Prelude in Violet
With nothing stopping the construction of a barrier in the Far East, it was time to focus on the next problem: the Ascian inside Zenos' body. For that, we called in a meeting of all members of the Alliance, Doma and the Scions to hatch a plan.
I have to admit, it was a great feeling. To sit at this table as representative of a free Ala Mhigo.
None of us could foresee what would happen that day...
...or how dire the consequences for my friends would be.
The last time she had been in Ala Mhigo, the city was still reeling from the battle and only a few citizens had been out at once, as if they were afraid that the freedom they had acquired was fleeting at best. That failed meeting with the representatives of Ala Mhigo's people, and the subsequent summoning of Lakshmi, had done little to quench that fear.
But now, the streets were buzzing and people went about their business with an almost carefree attitude, tall and proud as they ought to be.
S'eni just hoped that it would also spell good tidings for today's meeting.
"Something on your mind?" Y'shtola asked from next to her.
"Just thinking how there better be no primal summoning today," she muttered in reply.
"I believe we can rest assured that it won't come to that."
"Maybe. But can you truly discount the possibility?"
"...No, I suppose not," the other Miqo'te admitted. "Especially since strange events have a penchant for following you."
"Now you're making it sound like it's my fault." S'eni stopped for a moment to look at Y'shtola, who just shrugged, the corner of her lips quirking upward.
"You do seem to be at the center of them."
She blinked once, twice.
"Gods, you're right!" she said, hand going up to her temple as she felt the onset of a headache at that realization. "Maybe I should just stay away."
"Too late," Alisaie then chimed in when she and Thancred passed by them. "You're already expected."
"Besides," Thancred added after S'eni and Y'shtola fell into step with them again. "They doubled the security and Arenvald has volunteered to assist as well. Though he seems rather distracted since news of Alphinaud came."
S'eni sighed. Alphinaud was still missing, but at this point, there was nothing else they could do but hope for news of his safety. Alisaie was especially worried, she could tell, despite the brave front she was putting up.
"In any case," Y'shtola said, pulling her out of her thoughts as their group closed in on the set of stairs leading into the city proper. She pointed towards the single Resistance soldier standing guard. "Our escort awaits."
Look alive, she told herself and began walking towards him.
Pleasant chatter echoed through the chamber as everyone sat down at the large table in its center. The twin griffin statues at the far end served as silent watchmen while the soldiers of the Resistance moved around, pouring cups of tea for those that had gathered here today.
S'eni uttered a quiet 'thank you' as she was given hers, taking hold of the demitasse and looking at the elegant pattern carved into the finely crafted metal frame. For a moment, she found herself wondering if the mad king himself once shared tea with his kin from this very set before ordering them all executed or condemned to a fate even worse than death, but she pushed that thought aside and raised the cup to her lips instead.
After taking her first sip of the fruity tea, she looked around. If she didn't know better, this would seem more like a meeting of friends rather than a gathering of the most important people of Eorzea and beyond.
Once they were done, the soldiers placed the tea cans on the table in case anyone wished for a refill later and began to leave the chamber.
As soon as the double doors had closed, Sultana Nanamo turned her attention towards Rauhban and Lyse sitting at the head of the table, a smile forming on her petite lips. "Mistress Hext, Commander Aldynn," she addressed each of them. "It gives me great pleasure to formally welcome the city-state of Ala Mhigo to the Eorzean Alliance."
"The pleasure is ours, Your Grace," the former Flame General replied. "I know I speak for all Ala Mhigans when I say that we are glad of this chance to stand with our comrades of the Alliance."
"And we, for our part, are glad to welcome friends old..." Kan-E-Senna said, turning her head towards Hien sitting to S'eni's left, inclining her head with a polite smile. "...and new."
Now finding himself the center of attention, Hien bowed his head. "Lord Hien, at your service. Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your generous invitation."
"Please, it is us who have to thank you for journeying so far," Aymeric said. "And I would also like to thank the Scions of the Seventh Dawn for their part in bringing us all here together. In times of great unrest, you all have been our steadfast companions."
Sultana Nanamo looked around before speaking up once again. "It only now occurs to me that the last time we have all gathered like this was that fateful night in Ul'dah."
"As I lay in my cell, I never dreamed that I would one day represent my homeland like this," Raubahn said, bringing his attention over to S'eni. "I wouldn't even be alive if you hadn't freed me. You, Yugiri and Alphinaud. If only he could be here with us right now..."
S'eni lowered her gaze to the table, a frown on her face.
"My brother has saved my life so many times. I too owe it to him that I'm sitting here today," Alisaie said. "And until the day he returns, I shall do my best to carry on his work."
"Come then, friends—" The Sultana nodded. "Let us leave the past in the past and turn our eyes to the future. Lord Hien, please tell us how things stand in the East."
Hien then proceeded to tell them about the recent happenings in Doma and the plot to remove any political opposition against the war from within Garlemald. After that, the talk soon turned to the other matter at hand, that being the Ascian inhabiting Zenos' body. What followed was a back and forth of ideas of how to deal with the situation, until Thancred had offered up an idea: dispatch Doman Shinobi into the Imperial provinces and sow the rumor that the crown prince died in the battle of Ala Mhigo and that his corpse was now nothing more than a puppet of a servant of darkness.
"A rumor like this could shake the Empire to the core," Raubahn mused out loud.
"But would they actually believe such an unlikely story?" Lyse asked. "I didn't."
"Ordinarily not, but stories that Zenos did die have already circulated around the Empire," Thancred replied. "But what they believe or don't, isn't of concern. What we want is to create an opening for rival factions in Garlemald to exploit."
"Just like the war of succession that erupted in the wake of Emperor Solus' death!" Hien exclaimed.
Thancred nodded. "The imperial house was plunged into complete disarray until Varis managed to wrestle the crown from his uncle and assume leadership. To avoid another feud, the first thing Varis did was to name Zenos heir apparent. An act that not everyone welcomed. There's no shortage of individuals who aspire to the throne, and news that Zenos is not only dead, but also a puppet to diabolical forces would be too enticing to ignore."
"A second war of succession would weaken the Empire for a long time." the King of Doma leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand across his chin.
"I know how to infiltrate the Garleans. With a team of operatives from the Alliance the plan should have a reasonable chance of success."
"Doma already has Shinobi in place throughout the provinces." Hien looked at the Alliance's leaders. "We stand ready to act. What do you say?"
"Aye! I'm for Master Thancred's proposal." Admiral Merlwyb punched her palm. "We drag the Ascian out into the light and test the Empire's unity. It was his plot that scuttled Doma's negotiations. If we can eliminate him, there may yet be a chance for peace. Let's wage this war of subterfuge so that we may one day lay down our arms. Gods know, we never will while the Ascians remain."
A round of nods was shared amongst everyone and S'eni turned her head to share a look with Thancred, the corners of her lips curling into a smile to answer the one he sent her.
Her lips parted to say a few words, only to twist into a grimace as a sharp pain began to shoot through her head, as if someone had taken a nail fresh out of the forge and jammed it into her skull. A hiss escaped her, fingers digging into the surface of the table, and her vision began to blur, making her close her eyes.
"That way...sorrow…" a voice called out inside her mind.
When she opened them again, S'eni found herself surrounded by endless darkness.
"History...must be changed…"
"Who are you?" she called back.
"A Calamity is about to happen," the voice replied. "A Calamity of Light, burning all form and life away. Only you can stop these twin dooms. Only you."
"What's the matter!?" Raubahn's voice pierced through the void and for a moment, she could see Thancred, Y'shtola, and Alisaie holding their heads in pain.
"There's...there's a voice…" Alisaie pressed out.
Merlwyb entered her vision. "Are we under attack!?"
"No. I sense...something else," Kan-E-Senna replied.
The images faded and the voice spoke again.
"Let me break the barriers of time, let eon become instant. Open the gates!"
A flash of white, and she was back inside the meeting chamber. The pain, gone; reduced to nothing but a strange tingling in the back of her mind. No, something else. Something much...deeper.
"...Is it over?" Y'shtola asked after a few seconds of silence.
Next to her, Thancred collapsed to the ground.
"Master Thancred!"
An hour had passed since the incident, and multiple healers, even some from as far away as Gridania, had taken a look at him, but all had come to the same conclusion. They had absolutely no idea what was wrong with him. For all intents and purposes, he was the epitome of health, yet remained entirely unresponsive to any attempt at waking him.
Just what in the seven hells is going on? She wondered. Was this an attack by the Ascians? Or something else entirely?
And that voice… Who was that?
"—you experience the same thing...? Eni?"
"Huh?" she was pulled out of her thoughts, turning her head to see Kan-E-Senna, Y'shtola, and Alisaie looking at her, a puzzled expression on her face. "Yes?"
"I was asking if you experienced the voice and headache as well, like someone was taking a tanner's knife and rummaged through your brain with it," Y'shtola said.
"Uh, yes." She nodded. "It was a bit like when I experience an Echo vision, just ten times worse. Or rather...hm...like the headaches I experienced while my memory was gone. But between the pain and the voice, I was in this black void, like I wasn't even at the same place anymore."
The only other time she had experienced something remotely similar was when she had awoken to the power of the elemental crystals, but even that wasn't entirely the same. No...
"...I felt a bit like I was being pulled somewhere."
"I see," the Elder Seedseer said. "Then you have confirmed my suspicions. What you experienced, I believe, was your soul being plucked from your body. Called to be precise."
"Called?" Y'shtola asked.
Kan-E-Senna nodded gravely. "I examined Thancred myself. Try as I might, I could not sense the spark that is his soul within him. That Thancred alone was stricken like this is likely due to his heightened sensitivity to the effects of aether, a consequence of his prior possession by the Ascian Lahabrea, as I am sure you all recall. The owner of the voice reached out to you, called your souls, and in doing so caused you the pain you felt."
"But...if that's true." Alisaie touched her chin in thought. "Where are we being called to?"
"That I do not know," the Elder Seedseer replied. "Yet one thing is plain: whoever waits for you on the other side possesses a power unlike any I have ever known."
"Let me break the barriers of time, let eon become instant..." the voice's words echoed once more through the back of her mind.
But before she could pursue that line of thought further, the familiar chime of a linkpearl came from Alisaie.
The young Elezen's hand immediately went to her ear. "Urianger! Something happened during the meeting. Thancred's collapsed. A disembodied voice suddenly started—" she paused at something that was said on the other end. Her expression grew dark. "What? But that's...We should talk about this in person. …All right. We'll meet you there."
Alisaie lowered her hand again. "He said he heard the voice too!" she told them.
"In Thanalan?" Y'shtola asked. A thoughtful look then entered her eyes. "I already had my suspicions, but if the voice also spoke to Urianger, there can be little doubt. The Scions were targeted specifically. By whom and to what end is the question, one we need to find the answer to as swiftly as possible."
Locking eyes with her lover, S'eni shared a nod with her. "Let's go then."
After a hasty goodbye, and a promise to Lyse to keep her updated, the three of them hurried off towards Revenant's Toll.
By the time they had arrived at the Rising Stones, Urianger was already waiting for them.
"Urianger!" Alisaie called out, running towards him. "Gods it's good to see you."
"Mistress Alisaie." The older Elezen inclined his head in greeting. "Would that our meeting was under happier circumstances. I judged the voice sufficient cause for concern even before thou sent word of its on Thancred…"
"So you really did hear it then?" Y'shtola asked as S'eni and her walked up to them.
"Aye. And all but certainly at the selfsame instant. Alas, pained as I was, I could make little sense of what few words did then reach mine ears."
"Who do you think is responsible?" the other Miqo'te crossed her arms. "The Ascians?"
"That I cannot say. Not when so little is known," Urianger replied. "Ere I indulge in speculation, I would examine Thancred with mine own eyes."
"Then let's return to Ala Mhigo," the Elezen girl said.
"Wait. One other thing," Y'shtola said. "During my visit to the Far East, I observed a strange phenomenon."
"Thou referest, I presume, to the localized reduction in aetheric density?"
White eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Well, that spares me the trouble of an explanation. Yes, I noticed it at two apparently unconnected locations."
"Ah, so that's what you were talking about," S'eni said. Back when Alisaie and her had gone to Doma to meet with Hien, they had found Y'shtola engaged in a conversation with one of the locals about something, and later when they had first arrived at the House of the Crooked Coin she had made note of something there as well.
"Yes, but I wanted to confirm it first before mentioning it to you all," Y'shtola said. "I assume it's not limited to the Far East, Urianger?"
"Indeed not," he replied. "Of late, our agents charged with surveilling the beast tribes have spoken of little else. In every corner of the realm, they tell of places in which the aether hath grown thin. Naturally, my suspicions first turned to primal activity, but the areas thus affected betray no evidence of summoning. I must confess to being quite perplexed."
"The same phenomenon being observed on two continents can't be a coincidence." Y'shtola began to gently tap her knuckles against her chin. "We should investigate this further."
"Indeed. I shall make it my task to—" Urianger suddenly seized up.
"Urianger?" S'eni asked, taking a step towards her friend.
"The voice… It calleth to me once more…"
"What!?"
Gritting his teeth, his hands began to grab his hand, stumbling around before falling to his knees.
All of a sudden, Y'shtola too grabbed her head, letting out a pained gasp.
"Shtola!" S'eni was immediately at her side, taking hold of one of her shoulders to steady her. Silvery-white eyes, narrowed in pain, turned to look at her.
"I...hear it...too."
Before S'eni could answer, she too was hit by a surge of pain, forcing her to let go of her lover and nearly knocking her flat on her back from the sheer intensity of it.
"Only you... Only you..." The voice returned. Calling. Pulling.
"No…" she somehow managed to utter through the waves of pain washing over her mind, trying to reach out to her lover once more. "Shto...la"
"Open the gates!"
Then, from one instant to the next, it was gone again. Exhaling deeply, S'eni looked down at herself for a moment, as if she wanted to make sure she was still where she belonged. A mass of white then entered her field of vision and she felt her heart skip a beat as time seemingly stopped. There, collapsed on the ground lay Y'shtola. Completely still, just like Thancred.
She could faintly hear Alisaie cry out behind her as she slowly sunk to the ground, her hand reaching out towards Y'shtola to try and shake her awake. No reaction.
Another shake. No reaction.
And another. Her breath became quick and shallow.
And another. Numbness began to creep into her limbs.
Only when she noticed Riol kneel down next to her, did she stop, slamming her eyes shut as she turned them towards the ceiling.
Gods, please no…
It's begun...