Confrontation
Dust found that, if he angled the satgat up ever so slightly so that he could actually see, it wasn't so bad wearing it. If anything, it kept the sun out of his eyes. The teasing from Fidget soon wore off and she'd even admitted that it looked alright on him. Ash and Ginger made a few comments about how it made Dust look the part of the hero the people of Falana knew him to be; Kim, Taka and Sanjin had thankfully stayed quiet about it; and Jarin had been at the receiving end of a smack to the head when he'd mocked it. Said smack coming from Dust.
Aside from the upgrades armour that everyone was wearing, Dust had given Ginger the Iced Steel dagger that Kalyn had given him nearly a week ago — as much as everyone agreed that the woman's throwing skills were something to be feared, Dust didn't want his mother tagging along as she had insisted without something to defend herself at close range. Dust was still less than happy about Ginger staying with the group regardless, but there was no arguing with his mother.
"Someone has to make sure you make it back alive this time," Ginger had argued, multiple times.
"And someone has to make sure you don't get yourself in trouble!" Dust had protested.
"Listen, I'll stay out of the main fighting — I know you're skilled enough to handle that, Scamp. But someone's going to need to patch you lot up afterwards."
Following a brief meeting in Aurora the morning after Fidget had arrived back from Falun in record-time (out of puff because of it, so she'd been camping under Dust's hat ever since), the group had decided to split in order to handle preparations that they knew would be necessary before the final fight. Ash, Kim and Sanjin had headed towards New Zeplich to prepare the rest of the Moonblood army and their allies — Ash had even figured out a way to infuse weapons with Flameless Light which would allow them to be used against the Souldiers — while Taka and Jarin had decided to do what they could to sabotage enemy operations.
"There might not be much we can do about the Souldiers," Taka had said. "But the Royal Army can't be best pleased with their King's actions. We might be able to get some inside help along the way."
"Besides, I've always wanted to mess up some serious army operations," Jarin smirked. "This should be fun."
"You scare me sometimes, Jarin," Dust sighed.
That had left Dust, Ginger, and a still complaining Fidget to find the Shrine of the Life Thread. They'd accompanied the others all the way to New Zeplich, where the different groups had split off, but now the trio were trekking through a completely new part of the mountains, Ginger leading the way and Dust now sporting some much warmer gear than previously.
"Are you sure all we've got to go on is that the Shrine is located in the western mountain region?" Dust asked, lifting his satgat slightly to make sure Fidget hadn't dozed off.
"Okay, I may have pushed Ellie a little for time…"
"Since when were you two on nickname basis?!"
"…but she said that's all she could find," Fidget replied sheepishly. "That King guy did a thorough job of getting rid of his research."
"Wasn't there something else about it being in the 'Mountain that was touched by the Lights of Elysium'?" Ginger asked as she pulled Dust up another ledge. Having grown up in the mountains, she was more or less in her element. "Has anyone figured out what that means, yet?"
"The Lights of Elysium are often described as multicoloured lights that dance across the sky," the Blade of Ahrah explained. "It was long thought to be the Life Thread itself, and so a shrine was erected in the place where, once in a blue moon, they touched the earth."
"We don't have time to wait for a 'blue moon'," Dust huffed. "There has to be another way of finding it."
"Well, don't look at me," Fidget shrugged, peeking out from under Dust's hat. "You guys are the ones that can't fly." Dust was still trying to make his temporary wings stick around for more than one flap at a time.
"Ahrah can float."
"That doesn't count."
"We'll think of something," Ginger sighed. "Let's keep moving — I want to find a cave to camp in before it gets too dark."
The sun was already setting over the mountains, and being at such a high altitude the sunset was visible for miles, illuminating the snow in a pink glow. For a moment, as they climbed over another ridge, Dust, Ginger and Fidget took a moment to admire the sight before them.
"It's been a long time since I've seen this view," Ginger smiled. "At least some things never change." Dust smiled in turn, his eyes flickering dark blue just long enough for Fidget and Ginger to notice.
"I take it Jin's admiring the view as well?" Fidget asked. Dust nodded.
"It's part of home," he replied. "He hasn't seen it in a long time, either." Ginger wiped a tear from her eye, moved by her son's kindness. Dust noticed. "You really miss him, huh?"
"More than I can ever say," Ginger admitted. "But you know that I thank Elysium everyday that I was able to raise you as my son," she added, hugging Dust close with a smile.
"And done a darn good job of doing so," Fidget grinned. Ginger laughed softly when Dust suddenly broke away from her. "Dust? You okay?"
"That light…" the boy murmured, looking at a mountain that stood apart from the rest. It was nearly perfectly triangular in shape, covered in snow. Half of it was bathed in the soft pink light of the sunset, but there was one speck of light that seemed to shine even brighter, coloured bright cyan.
"Where's that…?" Fidget began to ask when her gaze drifted to the Blade of Ahrah still held in Dust's hand. Its runes were glowing, somehow even brighter than usual, with the lights focusing into a single point. "Dust! Raise the Blade of Ahrah!"
Dust did so, angling the sword so that the last of the sunlight caught the metal and strengthened the lights from the runes. Ginger gasped as a beam of cyan light shot from the blade, piercing the mountainside where the tiny dot of light had been seen.
"The Lights of Elysium…" Dust repeated. "The Light from a Blade of Elysium!"
"Well, no one ever said the lights had to come from the sky," Fidget shrugged.
"Fly on ahead, Fidget," Ahrah instructed. "Mark the spot where my light hits that mountain. We shall catch up with you."
"Way ahead of you," Fidget nodded. "Will you two be okay?"
"We'll be fine, don't worry," Dust reassured. Satisfied that the mother and son duo could keep each other alive and safe, Fidget shot off to follow the beam of light. With the nimbat gone, things seemed to get a lot quieter in the mountains but Dust kept the mood relatively light by remarking that at least there was a smaller chance of avalanches being set off.
As the sun set over the horizon, Ginger found a cave she deemed suitable to camp in for the night and set out the sleeping equipment. Dust lit a small campfire as the Blade of Ahrah hovered nearby before the two Warmbloods sat near the entrance to the cave, watching the moon and stars blink into life in the skies above. In the distances, above what remained of the Everdawn Basin, the faint scar of the Life Thread could be seen glistening in the heavens.
"It's like he's torn the sky apart," Dust muttered. "At this rate the entire world's going to be torn to shreds…"
"We're going to fix it, Scamp," Ginger comforted, hugging him close. "We'll fix it…we'll end this…then we can go home. Properly. You see if we don't." Dust didn't answer straight away, instead letting out a quiet, sad sigh. "Is something wrong, sweetheart?"
"Huh? Oh, no," Dust shook his head, pulling away from his mother. "I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind, is all."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ginger offered. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Yeah…I know…" Dust still sounded hesitant. "It's just…it's been a crazy week. So much has changed, I just…" Taking a deep breath, Dust seemed to pick his words carefully before speaking. "I'm just a bit worried about what else could change…for everyone. Not just me."
"A lot has changed, Dust," Ahrah agreed. "And no one can express how much we all wish this had not happened to you at such a young age…or indeed at all. But life is all about change, and it is something that we cannot stop."
"Ahrah's right," Ginger nodded. "Things do change, sometimes in ways we don't want them to…but we can change things for the better. You did it before, remember? And we'll all help you do it again."
"Yeah…thanks," Dust smiled. There was still a sadness in his eyes, and with the satgat resting nearby Ginger could see the emotion etched into every hair on her son's face.
"That's not all, is it?" she pressed gently. "You've been out of sorts since we left the Caverns…did something happen?" Dust suddenly broke eye contact, so Ginger carefully brought his face back towards her. "Dust…tell me, please," she begged. "Did Lady Tethys tell you something?"
"She…" Dust began, taking his head out of Ginger's hand. "What if I don't make it again?" he asked. "What if I'm not meant to make it out of this?"
"Sweetheart, I will not let that happen," Ginger insisted. "You're going back to Aurora with me…you're coming home this time. We're not losing you again."
"But what if?" Dust argued. "What if I can't avoid it?"
"You will," Ginger said firmly, bringing Dust into a hug. "I'll make sure of it." Seeing how much the topic was distressing Dust, Ginger decided to not press the matter any further, but she decided as the two settled down to sleep that she would do everything in her power to make sure that Dust made it back alive.
It was late morning the following day that Ginger and Dust caught up with Fidget. As hoped, the nimbat had found the elusive shrine hidden deep within the craggy mountain side — exploring it further revealed a cavern lit up with the same cyan light that illuminated the Blade of Ahrah.
"It's…beautiful in here," Dust remarked breathlessly.
"I know, right?" Fidget agreed. "Now this is what I imagine when I think of 'dedicated to Elysium'." Ginger asked about what the nimbat clan had. "Look, as far as architecture's concerned, we don't exactly do much apart from a couple of twigs and rocks. We nimbats are simple folk, okay?"
Dust opted not to comment on that statement and suggested that they marked the shrine on the map and head back out to meet up with the others, as well as the location of a teleporter they found nearby. Fidget, once more exhausted from flying, insisted on hiding under Dust's cloak for the journey back to New Zeplich.
Dust was amazed and pleasantly surprised to see so many of Royal Army Soldiers in New Zeplich Village as part of the Moonblood ranks. Many had ditched their blue and gold armour and adopted the colours of the Moonbloods and their allies, some were helping tending to those still recovering from the battle a few days prior, and others were talking to the creatures they'd once been sworn to kill.
"Taka can be really persuasive," Jarin explained when Dust had asked about it. "Julius' ranks have seriously thinned out…not counting his Life Thread lackeys but things have beefed up on this side of the field."
"Did you even manage to get round to sabotaging anything?" Dust ask. Jarin winked.
"You'll see," he snickered. Dust tried pressing him but didn't get any further in the matter. "Did Kim fill you in on the plan?"
"We surround the King's base of operations, which is now on the Sunrose side of the mountains," Dust nodded. "Near to the Life Thread Shrine, according to our maps."
"Then Dust and I go face to face with Julius," Fidget recited. "Try to talk some sense into him with major emphasis on 'try'."
"I still don't think letting your assassin-soul taking charge is a good idea," Jarin frowned.
"You and everyone else," Dust huffed. "It's the only chance we've got. I'll be fine — I can feel the presence of the Eye, but Lady Tethys' charm is keeping the King from taking control."
"If you say so," Jarin sighed. "So you try talking to His Highness, and see if you can get him to voluntarily surrender the Eye?"
"Yep, then if everything goes south…which it probably will…" Fidget shrugged. "That's where you guys come in. Taka will snatch the Eye, then give it to Sanjin who'll take it to the Shrine while we keep the king occupied."
It was the best and only plan they had — knowing the stakes placed on the upcoming battle, Dust knew that they couldn't afford to mess this chance up.
This was the last chance they had for peace in Falana.
"No matter how this ends, it ends today!" Dust shouted to the army behind him as they faced a shimmering mass ahead of them. A roar sounded in reply from the crowd, both Moonblood and Warmblood alike. Opposite them, Dust could see a bright blue glow, like a small star — the Eye of the Life Thread, still in the hands of King Julius. Dust winced as he felt something tug inside him, and clutched Lady Tethys' charm from reassurance.
"We've got this," Fidget whispered, her paws glowing with energy ready to be released. The Blade of Ahrah flickered reassuringly in Dust's hand, and beside him the entire party he'd built up over his adventure glanced at him with determination shining in their eyes. Dust had faith in them, and trusted them to watch his back, knowing that they trusted him to watch theirs as well.
No way was he letting them down.
"FOR FALANA!" he bellowed with more volume than thought possible from a thirteen-year-old, as the army behind him began charging towards the opposition. Spinning the Blade of Ahrah in his hands, Dust leapt from the boulder he'd been standing on, boosting himself through the air with an aerial Dust Storm as he and his friends raced to meet the Souldiers.
The battle was furious and waited for no one. The Souldiers slipped between the ranks of the Moonbloods and their allies, leaving trails of silver blue light behind them as they did so. Thanks to the Flameless Light infused weapons, however, it wasn't a case of "they touch you, you die" anymore, and the Moonblood army were holding their own far better than they did in the Everdawn Basin. Streaks of lightning-blue-white light caused the entire battlefield to shine painfully bright — luckily, this had taken this into consideration when Ash had infused the arsenal with Flameless Light and the Moonblood army was well equipped with visors to protect their eyes.
Dust was actually grateful for the protection the satgat gave him from the glare.
"Fine! I take it back," Fidget grumbled when Dust voiced this out loud. "It's not a stupid hat."
Dust pushed his way through the battlefield until finally, he reached the dais where King Julius stood. The man had just swatted away what looked like the fifth Moonblood in as many minutes, so Dust shouted out in order to grab his attention.
"King Julius!"
The call worked, and the regal lion Warmblood turned on his heels to face the teenager before him. Almost immediately, he raised his sceptre, the Eye of the Life Thread shining brightly as it reached out to the souls within Dust. The boy grunted slightly, but the charm held firm.
"Cassius, I command you to return to my side!" Julius ordered.
"For the last time, I'm not Cassius!" Dust insisted. "You know, I was going to try negotiating, but call me that one more time when I'm still me and you'll be pulling that sceptre out of very painful places."
"DUST!" Ahrah reprimanded sharply, horrified.
"You tell him," Fidget snickered.
"I'm surprised you would even dare come so close to me, Little One," Julius remarked. "But you cannot hope to win. My army is one that will never fall, and each soldier you lose is one that joins my side."
"It doesn't have to be this way, Your Majesty," Dust pleaded. There was a pause as Dust closed his eyes, murmuring something under his breath. When his eyes opened again, the irises were crimson. Cassius was in control. "Please, Julius," he spoke softly. "Reconsider."
"I thought you just told me that you were not Cassius," Julius scoffed.
"I asked him for a chance to speak with you directly," Cassiust replied. "He was kind enough to agree."
The king raised the Eye of the Life Thread again, and this time Fidget gasped quietly as she saw her friend flinch. The charm was weakened by the dominance of a fallen soul when it was so close to the Eye — Fidget knew they had limited time for this.
"You could fight by my side again, my friend," King Julius said. "Right the wrongs those beasts forced you to commit…"
"No, Julius," Cassiust shook his head. "I will not fight for the destruction of this kingdom, nor the salvation of it. My time of fighting ended years ago, I merely lend Dust my strength. You know this."
"Why do you allow it?" Julius snarled. "Have you no pride left?"
"My pride…took a dent on that fateful day," Cassiust winced. For a moment, Dust snapped back into control and hissed something sharply before Cassius' presence returned. Fidget shot him a look.
"What was that about?" she quizzed.
"Minor disagreement," Cassiust replied simply. "Nothing more."
"I am not surprised you are left so ashamed, Cassius," the king spat. "You were my finest warrior, the greatest this kingdom…no, this world had ever known! And you were taken down by the hands of a child."
"As we've established numerous times, but that is besides the point, Majesty," Cassiust sighed, the familiarity in his tone disappearing. "The point, Julius, is that you are ruining this kingdom…the kingdom you swore to protect when you ascended the throne."
"You dare tell me how to enact my duties?!"
"I implore you to see reason!" Cassiust argued. "This power…the power of Elysium…it is not meant to be wielded by mortal hands, much less as you have done!"
"What you're doing is going to tear the cosmos apart!" Fidget added desperately. "You keep this up, and you won't have a kingdom to protect!"
"Stand down, Julius," Cassiust begged. "End this war…let Falana live in peace. Perhaps in another world, we would have succeeded, and the Moonbloods would no longer exist. But that is over, Your Highness. The Moonbloods live on…perhaps it is not their time."
"Their time came long ago, Cassius, and you know it as well as I!" Julius roared.
"Who are we to decide that?" Cassiust argued. "We destroyed so much in the name of purifying this kingdom…can't you recognise that and try rebuilding it instead?!"
"Those creatures are a blot on this kingdom!" Julius snapped. "With this…" He held up the Eye of the Life Thread proudly. "…we have a chance to end this for good! Join me, Cassius, and we can finish what we both started!"
The Eye shone blindingly bright once again, and Dust flinched once more under its power. Fidget clutched his arm as a reminder that she was by his side and not leaving him. The charm around his neck was starting to fracture.
"Dust! Hang in there!" Fidget cried. Grunting, Dust straightened himself out, still speaking in Cassius' voice.
"Julius…" he murmured. "I may hold the same resentment towards the Moonbloods as I always have…for what they are…and what they did to my soul…but I am no longer in a position to decide their fate," he said, raising the Blade of Ahrah. As he did, the image of a thirteen-year-old boy seemed to melt away, replaced by that of a fully grown warrior garbed in blue. Fidget's heart soared as she caught the glimpse of the warrior still living within Dust.
Sen-Mithrarin.
"You still have a choice, my friend," Julius implored. "Join me…"
"My ability to choose my own path ended fifteen years ago when Sen-Mithrarin was born," Cassiust interrupted. With that, Dust's eyes flickered back to pale blue and Cassius' presence receded. "I'll give you one last chance, Your Majesty," Dust growled. "Either raise your blade against me and fight, or drop it and surrender the Eye of the Life Thread."
King Julius scowled at the boy in front of him and drew his sabre.
"I will not answer to the demands of a child," he snarled. "It will give me no pleasure to kill you…but your souls will be at my command once I do."
Dust glanced at Fidget and the duo shared a nod, determination dancing in their eyes like a forest fire.
"So be it."