Three Years
The rushing of water pervaded the air, echoing through the cavern as it rushed past her and into the valley below. The sun hung high in the sky, its rays managing to push through the thick canopy and wrapping around these ancient ruins that had long since been reclaimed by nature.
When S'eni had first laid eyes on this sight, standing atop this waterfall, her only thought had been to find and slay the Lightwarden. Now that she actually had the time for it, she could only look at it in awe.
It was beautiful, but also very humbling; a reminder that eventually, no matter how mighty, everything was going to end.
One day, in the far future, people would be digging through the ruins of 'ancient Eorzea' to uncover its secrets. What they would find, only the gods would know, but what she knew was, that it would be up to them to decide if it was a glorious or a cautionary tale that the people of the future would tell themselves.
"Eni." She glanced over her shoulder towards Y'shtola, standing in front of a rock wall further in the back. "Could you help me with this?"
"Yeah." With one last look towards the scenery, where a flock of red-winged birds passed by the giant tree in the distance, S'eni turned around and walked over to the other Miqo'te. "Found something?"
"Perhaps. There's a faint breeze coming from this crack here. I believe it might be a passage that leads down," Y'shtola said.
Reaching out her hand, she held it over the crack. Yes, she could feel it too. "Alright. Take a step back, will you?"
After Y'shtola did as she was told, S'eni entered a firm stance and held her hand against the stone. A moment passed, then, from one second to the next, she shot forward, slamming her fist into the wall and causing it to crumble.
Once the dust had cleared, a hole, big enough for a single person to go through, revealed itself to them. And beyond it, a passage from which the air now flowed freely.
"Impressive, as always," her lover said as she returned to her side.
"Would have been way less impressive if the rock had been any thicker here." S'eni shrugged. "Or if everything came crashing down."
"Well, thankfully neither of these two possibilities came true. Shall we?"
"After you."
With a small chuckle, the other Miqo'te stepped inside, conjuring up a flame to serve as a torch, and began to make her way down. The path soon became steeper, forcing them to grab onto the rocks around them to keep from stumbling downward.
Eventually, a light from up ahead began to pierce the darkness, guiding them forward until they finally emerged from a brush-covered hole.
Y'shtola began to look around, dismissing the fire as she did so. "Hmm, there's a path over there," she said, pointing up ahead before shifting her hand towards the structure in the distance. "And there's the altar we fought the Lightwarden at."
S'eni pulled some leaves from her hair. "Then let's see if it actually leads there."
"Indeed."
They followed the path until they reached a dead-end in the form of half-collapsed buildings covered by one of the many giant roots in the area. With no other way but up, they climbed on top and began to travel across it, walking past even more buildings telling the silent story of the time when this area had still belonged to Man.
"Incredible..." S'eni breathed out while she cast her gaze around. "I wonder how many people lived here."
"It's hard to say. Hundreds. Possibly thousands," Y'shtola replied. "Much of it has been taken by the surrounding swamps. Of course if you're that curious, your ability to breathe underwater will surely be of great use then."
She sent her a grin. "I think I'll pass. With my luck, I'll uncover some floating fortress hells bent on destroying everything."
"I highly doubt that. The Ronkan Empire was powerful, but not as advanced as Allag. Something like Azys Lla was well beyond their capabilities."
"Well, still..." She would rather not tempt fate after what the Goggs had uncovered in Kholusia. She could already tell that was going to be trouble down the line. Hoo boy...
At long last, they arrived back at the altar from where night had been returned to Rak'tika. Not exactly the fastest way, but she supposed it beat having to climb all the way back up.
"Here we are," S'eni said after they had made it down, looking around what must have once been where they held grand ceremonies. She walked around a bit, coming to a stop at the center and glancing down to the symbol underneath her feet. What kind of ceremonies though? Sacrifices to the gods? Weddings?
She supposed those would be questions that they would have to uncover the answer to themselves. "Well, let's have a look around. Maybe we'll find something that might help G'raha."
While he hadn't exhausted all of his options, G'raha had yet to make progress in finding a way to send Y'shtola and the others home.
"Perhaps. We can't truly discount the possibility," Y'shtola said. "Knowledge of the Ancients has been preserved in this world after all."
As they began searching the area, though, it became quickly apparent that anything that might have been of interest had most likely fallen victim to time and the Sin Eaters. Even fanning out and looking through the buildings offered up little else other than the ancient remains of cutlery and patina-covered jewelry that crumbled when picked up.
In the end, S'eni found herself still diving into the water despite what she had said earlier, searching about the murky water for anything of potential significance. But no such luck...
...that was until she passed what she assumed used to be a small plaza or garden perhaps. There, half-buried in silt and algae, something caught her eye. That something turned out to be a stone tablet on closer inspection. With a grin, she pulled it out of the dirt and cleaned it a little before making her way back.
For all she knew, she had just found the Ronkan version of The Raven here, but it was still better than nothing and she was sure that Y'shtola would nevertheless be delighted.
S'eni emerged with a loud splash and held up the tablet as the other Miqo'te approached. "Found something!"
Taking Y'shtola's offered hand, she climbed out of the water and handed the object over, then proceeded to dry herself with a spell.
"I see you have been diligent in your studies," her lover noted while looking over the tablet, picking a small piece of algae she missed off it.
"Like you said, it was rather simple once I got the hang of it," S'eni said, perking her ears as to better dry them. She nodded towards the tablet. "What do you think?"
"I can't say. I will need some time to decipher it." Pale eyes turned back towards her. "We should return for now. I don't think we will find much more for now."
"Yeah, and it's starting to grow late." As she looked about, she could see that the sunlight had turned a more reddish shade, indicating that they had been here quite a while.
Making use of the passage they had uncovered, the two of them returned to the part of the Qitana Ravel above the waterfall and from there began to head back. When they entered the chamber where they fought the Batsquach, S'eni found herself stopping to look at murals on the wall.
They were simple, basic paintings, telling the grand tale of the Final Days, the creation of Zodiark and Hydaelyn and the battle between them.
Her eyes landed on the depiction of Hydaelyn's victory and she frowned for a moment before resuming her walk.
By the time they had left the Qitana Ravel, it was almost dark outside and when they had reached Fanow, night had well and truly settled in, making them accept the Viis' offer of hospitality as traveling to Slitherbough was out of the question now.
"Thank you," S'eni said and took the two offered bowls from the Vii across the counter, the warmth radiating through the wood and the steam rising into the air telling her that it was very fresh. Offering the woman a friendly smile, she turned around and walked over to the table where Y'shtola was sitting, occasionally glancing down at the food she was holding.
It looked good and she found no fault with its smell, but was probably better off not asking what the meat was, given what manner of creatures inhabited these parts of the Greatwoods and how the Viis surely weren't picky about their food.
Yes, sometimes ignorance was bliss.
"Here you go." She placed a bowl on the table in front of Y'shtola, making her look up from the tablet lying in front of her.
"Thank you," Y'shtola replied with a small smile.
Sitting down opposite of her, S'eni took the spoon lying there, dipped it into the food and guided it to her lips. A little bit too bland for her taste, but still good.
They ate in comfortable silence, idly listening to the chatter around them. Planning of patrol routes, the next hunting party, a mother talking about her daughter's progress with the bow, but also talks about leaving the Greatwoods to explore the lands beyond.
It made her wonder if the rules of the Vii were as strict as those of the Viera, where leaving the forests effectively meant banishment.
In any case, now with the burden of their duties having lessened, they at least had the option to pursue whatever they wanted.
Glancing up from her food, she paused mid-chew when she saw Y'shtola trying to eat and decipher the tablet at the same time. A chuckle escaped her, making silvery-white eyes shift towards her.
"Something funny?" Y'shtola asked after swallowing.
"Yeah." Reaching across the table, she brushed a little smudge of sauce at the corner of Y'shtola's mouth away with her thumb. "I'm pretty sure reading while dining is against table manners."
"You clearly have never seen students before."
"Yes, that has been one of the things denied to me in my life." She licked her thumb. "But I think I managed quite nicely."
"One might actually say more than nicely," Y'shtola said and resumed her little show of multitasking.
With a warm smile, she watched her lover, taking in all the little expressions she had grown so familiar with. "You know, that reminds me of that night in Idyllshire. Do you remember?"
"Of course. It's been three years, but I still remember it like it was yesterday."
"In a way we're doing exactly what we talked about back then."
Y'shtola's expression grew warm as well. "We do, don't we?"
After finishing their dinner, they retired to the chambers they had been offered. They had told Almet they would be more than fine with a pair of hammocks but the chieftainess had insisted that as guests they should receive some privacy. And now, lying in bed with their clothes neatly folded on the singular table in the room, S'eni snuggled up to Y'shtola and began to draw lazy circles over her exposed stomach while she read. The tablet had been put aside in favor of a book.
She closed her eyes and released a content sigh before speaking up. "Will you tell me about it?"
"About what?" Y'shtola asked right back.
"Your time on the First. What you did after you left Crystarium."
Y'shtola turned her head towards her, looking at her for a moment, then exhaled through her nose and put the book away. Slipping down, she let her head come to rest on top of her pillow and shifted onto her to properly lock eyes.
"After I left, I roamed the land for a while. Lakeland, Kholusia, Amh Araeng, always looking for a solution to what I believed to be Urianger's vision at the time. It was during that time, that I realized that my Conjury wouldn't be enough to fight back against the Sin Eaters, so whenever the opportunity presented itself, I began to train in Thaumaturgy." A dry little chuckle passed her lips. "Every night I would crawl into my bedroll feeling absolutely drained from it. But eventually, I adapted to it and it became almost second nature. During that time, I also heard stories about the Ronkan Empire, which eventually led me here. And I believe you know the story from there."
"Meeting the Night's Blessed and taking the name Matoya for yourself."
Y'shtola nodded and closed her eyes. "The next two years I dedicated myself to try and find a way to free this world from the Light. I would pour over tomes and parchments every single day. It helped keep my mind in the here and now. But every time I went to sleep, I would see your face."
Reaching out, S'eni gently brushed her fingers across her lover's cheek, making Y'shtola open her eyes once more with a smile. They remained like this for a moment, just holding each other's gaze, until she slowly leaned in and brought their lips together in a soft kiss.
Short and sweet, it was still more than enough to tell the other Miqo'te exactly how she felt. When they reluctantly separated once more, Y'shtola immediately shifted her arms to pull S'eni closer. Snug beside her lover, S'eni smiled into her chest, listening to her breathing evening out, before sleep claimed her too.
They would need all the rest they could get for the things that were about to unfold.
Last one for a bit of comfy, next up is main plot again! Wonder what's gonna happen...