the heat, and then Gideon's Blizara immediately froze it.
"Noel!" Serah ordered.
"I got'cha!" He jumped up and slammed his blades down into the barrier, shattering it and forcing the wave of stagger across the Gogmagog. "Attack now!"
The Gogmagog went in for another Swipe, and this time they were so focused on offense that they simply let it hit them, but Orlov managed to keep them healed up.
"I can't do much, but I can do this!" Mira announced. She clasped her hands together and then threw a spell forward. "Death!"
Wisps of dark magic formed around the Gogmagog before coalescing and slamming it with a hard blast of magic. While it didn't instantly kill the Void creature, the spell did significant damage.
"Yeah! Nice one!" Orlov exclaimed.
"It's the only really offensive spell I know," she confessed. "Rarely ever works as intended…"
Serah, Noel, Rufus, and Gideon focused the main attack force while the Gogmagog was vulnerable. It didn't stand a chance against the large assault.
"Hey, watch out!" Noel warned. "It's gonna get sucked into its own portal!"
Serah reached out to grab Rufus's arm and pull him back just as he landed the final strike. The Gogmagog roared in protest, reaching out as its void collapsed in on itself, sucking the monster in as well. In one final electric blast, the portal itself seemed to be sucked into itself, and all that was left was a floating crystal.
"Yes! We did it!" Orlov exclaimed. They reached out their hands to give a double high-five to Mira.
Gideon held his hand out as the fragment floated down into his grasp. "Gogmagog Fragment Beta. 'Ancient documents provide scant information about the true nature of Gogmagog. Researchers believe that there may be two Gogmagogs, and that the name refers to the species, not the individual. Others believe that Gogmagog is a fal'Cie who was punished for trying to travel the timeline. This may well be the most compelling explanation for the beast's immense power.'"
"Wow, so you really can extrapolate information from those fragment things." Noel sheathed his weapons and leaned down to examine the crystal. "These things could hold the whole of history within them…"
"If this one was the Gogmagog Fragment Beta, then the one we collected last night must have been the Alpha," Serah mused. "Guess there must be a lot of them."
"One for every Gogmagog lost wandering the timeline, I suppose," Rufus pondered.
A kweh from a distance drew their attention. Orlov held their hands out as a chocobo came running up to them and pecked at their head, wrapped and covered by their headscarf. "Hehe, he's saying thanks! Looks like the distortions were making all our choco-bros uneasy, but now that they're gone, they're ready to ride again! Oh, but they're asking for some gysahl greens for every rider."
"I'm glad we were able to help," Mira said. She reached out to carefully pet the large bird.
It let out a kweh and dashed towards the meteorsite where a small gathering of saddled-up chocobos were mulling about.
"Looks like the neighborhood watch sent them to guard the area against monsters and give anyone who needs help a ride back to the town. How nice!"
The group climbed their way into the crater.
Gideon switched out the Gogmagog fragment for the artefact and held it up to the gate. It responded, whirring to life. The orb in the center flashed brightly. He replaced his glasses. "It seems to be the correct artefact. The gate shall open when we bid it do so."
"Guess this is the only way we're gonna find our way home," Rufus sighed.
Serah stepped forward. "You're not scared?"
"Oh it's very scary," Orlov confessed. "But I have friends by my side! Right, guys? It'll be a great journey!"
"It's certainly not scary to face whatever's beyond that gate alone," Mira agreed.
Serah nodded. "Then…I'm going with you."
"Are you sure you're ready?" Noel asked. "You know, once we go through, there might be no coming back."
She stared up at the glowing gate and then nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm ready to go. It's not a dream, or a lie. I know my sister is alive out there." She turned back to Noel. "I'm sorry I doubted you. Of all people, I should know how bad it can make you feel when no one believes what you say. Snow put all his trust in me. Now it's my turn to do the same for you." She clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "I've made up my mind. You and I, we go together. We'll find my sister." She grinned. "And maybe we can help out our friends along the way."
Noel chuckled and nodded. "I won't let you down. We'll find Valhalla, I promise."
"We might be making a lot of trips," Rufus warned. "If all the distortions across the timeline are preventing us from getting back home, we'll be untangling a lot of knots — and maybe fighting a lot of enemies."
Serah smiled. "If other people are going through similar things that I went through — remembering things that didn't happen, having monsters and distortions appear — then they're going to need help. Lightning said we can change the future, right? So let's help make it a brighter one. Not just for me, but for everyone else who might have lost something when time changed."
"That's the spirit," Noel grinned. "So, you're not gonna say goodbye?"
She pondered it for a moment, then said, "There's no need. We already have, sort of."
Orlov tilted their head. "What do you mean?"
She reached into her bag and pulled out a few trinkets. The first one she opened to reveal the blade from a weapon. "Lightning's knife. It's been sharpened and cleaned. And look, my pendant has a brand-new chain. And Snow was purring like a kitten. Someone gave him a good brushing."
"Mrow."
"Shh! Shh!" "Quiet!"
"Kitty!"
The group turned back to the entrance to the crater to find Mat picking up Snow the cat with some shifting figures behind them.
"Hey…aren't those your NORA friends?" Mira recalled.
Serah giggled. "Seems like it."
"Why don't you guys go fess up?" Lebreau approached the boys from behind, whacking Maqui on the shoulder to urge him forward. "Go on. You too." She shoved Gadot.
"H-Hey, Serah!" Maqui called. "I figured no way you're leavin' the pendant behind. So I made a chain! You know, so you wouldn't lose it."
"If Lightnin' is alive out there…" Gadot shrugged. "Wouldn't want her gettin' mad over a 'poorly maintained weapon.' You know her."
The boys made their way down. Shu came up from behind Lebreau, snatching up Mat into their arms and helping them down with Snow the cat. Charon trailed behind and helped Lebreau down as well.
"If you leave, someone's gotta pick up the slack looking after Snow," Yuj explained. "So, I volunteered myself. I got a great little helper too."
"Kitty!" Mat exclaimed.
"Mrow," Snow agreed.
"Rei and Sai were pulled through the gate to let me stay here," Charon explained. "I'll take care of everyone while you're away."
"Yes, Master Sai left a message regarding his leave," Gideon said.
"It means we'll be jumping all around time helping out together!" Orlov agreed.
Serah giggled. "Thanks, guys. It's…time for me to go. I don't know what's waiting out there, in the future, between worlds… But I wanna see Lightning so much. If there's any chance, any chance at all, I want to take it!"
Lebreau stepped forward, hands on her hips. "You can go. But you have to come back in one piece. Promise?"
She nodded. "I promise." She stared down at the artefact. "If I believe, maybe a miracle will happen…"
"The future won't change until you make the first step," Noel declared.
"You know what you're doin', right?" Gadot pointed accusingly.
Noel shrugged. "Well, I can't say that I do. This is the first time I've opened a gate myself. Guess we'll have to find out."
"Do you know how to open the gate, Gideon?" Mira asked. "You've been responding to it so well."
"I have never opened a gate either," he said.
"Not even I've actually opened a gate," Charon announced. "But we all know how it works. Only thing left to do is try it out."
"Hey, what about Serah?!" Gadot protested.
"I'll protect her," Noel declared. "I promise you. I vow never to let her come to harm."
Lebreau stepped over and to rest her arm on his shoulder. "Gadot," she urged.
"Trust me," Noel urged. "For Serah's sake."
"Besides, our girl can take care of herself, right?" Shu said. "Best spellcaster in the village."
"Big bad teach," Mat agreed.
Serah giggled and reached out to pet both Snow and then Mat. "That's right. I'm counting on you to look after the other kids while I'm away, right Mat? You keep 'em safe."
"You home soon?"
"Yeah. And I'm going to bring Lightning back. And Snow."
"More fam-a-lee?"
"More family. Big family."
Mat nodded. "Mama and Tama say too." He reached up to pat Serah's head. "Bring lota fam home."
She smiled. "Promise."
Serah and Noel joined the others at the gate. Gideon held up the artefact and it flashed with a brilliant light. The entire gate was engulfed in a column of light, the mechanism within the center began spinning around the orb at a rapid pace, and then the distortions took over, strands of time being warped and the pathway into the timeline itself being opened. The artefact was consumed and vanished, the key placed permanently in the open lock.
"It is open," Gideon announced. "We need only step through into the pillar of distortion."
"I guess this is it," Serah sighed in awe.
"Guess so," Noel agreed beside her. "Looks like the future starts now."
Orlov took Rufus and Gideon's hands and nodded for Gideon to take Mira's. It took him a moment to process what he was supposed to do until Rufus held up his clasped hand and Gideon mirrored his actions. "Okay! Let's do this thing!"
The six of them stepped forward into the column of light and were lifted up by the invisible force. It clung to their clothes, their skin, and began seeping through their very bodies themselves. Even Mog was lifted up as the gate turned their bodies to particles.
Serah turned around in the air and waved to her friends. "I'll be back!"
"Wee!" Orlov called.
Their bodies were sucked into the orb at the center of the gate. Their bodies turned to light and they were shot into the sky in a grand flash of light surrounding the gate and beyond. Maqui exclaimed in surprise as he was pushed back from the force. Surrounded by the crystal fragments of the timeline, the gate closed, and they were gone.
'Serah, you set out on your journey for my sake. You believed in a promise. You believed in a future you could not see. I will keep fighting here, at the end of the world. I know you will come. I believe in you.'
On the cliff above the meteorsite, two strangers watched as the final light flashed in the sky and the gate came to rest again. One of them was Caius, and the other was a young girl, her long silver hair pulled up in a headdress with a veil across the lower half of her face. The rest of her garb was Pulsian and tribal, with a simple layered skirt, eight bands on each bicep, four and four with colorful beads at the intersecting points, a simple white shirt with a slit down her chest, tied up by yellow bands and a ring on her chest supported by strings and beads. In the center of the ring was a stone that merely rested on its own. She had a choker of matching colored beads as well.
"Serah…"