Whispers
Steps reverberating off the walls, S'eni walked through one of the Ragnarok's hallways. It truly was an impressive sight. And to think that the sheer size of it all was created with a careful application of miniaturizing spells to the interior.
Suddenly, she sighed and leaned against a wall. How long have they been on route now? An hour? More?
She knew that getting to the very edge of the known universe wasn't exactly a little stroll in the woods, and even with, as Sleepingway had put it, them 'ripping along' it would still take time to get there. With nothing else they could do, they had split off to occupy themselves until their arrival. But by the Twelve, the waiting was beginning to get to her!
Perhaps a little bit of meditation is in order... she thought and pushed herself off the wall to look for a good place to do so. Continuing onward, she soon came across a room and decided this one was as good as any. As she got close to it, though, her ears perked up at sounds coming from within. With a raised brow, she stepped towards the door, causing it to slide open and reveal Thancred and Alisaie, having a little sparring session from the look of things.
Their weapons clashed a couple of times before the Elezen jumped backwards and began preparing a low-intensity spell, only to stop when she noticed that they were having an audience now. Seeing that, Thancred glanced over his shoulder and raised his free hand in a small wave. "Come to join us?" he asked.
"Was actually looking for a place to meditate," she replied and stepped inside. "I guess the waiting is getting to you too?"
"That's an understatement if I ever heard one," Alisaie sighed. "And it's not like there is much to do other than mindlessly staring out into this strange space on the outside."
"You could've taken one of the books Raha and you read yesterday along with you," S'eni suggested.
"He did. And last time I saw him, he plopped down in some room and started to read it." The young woman shook her head.
Hah, typical. But fully understandable. When she last saw Y'shtola, she had been talking to Urianger about the way they were traveling right now. Anything to kill time, really.
"So, are you joining in?" Thancred asked.
She shrugged. "Sure, if you would have me."
"Go ahead," Alisaie said, put her rapier away, and began walking over to a wall. "I'll take a little break in the meantime."
S'eni shared a look with him and gestured to the center of the room. "Shall we then?"
When they both got into position, a quick flash surrounded her and the outfit Tataru had given her was replaced by a Skallic coat. She reached over her shoulder to take hold of her Gunblade and pointed it towards her friend. He chuckled.
"I could tell from the moment you handled mine," he said and grasped his own tightly. "No cartridges. You're at a clear advantage in that department."
"Alright. Wouldn't want you to run out of steam, after all." A smirk forming on her face, she beckoned him forward.
He mirrored her expression and rushed forward. Their blades clashed with one another a few times, playfully trying to poke holes into each other's defenses. Then, suddenly, his expression changed and he brought down his Gunblade hard, causing sparks to fly as she blocked the strike. "So, who was your teacher? It couldn't have been Rostik, or he would have undoubtedly mentioned it."
"Close enough. It was a Hrothgar named Radovan—" pushing his blade away, she delivered a quick combo of slashes that forced him backwards. "—He's a friend of Rostik. I met him in Gridania while you guys were...indisposed."
Their blades clashed a few more times before they both jumped back. "I see. You sure aren't one to remain idle even in situations like that."
Spinning his weapon in his hand, Thancred moved back towards her, but she parried each of his attacks with a series of stab-like motions until she found an opening. She whirled around, using the momentum to fuel her strike, and harshly connected with his Gunblade, causing him to swerve to the side and leaving him vulnerable enough to point the tip of her blade towards his neck. With a little grin, she tapped the underside of his chin with the blunt side before stepping back to enter her starting position again.
"Not like there was much I could've done at the time. You were all unconscious." She frowned, thinking back on how helpless she had felt at the time. "So I threw myself into all sorts of opportunities to keep myself busy..."
"Heh, I'll say. Seeing you handle magic was quite a sight too," Thancred said after getting back into position. This, S'eni was the one going on the offensive and more sparks lightened up the room as their weapons clashed.
"That was far harder," S'eni said. "Matoya's book helped a great deal, but I still had to figure out a lot on my own. Learning to use a Gunblade was simple in comparison."
They traded a few easy-to-parry strikes, before locking blades. "It wasn't until Bozja that I truly understood the philosophy of the Gunbreaker. The oath they had sworn to protect their queen. Well, and here we are."
"That we are. And truth be told, I'm glad to see that, should something happen, you will be there to protect everyone," he said and suddenly hooked his blade underneath hers, then twisted it downwards. He immediately rushed in to disarm her and, with a smug look, pressed her own Gunblade against her chest. "I believe this round goes to me."
"Oh, are you so sure about that?" she asked.
"Hmm?" he tilted his head to the side. All of a sudden, a small flame formed in the palm of her hand and it shot towards her friend. Reflex kicking in, he raised his Gunblade to block it, but that left him open enough for S'eni to drop to the ground and kick his legs out from under him.
Thancred yelped as he landed on the ground and attempted to get back up, but found a boot planted on his chest. Tail flicking playfully, she took back her Gunblade and placed a hand on the back of her hip with a smug grin. "Now who does this round go to?"
"That was quite unfair."
"Maybe—" she stepped off Thancred and offered him a hand. "—but real fights are hardly fair."
He chuckled. "True."
As she helped him back up, the sudden sound of clapping hands made her look over to Alisaie. But, as it turned out, the young woman's hands were firmly placed on top of her knees, and on her face held a look of confusion. Almost simultaneously, they both shifted their heads in the direction of the door, where none other than Y'shtola was standing, a look of quiet amusement on her face.
"So this is where you've wandered off to," she said after lowering her hands.
"Yeah, well, as fascinating as your talks with Urianger can be to listen to, I doubt I could've contributed much," S'eni replied and placed her Gunblade on her back. "But since you are here now, does the great Master Matoya perhaps wish to join?"
Y'shtola narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and she smiled that far too familiar smile of hers. "Do you really wish to test yourself against the devastation I can wreak?"
"I think by now you know very well how I can do against devastation." She smiled as well and took a few steps forward. "So, how about it?"
The other Miqo'te seemed to consider it for a moment and took a step forward as well—
"Ahem, this is Livingway!"
—only to stop when the Loporrit's voice began to echo through the ship.
"Everyone come to the bridge. I repeat, everyone come to the bridge."
S'eni looked at her friends, their faces having grown serious. That could only mean one thing. They were about to arrive.
With a quick flash, her coat and Gunblade disappeared and they all made their way out of the room and towards the bridge. None of them uttered so much as a single word even when they met up with the others. When they finally arrived at the bridge, it was Mappingway's voice that greeted them. "...estimated arrival in eight carrots, maybe seven, depending on how hungry you are."
"Well that certainly sounds shorter than earlier," S'eni commented and Livingway turned around.
"Ah, there you are," she said. "Yes, we will arrive shortly. But before we do, I have a few words of caution for you."
S'eni nodded for her to proceed.
"Ultima Thule is not a star in the proper sense. It is rather a series of coordinates leading to a...patch of emptiness. Our sensors are detecting no signs of aether, not even a single twitch of our equipment. It is highly likely that Meteion used dynamis to build and obfuscate her hiding place."
"So in other words, we won't know what's there until we get there," Y'shtola said, receiving an affirmative nod in return.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to come along, then?" S'eni frowned. "If there's no aether, then you won't be able to see..."
"I'll have you as my guiding light, won't I?" the other Miqo'te offered her a reassuring smile. "I shall manage well enough."
"We'll stay here and keep the Ragnarok ready to take off at a moment's notice. Other than that, we'll try to support you as best as we can from here, but I'm afraid you will be largely on your own." A tiny smile formed on Livingway's face. "But Hydaelyn believes in you, as do we Loporrits. Just don't do anything reckless, you hear? Best you always keep a paw on those portable teleporters. Just press the button when it gets too dangerous."
"Understood. We shall proceed with the utmost caution," Alphinaud said.
"If your little chit-chat is over, I'd suggest you brace yourselves. We're about to arrive and the ship will shake a good bit," Mappingway called over his shoulder. All of a sudden, his holographic screen turned red. "What in the...something is interfering with the equipment...?"
One by one, the other screens began to flash red as well, and a warning sound blared through the loudspeakers. Holographic error messages appeared all around them and, shortly thereafter, the lights went out, leaving only the screens and the faint glow of the consoles to keep the darkness at bay. Everything became silent...
...
...
"...Greetings."
S'eni immediately whirled around to look behind them. Standing there by the door was the unmistakable form of the one they sought. Meteion, looking just like the last time she had seen her in Ktisis Hyperboreia.
"Greetings..." Meteion's voice came suddenly from her left and she turned towards her. "Can you hear me...?"
"Meteion..." she said.
"So that is her," Alphinaud said.
"And who are you?" the girl tilted her head, a note of curiosity in her otherwise monotone voice. "Have we met before?"
S'eni took a step forward. "Since you don't recognize me, that must mean you're one of her sisters, aren't you?"
"All I know is that you are from Etheirys." She seemed confused at that. "But why? All you would have had to do is wait and I would have delivered your end."
"Because nobody asked for that end!" Alisaie spat back. Meteion just blinked.
"...I do not understand. All life will wither away one day. That is the way of the world...Is a quick end not preferable to a life of suffering?" Meteion asked. "All your efforts are in vain: the happiness you seek, all the roads you have travelled in its pursuit, nothing of it will remain if a star reached its end. Life is meaningless. Even if you pretend this cruel accident is something wonderful."
Neither of them deigned that with an answer.
"Do not resist. You must have long since realized it. A simple look upon the star-filled sky is enough. The true nature of the universe is nothing more than a cold, unending darkness. A silent void. The stars that still shine are but putrid wounds blotting its vast emptiness. Life is unnatural. So let yourself succumb. Become that which you were meant to be."
"We have not come here to argue with you," Y'shtola said. "No one understands better that life is fleeting, and that happiness is anything but assured."
"Indeed. I've seen plenty of sorrow in the eyes of those I met during my travels," Thancred said, averting his gaze. "I myself carry plenty of regrets. And if I were to die right now, all my deeds and memories would simply rot away with my corpse."
"But we have come here to grow beyond this suffering," Alphinaud said. "We know that our existence may seem pointless. That it is filled with countless painful challenges. Yet if we press on, and do not give up, we can still find joy and happiness. That is why Hydaelyn guided us here. She loved life, and thus tasked us with this final mission: to face you!"
Meteion stared at them, her face remaining impassive this entire time. Slowly, she closed her eyes and lowered her head. "Yes, I can feel it. This burning conviction. This furious determination...I know those feelings well. I encountered them on many stars during my journey..."
Her head snapped back up with a sickening crunch.
"...yet in the end they were all extinguished."
All of a sudden, the screens and consoles began to shut down, wrapping the entire room in darkness. Looking around, S'eni exhaled sharply...only for her eyes to widen when no air returned to her lungs. With a gasp, she reached towards her throat, eyes briefly darting over to the others to see them also struggle for breath.
"You are approaching our nest. A world where emotions dictate reality." Meteion opened her arms in a welcoming gesture, her eyes glowing brightly amidst the darkness. One by one, they began to collapse to the ground, and something almost akin to glee entered the girl's voice. "A world where life has no meaning; where those who still cling to it cannot thrive."
With what little strength she still had left, S'eni raised her head off the ground. Even as her vision began to fail, she could still make out Thancred's form moving towards Meteion, his hand reaching for his Gunblade. He briefly glanced over his shoulder...and rushed at their enemy.
And then...darkness...
When S'eni regained consciousness, the first thing she noticed was her pounding headache. The second, that she was still very much alive. With a pained groan, she pushed herself off the ground and looked over to her friends, who were beginning to come to as well.
"By the Fury...what was that?" Estinien asked after having gotten back on his feet.
"I don't know..." she replied and helped Alphinaud back up.
"...Thancred?" Urianger wondered aloud as he cast his gaze around the bridge, and indeed he was the only one missing.
"Meteion is gone as well," Y'shtola noted. "Perhaps he awakened first and gave chase?"
"Maybe. Before I lost consciousness, I saw him attacking her," S'eni said.
"Well would you look at that..." Mappingway suddenly said and they all looked over to him. His eyes were glued to the restarted console. "We're at Ultima Thule!"
"Not only that," Growingway said, climbing back into his seat to read the holographic data. "But we clearly landed somewhere instead of nowhere. Atmospheric composition, ambient temperature, even lighting conditions. This is a place capable of supporting life."
What in the—But didn't Meteion say we couldn't exist here? She wondered. So how can this be?
"If that's the case, then Thancred may already have gone out to scout ahead. I suggest we do the same," Livingway said.
"Alright." She nodded.
After ordering her fellow Loporrits to do a full scan of the ship in case Thancred was still on board, Livingway led the way towards the Ragnarok's entry ramp. It opened with a loud his, and air began to waft into the ship. Though torpid and quite stale, it was still better than suffocating and she could feel her raging headache begin to subside as she breathed. What remained of it, though, was swiftly forgotten by the sight that met them outside.
"By the gods..."
And so our valiant hero finally arrived at the end of her long road. With her companions by her side, she sets out towards the end.
As I watched your path, I was keenly made aware of a singular truth. Though the curtains would fall again and again, so long as there were others to take the stage, there would always be tales to tell.
Very well then, so let it begin. The final chapter in the tale of the star.