When Tellah walked into the mausoleum, he hadn't expected it to be so small. Incense burned in the corner as if someone had paid their respects only moments ago, filling the room with that heavy smoky scent. In truth, there was hardly enough space to walk around the stone sarcophagus centered within the crypt.
The walls offered a tired reflection of each of the visitors, gleaming with a new polish despite the fading light from outside. Through the meticulous care and reverence offered to the departed in front of them amidst a hostile environment, Tellah found a sense of peace. He glanced at Cecil and the twins and noticed a similar reaction from each of them. The previous emotions were forgotten and left at the door. Their footsteps echoed as they walked around the engraved casket, studying it carefully.
"Now what?" Palom whispered, looking to Cecil for guidance. Cecil came to stand at the head of the sarcophagus and crossed his arms.
"I-I don't know," Cecil admitted, similarly quiet. The sanctity of the chamber prompted a demand for silence. Cecil's gloved hand gently passed over the smooth edge of the lid.
With a grunt, Tellah hunched over, hands on his knees to look at the engraved drawings along the side. It appeared to be of several people, where one side appeared to be throwing projectiles at the other as they dodged natural calamities. The second side appeared to have their heads bowed in prayer - mages, perhaps, and perhaps the calamities were all but natural. Tellah entertained the scholar within him and waddled a little further ahead. The next picture depicted flaming spheres headed for a larger sphere. Another grunt slipped out, and Tellah stood up.
"Porom, what does that side show you?" he asked.
Porom looked from the foot of the casket to the head, gently shoving her brother aside as she reached Cecil.
"It looks like people boarding a closed airship….then it looks like the airship is sitting on a planet. The last picture shows the planet in front of a bunch of rocks," she said.
"How strange.…" Tellah whispered, scratching his beard.
"Sorry, what was that?" Cecil asked, turning to look at him.
Tellah raised his brows. Despite having just addressed Tellah, Cecil was already distracted, as though he was deep in thought and not really waiting for an answer.
"Everything alright?" Tellah asked.
"I…I feel strange," Cecil said, rubbing his fingers against his temple.
He steadied himself on the tomb with his other hand. A brilliant blue light bled through the carvings on the surface where his fingers grazed the deep lines. The light dripped down towards the tiles, and the grout between shone, too, in ebbs and flow like water. The glow illuminated the small chamber.
"My son…at last you have arrived."
Everyone but Cecil tensed, hands wrapping around their weapons. Tellah searched for the voice, but only saw the people he'd walked in with. Cecil took a step back, his armor noisily bouncing off of the wall.
"Son? Whose voice speaks to me?" Cecil asked.
Save for bated breath, there was silence. The tiles below their feet quivered, then fell away in rapid succession. Tellah felt air whistle past his ears as his robes rippled and obscured his view. He somersaulted through the air wildly, unsure of how to make himself stop. Somewhere close to him he heard Porom, or perhaps Palom, screaming. Just as quickly as they began falling, they found themselves standing on the same tile, except in a much larger room.
Tellah rubbed his chest, his heart pounding in his ears as he recovered from the shock. Palom and Porom held hands, seeking comfort in each other's presence. Cecil stepped forward, walking towards other half of the room. Belatedly, Tellah noticed their reflections in the muted light; the wall ahead was an enormous mirror stretched from ceiling to floor. Tellah took in his surroundings: while it was half the size he initially thought it was, they were in a hall fit for a castle of the biggest prosperity; the pillars holding up the domed ceiling were as wide as the chamber they'd found themselves in only moments ago. Tellah imagined that the halls of Baron, Troia, and Damcyan could cumulatively fit here with room to spare.
The closer he looked at the designs, the more he noticed how unlike they were to any building Tellah had ever been in. He wasn't an architect, but he couldn't help but notice how free of…earthly influence they were, for lack of a better description. Damcyan's architects prioritized ornate colors and excessive trim. Baron used a minimalist style, its stones often bare of engravings and other artistic flairs. Minwu had told him that even the isolated nation under the Tower of Babil had similar designs to that of Fabul, who favored more squat designs, negating tall ceilings for additional floors. This space felt more…alien. All of the planet's buildings used straight edges. Here, the crystal walls curved as though they were in a seer's orb, offering a fortune reading to unknown giants scrutinizing their every move above. The mysterious voice broke Tellah's reverie.
"Long have I awaited this - the day that you would come. A tragedy unfolds now which pains me more than you can know. To end it, I will gift to you my light," it said.
Tellah exchanged glances with Palom and Porom. They reflected the same wonder.
"Though in so doing, I condemn myself to sorrow greater still. But the hour is late. No other road remains," it continued.
A beautiful, iridescent sword floated down, and in spite of his own lack of religious convictions, Tellah thought it to have come from the heavens. It twirled softly, twinkling refracted light across the hall and themselves. When its light found Tellah, he felt salve being applied to the deepest wounds within his very soul. A twinge of jealousy passed through him, though he had no desire to become a paladin.
It stopped twirling, hovering in front of Cecil. Cecil brushed his fingers against the hilt of his own dark blade, and Tellah noticed how Cecil's head moved slightly, as though he regarded both the holy sword in front of him, and the reflection of himself behind it. Cecil reached out with tentative fingers and grasped the hilt of the holy blade. He pulled it toward himself, studying it.
"The time has come, bid farewell to your bloodstained past," it said.
A light surrounded Cecil, growing brighter and brighter until Tellah had to cover his eyes.
"Forsake the darkness you once embraced, or the light will find no hold. Vanquish the dark knight! You and he are one no more!"
The conviction within the voice caused Tellah to open his eyes. The sight shocked him. He almost didn't recognize the man in front of him. Armor the color of pearl adorned the young man; it no longer suffocated the young man the way the dark armor had, and Cecil stood straighter, proud. His white hair fell back like a curtain at a show's opening as he glanced at Tellah and the children, pure amazement shining at the transformation.
A small smile pulled at the corner of Cecil's lips, and Tellah noticed how genuine and weightless it was. The pain he'd carried as a dark knight amassed like a gravity well within the young man. But the person in front of them now? He was ready for redemption, had walked the path of penance, and was forgiven. Porom covered her mouth with both hands, taking a small step back and glancing between Palom and Tellah. Tellah was the second to notice.
"There are two of him!" Tellah said, sheer shock in his voice.
In the mirror, still staring straight ahead at paladin, was the dark knight from the mirror. He hardly moved, and Tellah would've thought it was a portrait if he hadn't seen his dark chest plate rise and fall with agitated breath. Tellah shivered. Despite being unable to look into his eyes, he could see how much hatred he held towards the Cecil in front of him. With heavy, jingling steps, he started walking towards the paladin, his legs slipping through the mirror as though it were nothing more than a trick of the light.
"What's happening?" Palom said.
The dark knight raised his blade against his arm, blood spraying out across the ground much worse than ever before, his left leg circling back and bending slightly, lowering him and getting ready to spring forward. He readied his sword, the blood crawling along the dark blade in beads towards the hilt. Palom and Porom reached for their weapons, and Tellah stepped forward, ready to join the fight.
"Cecil!" Palom said.
"Look out!" Porom followed up.
Cecil threw his hand back, his palm facing the party.
"Stay back," Cecil commanded.
His gaze was unwavering, focused on the man in front of him. The three of them stopped in their tracks.
"This is a fight for me and me alone. My atonement for all the sins I've wrought - my test," Cecil said.
He raised his sword in front of him and swung wide, ending at his left hip. He left his arm crossed there in a defensive pose. Tellah noticed then that there were thick scars across his arms, where his old armor had its openings, and skin had split and muscle had been overexposed to his bids for darkness. For those kinds of scars to appear, Tellah realized, there must have been times when Cecil refused healing with magic, instead letting his body recover without assistance in the natural way.
"It's one I don't mean to fail," Cecil said, this time to the dark knight.
The dark knight stiffened, a low growl escaping from his throat. He sank lower, his sword pulled back further. For a single moment, no one moved. No one breathed.
In the next, the dark knight flew forward, plunging his blade forward towards the paladin's abdomen. The paladin swung his arm back to the right, deflecting the hit away from him. The dark knight stumbled that way for a brief moment, but to Tellah's surprise, the paladin didn't capitalize on his advantage. The window of opportunity shut, and the dark knight recovered, striking once more. The paladin shot his arm back, and the blades screeched against each other as they rolled off of each other's momentum.
Tellah winced at the high pitched noise reverberating in the hall. The sight in front of him was disconcerting. It was two Cecils, and while they appeared as total opposites, they moved exactly the same, as though each could read the other's mind. And yet…Tellah could tell the difference.
Paladin Cecil wasn't trying to kill; he certainly defended himself, but there were times the dark knight had managed to break through his defenses, drawing blood, and Paladin Cecil simply stepped back, getting ready for more. Dark Knight Cecil was the opposite. He'd strike first, and once, in self-defense, when the paladin made it past Dark Knight Cecil's blade and sliced at exposed skin, the darkness flourished, and Dark Knight Cecil grew more dangerous.
It stood to reason, Tellah decided, that though the paladin was an embodiment of light, he could still generate Darkness as he was one and the same with dark knight. After all, the self punishment, the unending guilt for his sins was holding the young man back. As though agreeing with Tellah, the mysterious voice spoke once more, reprimanding Cecil for the error.
"A true paladin will sheathe his sword."
The dance continued, and dark and light fluttered across the hall through the song of battle. At last, Paladin Cecil fell to one knee, the exhaustion clear in his face, snow white hair clinging to his skin despite the headband he wore. He panted there, his blade stuck in a dent he'd made in the tile as the dark knight approached. He made no effort to defend himself. Tellah felt himself tense involuntarily.
"Justice and retribution are but trifling things. There are victories of greater worth. Someday you will know them. Go forth now, Cecil!"
Suddenly the dark knight stopped, and starting from the tip of his helmet, the dark knight dissipated as if a strong wind blew through the hall, his boots the last to disappear. The hall fell silent, save for Cecil's heavy breathing.
"Your virtue is proven. I will instill you now with the hallowed light, formed of my very soul. May it be your strength, though it be the last of mine," it said.
Though Tellah couldn't see a change, he felt a shift in the air. Cecil stood, his hand pressed on his chest; something had indeed passed through him.
"My son," it commanded.
Cecil snapped up, once again looking for the voice.
"You must stop Golbez!" it said.
"W-wait!" Cecil begged, raising a pleading hand towards the ceiling.
When at least there was no response, Porom and Palom rushed forward, inspecting Cecil with excitement and admiration.
Tellah didn't move, for despite the significance of the moment he was a part of, he was too focused on the buzzing in front of him. Everything blurred as though something was attempting to materialize, and Tellah reached out, feeling the same vibrations he'd felt at the mountainside, just before reuniting with Cecil.
Except, this time without interruptions, Tellah managed to touch the enigma, and to his horror, he watched his hand disappear, and the enigma flew towards him, devouring the rest of his body.
Tellah gasped, stumbling back and falling onto the ground with a thump, his breath forced out of him in a deep grunt. The wind whistled in his ears, and he shut his eyes from the shocking change to daytime.
"Who are you?" a woman said.
The aggressive tone caused Tellah to force open an eye. The bright backdrop of the cloudy sky behind her cause searing pain in his yet unadjusted vision, and he blinked rapidly. Whoever she was, she was holding a branch as a weapon. Finally, his blinking slowed, and he could finally register the person in front of him.
"Lydia?" he asked, incredulity and shock all thrown in her name.
Lydia paused, squinting at him from head to toe. She was dressed in her summoner's garb and looking just as young as she'd been when they fought Gale. Here, in the summit of Mount Ordeals, Tellah thought, finally recognizing the place from a distant chapter of his life.
"How do you know my name?" she asked, jerking her branch towards him.
Tellah tried to stand, but a pain like lightning shot up from his hip. He clasped his hand on his lower back, massaging it as he plopped down on the ground like a helpless fish out of water.
"Shit!" he said. "It's me, Lydia!"
She crouched down, to Tellah's eye level. Her eyes studied his features, shooting all around his face. A look of awe, disbelief, and amusement rolled through her in rapid succession.
"Tellah? What the hell! How are you so old?" she asked.
"How are you so young? It's been decades since we were here together!" he retorted.
Lydia's lip curled in anger, her brows furrowing at his words.
"You left me here!" she said, emphasizing each word slowly.
Tellah scoffed, turning towards the majestic view offered by Mount Ordeals. The wind ruffled his hair, carrying a clear mountain scent and refreshing Tellah. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, and she seemed to grow angrier by the second. The sincerity of her reaction concerned him.
"You came back with me. We went our separate ways, and I only saw you a few times after that," Tellah said.
She seemed surprised - truly surprised. Her fingers uncurled, and the branch rolled towards the ground. She shook her head, falling backwards. Her palm propped her up as she leaned back.
"No…I've been here ever since," she whispered
Her wide eyes turned towards the ground, deep in thought. Tellah tried to lean forward, but his hip shot another warning pain through him again. He nudged her foot with his, drawing her attention back to his. Her eyes shone with heavy tears, wishing stars left unanswered.
Through whatever magic Mount Ordeals contained, or simply coincidence, the memory of that day came rushing back to him.
"Stop."
Gale shook her head. The light weakened in intensity.
"Mm, not yet. Maelstrom will end this for us. There will be no more airships, and the playing field will be level once more."
"Maelstrom? What happened to Meteor?" Tellah asked.
Gale laughed dryly.
"Meteor rejected me. But Maelstrom…Maelstrom was the better choice after all," she said.
Tellah glanced back at the boulder, flickering between a shimmer and a matte so dark it could've been a void in space. He shivered, realizing that these old spells must have more than a primitive sentience. And Gale managed to convince one to give itself to her.
Remembering Lydia's insistence that Gale had brought the elder of Mist here, he looked for him. The man was nowhere to be found, and Tellah felt shame in his vindication. Gale must have killed him before ever coming here. He turned back to Gale.
"I'm sorry, Gale. I can't let you do this."
She smiled, and Tellah could've sworn her teeth were longer.
"Didn't I teach you to have no remorse for your enemies?" she asked, flicking her wrist slightly.
Tellah recognized the move and dove aside, landing painfully hard from shoulder to elbow on the mountain's rocky floor below him. The Firaga she'd thrown at him narrowly missed; Tellah's shoes were singed but he escaped the worst of it. She turned to face him fully, finally opening her eyes to look at him. Tellah swallowed a scream. She was inhuman; she had no iris or pupils. Tellah shrunk involuntarily at the hatred that spilled from them. Her robe blew off, exposing her long hair and languid body. Tellah hadn't recalled seeing her so gaunt even a few days prior. It was the spell, he realized. It's destroying her.
He let loose the spell he'd been casting during their conversation: pillars of ice dropped where she was standing - she'd fluttered out of the way just in time to avoid being impaled. Tellah felt his hair lift for a brief second - he cast Reflect and the glossy spell hugged his body - a Faraday cage that allowed Thundara to pass around him unscathed. It collected at the ground, reversed direction, and shot back at Gale. She growled as she sidestepped it and dispelled his shield with a wave of her hand.
"Don't cheat, Tellah. How reprehensible."
She launched a few more spells in succession. Tellah dodged behind the colorful boulders, feeling the power emanate off of them, making him lightheaded. Tellah noticed too late that Gale had cast Float on herself, and he was unable to react in time to the earthquake she summoned below his feet. A fissure opened, and Tellah found himself pinched between the walls of the narrowing crevice, gravity pulling him in deeper. Any movement drove him deeper into the earth, squeezing out more and more air out of his lungs. He was a mouse caught in a trap, and Gale was a cat relishing her next meal.
"You're not sorry, Tellah. You've never liked me, or what I've done. Every action I've taken has been to protect us, to protect our way of life. Someone had to make the hard decisions, and if a few have to die, so be it. That is the price of our safety."
"Safety?
Safety? I want nothing more than peace, which we already had. If it comes between that and your life, there is no argument to be held," Tellah gasped.
With fading breath, Tellah cast Thundaga. She screamed like a wounded animal, caught off guard and taking the main brunt of the damage. Tellah raised an arm weakly and chanted the final words to Float, and he finally crawled out, desperate hands clawing against the rugged wall in a slow climb. Gale paced around the opposite side of the fissure, arms crossed in front of her burnt torso.
"You were too late. Maelstrom is mine," she said, laughing. She gestured to the boulders beside Tellah. "If you want, Inferno is still here. Or Meteor, if you're somehow more worthy than me."
Her last remark was said in a biting tone. She stepped back, and the light finished pulsing into her body. Tellah felt dread flood him as he saw the yellow boulder lose its color, reverting to an ordinary gray. Her ashen hair turned into a sickly yellow in turn, and she sneered at him, excitement akin to that of a child receiving a present written all over her face.
"Behold," she said. The sun disappeared and the sky turned blacker than night as she raised her hands high.
A dark wave of energy shot him several feet away, launching him towards the steep edge, and it evaporated his will to live as if it were no more than the last grains of sand falling in an hourglass. His body refused his commands, and it reminded him of the time he was deathly ill with a fever. His parents had started preparing for the worst, letting friends visit to say goodbye. Tellah had been unable to open his eyes, his mind lost in a fog and his body like lead as the flames within licked every ounce of his body. This spell was worse. Tellah took slow, dying breaths, unaware of Gale or even himself. Tellah felt the pull of eternal sleep, and with metaphorical open arms he-
"No!"
Tellah's eyes flew open at the unexpected voice as white magic flooded his body, removing every ounce of malady that shackled him inside of his mind. He felt free, as if he were driftwood floating away at sea. Lydia's fingers wrapped around his wrist, and as they did he felt his body resist her pull. Tellah regained his senses and to his horror, amongst the whistling of the wind screaming in his ear, realized he was in free fall, watching the mountain fly past him. Lydia gritted her teeth and pulled harder. Her dragon roared and twisted sideways midflight, and Lydia managed to pull him onto the dragon as he felt its body roll under him.
With numb fingers, Tellah grasped her waist and held on for dear life.
"Brace yourself," Lydia said.
The mist dragon straightened out from its nose dive and flew upwards, back to the summit. Tellah felt his chest drop to his stomach at the change in acceleration.
Gale watched in fury as the dragon deposited them back on ground, her impossibly long hair standing straight out of her scalp.
"You…" she said, all of her hatred compacted into that one word.
"Me," Lydia said, likewise returning her anger. "Pay for what you have done."
Before Gale could move, the mist dragon snapped its jaw at her. The mist obscured their view, but they heard Gale scream something at them, followed by a crunch as Lydia once again grasped Tellah's wrist and pulled them back amidst the sound of the fabric of reality tearing apart.
Tellah saw a swirl of colors surround him, disorienting him; he guessed that Lydia had taken him through whatever dimension shifting medium the summons used. He felt nausea threaten to vacate the contents of his stomach, opting to fix his gaze on Lydia next to him as an anchor; the visual stimulation affected his sense of balance. Her eyes started to lose focus, and Tellah caught her as she fainted. Fear gripped him as he worried that perhaps they'd be stuck here, in between worlds. He didn't know how long they'd spent like this when a bright light flooded around them and gravity took over.
Tellah and Lydia rolled along the ground at the base of the mountain. Tellah shakily sat up, shocked to find that he was still alive. Lydia did not move. The mist dragon fell next to them; he hadn't realized the dragon had come back with them. Tellah crawled to Lydia.
"Lydia? Lydia!" Tellah shook her. She stopped breathing, her lips losing color. Her chest stilled.
"Tellah!" He heard Minwu say. "I came as quickly as I could!"
"Lydia's dying!" Tellah shouted at him. Minwu paused, catching sight of Lydia and her dragon next to them.
"What happened?" Minwu asked.
"She saved me. Gale found the forbidden magic. I followed her there, and Lydia followed me and saved me."
Tellah cast Libra, sensing Lydia's current state of health. His eyes widened at the two fading pulses he detected.
"How? She was already summoning her dragon," Minwu said.
It took Tellah a moment to process Minwu's words, still shocked at what he found.
"She brought the dragon with her," Tellah said, his voice distant.
Minwu cursed.
Tellah and Minwu spoke in panicked breaths, trying to figure out how to bring them back. Finally they settled on shocking both Lydia and the mist dragon's heart. At Tellah's behest, a convincing suggestion made by the fact that Minwu's height meant he had a longer wingspan, they decided on the following direction: Minwu would stand near the dragon's chest, his arms outstretched across the dragon's heart. Tellah would do the same to Lydia: one palm pressed just under her collarbone, and the other on her ribs on the opposite side, just under her breast. He was gentle not to get too low and hurt the growing child.
"Three, two, one," Tellah said.
They each dualcasted Thunder and Cure. Lydia and her dragon spasmed, then stilled once more.
"Again," Minwu said.
They cast again. The dragon's chest began moving once more.
"It's breathing!" Minwu said excitedly.
Tellah watched intently as color returned to Lydia.
"Lydia too!" Tellah said. He sighed in relief, falling back. He felt a weight press against him: his back was against Minwu's. They exchanged relieved glances with each other.
"And Gale?" Minwu asked after a pause. Tellah looked towards the mountaintop, where moments earlier a cyclone had stirred. The mountain was jarringly at peace, as though it'd been undisturbed for years.
"Gone."
"You tried to send your dragon home when you pulled us back to our world, but it didn't work," Tellah said.
Lydia nodded slowly.
"When I summon, my soul intertwines with that of the Eidolon's. I inadvertently split mine into two when I tried sending us into two different destinations, so no one noticed me - the piece that stayed behind," she said.
Her arms crossed over her chest, hugging herself.
"Crystals, Lydia," Tellah whispered. His heart broke for her.
Her shoulders started shaking. Tellah cured his back and leaned forward to give her a hug when her lips parted and she laughed. He paused, suspended halfway into his lean. Her laugh grew shriller and harder. She wiped tears from her eyes.
"You didn't abandon me. You just didn't know," she said, devolving into laughter again.
Tellah finished extending forward, pulling her into a tight hug. She returned it, her arm around his neck as she leaned her head into his shoulder. She quieted down, and the two friends remained embraced. He felt a warmth, a brief respite from all the pain he'd carried with him since Damcyan. The weight melted away, and he realized how long it'd been since he'd hugged anyone.
"Okay, get off; your beard is making my neck itch," she complained, earning a chuckle from Tellah.
He pulled back, tapping his knuckle against her chin.
"I would've expected a guardian of Mist to know how to speak to her elders," he said.
She rolled her eyes, and glanced at his belly.
"My elders. Looks like all of those pub trips caught up to you, Elder," she shot back.
Tellah felt a smile pull on the corner of his lip.
"I've missed you," he said honestly.
She gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. They both stood - Tellah with a little more effort that earned him a snicker from Lydia - and dusted themselves off.
"So…if you didn't know I was here, what brought you back?" she asked.
As he opened his mouth, another thought came to her mind, and she swiftly cut him off. "And how did you get here?"
Her tone wasn't accusatory, but it was wary and concerned.
"I didn't sacrifice any of your kin, if that's what you're implying," he said. She relaxed, and he continued. "I came back for Meteor, and I think the mysterious voice that changed my companion into a paladin brought me here."
Lydia looked around, searching for this companion.
"Who?" she asked.
Tellah explained who Cecil was, and his journey towards becoming a paladin to save the world from Baron. She listened intently, though she appeared bewildered by the reversal in ideologies of Baron and Mysidia.
"I'm relieved to hear Mysidia became a beacon of peace under Minwu's rule. There isn't a better person to lead the way," she said, pacing in thought as she rubbed her chin. "But King Odin was a kind hearted man - I don't understand what would have made him change."
She looked at Tellah expectantly, clasping her hands behind her back. Tellah felt dread at the question he knew was coming next.
"And how's Mist? How's my village?" she asked.
Behind her, the Tower of Prayers was crumbling. Tellah raised a brow.
"That tower was getting built when I was here," he said.
She didn't turn, her eyes fixed on his.
"It does that. Doesn't seem like time moves normally here," she said.
"But you've been here a while?" he asked.
"I've been here a long while," she confirmed.
She approached him, her face inches from his own.
"Tell me what happened to Mist," she commanded.
Tellah swallowed, gently leading her to take a seat at one of the gray boulders.
"Tellah, how's Mist?" she said, alarm making her voice rise an octave.
"Razed to the ground," he said.
She gasped, her hands clasped over her mouth. Tellah didn't look at her. He was afraid to, for he knew how much it meant to her. He told her of Cecil and the Carnelian Signet. She dropped her hands to her thighs, gripping the robes there with white knuckles
"I'm so sorry", he said.
"Did-did anyone survive? Is there anyone left?" she asked, her voice strained.
Tellah hung his head. Could he tell her? If it were him, would he want to know?
If she didn't want to know, she wouldn't have asked, he decided.
"A girl did. Her mother, the summoner whose dragon died, had passed away. Cecil found her there, hunched over her mother, and upon seeing the aftermath of what he was sent to do, he revolted against Baron, taking her with him on his journey," he said.
"Was it my child?" Lydia asked. "Did-was it me who died?"
Tellah shook his head slowly.
"You were already gone. The summoner who died was your daughter, and the child was your grandchild, a sweet girl named Rydia," he said.
"Rydia…"
She said it slowly, as though savoring the name and imagining the person behind it. She inhaled sharply.
"'Was', you said. Has Rydia - has my granddaughter-?"
She couldn't finish her question. Her eyes begged for a modicum of good news, of any saving grace for the loss of everything she hadn't known she had.
"Leviathan destroyed the ship she and Cecil were on. Cecil saw her fall into the water, and when he awoke on the shores of Mysidia, he was alone," he said.
She nodded, and her body relaxed as though the news were too heavy for her to fully comprehend. Tellah reached for her hand, clasping it between his.
"Leviathan…he wouldn't have hurt her. He wouldn't have hurt a summoner," she said firmly.
"No, Lydia…" Tellah tried to coax.
She stood and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"She's still alive. I know it, and-," she said, "you came for Meteor." She tilted her chin up, her eyes narrowing at him. "Why?"
Tellah explained. He told her of Claire, of Anna, and of Golbez. He told her of what Meteor had told him all those years before. He told her of the pain, the anger, and the loss. He told her of how easily Golbez had laid siege to Damcyan and Fabul in rapid succession.
"And is this Golbez the one behind the burning of Mist?" she asked.
Tellah sighed, rubbing his palms on his thighs.
"Truthfully, I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me if he was," he said.
She nodded, and started walking towards the black boulder, which had been surprisingly silent ever since Tellah started climbing Mount Ordeals.
"You know this will kill you. You saw what it did to Gale," she said.
Her hand hovered tentatively over the stone, feeling the aura it let off. Whether she was afraid to touch it, or she simply couldn't, Tellah didn't know. Tellah stood as well, straightening his robes.
"Yes," he said firmly.
When she didn't say anything he continued.
"I'm old, Lydia," he said, raising his hands in a plea. "I'm falling apart. Ever since I left Kaipo, I've struggled to keep going. The more I travel, the less I recover. I can't remember more than a handful of the spells I know I once had. Even if I lived the idle life I had before I lost my Anna, I would not be as strong as I was before I ever left. I wake up some days not remembering what I ate for dinner mere hours before. On other days, I can't remember what year it is."
He paused, searching her eyes for understanding. The corners of his lips wrenched painfully down.
"Do you want to know what the scariest part is? It's that one day-maybe tomorrow, maybe in five years, I'll remember Anna or Claire for the last time, waking up the next day and not knowing why the hole in my heart can't ever be fixed."
He looked towards the horizon. The land stretched miles and miles away, and even with his glasses, he couldn't see the features of the terrain much further than the border of the mountain. Despite his limitations, the sight was beautiful, reminding him of how small he was on the grand scale of the earth, how insignificant the life he'd led until now had been. In his heart of hearts, he found that he would trade everything for another chance to hold Claire and Anna. He'd lost so much, and Tellah felt an ache knowing that with Meteor, there'd soon be no more left for him to do.
"I mean to make up for the losses you and I have felt. So what if I die?" he finished.
She watched him with a forlorn expression, one hand rubbing her other arm.
"How will you release the binds?" she asked. Tellah considered her question a moment.
"That depends on what he's willing to leave behind," the voice from the hall said behind him.
Lydia and Tellah snapped their attention to the stranger. It was a man dressed in simple, unassuming robes. He looked like a villager from a small town, not a man who had the power to absolve the sins of men who'd committed great, evil deeds.
"You know what will happen to you with Meteor, thus I need not ask," he said.
No longer amplified and distorted by the echoes of the hall, Tellah found the man's voice was smooth and pleasant to listen to. Tellah watched him stride to the boulder, laying his open hand on the smooth surface. Tellah felt a pulse of power sweep past him, causing him and Lydia to step back a foot or two.
The sky turned a smothering orange, and Tellah heard a rumbling begin that was reminiscent of the Red Wings flying towards Damcyan. His heart pulsed in his ears at the reminder. The rumbles turned to whistling, and all around them asteroids pelted the earth with deep booms, and mushroom clouds bloomed around them. Smog floated to the summit, and the man turned to face him, sparks of cinder and flaking ash meandering all around them in the heavy haze. Tellah fell to his knees, ice in his veins.
The sun shone brightly once more, and the devastation vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
"Once free, it cannot be undone without the sacrifices made by man generations ago. It will not be you alone who deals with the repercussions; the world, too, will be at the mercy of Meteor. It will be free to give itself to whomever it deems worthy," the man said.
He walked up to Tellah, pulling him up by his hands. Tellah noted how warm and soft his palms were, despite the biting cold of the summit. He looked up at the man and saw a striking resemblance to Cecil, the appearance of contrition and all.
"It's conditions for worthiness are not the same as mine, child," the man said. "It is blind to man's design and will offer itself to anyone with the capacity to produce its devastating power."
He squeezed Tellah's hands. In that simple gesture, Tellah felt the weight of his request, the plea to not proceed.
"Golbez must be stopped," Tellah said. "I can't stand idly by and watch anyone else die."
The man sighed and slowly let go of Tellah's hands.
'Justice and retribution are but trifling things' echoed in his head, though he wasn't sure if it was a memory or an unspoken message from the man.
"The light in you is misguided. A fallacious belief that evils ends in Golbez alone," the man said. Turning to Lydia, he asked, "Do you know where we are?"
She shook her head.
"Time is irrelevant here," she said. "That's all I know."
"We are at the beginning and the end of time. Where life on the blue planet is born and where it ceases to exist. It contains the whole of history, and none of it." He turned to Tellah. "Where Lydia, myself, and many others find ourselves when we're searching for that which is lost. Where better to hide something you don't want to be found than somewhere that exists outside of life itself?"
The bags under his eyes exacerbating the exhaustion on his face.
"I cannot release the binds, for I have given the last of my strength to my son. And I do not agree with your decision to continue down this path, but I will not stop you." He chuckled. "It is man's adaptability-their tendency to form unique principles out of intuition, volition, and lived experiences that has always intrigued me so."
"If you will do me a favor," the man continued, "I will return it by sending you back to your timeline, to Cecil."
Tellah refused.
"I must have Meteor with me when I go back," Tellah said.
The man looked down and pivoted his shoulders to face Lydia.
"There is a way, and Lydia can help you with it," the man replied.
"Tellah…" Lydia said. The peculiar tone in her voice prompted Tellah to give her his undivided attention. She had a strange expression on her face, one he wasn't used to seeing on her. "The chains will unbind if I sacrifice myself."
"What?" Tellah asked.
She turned to the man, searching for confirmation of her idea.
"I came in and left with you when you fought Gale," she said, starting to pace between the two men. "And when Gale came in, she'd had the elder of Mist with her, just as I'd thought. The mist dragon told me he died when we felt her find the binds. Her acquisition of Maelstrom was too much for him to survive. She barely survived it herself."
Tellah suddenly understood the look: resignation. He leveled his eyes with hers, jabbing a finger on her chest.
"Absolutely not."
She crossed her arms.
"I'm dead out there. Could I even cross back to that world? And if I did…what would happen? The me that's here-it's no way to live, Tellah. Every second is another second I live a fragmented life," she said. She laughed dryly. "I need to be put out of my misery."
"You are not some wounded animal, Lydia. You're my friend," Tellah said. "It's out of the question. I will not be responsible for your death again."
"Again, Tellah?" she asked.
Tellah sighed through his nose. He'd been holding onto the secret since the caves of the waterway, afraid that if he verbalized it, then it was irredeemably true.
"Rydia said you had a heart condition. I found it strange, but assumed that perhaps I forgot about it over time. Yet I know now: you never had one until that fateful day. And seeing you here now, as you are, I realize that you'd had a broken heart from leaving a piece of yourself here. The only reason you came in was because of me," Tellah said.
She shook her head, hand-waving his guilt away.
"It was my choice to come here. And it is my choice to leave, by my manner of choosing," she said, stepping towards him. "Please, I can't stay here anymore, not like this. Let me help. Can you think of any alternatives?"
Tellah hated to admit it, but he couldn't think of another. She paused a moment longer, and noticing that he'd come up with nothing, stood resolute next to the man.
"I think-I think you just touch it," she said.
She held out her hand for him to take. Tellah felt that familiar ache in his chest, knowing what would happen next. He walked up to her and pulled her into another hug. She returned the gesture, squeezing him tightly. She kissed his cheek when she pulled back; Lydia had tears in her eyes once more.
"Please don't drag this out any longer," she whispered. Her hair fluttered across her face, and she hooked a finger through the wild locks and tucked them behind her ear. Her breath went in and out in sharp bursts. "Do it now."
"I'll do it for Mist. I'll do it for you, Lydia. I promise," he said, the words coming straight from his heart.
She nodded and extended her now shaking hand to him. This time he took it, cold fingers interlocking. With a deep breath, Tellah extended his hand once more and touched the boulder.
Pain. The only word that crossed Tellah's mind was pain. He squeezed Lydia's hand roughly and heard her gasp.
'What's this? A present? For me?'
Meteor's voice was crackly and dry. Tellah's skin bloomed with goosebumps all over his body as he realized that it spoke of Lydia. Meteor laughed.
'A nice one, at that. More than enough to keep you alive. I think you deserve your own reward, Tellah.'
Tellah gritted his teeth, breathing hard with every agonizing movement he made, however involuntary.
'Oh…'
Meteor sounded disappointed.
'It's not even a full soul.'
Lydia cried out. Tellah felt her hand burn hotter and hotter, but he found he couldn't let her go, though he was certain she was leaving blisters on his palm. She screamed, a high pitched sound like a creature caught in a trap.
'I'll leave it up to you, Tellah. I can either give you your memories back….'
Tellah came back to the bedroom with a thick blanket in one hand, and a warm cup of tea in the other. He set the cup on the nightstand and unfurled the blanket, laying it gently over Claire's lap as she rocked Anna to sleep in a rocking chair. She looked up at him through her lashes, and Tellah returned her gentle smile. Anna shifted in Claire's arms, beginning to fuss. Tellah stepped back, concerned that perhaps he'd disturbed her slumber. He'd forgotten to take his boots off before he came into the room and cursed silently. Claire started singing a song of dreams, of chasing hope, and Anna quieted to her soothing voice.
Tellah sat on the bedside, entranced by the beautiful sight in front of him. The candlelight flickered amidst the peaceful room, bouncing warmly across Claire's beautiful face. Tellah never knew why, but he always felt that she looked impossibly beautiful when she sang, regardless of the immense beauty she already possessed. Her eyes seemed to light up more, and the way her face relaxed as she drew out a long note, the ones that always gave him chills when she looked right at him-
How could one man have been so lucky? Tellah didn't deserve this. And yet here he was, blessed to be a part of a family bursting with love and affection. It took a chance meeting in a kingdom thousands and thousands of miles away to set him on this fortunate path. Anna opened her eyes, her gaze wandering until she looked at Claire. Anna had begun to recognize faces only a few weeks ago, and she'd stare and stare at the person above her as though nothing else mattered. Claire's smile grew wider, and Anna stayed transfixed. Anna suddenly smiled, a gummy, silly looking thing. Tellah let out a soft laugh of delight, and Claire flickered her own gaze at Tellah.
'I love you' he mouthed at her. Claire continued singing but winked in response.
Tellah's heart nearly stopped from his grief at the love lost. He let out a soft sob.
…or your spells.
Tellah squeezed his eyes shut. Chants he once knew came rushing back to him, and he realized that Meteor was giving him a taste of his spells - Firaga and Thundaga.
The spells, Tellah thought quickly. I need the spells. The good memories only hurt. I have enough of my own for now.
'The spells? I must say, I'm quite surprised. But so you've spoken, and so it shall be.'
Lydia stopped screaming. Belatedly, Tellah realized his nails were digging into his bleeding palm, and she was gone. The pain ebbed slowly away, but not completely. The words to Meteor were etched into the torment.
Tellah shakily turned the man, who had watched the scene play out with avid interest. Tellah felt furious, though he didn't know if he was angry at himself or at the man.
"What would someone like you need from someone like me?" Tellah snapped, his breath ragged.
The man leaned forward, his hand grazing Tellah's arm. Tellah felt weightless, a boat drifting out to sea unanchored. His vision turned black, and he worried he would faint and hit his head.
"It's not what I need. Give your friend some encouragement," the man said somewhere in front of him.
Ambient noises faded away. Tellah felt breathless as a cacaphony of excited voices swirled all around. His pain was temporarily forgotten.
"For the sake of the whole eart-"
"-can do it!"
"Cecil, everyone-"
"-please, hear our prayers!"
Crimson streaked across his vision, and Tellah reached for it desperately. The cape swirled away as the person turned to face him.
"I knew you were with us in prayer," Edward said, smiling. "Let's help our friends."
Edward bowed his head. Tellah stared at the young man in front of him, until he noticed that the dizziness was gone, and his balance was restored.
In front of them lay five warriors, each in a severe state of injury. To his horror he realized the one in the center was Cecil. Behind Tellah, he felt malevolence to the extreme. His base survival instincts kicked in, and like an anxious child navigating a dark, unfamiliar hall in the dead of night, a paralyzing fear kept him from turning to face it, as though acknowledging its existence meant certain death. Tellah watched Edward walk up to the one dressed in lavender, and he lay a gentle hand on the man's back.
"Have courage," he whispered as a glow emanated from the contact, and the man stirred. He sat up, unfocused and disoriented. Tellah was confused by his exotic clothing, unfamiliar with where this person must be from. Tellah couldn't see his face due to the mask covering everything below his eyes. The young man caught sight of the person next to him, a facedown woman in green, and pulled her up, flipping her to face him.
"Rydia! Rydia, please wake up," the man begged, shaking the woman gently. Her head hung back unmoving.
Tellah's mouth dropped open. In the man's arms lay the child he knew so long ago. How is it that Rydia was an adult? Cecil looked the same age as when he last saw him not even an hour before! Edward beckoned Tellah towards Rydia with his hand.
"I think she could use your help," Edward said, tilting his head to the summoner.
Tellah took tentative steps forward, and the strange, young man looked up at him as Tellah squatted, desperate eyes pleading for help. Rydia looked just like her grandmother. The grandmother I killed, Tellah thought hopelessly. As his hand stroked her cheek, Tellah felt the overwhelming power he'd known from both Minwu and Lydia. She's so much more powerful than I ever knew, he thought in shock. A white light exploded from his hand, catching him by surprise. Rydia's eyes opened as her wounds closed, and she stared at Tellah, sadness twisting her features.
"Am…am I dead?" she asked, genuine disappointment in her voice. Awake, the resemblance to Lydia was uncanny.
Tellah nearly laughed. No, no you're not, he thought in relief.
"Trust in yourselves," he said, looking at her and her companion.
Rydia nodded, her hand reaching up to touch his. Tellah felt a hand on his shoulder.
"It's time for us to go. The rest are waiting to give their own prayers," Edward said.
Tellah didn't have a chance to say anything to Cecil, or to Edward.
He blinked and reappeared on the summit.
The man studied Tellah as he regained his bearings.
"What was that?" Tellah cried. He felt deep exhaustion from everything that had transpired.
The man smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"That was your last act of kindness," he said.
Before Tellah could respond, the man reached forward and gently grasped his shoulder again.
"You've made your choice - devastating power at the cost of Lydia and your memories. I wish you the best of luck, child," the man said, sounding drowsier by the moment.
Everything in Tellah's vision melted like candlewax under a summer heat.
Tellah found himself back in the room with Cecil, Palom, and Porom.
"Oh!" he exclaimed.
The sound carried and echoed back to him. His companions directed their attention to him. He paused, uncertain of what caused him to speak up: the events forgotten in the blink of an eye. He could feel magic singing under his skin. Words long forgotten were no longer at the tip of his tongue. He smiled.
"Tellah?" Porom asked, urging him to continue.
"My spells…I remember! I remember all of them!" he said.
Something else swam under the surface. Tellah's eyes widened as he realized the dangerous entity that lurked within, unfamiliar yet enticing.
"What's this?" Tellah whispered, clutching at his chest. "Me…teor? That light must have granted it to me."
Tellah felt relieved.
"The most powerful black magic of all, mine at long last!"
Porom smiled at him, returning his childlike excitement.
"Amazing! You truly are as great a wizard as they say," she said warmly.
Tellah grinned, studying the words to Meteor in his head. Palom asked Porom a question, and they turned to face Cecil. Beautiful magic, Tellah thought, ignoring the conversation. Simple and to the point, but not something any scholar could have stumbled across on their own.
A sudden pang of guilt passed through Tellah, but he shook it off. He clapped his hands together, interrupting Palom.
"Alright! With this, we are made ready at last. Let us bring the fight to Golbez!" Tellah said.
Seemingly in response, a light shone behind them in the shape of a large rectangle: a door.
"Cecil!" Tellah beckoned to the paladin. "What are you standing about for?"
Cecil uncrossed his arms, nodding at him over the twins' heads.
"We'll talk later," he told Palom.
Palom nodded, staring at the ground.
"We must hurry!" Tellah said, hobbling towards the door of light.
"Yes, of course," Cecil said behind him, though he sounded pensive and had yet to move.
Tellah found himself on the steps of the mausoleum. Palom materialized next to him, shortly after followed by both Porom and Cecil.
"To Mysidia?" Porom asked Cecil.
Cecil nodded.
"To Mysidia," Cecil said, stepping off towards the path down the mountain.
A/N: Okay, listen. I wasn't going to kill off Tellah and then make him come back for five seconds as a spirit cheerleader at the Zeromus fight. This was the only way I could think of to make it make sense lol. Happy holidays to those who are celebrating around this time of year!