Resolve
I won't even pretend that you are not going to read these once I'm gone, so just let me cut to the chase.
My road has ended, but you have so much you still need to do. It won't be easy, nothing ever is, and there will be obstacles you will have to overcome. But I have faith that you can do it.
You're my partner after all.
In the case that you should ever falter though, don't be afraid to rely on our friends; to rely on her.
For as heavy as the burden might be, you don't have to carry it alone.
- From the notes of Papalymo Totolymo
Soft breathing pervaded the air, slow and even, as two bodies laid side by side on the bed, their heads nestled on top of the singular pillow and their intertwined bodies partly covered by a blanket that had come loose.
Slowly, one of the bodies stirred, at first just a twitching of eyebrows when a stray sun ray came into contact with closed lids, then a tilt of the head to get away from it, only to be followed by a groan.
Ears moving around, S'eni started to wake up, cracking open one of her eyes and immediately closing it again while turning her head away from the sunlight. She remained like this for a moment in the vain hope of falling asleep again but the warm breath tickling her face only made her wake up further.
Opening her eyes again, she was greeted by a sight that made her smile. Y'shtola, her hair tousled up and her lips slightly parted as she slept. Gingerly, S'eni reached out her free hand to brush some of those pearl strands out of the other woman's face.
Beautiful, she thought to herself, smile growing as eyes wandered over partly covered curves, and she had to force herself not to lean in and claim Y'shtola's very inviting-looking lips.
The expression on her face fell when other, much more unwanted memories from the previous night resurfaced in her mind. With a sigh, S'eni untangled herself from Y'shtola, being careful not to wake her, and slipped out of bed.
She padded over to the middle of the room, feet digging into the green carpet as she closed her eyes and started to deeply breathe in and out.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
Raising her arms, S'eni began moving through the motions and forms that had become second nature to her, each of them helping her ease her mind into that state of calmness that she would need for what was lying ahead of them.
After shifting out of her final stance, she let herself stand on her tiptoes, raising one of her legs to her hip and extending a hand straight forward and remaining there for a long moment before returning to her initial position, opening her eyes once more and looking out of the window, watching as the people of Gridania went about their daily lives.
It reminded her of when Gaius had delivered his ultimatum to the entirety of Eorzea. The people did not give up, even if only to cling to a sense of normalcy for as long as possible.
A soft moan made her look towards the bed where Y'shtola was starting to wake up, hand reaching out to touch the space she had occupied not too long ago.
"Eni?" Y'shtola asked and looked around, eyes staring straight ahead in a way she had only seen once before.
"I'm here," she replied, walking over to the bed.
The other woman turned her head in her direction and S'eni watched as focus returned to those silvery-white eyes.
"Sorry if I woke you up." She sat down on the edge of the bed while Y'shtola pushed herself up.
"No, it's alright." Y'shtola shook her head before turning her gaze over to the window. "Looks like we slept in."
"Not exactly surprising, don't you think?" S'eni asked, causing a little smile to form on her lover's lips.
"Indeed." Brushing a hand across her hair to smoothen it down, the other woman moved to sit next to her. "But we should get ready before the others come looking for us. Krile wanted to meet up with me, and I don't know about you, but I certainly can live without her teasing."
"I suppose you're right about that," she said with a chuckle.
"What are you going to do?" Y'shtola asked after she rose to her feet and started to gather up her underwear.
"Meet with the others," S'eni replied and joined her. A small sigh passed her lips. "Even if part of me wishes we could just hole up in here and pretend the world doesn't exist."
"I'm afraid we have no time for such pleasant luxuries. As enticing as they are."
She hummed in agreement.
After getting dressed, the two remained standing where they were and looked at each other. S'eni was the first to move, circling her arms around Y'shtola's waist and pulling her close.
Without a word, their lips met in a soft kiss, a silent promise to one another to be careful out there.
Together, the two left the room and walked downstairs. They had just stepped outside the building when a voice called them from a distance.
It was Alphinaud, walking towards them in hurried steps.
"There you are!" he said as he approached them, his eyes moving towards S'eni. "I was looking for you, but when I knocked on your door there was no response."
She shared a silent look with Y'shtola.
"I...needed someone to talk to and Y'shtola offered a willing ear," she told him. It wasn't strictly a lie, after all.
"I understand." He frowned. "I think we are all still reeling from what happened on Baelsar's Wall. But that is also the reason I was looking for you."
"Oh?" S'eni tilted her head.
"The leaders of the Alliance wish to speak with us," Alphinaud told her.
Immediately, her face became serious. "When?"
"As soon as we're able to."
"Then you two should waste no time," Y'shtola said.
"Alright," S'eni said with a nod and punched her palm. "Let's go."
The Rising Stones were almost entirely empty. Everybody that was ready and able had headed out towards Gridania to see if they could somehow help with their newest primal problem or, in the case of the Doman Shinobi, to keep an eye on Garlean movements outside the Grand Companies eyes.
Only Tataru had remained, manning her desk in solemn duty when they returned.
The meeting with the leaders of the Alliance had started out rather bleak, with no one really knowing how to proceed as the primal, while confined, was anything but helpless and would shoot anyone out of the sky that dared to get close.
But before they had known it—
"Hmm, interesting," a voice next to S'eni said, making her look at its owner; Nero tol Scaeva.
—unexpected help had arrived, bringing with him a plan that was as dangerous as it was brilliant.
Activate Omega and let it fulfil its duty like it had done in the past with Bahamut. Cid had protested vehemently at first, but given the severity of the situation and the fact that, like it or not, Nero had helped them out with the Crystal Tower, he relented in the end.
And so their next steps were all too clear.
"So this is your headquarters?" Nero asked as the two of them returned from the little tour he had insisted on receiving from S'eni, running a hand through his blond hair and clicking his tongue in disapproval. "I expected a little...more from the gathering place of the famous Circle of Knowing. Not even a single bit of Magitek? You can't be serious..."
A mixture of amusement and condescension entered his voice, his eyes wandering from S'eni, over to Cid and Alisaie, then to Yugiri. "Eorzea truly is as backwards as they say in Garlemald."
That was the last straw for Tataru.
"How dare you talk like that about our home!" the Lalafel exclaimed, taking Nero a little by surprise and making him look at her, the sheer difference in size almost comical as Tataru glared at him. "I'll have you know that we do have modern Magitek here. Wedge built me a kettle that makes water boil real fast. I bet you don't have something like that in Garlemald!"
Nero simply looked at her, blinking slowly, and S'eni couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her while the others simply shrugged.
The sound of the door opening made her turn around and she saw Alphinaud and Yda walking towards them. Upon seeing the other woman, S'eni stepped forward to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"No," Yda admitted, shaking her head. "But I've come because I don't want to just sit idly by and watch as the time Papalymo has bought us runs out."
"Where are the others?" Alisaie asked her brother.
"Y'shtola, Krile, and Thancred have decided to stay behind and keep an eye on Baelsar's Wall. So it's just us," he replied.
Silence set over the group, everyone except Nero growing serious. This was their only shot at stopping another Calamity from happening. They couldn't afford to fail.
The door to the Rising Stones opened once more, soon followed by a loud voice that pierced the silence.
"Greetings!" the voice said, making them all turn around. A Roegadyn stood in the entrance, huge even by the standards of his kind, his head looked almost too small for between his large shoulders. What stood out most about him though, were the clothes he wore. Robes that S'eni had never seen before.
"Who is that?" Alisaie voiced the question that everyone was thinking.
"Is this the Rising Stones? Are you the Scions of the Seventh Dawn?" the man asked. "A man by the name of Urianger sent me this way."
His eyes then widened and a huge smile formed on his lips. "Yugiri! It really is you. Thank the heavens, my search is at an end!"
With a speed belying his great stature, the man stomped towards them like an excited bull and S'eni had to pull Alphinaud out of the way for him to not be run over.
"Gosetsu!?" Yugiri exclaimed, speaking for the first time since their meeting in Gridania. "What are you doing here?!"
"I have sailed all the way from Doma to search for you. The last bit I actually rowed myself!" The excitement on his face dimmed a little as he frowned. "I managed to arrive at port, but then I collapsed from hunger. Thankfully Urianger found me and provided me with food and drink. When I asked about my fellow countrymen, he told me that you all found a new home in Revenant's Toll."
A questioning look formed on S'eni's face and she shared a look with Yda and Alphinaud before giving this Gosetsu fellow a once over. His clothes certainly had seen better days, torn edges telling stories of a hard journey. But it was the thing that rested on his side that really caught her attention. A scabbard, long and smooth, holding within it a curved blade from the looks of it.
Her eyebrows rose, but whatever she wanted to say was stopped by his next words.
"Get your things, Yugiri! Our lord is in grave danger. We have to return to Doma as swiftly as possible!"
Her gaze moved towards Yugiri, who had lowered her eyes to the ground, obviously conflicted. Then, with a deep breath, she returned her gaze to the Roegadyn in front of her.
"As much as I would like to go with you, Gosetsu, I can't,'' Au Ra said. "I still have a duty to fulfil here."
"Your duty is to serve our Lord!" Gosetsu exclaimed, clearly taken aback at her response. "What could be more important to protect our lord from harm?"
"Our lord tasked me with the protection of the refugees and to see them to safety. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn helped us and offered us sanctuary," Yugiri replied, the smallest hint of steel in her voice. "I would lose my face if I did not repay that debt first."
"Hmm...yes, that is true..." Gosetsu admitted.
"That aside, this threat we are facing also endangers our people. There is not only my honor at stake, but also the lives of those that I have sworn to protect. If I return now, our lord would rightfully sentence me to death."
The tense moment was broken by a pair of hands clapping. "I hate to interrupt, but can you save this talk for later?" the former Tribunus asked. "The Empire is also looking for Omega and certainly won't wait for us."
"The Empire!" Gosetsu's head snapped towards Nero and he growled before focusing his eyes on Yugiri once more. "Yugiri, does your task lead you into battle against our sworn enemies?"
Yugiri nodded.
"Well, why have you not said so from the beginning!?" Like a switch had been flipped, the Roegadyn's cheer returned. "If there are Garlean skulls to be crushed then I will gladly assist you. To battle!"
And as Gosetsu's loud, booming laughter echoed throughout the Rising Stones, S'eni found herself looking at Yda.
"Well, he's spirited at least," the Pugilist said with a small shrug.
Spirited indeed.
In front of her eyes, the Carteneau Flats stretched out far and wide. Even before the Calamity, the area had only served as a frontier along the borders of Thanalan and Mor Dhona, but now it was a testament of the destruction from five years ago, a giant scar upon the land filled with outposts from each Grand Company and Allagan ruins that had been unearthed in the wake of Bahamut's apparent destruction.
And in the center of it all; the Omega Weapon.
Being here again felt strange. This was where they had desperately fought to stop another Calamity from happening, only to fail in the face of a primal that had overshadowed everything she had fought at the time. It was only thanks to the sacrifice of a friend that she had survived, and now another sacrifice had brought her back here again.
The irony of it tasted all too bitter.
Turning away from the sight, S'eni looked over to the others. Cid was busy flying the airship, following the directions that Nero was giving him, while Yda was staring up into the sky and Yugiri inspected her blades. Her gaze then shifted over to their newest addition, sitting on his knees with his eyes closed. The blade that had rested on his hip was now placed in front of him.
"Yes?" he asked. "Is there something you wish to ask?"
"You're a Samurai, aren't you?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"Indeed I am," Gosetsu replied, opening his eyes and looking at her. "So you have heard of my kind?"
She nodded. "My father once told me stories about warriors dressed in robes that devoted their entire life to the sword."
"He must be a well-traveled scholar then."
A little chuckle escaped her at the mental image of her father as a scholar. "Well-traveled perhaps, but far from a scholar," S'eni said and sat down opposite of him. "His travels took him to all sorts of places, amongst them Kugane."
"I see..." Gosetsu paused for a moment to take in her appearance before continuing. "I apologize but I cannot help but notice your lack of weaponry. Does that mean you are a disciple of the fist?"
Her lips quirked upward. "So you have heard of my kind?"
The Roegadyn laughed at that. "I might have listened to a few stories on my journey, but you and your friend over there are the first I have encountered in person. Just looking at you, I can tell that you are a great warrior indeed, and I am honored to head into battle alongside you."
He finished his words with a deep bow of his head.
"Prepare for landing!" Cid's voice called from the front and S'eni rose back to her feet as the ship started its slow descent. Walking over to the two Garleans, she looked at former Tribunus and received one of his smug little smirks as the Allagan ruins that were their destination came into view.
After the airship had landed, their group walked towards an old terminal next to a large platform that had been built inside the rock.
"There," Nero said as he started to tip on it. "That should do it!"
The terminal started to glow a bright blue as it sprung to life.
"The transport device is ready and will send us right to Omega's control center."
"That was fast," Cid noted and fixed Nero with a look. "Admit it! This isn't your first time here, is it?"
"No, but on my last visit I was rudely interrupted by the ruffians from the Alliance. Today, though, I want to see this beauty from up close. Everyone ready?"
The sound of boots on metal then echoed towards them from behind, soon followed by a booming voice that made everyone turn around.
"There! The traitorous Cid Garlond. It told you it was his airship!" It was a Roegadyn, dressed in green armor and a large Magitek hammer on his back, accompanied by a troop of Garlean legionaries. "And his presence here can only mean one thing: Omega is nearby."
He let out an ugly-sounding laugh. "Today must be my lucky day."
"Garlean troops, of course. Keep them busy," Nero told them, turning to use the terminal, and from one moment to the next was gone.
Typical, S'eni thought.
"Damn it! We can't leave him out of our eyes. I'll follow him while you take care of the Garleans!" Cid exclaimed and followed suit.
"Well," S'eni said to Gosetsu as the rest of them stepped onto the platform. "The honor's all mine."
The Samurai sent her a small smile before growing serious and taking a step forward to address their enemies. "I am Gosetsu, a Samurai hailing from Doma and I offer you my greetings. May this be an honorable battle!"
His large hand moving to the hilt of his blade, he unsheathed it within the blink of an eye and gripped it with both hands.
"I'll take care of the big one," S'eni said as she entered her battle stance.
"Then we'll take care of the rest!" Yda replied.
And the battle began.
Homing in on her designated target, S'eni dashed forward at blinding speed, dodging the first strike of his hammer and slamming her fist into his side. A gasp escaped him as the force of the punch sent him stumbling back but otherwise left him unharmed through his heavy armor.
"Not bad," he admitted. "But not enough to beat me!"
Raising his hammer, the Garlean Roegadyn swung it in a wide arc towards her head, but S'eni simply took a step back to dodge it.
Strong, but not exactly smart, she thought to herself as she dodged the next couple of attacks, each of which would have been able to do some serious damage, but were utterly predictable to any seasoned warrior. And on top of that—
Ducking underneath another strike, she jumped up and somersaulted through the air, slamming her foot right into his chin and sending him flying.
—he left himself wide open.
"Grynewaht!" one of his fellow legionaries shouted and ran towards her, his blade gleaming as it swiped towards her. Whirling around, she grabbed his arm and twisted it, making him drop the weapon before throwing him over her shoulder into the next legionary that wanted to take a shot at her as well.
"S'eni!" she heard Yugiri shout just before the sound of something heavy being swung through the air reached her ears. S'eni barely managed to raise her arms, crossing them in front of her face to block the incoming attack. The impact made her slide backward and she gritted her teeth at the pain shooting through her arms, but thankfully her gloves had taken the brunt of the damage.
And I just got them earlier as well, she thought, shaking her hands a little before returning into her stance, eyes narrowing into a glare as they fixed onto her adversary, a huge grin splitting his face at the hit he had landed on her. She had to give it to him, he was faster than he looked.
Running towards the other, they resumed their dance once again.
Around them, S'eni's friends were busy fighting the other Garlean troops, but for every soldier that fell, another two seemed to spring up, making it more and more difficult to keep up.
Sparks flew through the air when his hammer smashed into the platform of ancient Magiket underneath their feet, making him raise his arm to shield his face.
There! Her fist shot forward, striking him in the chest, followed by a series of spinning kicks that made the air ripple around as she let her aether flow through the chakras in her legs. At the height of her momentum, S'eni jumped high into the air, pulling her legs up before pushing them out once again and creating an explosion of wind that pushed both of them backwards.
After landing back on her feet, she soon found herself joined by Yda, Gosetsu, and Yugiri as the arriving reinforcements began pushing them backwards.
"There's no end to them!" Yda said through gritted teeth, gripping her brass knuckles tightly.
"Better give up while you still have the chance," the Garlean Roegadyn said as he got back onto his feet. Behind him, more and more legionaries arrived. "You're outnumbered!"
S'eni was just about to retort when the linkpearl in her ear chimed. Pressing her finger against it, she was surprised to hear Nero on the other hand.
"How long do you intend to waste your time with this rabble?" he asked. "Here, I will send one of my toys to help you."
Following his words, the sound of an engine starting up made her head jerk to the side where a red-painted Magitek Reaper shot high into the air before landing next to her.
"Try not to make any scratches, will you?"
Her only reply was a silent smirk.
"M-Magitek Armor!?" the Roegadyn exclaimed as S'eni started to climb it. "Nobody said anything about that! Men, take it out!"
After giving the order, he grabbed his hammer, glared in her direction, and started to make a quick getaway, leaving his troops to deal with this unexpected problem.
But as valiantly as they fought, they were no match for the Reaper, and the ones that were left standing soon joined their leader in retreat.
"Hmpf, the coward got away," Gosetsu said when she had jumped off the Armor once again, wiping his blade on his sleeve before returning it to its scabbard.
"I'm sure it was a lesson he won't be forgetting anytime soon," S'eni said good-naturedly. She then turned towards the terminal. "But I think we have more important things to do."
Sharing a nod, they all walked towards it and teleported to their destination one by one.
Like all Allagan ruins, the insides were a glowing mass of steel, adorned with symbols whose meaning she did not understand. As they entered the round chamber, the first thing she noticed were the eye-like orbs of Magitek that surrounded them and part of her could not help but feel watched by them, as silly as that sounded.
Up ahead, Cid and Nero were already waiting for them at what appeared to be the main console.
"Temporal stasis disengaged...all systems operational," Nero said, looking up from his notes. "How does it look on your end?"
The console let out a chime of affirmation.
"All clear as well. Omega is waking up."
A mechanical groan echoed through the entire structure as mechanisms that had laid still for centuries were starting up once again. They watched as the ground opened up and another console took the place of the one the two men had just used.
The huge button on it started to glow an ominous red and a holographic display appeared in front of them.
Omega, S'eni thought as she took in the quadrupedal form.
"Remarkable," Nero breathed out with obvious glee. "Barely awake and it's already detected the sphere! It must have been set to for sources of energy exceeding a certain magnitude!"
"Omega is an autonomous weapons system. Unlike Ultima, it has no direct means of control," Cid explained to them. "Once released, it will try to capture our new primal. Assuming it's successful, our only option will be to try and re-engage the stasis system and put it back to sleep."
"And if that doesn't work we'll simply initiate an emergency shutdown," the former Tribunus threw in.
"And how would you do that?" S'eni asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest while looking at him.
That ever so punchable smile returned. "I'm certain we can think of something."
"Well I only understood half of that, but it sounds dangerous," Yda then chimed in. "Do we really want to risk it?"
S'eni turned her head to look at the other woman. "What would you do, Yda?"
She did not need to see Yda's eyes to know that they were widened in surprise. "What...would I do?"
The corners of her lips ever so slightly curling upward, S'eni nodded. Of all of them, Yda was feeling the loss of Papalymo the most, so it felt only right to have her weigh in on the matter.
The other woman chewed on her bottom lip, shifting from one leg to the other before releasing a deep breath and taking a step forward.
"Alright, let's do this. Step aside, Cid," she said and brushed past him. "Is this what I need to press?"
"Uh, yes. That's the one," was all he could say in return as she stepped in front of the console.
Yda fell silent for a moment, looking at the button that would unleash Omega on the world once more.
"You gave too much for us to waste this chance, Papalymo. So this is for you..." the Pugilist raised her fist above her head and held it there- "...and me."
-before slamming it down upon the button.
And with blaring alarms, Omega was awoken.
The sun shone brightly on the bright blue sky as birds flew past the green canopy of the Eastern Shroud, their chirping a calming song after the battle that had taken place here.
After Omega had been activated, it had immediately headed towards Baelsar's Wall, arriving just in time for the primal to break free.
S'eni had only heard reports of what happened after that, but from their position in the control room, she knew that the ancient weapon had done what it was created for and subdued it, before entering stasis and vanishing somewhere into Gyr Abania. But that would be a worry for another day.
Today, they would breathe easy, having averted another Calamity.
"Ah, there they are," Alphinaud said next to her, making S'eni look away from the sky and into the direction he was pointing to. A wave of relief washed over her when she spotted a familiar figure dressed in a white coat, standing next to Krile at the foot of the tower near the Garlean border fortress. Eyes coming to rest on Y'shtola's, she forced herself not to rush forward and gather her in a tight hug, choosing to instead send her lover a smile that she mirrored as they approached.
"Thank the Twelve you're alright. I was already fearing the worst when I heard the reports," Alphinaud said, a relieved smile on his face.
"The battle took place far beyond the ground, it was the area beyond the wall that took the brunt of the damage," Y'shtola explained. "Our side remained mostly unscathed. Save for a few uprooted trees I suppose."
"I've never witnessed a battle like this before. It was almost like a nightmare. Ilberd's primal had the appearance of a colossal dragon, a being of pure violence and hatred," Krile said.
Alphinaud nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. Ilberd used Nidhogg's eyes for the summoning. Its entire reason for existence was the destruction of the Garleans."
"Omega was no less impressive. A true battle of giants. I'm no stranger to the works of Allag, but the ferocity it displayed defied any."
"...Where is Yda? Have you spoken with her?" the young Elezen asked after a moment of silence had passed between them.
"On top of the platform. We decided not to disturb her, but perhaps some company would do her good after all," Y'shtola said.
Together, the four of them ascended the tower, finding Yda standing on the far side of the platform facing Baelsar's Wall, staring up into the bright blue sky, lost in thought.
For a moment it seemed like she did not notice their presence until she spoke. "Papalymo's light is gone. It was all that was left of him...farewell my friend..."
"Yda..." was all Alphinaud could say.
"I don't regret doing it. It had to be done," Yda said. "I knew that the sealing spell would drain away Papalymo's life, and that it would buy us only a little bit of time."
Biting her lip, S'eni closed her eyes and felt her fists clench tightly at the vision of their fallen friend flashing through her mind.
It was the sound of a clasp being undone, slowly followed by moving fabric that made her open them once more to a vision of long, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and she couldn't help the almost inaudible gasp that escaped her when Yda turned around, revealing her face for the first time since they had known one another.
"Yda...I'm so sorry..." she heard Y'shtola say.
Yda only shook her head. "I can't hide inside Papalymo's little shadow anymore, nor behind this mask," she said, holding the object in question up. "Twenty years ago, when the Empire invaded Ala Mhigo, I was still just a child, barely five summers old. My father was one of the rebel leaders that rose to fight against King Theodoric. I also had an older sister. She was strong, cheerful and brave, and always knew what had to be done."
Turning her head, she glanced over her shoulder at the Garlean fortress. "When the Garleans came, my father went to war against them, while my sister took me to safety. I can't remember a lot from that time, only that we ran and ran until we reached the Sharlayan colony."
"But even so far away from home, she never gave up. Never stopped believing in the liberation of Ala Mhigo. So one day she approached Master Louisoix and was inducted into the Circle of Knowing." A fond, yet sad smile formed on Yda's lips. "I was so proud of her."
A confused frown formed on S'eni's face as she listened to her friend's story. Her sister...
Her eyes widened when realization hit her like a Chocobo's kick and she shifted them towards the other woman's neck, where the tattoos that had marked her as an Archon had vanished shortly after the battle concluded. But it was Y'shtola who gave words to her suspicions.
"Why did you start to wear your sister's mask and use her name?" the other Miqo'te asked. "So you could be like her?"
A look of surprise darted across Yda's features, before turning into a self-deprecating smile. "Y'shtola...you knew I wasn't Yda, didn't you?"
"We all noticed right away," Y'shtola said with a little shrug.
"How childish of me to think I could fool the Circle of Knowing." She sighed. "Yda died six years ago while trying to smuggle refugees out of Ala Mhigo. She was overwhelmed while protecting a little girl. My strong sister..."
"Why didn't you tell us?" S'eni found herself asking.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it from you. My real name is Lyse," the other woman said. "Papalymo gave me her mask as a keepsake, but I had a different idea. I wanted to take my sister's place as his partner. I knew that I couldn't replace her, but I wanted to make myself useful and to keep all the good she's done alive. He agreed to help, of course, but it was never truly what he wanted for me."
The look of sadness in Lyse's eyes gave way to one of resolve. "In his final words to me, he told me there's a path I have to walk. The Archon mark he gave me is gone, and with that my final excuse."
"Whatever I choose to do now, I do as Lyse...and I choose to continue my family's fight, to free Ala Mhigo and make it the country that Yda and my father always wanted it to be."
Sharing a look with the others, S'eni bridged the gap between Lyse and herself and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"And what friends would we be, if we let you walk that path alone?" she asked her friend, letting her lips curl into a smile.
"Thanks, S'eni..."
"Just don't expect me to hold back the next time we fight."
Lyse chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it."
A comfortable silence set over the group. Everything that needed to be said, had been said, and now all they could do was walk forward.
As their group started to leave, S'eni stayed behind a little longer, casting her gaze towards the sky above Baelsar's Wall and sending out a silent prayer for their fallen friend.
You can leave the rest to us...
Turning around, she saw Y'shtola leaning against the wooden railing, watching her while she waited. Wordlessly, S'eni walked over to her, eyes coming to rest upon silvery-white ones, and they remained like this for just a moment before moving to embrace one another.
Leaning in close, she gently nuzzled Y'shtola's cheek, drawing out a little smile from her. And as their lips met in a soft kiss, S'eni knew that no matter what was lying ahead, they would face it.
Together.
Lots of actual game story in this one, but I feel it's needed because too much gets introduced in this part of the game to simply gloss over. I hope I could still make this entertaining enough. Next update will be more fun, I promise.