Through Different Eyes pt. 1
Hmm, well this tale has taken a turn I did not expect. What will our hero do now, I wonder?
Where...am I...?
"The experiment was a rousing success, but the effects will not last for long..." she could hear faintly through the fog inside her mind. Slowly, she opened her eyes but found that she couldn't keep them open, as if her body did not wish to obey.
What...happened...?
There had been a roar...and the refugees had started going crazy...
All I can remember...
"I shall begin the preparations then."
...is Fandaniel.
Her consciousness faded.
She didn't know how much time passed until she was awoken again by someone shaking her. The voice, which had been little more than a distant echo, was now much clearer. "Wake up," it singsonged.
Opening her eyes again, and managing to keep them from immediately falling shut, she found herself looking at a plate filled with food. As she raised her head, she saw that she was sitting at a long table. And seated at the other end was none other than Zenos!
S'eni made to stand up, but the hand on her shoulder kept her firmly in place. When she turned her head to look who it was, she was greeted by Fandaniel's smiling face. He was dressed in a butler's uniform.
"Good morning. Here, eat—" he gestured towards a bowl of steaming soup next to the plate. "—before it grows cold. Ah, but be careful while removing that helmet. You still have to grow used to your new home."
New home...? What in blazes— a gasp escaped her when she looked down at a pair of unfamiliar hands. Eyes widening, she took in the rest of her appearance. She was in a different body!
"And? How does it feel?" Fandaniel asked, sounding almost like a child eager to have their friend open their birthday present. "A new body can be so refreshing! Like balm for a weary soul."
He leaned in closer.
"We had a Magitek engineer by the name of Aulus to thank for this method of soul extraction and implantation. Surely you remember him. After all, you took his life in Ala Mhigo."
Yes, she remembered very well. That monster who experimented on innocent people.
"Mindjack, he called it. Oh but it is so much more," Fandaniel said. "Especially with the improvements I made."
"Give me back my body!" she snarled "Or I'll..."
"And have you ruin this fine meal?" he shook his head. "No, I think not. It was not easy getting you here. When I discovered that my lord's 'friend' was in this neck of the woods I thought it would only be right to...invite you. He never deigned to respond, but I took his silence as a resounding yes!"
A sudden roar shook the entire room. The very same that had preceded the chaos at camp. And it was coming from the gates to her right. Fandaniel turned around.
"Oh, listen. Daddy is pleased his naughty boy finally found a playmate!
"What!?" Daddy!?
"Ah, yes. I should probably explain. As you might already know, religions are outlawed by the Empire. Without gods, no summonings. Simple," he explained. "So to whom do the citizens turn to in their hour of need?"
"I think I liked your clone more," she shot back. "He got to the point."
He ignored her remark and spread his arms wide. "Why yes, the Emperor of course!" he said. "I admit, Garlemald has seen better days. Solus zos Galvus is dead, the provinces are openly rebelling, and our new Emperor has been murdered, causing a civil war. It is such a shame. The people called for salvation, their pleas—one might even call them prayers—wished for the Empire to reclaim past glories. And their calls were answered, manifesting in the corpse of Emperor Varis. Their savior has arrived, the embodiment of the Garlean spirit: Anima!"
As if on cue, another roar went through the air.
"Anima..." she stared at the gates. "You turned a dead man into a primal..."
"Ah ah ah." Fandaniel wagged his finger at her. "The Garlean people did. We only...helped them along. Anima offers those that seek guidance a helping hand and encourages them to fight. And just like how Garlemald has drawn in wealth and power, so does our dear primal draw aether. From all corners of the world."
Realization struck her upon his words and her gaze darted over to him. "So that's the true purpose of the towers."
"Exactly. Full marks for you. They are an extension of Anima. An ingenious design—" the Ascian spun on his heel to look towards Zenos. "Would you not agree, my lord?"
Zenos, who had been calmly eating up until now, raised a glass to his lips and drank for a few seconds. As he placed it back down, he fixed her with his gaze. Cold and hollow, but deep inside, there was the bloodlust of a beast.
"Tell me, what excitement does prey hold that one has already bested?" he asked.
She didn't reply.
"Exactly: None. Without the thrill of the hunt, it is little more than butcher's work. You surely must think the same. Since our battle high above Ala Mhigo, I must have surely fallen in your estimation. That is something I have to live with, and should you refuse to resume the hunt we shall never again experience that same sense of euphoria." He leaned back in his seat, a gloved hand tapping the table. Taking that as his cue, Fandaniel picked up the bottle of wine standing on the table and walked over to him. "That is why I am doing everything in my power to reignite the fire inside you, while I sharpen my claws in eagerness."
A moment of silence followed, only broken by the sound of wine being poured.
"Wherever there is suffering and despair, you appear to fulfill your duty as defender of this star." The corners of his lips rose into a smile. "The chaos and destruction my hordes have wrought...are my gifts to you alone."
She inhaled sharply. Then everything that happened...all the people that died or had been hurt...were all just to draw her out. To join him on this twisted stage he was setting.
Gritting her teeth, she began to shake as anger welled up from deep inside of her. All of this just so he could have a repeat of their battle in Ala Mhigo. Slamming her hands on the table, she shot up from her chair.
"You godsdamned monster—ugh!" A sudden wave of dizziness hit her and she fell back down.
Zenos raised a curious brow. "Is that all? I apologize. I must be a terrible host," he said, rising up and beginning to walk away.
"Already had enough?" Fandaniel asked.
The crown prince stopped and turned his head ever so slightly, his eyes firmly on S'eni as he spoke.
"There is only one thing that can sate my hunger, and my friend, it seems, has lost her appetite. Though I had simply wished to try something new, this simple meal clearly is not worthy of our reunion. Fortunately, I have something you might enjoy more." He resumed walking. As his steps echoed along the metal walkway, the candles adorning it started to ignite one by one. "Before I reclaimed my body from that Ascian, my soul found refuge in another. To fight in an unfamiliar form was an enlightening experience. Never before had I felt my own flaws more clearly. I asked myself: where does one's true strength come from? In our flesh and bones? Or perhaps in our soul? You will soon find out for yourself."
And as the last few candles began to burn, they revealed a lone throne waiting at the end of the walkway. And seated upon the throne, her body. With a curse, she ignored the last remaining bit of dizziness and jumped out of her seat to dart towards him. But it was already too late.
Calmly, Zenos turned around, his earlier smile back, and briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they glowed in the same ominous red as back when he merged himself with Shinryu. "Follow me if you wish to have it back."
He crumpled to the ground. As S'eni stopped above his lifeless form, she saw her own begin to stir. Her body's head slowly rose until cherry-pink eyes met those of her host through the helmet. Her lips twisted into a smirk, before teleporting away.
"NO!" she shouted.
"My goodness," she heard Fandaniel's voice from behind her and whirled around to face him. "I wonder what might happen to your friends if my lord greets them as you. I fear the worst!"
"You—!" she grabbed him by his collar. "Get me to him! Now!"
"My, such ferocity. But you are right, we'd better hurry if we wish to avert a bloodbath."
He placed a hand on her wrist and, from one moment to the next, they were gone.
When they reappeared again, they were floating high above the ruins of the capital. As S'eni looked around, she saw that it was indeed the next day, though the clouds made it hard to ascertain just what time it was exactly. Turning her attention to the Ascian, who had discarded the butler guise for his usual robes, she saw him gesture into the distance.
"And there it is, your camp. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say my lord is on his way there as we speak. You'd best catch up to him posthaste before he causes any damage." Fandaniel slowly lowered them onto the broken remains of a road. "I'm afraid the rest of the way you will have to cross on your own. It wouldn't do to make this too easy for you."
"Of course." She snorted.
"My, my, how testy, but I would advise you to focus that ire on what lies up ahead. After all, you've more than enough obstacles ahead of you. There, look for yourself." S'eni followed his gaze and saw the streets down below teeming with tempered and Magitek alike. Great. "Under normal circumstances, you would have little trouble. But just look at you. You just aren't yourself today. So perhaps it would be more prudent to keep to the shadows."
With a smile, he produced a short sword from under his robes and dropped it on the ground in front of her feet, before giving her a little wave and disappearing again. Sighing through her nose, she walked over and picked it up. It looked sharp enough.
It's something at least, she thought and looked down at the form she now occupied. As much as she hated to admit it, but Fandaniel was right. There was no way she would survive in this weakened state. And if that wasn't bad enough, the body she was currently occupying was without a doubt male. How the guys were able to run around without these dangly bits getting in the way was a mystery to her.
"Well then, let's get started," she murmured and walked over to the edge of the road. I'm coming, Zenos!
Jumping down, she immediately rolled behind a nearby broken vehicle and peered out from behind it. Soldiers, and even a Colossus. So that way was out. She then looked to the left, where the path was clearer. Just a single soldier on patrol.
When she was sure his back was turned, she dashed out of hiding and hid behind another derelict much closer to him. She inverted her blade and watched him, just like Yugiri once taught her, waiting for just the right—there!
Jumping out, she grabbed the soldier, covering his mouth with her hand to keep him from shouting and pulling him out of sight. As soon as he was on the ground, she plunged her blade into his chest and twisted. He struggled for a few more seconds, before finally succumbing to his wound.
She pulled the blade out and offered him a quick prayer. If things had been different, she might have managed to take him out without killing him. But right now it was either kill or be killed. Inspecting his body, she found a few medical supplies and, more importantly, one of the types of explosives that Jullus had provided them with. She put it all into the bag on her hips and continued onward.
In a twist of irony, the desolate state of the city made for ample cover and she quickly made her way through the street while avoiding any other run-ins with tempered soldiers. That was until she hit a roadblock made out of roughly a dozen Magitek units that had flocked together to guard the way to her destination. Fortunately though, she also spotted a nearby Magitek Reaper that still looked operational enough.
Sneaking over, she inspected it and found that its leg was damaged and it was missing fuel. Of course, she thought. But if she managed to get this thing running, it would serve as a good stationary turret. And so, with no other option left, she went on the hunt for some Ceruleum, inspecting the various destroyed units scattered around the area. At first, it looked like what little had remained had long since run out or burned together with the units, until she managed to find one whose gauge showed that a bit of fuel still remained.
With a hiss, the hatch opened and she pulled out the tank. Now she just needed to get it back. Which was easier said than done, since this thing was going to make it harder to sneak past all these tempered and she would be unable to defend herself.
Time for a diversion then. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out one of the explosives and flung it into the distance. She hid behind a wrecked wall and counted down the seconds inside her mind. A loud explosion echoed through the air, soon followed by the sound of running as the tempered soldiers hurried over to check, creating enough of a gap in their patrols to make her way back to the Magitek armour.
Just as she was about to reach it though, the sudden turning around from one of the units up ahead forced her to duck into a building nearby. She made to peek outside when the click of a gun caused her to stiffen. Slowly, she placed the tank on the ground and raised her hands, before turning around. Lying in one of the far corners was a Garlean soldier, his gun trained at her.
"You're not one of them?" he asked after a few seconds.
"No, I'm not."
With a sigh of relief, he dropped his gun and let his head slump back against the wall. "Thank goodness...I thought I was the only one left—ungh."
"Are you hurt?" she asked and knelt down next to him.
"The bastards got my hand when they took down my Magitek Reaper outside."
"That's yours? I'm trying to get it running again."
"Then you'll need my key. Here." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small case and opened it, revealing the identification key inside. After she took it, he clamped it shut again and let his hand fall onto his lap.
She pocketed the key and looked him over. "Can you walk?"
He shook his head. "I'd be nothing but a liability. I'll stay here and wait for reinforcements. If you find any of my comrades...tell them I'm here."
But the look in his eyes told her he knew as well as she, that it was a slim chance at best. Yet despite that, S'eni nodded. He gave her a weak smile.
Walking back over to the door, she peered outside and saw that the coast was clear again, so she grabbed the tank and hurried over to the Magitek Reaper. After putting the tank inside, she climbed into the seat and pushed the key into the armature. "Yes!" she said as the Magitek Reaper sprung back to life.
The sudden sound didn't go unnoticed by the units up ahead, and they all turned towards her, but were too slow to react when she unleashed all of the machine's weaponry upon them. By the time she disembarked again, there was nothing more than smoking pieces of destroyed machinery left in her path. Giving the house where the wounded soldier was one last look, S'eni hurried onward.
Rounding the corner, she spotted the snowy fields of the Eblan Rime just down the road but paused partway when she heard sounds coming from the distance. Shouting. Fighting. She looked up ahead, where the road to camp awaited, guarded by only a few tempered that were easily avoided, and...ran towards the voices instead.
As she drew closer, S'eni noticed that it was a group of armed citizens being attacked by local creatures that had found their way into the city. Rushing towards the one nearest to her, who was fending off some kind of local Bomb, she brandished her blade and swiped at the creature from behind. With a loud cry, it expanded like the rest of its brethren, then fizzled out and fell to the ground.
The citizen, a young man holding a blade, looked at her with wide eyes. "Thank you! I didn't expect anyone else was still here," he said and hurriedly nodded towards his compatriots. "Q-Quick, we need to help the others!"
"Right!"
Teaming up with the others, they managed to put down the rest of the creatures. Afterwards, she was approached by another one of the citizens, this one wielded a lance. "Thanks, stranger. Without your help we might've been done for."
"What are you doing out here?" she asked.
"Scavenging supplies. We were just on our way back to the shelter when we were attacked."
"Are you going to be alright from here on?"
"We have a Magitek Reaper that's fully operational nearby." He pointed up ahead. "If we can reach that, we ought to be able to make it."
She looked in that direction and nodded. She could make it to camp from there as well. "Let's hurry, then."
Not needing to be told twice, they began heading in the direction of where the Magitek armour was waiting. As soon as they arrived, one of them made to climb on top of it when a sudden sound caused them to pause. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes, sounded like...a voice?" one of the others replied.
A second ticked by. And another. Then, the sound returned, more numerous this time. Grabbing her blade, S'eni whirled towards it and spotted a group of tempered soldiers heading their way, the corruption of their bodies surpassing even that of the ones she had previously encountered.
"Shit! Get that thing running!" she shouted and waved over the other men. "Everyone, prepare yourself!"
She dodged to the side as one of them lunged at her, his flailing arm scratching her armor, and she slashed her sword across his side. That did little to deter him though, as he simply ignored the gaping wound and whirled towards her, the crystalline outgrowth on half his face shifting while he snarled. He hurled himself at her once more, but she managed to duck just in the nick of time and impaled him on her blade. Pushing his now lifeless body away, she wasted no time helping one of the others.
For all their ferocity, the corrupted were not exactly smart, and once the Magitek Reaper provided them with covering fire, it was little more than a question of time until they were all taken care of. Then a sudden roar made them look northward, where another tempered came stomping towards them, his corruption having gone so far as to increase his size into a weirdly proportioned mess of crystal and flesh. As he closed in on them, the crystals all over his body began to glow a deep purple.
Oh no... she knew exactly what that meant, but she wasn't the only one.
"It's going to explode!" the pilot of the Magitek Reaper called out and jumped out of the seat. "Get behind the armor!"
They scrambled behind it, making themselves as small as possible to protect themselves from the incoming blast. But it was of no use. The energy release was too much for the armor to handle and ignited the Ceruleum within, causing it to explode.
She was flung through the air, landing harshly on the ground and crying out as pain engulfed her torso. That was definitely a broken rib...or multiple. With shaking arms, she somehow managed to push herself up just enough to see the burned wreckage of what remained of the reaper, strewn all over the area. Lying amongst it were the lifeless bodies of the imperials she just fought with.
Gods... The strength left her and she slumped down face first. Every breath that she took burned in her lungs. Vision becoming blurry, she let her eyes fall shut as darkness claimed her consciousness...
And I'll see you next week.