Welp... Sorry about the long delay. Somehow last month I had 4 jobs. (NEVER DO THAT!) So very sorry for like a month of no updates...
BUT! I have mostly finished the story so expect this to be fully posted by the end of the month at the latest!
In 500AF, Serah dragged Noel through the streets towards HQ. The young man still had yet to respond with anything resembling a human like reaction and she feared that whatever Caius' death had done to him, couldn't be undone. It was hard going, Academia had begun it's evacuation and many of the buildings were breaking apart to move on the new Ark. Noel was wrenched from her grip and she turned to look at him. He was standing, staring up into the sky.
She reached out for him but found herself following his gaze. Up in the sky, Etro's gate had appeared. The eye still closed, but she knew that it would open. She gasped as she remembered what everyone had been saying. There was a price to pay. And the war was coming. She pulled on Noel hard, if the gate opened, chaos would consume the world. Etro's war was close to beginning.
Hope frantically worked at the computer terminal looking for any signs of paradox activity and/or gate activity. He needed to find Serah and Noel. His worry amassed tenfold when the stark white symbol of Etro's gate appeared. He turned to Aina.
"What is the status of the evacuation?" He asked frantically and she laid her hand on his shoulders.
"Calm down. The evacuation is almost complete. The Academy is about to start moving. If they are back from the rift they will be on the Ark. Stop worrying. Focus on the task at hand." She ordered.
Hope shrugged her off. Didn't she understand, this was his family that he was worried about. They had been separated for so long and this was the time, the first time in so many years they had a chance of being reunited. He pushed past her to a new terminal and logged into the security cameras. He sighed in relief as he saw Noel and Serah entering HQ. He breathed out in relief.
"Hey short stuff!" A loud static-y voice burst through his comm and he jerked back in surprise. "We got 'em. We'll see you on the ark!"
While Hope was happy for Snow's message he really wished that the other would just leave him alone. He needed to touch Noel and know that he was real that he wasn't leaving. So much was happening and all at the same time. He didn't want to admit it but Noel had given him a kind of stability that he had been missing. He headed for the lift down. His arm was grabbed and he turned to see Arcane.
"Stay here." She ordered firmly, her purple eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Something bad is going to happen. I'll retrieve them."
Hope wanted to protest but he knew that Arcane wasn't going to let him have his way. He nodded weakly and closed his eyes. "Please hurry."
The building shook with a great rattle and Serah shoved Noel against a wall as she prepared for the building the move dangerously. Instead the building settled. She lifted her head up to look at Noel but the other was staring down the hall, his eyes still unnervingly blank. She reached up and touched his cheek, he looked down at her.
"Noel?" She asked quietly and his lips quirked, not quite what she was looking for, but she saw a shade of his former self in his eyes.
"Don't worry about me." He whispered, his voice raspy from crying. "We need to get on the Ark."
She didn't want to agree but she knew that that was their only option right now. Suddenly the whole building gave a strong rattle and then everything stilled. She turned to look out the window. Etro's gate was still in the sky, slightly open. Nothing seemed to be moving and she watched with wide eyes as Fal'cie began to move in the sky.
She recognized a few form Snow's stories, Atomos and Titian. She jerked in surprised as she realized that Fal'cie were even coming from Cocoon even though those were supposedly 'dead' from Orphan being gone. Swallowing hard she watched as they converged on the unmoving gate. Seemingly all the Fal'cie in the world gathering at the gate.
Noel's eyes widen. He remembered the stories of the end of the Fal'cie. "We have to go. NOW."
They rushed towards the elevator only to be intercepted by Arcane. She directed them towards a different elevator. They too the service elevator up and Noel, was breathing hard. He stared at the ground and when the doors opened, he surged forward towards the nearest window. There, the eye was opening but it was getting farther away. The building was moving towards Ark.
The eye opened fully and a light so bright that Noel had to turn away burst forward. When he could look again, the Fal'cie had been stripped of their bodies, back to their truest foundation. The harden crystals of chaos.
"What's happening?" Serah asked nervously as Arcane walked up behind them.
"It means that the war is beginning. This is Etro's gambit." Arcane spoke. "Lightning will join us soon."
Serah supposed that she was supposed to find that comforting but she didn't see it that way. The world was ending, at least the world as they knew it. They managed to clear the ark's gates and as they closed she watched as the resounded explosion of Cocoon rained crystal dust onto the world.
"This... It's better but." Noel couldn't seem to finish his sentence. He could only stare at the closed gate wishing that he could see the outside world. The world that was turning into the world of the future. But there was still hope. He had to believe that.
"NOEL!" A voice called from the door way. The hunter didn't have time to prepare himself before arms wrapped around him. Said person was slightly shorter then him and had a head full of silver hair. It felt right, Noel thought as he wrapped his arms around the other. To hug this man, but there was a problem that he wasn't sure of how to address.
"I'm sorry." He whispered guilty. "But could you tell me your name?"
The reaction was immediate, the shorter man pulled out of his arms nervously and Noel had to resist the urge to reach back out to him. He knew that there was something familiar about that face. The other seemed flustered and took large steps back and then his face became completely composed.
"I'm sorry for the way that I acted." The man stated firmly. "Though you may not remember me... My name is Hope Estheim and I'm the director of the Academy. Someone who has helped you out a lot in your travels."
"But-"
"Now if you'll come this way." Hope about faced and began walking back towards the door gesturing them to follow him. "We need to get upstairs where everyone is waiting."
Serah grasped Noel's arm as he reached out for the other. The way that that man... Hope was acting was strange. More then strange but Serah shook her head firmly and he held back his questions. As they walked the halls things vaguely seemed familiar to Noel. As if it were things he'd seen in his dreams but nothing seemed to make sense. They took another elevator up and entered a quiet reception room. And he saw the first familiar face that he'd seen so far.
Lightning Farron was standing on the other side of the room looking out the window to the observation deck. She wasn't dressed like the Goddess' protector but Noel recognized her anyway. And Serah most definitely did. She dashed forward and hugged her sister tight, thought the older woman didn't really return her hug.
"Welcome back." Serah smiled up at her sister and Lightning's face softened into a little smile.
"I'm home." She replied and hugged her sister back for the first time in a long time.
Noel feeling a little awkward looked over at Arcane and Hope, two new faces but two people that obviously knew him. Especially Hope, but the silver haired man was at a terminal talking to others and doing things that flew completely over the hunter's head. Between the four people in the room the only one that seemed available to talk to was Arcane and he wasn't sure about that
"Don't look so nervous." The purple eyed woman spoke as she clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We knew that there was a possibility you'd forget us, but your safety was honestly our priority."
"But... why can't I remember?" Noel asked quietly.
"Caius..." Arcane looked away from him and he followed her gaze to Hope, who looked very tired. "As far as we can guess... He was toying with your mind to try and turn you into a new Guardian for Etro's heart."
"That was my mission but... When I defeated him." Noel clenched his hands. "I directed the chaos into a box."
"Yes." Arcane replied. "Hope made that box to save your life. He's very grateful that you're safe."
"But why?" He asked turning to her. "Why would he save me?"
Arcane stared at him with wide eyes and then her eyes softened in pity. "Hope doesn't like to lose people. His greatest desire was the same as your Yeul. A future of happy people... And that is what this ark is. And he worked to save you, so that you could be here to see it."
Noel nodded weakly in understanding. It was a nice idea, but it still didn't explain the way that Hope had greeted him. Or the fact that the older man was obviously distraught.
"According to reports... Something has invaded our world through Etro's eye and destroyed the Fal'cie. It it is most likely chaos. For now we are safe though." Hope didn't turn around from the terminal but his voice carried catching all of their attention. "The new shields were created by Yeul."
"Yeul?" Noel asked quietly.
"Because the chaos that existed in all time... The Yeuls that have passed away are the shepards of Chaos. And you're Yeul... The one that passed onto your her wish... This is her gift to you." Lightning explained quietly. "Outside exists chaos and your body would try to absorb it. So this place... is a safe space for you and all of humanity."
Noel's eyes widened and he stepped up to the terminal that Hope was standing in front of. With a few strokes, an exterior view of the ark could be seen. And a large stark white mark laid against the surface. The mark of his tribe, from the distant future. The mark of his Yeul.
"Would you like to talk to her?" Hope's eyes turned to him and Noel felt taken aback. He could talk to Yeul. His Yeul now? His heart thudded painfully in his chest with hope and with fear. He wanted to see his Yeul, he remembered her vividly. But there was so much that he had forgotten. "Hey Light... Why don't you and Arcane take Serah up to meet everyone else. I'll take Noel to meet Yeul and then catch up."
"Are you sure?" Serah asked nervously. She was terrible empathic and even though Hope hid it well, she could practically feel his pain acutely in her own chest. She didn't want him to hurt anymore. She thought about how sad Hope was when they'd meet in in 10AF and how happy he'd been in 400AF.
"It's fine." Hope waved them off. "After all, a major part of Noel's journey was to see her again. It would be mean to make them both wait any longer."
Serah nodded weakly. She turned to Lightning but the older woman shook her head. As the three women left, Hope turned back to the terminal and began typing furiously. Noah stood in the background nervously. He knew that he should remember this person and yet he didn't and that made him feel even worse. He shifted back behind the other and watched him silently. After a few moments Hope gestured to a different door the the girls had gone through. A door that led outside.
Noel hung back unsure but Hope's face was encouraging. He moved towards the door and Hope followed. At the door he opened to an observation deck, that was covered in screens that were surveying what was taking place outside of the Ark.
"This was made...so that humanity would know when it was safe again to explore Gran Pulse." Hope spoke quietly. "When I lived on Cocoon we had no knowledge of the world below us. And so all we had for them was fear and hatred."
"But the people who were there... they had been long gone by your time." Noel pointed out quietly.
"That's true... We feared the land below. But there were no people. You have a bit in common with my friends Fang and Vanille... They are from 500 years in my past. The War of Transgression. Although I guess not too much in common being from 700 years after." Hope chuckled lightly.
"So...you brought me here for a history lesson?" Noel asked confused as he turned back to the screen, the one that displayed the mark of this tribe, Yeul's mark.
"Actually no. But I've found that it takes time for her to appear." Hope replied.
"Then you've met her?" Noel spun around to face the other.
"Only briefly. As she protects this place from the chaos... she is also chaos." Hope explained quietly. "She's here."
Noel turned around and stared with wide eyes as Yeul slowly formed from lights like pyreflies. He took steps towards her as she became solid. The guardian could barely help himself as he swept her up into his arms. He buried his face in her hair. Still so tiny and ethereal and his best friend.
Hope swallowed painful as he watched them. They looked good together, he thought abstractly. Like two pieces put together. He wanted to feel envious or angry. All he felt was sad. When he'd entered a relationship with Noel he had known that it would be short lived. He sucked in a quiet breath and turned to the exit. Once outside Hope took slow deep breathes to calm down his heart and closed his eyes.
"You knew this was coming." He mumbled to himself quietly. "There are more important things to worry about right now."
Back inside the observation deck, Noel slowly, reluctantly released the small girl. He drank in the sight of her. He hair laying softly against her face, dark against the paleness of her skin. Her green eyes watching him patiently. He swallowed hard as she continued to stare at him with all seeing eyes.
"You still regret stopping him." She finally spoke and he shrugged weakly.
"How can I not? He was... he... and look at the world now. Nothing I did was right." He grumbled but she shook her head and touched his cheek.
"You've done far more good then you realize. What is happen now, was always destined to happen. The fights of the gods are beyond mortal understanding or reasoning."
"So then we were all just pawns." Noel grumbled again but Yeul tapped his nose to bring his attention back to her immediately.
"No." The word was said much more forceful then Noel was use to her speaking. "You are no more a pawn then the Gods themselves. Old grieves die hard. And time works in circles. No matter how big the circle must connect again. That is what is happening."
"Hope called them shatter points."Noel thought allowed and she nodded.
"The points in time that cannot be changed. Cocoon fell and the gods went to war. The crystal dust spread across the land and for 400 years the world will be uninhabitable. The end of the circle of the Fal'cie circle."
"But the Fal'cie are dead...The light from Etro's gate."
"Yes...and that is why in our time. There were no Fal'cie... And the world was dying. As Gran Pulse goes through it's time of 'death' this time humanity will be safe like it was meant to be."
"Wait... Then... There have been other arks?" He asked quietly.
"Yes. Usually Fal'cie made. Recording history doesn't go much further back then the War of Transgression." Her eyes looked rather sad. "But humans and Fal'cie existed far longer then that. The cycle of the world works in this way."
"But things are changing." Noel commented and Yeul smiled thinly and nodded.
"Yes... mostly due to that man." She commented gesturing towards the door. "In the past... over 500 years ago... He and others orchestrated a way to make humans not reliant on Fal'cie."
"Oh." Noel found that was all he could stay before he steered to different topics. He didn't know why, but he felt uncomfortable talking about Hope.
Hope stood outside of the observation deck taking deep breathes as he held a hand to his heart. Each deep breath slowly led him to relax more and more. As the melancholy set in fully he found himself feeling more confident in the choices that he was about to make. Approaching the computer he set to work looking over the state of what the cameras left on Gran Pulse could still see. The world looked strange, like the holo-vids that his mom used to ban him from watching.
The world was empty but there was also strange phenomena. Strange wisps of green, purple and yellow shifted around in places like bruises on the Earth. The visual manifestation of chaos. While it was probably too soon for the supposed war to start, there was obviously a gathering of 'troops' so to speak. He continued to scroll through the video feeds not surprised when the wisps occasionally took the shape of people.
One awkwardly enough looked a lot like Alyssa but he wasn't sure where'd he met her or why he knew her name. Although he did feel rather guilty seeing the obvious evidence that she had died. Other wisps where people he didn't now as he shifted through feed after feed until he saw something that still his hands.
In 13AF when he had been making the final decisions about going into the gravity well and leaving behind everything he had every know... his father had died. It was an unfortunate happening but not wholly unexpected. Bartholomew Estheim had been a troubled man after the fall. Losing his wife, the difficulty of almost losing his son had been hard. He had been unable to cope even when Hope had been returned to him.
Both men had thrown themselves into work in a way that was admirable but also dangerous to their health. They supported and enabled each other. Meeting Noel and Serah had made Hope slow down and build a more fruitful work/life balance, but his father had had nothing to alter the course he'd set. The stressed caused heart attack had taken his life swiftly.
To see him standing tall and searching had caused Hope to focus purely on that feed. Was his father apart of the chaos army? Would he choose to fight the currently weakened Etro and complete the Fal'cie mission? He followed his father as he inspected the other streams of chaos until the man grasped one and the other turned into another being.
Hope stared into confusion. Who would his father be searching for? He hadn't really that he'd blocked out the idea. Didn't want to consider it. But as the features became clearer as being his mother he felt himself shutting down. On the screen his parents embraced as if they hadn't seen each other in a long time. His mother and father didn't look quiet the way he remembered. His father dressed plainly but his mother like a warrior.
It was then he realized there was a strange division between the chaos which led to more questions then answers. Was chaos on both sides of the war? Those that sided with Etro and those with chaos? HE had thought they would just been swirls of energy between the Goddess and the chaos a 'sentient being' with the ability to take on such power. But if it was to be fought through advocates. Hope was beginning to understand why Lightning said they weren't involved.
On a scary note, as long as people continued to die more warriors for each side. Would they attack his ark to get more soldiers for their cause?
"...Hope!" The silver haired man jerked from his stupor and turned to face the hunter. Noel looked tired but at peace which was more then Hope could say for himself. He forced a slight smile and tugged on Hope's hand again gently. "I'm finshed... Aren't we supposed to go meet up with the others?
"Uh... yes. Yes." Hope reiterated as he stood up and dusted imaginary dust off his clothes. "If you would follow me."
"Aren't you the director? Why are you guiding me around?"
"Because." Hope smiled at him gently, turning to face him. "While you don't remember me. I think that it would probably be nicer to be guided by someone who knows you and is understanding of your situation then someone who doesn't."
"Ah." Noel scratched his head idly. "I guess that makes sense. I do know that I feel rather comfortable around you."
"Good." Hope turned around so that the younger man couldn't see the smile sliding off his face. This wound was still far too fresh and he needed to pass Noel off to someone else. He felt guilty for having such thoughts but there was no way that he could continue this way.