illusion; au of the game verse. possibly minor LR spoilers
If there was one thing Hope had grown good at over his lifetime, it was seeking out his own namesake. Truly, that was the only explanation for what he was doing.
What he had been doing for quite some time now.
The Chaos that had been unleashed upon the world was dark and heavy and covered the light of everything - everything, that was, except for something shining off into the distance. Nobody else seemed interested in seeking out what it was; likely because they were all worried for their own lives.
Hope figured that was understandable enough, but that was why this whole crazy endeavor was now up to him. He'd spent the past several centuries - centuries that were stagnant due to all the Chaos - trying to keep humanity together. Honestly, he wasn't sure how well he was faring sometimes. The darkness was crushing them all.
And so often - especially now, when he was alone - it was the heaviest burden on his heart.
He'd made the choice to be alone on this little journey, though. Snow and Noel had had their own priorities. Neither of them had any interest in climbing up the path to the Temple of the Goddess.
Truly, he hadn't either - until a speck of light had caught his eye awhile ago, shining towards him like a beacon. Nobody else had seemed to or wanted to notice it.
That was fine with him.
Hope had to wonder, though, where the temple itself had come from. Perhaps from Valhalla itself - after all, the Chaos had brought the realms together. It wouldn't have been completely ridiculous to think otherwise. It seemed more logical than the thought that someone had built it in the past couple centuries, anyway.
As long as the climb was, it finally seemed to be ending. He had a feeling this trek wasn't something that a mere human was supposed to do, but what other choice did he have? Perhaps his determination had been enough to get him up here. Again, it seemed logical to him.
He wasn't sure what he'd expected when he finally made his way through the ornate doors of the temple, but initially, he was met with silence. Utter silence. There was Chaos hanging about, though it seemed to contain itself within separate parts of the temple, almost as though something - or someone - was holding it there.
He decided not to give it too much though and instead continued to head towards the light he'd seen. It was getting brighter and brighter, surely a sign he was getting close.
Though he hadn't been at all sure what to expect when he finally reached the source, what he did see completely floored him.
The beacon itself with a throne made entirely out of crystal - impenetrable by the Chaos, never losing its shine or luster. That wasn't what shocked him, though. It was the person on the throne.
"…Lightning…?"
He stared, absolutely dumbfounded. He hadn't seen her for ages; centuries, and yet here she was, just a few feet in front of him.
"Lightning!" he called out again, quickly making his way in front of the throne with wide eyes. Despite the cries of her name, she didn't stir, and Hope realized that she was asleep.
Asleep. Not in an eternal crystal slumber, but in a living rest. She sat up in the throne - slumping a bit, really, but still somehow poised. Her arms lay gently on the armrests, her chest slowly rising and falling with each intake of breath.
Her head was bowed forward slightly, which may have been what compelled Hope to suddenly drop down to his knees. It was simply so he could see her better.
Not because he felt as though he was in the presence of a goddess.
And yet…
He could not help but stare for a long time as she slept. The armor he'd seen her cloaked in on the Oracle Drive's images were gone, instead replaced with a flowing, silvery-white gown adorned with feathers. Somehow, he could tell it was intended to be a simple garb, but the way it draped over her body gave her more of an otherworldly appearance.
"Light…" he murmured, suddenly concerned for reasons he couldn't quite identify. He hoisted himself up a bit on one knee, reaching out to cover her hand with his own.
It was as though that touch was some sort of catalyst. Instantly, her eyes opened and she stared at him, unflinching, even when he let out a surprised noise and staggered to his feet.
"…Lightning?!"
She blinked at him slowly, like she was in a daze, or perhaps still asleep. Instead of answering, she lifted the hand he'd touched and stared it - far too intensely, he thought. It became very clear seconds later that something was wrong.
It was only confirmed when she spoke.
"That was the name of my protector…I see."
"…" His brow furrowed. Lightning's voice - it wasn't quite there. It sounded almost as though she was speaking with an echo, giving it a rather ethereal tone. But that wasn't what worried him.
It was that there was no spark in her eyes when she did speak.
"Lightning…"
"She has gone to rest." She - Lightning? - rose to her feet, the fabric draping over her body falling into almost a dress-like pattern around her legs in graceful folds. "My champion has allowed me possession of her body so that I may live once again, lest the destruction of my heart drive me into the Chaos."
Hope struggled for a moment to allow these words to make sense. All that made sense to him were two words: my champion.
It can't be…
"You're not…Etro?"
A smile formed on Lightning's face, but it was none he'd ever seen from her before. She stepped closer, and eerily enough, her footsteps made no sound. He wondered if she was even walking on the ground at all, or simply floating.
"So you would dare speak the name of a Goddess, the one who pitied humans and gave them their spirit." She moved closer to him, drifting her fingertips under his chin, but not quite touching. Hope just stood there, totally flabbergasted, but she didn't seem to notice. "And here it is now my effort to understand you, to be what the others could not."
That seemed to snap Hope out of his stupor. He couldn't stop staring - it was Lightning's voice, her face, her body, but it wasn't her. Her standing here in front of him was merely an illusion.
It made him want to scream, goddess or not.
"Why are you doing this?" he pleaded. "Why did you take Lightning away from us?"
"Small price for your rescue." She tilted her head slightly, eyes roaming over his face. "…And yet, that displeases you."
"Yes." He couldn't believe he was talking about this, but after centuries upon centuries, it was all eager to spill. "Well, no, not quite. I'm grateful we weren't stuck in crystal stasis, but you didn't have to take Lightning away. She deserved to be with her sister after everything that happened. And I…" He trailed off, looking away.
Lightning's face remained blank, and Hope wondered if Etro was even capable of emotion. "She wanted to repent for her sins. The sin you all committed - countless human lives, simply wasted. They needed to be atoned for."
"We didn't kill people on purpose!" Hope argued, starting to grow frustrated again. "Fang and Vanille, they…they became Ragarok in order to save everyone. That's all we ever wanted to do. We never meant to kill anyone, but I don't think the lives that were taken were in vain." The rush of Chaos met his ears. "…Until now, perhaps."
She continued to stare at him. "You humans are a wonder," she finally murmured. "To feel such a way about countless lives that simply ended." Only now did her fingertips lightly trace his jaw. Hope couldn't suppress his shiver - it may have been Etro's spirit in there, but it was still Lightning's body. It was still her touch.
The way he'd always imagined it would make him feel was no illusion.
Her fingertips continued to slowly move along his face, almost as though she was memorizing it. "I recall now," she murmured quietly. "My champion, my protector - she would often gaze upon all of you through the timeline of Valhalla…and yet, she took a particular interest in you."
Hope's eyes widened. "What?"
"Yes." Her hand drifted to the side of his neck. "It's strange. I don't know what humans feel. I have never known. I have only ever felt pity towards them. And yet, when I'm around you…" Her free hand rested on her chest, right over her heart. Lightning's heart. "I feel…a strange warmth right here. It must come from the heart of my protector."
He was speechless.
And yet, Etro continued in Lightning's stolen voice. "Yes…she cares about you a great deal. I can feel it…" Her voice dropped to a murmur. "How her heart pounds right now. How she longs to touch you. How…proud she is."
It took everything he had to keep tears from springing to his eyes. "Why? Why are you doing this now, when you're not really her?"
"She willingly gave her body for a moment so that I might finally feel what a human does. I consider this love an honor. To be so worthy of a goddess and her vessel…you should consider yourself one so worthy, as well."
"Everything I've done for all these centuries was to get her back," Hope said as if he hadn't heard her. "That's all I want. Let her go. Please."
She answered with her lips and his own.
He froze at the kiss, not expecting it even though her hand had still been cradling his neck. They were Lightning's lips - so soft and everything he'd ever dreamed of, but it wasn't quite right. She wasn't the one behind it. It wasn't all her that was kissing him, holding him close. Any of the love that rose was his own feelings for her, or the ones Etro felt for all humans.
Not simply him.
He broke them apart, resting his hands on her waist against his better judgement, especially since it didn't allow his mouth to go far. "Please. Give her back."
"She feels so deeply for you," Etro murmured in Lightning's voice. "Perhaps it's true, then, what was ordained. Indeed, perhaps it would be better for two lovers to guard the new world, rather than the ideals of a god who does not see the spirit. Perhaps…we shall soon find out."
"What?" He pulled away a little more. "What do you mean? What was ordained?"
An extraordinarily bright light began to shine around them, illuminating the crystal throne and dulling the darkness of the Chaos. Hope squinted a little in an attempt to shield his eyes. He was completely unprepared when Lightning's lips crushed against his again, though this kiss was short-lived.
And then her voice spoke. Urgent. Desperate.
But it was hers.
"Hope. Run."
He didn't understand. All he could see was the light, and he understood that it was the light of God. It shattered his illusions of this world, of his feelings for Lightning, of hers for him. It shattered everything…
…and it all went black.
He could not run from God's will.