Within Auldrant, there are sites that hadn't been touched since the Dawn Age, the Tower of Rem being one of them. However, there's another that is much closer to a place of civilization. Deep beneath the lowest known levels of the watcher's city rests abandoned ruins. Not having seen the light of day for the longest time, creatures of the darkness began to take over, breaking down walls and tearing open pipes and wires. It was this place where Lorelei deemed to be the safest place for those he called himself to stay.
The light began dim, but even then, creatures fled. This was new, unknown, and they needed to get away immediately. This could be investigated later. When the light grew big enough to light the area around it, not a movement could be seen. Then, time seemed to reverse itself, walls that had crumbled starting to rebuild themselves, surrounding the light and sheltering it, shielding it from any chance of harm. Rumbles and groans echoed throughout the musty place, foundations and supports rearranging themselves to stand firm once more.
By the time the sounds of grating stone faded away, a small, single story house stood where it had once fallen, illuminated by the particles of light that surrounded it in a barrier. Inside, the brilliant light had faded, revealing the huddled forms of Lorelei's scions. Both were sleeping soundly, keeping close to each other for warmth in the cool air that surrounded them.
It wasn't long before one began to awaken, clutching the other in his grasp tighter as instinct filled him with the need to protect. But when he became fully aware, he hurriedly removed himself from the hold, brushing himself off as he stood near the wall. The red-head looked around the room, trying not to stare at the person he had been holding on to like a life-line.
Confusion curved the corners of his lips as he took in what was clearly a bedroom. Two beds rested against opposite walls with a simple desk between them. A lamp stood on its surface and Asch crossed the room to turn it on before taking in the single dresser at the end of one bed and the two doors at the end of the other. Then he looked to the replica on the floor and sighed heavily.
Transferring him to a bed was quick work and he was soon exploring the rest of the house. One of the doors turned out to be a rather large closet that held quite a few odds and ends aside from the expected clothing. The other led into a hallway. The door across was a plain empty room that held no purpose whatsoever while the door next to that showed a laundry room. Or so he assumed. The appliances weren't of any variety he'd ever seen before. The door next to the bedroom was revealed to be another closet, though it sported linens. The final door was the bathroom which he noted with some relief.
The end of the hall opened to a sitting room with a small kitchenette off to the side. He crossed his arms as his frown deepened. There was no front door. Whatever it was that put them there was either really stupid or really smart.
Ion's room was in a state of minor chaos as everyone tried to understand what had just happened. Tear had gone into the next room to check on Luke and for a moment everything had seemed fine. That was until the shouting started. Luke had awoken - that much was certain - and gotten a hold on one of Tear's daggers.
By that time, Jade and Anise had entered and they immediately tried to take the weapon away. In his panic, Luke had climbed back onto the bed, the dagger still in his hand and nearly stepping on Mieu. When he had fallen out the window, Jade only just managed to grab the back of Tear's dress before she followed after him. Ion had come in and was standing next to Anise when a flash nearly blinded them all. The scream brought them back to their senses, Anise and Ion stepping closer as Jade pulled Tear back in.
Now, the melodist was still clearly in shock as she sat on the bed clutching Ion's guardian in a death grip. She wasn't crying, not yet. But Natalia certainly was, curled up behind Tear and Anise. She had come in shortly afterwards, telling what she had seen through her sobs and tears. She was still asking questions that no one had the answers to. The cheagle was trying to comfort her, attempting to answer her questions and patting her hair every once in a while.
Guy was conversing with Jade and Ion about the events down in the Qliphoth. He was shocked about Luke but this needed to be told. He described the spirits and how Asch already seemed to know them, hardly being phased when they appeared. He also described what happened when Asch was touched by one of them.
Jade's eyes narrowed, recalling the unexplained burns that had appeared on Luke before. "It seems that just mentally, these apparitions are dangerous," he claimed. Guy appeared startled.
"Luke has them too?" He grit his teeth as Ion nodded, being one of the ones that had to bandage him.
"I think there's something else here, something greater than us," he said, glancing to the murmuring Natalia, "not to mention that both Asch and Luke are missing now." Jade nodded.
"Let's not forget that the lands are still falling," he reminded, "without either of them, we cannot control the Sephiroth." Guy felt like punching the colonel.
"Guy," Ion's tone was warning, sensing his growing frustration. He then turned to Jade, "Are you talking about the disappearance of Rugnica and the Zao Desert?"
Jade nodded, "Yes, I'd actually like to look at the Closed score." Guy looked at him, "I want to see if any of this was foreseen just not released." Jade looked down at Ion who frowned.
"I had actually come back here to look at it since I never bothered before but I don't recall reading anything about the lands falling," he revealed, gaze falling to the floor.
Anise watched as the three males fell into silence, still held in Tear's arms. She lifted her head slightly, trying not to pull away. "So we're going to the chapel?" Jade merely turned while the other two tried not to show their surprise.
"I think that would be the best move at this time," the colonel replied, sliding his hands in his pockets.
Anise nodded then nudged Tear, "Tear?" The sixteen year old blinked and slowly lowered he gaze to the girl. "We're going to the chapel. Do you wanna come?" There was a brief pause before she nodded. Anise smiled then leaned back onto Natalia's legs.
"Natalia," she shifted her head to show she was listening, "would you like to come with us?" Again there was a brief pause before she started to sit up. Taking that as an affirmative, Anise pulled away from the two of them. Mieu floated to Natalia's shoulder and curled into her neck, his own form of a hug.
The sound of a door shutting stopped them and the men turned, viewing the closed door before them.
"Grand Maestro Mohs," Jade's brow twitched as Dist's lazy drawl came through the door, "allow me to confirm your promise." The girls stood from the bed, quietly making their way closer. "If I help you restart the war, you'll give me Professor Nebilim's replica data," Jade's jaw clenched, an action only noticed by Ion.
"Leave it to me, I'll take it from Van," Tear frowned and crossed her arms.
"Then allow Dist the Rose," Guy's eye twitched, "to offer you a plan for resuming the war." Here, everyone listened harder. "First, I believe we should have Fon Master Ion issue a proclamation ending the truce." Everyone watched as Ion stomped forward in an uncharacteristic bout of anger and threw open the door, interrupting Mohs.
"I hope you don't mind if I refuse your order," Ion stated, glaring in such a way that the two shivered. Guy and Jade rushed in, taking the chance to knock them out. The girls watched as Dist tried to escape by flying only to be thwarted when Jade tossed his spear. The weapon lodged into the back of the chair, cutting some hair in the process. The God-General fainted from the shock.
Guy took care of Mohs with a simple hit to the back of the neck. Natalia cringed as Dist and his chair fell on top of the over weight Maestro.
"Anise, the rope," Guy directed, hauling Dist and Mohs apart as Jade recalled his spear. Anise came in with the bindings, tying Mohs around the wrist and ankles like cattle while Guy held him. They then turned to Dist with the remaining length of rope.
"That's a bit much, don't you think," the archer gave her opinion quietly. Tear smiled slightly.
"They're men, what do you expect," Natalia shook her head and sighed, stepping forward to meet the rest of the group with the younger woman behind her.
"It sounds like Mohs and Van have different objectives," Jade voiced the thoughts that everyone had.
"And that Dist is playing them both for his own ends," Guy added then shook his head, "this is getting to be too much." Anise looked at him with an almost guilty expression.
"Luke and Asch are missing and Mohs wants to restart the war," Natalia summarized gazing thoughtfully at her feet. "But what about Van?" she wondered, lifting her head to see everyone else, "What does he want?"
"He's trying to drop the Outer Lands and exterminate humanity," Tear said instantly. Her hands turned into fists, shaking slightly from the pressure. Natalia placed a calming hand on her arm.
"Van doesn't strike me as a person interested in pointless slaughter. Mohs feels like a threat since his objective is at least clear," Jade pointed out. The others nodded.
"But what are we gonna do? Some people still think we're dead," Anise placed her hands on her hips for emphasis.
"We'll go down stairs first," Ion re-entered the conversation, "I'll read you the closed score like Jade requested then you can try and look for Luke."
"We can go to King Ingobert first, see if he has any information," Natalia bit her lip at Guy's statement.
"But father..." the princess trailed off, showing her uncertainty.
"If you're father denies all those years of memories, then he doesn't deserve to be your father," Guy said then smiled and looked at Natalia, "I learned that from Luke." Natalia blushed and hurriedly lowered her gaze.
Ion smiled then cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, "Let's go then. I have a feeling we don't have much time." Everyone nodded and made their way out of the room after locking Dist and Mohs in the other room.
"You don't think they'll do anything?" Tear questioned Ion on their way down.
"Unless they launch themselves out the window, they won't be going anywhere," was the reply.
They were calling. Searching. Angry.
"You promised!" He trembled.
"Answer us!" His eyes burned.
"Answer to your promise!" His chest ached.
I'm sorry…
They reached the Fonstone without much recognition and gathered close as Ion positioned himself directly behind it. "This was formed by combining the First through Sixth Fonestones," he started as he placed his hand on the stone, "Fon Masters can read the entire score from fragments but the volume is immense. I'll just go over the score regarding the collapses these past few years," he looked over everybody before closing his eyes and allowing the power of the Fonstone to take over him.
"ND2000. In Kimlasca shall be born the scion of Lorelei's power," he recited the words as they flowed through him, "He will be of royal blood with hair of red. He shall be called 'the light of the sacred flame' and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to new prosperity.
"ND2002. The one who would seize glory shall destroy the island of his birth, a land named Hod. War shall persist between Kimlasca and Malkuth for a full cycle of seasons.
"ND2018. The young scion of Lorelei's power shall bring his people to the miner's city. There, the youth will turn power to calamity and be as a weapon of Kimlasca, destroying himself and the city. Thereafter, the land of Rugnica will be enveloped in war, and Malkuth shall lose territory. Kimlasca-Lanvaldear shall thrive, and this shall lead to unprecedented prosperity."
He cut himself from the power, feeling his energy flow to the stone as he fell to his knees with a gasp. Anise was at his side in a moment, her hands bracing his shoulders as he regained his breath.
"That's all," he said after a moment, swallowing thickly and standing, "that's all the Sixth Fonstone says about the collapse."
"So," Guy sighed, "all it talks about is Akzeriuth and the war..."
There was a moment of silence as everyone thought, taking in the information with tapping fingers and crossed arms.
"Who's the 'scion of Lorelei's power'?" Tear asked slowly, looking away from the edge of the fixture that held the Fonstone.
"Luke, of course," Natalia answered immediately as her arms dropped to her sides.
"But Luke was only born seven years ago," Tear countered with a shake of her head, having thought of it herself.
"This is ND2018. It said 2000," Jade pointed out, "so that has to be Asch."
"Asch was supposed to perish along with Akzeriuth," Tear looked back to the Fonstone as she frowned, "but he's still alive."
"But Luke went to Akzeriuth before that could happen," Anise put in then rocked back on her heels, "this Score is messed up."
"Asch did show up later, but he was no longer called Luke - the 'light of the sacred flame'," Guy's hand dropped from his chin as the group fell into another silence.
"Luke's existence," Tear started slowly, realization widening her eyes, "the existence of a replica - it's missing from Yulia's Score."
Dark again. Warmth. Dim lights and the sound of pacing. Did they find him?
Shifting. Lifting. Staring. What...?
"'Bout time, dreck."
Moving. Looking. Searching. Where...?
"Don't know, but you need to eat something."
Eat...? What did he mean? He didn't have to eat. They had him. He couldn't eat.
"Of course. Do you want to starve?"
But they... They had him, didn't they? Where did they go? He couldn't see them. Couldn't hear them. Confusion. Hello?
"Luke! They aren't here!"
Not... here? Where were they then? Did they go somewhere?
"No, and they never will be if I can help it."
Why...? Fear. They would hurt him bad if they ever found him.
"You were dying. I don't know if you realized it, but you were dying."
But they... They wanted that. They wanted him and he had to go to them.
Pain again. Tears and aching sobs. They were going to find him, he knew it. Just like they found him the first time. He had to go before they hurt him too badly. And Asch. Asch would get hurt too.
No! They'll hurt you! Pleading for understanding. Racing. Overwhelming. Fighting for control.
Black.
After three days of pacing, figuring out the various uses around the place, and being more bored than he could ever remember being, Luke had woken up. It had started out as an echo in the back of his mind, a dim awareness of Luke's thoughts and emotions that slowly grew. Not that he could make anything of it, though. Anything familiar only resonated when he spoke and talking back only seemed to help the confusion. He had thrown himself into the desk chair by the end of it, restraining himself from smacking the wood with his face by tugging at his hair with a groan. He cursed his decision to try and help.
A quiet sound brought his attention back to his replica and he sighed. Another nightmare. He stood and made for the bathroom, returning with a damp cloth for the tears he knew would be coming. He didn't have to wait long once he'd pulled the chair over. The sight still unnerved him despite the things he had witnessed in his life. A person crying blood wasn't something he thought he'd be getting used to.
He methodically wiped the tears away as they slowly gathered, ignoring the tremors that shook him as the nightmare carried on. If Asch had to wager a guess, the spirits still had some kind of hold on him. One that didn't break after his trip to the ruined mines. His other hand rose to his forehead at the thought, pressing against the elder's scar. The spirits were unnatural. Tainted beings that fed on guilt and death.
His jaw tightened as he brought his hand down, brushing Luke's hair out of the way before resting it in his lap. Damned idiot. Only he could get into the dumbest situations. And he always had to drag himself into it. It was infuriating.
He huffed and leaned back, refolding the cloth to a cleaner portion then leaning forward again. He focused on his work, slowly moving back and forth to prevent the tears from falling in Luke's hair or onto the sheets. "Wake up, dumb ass," he murmured partially to himself, "so I don't have to do this anymore. It's a pain." Part of him hoped for a response and he scowled. No doubt any response he received would be just as irritating and confusing as it was before.
Luke moved under his hand and he paused, lifting his brow as he wondered at the unlikeliness of it. But again, Luke moved and Asch pulled away, realizing that sometime during his musing, Luke had calmed and the tears had faded from the stark red they had been. Looking at the cloth, he found less red on the side he'd been using than he expected. He frowned and looked back. Some kind of cleansing ritual, then?
Luke's eyes flickered once before he stilled, his breath evening out in sleep. Well then. Asch scoffed and stood, leaving the room to toss the cloth in the laundry before going to the kitchen. If the idiot wasn't going to get up and eat, he was.
Asch blinked in confusion, staring at the clear blue in front of him. A small breeze lifted a strand of his hair and he watched it fall back, distracted by the red that gleamed in the light. When it disappeared from his vision, he continued to stare into the blue. He was content with just staying still, not moving a muscle while the world passed him by.
Then the blue was blocked by a familiar face. He couldn't recall who it was as kind green eyes watched him with light red strands just barely out of the way. A smile graced their lips as they pulled back and Asch followed him with his eyes, only turning his head. The teenager stood and stepped away, still smiling as he spun in the spot and jogged away. His long white jacket trailed behind him, fluttering in the breeze as he danced. Surprisingly, he never tripped on his pants since his toes were barely visible.
Time seemed to slow as the teen faced him, the smile widening to a grin. Asch sighed and closed his eyes. He could stand to stay like this forever, nothing to worry about and nothing to truly bother him. Only peace.
When he opened his eyes again, his breath stopped. The red-head in front of him was falling, his back facing him. He could see the jacket slowly turn red and his heart skipped a beat when he saw why. A blade protruded from his chest, a very familiar blade. His blade.
Everything turned red in an instant. The grass became a deep crimson, the sky a brilliant ruby. Tones of dark, almost black red separated everything. The teen's skin nearly blended with the sky as he stretched, his hand reaching for Asch. He tried to move, willing his arms to shift or his lips to form a word. His efforts were fruitless. His mouth opened with a cry as blood like tears poured, pained eyes staring at him. Emerald.