A Way Forward

It is a bitter pill to swallow, is it not? To see those you offered a helping hand prefer death over taking it. But there was little time to mourn this tragedy. You had come here with a mission and you would see it through.

So with a heavy heart, you began to head back to camp, carrying with you a simple radio which turned out to be much more important than simply playing the same song all over again.

S'eni released an almost inaudible sigh as they stepped back into Camp Broken Glass, offering a silent nod to the guards that greeted them. She let her eyes roam the area for a moment, watching the other members of the contingent perform their various duties before having them come to rest upon the twins. They hadn't said a single word since they had left Victors' Spoils and it was frankly beginning to worry her a little.

"Well, looks like things are going well here," she said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Perhaps Stephanivien and the others managed to repair the heating by now!"

"Perhaps..." was the only reply Alphinaud gave her, making her sigh once again. Walking over to them, she placed a hand on both of their shoulders, making them look at her. She nodded silently. Closing his eyes for a brief second, the young man released a deep breath and returned it. "We should give our report to Lucia."

"If you don't feel up for it, I can do it in your stead."

"That...would be appreciated. Would you mind giving us a few minutes to clear our heads?"

The corners of her lips curled into a small smile. "Of course not."

Giving each of them a small pat, she headed in the direction where she knew Lucia was waiting. Just as she was about to enter the building, she was stopped by the sight of Y'shtola standing not far from the doorway, talking with A-Ruhn-Senna. Noticing her presence, they both turned to look at her. "Eni," her lover greeted her with a smile.

"Hey there," she said.

"Just arrived, I take it? You'll be pleased to hear that healing of the tempered is going as well as it could be, considering the circumstances. We actually just finished giving Lucia and Maxima our report..." Y'shtola paused, her smile being replaced by furrowing brows. "But it seems you have news of your own to deliver..."

"Indeed," the Padjal said. "You seem a bit...off. Did something happen out there?"

"Am I that obvious?" She released a humourless chuckle. "Yeah, something happened. I'll tell you more inside."

Stepping inside, they walked over to the table where Lucia was currently handing out orders to other members of the contingent. After she dismissed them, the Garlean turned her attention towards the three of them, her eyes immediately landing on S'eni. "Welcome back. Are Alisaie and Alphinaud not with you?"

"They'll join us soon. In the meantime, I'm to deliver the report," she replied.

A curious look forming on her face, the commander nodded. "Very well. Proceed."

And so she did, starting from when they encountered Licinia in the Eblan Rime. Not long after she began, the twins had joined them, looking much more composed now, but refraining from speaking still. Only when she got to the part where the refugees turned on them, did their faces darken. When she was done, Lucia closed her eyes for a few seconds, before nodding.

"Thank you for telling us this," she said. "We will relay it to the rest of the contingent to keep something like that from happening again."

"As for the survivors at Victors's Spoils, I shall seek them out personally. They will hopefully be more inclined to believe a fellow Garlean," Maxima said.

"Thank you," Alphinaud said. "If the situation permits, tell them what happened to the sister. We do not want to hide it."

Lucia's face fell. "I am sorry you had to go through something like that."

"I wouldn't have hesitated for one second to give my life in exchange for that of the girls..." Alisaie sighed. "But it's too late now. Let's just do everything in our power to not have it happen again...but say, how are things faring here. Have you made any progress?"

"Indeed we did," Y'shtola replied. "We have managed to cure all the tempered Populares and their reports of the events in the capital were quite insightful..."

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, S'eni's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Tell us."

Nodding, the other Miqo'te continued. "As you know, a civil war broke out following Varis' death. Nerva led the IIIrd Legion against the Ist, which remained loyal to Varis even in death. Their battlefield: the capital itself."

"Their willingness to soak the streets of Garlemald with blood shows how irreconcilable their differences were," A-Ruhn-Senna said. "The smallest of reasons were enough for them to attack each other without mercy."

"Do you remember the battle at Ghimlyt?" Lucia then asked. "How Emperor Varis suddenly retreated from the battlefield?"

"Of course." S'eni nodded. "We spread the rumor that Zenos was possessed by a demon."

"And those rumors were just what Titus and Nerva, Varis' political enemies, were waiting for."

"Back then we were simply taking advantage of the fact that Elidibus was using Zenos' body for his plans," Alisaie pointed out.

"Yes, but they were unable to uncover the whole truth and Varis managed to prevent a coup. During that time, many influential members of Titus' faction were removed. Either by being transferred to remote posts—or permanently silenced," Lucia explained.

"Elidibus' handiwork, most likely. At least there was no evidence of Varis' direct involvement," Y'shtola said. "Though there is no doubt that he benefited the most from those events. Without the IIIrd Legion, Titus and Nerva had no one to support them. And then, while the emperor's enemies were still furious—"

"—His own son murders him and the blame is put on Gaius," she finished.

Y'shtola nodded. "Since Nerva almost immediately claimed the throne for himself, the Ist legion suspected another coup by the Titus faction."

"I see," Alphinaud said. "So both sides were blaming one another."

"And now things become interesting. At that time, both sides received substantial financial aid that made them hope for a swift victory. From the same source," Maxima told them

"What!?" Alisaie's eyes widened. "The IIIrd Legion was said to be financed by House Brutus. So the Ist as well!?"

"Correct. According to the Populares, the money came through different channels leading back to the Brutuses."

"Fandaniel!" Alphinaud exclaimed. "So he used Asahi's appearance to play both sides against one another!?"

"So it seems," Maxima replied. "But that is not all. The Populares also reported that one night, after the fighting broke out, the capital had been shaken by an immense tremor. What happened after, they do not remember. Neither do they have any recollection of our battle at Magna Glacies. Only when we asked them about the imperial palace and its bizarre transformation, they somehow managed to recall orders given to them by Emperor Varis. In their dreams. 'May the Tower of Babil stand as testament to the glory of Garlemald,' he supposedly said."

At those words, the twins looked at each other in surprise, and S'eni too was immediately reminded of a certain something in their possession. The radio.

"There is something you should see," Alphinaud said and placed the radio on the table. After doing so, he explained to them how, according to the survivors they had found, Varis' voice could be heard speaking from it.

"Strange..." Maxima said after Alphinaud was done, looking the radio over. "If it was not a recorded message...then what could it be?"

All of a sudden, A-Ruhn-Senna's hand went to his pocket and pulled out the warding scale. He looked at it for a few seconds, then towards the radio, and back again.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Y'shtola asked.

"The aether flowing through the ore used for that device is surprisingly similar to that of our talismans," he said.

"I concur. Could it be that some quirk of fate has given them the ability to withstand a primal's influence?" raising her hand, she gently rapped her knuckles against her cheek. "If that's the case, there might be a connection. Let us assume the tremors in Garlemald were caused by strong aetheric emissions. In that case, the majority of the citizens would become tempered...but those who were listening to the news from the battlefield would have been spared that fate."

"So that is why Licinia and her sister had taken it with her..." Alphinaud said.

Before they could discuss the significance of this discovery further, they were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps on wood, soon followed by Cirina's voice. "My apologies, but I must speak with you!" she said in an urgent tone and they all turned to face her. "We caught a young man trying to steal our supplies. We think he is a soldier of the ironmen, but one who is not enthralled. Thankfully, Magnai restrained him before blood was spilled. He is outside if you wish to question him."

They all shared a look and nodded. "I believe we do," Alphinaud said and they headed outside where the young man in question was standing, flanked on both sides by Xaela warriors. His head hung low, causing his slightly long hair to obscure a part of his face. But the still visible Third Eye on his forehead and the uniform he was wearing told S'eni enough. This was indeed an imperial soldier.

"And who do we have here...?" Lucia asked after a brief moment of silence and the soldier raised his head to reveal more of his face. Almost as soon as he had done so, his eyes widened as they landed on her, growing further when they shifted over to Maxima.

"You're Garlean?" he asked in surprise that swiftly turned into anger. "You traitors! Do you have no shame!?"

Lucia didn't reply immediately, clearly hit by that remark. S'eni still recalled how the woman had revealed to her that she was originally sent to Ishgard to be a spy, but had ended up forsaking her duty in light of Aymeric's conviction. Yet it didn't change the fact that she had turned traitor to the empire she once swore to serve, and his words served as a stark reminder of that fact.

But when she finally did speak, it was with the true conviction of a knight. "My name is Lucia Junius, Of the Temple Knights of Ishgard. And who are you?"

"Jullus pyr Norbanus. And that's all you will get out of me, cursed invaders!" he spat back.

"Unlike what you may think, we are not here to steal your homeland, Jullus. Quite the opposite, in fact. We are here to bring an end to the chaos the Telophoroi have wrought, just like you," Lucia said. "We know that the citizens of Garlemald had to endure great suffering. That is why we have come here to offer you our hand in friendship and cooperation."

Jullus just looked away at her words, clearly not interested to hear any of this.

"I do not expect you to welcome us with open arms. But allow me to ask you something...How can it be that a proud soldier of the Garlean Empire rummages through our supplies like a lousy thief? Admit it, you could use our help." That one had clearly hit its mark, as he gritted his teeth, so Lucia continued. "If you need something, just say so. If pressed about it, you can always claim we forced it on you. Or that you stole. It does not matter to me."

Releasing a breath, he turned his gaze back towards her. "I'm not authorised to negotiate with you. Only my commander is. If you wish, I can lead you to him. But only three at most."

Y'shtola released a hum and looked at S'eni. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It might be our best bet to help these people," S'eni replied.

"Agreed. Then perhaps you and I should go."

"No. My sister and I shall serve as envoys," Alphinaud said suddenly and the two of them stepped forth.

"And may I ask why?" Y'shtola frowned.

"We have seen the suffering of the Garleans with our own eyes. Their future, their lives, hang in the balance. It's worth the risk," he replied.

"It would be a chance to prove our good intentions. And to make up for past mistakes..." Alisaie said.

S'eni looked at them, eyes locking onto theirs and seeing the conviction burning deep within them. She sighed through her nose and let her lips curl upwards. Those two... "Your mother would never forgive me if I let you go by yourself. I'm coming along."

"If that is your wish, I will not stop you," Lucia then said. "But you will proceed with the utmost care."

"A couple of kids and their chaperone?" Jullus asked, quite clearly not amused. "Is this supposed to be an insult?"

"Not at all. They are more than worthy to speak on our behalf," she told him.

With a not-so-subtle roll of his eyes, he turned to face the Oronir standing next to him and nodded towards the Garlean Gunblade he was holding. "The road is dangerous. I will need my weapon back."

The Au Ra looked towards Lucia, who nodded, then handed the young man the weapon. The Temple Knight then shot S'eni a look and waved her over. "You will be received as invited guests, so I urge you to observe proper social etiquette and conduct yourself accordingly. Your safe return takes precedence above all else. Remember that," Lucia said and glanced over to Jullus, who was inspecting his Gunblade. "Especially Thancred would be worried sick if you're gone for too long."

S'eni gave her a subtle nod. "And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"May the Fury watch over and keep you."

After stepping away from the other woman, she was approached by Y'shtola, face still marred by that worried frown. "I'm worried they might not be in the best state of mind to volunteer for this undertaking," her lover said in a low voice.

"I know." She looked over to the twins, expression beginning to mirror that of Y'shtola. "But they made their choice."

Now all she could do was to try and keep them safe.

Not long after, their group left Camp Broken Glass. On Jullus' insistence, they made their way over the snowy hills until they arrived at the road that would lead them to their destination, running all the while to avoid any of the roaming beasts and obviously shaking anyone that might follow them. He wasn't stupid, she had to hand it to him.

"So, Jullus, wasn't it?" S'eni asked, keeping her eyes on the road, as well as on the twins, in front of them. "Aren't you a bit young to be an officer already?"

He couldn't be more than a few years older than the twins, if she had to wager a guess. That must mean he was a very talented individual. Or that they were seriously lacking in manpower.

He didn't.

"Not exactly a talkative fellow, hm?"

"If it's conversation you want, save it until we've arrived," he said back curtly.

Yes, sir, she thought. It wasn't long after their short exchange, though, that they arrived at what he had called Liminal Station IV. Like Juturna Platform G, it looked nothing like its Eorzean counterparts, but also seemed to be just as abandoned...no actually, it looked in even worse shape. Not exactly a good place to hide.

Alphinaud seemed to be of the same mind, if his raised brows were any indication. "These are your headquarters?"

"No. We're stopping here so I can check for pursuers." The young soldier looked over his shoulder and, after a few seconds, nodded. "Good. It looks like your friends knew better than to follow us. Since it appears you've kept your side of the bargain we can carry on. From here, we'll be heading northeast, keeping to the left of the railway. While the route itself is straightforward, getting past the hordes unseen is anything but."

"They would attack their fellow countrymen?" Alphinaud asked.

"Yes. They ignore their own, but everyone else gets slaughtered. Though we'll try to avoid them, it's a slim chance at best. I'll lead the way, but in case we are detected..." his eyes landed on S'eni. "...you'll fight them off. Those two will follow us, provided they'll refrain from drawing their weapons."

"Don't worry, they will," S'eni said.

"I will hold you to that. With that said, let's proceed."

Following his lead, they travelled along the road, using whatever cover was available with broken vehicles and rocks to keep hidden from the tempered that scoured the area. The sound of their mumbling voices, each repeating the same words, filled the air in a twisted choir that had already become way too familiar to S'eni's liking. For a short while, it actually looked like they were so entranced that they might make it without being noticed. But as was most often the case, that luck lasted only so briefly, and they were soon waylaid by a pair of tempered soldiers.

Yet despite their tempered state making them even more fierce fighters than usual, they stood very little chance against her. One after the other they hit the ground, squarely knocked out. "Hmm, not bad," she heard Jullus say and turned around. "And here I was wondering why you seemed unarmed. Now I understand why your comrades choose you."

Stepping forth, Alphinaud walked past her and towards the two soldiers, kneeling down next to them. "Jullus," he said after looking them over. "Our contingent possesses a cure for the afflicted, or 'tempered' as we call them. They would have to be taken into custody so that we can administer it, but they would eventually regain their sanity."

"Is that so?" the young Garlean didn't sound convinced. "For all I know, that cure of yours would just replace one master for another. No, as far as I and my legion are concerned, they're no longer our people. They're beyond saving, and those who wished to reason with them got cut down for their trouble. Come, we have to keep going."

Though Alphinaud clearly wanted to contest that notion, he still complied and they resumed their march towards the place Jullus called the Regio Domorum. The closer they got, the more numerous the tempered became, and S'eni found herself forced to fight off some more of them. For a mercy, she managed to knock them all out and their guide didn't seem to wish to check if they were truly dead. But that changed when they stumbled across a pair of Garleans whose tempered state had already progressed to the point of mutation.

Gods... she thought as she watched them shuffle towards her, spikes of twisted, crystalized aether springing forth from their bodies in all directions and their voices having turned into nothing but guttural moans. Slamming her eyes shut for a brief second, she swiftly dodged to the side when the first one lunged at her, kicking out her foot to trip him up, then immediately moved behind him to grab him by his head. She brought her fist down onto the base of his skull and, with a sickening crunch, the tempered soldier went instantly slack.

After dropping him to the ground, she turned towards his comrade and, exhaling deeply from her nose, made to put him out of his misery as well. Once he had collapsed lifelessly into the snow, Jullus came walking over and stood over the two bodies. He turned towards the twins. "Look at what they've become," he said to them. "Would you still say they can be cured!?"

"Those exposed to a large quantity of a primal's aether may suffer from severe corruption..." Alphinaud explained, his face darkening. "Even with treatment, those victims are beyond salvation."

"Hmph, so you're admitting it. Now that you've seen these monstrosities for yourself, maybe you will think first before talking about a cure." Without sparing the tempered a second glance, Jullus resumed his walk, leading them to what must have once been a thriving residential area. Now, all that greeted them were empty streets and the cold, howling wind. But even in this desolate state, S'eni could tell that Garlemald truly must have been a city like no other.

As they made their way further through the city's outskirts, they soon came upon a square with only a single building on it. Upon closer inspection though, it turned out to be an entrance that led underground. Coming to a stop in front of it, Jullus looked at them. "This is Tertium, one of Garlemald's largest stations. It now serves as our headquarters," he explained. "Go ahead, I'll be with you soon. Just going to have a final look around."

Doing as they were told, the three of them stepped inside and made their way down a large set of stairs. At the bottom awaited them what looked to have been a hub of transportation not unlike those S'eni had seen connecting the various Castrums in Eorzea. In the center of the hall, she spotted an Aetheryte that looked like the one in Camp Broken Glass, while on the left side, she spotted a train that was much smaller and less fortified than those she had seen in the past. For civilian use perhaps?

Amazing...hm? Her ears perked up as they picked up the same melody she had quickly gotten familiar with. Home Beyond the Horizon. Well, that explains how they escaped being tempered.

"It's plain to see why they chose this as their base of operations," Alphinaud said while looking around.

Alisaie released an affirmative hum. "But if Jullus was willing to make the risky journey to Camp Broken Glass in search of food, they must be running out of supplies. They might be shielded from the wind and the snow, but it's still cold down here. Just like with the people of Victors' Spoils, it must be a constant struggle to keep warm."

"Keep your voices down," Jullus said as he joined them. "While you may be here as my 'guests', the others here will not take kindly to your presence."

And indeed, those of the people gathered near them were either glaring or, in the case of civilians, sending them fearful looks.

"My commander is in the locomotive, over there. Come." Together, they walked towards the locomotive and, after Jullus announced them, stepped inside. A man, dressed in dark armor, was sitting on a scavenged sofa, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Opening his eyes, he turned them towards their little group, focusing first on Alphinaud, Alisaie, and herself, before coming to rest upon Jullus.

Taking this as his cue to speak, the young man explained what had happened shortly after he had entered their camp and the events following shortly thereafter. "...Which is why I brought three of their representatives," he finished his report.

"I see," the seated man finally said. "Introduce us then."

"As you command!" Jullus saluted and stepped aside. "This is our commander...Quintus van Cinna, Legatus of the Ist Legion."

"The Ist Legion!?" Alphinaud exclaimed. "It is still operational!?"

"We have lost our Emperor, our capital, and the majority of our comrades. And my body, too, is only a shadow of its former self...I would hardly call that operational," Legatus Quintus replied. "As you are undoubtedly pleased to hear."

Alphinaud shook his head. "No, we do not take any satisfaction from the suffering you and your people have endured. We have not come here with hostile intentions."

"Pah! Spare me those empty platitudes. I know very well there can be no sympathy between enemies. Too often did we already have that experience. First, we were chased out of our rightful homeland, and then what little we had here was still too much. We created Magitek weapons to defend ourselves against invaders. With nothing else left, our Emperors, Solus, and after him Varis, sought salvation through conquest. A large, strong empire to protect us."

"I cannot deny that our history has ever been marked by conflict. And yet it was proven to me time and again that behind the goals of every nation lies more than simple self-interest," Alphinaud said. "We would, of course, be more than happy to defeat the Telophoroi alongside your troops...but above all, we are driven by the desire to help you."

"I actually believe you," Quintus said with a hum. "But no matter how noble your ideals may be, your leaders would not have sent an entire regiment worth of troops to Garlemald if they did not have something to gain from it. Let us say we accept your offer...they would surely demand recompense the very moment the danger had passed. Once again, we Garleans would lose our freedom; the Third Eye, the pride of our people, would become nothing more than a symbol of slavery."

"Nobody has any intention of taking away your freedom. We're here to create a better world in which we can all live in peace. If my friends have taught me one thing, it's to never give up hope," Alisaie told him. "To you that might sound like nothing more than naive nonsense, but that is what is driving me. Mistrust me if you must."

"The conflict between Garlemald and Eorzea has caused endless suffering. Is it really so strange to put an end to it? What speaks against trying to solve our problems together?" Alphinaud added.

The Legatus looked like he actually seemed to consider their words as he trained his gaze on the desk opposite of him. After a brief pause, he spoke again. "Let me ask you a question, you idealists. If you truly wish for peace, then why did you resist us when we tried to unite the world? Because we do not believe in your gods? Because we look different? Or because of our ideals?" He turned his head back towards them, eyes narrowing into a heated glare. "We too would never give up what we believe in. And a peace built upon such a sacrifice would never last. That is why we will fight for our freedom and our honor until the very last. Our discussion is over."

He raised his hand and all of a sudden, an entire squad of soldiers came rushing into the locomotive, weapons drawn and ready to strike if they so much as tried anything funny. "Shit," S'eni hissed.

"Don't worry. I don't intend to kill you, but until I have decided what to do with you, you three will remain with us," Quintus said. She knew that if it came down to it, they would most likely be able to battle their way out of this, but a quick look over at the twins told her that wouldn't be an option. They had made their choice. So instead, she slowly began raising her hands.

"We will not fight. But in exchange we wish to freely roam the station and talk to your people," Alphinaud said.

"Go ahead. I did not plan on throwing you into a cell anyway. You would be frozen before the day's end, and you are of no use to me dead." The Legatus glanced at two of his soldiers and nodded towards the twins. "Put the collars on them."

Sheathing their weapons, the soldiers stepped forth and began to put a pair of Magitek devices on the two Elezen's neck. After they were done, Alphinaud glanced down at himself. "What...are these?"

"Just a little incentive to show yourself from your best side. Any misconduct might have painful repercussions."

Another, much larger soldier came walking towards S'eni, holding a device as well. But before he could so much as touch her, he was already called off by Quintus.

"No. That is not going to work on her," he said and, at the puzzled look he received, added, "After all, this is none other than the Hero of Eorzea herself."

A series of gasps went through the air and the soldier all but jumped away from her, as did some of his fellows, putting as much distance as possible between them and her. The Legatus for his part simply locked eyes with her. "If she tries anything, just let her friends suffer."

"Why you—" she made to rush forward, but found herself stopped by Alphinaud and Alisaie.

"Don't worry about us," the former said with a smile.

"As soon as we made some new acquaintances, these things will be all but forgotten," Alisaie assured her.

S'eni looked at them and, with a sigh, stepped back. "...Fine."

"Those children..." Quintus muttered. "Why go to such lengths? What is it all for?"

Immediately, the words Haurchefant had once said to her resurfaced from deep inside her mind. Back then, it had been Alphinaud, Tataru, and her that had been left with little hope; alone and all odds stacked against them. Just like the Garleans now.

"Especially on the coldest and blackest of nights it's important we share the warmth of our fire," she said.

"You are a curious one. A far cry from the barbarian others paint you as." Quintus chuckled, then looked at Jullus. "You are going to be their warden. Take them away."

Eyes still wide from the revelation just a few moments ago, the young man slowly turned his head towards his commander. He blinked a few times before the words just spoken sank in and he snapped back to attention. "As you command!"

As they were ushered outside, S'eni stole one last glance at the old Legatus, who was now staring at the Imperial banner draped over the train's controls. A banner she knew was built upon the schemes of the Ascians. Yet to these people, it was the symbol of their very own, very real ideals.

Fighting for their freedom and honor, she thought, her expression darkening at the memory of two broken bodies lying in the snow. ...but at what cost?