And the second update of the week to celebrate my root canal. Things I hope I never do again...
Noel had stayed in the Wildlands for nearly 100 years now. It felt kind of like madness had set in as he pushed out the world and focused only on surviving. He probably wouldn't have realized that it had been so long if Sazh hadn't come looking for him. Right now the older man was sitting across from him at the fire pit glaring down at the fire with bad memories. He'd come with news and none of it was good. Noel had wanted to yell, to tell him to leave. If he had to go back to society, to the world. He'd have to face up that Hope was gone. That what Nora and the chaos had told him was real. He didn't want to deal with any of this.
"I know… That this is your form of coping." Sazh started out quietly as he finally broke the silence. "But they need you. So much is happening and I…"
"I'm not going back." The younger man shook his head and moved to stand but Sazh gave him such a pleading look that he sat back down.
"Please." Sazh finally said. "Everything is getting worse. Serah as been seeing visions again and Etro basically told Lightning that humanity is on their own. Those syncopates in Luxerion have… Cults have sprung up that are more dangerous then we initially thought. One in particular worships the head honcho and it's not good."
"What do you mean not good?" Noel asked as he felt his mind racing back to what Nora had said. Even in 100 years it had kept surfacing back up in his mind.
"Apparently tablets and other things from: The God of Light have appeared. Real things… Lightning managed to get a hold of them and well. Really not good. They want to destroy not only the chaos… but also the souls that dwell within it. Supposedly it's the will of that God."
Noel felt his throat close up. In the chaos was well. Everything once you discounted the thick miasma that brought horrific monsters and death. The souls of innocents was there. The only way for new life to happen.
"According to Etro… Those that composed the corrupted chaos are what's wrong. But Bhunivelze wants to destroy any and everything related to Etro and to the original creator." Sazh took a deep and weak breath. "We have to stop Luxerion and we can't without you. The key to destroying the chaos… All the chaos lies with Serah and Vanille and others who can control the chaos to a great extent."
"Which also means the last soul of Yuel." Noel chewed roughly on his bottom lip. So many people in danger and while part of him knew that he could not stay here in the woods and pretend none of this existed. The want within him was so strong. "Any news about Hope?"
"Still nothing." Sazh shook his head. "Poor kid. He's not dead… but I guess he's not alive either."
Noel took a deep breath. He need to talk to Nora. "Fine. Where is Lightning right now? I'll go meet up with Lightning in The Dead Dunes. I'll be able to get there faster."
"I'll send out the cable." Sazh stood up. "According to Light's intel we have another fifty to a hundred years before the end of the world actually comes. Either way it all looks like shit."
"You sound so positive." Noel swallowed hard. "If the end is coming guess I can't just hide anymore."
It wasn't too long after Sazh left that Nora showed up again. She sat in the place that the older man once sat and regarded him with sad eyes. Noel took a deep breath. "I told Sazh that I would go to The Dead Dunes and meet up with Lightning.'
"That's good." Her voice was still that soft motherly tone. "After that you should go to Luxerion. Sazh's words about the cult ring true and it's dangerous."
"Even if the cult could achieve it's aim—"
"Hope is being tortured on that Ark." Her voice was almost bland and she stated those words, Noel flinched hard, his pulse suddenly racing. He shook his head in denial and stood up. Even if God had Hope like everyone was telling him, what was the point of that? Why even tell him such a thing without proof? "He will be the prototype of the new humanity. If you can stop the people of Luxerion from removing the chaos of our souls then you can still save him. Please. You must do this." She pleaded as if Noel could possibly say no.
Noel's least favorite place in this strange new world was The Dead Dunes. Much too like 700AF with too much sun and the ruins of their old world. He stormed across the hot sand towards the checkpoint that Sazh had informed him of. When he was close to the check point he spotted pink hair and took a deep breath. After this was Luxerion. He had talked to the chaos that made Nora again and she had promised to help him if he went to Luxerion.
Which just made him more uncomfortable. Finally meeting up with the Goddess' champion he took a deep breath as she scowled at him. Nothing was said for a long moment as Noel had gotten use to silence and Lightning wasn't one for talking and then finally she spoke.
"Did you find what you were looking for out there?" Noel shook his head in response and she kept on walking. "Etro told me that Hope is on the Ark. The Ark that he built. Bhunivelze cleared it of people so that he could use it to purify souls."
"Sounds like something a god would do." Noel stated with a shrug. Lightning sighed and gestured towards the road..
"Let's go meet up with Fang." Lightning turned around and lead the way deeper into the dunes.
It was a long walk to the bandits' base. As they walked Lightning saw it fit to talk, to catch Noel up with the problems at hand.
"I don't know how much Sazh told you." She started quietly.
Noel shrugged even though she couldn't see it. "Everything's wrong. Hope's still missing and no one knows what the hell the chaos is doing."
"Sounds about right." Lightning flashed a look back at him. "The problem is now Luxerion… They are after Serah. The city has been taken over by the largest of the cults. They call themselves The Order of Salvation. A woman has become a figure head. They call her the High Priestess. Honestly, her mental faculties leave much to be desired."
Noel barked a bitter laugh and rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure that we've all been alive an extra 3-400 years too long Lightning. I highly doubt any of us are sane anymore."
"The comforts of a false prophet are one thing." Lightning took a sharp right and led him deeper into hot desert sands that made him miss the Wildlands more then anything. "But this cult is more dangerous then you can imagine. They were the ones passed the Holy Relics of Bhunivelze. The ability to destroy souls."
"Oh… crazy and the ability to destroy the world. That is a shitty combination." Noel replied as he shook his head. "I think I'll just go back to the Wildlands."
"Nope." Lightning turned to look at him. "I have a task for you. Among the cults there is another one. Called the Children of Etro."
"Met a few of 'em. They aren't too bad. They sit around and wait to die… Wanting nothing to do with Bhunivelze and hoping to reunite with Etro." Noel shrugged but Lightning shook her head.
"Maybe in the Wildlands they are docile little sheep but in Luxerion they are highly dangerous. They have a bad habit of murdering innocents. Especially non-believer innocents." She paused and then turned to look at them. "Especially if they have pink hair. It is said that they have an oracle drive."
"Oracle drives shouldn't even work anymore." Noel shook his head but Lightning's sharp glare stopped him.
"I don't think it's a true Oracle Drive. But I do believe it is showing them a vision. The only problem is I don't know what they mean by 'pink hair.' Is it me? Serah? I mean Serah makes sense since they directly opposed the Order or Salvation. Killing the person that they think can fulfill their wish makes sense."
"And let me guess? It only gets worse." Noel muttered as they arrived at a transport. Getting onboard he sat grumpily as Lightning drove.
"You have no idea." Lightning replied. "About a fortnight ago The Order's grunts started snooping around the ruins. They are looking for something that is in the ruins… a god relic. Something that I'm guessing is tied to the Soulsong."
"And that leaves me wondering what you want from me."
"I think you'll understand soon."
The bandits hideout reminded Noel of his own time. The desert landscaped and the makeshift tent-like homes. He swallowed down the homesickness with a rather bland face and followed Lightning off the transport and towards the largest of the structures. Inside was Vanille who looked rather upset as she studied maps. Looking up at the visitors she jumped up with a smile.
"Long time no see! It's good to have both of you back in contact you know." She spoke as she pushed bright hair out of her face. "Fang is out right now strengthening the robots in the ruins to continue searching and spying for us."
"I thought you guys were supposed to be scavenging the ruins for things that would be useful to society?" Noel asked as he sat down abruptly near the entrance. Lightning being the calmer of the two moved in further and sat down next to the Pulsian girl.
"We were but then we started finding other things." She lifted up a data pad and up flew imagines that Noel found vaguely familiar. "Inside the ruins is a temple to the gods. Inside it explains the roles of Lindzei, Pulse and Etro under Bhunivelze. It also explains why Bhunivelze is going to awaken."
"Meaning what?" Lightning asked as she crossed her arms.
"Meaning that we can't stop the world from ending. The chaos that creates the sea is not the same as the chaos that exists in our hearts. It's only goal is to destroy that which hurts it. And that would be the world. Bhunivelze will have already awakened and started to construct a new world. And then he fell back asleep until the end of days."
"Meaning what?" Lighting asked quietly.
"Meaning that when the guide appears we will only have thirteen days left. There is mention of a savior but those tablets have been worn with time or The Order has them. Because the Order knows of the Savior and eagerly awaits her." Vanille paused and took a deep breath. "And it stands to mean that the guide is Hope."
"No." It bubbled up out of Noel's mouth before he even thought it. He clenched his hands and forced his breath to calm and his mind to empty. "Hope wouldn't do that."
"It's not a matter of can." Vanille bit her lip roughly as she watched Noel tense even more. "This is God we are talking about. There is nothing that we can do to refuse him as we are now." She browed her head and placed her hands in a prayer position. "The guide is to be the brightest of humans. One that can commune with the creations of Etro and Bhunivelze alike."
"His ability to talk to machines." Lightning stated and Vanille nodded. "So all his life… Hope has been a walking time bomb."
"But that doesn't make sense!" Noel shouted and Lightning shook her head.
"It does though. The power must have been passed through Hope's ancestors…or maybe the silver hair is a mark of God's influence. No one would have known… Not even the Fal'cie or they wouldn't have hunted him the way he did. Remember we only have access to this information because God allows it in this strange crumbling world."
Noel bit his lip roughly. Lightning was right. All along, the bright colored hair that he cherished. That made Hope stand out in a room. The man had claimed that he got it from his mother, although her hair hadn't been as bright as his own. Noel recalled vaguely that no one at the end of days had had silver hair. Hope was probably the last person to bear Bhunivelze's mark so strongly. He choked on his breath at the thought.
"How common was silver hair in your time?" He asked quietly.
"Not very common. But neither was pink hair either." Lightning commented as she lifted up her own hair. "Common enough to not make Hope stick out too much if that's what you are thinking. Honestly that much power would have had to have traces of the sou in a lot of people. I'm guessing that it all must have been absorbed by Hope over time."
"Due to doucheface's influence." Noel bit off and Vanille giggled slightly covering her hand.
"You've been around Snow." She asked quietly.
"Sazh actually… Although I guess that is a more Snow-like thing to say." Noel grumped.
"More importantly." Vanille coughed lightly. "Is this." She lifted her hands and dark wisps began to form around her hands. "My ability to control the chaos has increased. I have well… A very high compatibility now. I fear that Serah is the same. The last update we got said that she was seeing visions of the future. Visions that confirm my fears about Hope."
"She can see the future?" Noel felt himself choke up. Had they not saved her? He could never forgive himself if that was the case.
"These are imagines she sees through the chaos… Not Etro's eyes. Those have been taken back." Lightning explained though her face was no less grim. "It's the manifestation of her chaos powers."
"On the other hand." Vanille replied. "I can hear the voices or the dead. I can promise you that Hope isn't among them. Though two spirits have found it fit to follow you Noel."
"Two?"
"Nora and Bartholomew Esthiem. Hope's parents." The younger woman swallowed hard. She had witnessed the death of one but not the other, but there was a lasting guilt that she couldn't help. The silence that settled on them were uncomfortable and Noel looked towards the exit.
While only Nora dared to talk to him it was still an uncomfortable happening. The things that Nora wanted him to do, honestly didn't agree with him and he really didn't want to deal with the things that were happening now. Hope was honestly his only motivation anymore and even that was slipping through his fingers. Gone but not dead. Held in God's grip and everyone was constantly telling him that there was nothing he could do but sit back and wait until the man he loved came to herald the end of the world as a puppet for God.
"That's beside the point." He finally spoke up. "Every time you come to me, you tell me that I have to do something that I have to help. It always seems to be a black hole of nothing. What can I do and what is even going to happen to us?"
"I want you to go to Luxerion." Fang's voice spoke up from the doorway and they all jumped not hearing the tall warrior enter. "The Order is not only searching for the relics of God but they have started to become corrupt. They are stirring the drums of war with Yusnaan which means that the delivery of supplies is being interrupted and weakened. The fat spoiled bastards at the top take all the goods and the people are starving."
"And what dos that mean to me?" Noel asked calmly.
"I figured that you want to cause some damage." The dark haired woman explained. "The thing that we have to combat among ourselves is the grief. The things that render us incapable of fighting. And for your it's your grief."
"So what? Am I not allowed to grieve. Like you I lost everything… Well I guess you didn't lose everything." Noel growled at her as he pointedly gestured to Vanille. "I'll grieve anyway I damn well want to."
Fang gestured the other two to leave. Noel was stubborn man and he had been hard to get through to after Hope had been taken. Serah and Snow had been able to for a while. Those left that were closest to him and could navigate his defenses. Fang was another person. The two of them had instantly clicked like long lost family. She sat down across from him once they were gone.
"I'm not questioning your grief." Fang murmured as she gather up Vanille's things. "I want you to grieve. I want you to take that pain and turn it into the strength that you will use to take Hope back from God. I've been studying the scriptures. The ruins and the tablets. Our greatest enemy is coming. And all of us are needed for the fight."
Noel rolled his eyes. This was nothing new to him and he moved to stand but Fang halted him. "The Order of Salvation is the most affected by God. Should he see fit to communicate with us lowly humans it will be through them. And his voice will be of Hope's. If you are in Luxerion you stand the best chance to figure out a way to get Hope back."
"But that's not why you want me to go there." Noel stated tiredly as he felt the fight leave him, remembering what Nora had asked of him.
"The people of Luxerion need a guardian. And that guardian should be you. The scriptures and other crap talk about a Shadow Hunter. A man of blue who will challenge the Savior. Of course according to God this man will be saved and come to his side. But I believe that if you become this man you will be in the place to not only stop the Savior from being God's pawn but also save Hope."
"Still haven't convinced me." Noel grumbled as he glared at her.
"These people need you. There is another cult within Lexerion… The Children of Etro… Who are waiting for the Shadow Hunter to come and help them."
"Those violent lunatics?! You want me to help them kill people out of their misguided bullshit—"
Fang shook her head sadly. "We do what we have to do. You can stopping their killing. Right now they've begun to target pink haired women. As the tablets have said the savior will have pink hair."
"You are thinking Lightning." Noel replied suddenly understanding why Fang sent the other two women away.
"Lightning still has the powers of a God's champion. And with Etro weakening by the day… It makes sense that Bhunivelze would take advantage of that. Better to have Lightning as his soldier then against him with the powers of a demigoddess." Fang sighed deeply. "The others only look at what's in front of them. And I admit that I use to be the same way. Even now I will do anything to ensure Vanille's safety. But the loss of Hope… The destruction of the world we once had… has taught me that I have to start looking at the long game. Or none of my family will survive."
Noel swallowed hard. The look on Fang's face was heartbreaking and Noel knew that it took a lot for the proud woman to lower her pride and show the fear that existed inside her. He nodded weakly. In the face of her pain and the knowledge that she had been keeping from the others. Her desire to protect them all to the best of her ability.
Even now he knew that in the morning he would be heading to Luxerion.