Chapter 23: The Final Night
Efreet, Undine, Sylph, Volt, Gnome, Celsius, and now Shadow…Seven Summon Spirits, each one having full dominion of a different element, had all formed a pact with Sheena, in the process breaking the mana links tethering the Great Seed between the divided world. Now only Luna and Aska, who together domain over Light, remained.
The group exited the Temple of Darkness and made their way for the Rheairds, but before boarding them Lloyd poised a question to everyone. "Before we head back to Sylvarant, does anyone remember how we are supposed to lure Aska out of hiding?" The inquiry makes Raine and Genis turn to face Lloyd, with Genis mentioning "We learned all we needed to from that caravan…But I honestly thought it was inconsequential at the time, so I don't remember much about what they said."
"…Unfortunately, I can't say that I remember much either." Raine embarrassingly admits as she folds her arms in front of her chest. "Only that we need to find a Linkite Tree, which could be anywhere in Sylvarant."
"I think it would be somewhere above the Ossa Trail." Riku says nonchalantly, but quickly flinches awkwardly upon realizing what he just let slip. Genis and Lloyd look at him with puzzled expressions, with Genis in particular asking "Huh? Where did you hear about that, Riku?"
"Ummm…A book in Sybak talked about the Linkite Tree being cushioned between a mountain range. I told you I did a lot of research." Riku tries to salvage the matter, but as Lloyd quickly points out "Well that's good and all, but how do you know about the Ossa Trail? You weren't in Sylvarant long enough to learn about that."
The teenage Overlord was surprised that Lloyd of all people picked up on that, and as Riku tried to stay calm and come up with a solution he found his mind drawing nothing but blanks until Zelos stepped in and commented "That's probably what Yuan talked to him about while we were busy waiting outside the Sylvarant Base. He just didn't want to be a tattle-tale, isn't that right?"
Riku glances at the easing expression on the rest of the group and nods his head before saying "Sorry, Yuan didn't want me telling anyone. But I did learn about the tree from Sybak's library." Regal and Raine are the only ones who don't fully buy into the story, but the teenage Overlord doesn't pay attention to them as he turns around and comments "Anyways, lets get moving. We got work to do…"
Once everyone was on the Rheairds, they took off towards the Tethe'allan skies, though since they weren't far from the Renegade Base and thus the portal back to Sylvarant, they weren't in these skies for very long. Riku, naturally, flew up off that side of the planet and to the other one, choosing to go straight over the Ossa Trail since the group would be emerging close by there anyways. Once he caught up with everyone, it only took a few seconds of recon before they managed to find a tree protruding up in the middle of the mountain range.
Landing the Rheairds near this tree, the group steps off and approaches it, only to find that it has long since died out. The bark was dried and grey, and the leaves had fallen off and been blown away by the wind. But as the stories go, this had to be the Linkite Tree of legend. "No way…Don't tell me we came this far just for the tree we need to be dead?" Lloyd says in disbelief of what he saw.
"Don't be sad Lloyd, there's still a way to bring the tree back, remember? Those people in the caravan told us of a way to revive the tree!" Colette cheerfully reminds her friend, and with a swift turn of his body Lloyd said "Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me Colette…But I doubt any of us can remember what the instructions were. So we should maybe try and find the caravan and get a reminder. I hope no one minds a detour."
"…" Riku glared at Lloyd from behind, and was ready to still his tongue before his desire to get things moving got the better of him and he swiftly said "Lloyd, Yuan told me all I needed to know about reviving the Linkite Tree."
"…He did?" Lloyd says as he turns to face Riku, pointing out in a notably suspecting tone of voice "Why is Yuan telling you all this stuff?" The teenage Overlord quickly responds "He was just calling it a one-time only favor for saving Botta's life. I guess he figured I'd spill the beans on all this."
"Alright, well if you remember what he told you, run it by us now, otherwise we're going to go looking for the caravan." Lloyd says, his suspecting nature slipping away with relative ease as Raine glances at Riku from afar, a light "hmmm" passing between her lips as she does so. "From what I remember, you need to strengthen it with healing arts, call forth the tree's will to live, and nourish the ground." Riku swiftly explains.
Lloyd snaps his fingers and states "Oh yeah, now it's coming back to me! …But how are we going to revive the Linkite Tree with just that to go off of?" His question is swiftly answered by Raine, who pulls out her bag and starts rummaging through it while stating to the group "We have the Linkite Nut we received from that child in the caravan. If we accelerate it's growth with an Exsphere and strengthen my healing arts with the Unicorn Horn, then maybe we can manage something…Sheena, you should probably consider summoning Gnome to nourish the ground."
Sheena nods her head and confidently states "Not a problem! But what are you going to do about the Exsphere?" Lloyd says quickly "I think we have a spare one lying around." Afterwards Raine pulls her hand out of her bag and tosses both an Exsphere and the Linkite Nut over to Lloyd.
"Alright, so first I'll nourish the ground, then Lloyd can put the Nut and Exsphere inside, and Raine can use her healing arts. Just give me a few seconds." Sheena reaches into her clothes and pulls out the brown seal, holding it in front of her body and focusing her energy onto it while saying "I call upon the servant of Mother Earth!"
The simplified chant was enough to summon forth the mole-like Gnome, who was in the middle of scratching his back with his shovel. He blinked twice in confusion before pulling the shovel away and saying "Huh? What do ya want?" Sheena asks of the Summon Spirit "Please Gnome, make this ground healthy again!"
Gnome looks around at the barren landscape and says "Oh wow, someone really left this place dry…Hey, is that a Linkite Tree? Oh, I get it now, you're trying to make a pact with Luna by finding her pet friend Aska. Alright, here I go!" Poking his shovel into the air, Gnome releases a gentle sprinkle of mana across the ground, and within seconds he manages to revitalize the ground to it's original state, which also had the effect of making the grass look greener instantly.
"Aaaah, the air feels purer now, thanks Mole guy!" Zelos says after taking a whiff with his nose, and Gnome says in a rather insulted manner "Wow, I do this and you can't even bother calling me by my name? Aw, whatever." Gnome then disappears, leaving Lloyd to go in front of the old Linkite Tree and use his gloved hands to dig a hole deep enough to put both the nut and the Exsphere inside.
After that he backs off, giving enough space for Raine to cast her magic on the Linkite Tree. With the unicorn horn in her left hand and her staff in the other, Raine says while focusing her magic on the Linkite Tree "Unicorn Horn…lend me your power! Resurrection!" Raising her staff high into the air causes a magic circle to appear around the tree, and with a small light show the tree starts to return back to life.
The branches reach up towards the sky high and proud, with healthy moss spreading across the tree along with nuts growing at the tips. Elongated vines filled with tiny leaves extend from the other branches, leading to the overall atmosphere becoming more lively than it was before. Genis starts leaping up and down cheerfully, while Colette claps her hands together and says "Yay! The Linkite Tree is back to normal!"
Raine leans forward slightly and takes in some heavy breathes out of exhaustion from her task, while Zelos goes up behind her and gives her a gentle pat on the back "Nice job Professor! You were fantastic!" Zelos' compliment was true and without any of his usual suaveness, which surprised Raine as she lifted herself up and said "…I can't believe how much mana that took…"
"Such a cost is expected when you bring back the dead." Riku mentions, and as Raine pulls back to recover Lloyd says "Alright, so now we just need to use the wood from the nuts to make another flute like the one Mithos had, right? I can probably use my dad's skills to make one overnight!"
"And I will help too." Presea quietly offers, and Lloyd accepts the help without hesitation. "An overnight job? Guess we'll have to set up camp here." Regal makes note of.
"…Thankfully we have plenty of wood here to use for a campfire. Can't say I'm fond of the idea of lying on the ground though." Zelos says, letting out a tired sigh before Lloyd says "Oh yeah, we haven't actually camped outdoors since the night before we went to the Tower of Salvation. It seems so long ago…" These thoughts made Lloyd feel a hint of melancholy.
"And now we're just about ready to save these two worlds. Tomorrow will be the big day, yes?" Regal says, and after Lloyd nods his head Regal goes on to mention "…If you don't mind, I would like it if my fellow Tethe'allans would join me in discussing our plans…Minus you, Presea, since you will be help Lloyd for the time being."
"Huh? Oh yeah, I guess we DO need to discuss that, don't we? That's fine, I'll be ready to go any time, Regal." Zelos says in a nonchalant manner. Afterwards, he along with Regal and Sheena go off to one side of the Linkite Tree to discuss something while Riku takes one branch off of the tree to chop up into a campfire with his sword and his flames. The sun starts to fall as Lloyd and Presea take one of the nuts and begin to work on it.
Thankfully, Presea had a dagger on her that made it easier to carve into the wood, and Lloyd remembers a lot about the structure of the flute so she can have an easier time working. Raine, Genis and Colette sit on another side of the campfire and listen to the crackle of fire while watching Lloyd and Presea work. Meanwhile, Riku has wandered off a small distance to go reflect on some matters for the time being.
"So the worlds are about to split apart…Where are we going to go when everything is said and done?" Regal begins the important discussion with his fellow Tethe'allans in a serious and calm manner. Zelos leans back with crossed legs and folded arms behind his head and says "Sylvarant seems like a nice place, but I've grown up in Tethe'alla all my life. Besides, I wouldn't want to disappoint any of the ladies by leaving."
"…" Sheena looks at Zelos and groans, but tries to avoid her personal problems with the Chosen as she says to Regal "I'll probably be coming to Sylvarant with the rest of the people of Mizuho. Since I made a pact with Volt, I imagine things will calm down for me…I wonder if Yuan and the Renegades would be willing to help my people come over here?"
"I don't see why they need to come over here now. Once the whole Chosen system is rendered useless by the splitting worlds, the Pope will be removed from power, and he won't be able to go after your people." Zelos tries to give Sheena some reassurance, but as Regal is quick to point out "Would the Pope be removed from power? Remember, the Church is focused on worshipping Martel, and that won't come to an end just because the worlds no longer have to vie for each other's mana."
"Even if the Church of Martel doesn't end, I'll just use my influence as the Chosen to reveal that the Pope has poisoned the King, and after curing his majesty I'll make sure to get the Pope removed from power." Zelos explains, which surprises Sheena as she notes "You can do that? Won't the Pope try and turn the people against you after your involvement with us?"
"He's welcome to try." Zelos confidently speaks with a smile, and he proceeds to point out "Hey, I'm not saying you HAVE to stay in Tethe'alla my voluptuous dear, but if you see yourself changing your mind I'm just letting you know I have your back."
"Heh, you know, you can be really kind when you aren't trying to pour on the cheesiness." Sheena says, and Zelos chuckles at the compliment without trying to ruin it for once. Regal then goes on to say "Then I guess that leaves Presea and I…More than likely I will return to the Lezareno Company and try to help with the restoration of Ozette, and maybe I will adopt Presea as a daughter to help her out…Otherwise, I can't imagine where she'd live."
"That's very kind of you Regal, but you should ask Presea before you do something like that." Sheena says, and Regal nods his head and mentions "I had every intention of doing so. I imagine she will stay in Tethe'alla, especially since she has nothing to gain from coming here."
"Heh, that can be said for most of us…I got to admit though, I'm going to miss Lloyd and the others once the worlds split apart." Zelos says with the utmost honesty in his voice, and Sheena lowers her head in a melancholy manner and asks "…Is there really no way for us to continue traveling between both worlds?"
"That's not something any of us can answer. Maybe a solution will present itself to us before we pact with Luna. That's all we can hope for, but we will have to accept our fate if we are to forever be separated." Regal calmly says, even though from the manner of which he spoke he was a little saddened by this subject. The three Tethe'allans then move closer to the campfire deciding to stay warm now that their discussion was at an end.
As they talked, Colette, Genis and Raine began speaking of a similar subject, with Raine starting out on a different point "This journey has been the experience of a lifetime. We have seen so much more than most other half-elves or humans before us…But now I have to wonder, what will we do when the worlds split apart?"
"Sis, you can't seriously be thinking about going to Tethe'alla, right?!" Genis says in a panicked tone of voice, and Raine turns towards her little brother and says to him "I can't lie to you Genis…Yes, I'm seriously considering staying in Tethe'alla when the worlds split."
Genis gets on his feet and exclaims straight to his sister's face "You can't do that to me! You're the only family I have! I-I mean I have Lloyd and Colette as friends, but only one of us can go back to Iselia!" "Genis…" Raine says in a regretful tone of voice, and after a moment of contemplation she explains "I should have been a little more descriptive. It's true I want to go to Tethe'alla, but that's mostly my archeological curiosity getting the better of me. But you're right, I can't just leave you alone with Lloyd. While he has some capable qualities, there's some things only a sister knows how to do."
"…So you're going to stay?" Genis asks, wanting a certain answer instead of the vagueness Raine was spewing. With a nod of her head, Raine says "Yes Genis, I won't leave Sylvarant. The two of us will stay together."
"Heheh, I'm glad to hear that. Iselia wouldn't feel the same without you, Professor." Colette chimes in with her cheerful tone of voice, and then goes on to mention "Oh…I'm so conflicted myself. I met so many nice people in Tethe'alla. Sheena, Zelos, Regal, Presea, Kate, Altessa…But my family and closest friends are staying in Sylvarant. I hope it doesn't sound selfish when I say that I want to still be able to see all my friends when we're done."
"I feel that way too Colette, but there's nothing to suggest that we'll be able to travel back to Tethe'alla…Which means I'll never be able to see Presea or Mithos again." Genis' comment makes Raine remember something important "Come to think about it, Mithos will be left in Tethe'alla without either friends or family…Perhaps we can ask Sheena or Regal to keep an eye on him so he doesn't get too lonely."
"Or we can bring him over to Sylvarant!" Genis suggest, but Raine immediately shoots him down by stating "We can't afford to take a detour back to Tethe'alla. If Kratos is any indication, Cruxis is aware of our efforts to pact with the Summon Spirits. We need to deal with Luna before they send Yggdrasill after us."
"…Ugh." Genis groans, and with that Colette comments "So umm…Who wants to eat? I'm feeling pretty hungry!" She tried to deflect the subject away from Mithos for the moment so Genis wouldn't look so saddened, but her half-elf friend just plops onto the ground and lets out a tired sigh. Colette sinks her head low as well, and Raine just remains relatively silent since she didn't know how to handle this situation.
While both groups pondered how they would handle things in the future, Riku stood far enough away to not hear any of them while he kept his arms folded against his chest and looked up towards the starry night sky. He was remembering the presence of Derris-Kharlan above the planet, and how even when the worlds split that dreaded comet would still be there along with it's controller, Mithos Yggdrasill.
"…So tomorrow we will pact with Luna. And then everything Lloyd and the others thought would happen will be turned completely upside-down. But I will not say anything to them, this is one of those necessary steps towards saving this world…Hmmm…" After a moment, Riku starts thinking about everything Mithos said to him not too long ago, especially since soon enough the chance to see Martel's body would present itself to him.
"When the last pact is formed, Sylvarant will be struck with a disaster the likes of which it has never seen before, and hundreds will die before the crisis is averted. I can't convince the people of Palmacosta to evacuate, especially since I'm not exactly someone they would listen to…But maybe I could stop any destruction beyond that by reviving Martel…" Riku's reasoning felt sound in his head, but then something nagged at him into believing that he was overlooking some crucial detail.
"…Revive one person to save a hundred more, but in doing so I would be giving Mithos exactly what he wants. How can anyone possibly solve such a moral conundrum?" As Riku speaks of such a thing he looks down at his open right hand, and it is only upon clenching it and gritting his teeth that the air around him suddenly feels lifeless. He looks up immediately and is surprised by the fact that the atmosphere had become monochrome.
"Throughout many a history, moral conundrums have been on the forefront of human thought. But for one of your nature, isn't it odd that you'd have to even think about such a thing?" A distorted voice speaks behind Riku, causing him to turn his head back only to miss the figure who said such words by a mere second. He then looks back in front of him with a tense expression, and this time the figure makes his presence known.
The being before him was hunched over, making him stand up to Riku's kneecaps as his body was seen draped in a dark-red, soot covered cloak. Riku's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't stay surprised at the person's presence for long as he didn't sense an antagonistic aura coming from this being…In fact, he didn't sense anything at all. "…Who are you?" Was the question he chose to ask.
"Who am I? I am the living embodiment of every timeline that has and shall be, I am recorded history given flesh, I am the Chronicler, forever existing and forever writing." The being explained himself in a rather straightforward but descriptive manner, leading to Riku folding his arms against his chest once more after a disbelieving pause, and after a bit of pain shot through his head he commented "H-Have we met before?"
"I am not at liberty to discuss that. What I did come to here to discuss, however, was the moral conundrum you have mentioned, and how it pertains to your future." The Chronicles waves his ghastly light-blue hand out of his right sleeve and summons forth a book that he swiftly opens before the shadow that guised his face. "On the divided world, the one dubbed Riku chose to change both his fate and that of another, shattering the chains of guilt that bound him since Hyrule."
"It doesn't surprise me that you'd have recorded that in your history book, but what does that have to do with anything?" Riku asks, puzzled by the Chronicler's behavior. "Why, it has to do with everything. For an Elemental Overlord to deviate from the higher-ups' wishes is something I have never seen happen since the time of the original."
The Chronicler's grin of intrigue can be felt, and as Riku's muscles tense up he says "What did the original Elemental Overlord do?" "That's not something I am allowed to deliberate on. What matters here is your future in this universe. Over the next few days, you will be forced to make decisions that will decide who you will be for the rest of your life. If you fail these tests, fail to make the right decisions, then your life is over."
"Hehehe, but I suppose the Elemental Overlord doesn't need a reminder of how every instance of his existence is a life-or-death scenario." When the Chronicler was at an end, Riku said to him "Hey wait a second, how could you possibly know what the future holds for me if you only chronicle things as they happen?"
"…Perceptive, very perceptive. That is easily explainable. Time will never come to a complete stop…Even when the universe runs out of heat and fades into the darkness, the universe will be reborn, starting events over in almost the exact same way. But I will continue to live on, storing in my archives the finished history of the old world, and bring out new scriptures to start over again. For trillions of years, I have and will continue on."
When the Chronicler's explanation was at an end, Riku admittedly found himself feeling a sensation of dizzy in his head, and as he grasped the side of it he said "…That's a lot for one person to even think about." "Then don't. My intention was not to leave you confused. I just wished to talk to you for a bit, since I need to at least keep up-to-date on the Elemental Overlords once per timeline. Especially you…In case you don't end up surviving your future confrontation with the one who courts death…"
"Wait, what do you mean by…You know what, I already know the answer to that question…Say, have you seen my brother at all yet?" Riku tries to go for another question in a more concerned tone of voice, and the Chronicler surprisingly replies "I've just been to see him. Don't worry, he has not become a monster. I'm actually surprised by how well he's holding up in this timeline…"
"So you're omnipresent? Guess that makes sense, how else would you be able to record every bit of history…Is there anything else you need to say to me?" The Chronicler replies afterwards with "Whatever you do, do not let the higher-ups see you as a threat. Doing something minor like saving Botta's life won't earn much of their ire, but if you go as far as to change the fate of an entire world…That is when you will be judged."
The mere instance after his sentence ended, time resumed across the universe, leaving Riku to stare at the now barren expanse in front of him. The Chronicler had departed to parts unknown, leaving Riku with nothing but questions and little in the way of answers. "…Guess I should take his advice and not worry about that stuff for now. Tomorrow's a big day, and I should probably consider getting some rest…"
Riku turns around and goes for the campfire, deciding to lay down on his back and retreat into a deep slumber without saying anything to the rest of the group. When he sleeps, it doesn't take very long for him to wake up and be greeted by the morning sun.
The teenage Overlord kicks onto his feet, only to find that Lloyd has been up all night working on Aska's flute after Presea decided to sleep midway through. For all his effort though, he made a perfect replica of the flute, even though he appeared to be exhausted from all of his concentration on the craft. "Whew…It's finally done!" Lloyd says while wiping a good amount of sweat from his forehead.
"Good job Lloyd! Mithos' would probably love to have this!" Genis says in a moderately impressed tone of voice. "You can give it to him when we're done with it, Genis. Right now, we need a gust of wind to carry the sound of the flute to Aska." Lloyd explains.
"That's where I come in again." Sheena says as she quickly reaches into her clothes to pull out a green seal for Sylph, and with a little bit of focus the ninja says "I call upon the spirit of the Harrowing Gale. Come forth, Sylph!"
The three entities that compose of Sylph are summoned forth in front of the Linkite Tree, and much like Gnome the day before one of them notes "Oh wow! You're planning to go say hi to Aska and Luna! You need a strong gale to carry the music from the flute? Coming right up!"
Sylph turns around and with a lift of their magic wands they summon forth a breeze powerful enough for the group's given task, disappearing from sight afterwards as Lloyd hands Genis the flute and says "It's up to you now, Genis. Play us Aska's summoning tune!"
Genis nods his head and places the flute at his mouth, tapping his fingers along the holes in perfect sync with his breaths, creating a lovely piece of music that flows through the air with relative ease. Once the song was at an end, a majestic sounding bird shriek can be heard from afar, and with a gale resulting from the flap of it's mighty wings a two-headed rainbow-colored bird descends from the sky and hovers before the Linkite Tree with it's presence looming high over the group.
Everyone was taken aback by this creature's majesty, especially as it looked upon the group and inquired in a docile voice "Who calls me?" Sheena steps forward and waves her hand out while asking of the creature "Aska! We need your power! Please, form a pact with me!"
Her straightforwardness is met with Aska turning his head back and forth and questioning "Pact…But where is Luna?" Zelos answers quickly "We haven't made a pact with Luna yet, but we need you."
Aska shakes his head and replies to the earlier request with a simple "I do not want to form a pact…unless Luna is with me." Sheena says in an understanding tone of voice "Alright, that's only fair. We'll go to the Tower of Mana and meet up with Luna again, then form a pact with her."
"Agreed…Until that time comes, farewell." Aska then takes flight into the sky, making a straight line for the Tower of Mana in the northern part of Sylvarant. Once the Summon Spirit was far away, Lloyd questioned Sheena with a curious sounding "You sure that was the right thing to do?"
"He said he'll make a pact. I trust he will keep his promise. Besides, Luna said she wanted Aska by her side before she'd pact with us, so it works out to go about things this way." Sheena's explanation is followed by Raine noting "We'll be tested by both of them at the same time…A battle with two Summon Spirits, we're going to need all of our strength if we have any hope of winning."
"Well, whatever will be, will be. No point looming around here worrying about that." Zelos says in a nonchalant tone of voice, and Lloyd agrees with this statement by pumping his fist out beside his body and saying "He's right, let's get moving!"
Everyone turns around and heads straight for the Rheairds, but along the way Riku thinks to himself "I got some important decisions to make soon? He's right…Once we make a pact with Luna and Aska, I'm going to do something I'd never thought I'd consider until now…But I won't die, not now, not ever…" With a steadfast heart, Riku took flight alongside the rest of the group, where the Tower of Mana would prove to be just a few minutes away…
Next Time: Duality