The Oracle
The Oracle of Light. A symbol of hope, given flesh to fight back that which she is named for.
Over the last century, many have borne that name. Each a young maiden, with golden hair and eyes like sapphire, possessing extraordinary powers that made her immune to the Sin Eaters' corruption.
And every single one of them held the same name...Minfilia.
Il Mheg.
If she thought that Lakeland, with its lavender coloured trees and grass, was exotic, then Il Mheg looked straight out of a fairytale. Which she supposed was rather fitting given those that resided here.
Bright and colourful, flowers in every which way she turned, a large lake and a huge castle on a hill right in the center of it. Yes, this was the Kingdom of the Fairies alright.
Especially now that the fog had lifted and she could actually see it all.
As soon as they had arrived in the area, the Pixies had deigned it necessary to play a few games with them, ones that largely involved for her to do a few inane and suffer a couple of pranks, which only resulted in them wanting to play all the more.
It would probably have gone on forever if not for Feo Ul telling their fellow Pixies off, even if they hadn't been willing at first because, apparently, she hadn't relied on her little friend as much as she should. But after a bit of grovelling on her part, her lovely branch had forgiven her and now they were steadily on track to where Urianger resided.
Though even now, Feo Ul's eyes remained a constant presence in the back of her mind, watching with just a tiny bit of heat in their gaze.
...Yes, she would definitely remember to call upon her little friend when she truly needed help in the future, lest she drew some serious ire.
Her musings were interrupted when she took notice of another gaze resting on her, and she turned her head to see the young girl they had rescued just hours prior staring at her with those large, crystal blue eyes.
The Oracle of Light. Minfilia.
She even had a similar pink ribbon weaved into her hair like the last time she had seen her.
But...she wasn't their Minfilia. That much was clear.
Like having been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, the girl abruptly averted her eyes, directing them back towards the road ahead and causing the corners of S'eni's lips to quirk upward in silent amusement.
She then turned her attention to the only other person with them, Thancred. He was dressed in a long white coat and a set of armor underneath that; while still a far cry from a bulky plate armor, it was still more constrictive than what he used to wear on the Source. With his shaved face and cut hair, he almost looked like how he did before that dreaded banquet in Ul'dah. But it was the hardened look in his eyes as he scanned the area which served as proof that time he spent on the First had only further pushed him away from the womanizer that had once so brazenly tried to woo her in the past.
S'eni would be lying if she claimed it didn't sting a little to see him like that.
It didn't take long for Thancred to notice her looking at him and returned the gesture with a cock of an eyebrow.
"Yes?" he asked.
Luckily for her, she had the perfect excuse resting right on his back. "So, you switched to a Gunblade? Interesting choice," she said.
Thancred glanced at the weapon in question. "I learned how to wield it during my travels through imperial territories. Didn't really make much use of it, though. But when I planned to rescue Minfilia here, I knew I needed a more defensively-minded style. So I placed a special order at the Crystalline Mean and, well, here we are."
"Oho, interesting." She held her hand out. "May I?"
His other eyebrow joined its twin and the corners of his lips rose slightly, before reaching for his Gunblade and handing it to her hilt first.
The three of them stopped and S'eni began with testing the weapon's weight while taking a few steps away from Thancred and Minfilia. After putting enough distance between them, she swung it around aimlessly a few times, then grabbed its hilt with both hands and lowered it in front of her face.
A moment passed and she sprung forward, swiping blade through the air in a series of precise slashes, using the momentum to always feed the next attack until she raised the blade high into the air, brought it down hard and—
Click!
"Hmm." She lowered the Gunblade and looked at the cylinder, giving it a good spin before walking over to Thancred and handing it back to him, saying, "Ammo needs recharging."
"Yes, I used the last one on Ran'jit." Opening the hilt, he unloaded the rounds into his hand and placed them in a small bag. "And I see you're still very good at surprising people."
S'eni just shrugged.
After he snapped the Gunblade close, Thancred placed the weapon on his back again. His face began to brighten.
"It's truly good to see you again," he said.
"I could say the same to you." She playfully bumped her fist into his arm. "Five years, huh? This is like Carteneau all over again."
"Only this time I didn't forget you."
They shared a chuckle while Minfilia could also look between the two of them in confusion.
"Say…" she began as they resumed their walk, face growing serious. "You haven't seen Shtola recently, have you?"
He shook his head. "Haven't seen her at all since she left for the forest and Rak'tika wasn't exactly on our list of places to hide in. It's not exactly the safest of places. But Urianger stays in regular contact with her and last time we spoke, he said she was doing well."
"Ah. Alright," she said, releasing a small sound of relief despite her feeling of disappointment. She was alright. That was going to have to be enough for now.
Soon after, the three of them reached what looked to be the only house that nature hadn't yet claimed standing amidst this sea of bright, colorful flowers.
"I present to you, Urianger's humble abode," Thancred said.
"Humble," she scoffed. "It's bigger than what most people own."
"Well, it did once belong to a noble."
"Hm." S'eni tilted her head. "It's shaped quite oddly, isn't it?"
Though from what Thancred had told her, the previous owner was a collector of many tomes, so perhaps he hadn't been all there in the head when he had this place built.
Thancred shrugged. "Come, let's see if he's home."
After knocking on the large double doors, they stepped inside. The place looked even bigger from the inside, spacious room filled with bookshelves and other scientific objects befitting a scholar. A pleasant aroma hung in the air from the various herbs growing in pots and hanging from the ceiling.
Yes, she could very much imagine Urianger living here.
"Urianger, are you in?" Thancred called out.
A moment passed, then the familiar voice of her friend called back, "Unto a world-weary of heroes, a hero wends her way. The Exarch did send word that thou wouldst seek me out, but ne'er did I imagine thou wouldst arrive so soon..."
S'eni turned to see Urianger walking down the set of stairs leading to the upper floor. His head was uncovered for once, making it easier to see the smile forming on his lips as he looked at her.
"Full glad am I to see thee once more, my friend, and none the worse for thy travails."
"And I'm glad to see you doing alright as well," she chuckled. Guess even time here didn't make him any less eloquent.
"Minfilia," Thancred said. "Could you leave us for a moment?"
"But I—"
He pulled out the bag with the Gunblade rounds and held it out towards her. "Imbue these in the meantime, if you'd be so kind."
Minfilia looked like she obviously wanted to say something, but grabbed the bag and gave a nod instead before walking out. As S'eni watched the girl leave, a frown formed on her features.
"I take it thou hast met with our other comrades already?" Urianger asked after the doors had closed again.
"Yeah. Well, Alphinaud and Alisaie," she replied and proceeded to tell him about what had happened since her arrival.
"That Master Alphinaud and Misstress Alisaie now travel in thy company is of great comfort to me. As for the rest..." his face darkened. "It beginneth in earnest. The hunting of the Lightwardens, and perforce the war with Eulmore. Hark thee, then, to my words and through them behold the vision that I did glimpse—that of the Eight Umbral Calamity."
She nodded, eyes growing hard. "Tell me."
S'eni listened intently as he told her of what he had seen as he drifted towards the First. How the combined forces of Eorzea and the Far East fought bravely against the might of the Empire, throwing themselves into battle and, eventually, turning the tide and pushing the enemy back. The Garleans, fearing that defeat was near, turned towards their newest weapon, the Black Rose.
Once released, it wreaked havoc in all of Eorzea and, much to the Garleans' shock, the provinces of the Empire. None escaped its deadly touch, even the soil of the areas it had been unleashed on became nothing more than barren dirt. Soon enough chaos broke out and the entire world became a battlefield for survival.
And those who would have risen to restore order...dead. Her included.
Even after the Exarch had told her about that fact, and she had time to process it, it was still quite surreal to hear it come from Urianger's mouth. So that's how it happened. Killed by—
"—the Black Rose."
"Thou hast heard the name before?" Urianger asked.
"On the Source, after you fell unconscious. But I thought they managed to sabotage the production…"
"Be that as it may, we must forestall this tragedy, no matter the cost. To that end, I have laboured during my sojourn in this world, discovering in so doing the answer to a pressing mystery. Black Rose's inexplicable potency. Come, I shall show thee."
Well, that was certainly illuminating... S'eni thought as she stepped outside. So the elemental poles were inverted on the First, with Darkness being the pole of activity and growth, while Light was the pole aligned with passivity. And it was the Light flowing from the First into the Source that caused the aetherical thinning that Y'shtola and Urianger had observed in the past, which in turn was the root cause of Black Rose's devastating destruction.
It didn't change their objective at all, but it gave it a much-needed context; quell the Light and avert the Calamity caused by Black Rose.
And for that, they needed to destroy the Lightwardens.
Sounds almost simple now, doesn't it? She looked out towards Lyhe Ghiah, the castle atop the hill in the middle of the lake where Il Mheg's Lightwarden was locked inside. They knew where it was, but getting to it, well, that was another matter entirely.
First they needed to receive the permission of the people of Il Mheg; starting with the pixies.
S'eni looked down at the receptacle in her hand, then tugged it under her arm and made to walk down the small cobblestone path leading away from Urianger's house when her ears caught a sound coming from her right, making her stop.
Rounding the house, she found Minfilia sitting on a small bench, her head lowered and holding a glowing Gunblade round between her fingers. After the glow subsided, she placed it on a small pile of already imbued rounds and reached into the bag to pull out another empty one. Looking at her, it was easy to mistake that she was entirely focused on her task, but the mechanical way in which she did it told S'eni that her thoughts were actually far away.
Her earlier frown returning, she walked over and stopped just a few steps away from her, truly taking in the girl's appearance since they had rescued her.
She couldn't be more than 14, maybe 15 tops, which meant, according to Moren, that Eulmore had discovered her when she was still very small. Locked away at such a tender age.
And from the look of things, these past three years hadn't been easy either, travelling from one place to another, always running away from her pursuers while also carrying with her a burden that no child should ever have to bear.
Just another symbol of how utterly broken this world was.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she sighed through her nose and bridged the gap between them, kneeling down in front of her and letting her lips form a smile. Minfilia's eyes widened and she jumped a little in surprise as she finally noticed her presence.
"Hey," S'eni said. "You alright sitting out here all alone?"
The girl blinked twice, then looked around. "O-Oh, uh, yes. It's actually my favourite spot. I always sit here when we come to visit Urianger. It's where I imbue Thancred's ammunition."
"Hmm, so you two come here often?"
Minfilia gave a small nod. "No one ever comes here for fear of the Fae, so it's one of the best places to hide from Eulmore."
"That means you know your way around here quite well, right?"
"I suppose so."
"Great! Because I don't, and that means..." Her smile widened and she held up the receptacle. "...you can help me."
"Oh...hmm." Minfilia looked down to the Gunblade round in her hand. "I...don't know. I really should finish these."
Reaching out, S'eni picked it up and held it between her fingers. "You can still do that after we're done and it would go much faster with you helping me."
The girl looked conflicted for a moment, eyes shifting between the ammo and her face a few times, before finally relenting. "Alright."
"Good." Taking a few steps back, she let her put everything away and rise to her feet.
"So what do you need help with?"
"Urianger wants me to find a Hawker. Problem is, I don't know what it looks like, just that it should be around here somewhere," she explained.
"I see. If I recall correctly, they like the area near the lake."
"Alright, let's go then."
The two of them headed down the path leading away from Urianger's house and from there headed westward towards the lake, where they began to look around.
From the way Minfilia described it, a Hawker looked much like a Gadfly on the Source, just colored a much more vibrant green, and without her, she might just have thought it would be one and moved on in search for something else.
"Over there! By the tree." Minfilia pointed up ahead, where a single Hawker was buzzing around.
"So, Urianger wants it captured. They're not easily scared, are they?"
"No, quite aggressive actually."
She nodded and held the box out towards her. "I'll get its attention and weaken it, you'll sneak around and capture it from behind. Think you can do that?"
"Yes. Thancred taught me how to fight and hide," the girl replied, taking the offered item.
"Then let's see how good of a teacher was." Offering her a little grin, S'eni gave her shoulder a pat and began to stalk over to the Hawker, picking up a rock on her way that she tossed at it once she was closer.
Its reaction was almost instantaneous, zipping around then towards her with a loud buzzing of its wings. Like its lookalikes on the Source, the Hawker tried using its nimble body to outmaneuver her, but this wasn't her first dance with its ilk and soon enough she had gotten in a few good hits that made it struggle to stay in the air.
Minfilia in the meantime had managed to close in on the vilekin from behind, holding the box in one hand while raising the lid with the other.
"Now!" Jumping forward, the girl slipped the wounded Hawker into the receptacle and slammed it shut in one swift motion.
"Nice one!" S'eni said, holding her palm up into the air and looking expectantly towards Minfilia, who only tilted her head in confusion. "Come on, don't leave me hanging here."
"Oh..." looking down at her hand, the girl slowly raised it into the air. "Like this?"
Minfilia gingerly clapped her hand against S'eni's.
"That's the spirit!" she chuckled and watched as the corners of her younger friend's lips curled into a faint smile. "Much better. You should smile more often."
Like earlier, Minfilia's eyes widened as if caught at something she shouldn't have done and she dropped her smile, all but pushing the box into S'eni's hands. "I-I think we should head back."
The girl was turning around to leave but stopped when S'eni spoke up.
"Strange, isn't it?" She looked up at the sky covered in Light. "Just a few hours' march away from here you could see the sun hanging high above our heads right now. Say, what did it feel like? To suddenly see the regular sky, I mean."
"I always knew that there was something beyond the Light, but to actually see it…" Minfila replied after a moment of silence, stepping up next to her and looking up at the sky as well. "...It was kind of frightening at first."
"I can only imagine. Knowing nothing but this sight then, all of a sudden, blackest night."
"But it was also...beautiful."
"It is." the corners of her lips rose as she lowered her gaze to the ground and plucked two flowers from it, looking at them before offering one to Minfilia.
"A flower?" the girl asked.
"Uh-huh." S'eni nodded then reached out to place it into her hair.
A gasp escaped Minfilia, hand rising up to touch the petals now resting just above her ear, and her bright blue eyes stared at her in silent question.
"Girls like us should look pretty, don't you think?" she asked, smiling softly and placing the other flower into her own hair.
Seemingly not knowing what to say, her young friend dropped her eyes to the ground, a little bit of red starting to stain her cheeks in a way that made S'eni giggle. She then placed a hand on her back.
"Now we can head back."
Enter Minfilia, our dear Oracle of Light. I'm sure she doesn't need any introduction.
I hope you liked this little scene here, because it was honestly a delight to write. She's a precious one and needs to be protected.
Well, that's it for this week. See you all on monday! o/