Unspoken Requiem
The water rippled calmly as a soft breeze passed over the desert, sending little patterns dancing across its surface until eventually dissipated. In the past, she had found the sight calming. Just sitting at a lake or stream on a warm day and letting her feet soak, while listening to the gentle sounds of nature. But the only sound to be found here was the whispering of the wind, serving only as a stark reminder of the sacrifice involved to create it.
Her eyes went briefly towards the huge pillar of light in the distance. Like a beacon, it was lighting the way through the darkness of this place, guiding them towards where they needed to go next. She tore her gaze away from it and grabbed a fist full of sand that she tossed into the water, where it unceremoniously sank to the bottom.
With a sigh, she hugged her legs and rested her forehead against her knees. Her ears suddenly perked up when she picked up crunching footsteps coming towards her, and she didn't even need to look to know it was G'raha. So she remained like she was instead, listening to him coming to a stop and sitting down next to her, before finally speaking up. "Were you sent to fetch me?"
"I volunteered," he replied, doing his best to sound normal given the circumstances. She appreciated the effort.
"Hm. I see," she said and slowly raised her head to look at him. "I'm sorry for the holdup, I just..."
"...I understand."
S'eni exhaled deeply, her eyes going back to the water. "I should've noticed. From the way she was acting. Maybe then I could've—" She shook her head. "No. Once she made up her mind there was nothing that could stop her. That's just how she was...infuriatingly stubborn..."
She let herself fall back into the sand to stare up at the sky. Well, not so much sky as rather the great expanse itself, draped in a magenta nebula that partly obscured the stars glowing in the distance. The very sight that had once thrown the Ea into despair because of the truth they had discovered; the truth that Y'shtola and Urianger had given everything to oppose. So that they could continue onward.
As she closed her eyes, her mind went back to the promise that they had given each other. No matter what happened, they must not give up. And though just thinking about it was tearing her heart apart and made her want to curl up, S'eni forced herself to get up.
"Let's go," she said.
G'raha blinked, an uncertain look in his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"It's just like Shtola said..." Her eyes found the pillar of light. Her nostrils flared. "...no time for mourning."
She began to walk. G'raha watched her for a few seconds, his crimson gaze dropping to the ground with a deep frown, before rising to his feet and following her. They passed through the Ea's domicile, the resident occasionally sending them a few curious looks, but otherwise paying them no mind. The novelty of their appearance must have worn off after Y'shtola and Urianger had decided to challenge their despair.
The twins awaited them at Elegeia, standing in solemn silence. After a brief exchange of words, they continued onwards to where the light was leading them. Eventually, they arrived at what seemed to be the southernmost edge of the island, and found the source from which the light shone: a device of sorts, standing in the center of an arcane pattern in the ground.
"I can sense the aether emanating from it," Alphinaud exclaimed and stepped up to it. Hand going towards what appeared to be the controls, his fingers pressed against one of the 'buttons' and the pillar of light disappeared, shortly followed by a sound coming from the device and a circle lighting up on the small platform next to it. He turned around. "It appears to be a portal."
"I wonder where this might lead..." Alisaie furrowed her brow.
"Only one way to find out. I'll go on ahead," S'eni said and stepped into the circle. A few seconds passed, followed by another sound, and from one moment to the next, the scene in front of her eyes shifted from the desert wasteland to one of steel. Eyebrows rising, she stepped forward and the ground underneath her feet clanked while she looked about. This island appeared to be little more than one giant floating platform.
And a highly advanced one at that... S'eni thought and made to kneel down to touch the webbed pattern engraved in the ground, but stopped suddenly when a sound reached her ear. She quickly spun to the side, dodging the large metal sphere hurling towards her. Screeching to a halt mid-air, it whirled around to glare at her with a single, angry glowing eye.
"Eliminate. Eliminate." It said in a mechanical voice and went on the offensive again.
"Great..." she muttered and began to dodge its attacks. Thankfully, this particular machine wasn't overly threatening and she quickly dispatched it with a blow to its optical unit. It clattered to the ground, beeping a few more times, before shutting off with a puff of smoke from inside it.
A whirring sound came then from behind her followed by another mechanical voice saying. "Intruder alert!"
She groaned and turned around, fist already rising, only for her eyes to widen at what she saw. A large monitor nestled atop a mechanical, snake-like body. She knew that sight. Shaking her head, she narrowed her eyes and rushed towards it.
After she dispatched that one too, she looked around to see if there might be any more surprises. When she found none, she relaxed once again and knelt down next to her downed foe. Yes, there was absolutely no mistaking it...
The sound of her friend's arrival made her stand back up and turn towards them. Alphinaud looked around with a look of amazement. "Fascinating. Another entirely new civilization..."
"That doesn't like intruders," she added and nodded towards the remnants of the machines. "Attacked me as soon as I arrived."
"Not exactly the most welcoming of people it seems..." Alisaie frowned.
G'raha rubbed his chin in thought. "We must find someone who is amendable to conversation."
"And get the lay of the land," Alphinaud said. "I wonder how large this island is...and if we can leave it."
"Then Alphinaud and I will survey the area, while Raha and you go about looking for someone who is friendlier to strangers," Alisaie said to S'eni.
She nodded. "Alright."
"Be careful though," G'raha said. "The ground looks anything but stable to me, nevermind all the holes."
He was right. Some parts of the platform were sticking out or had even crumbled off and were simply floating around the area. Whoever was in charge of the repairs was clearly neglecting them.
"You too. After all, we don't really know what the rest of the locals will be like," the young woman said and left with her brother.
"That's not entirely true," S'eni then said.
"What do you mean?" G'raha asked.
"I've seen something similar to this—" She pointed at the display on the ground. "—back on Etheirys. It was shortly after the liberation of Ala Mhigo, when finding the Omega Weapon was our top priority."
"Yes, I read about those events, and its abilities were quite a considerable amount of inspiration to sending the Crystal Tower to the First..." His eyes widened suddenly. "Wait, do you mean—?!"
"The civilization here might be the one that built Omega." S'eni nodded. To think that not only the dragons, but the people who defeated them would be among the civilizations here. Ironic...
"We should be extra careful then," G'raha said and looked out into the distance. "I see more machines up ahead. Sentries, most likely. And no doubt as aggressive as the ones here. Let's try to avoid them and see if we can find some that might be more approachable."
She hummed in agreement, and they were off. Trying to steer clear of the patrols proved to be far more tricky than expected though, and they had to fend off sentries on multiple occasions. Among them were some with a more bipedal appearance that was more in line with theirs, if only on a very superficial level, but none of them showed any signs of being willing to talk either. This continued for a while until they reached what seemed to be an outpost of sorts, manned by these very same types of machines, going about some tasks but showing otherwise no hostility towards them.
"Perhaps we can talk with some of these," G'raha said and walked over to a nearby unit that was examining some other units lying on the ground. "Begging your pardon, but we would like to speak with the denizens of this star."
Turning around, the machine looked at each of them with its single 'eye' and emitted a short rattling sound. "Unknown life forms detected. Assigning generic label: interplanetary travelers. Welcome to the planet blip bloooooop."
G'raha and her exchanged a look, and he asked, "Come again?"
"Conclusion: hearing organ is unable to process the correct name of the planet. Translating it into sound your sensory matrix can decypher it would be pronounced...Alphatron," the machine said. "We are the Omicrons. This is one of our outposts."
Omicrons... she repeated in her mind. So that was the name of Omega's kind.
"And what is it that you Omicrons are doing here?"
"We are preparing for war." S'eni's eyes immediately narrowed and G'raha took a step back in preparation to defend himself, but the Omicron didn't move. "Do not be alarmed. We do not have a designated target at present. Should your star become designated, however, you will be taken into custody and or terminated."
With a click, the machine turned back to continue with what it was doing.
"Strange beings, these Omicrons, but I suppose they are honest," G'raha said. "I'll see if I can learn anything more from this fellow. Could you try speaking to the others?"
She silently nodded and walked away. Looking around for an Omicron she could ask, she settled on one that was looking out into the distance. As she approached it, she raised a hand in greeting and said, "I'd like to ask you some questions if that's alright?"
Like the one before, there was a short rattling before it turned around to look at her.
"Greetings, interplanetary traveler. When venturing outside the outpost, beware of malfunctioning units," it said. "They ignore Sir's commands and attack all non-registered life forms."
Huh, well that explains some things... but there was something else this one had just said that caught her attention. "Sir? Do you have a commanding officer?"
"Sir is the alias of Stigma-1, the foremost of the six strategic matrices that issue instructions to our forces," it explained.
"I see..." The name Sir would fall a couple of times as she further asked around the outpost, with most of the gathered Omicron awaiting commands from it. Otherwise, she learned that their kind sought to advance themselves through conquest, something which seemed to be pretty in line with all they had learned from Omega Weapon. Once she was sure that she wouldn't learn anything more, she returned to G'raha.
"Have you found out anything?"
"Yeah, a few things," she replied.
"Me too." He then looked around. "But perhaps it would be best to step outside."
They left the outpost and walked for a little bit when they heard Alisaie's voice calling out to them, "There you are!"
"How did the exploration go?" S'eni asked as she looked towards the approaching twins, but Alphinaud's expression already told her enough. He shook his head.
"There is no way forward."
"There were portals like the one we used to get here, but those that worked only sent us to isolated isles," Alisaie explained.
"Then it is like before and we need to find the embodiment of the emotion barring our way," G'raha said.
Alisaie looked between the two of them. "And did you manage to find someone to speak to?"
"We did," S'eni replied and began to explain their discoveries. When she was done, both of their faces held thoughtful frowns.
"So the Omicrons advance through conquest..." Alphinaud said. "And following the victory over the dragons, they now await new commands."
"Urianger said we must find the one whose yearning for death surpasses all others. But who could that be on a world such as this?" G'raha wondered.
"Hm?" Alisaie sent him a questioning look. "When did he tell you that?"
"Just before we joined you at Elegeia."
"His theory was that, to move forward, we have to challenge the embodiment of that wish," she explained to Alisaie, who sighed and rubbed a hand across her face.
"So that is how it works. But why couldn't he say so to all of us...?"
S'eni averted her eyes, unable to answer.
"The state of this civilization is curious, indeed," Alphinaud said. "The dragons and Ea were longing for death, but the Omicrons await battle. Of course, that can lead to death, but is not a distinct desire for it."
"I fear we might not find out anything more until we have spoken to this 'Sir'," G'raha said. "M-032, the first Omicron we spoke to, told me about a console with which we might communicate with it. M-032 also said it would be pointless...but I believe we still should give it a try. What do you think?"
She exhaled through her nose, and nodded. "It's the best lead we have."
"The console is situated on the other end of the isle."
Following his guidance, it didn't take too long to arrive at the said console. It was connected to some sort of tower-like device, which appeared to be turned off at the moment, and behind it, she noticed a large sphere suspended in mid-air by a web of cables and wires.
They tried to activate it, but there was no response. Attempting to harmonize with it, and even a few carefully aimed punches, yielded the same result. It just wouldn't turn on. After spending a few more minutes trying to find a hidden mechanism, Alisaie released a long sigh.
"I give up. Nothing seems to work."
"And we are at an impasse if we cannot find a way to activate it," Alphinaud said.
"Hm...there might yet be one thing we could try. We know they are mechanical in nature, and from what S'eni told us, as well as the information provided by the Omicrons themselves, there is no doubt about it that these are indeed Omega's people." G'raha looked at her. "Do you still remember Omega's weakness?"
"...Lighting," she said after a second of remembering.
"And what does lightning have to do with—" realization dawned on Alisaie's face. "Wait, are you really going to try and fry the console with lightning?"
"Hah! Indeed I am. I reckon that Omega's weakness was no coincidence, but rather design related."
"Hmm, so you believe the weakness to lightning might be because of an oversensitivity stemming from their construction?" Alphinaud asked.
"I do. S'eni, what do you think?"
"It's worth a try. Just don't shock yourself like you did in Azys Lla," she said, earning a grin and chuckle from her friend.
"Step back everyone," G'raha said and grabbed his staff. Channeling arcane energy, he sent a ball of lightning towards the console, which exploded into a cloud of electrical sparks that were immediately absorbed by the conductive metal.
With a beep, the console activated and the device behind it lit up...but nothing else happened.
"...Did it work?" Alisaie asked.
As if to answer her, the large sphere began to hum and open up, revealing to them a large, mechanical eye. Seconds ticked by until a metallic voice spoke. "Establishing connection to communication console 1. This is strategic matrix 1. Issuing authorization to call me 'Sir'..."
A brief pause.
"Amount of received audio-visual data: zero. Returning all systems to sleep mode...Terminating connection..."
"No, wait, Sir! We have questions for you!" G'raha called out. "Why have there been no further combat orders? Is there a problem?"
"Retrieving status report from autonomous consciousness system..." Sir said. "The unit responsible for strategic long-term planning has yet to formulate another strategy. All strategic decisions are reliant on this unit. Without decisions, no planning. Without planning, no execution. All autonomous units are to remain on standby and await further instructions."
"What is keeping it from coming to a conclusion?" Alphinaud asked.
"Answer not possible. Necessary authorization for clearance of this information is missing or does not exist."
"Then perhaps you could...connect us with this unit?"
"...Connection not possible. No access to necessary subsystems."
"Are there other problems, perhaps?" Alisaie then asked. "Like your star being in danger, or your people being discontent?"
"Both inquiries do not match my assessment categories. All subsystems and units operate within nominal parameters. Malfunctions must be reported to a maintenance unit. Otherwise a return to sleep mode for energy conservation is recommended. No further answers in communication memory. Turning communication module off...terminating connection..."
With that, the eye began to close again, signaling Sir's return to sleep mode. S'eni crossed her arms and looked at the others. "What now?"
"Good question. I doubt we'll learn any more from this one," G'raha said with a nod to Sir.
"Let's go over what this machine just said. To me it didn't sound like they were yearning for the end," Alisaie said. "It said all units were on standby to await further instructions."
"Which means that any Omicron acting contrary to those orders would be highly suspicious. Something we should keep in mind. For now, I suggest we continue to explore. Perhaps we might find out more about this unit Sir spoke of," Alphinaud said and, after a round of agreements, they began to leave.
Shortly afterwards, the four of them decided to split up to search for any unit that might act against their directive. While the twins would go and talk with the Omicrons in the outpost, G'raha and S'eni were on lookout duty from a vantage point that had a good view over most of it. But so far, there was little out of the ordinary save for the unexpected appearance of an Ambystoma that made her do a double take. She had previously seen one of them within Labyrinthos as well, serving as lively proof that their concept had lived on. Perhaps this one had snuck onto the Ragnarok while no one was watching...
After dispelling the thoughts about the implications from her mind, she continued her search. For a while, it looked like they were wasting their time there. Until—
"There!"
—she found one just aimlessly floating about.
G'raha's gaze moved to where she was pointing and he nodded. "Yes, I see him too."
They watched it wander around for a few more rounds, until it decided to leave the base. Exchanging a silent look, they began to follow it heading northeast. Given that it was able to float, and the terrain was less than amendable towards them, they swiftly lost sight of it and, upon their arrival, found little else but one of the portals that the twins had told them about.
"It definitely came this way. Perhaps it used the portal," G'raha said.
"Let's go check." She stepped into the portal and instantly found herself standing on another floating island. Quite a sizable one too. Upon his arrival, she turned towards her friend. "Let's split up. I'll look up ahead, you go look over there."
"Very well. I'll join you if I don't find anything."
Heading down the island, S'eni cast her gaze out into the distance, ever keeping a look out for that lone Omicron. After a few minutes, she spied something far more curious though, something she wouldn't have expected to find in a place such as this.
A tree.
Not one she had ever seen before, its branches growing in strange shapes and bearing crystals, but there was no mistaking it for anything but a tree. And, standing in front of that very same tree, she found their target. The Omicron was staring up at it, appearing almost like a man lost in thought.
"Greetings," she said as she approached it, causing it to look away from the tree and towards her.
"What is your query?"
"Ah, you found it!" she heard G'raha call out from behind and he jogged over. He briefly looked at the Omicron, then asked, "What are you doing here?"
"...I am looking at the tree," it replied and turned back towards it.
"A remarkable specimen," the other Miqo'te said. "But what is the purpose of the device it is connected to?"
"The tree is a sample collected from another star. As it cannot survive in our environment, however, it requires life support. That is the function of the device."
"Why do you go to such lengths to keep it alive? Is there something special about this tree?"
"Protocol demands that we study foreign matter. When that task is complete it will be discarded," it explained. "However, when I behold the tree, I am made to feel as though...there is a problem. We enhance ourselves in order to become stronger. And just like we did with countless others, we conquered the star from which this tree comes. It is the last remnant of a dead world, and there is nothing towards which it may aspire. Yet it grows. Extends its branches. Sprouts leaves. Produces seeds. Why does it seek to continue? Why was it made to behave in such a way, and to what end? I do not understand."
S'eni shot G'raha a look. Yes, this one was definitely not like the other Omicrons.
"I see. Say, is this part of your duties?"
"...No, it does not. My apologies, I shall return to my designated post and assume a state of combat readiness."
With that, the unit left.
"Hmm, so it really was acting outside of orders," G'raha said, watching the Omicron head back in the direction of the portal. "Perhaps it's one of the malfunctioning units. There seems to be quite a lot of those. But it may also possess the ability to make decisions. Just like Sir...we should investigate this further."
With a small sigh, G'raha then looked up at the tree. "The will to live on despite circumstances...yes, that does sound familiar..."
"Do you mean the First...?" she asked.
"That too, but also..." he stopped, smiling warmly, before turning his crimson eyes towards her. "Say, S'eni. One day, when this adventure becomes part of your epic, do you think I will be mentioned in it?"
She felt her face darken at his words, and her gaze went to the ground as her hands unconsciously balled into fists. "I never wanted an epic about me," she replied and began walking away.
What was the point of it, if the only mention of those she cared about would be their noble sacrifices?
Behind her, G'raha's eyes widened in surprise, before turning sad. He sent the tree one last look, murmuring something under his breath, and followed after her. They left the area and headed back to the outpost, where they filled in the twins about their discovery.
"An Omicron trying to make sense of the meaning of life..." Alisaie said when they were done explaining. "Yes, I can confidently say that none of the other Omicrons were acting like that."
"Perhaps this one is in a position of leadership. Hmm..." Alphinaud put a hand on his hip.
"What are you thinking?" S'eni asked.
"We know the Omicrons invade other stars and enhance themselves using the spoils of conquest. With technology like that, they should be able to alter their bodies. Could it then not be possible for Sir to acquire a regular Omicron body?"
"Possibly. But how would we ascertain if that is the case?" G'raha asked. "And would Sir have answered so truthfully then?"
"I might have an idea," Alisaie said after a short moment of thinking, punching her palm. "We use lighting on the console again, but we make it stronger. Much stronger. If the unit truly is connected to Sir, then it ought to have a reaction to that."
"Sounds a little out there...but it is worth a try." G'raha smiled.
"Then it's settled!" the young woman pointed at herself with an eager grin. "And I'll do the honors this time!"
Alphinaud nodded. "I shall stand guard in case sentries are drawn to the scene."
"Then I will approach it and divert its attention, while S'eni keeps an eye on it for any strange behavior," the other Miqo'te said and she nodded in agreement.
"Shortly before you arrived, an Omicron appeared from the same direction. But instead of entering the outpost, it headed off towards the console," Alphinaud told them. "At first I assumed it was a unit on patrol, but it has to be the unit you spoke to."
"Then we must follow it!"
"All right, to the console. I'll call down a veritable storm upon it!" Alisaie said, and the two of them rushed off, leaving G'raha and S'eni standing there. Her friend offered her an encouraging smile.
"This will work. After all, our comrades are watching over us," he assured her. "Now come, my friend. Let us find this doubt-plagued Omicron!"
They found the unit not far from the console, looking out into the distance. From out of the corner of her eye, S'eni spied Alisaie making her way over to the device, her rapier in hand, and she gave G'raha a signal. He cleared his throat.
"Excuse me? You are the Omicron we spoke to near the tree, correct?" he asked. "We would like to ask you a few questions about the device you use to sustain it."
"That does not necessitate the disclosure of restricted information, very well..." As the Omicron began to explain the workings of the machine in question, S'eni glanced back over to Alisaie, who was beginning to cast her spell. True to her word, the lighting shooting forth from the magic focus on her weapon was far more potent than the one G'raha had summoned forth, and she actually had to avert her eyes from the bright flash. Just in time, in fact, for her to see the unit in front of them suddenly seize up.
"Hey, everything alright there?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I think you just malfunctioned there for a second."
The Omicron actually appeared to be surprised by that. "A...malfunction, you say..." a beep and a click followed. "Performing diagnostics...connection to central command temporarily lost. Evaluation: maintenance is required..."
Before it could get away though, G'raha stepped in front of it. "No, you do not require maintenance. While we were talking, our friend overloaded the console used to communicate with Sir. And at the exact same moment, you suffer this anomaly. You are connected to Sir, are you not?"
G'raha and the Omicron stared at one another for a few long seconds, until it finally nodded. "...Affirmative. Let us talk somewhere else, away from the other units. They do not need to know my true identity."
"Very well, let us go to the console then. Only our friends are there," G'raha said.
Upon their arrival, they were greeted by Alisaie's smirk. "A little jolt works wonders, doesn't it?" she asked with a look at the Omicron.
"Yeah..." S'eni smiled slightly, watching as the machine floated up to the console, before turning around to speak.
"Re-Initializing introduction mode: my unit designation is M-017. As you have discovered, I am part of the central consciousness Stigma-1, which we call Sir. I am responsible for the evaluation and prediction of future events. In other words, I calculate optimal long-term strategies for my species," it explained. "The form you are seeing is not my original one. Its previous owner discarded it in favor of another unit. This offered me a possibility to disconnect myself from the central consciousness."
"But for what purpose?" G'raha asked. "Was it because of what you told us at the tree?"
"Long ago, our kind had an entirely different physical form. We were weak, and shared our star with another species that subjugated us. As a result of this, our ancestors decided to cast away their weak physical units in favor of new, stronger ones. The last step of which included the digitalization of their cerebral cortices, making them no longer reliant on their bodies. All who transitioned into these new, cybernetic forms were called Omicrons," M-017 explained. "With the help of this newfound strength, it was a simple task to conquer the star. But not all elements of uncertainty could be removed. We discovered another species on a distant star, and realized we were not the only civilization in the universe. Weak species are dominated by the strong. Logic dictated that we would need to become stronger if we wished to survive in the vastness of the cosmos, so we focused all our resources and research on doing so. A successful strategy. We were even able to neutralize the star of the mighty dragons."
It fell silent for a moment.
"...Then an error emerged within my unit. I could no longer fulfill my duty."
"A malfunction?" Alisaie asked.
It shook its head. "Negative. Multiple system diagnostics did not encounter any defects. The source of this error remains unknown. But within my many calculations arose a problem, one for which I could not find any mathematical solution: if we accomplish our goal to become the strongest beings in the universe, what strategic goals would remain?"
Taken aback at this question, they could only stare at M-017.
"Our pursuit of strength was optimal. It ensured our survival. We rose above all other species, never questioning this strategy. But what happens once we reach our goal? If our species has no more purpose, then was it truly the right strategy?" it wondered. "Are we then nothing more than a plague that destroyed one star after another because of a flawed strategic evaluation?"
"Is that the equation for which you could find no solution?" Alphinaud asked, mouth agape. "The reason you cannot fulfill your duty?"
"The Omicrons shall no longer leave this star. We will await an order to attack that will never be sent. When our energy is spent, we will fully deactivate; cease to exist. The only strategy that is left for us...is no strategy."
And so the Omicrons had found their end. Through a flicker of doubt. S'eni wondered what Omega would have had to say about that, having likewise been driven by internal logic that ultimately proved flawed.
"It is not for me to judge if your species was right or wrong," G'raha then said. "But it lies within your own hands to redefine your goals and give the Omicrons new meaning."
M-017 lowered its head. "Negative. That is not possible. It is likely that we originally held goals other than advancing ourselves. The reason for their deletion from our equations must have been the continuous change of our nature," it said. "Our original physical forms are gone, replaced with cybernetic components. Not even a cerebral cortex remains. I possess nothing of my original form. I have lost the ability to formulate hopes and dreams. I am nothing more than a machine that receives calculated orders and executes them."
G'raha gasped, and realization dawned on his face as he looked to the ground.
"I believe I know how to break through the Omicrons' despair. But before I do..." He exhaled deeply, pumping his fists to psych himself up, before turning towards S'eni. He smiled at her, and from the way he did, she knew what he was about to do. "Promise me something. Promise me that this is not the end; that this won't be our last journey together."
"Raha..." she shook her head. "I —I just—"
"I know it is selfish of me. But still, please do me this one favor, Eni."
Her face immediately fell. Of all the times to start calling her like that...the godsdamned bastard!
"I..." she released a shuddering sigh. "...I promise, Raha."
"Good. A promise is a promise, so listen up: first, I'd like to visit Ishgard again. Last time, I barely had time to look around. You have to show me all the places you like. And then there are all the adventures you still have to tell me about. From moments of joy, to the heat of battle. I don't want to read about them in dusty tomes but hear them firsthand. Ah, and of course, there is one other matter. I would like to go on another adventure with you. One where we travel across the land and cross the sea, taking to the skies on the eternal wind towards new horizons!" he held out his fist towards her. "Promise me that!"
Her eyes, already burning because of his words, traveled from his eyes, to his fist, and back again. Slowly, she raised her own fist, and bumped it against his. He grinned eagerly, then turned towards M-017.
"Allow me to pose you a question. How do you know you are still the same person you were yesterday? Or even a moment ago?" he asked. "Because you remember? Memories can be forgotten, or even faked. In either case they can deceive you. Perhaps it is because you still inhabit the same body, but if you really think about it, our bodies begin to change from the very moment of our birth. It is impossible that the exact same body from yesterday would greet us in the mirror today."
"And what of the soul? The souls on our star were sundered, yet none evolved the same." He patted his chest. "I myself am but an accumulation of souls. One big melange of experiences. And more than once I have asked myself: who am I actually?"
"...And did you find the answer to your query?" the Omicron asked.
"No. I did not. But I have come to understand one thing: everyone asks themselves that question, and there is indeed no one who can answer it." G'raha began walking forward, one resolute step after the other. "That is why yesterday's hopes and dreams should not be in conflict with what our heart desires today. I admit, it was not always easy, but for me only the here and now is important. That I can journey side by side with my friends fills me with such joy that I would willingly give my life. That is what my heart desires. To always walk into the future. I made a promise, after all."
"No, I cannot..." M-017 shook its head. "I have no dreams. I do not know hope. Hopes and dreams are no valid strategy!"
"Yes, I once thought so, too," he said with a little, warm smile. "But with just a little bit of time and courage, everyone can learn to look deep within themselves and give word to their hopes and dreams. Let me tell you of my darkest hour. Of the absurd hope of a tomorrow for a world standing at the edge of the abyss. A hope that was fulfilled between dusk and dawn. The story of a dream!"
He offered the Omicron his hand. M-017 began to immediately back away, almost like a scared animal, and dark mist began to emit from its body. From one moment to the next, it turned into a black bird and exploded into the all too familiar storm, trapping G'raha within.
"Raha!" Alisaie cried out, and he simply smiled at them through the darkness, before being swallowed by it like the others.
Gritting her teeth, S'eni slammed her eyes shut to quell their burning. Another friend, gone...when was this going to stop? Would it ever stop?
When she finally dared to open them again, she saw Stigma-1's round form encased in a bright glowing crystal that was forming a pathway for them to continue on. She chuckled bitterly. Of course...
And as S'eni looked up at the path ahead, she could feel it. The burden of another promise on her shoulders.
...It felt heavy.
...for a river of tears.