Here it is. The ending to Eternally Cursed.

There was something afoul in the wind, Lightning could feel it. She waited outside as Agrias picked through the shop's supplies, ogling at a shiny, sharp new sword she was greatly tempted to buy. But they were low on money, of course, and Balthier wasn't in the best of moods to go steal for them. Not that Ramza would let him out of his cage, of course.

"Lady Claire, do you think it was all right to leave Count Orlandeau and Ramza on their own?" Agrias asked, still eying the sword.

"I doubt they'd get into any trouble," Lightning murmured, resting her head against the wall. "Not unless more bounty hunters show up asking for it. But everyone is too afraid to face the Thunder God and his Phoenix."

"Does that name bother you?"

She wasn't expecting that sort of question. "Not so much as it used to. I mean, most of the time the name is used in praise. Despite, sometimes I wonder if people think I'm a god sent by the devil to destroy the world."

Agrias smiled, setting the sword down on the counter. "When you showed up the day the Princess was kidnapped, I did not think you were anything more than a mere squire. But then you told us your secret: that you were an Eternal, the creatures from the stories. Now I understand. Lady Claire, I think some greater being sent you to help us."

Greater being, huh? Lightning closed her eyes. Balthier should be happy to hear that.

"Let's get back to the others," Agrias suggested, heaving a bag of supplies out the door. "Balthier must be getting bored in that room. I told Ramza it was a bad idea to lock him up like that, but... I'm not sure if he was listening."

Rain was trickling from the sky, falling to the ground and making little rings in the puddles they passed on their way back to the inn. Lightning found herself watching her distorted reflection in each cluster of water, smiling faintly at the pale color of her cheeks. Sometimes, if she looked hard enough, she could see Ffamran smiling back at her.

Ramza was waiting underneath a crumbling porch, the house behind it already burned to the ground. When she asked why no one had repaired it, he said with a heavy sigh, "Heretics."

"Are people so adamant on killing us, then?" Agrias asked, disappointment in her voice. "Ivalice is going through dark times, yes, but why so much blood?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Lightning said with a shrug. "The Church is corrupt, that much is certain."

Cidolfus walked around the corner, the sword Agrias had been admiring slung over his shoulder. She took with an appreciative smile. "You see, my Phoenix, the Church has been corrupt for many years. It's only now that they're starting to see the error of their ways. A shame that most of them have become Lucavi tools." He scratched his chin. "Then again, the world is better off without them."

Ramza made to reply, but Lightning quickly shushed him. "No, Balthier is not a member of the Church. He actually despises religion more than children."

"I… actually was not going to say that," he said, cheeks flushed.

Lightning cast her gaze elsewhere. "Oh, right… Well, we better get going. The night draws close."

"Hands."

Balthier stared at her, a perplexed expression shadowing his silvery, yet somewhat dark eyes. Obediently, he held out both hands and allowed her to unwrap the bandages she had so hastily bound earlier that day. His skin was deformed to a point where she could hardly stand the stench. She sighed out of annoyance.

"Whatever am I going to do with you, pirate? You get into so much trouble."

He chuckled as she tied the bandage around his hands. "Well, with you here to look after me and punch me every time I do something wrong, I'll manage, I suppose. Though…" Balthier looked downcast for a moment. "I managed a few centuries… alone."

Lightning sighed again, then remembered how much Balthier hated that. Sighing away a bit of her life every time, he always said.

"I've missed you," he said suddenly.

"It's only been three hours, Balthier."

"No, it's been a week. I have not been with you for a week. I already miss you."

Oh… The Madness.

"It was fun, being with you. It was the one game that I lost; I lost to you."

"Aren't you with me, though?" She touched the Madness' cheek, and he leaned into her touch, purring so loudly that the others turned and looked with confusion.

"You know what I am. You can't say that, Claire."

Balthier returned, if only for a moment. "He's become as lazy as a cat, Light. All he wants to do is lie around and be petted and stroked by you. It's wreaking havoc on me."

"I'm not alone when you're here," the Madness whined. "I don't know what I would do if you left me. When we part ways again, you have to keep coming to see us. No one wants to come near us because they think they know what we are."

Please don't make me do this.

"Balthier, and Madness, you too… If I were to go away for… a long time, what would you do?"

"I'm not sure," Balthier answered first. "I must say that you're the only constant thing in my unending life. Everything else changes—I have seen cities crumble and new ones spring up in their place. The thing that has never changed is you."

The reaction she dreaded the most was the Madness', for she knew he could see the hidden meaning to her words. He started to sob, tugging at her hands. "You're keeping secrets, Light, and we don't like it. You don't really love us, do you? It's just because we look like that—that Other that you died for. I should have eaten his soul while I could!" He lashed out at someone behind Lightning, but she distracted him by stroking his cheek. "You're going to go away, aren't you? You're going to leave me by myself, and I'll never see you again."

Stop this—I can't live through this again.

Good-byes; it was always about good-byes. That one moment before everything would end, the final embrace, the last kiss, the only glance of respect. She hated good-byes more than anything in the world.

"Stop crying," she told him, but tears were falling from her own cheeks.

"You don't understand. You don't. Light, I don't have anything left—it was my fault. I did it—I killed Fran and ate her soul. I could show it to you. But I was so scared that she thought I was a lost cause—I didn't want her to leave me, so I ate her and now I keep her inside of me… with all the others…"

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. "Please, stop it, I can't—…"

It did not take him long to stop crying, but she knew the Madness had hid himself away and was now wallowing in his sorrow alone—just like he always would. Balthier lay on the bed and said no more, staring at the ceiling with a languid expression. Rubbing her eyes, Lightning ran her fingers through his hair as she joined him, resting her head on his shoulder.

The ceiling painted images of phoenixes burning up into ashes, rising again in triumph, but Lightning knew that she was different.

Lightning could hardly recognize herself.

She sat on one of the beds, Balthier kneeling behind her with a few pins in his mouth, brushing out her hair and murmuring about how long it had been since she changed her hair style. Her normally spiked hair was straightened out, and her curls looked glossy in the dim light. Agrias stood by the door, smiling at the pair.

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Lightning groaned, folding her arms across her chest. Balthier seemed too busy pining her hair into a bun to answer.

"Disguise," he finally said. "It will be easiest this way. You're going to pretend to be a noblewoman, yes? Say that there is a relative of yours interred within the crypt. They will warn you that there is a monster down there, but don't worry; that was me. Now, it may be a different story."

Ramza glanced up from the map. "What do you mean?"

"Before I joined your little journey, I would sometimes use Mullonde as a hiding place from bounty hunters. The catacombs below are very pleasant—" Lightning shot him a look through the mirror. "—for someone like me, that is. However, it began to have a—a bad feeling about it… I just—had a premonition about it. I couldn't stay, so I left."

"Like a creature that senses a storm about to break," Cid added, tilting his head. Balthier stood up and moved in front of Lightning, purposely avoiding her furious and slightly bemused expression.

"For this reason," Ramza nobly said, "I suspect that a Lucavi has made of the place a base for his dastardly operations. The Gemini and Capricorn Stones resonated when we reached Mullonde. Something is there."

"Yeah, that's great… But why am I the noblewoman? Why couldn't have I been something more humble, like… I don't know: the nun?" Lightning asked, hanging her head exasperatedly.

"Because," Balthier answered with a grin, "your hair is such an outlandish color that the only people who could possibly get away with it are of the aristocracy."

From inside her pocket, Ragnarok chuckled. 'I have wondered why your hair was such an… intriguing color. Now I understand—was your family of the aristocracy, Claire?'

Resisting the urge to throw his Stone out the window, she instead made to punch Balthier, but he dodged her swing and picked up a box from the floor. When he pulled out a luxurious vermilion dress with too many frills and bows, Ragnarok burst out laughing.

"I'll wear that for one punch," Lightning growled.

"One I would gladly take," Balthier purred.

She gladly obliged.

"Did you have to do that?" Agrias asked as they went into the small washroom, taking the voluminous dress from Lightning. "I'm sure Balthier means well, and… perhaps, um…"

Lightning pulled off her shoulder guards and tossed them on the counter, then started to remove her boots when she saw the embarrassed look on Agrias' face. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"I was just thinking that perhaps Balthier wants to see you in the dress?"

The statement caught her off guard. "No, that's just too…" She shook her head. "That's insane. Balthier and I—we're not like that. I couldn't… betray Ffamran like that."

On cue, that warm presence entered the room just as Agrias left. Lightning pulled Ragnarok's crystal from her pocket and set it on the counter, purposely tossing her skirt on top of it. His protests were partially amusing: 'My eyes are closed! Why do you have to mistreat me, Claire? I—I wasn't looking!' As she struggled with putting on the dress, it felt like warm hands were helping her slip it over her body. The hands tied the last strings along her back, then moved to her shoulders where she felt a soft, consoling kiss.

"Ffamran?" she whispered, staring at her reflection. "Is that you?"

'Ffamran? What? He gets to see?' Ragnarok scoffed. 'So the ghost is able to express his affection, the Madness is allowed to sit in your lap… and what do I get? I am forced to sit in your pocket and hardly get any attention at all!'

"I don't want you to scare the others with your beastly appearance, Ragnarok," Lightning reassured him, sighing when the warm presence vanished. "And you can't come out of your Stone for too long without getting tired."

He groaned. 'May we please destroy Ultima again so I can be freed?'

Lightning's heart sank. "Soon. I promise."

"Remember what I told you," Balthier murmured to her at the towering, elegant gates. "Tell the guards you're visiting a long dead relative. Say it's the anniversary of their death."

She shoved his shoulder, tempted to whack him upside the head with her crimson umbrella. "I'm not comfortable with this. I don't want to lie just so we can fight another Lucavi," she admitted. "And—what do you expect me to say? 'Excuse me, good sirs. Might I venture into the tomb with my undead companion?'"

He barely smiled. "Now I understand why the Madness refuses to play cards with you… Just do your best, and if things get out of control… I will gladly step in."

"I'm not sure I want that."

The others retreated into the forest just as she approached the two tall men standing behind the gate. Their armor looked fragile, as if it would crumble at the slightest touch. Just like the catacombs. Lightning swallowed hard before bowing her head and walking up to the bars, attempting the look that she once saw Serah use on her parents when she wanted to go to the beach one day.

"Excuse me," she said. "I… Might I venture into the catacombs?"

"For what purpose?" one of the men asked, scrutinizing her with his glare.

"It's—" Think, Lightning, think! "—it's the anniversary of my brother-in-law's death. He and I were very close, and I… I miss him very much so."

Both men stared. 'Claire, they don't believe you. If you would just let me out, Lindzei and I could—'

"He died in battle, you see? A-and I never had the chance to say how much he meant to me…"

"Name?"

"Huh?"

"Your family name." The guard pulled out a long scroll that tumbled all the way to the grass. "What is it?"

"Um, well—Villiers. But my family may have listed him under another name out of embarrassment. Because—well, you see, my brother-in-law was quite strange. He was always running about calling himself a hero at the most random of times, and I could have sworn he was slightly interested in men—"

'Oh, gods, Claire! You could have chosen one of your other comrades. Why do you always have to pick the fool? Why not the thief or the Queen? Even that little machinist—'

"Right, come along. Make it quick, though," the guard said as he pulled the heavy gate open. "There's a fiend down in the catacombs. We don't want a pretty little lass like you to get hurt."

'That is it; I'm definitely hunting you imbeciles once I'm free!'

"Thank you. I'm sure my brother-in-law's ghost will protect me," she said with a false smile. The moment she was out of their range, Lightning plucked Ragnarok's Stone from her bodice and threw it into the trees, smirking when he yelled:

'Claire! Do not leave me here! What if—there are birds in this tree! I—I don't particularly like the way they're eying me! Claire, please! Come back!'

The others hopped over the fence when Lightning gave them the signal to move, though Agrias was less than pleased when she learned Lightning had left Ragnarok's Stone behind. Balthier, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing.

"We can't just leave him there," Agrias protested.

"I agree," Ramza added. "If anyone was to get their hands on the Lucavi's Stone, who knows what may happen. We need the creature in order to save Alma."

Lightning gaped at him, and Balthier finally went quiet. "Listen, Ramza: Ragnarok is not a Lucavi. He was bound to the Stone because he refused to be like those monsters. Stop treating every otherworldly being like them! First Balthier, then the Madness, and now Ragnarok? What about me, huh?" She turned on her heel, moving behind some bushes to remove the dress. "Am I a monster, too?"

"Lady Claire, I—"

She ignored him until she needed to grab the rest of her armor from his grip. As soon as she was fully dressed, Balthier grumbled and fumbled with the lock of the gate. Cidolfus returned with Ragnarok's Stone and returned it to its rightful owner, though the god was less than pleased with her.

'You have no idea how tempted I was to send Lindzei after those birds…' he growled, then went silent until further notice.

"You looked rather fetching in red," Balthier said when Lightning joined him by the gate. "True to your namesake."

She swallowed hard, remembering what Agrias had said earlier: perhaps Balthier wants to see you in that dress?

"And what of you?" she asked, scoffing. "The Godless Thief hiding in the holiest of Cathedrals?"

"I dislike meeting the predictable expectations of others." He unlocked the door with a click and led the way, walking into the hall as if he were home.

Lightning kept close to him, but her eyes wandered along the carvings and sculptures lining the walls and covering the ceiling. Angels damning demons to the depths of Hell, parading against the demons threatening their home… but soon the faces contorted into grotesque expressions of hatred, gluttony and greed. Lightning stumbled right into Cidolfus, who gave her a pat on their head and a chuckle.

"I can barely see my hand in front of my face," Agrias said. "Shall we light a torch? I am surprised you navigated this labyrinth without any assistance, Balthier."

"I rely on my hearing and sense of smell; I would advise against a light. Many of those hunting me thought to do the same. I had to do naught but wait for them to succumb to their fear…"

And the Madness, Lightning wanted to say but instead remained silent. She wondered how the Madness was doing, especially after his breakdown. He had come so close to discovering her plan…

Balthier started to laugh. "So much death! All the souls, bound in one place. Can you see them?"

Obviously the Madness was doing just fine.

"I can't see a thing," she answered, shaking her head. She really couldn't—all she could make out were faint red lights glowing along the walls.

"Well, I did try to make you see, years and years ago."

That was something she tried not to remember. Lightning rested her arm against the wall—or what she thought was the wall—and ended up shuffling away almost instantly. "Balthier," she said, voice trembling, "there are bones in the wall."

"She speaks true."

Balthier froze like a hunted fiend, eyes jittery and suddenly afraid of something Lightning could not see. At last, when she reached for him, red lights flickered from the bones and gathered at the middle of the path, morphing into the small frame of a young girl.

Lightning could not believe her eyes. Penelo?

"Balthier! It's been so long!" The dancer jumped into Balthier's arms, embracing him as if it had been over a hundred years since they last met (which was true, more or less). "When I finally found you here, you left! You almost made me think you didn't want to see me again! I'm hurt!"

"I—"

His voice cracked, eyes wide with terror, and he broke out into a fit of coughs. Lightning squinted, shutting out all the background noise and listening for that one sound she needed to hear. Yes—there it was. His heartbeat. But—how?

Penelo's gaze alighted on Lightning, and her sweet disposition warped into a cruel, vicious snarl.

"Who's she?" she snapped.

Balthier couldn't answer coherently. "Someone… very special," he choked between coughs. "The one person who I cannot… must not lose…"

"Oh. What a shame."

Her hand flashed through Lightning in a strange, graceful way, plunging through her body and right where her heart should have been beating. Penelo's lip curled in annoyance, but she smiled with horrid glee.

"Another one!" she shrilled. "You're just like Balthier, before I turned him back!" Penelo stepped forward and touched Lightning again, only this time her frown remained. "Curse the White Lady's protection!"

Balthier drew fomalhaut, still wheezing with ragged breaths. "Penelo, why are you here?"

She smirked and—what in the world?—yellow, rotting teeth appeared behind thin lips.

"I'm taking Balthier."

Red—that was all she could see when the dagger plunged through Balthier's chest, as he staggered against the wall and collapsed, as his heart slowly became a faint memory. Lightning screamed, drew her gunblade and ran at Penelo. But the dancer smiled and waved her hand, and Lightning, too, fell to the dirt.

She felt… cold. Lightning willed herself from her sleep and opened her eyes, only to find that she was sinking further and further into water. Forcing her arms and legs to move, she swam to the surface and coughed, spluttering from the foul taste of sea water. Sea water? But—they hadn't been anywhere near an ocean…

She took the hand in front of her face and stood, gasping when the hand she held felt so warm and comforting. It took her a moment to realize that this was Balthier—not Ffamran—helping her up.

"Balthier, you're alive…" she whispered.

"Yes… human again, it seems," he said with a slight, uncomfortable laugh.

"I mean, you were stabbed in the heart. I saw you fall." She reached forward and touched that beating spot on his chest, finally drawing close and leaning against him, taking in his newfound warmth of life.

"I don't remember any of that… I remember Penelo returning from the joining of all the evil souls, and I remember coming back to life when she touched me—painful, by the way, I don't recommend it—and then… it's blank."

To be brutally honest… Lightning could care less about Penelo. Balthier was alive again and no longer needed to devour humes and their souls to survive. No—but… what of the Madness?

"It is time for you to decide, Ffamran."

Both of them turned to see Penelo standing over a stone chest filled with pieces of gold, the skulls snickering and wailing at them. Lightning understood; this was one of the worlds Balthier told her about. This was Earth, more specifically the lair of famed pirate Cortes. This was Isla de Muerta.

"It's been six hundred years since that day: and I give you a choice now. You know what happened when you accepted the medallion, so that you could return home to Fran," Penelo continued, but Lightning hardly believed that this was truly Penelo. "That day, you threw away your humanity for a human choice. I give you the choice now: you may leave this cave—go back to witty Jack and the Black Pearl. Content yourself with the wind of the sea, the song of the gulls. Remain a human unto death…

"Or take a coin. Become the monster again. Lose yourself like a ship in the storm, into the gullet of the maelstrom, never to return. Take your curse and die even as you live."

Lightning hesitantly met Balthier's eyes. "Well," he said, "I have lived a long time. I have done… many things I am not proud of. Even as a monster, I am still a human. I can never be perfect."

Nothing can be perfect, she wanted to say. But this was his decision. Just like my decision to die.

"But I have seen many good things, too," Balthier finally added. He reached down and held one of the horrid, yet strangely beautiful medallions and closed his fingers around it. Lightning shut her eyes and clung to him, listening as his heart faded into a memory.

When Penelo screamed, the world shattered and morphed into the skeletal catacombs, but the skulls' eyes shined brightly with red souls. Lightning scowled as Balthier pulled the dagger out from his chest, murmuring about how his vest was—yet again—ruined.

"You were supposed to say no!" Penelo wailed. "You were supposed to refuse and die! To refuse the curse of undeath and die by my blade—that was your fate, why do you rebel?"

She flew forward, scratching at his chest in an attempt to recover his medallion—his heart.

"Do you know what my dying thought was? You knew the secret to immortality—you found the Fountain of Youth: and you didn't share it with us. You could have given us eternity, but—"

"You want that curse?" Lightning yelled. "You're more foolish than I thought, Penelo."

Penelo turned and glared, but it had no effect. Lightning wasn't afraid to die.

"That was silly, Light," Balthier told her as they were pulled away into a new realm. "Now you'll get caught up in her games, too."

The skulls were gone, but Feolthanos' auracite stood in their place.

"Why here?" she asked, voice cracking. No—not this place. This was where she lost her only chance at death… She could have let Feolthanos kill her, but… she was foolish and wanted to be with Ffamran.

"Light?"

She whirled around and caught his hand before he could touch her face. Ffamran looked at her strangely, tilting his head as if asking what was wrong.

"Ffamran…" she whispered, reaching out and touching his face. He was so warm… so real. He smiled and her heart melted; this wasn't a dream, this had to be real. "Ffamran…"

He was about to embrace her when a gunshot broke through the auracite and straight into Ffamran's chest. He collapsed at her feet, glassy eyes staring at her as if to plead for her help. Lightning couldn't take it anymore; she drew her gunblade and turned, running toward Feolthanos and screaming. The god vanished and reappeared when she swung her sword, teasing her with images of the past and the future; her future. She saw the Madness crying in a busy crowd, sobbing as a city crumbled around him—she saw Balthier wandering alone and a girl calling his name—she saw Serah crying over a grave, letting her pendant slip from her trembling fingers—

"You can save him, Claire," Penelo's childish voice crooned in her ears. "Save your sweet little Ffamran. Slay Feolthanos—use his anima to restore the life of your loved one."

Make him Eternal.

She froze, her still heart weeping at the dancer's words. "Make Ffamran Eternal…?"

"He would join you in eternity. You would never be alone."

Feolthanos started to laugh, but when Lightning raised her gunblade again, he suddenly began to fade away. Someone else stood in his place… someone…

"Don't do it, Light! See past the illusion—you were always the smartest of the l'Cie."

"And why should I trust you, Feolthanos?"

"Feolthanos is another illusion—I have no desire for eternity, Light. You said so yourself. It's a curse. Every day I blame myself for doing this to you."

And then he was there.

Ffamran.

Lightning threw her gunblade aside and ran to him, holding his face and pressing their foreheads together. "Is it… really you?" she asked. "You're still here? You should have moved on a long time ago."

"I should have, but I did not."

She wanted to ask why, but now was not the time. "If this is you… what is that on the ground?"

"A trap. You would have made… it… Eternal, and it would have leaped up and killed you. Look at it closely, Light. The Madness is what enables my other and I to see it, but can you?"

She moved away from him and looked down, and—what in the world?

"I was going to give that immortality?" she asked, staring at the deformed, ocean-borne fiend before turning back to Ffamran.

"Indeed. And… even if you did, I would be very disappointed in you, Light. That you would consider making me immortal… it is most unacceptable."

Penelo materialized before them, impatiently glaring. "Is that your decision?"

"Yes," Lightning said, clinging to Ffamran's hand.

"Hm… and I wished you would bring my puppet to life."

Lemures became another memory, a ghost of the past. Ffamran was gone when Lightning opened her eyes, but Balthier was still there, holding her hand.

"I just remembered my dying thought… I thought that you would be lonely, being immortal all alone." And then Penelo vanished—or was it really Penelo?

Balthier closed his eyes, taking a deep breath despite how much he hated it. Lightning smiled for a moment; just for a moment.

"Calypso…"

"Human."

"Why?"

"Am I not entitled to see my creation?"

He smirked. "Creation, is it…? I was under the impression that you were dead."

"I am the shadow of the goddess Calypso. Soon I will fade."

"Then tell us: who put you up to this?"

"A lion. He knew I wanted to see you again—to try to break you again."

Hashmal. Lightning shut her eyes; she knew this would happen. Yet why was she so surprised?

"And why drag Lightning into this?" Balthier urged.

"A test. To see her will to let go of the past."

"And?"

Silence. Lightning bit her lip, removing her hand from Balthier's grip.

"Lightning? Do you think… think you passed the test?"

She turned away and left, but she knew that the ghosts would never leave her alone. Not when she was just a ghost of the past herself.

'What troubles you, Claire?'

Lightning sighed when she lay down on the bed mat, turning the Serpentarius Stone in her hands. Of course Ragnarok could see that something was wrong; he always knew her best, it seemed. Agrias was already asleep, tired out by the day's events despite how little they had accomplished.

"It's… it's nothing, really," she whispered, sighing again.

'You're sad. Don't bother lying, Claire. Lindzei can see through any lie. He says you're worried about a certain soul who has not yet passed through Etro's great Door of Souls.'

Damn that snake.

"Look, Ffamran can do as he pleases. I could really care less why he had to stay behind. It'll be his fault when he finally does pass on and gets lectured by Snow and Fran."

'I'm sure he knows what awaits him. Perhaps that is why he is so afraid to move on. He'd be leaving you behind, after all.'

"He left me that day in the Glabados Ruins. I'm just… worried about why he never tried to tell me he never actually left."

'He wants to tell you. I can lead you to him, if that is what you want.'

"I thought you were still mad at me."

'Oh he is,' Lindzei said cheerfully. 'But he hates seeing you like this. He is too proud to admit how much he cares for you, Lightning Farron.'

"I'll keep that in mind the next time he pisses me off." She clenched the Stone and dashed out of the tent, ignoring the worried look Balthier gave her from where he sat by the fire.

She had been searching for most of the night, following a trail of faint footsteps and whispered words through the forest, the night sky glimmering just beyond the clouds. The Serpentarius Stone guided her on this path, often glowing brightly if she was going the right way, and dimming to a dark hue if she strayed. Lightning tucked the Stone away when a warm feeling drifted into her heart, and she stepped into the clearing with a slow pace, keeping her eyes still for a moment.

"Ffamran?" she called in a small voice. "Ragnarok said you wanted to talk… So just where are you?"

The wind blew across her cheek like the caress of a hand. She spun, breath hitching when she saw a ghostly figure watching her like a raven keeping track of its kin. Ffamran slowly stepped down from the tree and smiled, extending one of his hands. Lightning took it, but was not surprised when she found that his faint skin was cold.

"You've kept me waiting," she said, meeting his gaze. "I was convinced you'd already left, but… You've been with me the whole time. Haven't you?"

Ffamran nodded. "I am sorry. It took me years to find you, and when I had… I came across my other self. Then, Ragnarok—he made sure I was safe." His voice echoed with the wind, and his hands were so cold. Lightning reached up and lightly held his face, afraid that one touch would break him. "You were right to think I had moved on, and for a while I thought so, too, but…" He sighed. "I am lost."

"Lost?"

"My other self has told me much about what happens to ghosts when they roam the world for too long. Surely he's told you? Those who do not move on become twisted."

Lightning shook her head, resting against his chest. "Why did you look for me?" she asked, pained by the thoughts running rampant and consuming all hope. "You should have gone after the others, they must miss you…"

"It was my fault you're cursed like this, Light." He tilted her chin up with a finger, and she made to retort, but he cut her off. "I should have learned to get over it and let you be at peace, but I pulled you from the skies and damned you to this land to walk eternity alone. I never wanted that."

"So you stayed behind to apologize? Ffamran, you… You can't stay."

He was running his fingers through her hair, taking in the scent of roses. "For a little longer. I can last that long. My soul is not yet tainted, not completely."

"Ragnarok can't protect your soul forever. I don't—I don't want to be the one to hold you back when you lose yourself." She took a deep breath, and rain threatened to fall from her eyes. "Ffamran, go. Please, leave this world and find the others. You're not safe here."

"Safe from what? Etro has already taken my payment, so she does not care enough to watch me. Ragnarok will last until the gods die, and my other self is too stubborn and afraid to die. And I won't lose myself until I lose you."

"But I'm not the only one who needs you. Don't you remember the others? Don't you remember Snow?" she whispered. "Or have you already forgotten?"

Ffamran enclosed his fingers around hers, resting his chin atop her head. "Amnesia hasn't plagued me since I departed Pulse all those years ago. Of course I remember Ice; that fool never leaves my mind."

"So go! You can't stay here, not with me. Ffamran—Balthier..." She pulled away suddenly, shutting her eyes to stop the tears. "Just go… Leave this world."

The look he gave her shattered everything she knew. Ffamran stepped away from her, lips parted as silence claimed him. He looked torn; his eyes looked from her to distant figures behind her, ghosts of the past calling his name and urging him to come home. Ffamran shook his head. Lightning curled her fingers about her auracite crystal and threw it to the dirt, rain suddenly pouring from the skies.

"Go!" she cried. "I don't… I don't need you anymore!"

The wind ceased, but the leaves drifted from the ground and flew to the sky. Ffamran walked past, resting a hand on her shoulder before vanishing from sight, the warm feeling in her heart departing to lands unknown.

As you wish.

Lightning collapsed to her knees in the mud, staring with grief stricken eyes as the auracite's last light faded away. She let the tears fall, clutching the auracite crystal to her chest and whispering his name. But he was gone…

Arms wrapped around her—warm, pleasant arms—and she started to sob. Balthier said nothing and just held her there, letting her cry and break the long awaited silence of a ghost's departure from the visible world.

Agrias placed the warm mug of water in Lightning's hands with a tender motion, her gaze lingering on the squire's puffy eyed and forlorn appearance before joining Ramza at the other side of the fire. Somewhere behind the tents, Cidolfus was muttering about tricks and vanishing swords, but Lightning was in no mood to smile. She felt Balthier's hand tighten about her wrist, but it seemed like she could hardly focus on what the others were saying.

"We carry three Stones: Gemini, Capricorn and Serpentarius. Two of those Lucavi have passed on, but one remains," Ramza said nobly. "Though I doubt we need a Lucavi's assistance in this fight."

"And just what are we fighting?" Agrias asked.

"The other Lucavi have all spoken of a master… an Angel of Blood. And that sea goddess: what was it she said, pir—pardon, Balthier?"

Lightning turned to look at him: Balthier was just as shocked as she was to hear Ramza call him something other than 'monster' or 'pirate'.

"A lion told her to confront me and break my will," he answered, partially flustered. He released his hold on Lightning, but chose not to sit elsewhere. She was glad for that—she could barely handle her emotions after… after…

She shut her eyes. Nothing mattered, for she would soon join Ffamran in the afterlife.

So she hoped.

"There's only one Lucavi that fits that descriptor. Hashmal has followed our trail of bread crumbs and is ready to end the hunt." Balthier smirked. "Whether we end it on our own terms is your choice."

"So I must be the one to make the final decision?" Ramza forced a laugh, turning the Gemini Stone over in his hands.

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't be here. But since I'm, ah, included in this little venture, I can't back out now."

"Why not?"

He glanced toward Lightning, a stressed sigh escaping his lips. "I am only here to see how this story will unfold… To be quite honest, I sometimes wish for the happy ending that has evaded me for so long."

Cidolfus returned, brandishing his sword in front of Balthier with a half amused and half furious glint in his eyes. Ramza and Agrias were both suddenly intrigued by the stars in the sky.

"You may tell the Madness that just because he dozed off during our card game and lost, does not mean he can tie my sword in trees when I'm not looking," the aging knight grumbled.

Balthier frowned, then almost smiled. Almost. "I wasn't aware of this. Perhaps Lindzei is the culprit, not I."

Madness? Lightning squinted—his eyes were nearly silver again.

"However, I will say that it would be wise of you to watch where you toss your weapons aside at night. You might accidentally skewer someone."

She had never seen her mentor so annoyed in her life. Cidolfus pointed the blade at Balthier's neck, turning the sky pirate's head to the side. "And I must tell you that it is wise to mind where your little friend does at night. Are you aware that he watches my Phoenix as she sleeps?" he asked.

Thankfully the Madness was not offended, though Balthier looked less than pleased. "He's had that habit for a few weeks now."

"You've not tried to stop him?"

"I do as I please, and so does he."

Lightning stood abruptly, clenching her eyes shut. "I'm going to bed," she announced. "I'll take the last watch of the night."

She didn't care to let them answer; she went right into her tent and crawled under the blankets, wrapping her arms around herself and releasing a shaky sigh. Though she understood that it wouldn't be much longer until she joined the others in the beyond, it still… hurt to watch Ffamran go. But he was safe now—that was all that mattered.

'Claire.'

Biting her lip, she pulled the blankets closer and hid her face. The Serpentarius Stone slipped from her pocket, and as the Stone started to glow, she could feel Ragnarok's touch on her head.

'Don't do this, Claire.'

"All I have to do is wait, Ragnarok. Then I can be with him again," she whispered, allowing her eyes to rest on his partially transparent appearance. His crimson glare searched for reason, but he would find none.

'You could stay.'

"I can't—I can't do that. Not this time." Her voice cracked like broken glass. "I saw that world years ago, and I wanted to stay there… but Ffamran took me away. I saw my warm sun, I could hear the waves crashing against the sands of eternity…"

His fingers trailed along her cheekbone, barely there yet still comforting. 'It was only a dream, princess.'

"Was it?"

Ragnarok turned and scowled, vanishing before her eyes and allowing her to see that someone stood outside her tent. Balthier crept in silently, gaze lowered and expression apathetic. When she tried to say something, to find out just what he overheard, he sat down beside her and rested his forehead against hers.

What worried her was that he hadn't said a thing. He closed his eyes and waited—waited for what?

She had seen the distant shore in her dreams, all her long lost friends waiting for her to join them. She had felt at peace, yet that peace was nothing compared to what she felt now, with Balthier wordlessly soothing and mending her broken heart. There was no white sand at their feet, no smiling faces and words of endearment. Her distant shore had slipped from her grasp at her first glimpse of eternity.

Balthier pulled away, but Lightning grabbed his hand and held him back, tightening her fingers about his.

"Stay," she whispered. "Just for tonight."

Her heart ached when he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"As you wish."

She didn't know when he left, though it had been hardly midnight when she awoke from her sleep and reached across the bed mat, hoping to find him laying there, watching her dream. She had dreamt of blue skies and ships that could fly. Lightning pulled on her armor with this in mind, sheathing her gunblade as she exited the tent.

Just by the fire pit, a frightened merchant spoke to Ramza in a frantic tone.

"—the fiend barged into my shop and stole from me! I tracked it here, but it's gone further into the forest!"

"A fiend?" Lightning asked, joining the group. Balthier was noticeably absent, which probably wasn't a good sign.

Cidolfus sighed. "A skeletal one. Our godless friend must have been busy this night."

"What did it steal?" Ramza urged.

"A necklace—a fine one, at that. My best piece in the shop," the merchant said. "I crafted the charm from the finest of metals into a lightning bolt. Worth nearly two-thousand gil."

Lightning closed her eyes when Cidolfus smirked at her knowingly.

"We might as well go after this fiend," he suggested. "It is not often that heretics are asked to aid the helpless."

"If he decides to turn on us at the last minute, I'll give him to Balthier," she growled, storming off into the forest.

"Today happens to be a special day, I think," Cidolfus said to her as they walked side-by-side behind Ramza and Agrias. "Why do you think he went off to get you that necklace?"

She kept a firm grip on her gunblade. "I… lost my auracite necklace. Maybe Balthier thinks I needed something to replace it." That was a lie: she knew was today was. Her birthday. Her deathday. Ultima's inevitable return. There was no turning back now that she was ready to die. Yet… was she ready?

Agrias' voice dragged her from her thoughts.

"There it is! Now!"

She went to strike the skeletal fiend perched on a headstone, clutching something in its hands. Of course, Balthier was faster than her and carelessly flung her into the bushes. Ramza yelled out and went to her aid, leaving Lightning and Cidolfus to deal with the apparently rabid Balthier. Cidolfus wasted no time and thrust his sword into Balthier's thin neck, allowing Lightning to dash forward and shove the sky pirate into the nearest river.

"Blast it—Ramza!" Balthier spat, shaking the water from his decaying skin. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to dry out like this?"

"Balthier?" Lightning asked, slightly surprised he was sane for the time being. "What are you—I thought that you would have had the sense to lie low when the moon was out?"

She extended her hand and helped him out of the water; his bony hands were rough against her skin. "I apologize. I had to go out today—there was something rather important I had to attend to."

"Eating humes?"

"No, it's been a while."

"A while? You know how dangerous that is!" she hissed, noticing that Cidolfus was watching. "How long?"

He didn't answer. Frustrated, Lightning grabbed a bottle of eye drops from her pack and dumped the contents on his face, leaving him spluttering and confused.

"Gods—damned—! I'm wet enough already, Light, it's going to take hours for me to dry!"

"I guess I should be sorry, then. I'm the one who threw you into the river."

"And I suppose I might get my sword back, may I?" Cidolfus asked. "I feared it lost when you fell into the river, but you brought it back with you."

The old knight easily heaved the sword out from Balthier's neck, then stepped back as if he expected Lightning to lash out at them both. She planned on doing just that—at least to Balthier.

"You haven't answered my question yet," she murmured.

"A week," he told her timidly.

"How have you managed?" She touched his chin and made him look her in the eyes. Just like last night, his eyes were close to becoming the Madness' silver glare.

"I tried fiend blood, but it only delays the inevitable and seems to make the hunger worse once it wears off." As if to apologize for keep secrets, he kissed the back of her hand. She wouldn't deny her own guilt for keeping secrets, but now was not the time.

"Cidolfus, an antidote!"

It was Ramza, carrying a very pale and ill Agrias in his arms. She hardly looked alive. Lightning went to her pack and dug for any sort of antidote, but Cidolfus was quicker and administered the serum, only to discover it was useless.

"It's too strong, the antidote does not take," he said, trying to think up another solution. Balthier held the holy knight's hand and plucked the thorns and splinters from her skin with his teeth. He met Lightning's eyes tensely, hunger leaking from his silver glare.

"May I?"

It's too risky, he might lose control, I can't trust him—

She nodded. "Only if you can stop."

"I give you permission to do whatever you can if I don't."

Lightning shut her eyes when he began to drink the poisoned blood.

Later, when Agrias was sound asleep and being watched over by Ramza, Lightning found Balthier huddled underneath a tree, clutching his stomach and whining. She sat down beside him and allowed him to rest his head on her lap, closing her eyes briefly before speaking.

"I told you, you should have spit it out instead of drinking it," she said, shaking her head as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I didn't want to waste it," he answered in a brooding manner, then held back a short. "And… I was too hungry."

She looked toward the moonlit sky, smiling softly. She wondered if Ffamran had reached the Door yet. He was safe there as long as he didn't try to come after her, wasn't he? It didn't matter; he was well protected.

"Fascinating!" came Cidolfus' voice not too far away. "I did not think it was possible for the dead to be affected by poisons."

"It is not possible," Balthier answered. "But the poison entered my body through Agrias' blood. It's… it's destroying me from the inside…"

Ramza walked over, holding his sword. "It is what a fiend like you deserves. To be destroyed by the very thing that sustains you—how just."

"Just—just, he says!" Balthier almost laughed, but Lightning touched his face with her much cooler hand. "After all I have done—with nary a 'thank you', by the way, and all I am is a fiend deserving justice? It is hardly fair; I have good intentions, I assure you of that. All that is wrong with me is that I am an animated corpse that must feed on humes to survive, and suddenly I am a fiend. You hardly look at Lightning the way you look at me; hasn't it occurred to you that she is an undead, just like me?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Balthier…"

"Hm… I don't see anyone calling the humes monsters for slaughtering cows and sheep and eating their flesh."

"Well, yes, but beasts aren't intelligent," Cid said.

"Who said so? It is no different for me—I, too, must partake of flesh and blood, yet for that I am hunted and persecuted—'monster', they said, 'fiend'. What would they say if they knew that, once upon a time, the Godless Thief was hume? Long ago—long enough to forget what it is like, to feel my own blood stir in my veins."

He moved away from her, crouching low to the ground and smiling hauntingly.

"Humes fear what they don't know. They fear the abyss—but what is death? A beyond? A void? A city, perhaps, sideways, of course—with water for sky and eternity stretching out below. One small step—and drop!" He laughed, oddly musical to Lightning's ears. "In the past, the unknown was explored—my father explored. I remember that much. To find what could not be found. That was to be hume. And now—to explore what you fear. The undead. Whatever could they be?"

Lightning stood just as he drew his Darkblade from his belt, that strange silver gleam stealing her courage like a thief in the night.

"I want to know!"

He had her pinned against the tree in an instant, pressing the blade against her neck to tilt her head up to the moon. The others moved to protect her, but Balthier regarding them with little interest.

"Balthier, this isn't you," she shakily whispered. "Stop losing yourself to others—is it the Madness? Whoever is there, stop."

She reached for his hand, but the blade pricked her neck and drew blood as red as roses. Balthier moved close as if to kiss her, but only licked away the blood and smiled at her. "Hm… your skin is so very, very sweet," he breathed. "I wonder what it would taste like once… exposed to a little air."

He nipped at her neck, and when she made to grab her gunblade, he plucked it from her side and tossed it away like a meaningless toy.

"Let go of me, Balthier. You don't want to do this. Come with me," she urged. "We'll find other things for you to eat…"

"I'm rather partial to you, you see… I don't want anyone else's blood but yours. I'm so hungry. Your scent is driving me mad. Now… let's get back to this dissection business. How shall I cut you up? Or, because I am so very fond of you, I will let you tell me how you will liked to be cut up."

"I don't want to be cut up," she pleaded. "You're out of your mind. Come back, Balthier—Ffamran…"

But he was already sinking his teeth in her flesh, greedily sucking the blood from her body. Her knees went limp, and she could barely stand when he suddenly whipped away from her, cursing in pain. Cidolfus caught her before she could stumble to the ground, murmuring words of dark magick to heal her.

The rest of the night was a blur. She remembered hearing Balthier cry her name, then Fran's, but neither of them could save him from himself. One was damned for eternity, the other sought death to escape eternity…

As Cidolfus tightened the bandage around her neck, he mentioned that Ramza had tied Balthier to a tree so he wouldn't hurt anyone else. Partially feeling at fault, she went to the sky pirate and punched him twice, though later informed him that she didn't blame him one bit.

But that didn't stop him from apologizing profusely.

"Balthier, enough," she finally snapped. He looked up at her from where he knelt on the ground. "I understand. Apologies won't fix anything. All we can do is move forward. You got the damn blood you needed, though I'll be a flandragora if I knew why you held off so long."

"All the people we met on the way were important others in this party. Believe it or not, I do discriminate about who will be my prey for the night." She didn't smile, and he added, "Most of the time. It won't happen again."

As strange as it seemed, she knew he wasn't lying.

By morning, all Lightning wanted to do was stay in her tent and exile herself. There was no turning back, she constantly reminded herself. She made her choice the day Mustadio died. Nothing could change that.

She crawled out of her tent silently, but a glittering piece of jewelry blocked her path to the firepit.

"What's this?" she asked, staring blankly at Balthier's smirking face.

"For you. I may be old, but I do remember the more important days of the year." He dropped the necklace into her hands and closed her fingers around the chain, pressing his lips to hers in a swift, brief motion. "I am sorry about last night."

"This morning, actually. It was past midnight when we found you." She couldn't resist smiling, even though Ramza watched them with his keen eyes. "But thank you. This… this means a lot to me."

More than you know.

When he walked off, probably to see how Agrias was faring, Lightning tied the charm around her neck and held it between two fingers. The lightning-bolt was a bit darker than her old one, but… having it over her heart brought back memories of happier days. But those thoughts only served to remind her that she would be saying good-bye for the last time.

She wanted to drop to her knees in front of Balthier and beg him to stop her, to say that he needed her to be with him. But it was hopeless. She wanted to live just as much as she wanted to die.

Time passed quickly. They reached Orbonne late in the afternoon, and by that time all Lightning could think about was how she would go about admitting her mistake to Balthier. He must have known by now, unless he was in denial just like her. Since they left camp that morning, Ragnarok hectored her about leaving the past behind and moving on. If Ffamran could do it, why couldn't she?

"Look, Ragnarok, I'm sorry," she whispered to him when he materialized at her side. The others were ahead a few paces, talking amongst themselves about a strange gathering of Mist in the monastery. "I don't know what to do."

'Then stay. You could rule Midlight's Deep with me. Lindzei won't admit it, but he appreciates your presence.'

"I'm… not entirely sure what to say to that, so I'll pretend I didn't hear it."

He stood in front of her and held her face with warm hands. 'Please. Do not make me watch you die again.'

She pushed past him and went to the others. Balthier met her gaze and smiled weakly as if he understood just what was on her mind. Agrias, still weary from the poison, looked at the map she held.

"We're almost there," she said. "Orbonne, where it all began."

"It has only been a few months since we were here…" Ramza mused. "I remember seeing you fight Delita, Lady Claire. You nearly died—or so we thought at the time. Two knights, the Thunder God, the Godless Thief and the Phoenix. We are a strange lot, aren't we?"

Lightning nodded. "As strange as it gets."

It was Cidolfus who led the way down below the monastery, though Ramza followed closely behind, eager to find his sister. Lightning, however, remembered the last time she had been there; silently, she wished that the Virgo Stone could be attuned to someone else.

"Why so worried?" Balthier asked, falling into step with her. "You've been staring at the ground since we arrived, and I know dirt and grime is not all that interesting."

"I guess being buried alive isn't as glamorous as one would think," she answered, smirking.

"Next time you get caught by headhunters, I might as well let them hang you if you're going to tease me."

Her heart sank. "Right."

A glowing light inside the cavern caught their eyes, and Mist leaked from the walls and around their feet, a quiet voice laughing within. Balthier began to run, heading for the others, when a thunderous roar erupted from above. The lion threw itself at him, but Balthier was fast and drew his gun and shot the creature between the eyes.

Blood splashed across his face, but Hashmal only laughed and turned, facing Lightning. "My goddess and master, still you do not wake. We have come too far to taste defeat at the hands of humans and insignificant monsters. The sea goddess was wise and told me you would come; your heart yearns for the dead."

Balthier growled and made to strike, but Cidolfus grabbed him by the arm and held him back.

"Ramza!" Alma's voice pierced the darkness, and she ran out from the shadows and into her brother's arms. "Ramza, we have to go, now. That lion was a man before—the one who took me—but he's a monster now. Please, we can't stay!"

"Silence! I'll not have you interrupt Her return, not again!" Hashmal bowed his head to Lightning, and—she shut her eyes—smiled. "Angel of Blood, that you should rise, my life I gladly take!"

He reached down and pulled at his ribs, tearing his skin apart in a burst of Mist. Lightning covered her eyes with her free arm, wincing as warm blood and rotten fur splattered onto her skin. She heard little Alma cry out, but she was in no immediate danger. Ramza and Agrias were protecting her, and Cidolfus would always jump into battle to defend the weak.

A blue crystal tear rolled out from the blood.

"I was waiting."

Lightning could not believe her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, and her feet seemed to be moving all on their own, ignoring any resistance her heart held. Balthier shot her an uneasy glance and remained on guard, as did the rest of their party.

It was her. Serah.

"Where have you been?" Serah asked, reaching for her elder sister. "I've... I've been so lost, Claire. I could hear your voice, I really could… but…"

Biting her lip, Lightning walked forward and embraced the girl. "Serah, I'm sorry," she whispered. Why hadn't she crossed over yet? "I didn't mean to make you worry. We're together now, and that's all that matters, right?"

Serah laughed faintly. "You sound just like that fool…"

"Fool?" Lightning drew away, keeping her hands firmly placed on Serah's shoulders. "Serah, you love him. You never… called him that. You're…" This wasn't real. "You're dead."

A thin smile twisted her expression. "I am dead," Serah said dreamily. "But I am so very alive, Claire. I want to be like you, dearest sister! You were always so tough and calm… Oh, how I wanted to follow in your footsteps. But you fell for that pirate and changed!" She was pleading now. "Come with me, Claire. Destroy the world!"

"Stop it!" Lightning reached for her gunblade, but Serah grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away.

"You can't do that…You love me too much." Serah snickered as Lightning struggled. "You do."

Her heart was on fire. It burned with Holy magick, searing through her veins and pulling at her now pulsing heart. She couldn't breathe—the pain was too much! Serah was laughing, her soul essence taking Lightning's body and warping it into something she couldn't recognize. But she had been here before… yes, this was just like before.

As Lightning's mind fell into the darkness, Ultima smiled.

The white abyss greeted her like a long lost child, enveloping her in warmth and peculiar comfort. Lightning walked for a while, waiting for Ragnarok to pull her out after tearing her soul from Ultima's crystal. He promised her he would do all he could to save her—not that he wanted to kill her, of course, but there was not much else he could do. After all, this was her choice.

Unfortunately, she was beginning to regret it.

She saw the other vessels of the Lucavi wandering as well, but this time she didn't stop for a chat. She already understood that it wasn't their intention to become corrupted; they were tricked into becoming monsters. There was no need for them to apologize, anyway. Etro would accept them into her world no matter what.

As she went through her dream realm, Lightning saw something rustle in the grass not too far away, then she heard the unmistakable meow of a curious, but also very mad cat.

"Madness?" she whispered, spotting the creamy furred creature crouching in the grass. He sat up in a heartbeat, smiling when he saw her.

"Lightning!" he cried, bounding to her and jumping in her arms. She laughed when he kissed her cheek, and allowed him to lean into her neck and purr happily. "I knew I felt you in this world, I knew I did!"

She moved so he could lie in her lap, stroking his soft fur and enjoying the feeling of comfort and joy before her world crumbled to pieces. "You've gained some weight," she noted, tickling his furry stomach. "The last time I saw you, you were all bones."

"Don't talk about that, Claire. I never wanted you to see," he complained, shuddering slightly.

"It's okay. Sure, it didn't look beautiful, but shouldn't you be more accepting of yourself?"

He merely shrugged. "When this is all over, we will have to spend more time together. No more of this fifty years apart business. Balthier may not mind so much, but I care, very much so."

She closed her eyes. "I was wrong. I was wrong to deceive you, and now that I've listened to you tell me how much you would miss me and seen how much you want me to stick around… it's wrong for me to keep you in the dark."

He stared up at her worriedly, his purring slowing a bit. "Light?"

"When this is all over… I'm leaving."

"No! Please—it's… you're just going to… to Goug, of Midlight's Deep to visit the old places, right? You'll be back, won't you? Light?" When she didn't answer, he prodded his paws at her chest desperately. "Claire!"

"It's… forever, Madness. I'm moving on."

"So… you're really leaving me…"

She expected him to cry—she would have, too, but realization had yet to strike. He huddled against her and sobbed hopelessly, and when she lay down, he pawed at her hair and necklace, as if to find some way to make her stay. When his sobs became stifled sniffles, he placed both paws on her face and stared, memorizing every feature he could see. She reached up and rubbed his pads, sighing softly.

"If… if you wish, you can eat my soul. Keep me inside of you, like you do with Fran's. You will never be alone—I'll be with you, always."

The Madness surrendered a weak, somewhat amused laugh. "Offering your soul to me? That takes courage, Light."

She shut her eyes; it didn't matter where she was, as long as she wasn't alive… perhaps things would be all right. She was about to open her eyes again when the Madness pressed his small lips against hers, much like Balthier had earlier that day: chaste, and loving.

"I won't take it," he told her. "You don't deserve to be damned again. Claire, I… I really love you, you know. I am not sad to see you go just because we will be lonely. It's that we love you, so very much."

We love you.

"Birds don't deserve to be caged. When you fly away, I will watch you go every step of the way."

She smiled, tears threatening her own eyes. "Silly. If I'm flying, how will I walk one step at all?"

He dozed off not long after, and that was when Lightning could feel her soul slipping away from her dream. She stood, setting the Madness down in the grass and left to see if Etro had come to collect her soul.

Had Ragnarok killed her already? Balthier was attuned to his Stone since that day on Pulse… She smiled at the memory. It had been so long; she wondered if everyone was all right back there. Surely Serah was safe, since the girl she saw before was just an illusion created by the Virgo Stone. And, besides that, Lightning knew her sister was well protected.

When Lightning found that there was no Door waiting for her, she turned around and went back to where she hoped the Madness waited. She heard something, like the lonely sob of a ghost.

The Madness cried for her, wailing at the top of his lungs like a kitten pining for its mother. Lightning quickened her pace and held her breath, fearing that something was terribly, terribly wrong. This was her dream realm, her only true home since leaving Pulse; nothing could go wrong here. She allowed a sigh to escape her lips when she found the Madness sitting upright in the roses, mewling pathetically.

"I can't leave you for a second, can I?" she asked, resting her hands on her hips. The Madness whirled and leapt into her arms, purring so loud that she thought his heart was beating. He was still crying, and she wasn't completely sure if they were tears of sadness or joy.

"Don't do that, Claire. Don't you dare try to leave when I'm not looking." The Madness rubbed against her neck. "I'm supposed to watch you leave so that I can tell your story, remember? How am I supposed to do that if I'm sleeping?"

Lightning held the creature close, burying her face in his soft, warm fur. "I know you'll tell my story," she whispered. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

When she moved her fingers to stroke the Madness' fur, her hand went right through as if caressing the air. Frantic, she stepped back and held out the Madness only to find that he was gone; vanished from her dream realm. Her heart was quiet but she could feel it pounding in her chest as fear pulsed through her veins. She whirled around, calling for the Madness, but there was no cry, no comforting purr, and no melodious voice to lull her to sleep.

There were faces staring down at her from the cliffs, blocking the sunlight and condemning her dream to darkness. Faces of the Lucavi, her companions, her family… Ffamran… Lightning screamed, covering her face and crouching into the roses. But they wilted at her touch, withering into skeletal statues as cold as ice.

Lightning.

She froze, her fingers slipping slowly from her face. Her dream fizzled away, the faces vanished like the ghosts they were, and suddenly a white flash of pain struck her—Holy magick? No, this was much worse. She was laying on her back, staring up at a crystallized cavern with a blank, empty stare. She felt cold and languid and wanted to just fall asleep for eternity. Yet—she wanted to live. To exist...

Someone knelt over her. No, not someone—Ragnarok? She looked at herself, nearly brought to tears at her bloodied appearance; or was it Ultima? She couldn't say a word, for her mind was not her own, but she longed to tell Ragnarok that she was sorry. Why?—she felt so cold. Ragnarok bit her neck, and everything slowly began to dissipate; Ragnarok, too, was fading away. But in his place was a slightly disheveled Balthier, but his droopy eyes widened at the sight of Lightning, laying in the grass.

"No," he whispered, taking her in his arms. "Light, don't do this…"

The others were there, but Lightning could hardly see them. They were still alive, not cursed with the life of eternity or a monstrous appearance. She rested her head in the crook of Balthier's arm, breathing in the soft scent of gunpowder and leather. Home, she thought faintly. Am I finally home?

This was Etro's realm, and the Door of Souls was towering over them, an inexorable destination for the departed. The goddess herself appeared, a ball of light drifting with the clouds until she took Lightning's mirrored form. Only she was not pale and losing her soul to the afterlife.

This was it. This was the end.

"You have been here before, my Eternal daughter. You made the choice to walk the earth and watch your Humes pass away… But I know what your heart truly wants. The one you long for is waiting; he has found peace, but he waits."

Lightning smiled weakly, closing her eyes for a moment. Balthier looked at her as if she were already gone, and he shook her by the shoulder to wake her up. She could see it in his eyes, that spark of life he held on to even when his humanity was lost to the Madness. But the Madness wasn't a monster, she understood now.

He touched her cheek, but his skin was not as cold as hers. For once, he was the warmer one. Lightning turned a weary eye toward Etro, where she found Ragnarok watching her and Balthier with a heartbroken stare.

"Etro, let her live," Ragnarok pleaded. "You cannot—you cannot take her life now! You cursed her, and only now you steal her from me?"

The goddess brought her hands to her chest, praying. "I will only do what she wants," Etro spoke softly. "This is her choice, Ragnarok. You cannot change that."

Ragnarok turned fervently, and—were those tears in his eyes? Lightning could hardly keep herself awake, the Door was calling her home. She wondered if this was how Ffamran felt when he died in her arms… when she begged him to stay. She willed herself to look at Balthier; would he beg her to stay, too?

"Ragnarok," Lightning whispered, and he was at her side immediately. "You'll… keep an eye on things for me, won't you?"

"Ivalice will falter without her Phoenix," the god solemnly said. "But I promise you: I will not let her fade as just a myth. Not again."

He moved away, keeping his gaze toward the ground. The Door gave another tug at her soul, but she wasn't ready. There was so much she had to say, so much to atone for, and yet… Her time had scarred the earth and left a deep gash. It was time to leave, to return to where she belonged. They were waiting—Ffamran was waiting. He waited for her for so long, from the moment she admitted her feelings to the time she forced him to leave the visible world.

Lightning's vision became a clouded haze, but she could feel Balthier's grip on her body tighten. Madness, Balthier… I'm so sorry, she wanted to say but her lips were too cold and stiff. I believe you—I really do.

She took a deep breath, whimpering at how much her chest hurt. Like a stinging bite from a snake, her soul stressed for the Door. There was not much time. She reached a trembling hand and touched Balthier's cheek, and he slowly took her hand in his own.

"I…" her voice was a ghost, her soul was leaving. "I love you."

Balthier smiled, but his heart was not in it. "Was there no other way?" he asked hopelessly, but she could not answer. No, there was no other way.

This is good-bye.

Lightning sighed, closing her eyes, and let her soul walk through the Door.