When a sensation as if someone stuffed a thousand needles under his skin was soon followed by his brother's call tasting of Ares's temper, the only thing that ran through Hades's head when his eyes shot wide open was: 'uh oh.'
Untangling himself from Hythlodaeus's arms carefully, once he sat up at the edge of the bed, he realized he shouldn't bother trying to be quiet as nearly instantly, his lover shifted, pressing his hand against his back.
"What's going on?" He asked in a whisper.
"Ares is calling me," he replied in a neutral tone, reaching for his clothes and dressing in swift, efficient movements. "And he's cold," he added like an afterthought.
"Uh oh," Hyth hummed, and Hades smirked involuntarily as few understood the meaning behind those words. "Should I go with you?"
"I'm not scared of him," he rolled his eyes with a chuckle.
"You're brave then, my love," his lover laughed softly, rolling over to his back and folding his arms behind his head. "There are a few things I always found more terrifying than when your brother goes cold. Perhaps only when Damon goes hot," he mused as Hades leaned over him and pressed a kiss on his lips, stopping when Hyth's hand shot up to wrap around the back of his neck. "Be careful?"
"I always am," he admitted with some humor – despite how true that was.
He loved the two men who raised him – beyond reason; he was never ashamed to admit. And knew – without a doubt – that they adored him as fiercely. Yet, provoking them when one of them rode the edge of their adverse tempers was stupid… even for him.
And knowing them as he did – out of the two – he would rather face Damon when he's hot – as they called it between them, he, Hyth, and Themis – than Ares when he went cold. After all, despite what their people thought, his brother was much harder to provoke into a real rage than his husband. But once that happened…
He hid an involuntary shudder and straightened, taking on a carefully neutral expression when he warped to the source of the call.
He was surprised when that led him to the battlements surrounding the city of mortals. Even more at the sight of his brother – leaning against the tall wall surrounding the balcony they stood upon. Ares looked up at the full moon above them, and turned away from where Hades appeared.
But what caught his attention the most was that his brother looked distinctively… wrong. For his eyes, anyway. But it still took him a good second to figure out the difference – baffling as it was.
"Where is your mortal's soul?" he finally asked quietly, growing utterly cold inside. Whatever happened to provoke Ares to snap, better don't be….
"He's safe," his brother drawled in an icy tone without turning his eyes away from the silver surface of sight above them. "You know, little brother… Once during his musing about Senri's afflictions, Damon somewhat absentmindedly called my host the 'creature of instinct'… Yet, I admit I did not pay it much mind. Until tonight… Meteion slipped by Damon and went after Raha's soul," he said slowly, but his voice cut like the shards of ice.
Hades flinched, instantly scowling and checking on the barrier… but it seemed fine. Frowning with confusion, he folded his arms over his chest and waited.
"Apparently, at first, she tried to do to him the same she attempted with you – twist his memories to prey upon his insecurities," his brother added in that chilling tone. "When that didn't work - brimming with hope and trusting into Senri's devotion as Damon's boy is – she grew desperate enough to try to force it, attempting to pump him so full of despair-charged dynamis, even he wouldn't stand a chance. Smart, I admit. We're not sure she realizes the chain reaction it would cause, his death shoving the three of us alongside him into the aetherial sea… But thankfully, the boy called for Senri… And – surprise, surprise – my boy yet another time decided to baffle me…" he chuckled, though it wasn't a very pleasant sound when accompanying his tone. "Creature of instinct, indeed… And for Senri, there's no higher imperative than to protect – especially Raha, as obsessed as he is with him… As dedicated… Imagine my surprise, Hades, when I was torn from musing about what reward I'm going to demand from your father after today's win… when Senri, in a desperate – instinctive – bid to eliminate the threat to his lover's soul, used a baffling combination of my gift and magic to turn their bond into a bridge of sorts… and suddenly I was alone in our skin."
"But…" he hesitated, then sighed softly and, with two steps, joined his brother, leaning against the wall next to him and looking at his profile with consideration. Ares's face was a mask of his temper – his bright, sky-blue eyes colder than a glacier and narrowed into slits, while the rest of his beautiful, though the cat-like face was smoothed into the deceptive calm. Yes, whatever spiked his temper… he rode the edge of it hard. "That's impossible. With the way you are… intertwined, the moment he did, both of you should die…" he trailed off with a frown.
"We should," Are responded, still not looking at him… and seeing his eyes from this angle… he didn't mind. "However, my boy by nature is a protector, little brother… To an insane degree – as this proves. And adding to that, when they fell asleep – more like passed out – he still wore that neat chain you made for us… So beautifully charged with pure, undiluted aether… As I said, Senri is, by nature, driven to protect. So, apparently, rushing off after Raha, and by instinct… he made sure to keep me safe…" he trailed off with a humorless chuckle and finally turned his frost-bound eyes toward him. "…restoring our souls and separating us at the same time. Baffling, as I said," he added, raising his eyebrows at Hades's stunned expression, then sighed and waved his hand toward his form. "I'm alone…. Complete and – for the first time since I've woken up in this new, wild world… I wish I weren't. He'll be back, I'm sure. I can feel the edge of that 'bridge' where his soul used to be… So I'm not very worried about that part," he said, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yet, the whole situation led me to a surprising discovery, little brother…"
"Which is…?" he hummed, holding his gaze. He was never scared of him – wasn't capable of that, and his thoughts were busy spinning with the implications of his brother mortal's achievement.
"Which is…" his brother drawled, looking up toward the moon again as his hands, resting on the wall, tightened into fists. "…you knew, Hades."
"Huh?" he frowned with confusion, leaning against the wall sideways and staring at his brother. "Whatever do you mean?"
"You knew, about our plans," Ares said slowly, and his eyes narrowed further, growing even colder. "You knew… and forced me to compel myself to forget that."
"Why would I…?" he started, scowling.
"Learning of this latest attempt of this miserable creature," his brother cut him off with a surprising level of disdain in his deep voice. Nearly a growl now more than cadence. "I should have been raging for its head… yet, as my Damon peeked through to explain what happened, I found that even then… I was interestingly determined to save it still. Raha's death would also mean Damon's, and nothing threatens my husband and live to tell the tale… Nothing," he repeated with an audible snarl that sent a shudder of… anxiety down Hades's back. "And yet, it seemed so impossibly important to save it… Furious as he is about the whole thing, we ended up fighting. I ended up going against my Damon – knowing what drove him was worry and care for his boy, for my Senri's precious Raha – and when in a fit he asked me why I was so adamant about it – saving her – I found… I couldn't remember. This, my boy, led me to realize that the reason for it, I've removed from myself – and for whatever reason, compelled me to do so… it was also the key to unlocking that memory. And why would I do that," he took a deep, steadying breath, then turned around and, leaning his back against the wall now, dropped his gaze to his feet, working his jaw slightly. "And that reason was a promise I made to you, little brother."
"A… promise?" he asked, suddenly growing quite unnerved with the conversation.
"You see after we met the other T'senri, the one who started it all…" his brother said slowly, without raising his eyes. "Enraged as I grew – it was Damon who took it upon himself to interrogate him for all the information we needed to change the outcome of his story. To save you. Brilliant as my Damon is – not to mention his memory – as well, now when I think about it, his similarity to Raha was helpful – especially after I almost choked the life out of that 'Senri' in rage," he chuckled sheepishly, wrapping his arms around his chest. "Me, he bid to find you – as after hearing the story, you stormed off, swiftly followed by Hythlodaeus – and convince you to go along T'senri's goal: finding out what happened to cause the Final Days in that miserable boy's timeline. You were so angry and confused after hearing it… I was completely baffled when I found you and Hyth kissing," he chuckled again when Hades gasped at that. "Yeah… apparently, sometime between arriving in Elpis and our appearance, you managed to resolve your… inhibitions. And that whole story… what happened to you both seemed even more wretched. For that reason, I told you we would change it – by whatever means necessary… But left alone, you swore me to make myself forget that you knew. Made me unnecessarily promise to save Hythlodaeus from falling for Lahabrea's plans and find a way to keep him safe past the Sundering. You made me compel myself to forget it so that Damon wouldn't find out – knowing that if he knew about you and Hyth finally, ah, making him win his bet, he wouldn't – couldn't – agree to separate you like that. He loves you both so much… doing this to you would break his heart. And bound as we are – what I know, he does, too. So I couldn't know as well. For him. And for you, little brother, because knowing how it'll play out… That you'll forget as well and survive, spending eons alone and thinking us gone – to the point of coming up with that insane plan of yours… You still made me – because if it saved Hyth, Themis, and kept the world as that T'senri described it… you choose to sacrifice yourself for this… To be the bait for us to follow – knowing that even not remembering, we would never allow your plan. Eons…" his voice cracked slightly, and he cleared his throat, then exhaled slowly. "Eons you suffered for this broken world to be born… for m-me…"
And as the understanding dawned – finally – Hades looked up at the moon, avoiding his brother's eyes when they turned toward him.
"E-Eons…" Ares chuckled wetly, then as the golden-eyed immortal stayed immobile, his older brother – in his host's cat-like form, wrapped his arms around him, and it felt wrong – because he was shorter than him like this – but after a moment, Hades sighed softly, then returned the gesture and closed his eyes, dropping his head against the shoulder of the man who raised him.
For whom he was born…
And who suffered eons of constant rejection and ridicule from their peers – because he was better than all of them. Because he loved – and by that taught those who could understand it – to love as well.
And like his father once said: for all the hardships it brought, wasn't it more than worth it…?
And now, hearing that, he could easily imagine the reason why… A world where his brother would be accepted and loved for who he was – for his wild, caring nature – and the idea that as he owed his life – and ability to love – to him… What were millennia of waiting for them to realize their insane scheme if it brought him in exchange a way to repay his care?
His very existence…
"I love you, little brother," Ares whispered, resting his forehead against his shoulder. And Hades tightened his arms around him even as his closed eyes started to burn. "But never do something as… idiotically selfless, do you hear me? It's too out of character…"
And despite his tight throat, Hades chuckled.
"I love you, too, Ares," he said for once, then cleared his throat self-consciously. "And don't get too ridiculous about it… but Hyth asked me to Bond with him, and I accepted…"
"Finally!" his brother predictably gushed embarrassingly, then sighed softly and hugged him tighter. "…finally… Now, have to save this world from falling apart…"
Hades hummed in agreement, then thought of something and pulled back, with a frown looking into his brother's face when he followed suit.
"Wait…" he started with uncertainty. "…with all of that – what does Meteion have to do with that?"
Ares's expression grew serious instantly, and he sighed, pulling back completely and running his fingers through his dark hair.
"She's the reason I agreed," he said with a deep exhale. "Empath that she was… Is… At first, I refused – stormed off even… to stumble right at her – and childish and sincere as she was back then, she apparently felt how important that was for you… and if I wouldn't do so for myself, I should do it for you, she said with such a look…" he sighed again, then rubbed his eyes tiredly. "…and if not for you… then for others who loved me – because of how much pain watching how our people acted toward me… caused you. You, Damon, Hyth, Themis, and Venat… I swore and compelled myself to find a way to save – and her… Because how could it be… fair for such a pure soul to suffer as she does because of one man's misguided ideas…?" he trailed off, then sighed again and shook his head. "I rumble… Sorry, Hades, I guess… I'm tired. Damon and Senri are on the warpath – want her blood, basically. And yet… I don't know if it's the reminder of the compulsion or…"
"It's who you are," he said quietly, then smiled ruefully when his brother looked up with surprise. "It's who you always were, Ares… and that's why we always loved you – because of that part of you that can't help but… care, even for a flawed, despair-twisted creature that tries to kill us. Because the… unfairness of what happened to her goes against everything you are, big brother," he sighed and chuckled ruefully again. "And once Father's head cools down, he'll remember that I'm sure."
"Now… stop making me blush," this ridiculous man rolled his eyes with a pout, soon followed by a snicker. "It's unseemly in my age!"
And Hades sighed patiently, then turned around and waved his hand, warping back to the bedroom he left earlier and shook his head slightly at Hythlodaeus's questioning gaze.
"Crisis averted," he sighed, sitting heavily at the edge of the bed. "Just – likely – expect much gushing from him in the morning, love."
"Ah, you told him?" his lover chuckled, shifting to run his hand over his back. "I don't mind Ares in the… gushing mood – it's better than cold, that's for sure!"
And turning sideways and looking at him, Hades grinned, then leaned in and ignored Hyth's instantly dazed expression as he rested his forehead against his. One day, perhaps he would tell him what he learned… but not tonight – already feeling quite emotionally… spent as he did.
"Agreed," he hummed instead, then chuckled when his lover wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into a heated kiss.
…so worth it…
When the call came, Alisaie dropped everything and teleported to Old Sharlayan immediately, stunned by the news.
The plan was – to wait for the people of all city-states to gather some old, Allagan material from pieces of Dalamut spread out throughout Eorzea to adjust the Sharlayans' ship for much, much further travel. Then, chase after the creature their friends described after they visited the world of the past… Ascians' world… No, Ancients', she corrected herself quickly, wincing as she pushed the door of Baldesion Annex open and headed toward the door leading to the main hall – the meeting spot. The term 'Ascian' brought too many unpleasant connotations… especially if she thought of Ares or Themis.
Stepping inside, she blinked at the gathering – realizing that as quick as she thought she was, she still had to be the last – or close to that – to arrive.
Looking around the present as she walked in, nodding toward her friends – and with premeditation heading toward the spot where Themis was standing – she quickly judged the situation. From the Ancients, only Hades and Hythlodaeus appeared to be missing – while Venat, impossibly pale – or perhaps that was her natural coloring – stood near the far wall, normally covered by the map of their world, whispering about something animatedly with Raha… or Damon, she wasn't sure, as he was turned away from her.
Former Mothercrystal – and how weird was it to think as such? – looked much better than the last time she saw her, dressed in a well-fitting, white outfit – she easily recognized as one of Tataru's make – and with her long hair bound into a braid.
Surprisingly, Senri stood quite noticeably far from his lover – luckily for her, right by Themis's side. When she neared, he quite pointedly moved to make a space for her between them (to which, though he was carefully keeping his blue eyes on the massive sheet of paper covering the map now, Themis's beautiful face colored slightly). Yeah, if he had doubts about Senri's opinion… about them, he would have to be dumb to do so now – embarrassingly obvious as her best friend was. But hey, the end of the world and all…
"Who's that?" she asked in a whisper toward Senri, pointedly looking toward a strange woman standing opposite them – with Y'shtola quite openly tossing her as curious looks. With an entirely neutral expression and a dark, fantastical outfit – that somehow brought back thoughts of Reapers and matched well with a scythe she carried on her back – the woman looked even paler than Venat and ostensibly kept herself apart from anyone else.
"Ah, Zero, we call her," Senri muttered, leaning toward her. "Raha and Damon found her bound as Zenos's avatar… Yeah, they send him packing," he chuckled at her stunned expression, then looked toward the woman again. "Apparently, she's part voidsent…. Not like that," he added at her dismal gasp. "If I get it right, her mother was affected by too much dark aether when pregnant. Because yeah, apparently she'd been around since the Thirteen… collapsed," he sighed, folding his arms over his chest.
"You two do tend to find the weirdest… people," she snickered quietly, then looked at him carefully while he smiled weakly, turning his eyes toward his lover. "What's going on…? Raha was awfully vague over the call… Other than, yeah, blowing my mind by stating that the plans changed…" she raised her eyebrows pointedly, resting her hands on her hips.
"You'll find out with everyone else," he said, looking around pointedly. "Hades and Hyth had to… ah, warp to Radz-at-Han after coming back, and we're only waiting for them…"
"Coming back…? From where?" she frowned.
"Patience, Firecracker," he chuckled, then nudged her side slightly, tossing a pointed look toward Themis on her other side. "And keep a better eye on your boy, would you…? He's been stalking me the whole day…"
"I'm not…!" Themis flustered, gawking at him, and she snickered mercilessly, wrapping her hands around his arm. He flinched at that and flushed darkly, looking toward Raha/Damon… but didn't protest. Progress… tiny, but still.
She blinked when the missing pair of Ancients appeared by Venat's side, nodding toward… Damon?... and moving aside. The female said something quietly toward her companion, then joined them, leaving the redhead alone in front of the massive sheet. He cleared his throat, then turned around, looking around the massive room – and yeah, it was Damon, as the cold, calculating look in his crimson eyes was unmistakable.
"Can I have your attention, please?" he said with that uncanny soft-spoken manner of his, and he could as well scream – the silence that fell about the gathering was so sudden and deafening. No wonder - she was sure she wasn't the only one dying to find out what it was about. And how their plans 'changed'… "Thank you," he moved away from the wall, stopping in the middle of the circle they – a mix of Ancients and Scions, with the addition of the 'voidsent' woman – created around him. "And thank you for gathering so swiftly at such short notice," he added, folding his arms behind his back. "As my boy told most of you… plans changed, and if you – hopefully – agree, we will need your help for the new one," he said slowly, looking around all of them with slightly narrowed eyes, then sighed and continued. "After… discussing it between us," he motioned toward Venat, Hades, and Hythlodaeus, who kept carefully neutral expressions when the eyes of all gathered turned toward them. "And our new… friend," he added softly, pointing toward the motionless female. "Who's a… citizen, so to say, from the Thirteen Reflection," he added to a few gasps from her friends. "We realized… Well, that rushing after Meteion would be unwise."
"Suicide, more like…" Senri muttered, dropping his arms to his sides.
"Yes," the immortal in his lover's skin nodded toward him, then looked around again. "As Venat warned us, in Meteion's nest… dynamis rules and is so thick… That rushing in the hope alone to survive would be foolish. By my calculations, bashing against my son's barrier, she used a massive amount of it – but I refuse to assume it was enough to think she is weakened and ripe for the picking… And I do tend to be precautious," he raised his eyebrows slightly, then narrowed his eyes. "And though my husband and I don't exactly agree on how to deal with her, my boy – Raha – had a brilliant idea after some time to ponder… over this dilemma," he chuckled. His expression went slack for a second, and he blinked, twitching slightly and smiling sheepishly.
"He's overselling it," Raha said with a sigh, clearing his throat self-consciously as he looked around them. "But, yes, as he said… we believe jumping headlong into Meteion's nest is not the best way to… face her. She had millennia to gather despair-charged dynamis from all around the universe… and considering how much weaker it is than aether – the way she's cracked Hades's barrier was quite telling. So after talking with Zero," he motioned toward the woman again, who narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "Some… consideration – and discussing it with all of them, I had an idea…" he trailed off, then turned around and headed back toward the wall, stopping next to the edge of the sheet spread over the map. "And if you indulge me… let me explain," he waved his hand toward it, and a beautifully detailed image of the Source and its remaining Reflections – somewhat reminiscent of the one he showed them once inside the Ocular on the First – appeared on it. "Let me start by saying we all assumed that Meteion is targeting the Source – specifically – because by destroying it, the Reflections would follow along, so why bother with them…?" he said, looking with focus at the image, then waved his hand again and it grew – sort of – leaving only the sight of the Source, First and Thirteen.
With a flicker of his fingers, he added two thick, dark lines separating them from each other and turned toward the gathering with a frown.
"The Rift," he added, then looked toward it and back at them. "Now, let me say… While considering it, I somewhat… accidentally thought that it is quite a marvel, isn't it…? Separating the Source and its remaining Reflections so completely, even the time itself can run differently between them – as you so well know," he smiled somewhat ruefully toward the Scions in the room, then took a deep breath and looked toward the image again. "Yet, our ancient friends can travel between them at will… Those Unsundered, I mean, and previously, their more fragmented brethren," he added with a nod toward Emet-Selch and his group, then sighed and looked at the silent – waiting – gathering again. "That got me thinking… and connecting a few things, coming up with a question… Damon found interesting enough," he said quietly, then shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Which was: what if it's the opposite of what we assumed – and she can't touch the Reflections because of the nature of the Rift? They had been created centuries after she took off… And after we started to consider it from that angle, Senri had the… most interesting question, as well," he nodded toward his lover, and the Warrior shrugged, then left her side and walked toward him, turning to them and wrapping his arm around Raha's shoulders.
"You know me… most of you, anyway," he said, raising his dark eyebrows pointedly. "I'm all for rushing into danger blindly… Or so I was, years back," he added, looking pointedly toward his mate, who smiled at him so sweetly… Alisaie barely stopped herself from gushing, instead focusing on his next words. "Now, however… I do have too much to lose, as we all, and while our immortals discussed it – I thought that as much as I'm dying to get my hands on Meteion and wrangle her scrawny neck… Ah, she attacked Raha – specifically – a few days back," he said at their surprised looks, then sighed at the few gasps and the way all looked toward the redhead, who carefully kept his gaze on the Warrior. "He's okay… but it was a close call, so you can imagine I'm… quite miffed with her at the moment. As is Damon, but Ares… Well, he has his reasons to disagree. Anyway… as I thought about it, all things considered, if rushing after her is so risky... I wondered if we couldn't get her to come to us instead. And I mean: all of her, her and her sisters plus all that dynamis she gathered."
"Which, for the Source, could be disastrous," his lover said quietly, taking over. "But that, with connotations to my… ah, musing gave us an idea we thought would be a way to… sort of, kill two birds with one stone, so to say," he turned his crimson eyes toward the image again. "Because if you think of it as such… We have a perfect place – with a proper bait – to cage her."
She blinked slowly at the image, then gasped breathlessly.
"…Thirteen?" she asked, then cleared her throat self-consciously and frowned. "You want to… what? Shove her into the void?"
"Kind of," Raha nodded toward her, then flicked his fingers again, and at the sheet, next to the already-there image, appeared another one – a small but detailed image of the Crystal Tower. "You see, my friends, as crazy as it may sound… When we started to think about it and consider the Thirteen as the place where we could… ah, deal with Meteion without risking the Source…. I've been reminded of a few things at once. First of all, my ancestors once similarly used the Tower, if to opposite end – calling forth the voidsent to our world to help their cause when they set upon Mercydia and met resistance in the form of Bahamut and his kin. Another thing, when I woke up in the future…" he trailed off, then cleared his throat slightly and looked toward them. "…I did tell you of the modifications Cid's and his engineers' descendants made to the Tower to afford me to go back and save Senri, yes?" he waited for them to nod, then a slight smirk tilted his full lips. "Well, when I thought about it, I realized if we would be tempted to repeat that feat – for whatever reason – we have more than enough materials. Fresher, even, so to say…" he chuckled at their stunned expressions. "Let's see… Pieces of Alexander are ripe for the picking in Dravania and Omega's in Ala Mhigo to construe the… better version of the Tycoon. What's more, we have Cid around – alive and well – and… the man who helped to design the Tower in the first place," he nodded meaningfully toward Emet-Selch, who nodded back with a carefully bored expression. "And, thanks to our trip to the past and visit to the aetherial sea: massive stores of the pure, undiluted aether to power up the Tower. More if needed, as Damon is sure he could easily reuse his spell to get us back to Elpis, if only from the First and its Tower. On a side note – as he loves his theories – he thinks that if done right, possibly we could… kind of rework the Tower itself – with time and enough materials – and turn it into a steady gate… to all of the remaining Reflections," he smiled somewhat at Scions gasps at that. "Yes, to the First as well, we believe – so you could travel there at will, as I and Senri do. But others, with Hades's and Hythlodaeus's help, should also be possible, eventually."
"But… what of the Thirteen?" asked someone behind her softly. Alphinaud, but she couldn't take her eyes off the image, trying to wrap her head around the implications of that… idea as her mouth ran dry and hands tightened involuntarily around Themis's arm.
Raha said it so easily… but a way to travel between the Source and its Reflections safely would be… beyond huge!
"Thirteen is beyond saving," said Emet-Selch somewhat ruefully, and all eyes turned toward his unreadable, golden eyes. He was looking toward the image, his face as inscrutable. "Useless void now, nothing more, inhibited by the voidsent whose sole reason for existence is to feed on aether of each other… or the citizens of the Source if called upon."
"Like the Sin-Eaters on the First," said Raha carefully, catching their attention. "There's no saving one completely turned, regretfully. According to Hades and Hyth… some of the stronger ones retain a hint of memories of their life before the collapse – as on the Thirteen, there's no finding solace in passing. Immortal in the sense that on their shard, they're unable to die – even eaten by another, they become their part, not rejoin the aetherial sea. After talking to Zero when she finally woke up and gathering her take on her… homeland, we asked – Damon did, actually – Hades and Hythlodaeus to scout the Thirteen for… any other sentient enough creatures…"
"And to our surprise, instead, we found ourselves a dragon," Hythlodaeus chuckled, nudging his lover's side, and Hades rolled his eyes. The violet-haired immortal grinned, looking at them. "Your friend's… Vrtra, was it? But his sister apparently got herself stuck in the void after rushing headlong into the gate Allagans used to call forth the voidsent. She was… ah, not in that great shape, not to mention caged by a few… unseemly individuals, but if you know my Hades… he had some frustration to work out, apparently, and it was quite a show!"
She couldn't help but snicker when mighty Emet-Selch downright pouted at his lover, and if she wasn't wrong, his pale skin colored slightly under more than a few amused stares he carefully avoided.
"Hyth… shut up," he hissed through his teeth.
"What… it's true!" the bright, purple eyes shone with humor as he winked toward the gathering. "Anyway, we fed the dragon, Azdaja, I believe, some aether she very much needed after all that, then delivered her into her brother's care… Hence why we were late," he shrugged, leaned against his lover, and funnily fluttered his lashes at him with a cheery grin. "Enough said, Hades is a hero now in Radz-at-Han…"
"I swear…" the immortal in question muttered under his nose, looking toward the wall with the image while Raha and Senri, opposite them, visibly fought a laugh. "…I won't hear the end of that for the next few centuries, do I?" he sighed with resignation, and she couldn't help but snort a laugh while Senri positively died, filling the room with his booming laughter. At that, few others couldn't help but join in, the Warrior's laugh simply too infectious to resist.
"Going back to the topic…" said Raha patiently when they quieted down and all the looks focused on him. He freed himself from under Senri's arm, cleared his throat, and waved toward the images again. "Like we said, with the void the way it is, it makes for a perfect place to lure in and deal with Meteion. Assuming Damon's theory and my idea is right, the Rift should keep her dynamis from spilling over to the Source or the other Reflections – at the same time, cutting her off from gathering more, or so we believe. The Reflections itself, if I understand Venat's explanation correctly, exist in a sort of… pocket dimensions," he said slowly, looking at the woman and she nodded back, utterly focused on him. "Separate from each other, the Source and the rest of the universe. And with that much dynamis – if we can get her and her sisters across and lock her up in there… it should tear it apart, them and the whole Reflection alongside it, getting rid of both."
The silence that fell about the room was deafening.
"I don't understand," said Y'shtola slowly, and Alisaie looked toward her. "If it is, like you said, a pocket dimension… won't destroying it then make her dynamis spill across the ones next to it…?"
"The Rift itself, in nature…" said Venat quietly, earning all gazes across the gathering. "…is indestructible. Even the… pockets, as he calls them, left behind the no longer existing Reflections are still there – empty but present. When I cut down Zodiark…" she trailed off, sighed, and her expression grew unreadable. "…I cut the existence itself. That's what the Rift is, truly… The very wound in the fabric of the universe. We can pass it freely because we're whole… Unsundered, as you call it. Senri and Raha… well, they're exceptions because of the nature of the spell used to pull them across – and… Omega's influence in it, I suppose. Able as it was to pass across the planes of existence."
And to be in one room with someone who achieved something like that… was unnerving, to say the least!
"Okay…" said Thancred behind her slowly. "…but even if it all works… Re-adjusting the Tower to work as a gate and all… The part I don't get is… How, in the seven hells, do you want to lure her and her sisters into crossing over…?"
"Simple…" Raha said, and she looked toward him… but the look in his eyes told her he wasn't the one speaking anymore. "By her nature, Meteion is a creature of emotions, ruled by it. And as the severity of her latest attack proven… As you would say: I pissed her off something fierce. We need your help, as I said at the beginning, Scions, to gather the materials and people necessary to be swift about that rework. Once done, I'll be the bait, creating a tunnel in Hades's barrier leading straight into the gate when it's done and prove capable of a stable connection to the Thirteen. I'll jump in, forcing them to follow me, and we will shove the gate close behind them."
"And… you're okay with that?" Alisaie asked toward Senri, breaking the silence ruling at that statement.
He blinked at her, and his eyes turned bright and sky-blue.
"That's the fun part," Ares winked at her with a downright mean smirk. "You see… Senri taught me a great many things since we're together – my Damon, too – and after some thought… We arrived at a compromise between my husband's wish to make Meteion pay and mine to save her – with some interesting input from Raha and Hades, I must add. I get the shot at restoring Meteion I've met back in Elpis while he gets to send her sisters to their doom gleefully – if all works accordingly, that is."
"I don't understand," she frowned, looking between him and his husband. "What that has to do with Damon jumping into the void…? Must I remind you he's in Raha's skin?! I thought your stances – your and Senri's – on the whole… heroic sacrifice are more aligned!" she huffed, feeling her throat tighten painfully.
If they thought she would stand by and let this happen….
"Easy, Firecracker," Senri snickered quietly, and she scowled, narrowing her eyes but closing her mouth. "They are, believe me… I would never agree with putting Raha in harm's way, you know that. But as we did before Raha pointed it out, you forget one thing – we are pretty sure Meteion has no idea about it."
"And that is…?" she drawled through her teeth, honestly not amused.
"That the Crystal Tower is not the only achievement of their technology that Allagans left behind, Alisaie," his lover said quietly, switching seamlessly. "And if it all works out as we plan… They – Meteion's sisters – will dive into the void thinking they're following Damon…"
When understanding dawned, she blinked, slapped her hand over her eyes, and groaned loudly.
"Of course," she murmured, then sighed, dropped her hand, and looked into Raha's smile with narrowed eyes. "…clones? You want to have her jump in after a clone of you..?"
"Not mine," he shook his head, then exchanged looks with Emet-Selch. "But with borrowing some Garlean technology that should still be intact and some… ah, adjustments, we're hoping to achieve what Amon already pulled off once… clone a soul and the body."
"…Damon's?" she blinked, looking around the present – seemingly as baffled as she felt. "Is that even a… thing?"
"Or at least close enough to fool them," added Emet-Selch with a smirk. "And with some… adjustments, as Raha said, that should be doable, yes."
"You're… insane," she summed it up after a moment of silence, then sighed with resignation and pulled back from Themis, resting her hands on her hips. "But if it works… Okay, what do you need me to do…?"
And she prayed that this… plan of theirs won't blow up in their faces!